The joys of bleach...

 
A few posts back I had mentioned that Linda had wrapped some cards in some yummy vintage crepe paper. Well, lo and behold, she zipped me a note to say this wasn't vintage crepe paper at all....rather, she had bleached it to make it appear old! How cool is that...{linda, send me the link to your tut on this process and I'll update this post! little ole challenged me couldn't find it}

EDITED UPDATE: Click here to see Linda's tutorial. Thank you, Linda!

So I guess you could say that one good bleach has led to another...

 

Ruffled sham is the original color...and larger piece is the duvet after taking a swim in the washing machine with a generous amount of bleach added!

Not long ago during a quick once and over look at a fav thrift store I found this bag of bedding. Mint condition. King duvet. Two shams. Dust ruffle. And three add'l yards of this yummy floral fabric. The weight and texture of the fabric is similar to a painter's drop cloth. It even reminds me a lot of the vintage barkcloth fabric used in drapes.

 
Do you see the nubbies in the fabric? It has a percentage of flax in the fabric content and the bleaching process only accentuated this wonderful texture. Despite the fact that the laundry instructions read DRY CLEAN ONLY!!! this laundered well with no shrinking, but I didn't put it in the dryer...you can only get lucky so long....

 
 Despite the fact that I could make this work into the scheme of my new decorating plans, I'm leaning towards more neutral tones...maybe some accent pillows? Or I could sell it to help fund these expensive booties I would love to buy and have snuggled on my feet as the colder weather sets in...

 
Wouldn't these be great with jeans?...and you wear them baretootsied, like an Ugg boot. The manufacturer is Quoddy. They are all handmade... J Crew has them in their most recent catalog. Every year they feature a pair of Quoddy's and every year I drool over them...and every year I never buy them! Full circle.

And as long as I'm mentioning great things, you have to go and see these pumpkins Theresa made here. She was inspired by another blogger and gives a link to that tutorial. Love the inspiration available in blogland, don't you?

Comments

[Mrs. Magpie]

Oh, I want those shoes, too! How cute are they!

Loved what you did. I like the floral in the lighter color. Makes it look more vintage.

XO,

Sheila :-)

[Terri@PringleHill]

OOoohhhh! Can't you just see yourself sitting out a snowstorm with a great pair of comfy jeans and those awesome slippers! Add a fire, a book and hot chocolate ---- HEAVen!!!! Love your "vintage" fabric too!!! Hugs, Terri xoxo

[Theresa]

Oh I love the new/old fabric! The nubbies are perfect for so many reasons but mostly because anything aged is perfect... but ofcourse! So then I get to the bottom of your post and see that you sent people my way to see the pumpkins :O Can you feel the big smile I'm wearing right now? Thank you! I'm glad you like them, I'm hooked on making them and have ventured into different sizes and colors, I love fun and easy along with old and nubby! Have a great night, and thanks again, Theresa xoxo

[debi]

It never occurred to me to bleach beautiful fabrics whose color is too bold. I love it! Thanks for sharing...I'm off to get the bleach!

[Jill]

ahhh..much better color! Good thinking!

[Autumn Clark]

OH MY GOSH, Sue! This is the most gorgeous vintage looking floral! I really love it more toned down, even though I see why you bought it as it was. I would never have thought this would work, without causing white spots all over it. AWESOME information!!! Opens up a whole new world in my vintage quests. LOL! I too am wanting a more toned down look for the bedroom in the future and found the most awesome white coverlet with fringe trip this week. Though I'm not quite ready to change it up that much, I'm happy for the score! Thanks for the great links and happy post!
xx,
Autumn Clark

[Linda Richter]

http://lindajos.blogspot.com/2009/03/crepeing-back-in.html

Like I say in my blog...you may be able to just rinse the color out of the crepe paper...so try that first...just a little at a time or it you'll have white!

[Lynn]

I LOVE how you toned down the blue with the bleach, it looks so much softer and yes I can see the texture of the fabric, it's beautiful :)
I love to see floral fabric but in reality I have also gone more neutral in my decor. I seem to be going through a lot of changes lately in my life, my taste in things included.
Love the boots too, they look so soft and cozy, but I am saving up for a camera so I will pass LOL

[Karla Nathan]

Great shoes! I live for comfy shoes. And those go beyond comfy to cuddly from the looks of them.

By the way, I have to tell you how much I enjoyed the tags you sent to the swap. And how thoughtful it was of you to include the great gifts. Wallpaper? You grabbed my heart with that one!!

Thanks so much, Sugarwings and I appreciated you thinking of us.

Karla

[Cherie Wilson]

Oh the crepe paper!! Oh the pumpkins!! Oh the fabric!! Oh the Quoddy!! I can't take it Miss Sue!!
So.......much.......inspiration! Thankyou, thankyou dear girl! I have some similar cloth.....thought of making cute bags out of them:) I have a lot of those thoughts though.........we shall see! I really want to try the crepe paper thing asap, though. Have a marvelous week! XO

Oh yes, I am so loving it all - the fabric, that gorgeous chair and the shoes. I say to go for it.