Stitching away

Lately it seems that I have a lot to show, but no motivation to actually getting around to post. And it's not for lack of computer time either. I'm spending a lot more time on the computer now that the t.v. in our room died (sigh). I really think it's the shorter days. I just need that daylight! (ok, that will be my last daylight savings time rant). The other night I got the sudden urge to embroider, and I've been in an embroidery mood ever since. I don't normally do it, but it's nice to have a craft to do while sitting and watching all my shows.

From the moment I saw this AB print, I was in love. I just love the color and style. So, I drew one of the lotus flowers and embroidered it in red on some scrap linen. Sewed a few quick strips around the edges, and backed it with linen.

I stuffed it with a pillow form that I picked up at IKEA for $1.49. How cheap is that?? I have two more forms, so I'll probably be making a few more pillows. I'm really happy with how this came out. I just love the embroidery. I'm planning on doing some more embroidery for an ornament swap I'm participating. John starts his 4th round of chemo tomorrow, so it'll be a good little project to take with me. You gotta love portable crafting!

I also wanted to offer up a little deal to my blog pals. I have a lot of headbands leftover from the craft fair, and they're just taking up space. For some reason I really thought I'd sell like 100 of them, so I made close to that. Oh boy, that was silly. So, if you're interested, please send me an e-mail at katiebhandbags@gmail.com and I'll set up an etsy listing just for you. Regular price is $8.50, sale price is $7.50 each, or 2 for $14, or 3 for $20. Buyer must pay for shipping. You can see your choices here. It also comes in green, I just haven't relisted it yet.

Holiday Mode

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm in full holiday mode. I want to decorate, craft, bake, you get the idea. Although I have yet to do any of the above. Hopefully I'll get around to making the tree skirt before we actually get the tree. And I've already strained my vocal chords singing Mariah's "All I want for Christmas". I probably shouldn't have admitted that, although I know I'm probably not the only one!

I've been wanting to make travel bag, or a "dop kit" as John's family calls it, forever. Men are always so hard to make gifts for, so I thought this might be a good one. I'm really happy with the way it came out. I used some thrifted wool fabric, and some suede from a thrifted skirt. I'm toying around with the idea of putting an applique on the side, just so that it doesn't look so plain. I don't know, we'll see.

Anyway, this one is up for sale on etsy if your interested. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know mine was great!

It's never too late for a Halloween post!

Now that Halloween was like, oh say, almost a month ago, I thought I'd post a picture of Isaiah dressed to the nines. I tried to get him to wear a panda costume that my MIL had made for her kids, but he was not into it. So, a greaser he was. A perfect outfit for a little toddler who didn't want any costume. Jeans, white shirt, and a thrifted leather jacket.
He loooooooved having mousse in his hair. It was so crazy. I actually had to hide the bottle because he kept walking around with it trying to put it in his hair. Ugh, I hope I didn't start something there. He was a little apprehensive about the whole trick or treating thing, but once he realized he was getting something out of it, there was nothing stopping him. He got some good things too (and I should know, I ate most of it). He wouldn't say "trick or treat", so we had him knock and say "pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaasee." It was so cute. Anyway, just thought I'd share since I have nothing better, or crafty to blog about. I'll be making two pies tonight, and will be preparing for some heavy cooking tomorrow. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

I must like pink

This daylight savings time is still cramping my style. I hate it getting so dark before 5pm, and I always feel like it 3 hours later than it really is. I'm pretty sure my brain stops functioning after dark anyway. Plus it's impossible to take any quality photos.

I know I said that I was sick of sewing scarves, but Saturday found me sewing up a scarf for my giveaway winner and noticing that I had several partially finished scarves from my large order. So two more scarves it was. I finished them up this morning, and if my lazy butt ever gets around to it, they will be up on etsy.

I really spent most of the weekend working on this bag.

It's from the same fabric as this wallet and the brown leather suede accents are from a thrifted skirt. I really love the way it came out. I had originally intended to list it on etsy, but for the time that it took me to complete it, I'd have to charge a lot for it, and I'm not sure anyone would buy it. So, it'll probably end up as a Christmas gift for my MIL, although I'm not sure she really wants a pink purse. Who knows, maybe I'll just keep it for myself.

rain and a wallet

Today it is raining hard and I'm finding it difficult to have any motivation to do anything around the house. I did take a shower, only to put some pajamas back on. At least I'm clean, right? I shipped the scarves out on Tuesday and I'm glad to have that out of my hair. I find it really difficult to sew a lot of the same things at once. I'm a lot more product when I have a couple of projects going on at once. Something about controlled chaos I suppose.

I spent the better part of yesterday working on this wallet.

