Sep 30 2014

Yoda Purse – An upcycled story

Posted on September 30, 2014 by DeandrasCrafts

My love for Star Wars has come to the point where I made myself a Yoda purse.

If you came to find this blog because of this purse, let me assure you that I absolutely love this purse and use it. And no, it is not for sale.

My own husband photo-bombed my special moment of posing with the two purses I created.

I hand drew this purse, based off of an image I found on the net. I made this one for myself (instructions below) and then one for my friend. Her purse is pleather (or fake leather) and I used the same process here with a couple more steps. You can see those instructions here: Yoda Purse – Upcycled It Is

I found the Fossil brand name purse at the Flea Market with the specific purpose to draw Master Yoda on it. I paid $5 for mine (real leather) and it was really clean on the inside.

I used drawing items similar to the following:

Pitt Artist Pens – Wallet Set of All 4 Pen Styles in Black

Sanford Sharpie Permanent Markers Pilot

Gold and Silver Metallic Permanent Markers

I also copied and pasted this drawing to have a copy of.

First of all, I simply cleaned the purse using a dry paper towel to wipe up any loose particles of dirt or grime. I didn’t rub the paper towel too hard either, as I didn’t want the leather to get anymore scratched than it already was.

As this was a previously used purse, you can see from the photos that the corners of the purse were already discolored from use.

I tried using a pencil to sketch the lines out for the Yoda, but it didn’t work. I ended up free-hand sketching the lines with the black art pens. I started at the top of the head again and drew the ears, forehead details, eyes, nose, mouth and chin/jawline, in that order.

Next I colored in the details of the hair and eyes with the silver and gold permanent markers.

I highlighted his facial features in a green permanent marker, to give some depth to the black lines.

I colored in the robe with a brown sharpie marker.

Lastly, I gave some additional highlights to the face and robe using a wide-tipped gold scrapbooking marker I’ve had for years.

I DID NOT spray the purse with any acrylic spray, although I will admit I tried it on the bottom of the purse to see what would happen. Just as I suspected, the spray turned the purse a darker color.

The permanent marker has not smudged (yet) on the purse and I don’t expect that it will.

Overall, I love it. I have gotten photos taken of it by complete strangers, I have been asked more times than I can count if I hand drew the pattern and where I got it, the list of questions goes on and on.

Thanks for reading this! I hope you try to upcycle a purse in the near future too!

May 23 2014

Tips on How to Spot a Fake Louis Vuitton Purse

Posted on May 23, 2014 by DeandrasCrafts

At the flea market recently (there’s one every Thursday near where I work, and yes, you can be jealous,) I spotted a cute purse that I picked up just for the color and size. When I looked inside the purse to see the label, I noticed that it said Louis Vuitton.

So understand something about me – I am not a fine purse connoisseur. Not even close. But I do know the name Louis Vuitton.

When I saw the label on the bag and asked how much, the woman said $2. At that moment I knew it was a fake, but I didn’t care and handed her my money. It’s so cute and still a great purchase for a small, clean purse.

When I went back to work with my find, the tiny-bit excited part of me had to make sure it was a fake. This post is the results of my findings that I am sharing with you!

All the advertiser links on this page take you to Amazon, where although Amazon does not sell REAL, Louis Vuitton, they do sell “Inspired Designer” handbags, many of which look like Louis Vuitton purses. Links for real Louis Vuitton sites are at the bottom of the Amazon website.

This is the video that helped me the most.

Here are examples of the workmanship, from photos of the purse I purchased. The key for any Louis Vuitton purse is quality of workmanship. They are valued over $300 for a reason – and that reason is the quality.

First indicator: A real Louis Vuitton does not have the logo under creases, straps or hardware. Note that the tab in the photo is also not marked with an LV logo, just a plain, brass colored tab. This photo also shows thread sticking out from the stitches!

The “brass” hardware was not real brass, as you can hopefully see from the photo that the zipper pull is discoloring as fake brass does that. The tabs on a real Louis Vuitton purse are marked with the LV logo, not the full name as shown on my purse.

