Bag Lady

So I have been sewing for about two years solid now, and I have 4 skirts, 1 shirt and an assortment of bags and plush animals to show for it. However, I don't always feel like making something from a pattern. I have found that totes are simple enough to make and don't take much time at all. It's also a great use of scrap fabric. I even made a little fabric bag (minus the handles) and used it as a gift bag. It served it served its purpose of housing a present, and the lucky recipient got a keepsake for herself.

This first tote is composed of oilcloth (chickens were found on ebay, faux bois and brocade were from etsy). I wanted to use this fabric, because I was making a grocery tote. The outside is completely wipeable, and the linen lining provides sturdy support. I found the pattern online here:

http://www.purlbee.com/oilcloth-grocery-tote/

This specific tote has a circular bottom, and that proved to be a little challenging at first but still very doable. With the leftover material I was able to make a little purse for myself. (I couldn't let the cute chickens go to waste!) The best part was I just folded the fabric in half and then sewed the sides up. I didn't even have to make a bottom.

The second tote shown here was made of spare bits I had laying around. The outer fabric is a superfine brown corduroy, and the inside is a cotton print. First, I sandwiched the two fabrics together for each side and sewed them creating a durable duplex fabric of sorts. Then I pinned my two sides together and sewed everything but the top where the opening was. Next I did a few rows of stitches for added decoration. (For the gift bag, I just stopped here. It was so easy to make and meant a little more than the store bought alternative. Plus, you can tailor them to any size!) For the little handbag I added some handles, which were just two long strips of the corduroy fabric folded in half. I personally love the look of a stitch and again made rows of straights and zig-zags alternating for extra interest. Finally, I like to secure the handles for all of my bags with the "X" method. Again, I like the way it looks, and it adds more support.

Thanks for looking at my projects! Please feel free to share any of your own. I'd love to see them :)

A Fresh Start for Twenty-Ten

Hello friends. It's amazing to believe that it's already 2010. Last year I really neglected this blog and posted a bunch of random things. I want to try and do my best this year to keep my postings based on the things I create. I'll also try to commit more, thus keeping me on the ball with productivity and personal projects.

During the winter holiday I was busy creating valentines for my etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

I also made some Braille valentines earlier this week. I found an old Braille alphabet I had saved. I knew immediately that I was going to put it to use. It occurred to me that I have never personally seen any Braille valentines. I also liked the idea of having an interactive card. The materials I used for the 'dots' allowed me to achieve a raised texture, giving the cards a 3 dimensional effect. Even if they aren't used with their intended purpose, they make a nice keepsake design. The dots on a solid background are nice and modern and would look great framed.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my artwork. Please check back frequently, as I will be adding more and more handmades as the days go by.

IT'S BUSINESS TIME

So, usually I just post my feelings or random pictures or whatever here. I really want this to be a place to share my new ideas, crafts and whatnot. I don't know if it's the weather or a sudden raise in motivation, but I really want to create lately. I'm not even as worried about making something horrible. I just want to go through the process of finishing projects again.

For starters, these are my new business cards. I used my Gocco to screen print them on a variety of different colored stocks. It just made me happy to actually pull out my machine again to make them. I also feel like these are more "me." I don't know if they'll get me some work or not, but at least I'll feel proud to carry them in my wallet.

Home Again

Well, we are back home after a very enjoyable week in Branson. Unfortunately, the rest of my leftover vacation money is going to be put towards a speeding ticket. At least it's from IL and not MO though. We still made really good time in the end. Dex was amazing in the car. He mostly slept, but even when he was awake he contented himself.

The week itself flew by. Phil and I were extraordinarily lazy, but it felt really good to not have a schedule to stick to. We played a lot of card games and watched a few movies. We hit one of my favorite diners, a Bob Evans, Famous Dave's Barbeque, a Chinese buffet and of course a Sonic. Gran made killer rocky road brownies, Heath Bar Ice Cream Cake, beef stew and mac and cheese casserole. Aunt Debbi made my favorite Texas potatoes. Basically, we ate pretty well and most likely gained a couple pounds each.