The outer fabric I got at Hancock's last week when the decorator fabrics were 50% off. I am in looove with it and I'm tempted to go buy more. Since it's so dreary out the pictures aren't the best, but I did need an opinion on the button. What do you think? With or without?

This may find itself in my etsy shop a little later on today. We'll see if I get my act together. Otherwise you can find me sleeping on the couch.

Seashell Angel Ornament Tutorial

What you need:

• 3 wide seashells, two preferablly a little bit smaller than one


• 1 small wooden bead, approximately .5" in diameter


• hot glue gun
  
• acrylic paints


• small paint brushes


• strand of small beads or pearls

Step 1:
Place the bead onto the end of a small paint brush. This is to hold it steady during the painting step. Place a small amount of hot glue into the hole on top. This way it will look more like a head than a bead. After the glue dries, paint on the hair. You can use your color choice

Step 2:

Paint on the facial features. I use the end of a paint brush to dot on the eyes. Then brush a small amount of pink for the cheeks and add a mouth. Let dry.

Step 3:

Using the hot glue gun, dab a small amount on the side of the larger shell, and attach one of the smaller shells like this. Repeat on the other side.

Step 4:

After the paint is dry, attach the head to the body using a small amount of glue to the body. You want to try to angle the head down slightly so that you cannot see the hole on the bottom.

Step 5:
Cut a piece of ribbon about 4" long. Glue onto the back in a loop for a hanger.

Step 6: (Optional)
Add a small strand of beads across the front.

Tada! And a finished ornament. I used these last year on the front of Christmas packages.

Is anyone interested in kits of these to make themselves? I'd probably be do a set of 3 for $5-$7.

Winners and a question

The first winner is Jessi and the second is Lindsey . Jessi, you get first pick, so e-mail me with your choice. Please e-mail me with your addresses! Katiebhandbags@gmail.com


And the question... Is anyone interested in a tutorial on how to make angel ornaments with shells? If so I'll write a quick one up and post it.

One Year

Well it seems that many people in the blog world are celebrating some type of milestone. It didn't occur to me until after seeing some, that I had passed my one year anniversary. So much has changed for me in one year : We lived with John's parents, bought our own home, had a baby turn 1, took a nice family vacation, and found out John has cancer. Phewww.. who would have ever thought. I am so thankful that I have found blogging. (and I don't even want to mention my first entry, yikes). I've made some great friends, who have made me feel that I am not crazy for sewing instead of doing the laundry. You have all given me encouragement for my crafting, and support through this whole John ordeal. So as a huge Thank You for all the comments, cards, gifts, etc, I thought what better way than a good old fashioned giveaway!

I'll choose two winners at random on Monday morning. The first chosen will get the option to choose either a scarf or two headbands. Each winner will get to decide which color they would like their prize in. So if you want to be entered, leave me so love! Everyone is welcome to enter!!

On another note, today John starts his third treatment. After this is finished he'll be halfway done. Whooohoooo!

A business opportunity

I really thought that after the craft fair was over, I'd be able to get it together. But I'm starting to realize that I may, in fact, never get it together. And I think I'm o.k with that. Right now, I'm busy sewing up 15 scarves. These scarves are an order that resulted from my craft fair. Actually, I'll tell you the story. We had barely finished setting up, when two nice ladies came over to my table, and immediately started gushing about the scarves. She loved them, told me how wonderful my table was, and then, she had a business proposition for me. Can you believe it?? I nearly peed my pants (and I'm not kidding). Anyway, she owns her own business in which she has over 100 vendors of handmade goods, and each month she has a showcase of 40 and sells their products. And she wanted 15 of my scarves. She actually thought at first she could buy them all, but then realized I'd be left with nothing to show. I only had 9 scarves there. So, that was some major excitement. After she left, my cousin and I both needed to sit to compose ourselves. The only catch is that I have to mail these scarves out by Monday, leaving me little time to sew anything else.

I also wanted to show this cute little package from Jenn Maruska. Let me tell you, if you ever have an opportunity to swap with this lovely girl, do it! It was a small swap, in which she requested this Pumpkin Spice coffee drink, and offered up some of her gorgeous wool. (Grr for the blurry picture) How could I resist that? This is our second swap with a month or two. And I'd happily do it again! Thanks Jenn!!

All about the Craft Fair...

I am pleased to say that the craft fair was a huge success! I sold a good amount of things, met some really nice people, and made a great business contact. I even got to meet a bloggy friend, Stephanie, of Creative Reveries, who was just as nice in person as she seems on her blog! Plus, she wore this skirt that she made which is soo cute! Here we are in front of my table. I didn't realize it until I looked at this picture, but I must have looked like a hot mess! Oops. Stephanie is wearing the scarf that she bought from me. She was happy that I still had it because she had seen it on my blog. I thought that was funny.

