Upshabby challenge~ look at things differently

Are you able to do this? Too many of us get caught in the “it’s not ‘perfect'” conundrum. Sorry mom but I blame that “training” on you.

Those of you that have any understanding of me know that regularly I’ll say “it’s not ‘perfect’ but I don’t live in perfect.”

The pic of the washtub was a stretch. I knew that I wanted metal buckets for our wedding reception. Those buckets are $20 ea. Most people would think “big deal” but not Upshabby. I’d rather spend that $60 on something that matters to us.

I found this antique washing machine cylinder on CL. It was in great shape for the task I wanted it for. Ice bucket anyone?

I brought it home and painted the lid and added the key logo on top. It made sense to me as Ben bought me a key charm that looks antique that hangs around my neck.

Getting back to the challenge of looking at things differently. The coffee table was trash! Not only was it thrashed BUT it had been oil painted. No fears. It was free to me and after I Upshabby’d, I sold it for $75.

There are several places within the blog that I’ve talked about how I do the transfers. I’ve asked people to “like” the Upshabby fb page. Even went so far as to say that if we went to xxx in likes I’d do a video tut on exactly how I do it.

Got a very few likes but I’m done with that. I feel like I’m begging people to allow me to teach them to get the same result. One person says, ” I don’t ‘follow’ but can you produce multiple for me to use?” Excuse me?

She knows who she is and she doesn’t read the blog so I needn’t be concerned. At some point I will do a tutorial but not yet. Feel free to send a message if you’re up for the challenge of looking at things differently.

Signed… Upshabby

Chalk Paint and graphics kind of day!

So today and yesterday were a combo of chalk paint and graphics. I redid the train case. It looks oh so much better. Esthetically it’s appealing. Then I decided to tackle the vintage Lady Baltimore suitcase. It looks fab! Added the Paris graphics. Every Paris piece of furniture I did sold quickly on CL so I threw her up too. I’ll test the water. It’s completely unique and there won’t be another just like it.

I picked up the vintage washing machine tub turned ice box. Based on the size I’d guess 1960s but who knows. The lid was spray painted. I redid that with chalk paint. I don’t know if we’ll keep it or if Ben will send it with his best man.

That’s pretty well it. I need to tackle bottle cap baubles tomorrow.

Signed… Upshabby

Tomorrow’s ToDo~

The little things add a skip to my step. I have a vintage Lady Baltimore suitcase that I’m going to chalk paint and add a Paris graphic to it. I’ve blogged about the transfer process so if that’s of interest and you want to try it read the blog. 🙂

The other thing I’m going to do tomorrow is bottle cap jewelry. I have bottle caps, the puncher/ domer and my soldering iron. I’ll try my luck at it this time around and see how I do.

Stay tuned. We’ll see how far I get.

Signed… Upshabby

Wedding… This or that?

Let’s start off with what to wear? This or that? This could be a long “story” so I’ll cut to the chase. Over 2 years ago I quit drinking. Not ” slowed down, BUT quit.” I went from a raving drunk to starting to get my life back together. With that, I started to lose weight. Then 8 months ago I “found” the airport job pushing wheelchairs. I quickly started walking 9miles a day at break neck speed. I went from wheelchairs to checking in passengers and their bags. With that, I was quick to see the positive effects of lifting 50lb bags constantly during my shift.

Then I found the ramp. It’s a very demanding job physically and requires being able to multi task “on the go.” With all of that said, I’ve lost nearly 55 lbs. I’m not “looking” for them so if you see them just ignore them. Lol…

Ben proposed in December and we selected the last Sat in April, 2015. I bought the 1st dress from a major department store chain. Cute dress but something was “off.” Can’t take it back so I found another bridal dress on CL. It’s not a true bride dress but I didn’t care. It’s a bridal gown and I’m not looking for the big white gown. Did that the first time around. The second time around is MY way, but as my mom said, “are you sure black?”

That leads to the next dress that I also found on CL. Gorgeous dress and it fits well but now that I did the top hat birdcage veil, I’m wondering if the black dress isn’t a better option. I’m starting to drive myself crazy and trust me… It’s a short trip. I think I need to go see my maid of honor with dresses packed to help make that decision.

Bottom line, I have options and will go with the one that makes the most sense. It doesn’t really matter. I’ll be gorgeous and it’ll be a great day. Doesn’t seem possible that it’s only 10 months away. The next thing on my “to do” list is to find the food/ caterer. I really want BBQ food so I’m on the “hunt” for the person to bring in the commercial BBQ and do it up on site. Spirits will be flowing so it’s important to set the ambiance with the meal too. The fantastic smell and the cozy environment are key to us.

Ben bought me a whole lotta sunday pop bottle caps before we left TX too. I’m still deciding how I’m going to incorporate the diet coke into my wedding attire, but a diet coke bottle cap necklace is screaming at me! All details are subject to change but that’s ok. I am learning to LIKE change.

My father isn’t around to walk me. He was a huge positive influence on me over the years and my buddy Brodie Dog got me through the tough years. Neither are here in body but they will be with me in spirit. Small pictures will be attached to hang from my bridal bouquet. I’ll crop out my sis in the pic with dad. It was her wedding day  over 20 yrs ago. Oh pops… I miss you.

Signed… Upshabby. ❤

Can I really add a graphic to a tshirt…

There is SOO much fun going on right now. From taking advantage of flight benefits to putting together wedding details. From following my passion in aquatics to getting ready to move the household. All good individually, but collectively? SHUT the front door!

I’ve posted about this project before but wanted to add a bit more detail. I’d rate it a simple to easy project.

What you need:

Printer

exacto knife

freezer paper (plastic coated)

Tulip Slick dimensional fabric paint

iron

The process starts by finding a graphic that you want to use. Cut down your freezer paper to size that fits your printer. Print graphic on non plastic coated side. Cut the graphic out with exacto. Less complicated graphic is suggested to start. When that’s completed, pull out the tshirt that you want the graphic on. Iron the coated side to the shirt. It will stick yo the iron so be sure to iron on paper side only.

You’re almost done. I’ve done the paint with either a dobber or a small paintbrush. Either way works but I prefer the paintbrush. Once you’ve applied the paint to the graphic, peal the freezer paper. I’ve let it air dry and used a hair dryer when I’m impatient.

Once it’s dry, it will not ruin the dryer. Have fun with this. Think kids. 😉

If you do this, please post a pic and let us know how it went.

Signed… Upshabby

Top hat & bird cage veil/ fascinator…

Our wedding is in full swing and as I go I’m thrilled to report that tasks get crossed off the list.  I finished this top hat bird cage today. I’ll probably end up doing another and deciding on the day of which I want to wear. Why not? I have multiple dresses to choose from.

 

Chalk painted shoes?! Great Gatsby!

Yes I have chalk painted nearly everything! Recall that our wedding theme is Roaring 20’s. Everything that I’d looked at online had the wingtip look. I thought to myself, “self you have a pair of black ones that you don’t wear. Upshabby THOSE.” I love to find things that I currently own and tweak them to find a “job.”

these shoes were picked up at Payless less than a year ago for less than $20. Once I knew that these were going to beTHE ones I was going to chalk paint, I got to work. The dress is white. It is full length and gorgeous. I wanted enough white to stand out yet not change them completely. My shoes needed some flapper attitude!

Normally if I chalk paint I pull out a quart of paint from the garage. This area that I wanted white was very small so I went to the craft room for a 50 cent tube of paint from Walmart. For this project I used about 25% of that tube. Pour the paint in whatever you’re going to use to hold it. I picked up an empty soda can and turned it upside down. Squirt the paint, head to the water fountain and add a bit of water. It isn’t an exact measurement. I’ve chalk painted enough times to know the consistency that I’m going for. This is the important part. Pull out your baking soda and a pinch of soda. Mix it up.

The consistency you’re going for is pancake batter. The water thins it out but the soda is the “magic” and thickens it while giving the paint something to adhere with. I don’t know how else to describe it. The baking soda acts as the glue giving the paint the “legs” to grab on. If you add too much soda it’ll seem like it’s too much effort to spread it. Not enough will leave an impression that there is no way this’ll work. Mix it well and know that you can add until you feel it’s the correct consistency. As stated, I think of it as pancake mix.

