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When I got a custom order to repurpose a dress that was used for a Bachelorette Party I was immediately excited. I knew this dress meant a lot of my customer, it was celebrating a new milestone in her life. What better way to remember the past and celebrate the present than to bring those awesome memories she had wearing the dress into her present day! She also asked if I could incorporate this necklace into the clutch.     I gathered my tools and got to work! I started by removing the zipper, I had originally planned to work...

What do you call a secondhand curtain, a used Orioles apron and remnant upholstery fabric?    Answer: A Fabulous Upcycled Bag! This Lorraine Bag: Blue Diamonds was really exciting to create! I love putting materials together that otherwise would have no relation, and yet find a way for them to live together in harmony.  Its a way to revive used or discarded items and build them a new life. I live close to Baltimore so it was no surprise to me to find this Orioles Apron in our local Salvation Army Store. Although I am not a baseball buff I did really like the stars and stripes! So...

Do you have an awesome piece of clothing that you have loved so much! It was the item in your closet that made you feel great and beautiful, it was your "go-to" for any occasion and you wore it until you just couldn't wear it anymore because either you wore it to the threads, you shrunk it, snagged it, spilled something on it...the list can go on and on... Anyway, it's still hanging in your closet because you can't bear to part with it. Sound familiar?? Yes, Im guilty of this too (many times over!).  And because of that, I'm looking...

East and Market loves up cycling for so many reasons...it reduces waste, the material has history and a story, it creates a one of a kind item...but I feel the most important pieces I have up cycled have been material that is significant to my life, materials that make me feel sentimental. I wanted to share my most recent project using a shirt my youngest son received as a hand-me-down from his cousin and recently grew out of. (double recycled there) I had my son wearing this shirt ALL summer because I loved it (he probably could have cared less). Needless to...

My sister recently gave me a baby sling she used with both of her kids and asked if there was something I could do with it. My sister is fabulous and always loves a little glitz and glam so I really struggled with what I should do with the material ( it is a lightweight cotton with a bit of wear from use).  She's a hair stylist and always has her hair and makeup just right. So I thought, what does she always have in her purse? A Cosmetic Bag of course! I happened to have picked up a few...