Please Excuse Me...

For the constant changes to my template here.  I can't stop playing with Blogger in draft!  I'm having lots of fun dragging things around and changing colors....and the new templates are super neat-o!

Farmer's Market Book Bag

I made a book bag for my daughter last week out of Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market fabric.

There are three coordinating fabrics.  Such pretty colors!

I kept the bag pretty simple, just a main compartment and a big pocket on the outside.  By looking at another bag I have, I was able to make an adjustable strap.

I adapted the bag from the basic book bag tutorial at mmmcrafts.  The tutorial is excellent, but if I made this again I would change the way the flap is attached to the bag.  Rather than it being set in the seam, it's topstitched to the back panel.  It still looks nice, just my preference.

Things We Did On a Rainy Spring Break Day

I love spring break, mostly because I don't have to go to work.

The kids and I had so much fun on Monday.

First, there was the mad science program at the library.

The topic was air, so how brilliant is this to blow two rolls of toilet paper into the crowd.  It was hysterical.

A trip to the pet store where we visit with puppies, geckos and guinea pigs.

And my favorite activity - the thrift store!  You can barely see the toe of the shoes I found, but I got a new pair of Mephisto sandals for $8.00!  I also found a great Kenneth Cole watch for $7.00.

The kids found some good junk too.  They've been begging me to buy a snorkel and flippers forever, and they found an entire set at our Red, White and Blue store.

Is there such a job as a professional thrift store shopper / garage saler?  I would be good at that!

It's Never Too Late to Become What You Could Have Been

Here's my hoola hoopin' girl.  Two at a time even!

I bought her a hula hoop at target several seeks ago, and she was frustrated to the point of tears that she couldn't do it!  I showed her how, her brother took a turn and even her uncle did a little hoola hoopin' when he was at our house last week.  Still, for weeks she tried and tried - ten or twenty times a day.  No amount of advice helped her work that darn hula hoop.

Then suddenly and unexpectedly, she did it!  Like magic, she got everything working together to make the hula hoop orbit around her little waist.  She figured it out on her own by her sheer force of will.  

I'm amazed at her persistence.  It took weeks of trying and trying and trying some more to get it.  So many failed attempts, but she had a single-minded goal and there were no short cuts.

It's never too late to become what you could have been.

Old Jewels / New Jewelry

Last week I went into one of my favorite, overpriced stores to have a look around.  I was struck by the poor quality of everything - paper thin cardigans for $70 +,  skirts that were nothing special for $40 +, and the jewelry!  Yikes...sparkly things that were made of cheap metal and bits of glass.  Even on sale, they were way too expensive.

So I came home and dug out my bead box.  I had some beads left over from a project, plus a crystal necklace that was my mom's that I cut up to repurpose.  I came with these:

Faux pearls and vintage crystals on a silk cord.

Glass beads on a knotted silk cord.

Letter "a" pendant (from etsy) with a pearl charm that I made with stearling sliver wire

I love wearing them all together!  You want to know the best part of all of this?  My little girl was playing with my beads next to me while I was making these.  She said, "Mom, I can't believe that you can make things that you can buy in the store."

I said, "Honey, you can make things better than you can buy in the store."

A little light bulb went off!  "I never thought of that!"

Echino is My New Friend

Every time I see this line of Echino fabric I smile.  There's nothing else like it in fabric land.

The cost has kept me from buying it in the past, but I sold a dress on eBay and scored big, so hooray for me!

Plans are in the works for some hipster bags - big enough for a mom, but small enough to still lay nicely against the body.  I'll make one for myself, then 2-3 more for the shop.

After having a crazy, busy last month I'm looking forward to lots of sewing in next few weeks!  

Most of these prints are available at Superbuzzy.  Many etsy sellers carry them too.

Win a Free Camera

Here's a giveaway worth checking out.
Alexis Miller is giving away a Nikon D80 Camera.
Wouldn't it be fun to win?

We're Off to New York

Pack your bags dollies.  It's time to go!

The kids and I finally finished these last night.  Shew...involving the kids fun, but they sure slow things down.

This was a big project for them, and Little Miss "I-just-LOVE-blue-eyeshadow" had to be watched VERY closely.

I'm mailing these to Abundant Ground today.  Then they're off to Haiti.