you can't keep a good girl down

The Foof-a-Life:



When I first saw this book on sale, I knew I had to have it. It's a treasure trove of ideas for those who love pretty, vintagey projects. Imagine - page after page of beautiful projects that are easy and fun to create! It's been a wonderful, inspiring read for me so far, and I've learnt plenty from its pages.

Let's see, I've learnt not to be afraid of working with metal. Previously, I used to avoid working (painting/altering) on metal because I didn't know if the paint/glue would hold. But while experimenting with some easy projects, I found that I do love working on metal - the paint finds its purchase once you sand the metal, and finishing it with a decoupage medium gives it a glossy sheen. Fun!

I've also learnt how to make use of different fabrics in my projects - moving away from using lots of paper, and playing around with stuff like lace, velvet, ric rac and tulle (netting).



I love the result - my projects look pretty and girly. Here's a bit of what I've done so far - I've got a couple more projects which are still Work In Progress, so I won't post the pics up here just yet..

Here are two fridge magnets which I made from a small tin (those tins containing keychains that you commonly receive as wedding favours). I painted the rims of the tins, decoupaged patterned paper, and embellished with prima flowers and sequins, as well as some tulle and ribbon.



You can't see it in this photo, but the sequins I placed around the inner rim of the tin have a lovely and rather unexpected effect - they reflect the light from the surroundings onto the flower in the middle, so the flower seems to shine!



The flower in this magnet isn't glued down - so when you shake the whole thing, the flower jiggles along. The tulle keeps it together.



This next project is a floral cone that I made for a friend whose birthday is coming up. (Eh, if you think you know who the birthday girl is, please help to keep this a surprise - I don't think she reads my blog. Heh.)



The original version of this project in the Foof-a-Life book is more subdued and vintagey, but I decided to go for a bit more glitz and colour. Most of the stuff I used came from Spotlight - my new favourite store! I love this glitter butterfly I found there..



In case you're thinking that this is just a simple buy-and-assemble project, let me reassure you that making the cone itself nearly frustrated me to the point of giving up. I decoupaged the cardboard with different patterned papers, then had to roll and glue it so that it became a cone, and then the cone threatened to fall apart..... but well, I just love the end result. Everything about it - from the tulle and sequins on the painted heart, the blooms and the butterfly, to the lace and velvet on the cone - appeals to me. I like this so much, I want to make another one for our home - except that I always have trouble doing the same project twice. Somehow the mojo disappears after the first one, you know what I mean? It's like I expend all my creativity (for that project) and then it's gone. And if I want to make another similar one, I have no ideas whatsoever.



If you're looking for ideas for projects, I strongly recommend you get the Foof-a-Life. It's a great book. I can't wait to get started on my next project - that's if baby allows it though! (But I think I still have time. Doctor said cervix still closed...)