Upcycling

Why do we upcycle? Why not just throw away the old and buy new!? Because upcycling not only breathes life in to our most treasured and loved possessions but it reduces our carbon footprint.
So, when a customer approached me to see if I would spice up his girlfriends old leather wallet for a Valentines Day surprise ,I obviously jumped at the chance. 
She arrived at my studio like this, nando's card and hair clips included (note to all men reading this- don't send away your girlfriends nando's card!!! The concequences could be fatal!) 
We had a chat about design and what kind of colours he wanted for the purse and after a few suggestions of leopard print and zebra....I was given the creative license to go wild, and that I did. 
First thing's first, the leather gets wiped with leather cleaner (you can use car leather cleaner if you have it, anything that cleanes leather upholstery). This ensures a clean surface for the paint to glide on smoothly. 
I did a childlike doodle on my phone of what I was picturing for the art work and I sent him this....to which we both laughed at how awful my finger doogle on my phone was but he got the idea. 
Then I painted! Both sides are different: 
Do you think this looks like a leopards tail?? It wasn't intentional but I kinda love it. 
Here is the front of the purse. I left the designers name clear, as requested. After the paint had dried (it dries pretty quicky, I usually give it about 20 minutes) I then sealed it with Angelus sealant (I use Angelus paints for all of my art work- they have a huuuuge variety of colours) and left it to dry for about 48 hours. 
"Sarah was made up with the purse. Thanks again, you did a good job"
So you see? There's no need to throw away your old purses or bags. Just give them a little paint or send them to me and I can add some life to them for you. 

P.s... I returned the nando's card! : ) 

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