A while ago, my friend Robin sent me over 20 white muslin drawstring bags. I considered various ways to decorate them, and ultimately settled on painting faces on them. I have other ideas in mind, but I wanted to show you these first.
I chose to immerse some of them in a mixture of hot instant coffee and water, giving them a coffee bath. I appreciated how this technique provided a vintage appearance, serving as an ideal base for my creations.
Once the items were dry, I ironed them individually and then lightly sketched a face on each. Prior to applying the paints, I trimmed a wax paper piece, folded it, and placed it inside the bag. This step ensures that the paint does not leak through to the other side, because nobody likes a 'two-faced' old bag', right?
After the paint had dried, I used a fine detail paint brush to carefully trace over all the penciled markings with black paint. Here is the bag shown under different lighting conditions: one at night with a low-wattage light bulb, and the other in natural light. The contrast between the two is striking, like 'night and day'... 😁
After finishing 'what's her face?', I needed to create some companions for her. To complete the look, I included a set of handmade colored polymer clay beads that I fastened to the drawstrings. Following a coffee bath, the drawstrings loosened at the tips. Although I found the appearance appealing, I aimed to prevent them from fraying completely. A small amount of glue on the ends also stopped any further fraying.
Who wouldn't appreciate receiving a versatile gift bag like 'what's her face?' filled with treats like wrapped candies, coffee, baked goods, or soaps? Instead of wrapping a small gift in a disposable cardboard box covered with paper, opt for these reusable bags that can be repurposed to store items like coins, cosmetics, jewelry, buttons, and more.
I’ll be back next Wednesday to show you what I’ve been working on. Hope you’ll stop by again for a visit.
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