A new bag

 with a new closure:  flap/button.  Love this fabric.

This is what's going in the bag

I would like to include the cube, but since I don't have anything to put in that and feel like it must be filled, I'm packing this cowl instead. I think matches nicely.

The (almost) daily bag update!

 I had 6 bags cut out.  It was late, I worked all day, ran some errands, so set a goal to complete 3 and I did.

 So, once I got 3 finished, I figured I could do 2 more to make the total 20.  18 just didn't seem like a good stopping place.

Now, I have 10 left!  Then, stuffing, tying, and potentially To/From tagging! 

Bag update

There are now 10! I can not wait until there are 30 standing on 6 steps.

Sooooo bummed

Because I made a red scarf for my friend whose birthday is February 13. She and her husband had dinner plans for Saturday, so I wanted to give her her gift early thinking maybe she'd wear her scarf. It's supposed to be really cold this weekend and I was hoping she'd love it. Last night, in preparation to see her tonight at Boot Camp, I whipped up this bag to hold the scarf. Fifteen minutes before I was leaving, she emailed me that she wouldn't be at class tonight because one of her kids was sick last night and she got no rest and was therefore in no condition to get through a Boot Camp class. She also told me they had cancelled their dinner plans. Hopefully, when I see her next week, this will be even more exciting as it doesn't seem like she is now looking so forward to her birthday or birthday weekend. I feel so bad for her, she's so sweet.

Christmas is coming.....

This is actually a gift my mother is giving her friend. She chose the fabrics-the obvious outside and a coordinating striped fabric for the inside.

This is for me to give. It's probably not nearly as special as I think it is, but I just love it for some reason.

The first of its kind!

I am so grateful to have great cousins, aunts and uncles. Though they are all very good to me, one of my aunts is so good to me in that she always lets me know she's my biggest fan. She thinks everything I do is really great. She loves when I bake for her and even orders cookies for various holidays to take places and gives me all of the credit. (I do give her permission to claim them as her own because they are clearly homemade baked goods, but I think she likes to give me credit and make a big deal over what I do.) What's even more endearing is that she has daughters to whom I know she is a great mom and to their credit, they are wonderul daughters. What I mean is, it's not like she doesn't have a daughter or that she has a daughter she is not close to, so I fill a void. To cut to the chase, I made this nautical wristlet for her. They spend a ton of time at the lake, at their cottage, in Florida when they can, so I am really hoping that she thinks this looks like her as much as I do! It's the first of its kind because it has a contrasting bottom AND it's got dimension. Now, I have to make an extra special cake for my uncle since his birthday is coming and she's getting a gift!

Vintage Inspired

Remember these? The bag buttoned on to the wooden handles? I used to love these. I had some really cute covers for mine. Here's my take using ribbon.....

Plaid reprise!

So, I wasn't sure I got it right on the first one and had fabric left, so I decided to make another one before I put the package in the mail. This one also has the flip flop fabric inside, but has some subtle differences including size, closure, strap length, and details. Between the two, I hope Aunt D. is very happy! (Especially since when they arrive, she may have to take an iron to them:( I'm hoping to get them out tomorrow as my next chance to get to the P.O. would be Friday. This was a really great project, someone sent me these fabrics to make a bag similar to one I've made before, only in her choice of fabrics. Please keep in mind, every bag is made with a unique pattern, so no two are ever alike, even if made from the same fabric! If anyone wants custom bags like this, please email me for fabric specs, and then you can choose your own fabrics and I will make a bag(s) for you!

The Big Reveal

The envelope I received, shared a few posts ago, contained these cute fabrics and trim.I got up today determined to complete the project:
She requested a large(er) inside pocket. These fabrics are so cute, an absolutely perfect combination, she's so good. I wish we could be partners! Maybe in the next couple of years, I can convince my husband to move her way.
I hope she likes it! It was a fun project but slightly stressful as she is a seamstress too! A really talented, veteran seamstress. She's actually good at any type of craft and is such a Martha but with a lot less edge.

Paying it forward....

When my husband turned 25, I got him this cool t-shirt. When I turned 25, I took it back! Seeming to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just being disorganized really, I've missed my cousins' 25th birthdays and other chances to pass this on someone who is 25. Well, I've enjoyed it for 3 years now (eh HEM!) and I'm passing it on to my lucky little friend who is turning a quarter of a century in about a week. She'll get a cool, broken-in t-shirt, a gift bag made especially for her, and probably a lower car insurance premium! WAHOO!! She really has more excitement later this year when she gets married!!
What does this mean for the first-used scarf bag? Well, that's up for grabs until it goes to some other birthday girl!

One down....

I'm actually kind of excited to share this. It's the first bag I made using one of the scarves that my mother-in-law so generous gave to me! This is for my friend's birthday--though her gift will be inside, I hope she considers this a (little) gift as well.

If it's not one wedding, it's another....

This is my cousin's bridal shower gift. The bag of course is a special gift for her, commemorative of her wedding colors. Inside, is a gift for she and her fiance. There's a theme for this gift that gives itself away on the outside. The rest is on the inside, I won't give it all away, but I'm including special recipes for baking....and I'll leave it at that. Hope she likes it!

Bunny see, Bunny do......

