3D with bread tags

I have been playing with the last of my bread tag beads, and made this DNA double helix - simplified of course from the real thing.  I used some wires to thread the bread tag beads, and dug it into a sponge before twisting the two strands - not exactly as the diagram I found on the internet, partly because I couldn't make it go that way, and anyway this is art not science.  I used kebab sticks for support, and added bits of curly copper wire and broken jewelry, a piece of plastic peg - DNA can get contaminated.  An enjoyable experiment.  I have put on the video I took to try and show the effect.  Whether it works or not on the blog I will see.  It makes my eyes go a bit funny if I look at it for too long.

Bread Tag DNA 

©Christine Linton

detail showing bits of copper wire curled, bits of broken jewelry, piece of plastic peg 

©Christine Linton

Back to bread tags

I've been doing some experimenting for a book cover, with Puff Paint.  One of the things I tried out doesn't look anything like a book cover surface, but definitely reminds me of a birds nest.  It is on a base of cotton fabric, then I put on some thread waste - glued with PVA.  Next I added dobs of Puff Paint, in yellow and blue.  Bread tags, most flat but some already made into bead shapes, were added where the puff paint was, so it would puff around them when heatgunned.  A sprinkle of silver and blue embossing powder topped it off.  When the paint was dry, I heat gunned it to curl the flat bread tags.  Well, mostly the flat ones wouldn't curl because the paint held them in place - but the fibres in the thread waste started to smoke!  I quickly stopped because I didn't want a fire and made a mental note not to heat gun fibres like this.  It is actually too thick for a book cover but the texture does remind me of a birds nest.

Bread tag nest 

©Christine Linton

Upcycling to a wedding dress

Listening to the radio this afternoon, while having a break from pinning net (a whole different story), I was actually reading but my ears pricked up when I heard the words "bread tags" - regular readers will know I collect them to upcycle them into art.  Apparently this lady, Stephanie Watson, from Victoria here in Australia, made her wedding dress from 10,000 bread tags - cool!  Look at this link bread tags to see the story.  Apparently she has been collecting them for 10 years, though she did use some unused ones according to the story on radio.  I think it shows real flair to use them for a wedding dress and I was surprised that the machine needle went through them.  Well done Stephanie!

I prefer to use mine curled up with a heat gun so they become beads, like this:

Bread tag beads 

©Christine Linton

Safety first: Wear a mask against the fumes and heatproof gloves against the heat.