Anyway, it was interesting to see what sold. The scarves were by far the most popular thing. I definitely should have made more, and I probably would have sold more if I had. I only brought one of each color, so lesson learned there. I only sold a few of my headbands, which actually surprised me. I guess people aren't into headbands as much as I thought. I'll be listing them on etsy when I get a chance. I probably won't make any more for a while, so if you wanted one for a stocking stuffer, better get them while you can!



I didn't remember to take a picture of my table until closer to the end of the day. It looked more full at the beginning. My MIL and I found the quilt rack at the thrift store and she painting it white. I used cake stands to prop up the smaller bags, and a few bowls to hold other items on the table.




Overall it was a great experience, but I was glad it was over. I spent yesterday just relaxing and it was wonderful. Now I have a custom order to do 15 scarves this week, so that is a new challenge. But the craft room has to be cleaned up before anything gets done! Thank you D.C. Craft Mafia for putting on a wonderful show!

Buy Handmade!!

I know I might be a little behind on the bandwagon, but better late than never right? I pledged to Buy Handmade for the holidays and I'm going to encourage my friends and family to do the same. I'm thinking I'll send out a little e-mail sending them to the website, and also including a list of my favorite handmade online stores. So if you have one, let me know! You might think about sending out a little e-mail yourselves!!

And I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about the craft fair, pictures and all!

Almost There

Holy Moly. The big day is tomorrow and I can't believe it! I'm having moments of feeling prepared, followed swiftly by those of nervousness. My mother in law was a saint yesterday and helped me with some finishing details. Not to mention watched Isaiah, who was actually himself behaving like a saint as well.

I made this banner today during Isaiah's nap. My plan is to safety pin it to the table cloth. I hope that it's easy to read. It was really hard trying to get a decent picture of it!

All in all, I feel pretty good about the situation. Although who knows what other unexpected things will pop up. My MIL I went to the thrift store the other day and picked up some leather skirts. She really wanted me to try using some leather, so this is what I came up with. It'll take some more practice because that leather can really be a pain!

I also wanted to share these gorgeous tags that I bought from the amazing etsy seller paperologie. She was super easy to work with and shipped quickly. (Although my apologies for the picture).

Alright.. wish me luck! If you're in the D.C. area tomorrow, come stop by and say hi! I might just give you something free ;)

DC Craft Mafia presents

The Unusual Suspects Holiday Arts & Crafts Festival

Saturday, November 3, 200712pm - 8pm

The Anastasi Room

5020 Battery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814

Getting My Ducks in a Row

Things are starting to fall into place around here. I'm starting to relax and not worry so much about the craft fair. I've finished these bags, and a few more are lined up for sewing. I'm in love with this style and I'm having fun making them.

During this project, sewing became therapeutic again and a lot less stressful. Funny how that happened. All the linen for these bags came from one skirt I found at the thrift store. Can you believe that? I think I paid less than $2 for it! Much better than the $7.99 a yard linen from Joann's. I am having a little trouble with the pricing of some of my items though. How much should I price these bags for? They're about 10" wide, 5" high, and 5 " deep.

And all your well wishes must have really helped John out.By Monday afternoon, he was back to his old self. He wanted to play with Isaiah, help clean up and joking, and laughing. It's great to have him feeling back to normal. It really is amazing how this chemo is such a crazy cycle. I think all the good days really outweigh the bad days, and I'm really thankful for John only having to endure a few bad ones each cycle.

Happy Halloween to everyone. Hopefully I'll be able to get Isaiah to wear his costume. We'll see how that goes!

Running out of steam

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post. I've been feeling stressed, tired, and crazy for the last few days. My craft fair is less than a week away and I'm feeling like I'm running out of time. I'm excited, but of course, all those little fears keep popping into my head. What if I don't sell anything? What if I don't bring enough? How am I going to set up the table? How do I price my items? What if I forget my Starbucks with Vodka?

It's crazy the amount of preparation that goes into this kind of thing. I find it amazing that people do this all the time. Crazy people. Anyway, I've been sewing like a mad woman all weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to finish enough things to bring.

John has been feeling pretty bad the past few days. I definitely think that's adding to the stress. I've noticed (when I finally looked up from my sewing machine) that our house is pretty disgusting. I'm having a really hard time keeping up with all the house work, cooking, sewing, and playing with Isaiah. I think that after the craft fair is over with, that the sewing machine will go away for a little bit. More play time with Isaiah, and a lot more laundry will get put away. Hopefully.

Have a good Monday!

Birthday Quilt finished!

