The Power of Plaid

My feet barely touched the ground as the new red and black plaid satchel swung by my side. I skipped through the school doors more excited about my satchel than my first day of kindergarten.

It had the prettiest plaid of red and black with thin yellow lines running through it. A smooth leather handle strap fit perfectly over my shoulder and thin leather straps with shiny silver buckles secured the two front pockets. I couldn't wait to fill them with my papers and projects I made in school and carry them home in this special plaid satchel.

My love of red and black plaid continues to this day. I've made a variety of projects with it and add to my growing collection as the mood strikes me. The decor ball in the photo above was made using strips of red, black, white and gold ribbon, buttons, beads, and jewelry pieces. Using hot glue to bind everything together I spent about an hour putting it all together.

Where did I find the fabric I used in the projects shown here? The main red and black fabric I used to make the decor balls, ties around the red candles and the flowers all came from one blouse. I found the blouse at Salvation Army for a buck. I cut it into strips, hot glued it, tied it and wrapped it around objects I had around the house. This was the most fun I've had spending one dollar in a long time. The yellow fabric on the center of the flowers came from a table cloth I had on hand.

The plaid torn paper on the red wooden box and planter came from magazines and sales fliers I found in the local newspaper. I simply tore the plaid paper into small pieces and glued them down using a paint brush and Mod Podge. This is a great way to re-purpose an object you already have and create something brand new using a little fabric or paper.

I've had the tan, black, red and white scarf for several years now. The colors and plaid pattern are very close to the famous "Burberry" scarf. Someday I hope to buy one as they are so soft and beautiful. The other scarf I grab on a cold day is the pink, gray and white one I picked up at a "Prange's" department store.