Slowly but Surely

I had a lovely birthday weekend. My mom made a surprise visit from NY on Friday, just in time for a wonderful birthday BBQ. I received a couple of gift cards for iTunes, which I have been desperately wanting so that I can download some more David Cook. We spent all day Saturday in the garden and I have a sunburn to prove it. Saturday night John and I went out on a date (a real date!) and saw Baby Mama. We both loved that movie and it provided some really great laughs.

I finally picked up the Juliet after several weeks of not touching it all. I suddenly felt motivated to finish it and I have been working on it non-stop for the past two days. Perfect timing too since we've had some pretty heavy rain yesterday and today. There's nothing like snuggling up on the couch and knitting. I'm glad that I learned such a portable craft. Anyway, I'll be really excited when I finish this project. I'm nervous about how it's going to fit though. I read a lot of reviews about how the pattern ran really big, so I'm knitting a medium. I'm using Brown Sheep cotton fleece and it's really stretchy. I think that's probably part of the reason that it runs big. The yarn is nice and soft, but it does stretch a lot and I'm hoping that it doesn't change the shape of the Juliet too much. I probably have to do at least 3 more lace repeats to finish and at the rate I'm going, that could be months! Well hopefully not. I'm going to knit into the night and perhaps I'll have something finished to show you tomorrow.

Answers and a winner

The answers first:

1. What time of the day was I born?
12:23 pm

2. How much did I weigh?
7 lbs 7 oz and although I wasn't large, I ended up being a c-section baby because I wouldn't turn the right way

3. We took frequent trips to what city as children? Hint: This picture was taken at a popular place in this city.
Washington, D.C. This was at the Air & Space Museum. Still one of my favorites!

4. One of my favorite birthday parties was at the place in this picture. It was one of the "hotspots" in our small town. What is the place? Double bonus points if you can guess the actual name of the place.
At the Roller Rink and it was (is still) called Roller Magic

5. I have one sister. This is one of my favorite pictures of us as kids. Can you guess how much younger than me she is? She's the one on the right.
She is 30 months younger than me

6. How did John and I meet and under what circumstances?
John and I met freshman year of college. He was dating my roommate's best friend and would often stop by our room with her. We started dating soon after they broke up, 2nd semester of that same year.

7. What is my favorite type of cake for my birthday?
Ice Cream Cake!! Yum yum, and I was lucky to have some last night. Thanks John :)


Since there was 3 of you with the right number of answers, I entered it into the Random number generator, and the person who wins is......

Joy!

Please send me an e-mail at katiebhandbags@gmail.com with your address and I'll let you know which wristlets I still have.

my apologies....

I thought that I'd have enough time to figure out the winner of my little giveaway today, but I've lost track of all time. We spent a few hours buying things for the garden and enjoying a nice birthday lunch. I'll pick the winner tomorrow (I promise). So if you haven't entered yet, give a shot at it. I'll allow entries until tomorrow morning. Happy weekend to you all!

RME

So I might be a little behind the times, but I just signed up for Revolution Money Exchange. I had seen a couple of people posting about it on etsy, asking for shops that accepted it. It's like paypal, except without the fees. I don't think you can use credit cards. I'm interested to see how it works out. They give you $25 free for signing up, and each person that refers you gets an additional $10. If you'd like, click on the button below to get your own account started.



On a side note, today is John's 3 month check up. It feels weird to have to go back to the hospital and have all the tests run again. I got so used to it not being part of our lives again, it's a rude reminder that it will always be a part of our lives. I am extremely appreciative of all your prayers and comments during those rough times. I really am thankful to be part of such a supportive community!


Don't forget about the birthday giveaway contest!

I heart David Cook

Nothing much has been happening around here lately. Except that I've been listening to this song nonstop since I downloaded this song on iTunes last week. I pretty much has a monstrous crush on David Cook now. And John can even vouch for it :)



And don't forget to enter the giveaway below. I'm having fun reading your answers!

A Birthday Giveaway

Since my birthday is on Friday, I thought it would be fun to have a little giveaway. But I'm going to make you work for it, because who wouldn't like to learn a little trivia about me. Right? So, I'll be giving away one of my wristlets. The winner will get to choose one of these.

For the contest, the person will the most correct answers to the following questions will win. You'll have until Friday afternoon to submit you guesses.

So here we go:

1. What time of the day was I born?

2. How much did I weigh?

3. We took frequent trips to what city as children? Hint: This picture was taken at a popular place in this city.

4. One of my favorite birthday parties was at the place in this picture. It was one of the "hotspots" in our small town. What is the place? Double bonus points if you can guess the actual name of the place.

5. I have one sister. This is one of my favorite pictures of us as kids. Can you guess how much younger than me she is? She's the one on the right.

6. How did John and I meet and under what circumstances?

7. What is my favorite type of cake for my birthday?


Good Luck! I can't wait to read all your answers!

