Monday, July 4, 2011

My Cheatin' Heart.

I love a good shortcut.  Okay, if I'm going to be honest - I love a good cheat.  I made these sweet brooches the other day...




But I totally cheated.  I did not sew a stitch, or even glue a drop.

So.  Your options are as follows.  You can take the high road and refuse to read this tutorial.  (Good Little Shoulder Angel: "Yes, yes!  Pick that one!")  Or you can find out how to cheat your way to a darling upcycled brooch in just a couple of minutes.  (Bad Little Shoulder Devil: "Do eet!  Do eet!")

Your call.


Here's the secret: itty bitty scrapbooking brads!  You need a few of those, and one pin back.


Find something lacy and flowery, and figure out a design.  Then cut a nice felt shape for the base of your brooch.


My lace flowers happen to be plastic, snipped from a dollar store table runner.  But you could use real lace.  Or floral fabric.  Or maybe a machine-embroidered flower off something you don't wear anymore?  Any two-dimensional flowery thingy.

Step one: poke two brads through the pin back and the felt, and bend them down flat.  (If it's hard to poke the brads through, you might want to make small holes in the felt first - just use a thumbtack.)



Wow!  Are you digging this?


You now have a pin back attached to your felt, and you didn't even have to thread a needle!

Okay, second and final step: flip the felt over, arrange your flower on the felt (nicely hiding the unsightly brads holding your pin back) and do the exact same thing:



And you are DONE!

Yes, yes.  It's cheating, and the evidence is clear.  Here is what the back of your brooch looks like:


Shocking!  Disgraceful!  A shonda!

Do you care?  Who's gonna see it after you pin your brooch to something?  Nobody, that's who!  Just that silly Shoulder Angel.


Ahh, tell her to go to heck.

16 comments:

  1. Who cares indeed what the backing looks like when all you see is the front! Great idea!

    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a great weekend!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are so inspiring to make up-cycling jewelry. My first attempt to jewel make was success. Your work is brilliant keep doing great job...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarharharhar! *strokes fat, hairy white cat* You are an evil genius with an eye for beauty :D
    I love you, Mich, honestly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great idea new sewing or messy glue thank u for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now you reveal the REEEEEAl mystery! I was wondering why would you add colorful blinky like the one for nail arts on the brooch when I first saw it!!! Naughty cheat but I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are too funny - but absolutely brilliant at the same time...I love the bling they add...

    ReplyDelete
  7. hiya what a great cheat i will be using this idea and will not feel bad for cheating on my glue gun teee heeee
    tfs
    xmaggiex

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's so clever! Great idea. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well, isn't that simply apalling! Astonishing! Disgraceful! Dare I say, scandalous!

    Seriously, best shortcut ever. Keep it up, I LOVE how creative you are!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Too clever you! I think the Brad is loving this new use for itself!

    ReplyDelete
  11. How smart! I love that there is no sewing or glueing! Perfect craft to let the kids help with:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is a clever idea, and it looks like lovely jewels. And for those who want to hide the cheating heart (although Poe says not to) a double layer of the felt would work yeah? I think I might have to make this for my mother's birthday.

    Thanks for the great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Aha! I knew you couldn't resist the lure of the scrapbooking supplies! AWESOME idea as always! So glad you linked these up.

    ReplyDelete