When I found out that I had made the Crafty Chica Design Team, I was over the moon with excitement! She is a crafting hero of mine and I was so thrilled (and maybe a little intimidated) to be making something with some of her products. Before I show you what I made, let me lay a little foundation first. You see, I’m not really much of a “glittery” kind of person. It’s not that I dislike it but well, honestly, glitter and bling and bright colours and over the top patterns make me a little nervous. Believe it or not, when I was young I was really really shy and quiet and I still have a bit of the shy introvert left inside of me. It’s difficult to be shy when you’re all decked out in bright colours and glitter! I know, I know, just because my arts and crafts are colourful and shiny and shimmery doesn’t mean I would have to be as well. But still, it always felt a little out of place in my world.
Then I “met” the Crafty Chica. Ok, so I didn’t actually meet her in person at the time (that came later) – I became familiar with her and her work online. The colours, the glitter, all of it just intrigued me. It made me smile. It called out to me! Still, it felt like something I could admire and enjoy but not like something I could incorporate into my own life and work.
And then, I read her first novel, Waking Up in the Land of Glitter. Oy vey, even the title scared me a little! Still, I started reading it. And then, I couldn’t put it down. I swear it was like she had written the book just for me! As soon as I finished reading it, I immediately downloaded her second book, Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing and devoured it just as quickly. What was the big message for me from the Crafty Chica’s work, her books, even her personality? No fear. Jump right in with both feet and go where your heart wants to go. Find joy in every moment, live your life to the fullest, EMBRACE THE GLITTER!
So with that, I dedicate this project to the Crafty Chica, to Star from Waking Up in the Land of Giltter, and to Scarlet from Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing. Glitter on!
Since this project was an homage to the lessons I’ve learned from the Crafty Chica and the characters in her novels, I decided to begin by gathering up some of the products that to date, have been sitting in my studio untouched, because I was too afraid to use them. Puffy fabric paint, fabric spray paint, bits of bling, and glitter were the first items I grabbed. I have to admit – I sat them on my work table and stared at them for a few days before I got up the nerve to actually use them.
Finally, I grabbed one of the tubes of Tulip Puff Paint and just told myself to dive in. I started outlining a few of the doodles on the bag and was just gaining a little confidence when one of the tubes decided to sputter and spurt (I think I was rushing because once I went back to taking my time, it worked fine). Of all the areas it decided to do this on, it just HAD to be the letters in “Love Life”. They all kind of ran together and for a moment, I was convinced I had ruined the bag. Then, I had a WWCCD moment. That’s What Would Crafty Chica Do? I decided that she would forge ahead and embrace the mistake. So, on I went.
Once the puff paints had dried overnight, I decided to add some overall colour with Tulip Fabric Spray Paints. Again, I found this intimidating. What if they sputtered all over the bag and didn’t spray evenly? I tested them out a little bit on some paper towel and then jumped right in and applied them to the bag. They spray beautifully and added a nice even colour to the bag.
I used some Tulip Fabric Markers to fill in some of the spaces on the bag not already coloured with puff paints. In a few areas, I spritzed with a bit of water to blur the lines of the marker and make it look a little more like watercolour paint. I had, in my stash, some heart shaped and star shaped bits of bling and I decided to glue them onto some of the hearts and stars that were on the bag to add some shine and dimension. I used Aleene’s Jewel It Embellishing Glue for those. I also added a butterfly, a symbol that’s very important to me, in the center of the bag and a few little round bits here and there.
I felt with what I had done to the bag so far, that it needed a bit of a border around the peace sign shape so I dug into my Duck Brand duct tape stash and found one of my favourites, a brightly coloured chevron pattern. The final touch was,, of course, glitter! I used Tulip Fashion Glitter and Fashion Glitter Bond to apply it with. I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. And, the words Love Life on it – you know, the ones I “messed up” with the sputtering puff paint? They’re actually my favourite part of the bag now. Yeah. That happened.
I had so much fun working on the Crafty Chica Eco-Tote and I’m all set now to go shopping in style….glittery style!
Click here to see if a Michaels store in your area is carrying the Crafty Chica line.
I received this complimentary product(s) from CraftyChica.com as part of the Crafty Chica Design Team and was asked to share an original DIY project.
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