Iron Craft is into leather!

It's official! I'm in for another great year at IronCraft! I learned so much last year, about making stuff and about myself that I had to keep crafting! This first challenge of the year is Leather or Crystal. I chose Leather because I have a secret wish to sew with leather and make these beautiful handbags and become famous like Louis Vuitton. Hey! If you are going to dream, dream big!
I also added to the overall challenge for this year by only using materials I already own. You are witness to my pledge. I will not buy new crafts materials or supplies for the Ironcraft challenges. Glue and thread not included!
I always try to make something I will use and I was in need of a funky portfolio to hold my other artistic challenge of making one bowl a week for the year. I got interested in the bowl form for my sculpting work and want to see where it takes me. More to come in the next few months. Whoo! That is a lot of challenges! But that is my way of keeping my mind going and being productive.
Back to Ironcraft! I need a portfolio to hold photographs and journals about my 'bowl work" and I rummaged through my box of old duo-tangs and found a zippered black durahyde. It came from a conference my husband attended more than 10 years ago and was taking up space. I volunteered it for my purpose.
Now, I didn't even know what durahyde was before this challenge. It is a man-made leather-like vinyl and quite durable. I didn't know if I could paint on it so I decided to glue fabric on it and then decorate the fabric with stamps and polymer clay. My research told me that pvc glue would do the trick. They lied. I had to use E-6000. I hate the smell of that stuff but it worked. The upside of brushing the fabric with pvc was that I ended up with a stiff surface for the stamping and gluing of the polymer pieces. After the stamping I used a mica paint that gave a nice shine. This particular paint is for scrapbooking, for paper but works beautifully on fabric, a new discovery for me.
Again, these challenges do not disappoint. I learned that to glue on vinyl, you need strong glue and that I already own a beautiful mica paint for fabrics. I practised at designing with multi media. My design and execution is not perfect and practise makes best. I know that this portfolio with be used for a long time and that it is better being used than sitting in a box in the basement. When my husband saw it, after I was done, he said that he was thinking of using it now! Too bad, honey, it's mine!