Upcycled Butterfly Bag

This bag caught my eye because of the color and texture but it was a tad plain. I dug into my wool stash and fussy cut a simple butterfly shape then added some bling for the body. Voila! An easy, cute project that got a lot of notice at the craft bazaar recently. 

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Birdy Messenger Bag - Restyled

I love canvas bags. This was a plain one waiting for something special. A beautiful tree stamp and two birds cut from a wool skirt. A small one on the front and his larger cousin adorns the back...both with pearl eyes. This is one of my favorite restyles so far!

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2012 Craft Bazaar

 I gave another craft bazaar a shot this year. With a busy schedule I didn't have a lot of stuff to sell so I teamed up with two other artsy crafter gals and we joined forces and filled two tables. It was a different experience than the Saturday Market I did last summer but it was festive and fun. Not a lot of sales across the board for anyone but that isn't a measure of the talent...

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Being Grateful - A Blog Circle



A sweet boy, a long time ago.



Hello! My normal posts are about my crafts, but today I am part of a Blog Circle - a circle of amazing women bloggers who are doing incredible things with their talents. I hope you will take few minutes to follow the links through this circle.

This month’s theme, fittingly, is gratitude. I’ve been thinking about what words of wisdom I could come up with and have realized as of late that there is so much I overlook in the course of daily life. As I try to balance working outside the home, keeping our family running, laundry, dishes, etc. I often find myself feeling annoyed when I don’t get into my sewing room and when I go a week or two between blog posts. As most moms will attest, our needs/wants are often last, last, last on the ever-growing family list.

Last night I went home determined to create something great for this post, finish up some purses for a craft fair I am doing this weekend and get all of the household chores squared away. Then, in the midst of all my “to-do thoughts” my little girl asked me if I would snuggle with her. She is three and at the moment had wild hair and was sporting one of her collection of sparkly dress-ups with an over-sized pair of cowboy boots she calls “high heels.”

For a moment I felt the familiar tug of war inside my head…then the heart took over. Who says no to that? So we snuggled and got reacquainted after our day apart, then her brother (the BIG KID) snuggled up too. He is closing in on ten and I know my future snuggles are numbered, but, for now, it is still okay.

I decided then and there to forget everything else. The crafting, blogging, certainly the laundry! It was so nice to just “be.” All the to-do’s will get done in their own time or get re-prioritized but I won’t ever get these years back… and so many of them have passed already.

I keep a quote on my refrigerator that says “With kids, the days are long but the years are short.” I don’t even know who said it, but boy does it ring true. I don’t have babies anymore and sooner than I want to believe there will be a teen in the house, but, today, right now I plan to soak it in. Make sure I am focused on what truly matters. I welcome the future and I plan to soak it in too…..but it can take its time. For my kids, for these sweet little reminders of what truly matters and for the foresight to do the things that will avoid regret later on I am ever GRATEFUL.

My BIG KID...

My snuggler...and future big kid...

My Blog Circle Link: Juniper Goods

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Repurposed Pillow Covers

My first "commissioned project!" Okay, okay, it was for a friend of my mom's - but hey, I'll take whatever props I can get! My mom had given her friend one of my scarves as a birthday gift and when she heard I was making a foray into pillows she was the first to make an order. So, like many other times in my life, I say "THANKS MOM!"

I used pants, skirts, skirt lining and a jacket to pull together the "old world, patchwork" concept she was after. I also wasted a LOT of time stressing about making something perfect for someone else's home. In the end she liked her pillows and I had a very good night's sleep!

What I love most about these pillows is that they all go together, but are all slightly different. This project was a great inspiration for future ideas!

I found six toile du jouy patches while up to my armpits at the Goodwill bin store. I think they had been curtain tabs in a previous life. After a good washing they were her favorite part of the pillows. I didn't realize what a popular print it is until I started seeing it everywhere. Now I need to find some more - I miss them!

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Today's Gratitude

"If you hear a voice within you say, 'You cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

-Vincent Van Gogh

This is a photo I took a few weeks ago in Amsterdam, where there also happens to be a Van Gogh museum. I loved the bright colors and the easy feel of the city. As I get back into the swing of my usual life at home in the States I am finding a lot of inspiration in my photos. I hope you enjoy them as they will be popping up in my 'Gratitude' posts.

And never fear, I'll be posting more projects this week...here come the HOLIDAYS!

 

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Frilly Tote Bag

 

Here's an easy project I did a few months ago. I saw this on the cover of Haute Handbags Spring 2012 issue (www.hautehandbagsmagazine.com) and fell in LOVE! Sierra Hocklander, the featured designer, gave great directions and it was pretty easy. I plan to do some more in different colors (think holidays!) but I stuck with blue and white on this one so it could go in a raffle basket at my son's school. It turned out so cute it was hard to give it up, but at least its for a good cause!

Start with a plain canvas tote bag. Cut four fabric strips 4" wide. Add a zigzag stitch on each side of the strip and ruffle the strip. Then sew the strips onto the bag from the bottom up.

 For the flower I used the leftover end of a ruffle strip and voila! I really, really wish I could take credit for this idea! All of Sierra Hocklander's pieces are gorgeous! You can check out her blog at www.thebluerobincottage.blogspot.com. She is a great inspiration.

All ready to go with my tag attached!

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