I ordered some gold metallic lace in the same motif that I've done some of my other Neck Laces in, and it arrived the other day. I bought it from
Cheeptrims.com, where I've made a lot of purchases lately... I thought it might be fun to try some fabric painting on a different type of surface than simply black or white. I didn't really know how my fabric paints would react to painting on a combination of mylar and rayon, quite frankly, and I knew I'd use the lace in some capacity at some point, so I took a chance.
The result has been three new Neck Laces that remind me of a retro-inspired kitsch-fest!! I love them!! The gold is just "fake" enough that it looks like the polyester lace from the 1960s and 70s (you know the kind--the stuff that's now crunchy and sorta feels icky to the touch?). I was absolutely thrilled with the results--it's like the lace is just trying a bit too hard to be sparkly... I look at it and think "lace on steroids". I guess you can never have too much sparkle!!
The teal color that I used to enhance the first piece really reminded me of some of the vintage prom and wedding dresses that I've seen from the 1950s and 60s. The colors are almost technicolor! The AB Jet rhinestones just add more punch to the whole thing, and the dangling teal rose cabochon that sort of looks plastic is really the finishing touch... It's just so "perfect", I think the only thing that could make it more so is to wrap it in clear vinyl to preserve it as you wear it. Remember the pictures of plastic covered furniture? Hehe....
The second piece is a bit more daring with brilliant red. The charm that I attached to this piece is (to me) Goth inspired, so it has a bit of a dark edge. But the gold lace contradicts this dark horror... This particular red fabric paint is more translucent than the teal metallic paint, so the gold fibers peak through a bit more... It reminds me of cinnamon rock candy. The whole piece comes off as rather "Dark Shadows" to me... Remember that horror soap opera? The crimson rhinestones set into the lace's motif simply serve to make it seem brighter...
The third piece I tried to get a bit more rustic... I painted the gold with pewter metallic fabric paint, as well as solid opaque black in spots. This created a kind of two-toned effect that contrasts quite a bit with the solid, overpowering gold of the lace. Over this, I put one of my homemade polymer clay cabochons that I created by pressing the clay into a mold and dusting it with metallic powder before baking it. It has beautiful gold wings attached to a heart. I put holes in it and dangled base metal charms (a frog, a fish, and another heart) and beads from it as well. It's an interesting eclectic look that I'm not quite sure how to categorize...
I'm not sure if this gold metallic lace is something I really want to pursue using, but I need to contemplate other ways of using it before I give up on it. I am considering washing it with some browns and tans to age it a bit, or even sponge some bronze or copper on to it so I can add a true metallic patina. I think at this point, I either need to figure out a way to make the gold work for me in pieces that have a more pop-art oriented tone, or distress it down so it's not so overpowering. I like it's vibrancy and gilded nature, but it's just so over the top even I can tell it these pieces are beyond subtly dramatic! Haha!!
In a way, they lend themselves to the "circus" idea of flash and splash. I just need to contemplate it's various uses and experiment a bit more to achieve different effects. Time will tell! These will all be available on my
Etsy store very soon!
I love that her designs have an undercurrent of 1920′s inspiration (so hot right now) even without ever delving into costume-y. And those necklaces? Can you say, statement piece that totally completes the look?
You all know I love me some tulle and a big skirt, yet even her ball gown-esque dresses have an understated feel to them, don’t they? 
I had to include this short dress because it is absolute beach perfection. Or second-dress-for-the-evening perfection. Or even really-cool-bridesmaids’-dress perfection. I just need somebody to please go and buy it. 
You can see Johanna Johnson’s full collection (this is just a snippet!) over at her site under “Templar.”