The stitching is done by hand on a real Louis Vuitton, and the video above stated that another good indicator the purse is not real is by looking at the stamped label inside the purse. The stamped label is not supposed to be off center as shown on my purse.

The video goes into detail about the handle. The handles on a real purse are made out of cow hide and oxidize after being used which turns them a darker colored brown. As a result, the handle will also soften over time. The color of the edging is supposed to be red. Although similar to a real Louis Vuitton, I would describe the color of the edge of the handle as brick red.

If there is anything from the things I read about how to spot a real Louis Vuitton purse, it would be that the quailty is the number one thing on a real purse. The tab on the purse I bought for $2 was peeling away from the seam. Clearly, this purse was made in a hurry and would never be worth even $10, let alone $300 or up.

I think I’ll be checking those labels more often. Many people at flea markets don’t acutally know what they are selling, which is why it can be so exciting to go! I believe I would never actually find a real Louis Vuitton purse, but I hope to share more finds with you of other super cool things.

I do like my faux bag….

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Apr 27 2014

Ten Crocheted Projects for Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn

Posted on April 27, 2014 by DeandrasCrafts

I recently got a stash of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick Yarn from the flea market. It was an amazing deal of 7-1/4 skeins for $5. (Score!)

Most of the skeins are full, two are unlabeled, and one is actually a Loops & Threads (Michaels Brand) Charisma labeled yarn.

Because I have an unbelievable amount of yarn, I don’t go looking for yarn on purpose, but knowing how much these skeins are worth individually, I JUST COULDN’T pass it up. Many some of you can relate….

Anyway, because all the colors are different, I looked up the Lion Brand Website to find some patterns that I could potentially use this yarn for. I’m a crocheter, so the patterns are all crochet patterns. The best thing about this thick yarn is the large sized hooks! All the pattern listed use a size N-hook or bigger.

Here’s my list of projects I came up with for this specific type of yarn that I look forward to trying to use up in the near future.

Save up to 80% on Yarn at Craftsy !

(1) This is definitely something that I could use for my own little girl or make as a gift for a new mom of a little girl.

Girls’ Ruffled Edge Hat

(2) I love bags, especially ones I make on my own that don’t make me look like a grandma. This a bag that could easily be one of my “What’s in My Bag” stories for smaller projects or using for a quick trip to the grocery store. (I have three kids so that happens A LOT!)

Two Toned Bag

(3) I’ve made this pattern for the granny dog sweater with worsted weight yarn before. The pattern works up very easily and can be made for different sized dogs. I personally make dog sweaters and donate them to the local dog shelter.

Granny Square Dog Sweater
(4) This looks like a cute scarf that I would actually wear! The pattern states that it uses one ball of Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.

Flirty Ruffle Scarf

(5) Based off the extremely successful movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
this cowl is a trendy thing that I think would be envied by many. It uses four (4) balls of the Thick & Quick yarn, so if I wanted to make it I’d had to purchase the other skeins of the same color.

District 12 Cowl Wrap

(6) One skein of this yarn could be used to make this warm-looking cowl and the Lion Brand Website has the pattern shown completed in different colors.

Open Work Crocheted Cowl Cowl

(7) These beanie pattern could be used for a quick gift, or saved up for a Christmas gift for those people you may have get something for at the last minute!

Family of Beanies Pattern Beanie

(8) Something I think this skeins were made for was this kid-friendly blanket. This yarn is extremely soft, so I could imagine giving the blanket to a one-year old or a new mom who loves color.

Baby Throw

(9) I ABSOLUTELY LOVE all things pumpkin. These adorable little gourds are perfect for the colors I got!

Thanksgiving Gourds

(10) Last but not least, what crocheting list would be complete without a afghan pattern? Obviously in my case, I would have to purchase a significant number of skeins to finish this pattern off, but the colors I got in my stash lend themselves well to use for this throw.

Lacy Stripes Throw