i made this adjustable vest out of four red and black striped neckties. it is an XS with a single strap around the back that ties in the front. there are three snaps that allow 5 different adjustments to the length of the strap. want it? you can buy it here or email me to request a custom vest.
i made this fedora by upcycling an old bed sheet and necktie. it has a wonderful raised texture and is fully lined. the brooch was a thrift store find, the thread and lining were saved from a landfill. this is a women’s size M/L. want it? buy it here.
these newest of bracelets are all adjustable to fit small, medium, and large! and i’ve used new, smaller, shinier snaps. come check them out in person at Trunk, 544 Haight Street in San Francisco.
i made this one-of-a-kind neck piece upcycling a brocade style blue necktie. it is accented by three little flowers, made from another blue necktie. it can be worn on any of the three snaps and one size fits most! it is shown on a 13.5″ neck. it will be available at Trunk, 544 Haight St in San Francisco or you can email me for a custom order.
this time in blue! it has a pointier back than the last one but is similar in style. meant to be worn around the waist (not the hips) it has corset style lines but without the boning. will fit a waist size 29″ to 34″. you can buy this piece at Trunk, 544 Haight Street in San Francisco or email
me for a special order.
i made this petite set of cuffs for my friend’s birthday gift. i used one skinny end of a necktie scrap and some material that i got from SCRAP for the ruffles. the snaps are really cute and sparkly…kind of like my friend =) in this picture, they remind me of a pair of jellyfish.
my favorite thing about online orders is packaging them like gifts. i know when i receive an order and it is packaged in some special way, i appreciate it so much more! for my latest order, i sewed together pages from an old, gently used coloring book from the 50′s (that i bought from SCRAP). i placed the order inside the pages and then sewed it shut like a neat little package! isn’t it adorable? and it’s a great way to recycle books that would have went straight to the landfill.
one of my favorite vending opportunities this past year was the 2009 Holiday Gifty Show at the Crucible in Oakland. it was my first show that i did alone (my man was sick) and it forced me to entertain myself more than usual. i ended up meeting all kinds of wonderful vendors and customers. everyone was so enthusiastic about the waffle back vests that i actually sold out of them and took three special orders for more! here is the one i made for Nieves on a trade for some of her wonderful bodycare items.
how many pin cushions is too many pin cushions?
i bleed for my art!
i finally got the right dress form and started Nieves’s custom vest:
i made this necklace from thrift store chains and an antique key from England. it is available for sale at Trunk, 544 Haight St. San Francisco, CA
i made this necklace from thrift store chain and two antique keys from England. it is available for sale at Trunk, 544 Haight St. San Francisco, CA
if you’d like to donate neckties, old jewelry, or fabric to me, please email me at: [email protected]
this morning, after our creative support meeting, my good friend ellen and i went to scrap to see what treasure we could find. scrap is an excellent resource for artists and crafters, especially if they are into reusing and recycling. today was a gold mine day for me. i went there expecting nothing and left feeling like i had just robbed the place! upon stepping ten feet into the warehouse, we found a bunch of really old games and puzzles that were in pretty good shape. after looking inside almost every box and contemplating what i could possibly use these relics from the past for, i came up with the idea to use some of the pieces as hang tags on my upcycled garments for sale. i mean, why spend a bunch of money on printing tags when these game pieces all had wonderful, colorful, childhood reminders in the form of illustrations on them? i figure i can either hand write directly on the back or print information (like care instructions) on stickers and stick those to the back of the pieces. either way, i think it’s a grand idea! here are some pics of the games and some of their pieces that i made off with:
oh, and did i forget to mention the GIANT pile of ties that i got for a price so low that i’m afraid that if i repeat it, they’ll come to my door and take them away from me!