I got to introduce Phil and Dex to my aunt and uncle that live down there - as well as their son and daughter-in-law. Easter day we visited, feasted and played a competitive game of guys versus girls Catch Phrase. Good times. I was back in my pajamas by 4 for the night. 

Leaving was bittersweet. but it feels good to be back in our home again. We went and picked up Paisley last night. Honestly, I thought she'd be more excited to see us, but Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bill took great care of her. She's practically potty trained! 

Phil's already back to work, and I've got a lot to do today as well. Luckily, there's also quite a few jobs lined up for dessertforbreakfast. Other than that we just plan on making a lot of little renovations to the place.

Branson Bound

So tomorrow is the big day, our first ever family road trip! We are dropping Paisley off by Phil's parents tonight, and they are going to watch her for the week. She just would have been too much right now. Maybe by the time we get home she and Bailey will be friends.

We are taking anew route this year. My grandpa found an expressway that cuts out a ton of traffic. Woohoo! I have made that drive many a time, solo and with others. Shaving off an extra hour or so will be nice! For the most part we should really only have to stop a couple of times. Dex usually sleeps in the car. 

It'll be nice to kind of escape for a little while. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's there. I get so tired from being here all day. I try to find things to do with Dex, but it feels so monotonous sometimes. I know Phil can use the break from work too. I'm actually just looking forward to the car ride and switching our iPods back and forth.

I wish everyone a Happy Easter holiday, and we'll be back soon!

Man, where have I been?

I guess I have been pretty busy lately. So many things have been going on. 

Most exciting - last weekend brought a surprise Whitney visit. It was awesome! Mig, Sam, Whitney, Dexter and I just bummed around downtown. The weather was beautiful, and it was just nice to reconnect with everyone.  

I also had many a visit from Sarah which was equally cool. She actually did a series of photographs here, and it's always fun to see her go in to photographer mode and use all of the gigantic equipment. She even crashed one night, and we pretty much fell asleep watching Wonder Showzen. Good times.

In other news I attended yet another portfolio show with Phil and Dex. Amanda, Joe and Jacob were among graduating friends. The displays were great, and I know how relieved they must feel to finally be done. Good job, guys! :)

Tonight I am attending a reception with Angie for our friends Marc and Erika. We both have a sort of Hepburnesque look going on. It'll be nice to just catch up and relax. 

Next week I'll be going to see Jay Ryan and a plethora of his awesomely hand-illustrated posters. Let me know if you want to go!

Thursday, I think

It is pretty hard to keep the days straight any more. They seem like one big blur. Though it does seem to be getting nicer out. Hopefully this means just a short time until Dex, Paisley and I can hang out outside during the days.

Yesterday was a great day. Dex and I picked Mom up from work at 10:30. She took a half day, and we bummed around Woodfield. Granted I hate being there, but we were on a mission. It was actually quite enjoyable, not too crowded. I needed to get a dress I could wear for a couple upcoming weddings. At first it seemed typical - really cute things...that didn't fit. Or stuff that was adorable on the hanger but not on my frame. Luckily, I ended up finding a super great, fitting dress. It's got a very retro style which I was immediately drawn to. The top is a chartreuse satin with a collar neck and ruffles. The bottom is a super thick black stretch cotton with a thin black belt. I hate, hate, hate trying on clothes and usually feel really defeated after I do, but this miracle garment seemed to fit in all of the right places. After that huge accomplishment, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory - but sadly left no room for cheesecake. All in all it was an amazing day. I wish I could kidnap Mom more often. ;)

Today I have hopes of being productive. So far I made a chicken salad for dinner. We had this gorgeous whole roasted chicken from my folks, and I didn't want the leftovers to go bad. We do waste a lot in this house unfortunately. I want to get better about that. But this recipe is really delicious and simple - roasted chicken with the skin on (more flavor!), equal parts spicy brown mustard and mayo, salt and pepper - a good amount and about a cup of sweet corn kernels (this tasty tip came from Europe. All the Londoners and Scots were eating their chicken salad with corn. It adds a yummy crunch). So we will have that as sandwiches tonight. We also have some brown, mushy bananas on our counter that will tonight or tomorrow become banana bread! I just have to find a recipe.