Crazy Crafty: This Little Piggy Went to Market

If we meet, I recommend against shaking my hand because there is no telling where my finger has been - up my nose is a far more probable placement than anywhere near the "pulse of the public."  I am the Anti-trend, a perpetual apostate to what's popular.  Rarely do I understand the latest fad; that is why, after finding an inexpensive, turtle-shaped, wicker purse in an out-of-the-way New Mexican antique mall several years ago, I was shocked to learn that the collecting craze for figural wicker purses was white hot!  Some of the more desirable vintage examples beg prices upwards of $450!  Inspired by the best in historical style, Kate Spade even created a line of wicker handbags shaped like everything from armadillos to elephants, apples, lemons, and Volkswagens!  Falling far below the designer-purse tax bracket, Mary would just have to be contented with a turtle.

The turtle purse in action
It seems the turtle only works with outfits of the most exotic variety.

When I saw a wicker planter in the shape of a pig at the thrift store, I knew that destiny had intervened.  I had found my next "Crazy Crafty" project and this little piggy was going to cry, "'Wee, wee, wee,' all the way home!"  It was purse-making time!

I forgot to take "before" pictures of the planter but, minus the weird
googly eyes, my pig and this pig were obviously from the same litter.
(Source - available on Etsy)

As with the pig above, my piggy planter looked a little worse for wear, desperately needing some emergency ear repair.  Even after ensuring the structural integrity, however, the pig still needed some work.  Unsatisfied with the dark stain applied at the wicker pig factory, I decided to freshen things up with a new paint job.  Would this be a literal exercise in putting lipstick on a pig?  I wondered.

I gave it a coat of off-white, thinking that simple was best.

Off-white?  Maybe I was finally onto something; maybe albinos would be the next big thing in the celebrity domesticated-pig-collecting market.  But staring into those soulless eye sockets, I realized that this was the sort of face that only a wicker sow could love; I needed to up the cuteness quotient.  Undeterred by the aggressive ear-posturing, I committed myself to painting a perky pink piglet, even if it did seem a little "on the snout."

My brother often chastises me for my typically-haphazard spray painting
technique.  After the first coat, I was afraid that I had taken this pig to slaughter!
  With all of the nooks and crannies inherent in wicker, I was extremely
conscious of coverage and careful to avoid drips; a few more coats of pink
lacquer and I was more tired of painting than I was convinced of my choice of hue.

With the paint job completed, I floundered when it came time to finish the purse.  I couldn't decide whether to simply add handles or to give the pig my usual basket purse treatment with a fabric upper and bamboo handles.  Once I decided on the fabric finish, I then anguished over the fabric selection.  What would it be - gingham, stripes, novelty print?!?!!  In the end, I might have done the porcine equivalent of "chickening out" by going completely monochromatic.

Pickles the Pink Piggy Purse!

Using a sturdy cotton and bamboo handles painted to match,
I made the modesty panels/handles for Pickles.

I trimmed the opening in miniature, pink, pom-pom fringe.

Après-makeover, I kind of like Pickles, right down to her curly pink tail.

And while she may not have the movie-star appeal of Babe,
Pickles sure looks a darn sight better than when I found her.

Between Pixie the Pink Pet Poodle and Pickles the Pink Piggy Purse, we are subconsciously building the wacky tacky pink pet menagerie!  Having successfully granted Pickles, a once-pitiful planter, a new lease on life, I am seriously considering expanding my wicker-pig-rescue efforts to full-time status...as long as they're all "Boogie Woogie" piggies!

"Boogie Woogie Piggy" - Doris Day with Les Brown

As disinterested as I am in the term "upcycling," I guess that's what this is.  Do you turn trash into treasure?  Do you like novelty handbags or do your prefer utilitarian purses?  Do you have any figural wicker in your purse collection?  Would you carry Pickles the Pink Piggy Purse?  As you ponder these things we just have one more thing to say...

"That's all, folks!"

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! wacky tacky Gets Ric-ky Rac-ky

We've made no secret of it around here that our two very-favorite trims in all of fabric land are ric rac and pom poms.  If there is ever a way to include them both in a wacky tacky "Sew What?!" project, Mr. Tiny will find it!

Mary is only pretending that she doesn't know what to wear to the wedding of ric rac and pom pom.
Don't be fooled; she's wearing the answer.

I don't know that I'll ever understand my thought process but for some reason this ensemble reminded me of something a mid-century fashion maven would have worn on safari.  Since we're a long way from the Serengeti, we were going to have to settle for a suburban safari.

