Thrift Store Junkie: A Blouse Becomes Art

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Well, hallelujah!

I completed my project and I’m feeling pretty darn good about it.  Check it out. Here’s what became of my last big thrift store find, a blouse.   I knew I loved the fabric, but the cut of the shirt was kind of lame, in my opinion.  It just didn’t look like something I would wear.  Though, this is probably a classic case of me finding fault in something that I might love if I saw someone else wearing it.  But, it just didn’t have a lot of hangar appeal to me.  Aside from that I knew I loved the fabric.  That’s a given.  So, what did I do you ask?  I cut it up!!  And then I got to work.

I found a 2’x2’ board of plywood in the garage.  You know, we’ve talked about this.  I’m a bit of a hoarder.  But, as a result, there’s always something lying around the house somewhere, just waiting to be turned into a great piece of artwork. 

The sheer material of the shirt had sort of an ombre effect on it.  It was purple on the bottom that subtly turned into a yellow on the top.  So, I played with paint and created my own kind of ombre-esk background. I actually played with chalk paint, a new thing for me.  I like it a lot.  It doesn’t render the somewhat plastic look that acrylic paint often does.

Once the chalk paint part was completed I attached the torn pieces of fabric on top using acrylic gel medium, one of my all time favorite craft supplies.  And once the fabric was on the board I started painting.  I added depth to the leaves and loved how it turned out.  But I soon realized I needed more leaves.  So, I got out my black fine-tip sharpie and drew in lots more leaves and vines.  Then I painted inside all of them.   I was so into this project that I completed it all in one day.  This is very rare for me.  Going this fast is just not something I usually do, especially when I’m painting.  But I was enjoying the process so much I didn’t want to stop.  I guess you could say I got into the zone.

I get into the zone a lot when I’m making jewelry.  But an artsy girl needs more than just one medium.  Honestly, I think doing all the other creative things I like to do really adds to my jewelry making ability.  I get a little re-inspired every time I do something new.  This was another one of those cases because this was new to me indeed.

Anyway, I love the painting so much that I hung my new piece over our fireplace.  It’s perfect.  Out with the old piece of artwork and in with the new.  Our house is forever changing. 

Can’t wait to get back out there and make another big thrift store find so I can do something like this again.  And don’t worry.  I won’t leave you behind.  You know when I do this again you’ll be informed. 

Thanks for reading.

Marcia