On the long days of John's chemo, we're in the hospital for anywhere from 3-5 hours, so it's nice to have some sort of project I can do with my hands. Luckily, I remembered to bring the quilt I had been working on, about a month earlier. I finally finished putting on the binding a few weeks ago, and mailed it just in time to be about 1 1/2 months late for the little birthday girl. Better late than never, right? I had started hand quilting it, but quickly realized that it would take way too long. I settled for some straight lines across the quilt. I know quilting would have been much easier with a walking foot. I'm starting to think I should invest in one!

Anyway, I wasn't able to get the best pictures of the finished product, but I'm happy with the way the quilt came out. I added a little embroidery of her name, Grace Vita, and I think it was the perfect touch!

Swap Update

Ok.. so it seems many of you are interested, but are worried about having to craft so many items. I hadn't thought it would be too many, but I'm definitely willing to lower the amount of items if people are interested. Sooooo.. here's the updated version:

Partners will send each other 3 items. Two will be handmade from your partner's list of their favorite Good Things. The 3rd can be anything Martha related. This does not have to be a handmade item. It can be a craft item from Michael's, a Martha mag, or just another "Good Thing". That will be up to you. Is this more reasonable?? I really hope some peeps out there want to do this!

WOW!

I guess not everyone is a huge fan of Martha's Good Things. Is this actually anyone interested in this swap at all? I can make amendments to the swap if there's a problem!

EDIT TO ADD:

Martha is known for saying "it's a Good Thing." On her show and in her MS Living Magazine, she frequently has Good Things for crafting. This link should bring you to the list of the "Good Thing" Crafts. For this swap, you will list at least 10 Good Things that you would like to have your partner make for you. For instance, if you really like these gift tags you would include them on your list. Your partner can then choose to make these for you. I said you would each make 5 things because basically the good things are usually quick, easy crafts. I hope that clarifies this for anyone interested.

Martha Good Things Swap

Ok! I've been wanting to host this swap forever, but have always been sidetracked. I participated in a similar swap months ago on craftster, and it was great. Basically, it will work like this. When you sign up (and I hope you do!!), you will send in a list of your favorite "Good Things". Your partner will choose to make 4 of those items, and will also send along a 5th item of their choosing. I hope that makes sense. I'm giving a month before you have to send out you package, in hopes of leaving enough time for crafting. Feel free to put the button on your blog. Let me know if it works. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. Here's all the info:

1. SIGN UP DEADLINE: October 23rd
2. SWAP PARTNERS: You should received your partner by October 24th
3. PACKAGE GUIDELINES

• Mail by November 24th
• Send a total of 5 items. 4 "good things" from your partner's list, and 1 of your choosing from anything Martha
• The 4 Good Things should be handmade (hope that's obvious), and the 5th can be anything Martha Related (i.e. a craft supply from Michael's, or just another good thing)
  

4. HOW TO PARTICIPATE: send an email to seekatieswap@gmail.com with the following details:

- first and last name
- address
- email
- blog address

Are you willing to ship internationally?

List at least 10 of your favorite Good Things

Any colors that you do or do not like?

Any Allergies?

Patchwork Bookmark Tutorial

Okay, here it is. My patchwork bookmark tutorial. I hope the directions are clear, although this is a pretty simple process. They're quick and easy to make. I plan on giving them with any books I give for Christmas presents. If you have any questions feel free to email me at katiebhandbags@gmail.com

Materials Needed:

• Various fabric scraps, varying between 1-2", must be at least 2" wide


• Small scrap of backing fabric, at least 2" x 7"
  
• Fusible Interfacing
  
• rotary cutter and mat OR scissors

Note: Since I am making a lot of these, I am showing the method I use to produce several at one time.

Step 1:

Arrange scraps in pleasing order and sew together. You can either sew them with straight edges, or cut the scraps at small angles. When finished, you'll should have a piece that is at least 7" long, but not longer than 9", and at least 2" wide.

Step 2:

Iron all seams in the same direction. Turn fabric over and press well from the front. Iron on fusible interfacing. If you wish to have a floppier bookmark, you can skip this step.

Step 3:


Cut one edge of the piece and use that side as a guideline for you next cuts. Cut into 2" wide strips. Depending on how wide your piece is, you will end up with several different bookmarks.

Step 4:

Cut backing fabric to the same size as the front of the bookmark. I used muslin since it's cheap and I had to make a lot of these. You can use any fabric that you have available. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew around all four sides, leaving a hole for turning.

Step 5:

Trim corners, turn out bookmark, and press.

Step 6:

Topstitch around entire bookmark, making sure that you have closed the opening.

et Voila! A plethora of bookmarks