Brady was chillin' in the tube, maybe even trying to hide from you-know-who, but he wasn't doing such a good job. As you can see, his little butt was hanging out. Here is he from the front--cagey little fella.
Pebbles was dying to get in as soon as she saw Brady was in there. I think I sort of had a hand in that. Oops! Hopefully, Brady will get over it. As it is, I learned that he was ticklish yesterday, or at least I think he is. I was cradling him and rubbing the bottom of his feet and he was twitching like crazy. I couldn't imagine it hurt and would feel terrible if it did, so I just wrote it off as him taking after his Mommy who has feet so ticklish the mere thought of them being skimmed by a human hand makes me tense up.

I don't know if there's anything worse than being criticized other than having to admit that what you're being criticized for is right on. Take this box under my sewing table. It's holding a collection of 18 empty thread spools. Are these recycleable? I don't know. Do I have some weird craft planned for these? No. Will they be worth something someday? Definitely not. I'm just a big dork who keeps everything, is criticized for it, and is owning up to it!While I was upstairs with the bunnies today, I made this. It has pale yellow handles, lining, and back. What's best about it though is that little bow. I love bows.

Work for today

I should have photographed the inside of this bag--it's the same as the darkest blue on the ribbon and is a really great color.

Here's a shot of the accent, a little ribbon flower.

As I'm all about the sparkle, this bag features not one, but two sparkly ribbons: orange and green. It's a fun one. I am not thrilled with this photo because I don't think it really shows how cute it is. The ribbons are great--kind of funky geometric designs keep it girly but not over the top so your significant other won't hold it when told to!

This is a follow up from the "tote" that I used these same fabrics on in a previous post trying to come up with a bag for my friend's mom. I like this one so much that I think I'm just going to send it--it's got the cell phone pocket inside, just like the other one and the green fabric at the bottom goes all the way around. It came out pretty perfect if I can say so myself!
Finally, something I've had in the back of my mind since I made the dress purse--a wedding dress purse! I may give it to my cousin, or the cute girl at the tanning salon who is newly engaged and the most excited little bride-to-be I've ever seen.

Still Trying.....

Even though working on these invitations was not what I planned to do tonight, I felt like I had to do some work on them. These photos aren't great but I wanted to get them posted in hopes I'd have some genius comments that would assist me by suggesting where I could get color photos done well (for the inside). I have a ban on one local office store after a bad experience during work on a February wedding, or I might know where I was going to try to accomplish this. There was really no interest in my samples, which was fine, I had to start somewhere! And, the second invitation photo still has some work to be done. I have to do some more work on the text box.

I was given suggestions to try something like this on the front: (it's stamped and embossed: "happily ever after....a life of love and laughter"
And, the inside, I think, is supposed to be something like this:Monday night, I finished this tote for a friend's mom. It's also a "rough draft". It's a nice tote size--this one is a quite a bit larger and has a daisy button.
There was ONE request....it has to have a cell phone pocket.....that's mine in there, a perfect fit!

MINE!

My iron was naughty, so, this is mine! I usually think I'm going to keep one, but then know that I have to pretty much constantly run a going out of business sale and "everything must go!" Or, I try to retain the philosophy that I learned at my first real job: "everything's for sale!" The owner of the ice cream shop where I worked longer than I should admit, used to make me take his truck everytime I had to run an errand for him. Why? Because it was FOR SALE. Not really, but if someone wanted it, it would be. I am posting this bag even though my iron spit crappy, Pinckney, non-distilled water (yes, I know better but sometimes use poor judgement) on the back of it, because it's a different shape than I usually use--more rectangular than square. It is 7" tall and about 11" wide and I'll carry it and make my mom proud by advertising for myself, all the time easily carrying it "good" side out.
I have to be careful sharing my iron woes though with my birthday right around the corner. I don't need or want a new iron (I NEED to be more careful), I want, maybe even NEED this... Or, if you have a second, check this out! Oh, and crank your volume and rock out. I don't know know who is standing next to my car at the end, but, NO that's not me....yet! And, this really weighs much heavier on the NEED scale than the Mini, which is truly a want.

More pretties....

With ribbon and flowers....a new embellishment! The flowers go all around this bag and have button centers. It still needs a little pressing, but I wanted to post it while I had time.Here's a little one-sided Spring bag with stripes made of ribbons. Green and pink....pretty, pretty!

Happy Easter, thanks for visiting, now go bite off a chocolate bunny's ear.

Restocking...

Last week, I shipped one bag and sold one locally. Today, the rest of my stock went to market! Very, very exciting! I am so grateful. But, now I have to restock. This week, I have someone expecting "ribbon" bags, so here's the first of the new stash. It measures about 9.5" sq. and has 7 different, coordinating ribbons.

I even think the back turned out pretty. I made the liner slightly larger so it would create a fabric trim.
Finally, here's the restock in action in the corner of my shoppe.....o.k., it's my dining room, but I pretend it has the fabulousness of my very own shoppe!

No, it never stops!

I keep finding out that one thing really leads to another! After seeing all those belts on my chair project, I realized I could use these "D" rings as a great closure and still use ribbon. This bag measures 10" sq.

I was dying to try another "dress" bag and could not wait to use this interior fabric that I also used as an insert for the dress! This bag measures 10" across and 9" high.

Front:

Inside:

Front closeup...check out the flower bead: (click for closer closeup!)

So, if you took a closer look at this dress, you'll see it is blanket-stitched. That's where one stitch goes along the edge and one stitch goes in/across the fabric, perpendicular to the edge. It's usually done by hand and I've been practicing it on my softies. Well, that didn't last long because I figured out how to do it on my machine!!