The fabulous Laura Orr from ‘The Home that Yard Sales Built’ is the queen of creativity. She lives in the bustling metropolis that is Manhattan Beach and scours the city and surrounding areas ruthlessly– searching for hidden treasures to restore, resell or collect. She also takes extended road trips to gather the rare, the odd and the rescuable. The following tips from Laura show us how to rescue a fabric handbag, like this Coach one she found at…you guessed it—a yard sale!
The finished product! Laura is a dear friend of mine, and once told me that she gets up at ‘Kick a puppy early’ to find great sales. Her efforts typically pay off–and she is tireless in her endeavors and ideas.
The following bullet points outline how Laura transformed the Coach bag from trash to treasure. To read her full post in her own words, follow link to her blogspot, ‘The House that Yard Sales Built“:
- Laura chose transparent fabric paint as the base coat for this project. The results are much like dye, she says, with easier application.
- She then used a mix of bright pink and purple to bring new life to the handbag and give it a summer-swept look and feel.
- Laura prefers this type of fabric dye because it is thicker and does not need added water, which can warp a fabric fast.
- Be careful not to over-paint fabric, this can leave too much moisture during the drying process and cause bubbles or permanent damage.
- Cover the leather handles and other items that you do not want painted before you begin! The fabric dye will not come out of the leather.
- You can opt to use a solid color or double up, as she did. Laura describes the end result of her pink and purple brushing as ‘Bohemian’.
- To finish the look, she added granules of sea salt to the wet fabric paint. The salt absorbs part of the paint, giving it the added appeal of tiny imperfections. You can use the salt idea on many paint projects.
She had her doubts during the process, but she ‘soldiered on’
Overall, I must agree with Laura and describe the handbag as bohemian chic. I loved it and wanted to share the simple steps with you, allowing you to rescue fabrics when the opportunities arise!
Post by J&O Fabrics