Inspired Craft: Vintage Stackable Flower Tutorial

 Zivile from No Snow Supplies, and I collaborated on a little project. She sent me some of my favorite vintage stackable flower findings in exchange for a little advice on how to use them.

If you frequent antique malls or estate sales, you will see these very flowers in lots of vintage designs. I see them mostly used in large, clip-on earrings, usually with some pearls or rhinestones in the centers, and glued to the edges of the petals, see here for examples.

 First, you need some finding backings, which you can get pretty much anywhere. For the centers, you can use beads, pearls, cabs, rhinestones, basically anything semi circular that will fit in there. These flowers are a very flexible plastic, so they can work with each other really well, Just stack, glue, hold together, stack, glue.... Hot glue works great, but it peels pretty easily, so an adhesive made for jewelry is best. I like E600, though something that dries quicker is probably better.

Here, I have ring bases, earring posts, bobby pin with pad, and a pendant. You can also use wire, brooch backs, a piece of felt with a safety pin attached... pretty much anything. I would love to see a series of these flowers stacked up and held together to make a statement necklace. I've even used them to make flower fabric brooches a while back. They would even make a festive little garland or cute decor for wreaths or other little home projects. Use them to jazz up some napkin rings or refrigerator magnets something.

You can order these soft, plastic stackable flowers from No Snow Supplies to create your own projects!
She also has beads, cabs and findings in her shop, mostly vintage and colorful combinations. She is in Lithuania, and it takes about 8-12 days to arrive, a lot faster than I was expecting. If you use them, I'd love to see your projects. If you don't, what kinds of things can you see these in?

Bustle Shuffle

Welcome to my heart.


zimka

I Love bustles. I don't know if this comes from my love of all things romantic, victorian, edgy, and just a little bit of {wholesome} burlesque, but I love them.


artlab

Maybe it is because I have always loved dressing up and feeling pretty.


elliott elephant

Could be in part to having no fanny and loving that I could have one.


gaia conceptions

Or maybe the thought of it balancing out my little childbearing gut is comforting. Not at all like situps, and sweating for said excersizes.


sisters rose and ruby

Or maybe because what's her name in The King and I didn't care (or know) that the children thought she was fat due to her gigantor skirt (how they missed her teeny waist is beyond me.)


gaudy couture

I think though, it is the tattered lace, the modest disguise of hiding a figure.


bustle

Feeling demure and a little bit saucy at the same time.


stacy leigh atelier

So, I decided to make a very very VERY watered down bustle skirt for everyday wear (and also b/c I love the skirt and was trying to figure out a way to make it fit). Even though I do not machine sew, I did just a quick little stitching while I had foils (color) in my hair. (yes, I do foil my own hair late at night when the kids are sleeping so as not to frighten the sweet little beasts.)



I found this great tiered gyspy skirt (you all know the one) in a gorgeous nude color. It was about 10 sizes too big, but I couldn't pass it up. So, I took it home, gathered 2 folds in the very back and created a single back panel over the tag and pinned it.





Then, I simply hand stitched the waistband across the panel and about 3 inches down the back on each side of the fold.





Truly, it was so easy it took about 15 minutes. Now, I have a skirt that fits with a hint of a bustle on the back, but not too crazy like. You may not be able to even tell that a bustle exists.



But I can. And I like it.



If you try this project, you can get some matching tulle, snip the back panel at the top and insert pieces of tulle and lace into your slits in a descending fashion, all bustle like to really poof it out. (Just follow the inspirations of the gorgeous bustle pics I showed above!) I am actually considering doing this to my skirt, or maybe trying it on another one. I have no shame to walk into a grocery store with flip-fops, fitted tshirt and maxxed out bustle skirt.

What do you think, do I dare?