Upcycled Denim Rosettes with Crystal Centers

If you have kids, you know they go through jeans faster than anything!  My daughter is so hard on jeans that by the time she's done with them, they aren't even good enough to go to Goodwill.  So, as we cleaned out her drawer this year, I grabbed a few pairs of her jeans and created some upcycled projects to use some of the denim.  Here is one that I had done for Connie Crystal.

For this project I used:
Materials:  Denim from kid's old jeans,  Art Glitter Fabric Dries Clear Adhesive (FDCA), Art Glitter - (this was actually upcycled too, as it was excess glitter that had been collected from previous projects - the fall off)  There was a lot of "Horizon" in the mix that is a nice blue/purple denim color.  Two Connie Crystal 14mm Octagon AB Beads, E6000 Glue, Blank Headband, Ring Blank, Double Face Tape.

Tools:  Sizzix Big Shot, Sizzix Bigz Die - 3D flowers, Scissors

Begin by cutting a section of denim large enough to cover the Sizzix Die (about 5" x 6") and run the denim and die through the Sizzix Machine

Follow the instructions with the die to roll the flower pieces into rose buds  Glue the end tab in place with FDCA, and hold in place for a few minutes for the adhesive to grab hold.  Due to the size of the small rose and the denim beginning to fray slightly, the center of the small rose may be kind of "mushy".  Not to worry - We'll be covering that up later.

Take another section of denim (about 4" x 6") and cut a random wave pattern across, then a strait line, then another wave, so that you have 4 sections that all have a straight edge and a wavy edge.  Vary the width so that you can use the wider pieces for outer petals of your rose and work inward to the more narrow sections.

For the large rose, cut a 1 1/2" square of denim and double face tape, then trim the corners to form an octagon.  For the smaller rose, do the same with a 1" square of denim and double faced tape.  Remove one side of the tape protector and press the tape onto the matching denim octagon.  Remove the other side of the tape protector to expose the tape.

Starting with the large octagon and the widest section of denim, begin attaching the "petals" to the tape octagon.  Lay the end down on the tape and then gather the denim and press down on the tape.  Work your way around the outside of the octagon until you get to the end of that piece of fabric.  Then use the next narrower piece to continue in a spiral around the octagon.  About two rows should be enough.  

Leave a section in the center of exposed tape and press the larger rose bud into this spot

Repeat with the smaller rose.  Depending on how much you gather your fabric, you may need to cut another strip of fabric for the small rose.  (I did)

Use a fine metal tip on the top of the FDCA to run a bead of glue around the edges of the petals.  This will be used to add glitter to your rose, but it will also help seal the ends so your rose doesn't fray too much.

Sprinkle glitter over glue while it is still milky and white.  Set aside to dry.

Once dry, brush or shake off excess glitter.  Use FDCA to attach Connie Crystal octagon crystals to the centers of the flowers.  If the fabric in the center of the rose causes the crystal to sit up too high, use small scissors to snip out some of the fabric from the center.  

You now have two beautiful denim roses to add to mixed media projects, scrapbook layouts, jewelry, purses or just about anything else.  I decided to make a ring and headband from mine.

I used E6000 to glue a ring blank to the back of the small rose.  This denim "cocktail" ring is very soft and light-wight and unlike large metal or plastic rings, it doesn't get caught on everything when you're wearing it.  

I used E6000 to attach the large rose to a headband blank (found at Hobby Lobby)

And since they are denim ....I now have a set of accessories that will go with just about anything.

Thanks for stopping by!

Please visit the Connie Crystal blog for another upcycling project - made just a little prettier with crystals!

KC