Inspiration Wednesday!

So I have decided to designate Wednesday as the day that I share some kind of inspiration, project or idea will all you out there- I have so many little tricks and techniques that I use and I figured I might as well share a few! Lately I have been trying to make use of all the things that go to waste around the house- my theory is that you can paint on anything so I might as well stop throwing out useful things that I can incorporate into my canvas paintings and accessories- Since I have been working on some really cool purses for a "green" exhibition I have come up with all kinds of ways to incorporate everyday trash into something new!!!

Fused Plastic Bags

I know that fused plastic bags are really nothing new these days but I have been using them for a while in my own projects and sewing them into my canvas paintings to create one of a kind yardage to sew and create with. They are so easy to sew, you can paint on them, write on them, and incorporate them into mixed media projects!

Materials-

Plastic bags of course! (I like to use colorful bags or bags with text on them)
Iron
Ironing board
paper
scissors

Cut up 4-8 plastic bags (I like to experiment with the number of bags I use)
Layer on top of each other
Lay piece of paper on the bottom and the top
Iron each side for about 15-30 seconds (again, it helps to experiment with the time and the temp)
Pull paper away and your bags will be melted together

After your bags are fused try painting them! I found that spray paint works really well on the surface as well as permanent markers and paint pens! I then use my painted fused plastic and sew it onto the surface of my painted canvas and use my machine to sew lines and squiggles and designs for EVEN MORE TEXTURE! The end result is a cool piece of "material" that could be used for all kinds of fun projects!