Like any good (style) hunter, Mary wears a mix of camouflage green for cover and bright orange for safety.
The outfit began with a blouse that I made several months ago; the coordinating sun hat came next, with just enough remaining ric rac to replicate the blouse's stripes and just enough material left over from the blouse to make a matching scarf tie.  

The ric rac on the sleeves of the peasant blouse was applied by machine but the bow was tacked on by hand.
Nearly all of the vintage ric rac came from the sewing basket of my great-grandmother. 

When I found the tangerine twill (a grandma hand-me-down) in my fabric stash,
I couldn't quite convince myself that capri pants could complete a cohesive ensemble.

Mary, a huge fan of quirky color stories, was convinced immediately!

Although she'll probably be extremely chagrinned that I chose this particular musical accompaniment, I couldn't help but think of Henry Mancini's classic to underscore our suburban safari!  HATARI!!!

What do you wear on safari - urban, suburban, or otherwise?  Do you think you think neon tangerine, olive green, and shades of pink are a Sub-Saharan sensation or a victim of the veld?

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

p.s. PLEASE STAY TUNED!!!!  Mr. Tiny will soon be able to "Put a lid on it" for you!  Sun hats, like the one Mary is sporting here, will soon be for sale on Mr. Tiny's South Side Market on Etsy!!!!

Crazy Crafty: Return of The Mad Hatter

I have earned the dubious reputation amongst the wacky tacky inner circle for having "visions."  I'll concede that where others might see the ephemeral essence of a dollar-store decoration, I see a vision of a Halloween heirloom.  Where others see the only the utilitarian use of the lid to a candy jar, I see visions of magnolia magic.  Where others see the limitations of an ordinary, household placemat, I see visions of the Land of Oz.  Far be it from me to refer to myself as a visionary, but when it comes to DIY hat crafting, the vision is clear - ignorance to proper millinery procedure is bliss!

The Bat Hat (reworked from a few 99¢ Only Store decorations).
The Sweet Magnolia Blossom (built on the lid of a candy container).
The World's Biggest Munchkin (a manipulated, clearance-aisle placemat). 

For once in my hat-making/trimming career (a resumé line item yet to be fully exploited), I decided to go a completely conventional route by starting with an actual and properly-constructed hat base.  This time, where others would see a souvenir sunhat from Chinatown, I too would see a souvenir sunhat from Chinatown.  I mean...it's a hat.  But in this simple souvenir sunhat, I would also envision a blank canvas just dying for a bit of wacky tacky adornment.  It was time to fire up every man's favorite power tool - the old hot glue gun!

One of the most life-affirming moments one can ever experience comes when all of the supplies required to accomplish a project are already on hand.  One time (more than a decade ago) a friend tried unsuccessfully to teach me elementary crochet, so naturally, I still had a million colors of yarn poised at the ready; the green coordinated well with the fabric I was using to make Mary a playsuit.  Knowing that a giant pom pom was unquestionably the icing on this conical cake, I set about to bind the edge of the hat and make a scarf tie with floral appliqués from the fashion fabric.

When one pom pom won't suffice, opt for pom pom trim (some prefer to call it ball fringe but I am not among them).
Using a range of hues from the rich ric rac inheritance bequeathed by my great-grandmother, I applied a combination of my two favorite embellishments.

I guess that there's no escaping the pom pom.  To achieve the pom pom topper on this hat, I cut thin strips of an African-print fabric (China, Africa, America??? How's that for a multicultural headwear?).  I gathered rows of the
same fabric to make the ruffled stripes and the kerchief tie.

I was surprised to derive nearly as much satisfaction from decorating conventional hats as I do from making them from found objects and repurposed materials.  Yes, this turn at conventional hat decorating was definitely rewarding but I still needed to explore my more unconventional roots.

When I came upon this beauty at the thrift store, I was quick to grab it,
 thinking I was the luckiest mock-milliner in the world to find a hat
worthy of Gidget's sun-allergic best friend, LaRue.  It wasn't until
I saw the plastic liner that I realized it was a woven plant pot.

Adhering to the three-poms-are-better-than-one rule, I choose to believe that this is what the
designers at Hot Dog on a Stick were going for before they settled on their best design effort.

Have you tried your hand at hat making or hat trimming?  Have you found the joy available to you in home pom-pom making?  I have at least one hundred more ideas but I need to wait for Chinatown to replenish their hat supply.  I guess I'll use that time to put the finishing touches on all the matching outfits.  Stay tuned!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny