Hannie's Purse and Jeni's Horsey Bag!

Well, I promised I'd at least *try* not to disappoint! The past week I've been quite productive - even figured out the best way to photograph my stuff! Now, if I could only loosen the leash on my iPhone, and use our point and shoot every once in a while....

Anyway. First up, Jeni's bag. Now, Jeni's bought a yoga bag from me previously, for her own uses.She came back for a Christmas gift, for a family member who will stretch out on her yoga map after a long horse ride. This thing will be thrown around in a horse trailer, so I had to figure out a way to make it durable, but pretty.

Voila. Some burlappy canvas I had on hand, and Pink Bandana from Moda's new line, Rawhide. Perfect for a stretchy cowgirl! (Notice, this picture is before I realized the perfect lighting situation I could create.) I didn't get a shot, but there's a bright red lining inside, to match bits of red in the bandana fabric.

Then, this weekend I HAD to finish my sister's purse. She's been a dream lately with babysitting detail, and I needed to make something for her a priority. Did I mention she watches the baby for free, multiple times a week? Seriously. She's a dream. We had gone to Hancock Fabrics weeks earlier, when she picked out what she wanted - this beauty was WAY over due!

This is easily the hardest, and BEST purse I've made...I found the tutorial online, and while I have it printed out here, of course I don't remember where it's from. I've been holding onto it so long!

Next up is a yoga bag for my mom, some sort of commuter/clothes drawstring bag for Trevor, the same purse with different fabric for Hanna, mug rugs for coworkers, and christmas tree banners. Lots and lots of Christmas tree banners. (Okay, maybe 4).


Back to work!

PS, this blog is getting a HUGE makeover soon - with all the Christmas gifts I'm making, I'll be printing up some calling cards, and it all needs to sync. Maybe even a URL change! We'll see.....

Inspiration : Rainy Day at Work

Yep, I'm still at work. Normally I'm gone by now, but we're down to a skeleton crew this afternoon, and honestly, I can use the hours!

However, either the rain or the holidays are keeping folks away, so I've been killing the last half an hour of my day searching for inspiration.

I mentioned in the last post that I have plenty to do for the next month or so, here's some of the things that just might make it onto my list....

It's getting serious now.

Hi everyone - pardon my absence. Our life has been so crazy, I barely have time to think, let alone craft and blog!

However, the winter is upon us now, and "The Holidays" start in just a week. With no extra cash, it's time to get to serious.

That's right, I've finally carved out a niche for myself, instead of sewing on the coffee table. I'm currently working on a yoga bag, which is actually a commissioned project for my best client, Ms. Jeni O. While "best client" really means she's the only one who has paid me for items, she is a graphic artist herself and it's extremely flattering that she keeps coming back.

Still to come is recovering that couch that put my blog on hiatus earlier this year. I finally got some fabric, during a killer sale at Sorelle Eleganti. Originally easily over $20/yd, it was marked down on clearance to $5/yd. Then, I was able to use the 40% from the sale they were running, which brought the grand total for 12 yards to $39. And I had a $40 gift certificate! Nothing like "free" to motivate you.

The baby's birthday is a mere month away, and we're having the party here. At our house. I know, insane. But, when balancing families, I decided it's just easier to have it at our place, and whoever wants to come can. So, I need to have the couch recovered by then, the house spotless and attractive, and about a million pom poms for garland. This is on top of all the Christmas gifts I'm going to end up creating because I can't afford to buy anyone anything.

Needless to say, I needed a space away from the crawling/almost walking mischievous little one. So, I took this gorgeous, sunny day to stay inside while playing hooky from work (no babysitter!!) and knock out some items.

Stay tuned, there'll be plenty to show.