Wallet Tutorial from Leather Skirt

This tutorial is for the Sew, Mama, Sew contest. They've already had some really great entries, so I hope that it is clear and easy for you to use. If it's not, ask questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them there. More pictures can be found on my flickr site and I think they actually look better there too. I have put most of them in a mosaic because otherwise it would have been too many pictures. Please do not use to make items to sell, unless you contact me directly. I gave these to the men in my family for Christmas and they were a big hit. They'd be good for Father's Day too!

A couple of tips before starting:

• Go slowly. Do no pull through machine.
• Use a leather needle, as it is sharper and is made to go through thicker materials
• Use binder clips instead of pins. That way you will not have pin marks through the leather
• Use a small amount of Rubber cement, so that it does not gum up your machine. I use this because it prevents the leather from shifting and dries quickly.
• Increase the tension on your machine when going through more than 2 layers
• Use a longer stitch. I set mine to a 3 or 3.5 for this project

Supply List:

Leather Skirt
Scrap piece of clear vinyl
Rubber Cement
Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler
Tracing pencil
Leather sewing machine needle
Coordinating thread

O.k. Now we’re ready to start:

1. Deconstruct the leather skirt by cutting along the seam lines. I find that I like the longer, stiffer skirts for this project. Also, look for a skirt with less seam lines, as you’ll get more mileage out of it.
2. Cut the following pieces out of the skirt: (2) 9”w x 3.5” for exterior & inside base of wallet (1) 9” x 3.25” for paper money holder (1) 4" x 3.25” for back of credit card slots (3) 4” x 2” for credit card slots (1) 5” x 5” (this one does not have to be exact)

3. Take one 4” x 2” piece and apply a small amount of cement to one long edge. This will be the bottom part. Place the top edge (non-glued edge) of this piece 3/8” down from the top of the 4” x 3.25” piece, right sides up. Press down and allow to dr y for a few minutes. (you may skip to the next step while this is drying, just come back to finish this). Stitch along the bottom, using about 1/8” seam allowance.

3. 

Repeat for the next 2” piece, placing the top 3/8” from the top of the last stitched piece.

Repeat same process for the last 2” piece, except start stitching along bottom right, turning the cornering and stitching up the left side of the entire credit card piece.

* If leather is distorted at all during stitching, trim entire piece to 4” x 3.25”.

4. On the wrong side of the 5” x 5” piece, trace a cc or your license, using a white pencil (or another marking pen), that you can clearly see. Place the scrap vinyl overtop of your tracing mark. Take to the sewing machine, and stitch along your marking line, backstitching at the beginning and end. Trim excess vinyl, close to the stitching mark. Flip the piece over and lightly pull the vinyl away from the leather inside the stitching. Using sharp scissors, remove the inside rectangle, leaving about 1/8” from the stitching. Trim this piece to be 4”w x 3.25”h, centering the vinyl rectangle. Meaning, you will have .5” on top and bottom, and 3/8” on each side, from the stitching line.

4. 

5. Take the vinyl/leather piece and apply cement to wrong side of the top, bottom & right side. On the credit card piece, apply to top, bottom, and left side. ** Remember this is on the wrong sides, so that when you flip the pieces over, the cement will be on the outer edges of the wallet.

6. Take the 9 x 3.25” piece, and place the vinyl/leather piece on the left side, matching sides and corners. Place the credit card piece on the right side, matching sides and corners. Press down, apply binder clips, and allow to dry for a few minutes. Stitch along top, securing both pieces.

   
   

7. Apply a small amount of rubber cement to the side and bottom edges on the wrong side of the completed 9” x 3.25” piece. Stack this piece on the right side of one 9” x 3.5” piece, aligning side and bottom. In other words, both will be right sides up, and you will be forming the money pocket. Secure with binding clips and allow to dry for a few minutes. Starting on one side (I like to start on the left), stitch, turn corner, stitch bottom, turn again, and then stitch remaining side. It may be tricky to sew through all the layers on the credit card side. If it is, go slowly, increase tension and stitch length. Or, walk away, have a (few) glas
   

8. Flip piece over, and rather quickly, apply cement thinly and evenly over the entire back, except for ~1/4” around the edges. Apply the remaining 9” x 3.5” piece, wrong sides together, pressing and smoothing together. Secure with binding clips and allow to dry for 15 minutes. After it dries, stitch around entire piece, making sure not to catch the inside pocket.
9. 

Alternatively, if you would rather have a fabric on the outside of the wallet, you can use this tutorial until the last step. For the outside, cut your fabric 9.5” x 4”, and then press the ¼” seam allowance in on each edge. Cut a piece of fusible webbing a bit smaller than the piece, and fuse the fabric to the back side of the leather piece. Then stitch around the entire piece.

Pheww... how was that?

What a week...

Good Friday everyone! This week really got away from me. I guess I didn't realize how stressed out I was over the whole craft fair thing, because this week has been amazingly relaxing. Aside from the whole cough syrup incident, that is. We've had really beautiful weather and Isaiah and I have been outside everyday. John had off from work on Wednesday (for Emancipation Day, which D.C. celebrates), and we broke in our new bikes with a trip on the bike path in front of our house. We discovered a beautiful lake a few miles away with a lot of birds. Today, we rode the opposite way to a marina on the Anacostia River. We have really been enjoying these family days, and I am looking forward to getting back in shape. Maybe this "baby" belly will finally disappear after 2 years :)

I'm working on a shop update right now. There will be plenty of wristlets (including the one above) and Dopp Kits in there by the end of the weekend. Perfect Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts, if I do say so myself.