Chalk paint is amazing. If I wanted these to be red instead of white I would have used a red tube of paint instead of white. I put 2 coats on these shoes and now that they’re done I’ll set them with wax. The wax acts as the glue keeping it all together. This is the exact way that I chalk painted the leather recliner, my former pink Ariat boots and now these wedding shoes. Ask yourself what you have that’s not being used that would IF it were a different color? Jump on it and have fun. Think Halloween. Costumes for theatre. This could be a huge help in many different venues. Come on… these are my wedding shoes to be worn with the tiered white dress that screamed flapper!

If this has given you an idea or you’ve had an “aha” moment… Share it!  Had I realized how simple it was to put a custom spin on things earlier in life? Pfffsh… share this and have fun! Lastly I’ll mention that the wingtip “dots” in the shoes that are now filled with white paint were done with the round end of a pin. I dipped the pin in paint and pushed it into the space. After that I took a damp paper towel to remove extra paint.

Flapper dress calls for flapper style shoes! Repurpose the closet!

I picked up the white flapper style dress. Love it! Doesn’t matter to me that it’s not truly from that time period. This dress was previously worn for a wedding celebration and it FITS! No alterations necessary.

Asi was thinking about shoes I realized that I have a pair that will work. They are wingtip style which were big in the day. Not a t strap but doable and they’re in my closet. This pic is an example of a flapper style shoe that is currently available on line. Why buy when I have a shoe that’ll work?!

 

This pic is the shoes that I have. They were worn in our engagement photos. No they aren’t the same but they are close and I already have them.

What will it take to transform my shoes to have a white emphasis? Not much. When I get started it’ll take about 30 minutes of detail work to take them from solid black to black and white. Easy peasy Upshabby.

Prior to shifting over to the Roaring 20’s I had put together the bouquet. I’ll take mine apart and add a hint of black and white. The red that I pull out will get split into 2 small bouquets that my bride team will carry. They’ll have more black and white with a hint of red.

 

Upshabby’g wardrobe!

In the last 2 yrs I’ve lost nearly 60lbs. Part of that is due to quitting drinking but also the physical labor of working at the airport has helped. Great way to guarantee exercise! Lol.

Most of my clothes are too big. For the important things I’ll replace but for things like my favorite shorts?! NO way. Not that they are a great brand but I like the way they feel. I’ve tried multiple ways of taking things in. I’ve sewn the extra from the front, the back and the side to reduce the waist but haven’t liked the way it sits. Felt like a blinking light should have been there to announce my attempt.

The other day I realized that I was on the right track with just a slight adjustment to how I was doing it. These shorts are flat front (no pleats). I took the extra fabric and folded into the pocket. You can still see that there has been extra fabric taken in but the pocket absorbs most of that. It’s less obvious and that works for me. I’ve reduced the waist by nearly 4″.

Try it. It’s simple and an effective way to keep the favorite pieces when replacing them isn’t necessary or at the top of the priority list.

Now back to wedding details. Should I mention that I picked up my dress yesterday at a steal of a bargain. The dress/ gown I’d bought is now too big. Cry me a river, right? I didn’t want to take the chance of doing alterations on fabric that isn’t as “forgiving.” Tags are still on but it was a sale item so can’t return it. May end up selling it but I’m not sure yet.

Printing on Burlap

Burlap is a trend that I love! I appreciate the overall and the casual look. A recent Christmas I received a gift card from Ben’s kids and I picked up the 5″ roll and put together a table runner with the pieces weaved together.

My ink jet printer also loves burlap. 🙂 The printer was a CL purchase just for these types of projects. cut the burlap to a size that will fit your printer. Mine is 8.5 by 11. Once that is cut I iron it to make the printers job as easy as possible. Cut freezer paper the same size and iron it on to the back. Thanks mom for reminding me of that. The freezer paper gives the burlap the reinforcement to smoothly run through the printer. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out because the burlap I had was an open weave. No issues and it was exactly how I wanted it.

Think holidays!