SW Craft Club: glitter

Sunday, 11 December 2011

Upcycle Shoes: Twinkle Toes Tutorial no.2

Guest Blogger Natasha De Vil of the The Crafty Ms De Vil Blog shoe you how to upcycle your shoes for the festive season.

So it Christmas the time of festivity and celebration but you have a problem you spent the last of your pennies buying fab gifts for all your friends and family and now you have no money left to get those awesome shoes for the office Christmas party. Never fear Ms De Vil is here to show you how to vamp a pair of old shoes that will cost you less than a fiver but make your feet look a million pounds!

First you need to select your shoes and choose a glitter that a matching colour.

You will also need a tray, a bowl and a small artists paint brush and some fabric or pva glue.

Evenly cover your shoes with glue using a paint brush

Then sprinkle with glitter covering the whole shoe and then leave to dry.

When dry shake off the excess glitter in the tray and then mix this and the remainder glitter in a bowl with some more glue, I’d go for an even ratio of glitter and glue.

Give the shoes an even coat of the glitter glue mixture and leave to dry. This second coat will seal the glitter on the shoe to stop it shedding.

And voila once the glue is dry your new dancing shoes are ready to hit the dance floor.

And that is how you revamp a pair of old shoes into new.

Enjoy

Natasha De Vil x

To see the first Twinkle Toes tutorial, check out Ms De Vil's blog: http://thecraftymsdevil.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/twinkle-toes/

Pin It

Monday, 1 August 2011

10 Minutes on the Couch with Stars N Scars

Stars n Scars is a quirky jewellery designer, living just outside Tooting and this summer she is appearing at our summer craft pop-up in Clapham, before our event we got 10 minutes on the couch with her, so we knew what we were letting ourselves in for!

Obvious question, why the Stars N Scars?

stars&scars is named because it describes my main creative source - my hands. Just below my right hand i have a white tattoo of a star. On the palm of my left hand I have an inch long scar from a carpal tunnel operation. So, stars&scars!

We love your products, what took you down the fashion route rather than the silversmith jewellery which you had trained in?

Thank you! I found the traditional silver jewellery market to be very crowded, and I found that it took a long time to make each piece. I love the fashion pieces I make because they are quick, affordable and it’s easy to adapt to new trends.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Everywhere! Nature, technology, music... I find inspiration from everything around me. Currently I am working on a new range of colourful resin jewellery with found objects, lots of glitter and colours, things I really love.

Do you have any favourite pieces?

My favourite piece is my pink star cluster necklace, it was one of the first I made for stars&scars and incorporates two of my favourite things – the colour pink, and stars!

What do you enjoy about jewellery making?

I love how you can be creative in so many different ways. Even if another designer is using the same kind of materials and inspiration as you, there are so many ways to be original and stand out from the crowd.

Do you have a jewellery making disaster story?

Every time I make one of my moustache necklaces is a disaster! They’re so prone to curling up during the heating process, for every one that goes right, maybe five go wrong! So a lot of work goes into those little tashes!

What make and take craft will you be doing at our summer pop-up event?

I will be showing you how to make origami bangles! They can be a bit fiddly, so if your fingers aren’t so nimble, I’ll be showing you simpler paper beads too. Either way you’ll have lovely paper bracelets, and the knowledge to take home!