Next week I'll be posting a tutorial for the Sew, Mama, Sew! contest, so check back. I think it's a good one :) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Well Thank Goodness That's ALL over

Wow, I had quite the last few days. Yesterday we spend most of the day in the ER with Isaiah. I'll spare you all the details, but basically he got a hold of some adult cold medicine and drank it (although I wasn't sure how much). We spent 2 hrs waiting to be seen, then had to wait another 2 to have his blood drawn. As it turns out, the level of Tylenol in his bloodstream was probably equivalent to a lick off the top of the bottle. So it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought, but enough for me to still feel guilty that he even got to it and had to go through the whole hospital ordeal. Anyway, I am beyond relieved everything is o.k. and today I'm spending the day moving anything he could get his hands onto.

I also spent the whole weekend at the craft fair with 6 other talented ladies. I wish I could say it was more successful, but I think that our booth didn't really fit in with the other vendors. It was more of a "country" craft fair and a lot of the things were not handmade. They even had fake coach and gucci purses (which people were going crazy over, by the way). In the end, I made a little money, so I'm glad I didn't lose anything. And I got to hang out with some cool gals from EtsyCrest.I even got to meet two cool bloggers, who also happen to be sisters. It is always great fun to meet the people you "know" through your blog. I've had nothing but good experiences with it, and I can say the same about Rebecca and Mandi. You can read more at Rebecca's blog. She had some nice things to say about our Etsy booth (and me, of course). It was really nice meeting you gals!

I'll be updating my shop soon to, as I have a lot of stuff leftover from the craft fair. That is, if I can find my camera charger. It must have disappeared in the piles of everything that had been ignored while I was getting ready for the show. Maybe I'll start cleaning up the house too ;)

Craft Fair

Hi Everyone! Sorry for my absence this week. I've been getting ready for my craft fair this weekend, and needless to say, there's been little "me" time. Isaiah always conveniently decided not to take naps severals days this week, so I was feeling extra rushed for time. Anyway, enough of that. I wanted to say thank you for all the compliments and inputs on my last bag. I decided to make the flowers pins, as several of you had suggested. I really did like that idea!

If anyone's in the Baltimore area tomorrow or Sunday, I'll be at the Timonium Fairgrounds with some ladies from the EtsyCREST team. I know I might be meeting some of my fellow bloggers this weekend ;)

Have a good one.

Tax help needed please!!!

Alright, so this is terribly last minute and I'm struggling to finish up our taxes. I actually started them a few weeks ago, but still haven't completed them. I'm having a problem with how I should file my profits from the craft fair I did in november and things I sold on etsy. I was hoping someone could offer me some advice! (and quickly). I'm technically not a business, as I have never started anything legal to become one. I did one craft fair in November and the profit was just under $400. Do I just file this as extra income under a hobby? Any insight?? Thanks!!

oui or non?

My mother in law came down yesterday and watched Isaiah for a few hours. It was a much needed break for me and I was able to make a lot of progress for the craft fair (that is next weekend, yikes!). Of course, I did get a little sidetracked and had to make a bag that I had wanted to make for a long time. This always happens to me when I'm trying to sew in large quantities. I get bored, yet somehow inspired, and have to start a new project when it's fresh in my mind. Does that happen to any of you? I bet I'm not the only one. Luckily this bag sewed up quickly and I subsequently got started on four others. I thought the front looked a little boring, so I added a flower. I'm not sure though. Do you like it with or without the flower? It's just pinned on right now, but if the majority like it, I'll sew it on.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Our April Fool's

Yesterday was John's birthday. If you know John in the least, you'd know that April Fool's is a very fitting birthday for him. It just makes me laugh to think that it's his birthday. He is such a fool (in a good way, of course).

Anyway, it was a gorgeous day, and I know John enjoyed his birthday. We headed into D.C. to eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. We were able to sit outside and drink margaritas, something I've been waiting to do all winter! After dinner, we walked to a cute park down the street and let Isaiah run wild.

Then a quick trip to see the Cherry Blossoms. I really love this time of year here, but there are just waaaay too many people. I'm sure that it was a lot worse during the day. Anyway, I tried to take some pictures, but apparently the flash on my camera no longer works. It was disappointing, but it may just mean I'll have to take another trip during the day to see them. I was able to snap this picture of the Jefferson Memorial. It's by far my favorite memorial in D.C.

Above is the picture of Isaiah "helping" me make John's favorite dessert. He loves trifles. This one had yellow cake, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed butterfingers. Not my first choice for a birthday cake (I love ice cream cake!), but he loved it, and it's all gone now.

It's back to work now. There's a lot of sewing to be done. Hopefully I can get something achieved while ignoring the piles of laundry that need to be folded!