Spirit Jumpers

Laurie, or Punkinhead to those of us on Etsy, posted a great site over on her blog that I would also like to share with you all.  The site is called Spirit Jump and it connects people who have been diagnosed with cancer with people who would like to lift (jump) their spirits by sending them a little something special in the mail.  As she explains on her site, it could be anything from something you make that would make life a little easier to something as simple as a card with some encouraging words.  

So, now you can go learn more about it, sign up to be a Spirit Jumper, or sign someone up who could use a jump. In honor of my Dad who battled his way through colon cancer, I signed up to be a spirit jumper. I remember how much better he seemed on the days when a friend would drop by his hospital room or a card would show up in the mail.... those little things make such a big difference.

p.s. Laurie made me some awesome vintage fabric coasters.  They rock.. thanks!  

Whew.. back with a quick update

Just a quick update for today... the FedEx man brought me a sexy new Macbook last night! Yay! It's funny how disconnected I felt without access to the web. I know I existed for most of my life without it, but, boy you sure get used to having it! Being iced-in for two days without internet access made it seem so much worse, too.  

I've been doing a little Christmas sewing lately. I made some teacher gifts, gift pouches for all the nieces and nephews, a Strawberry Shortcake apron for my little bit, and a Super Sleuth (those with young kids will know them from My Friends Tigger and Pooh) costume for a wee friend. I have been really slacking on my Etsy shop. I don't know if it's just a bit of burnout or what, but I just haven't been into it lately. I've been happy sewing all sorts of non-business things, but when it comes to sewing for the shop I just can't muster the want-to. The feeling's been coming in waves over the past few months.... I'm sure the etsy love will return eventually. :)

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now.  

And the winner is......

drumroll.... Colleen!
Thanks so much to all of you who sent such sweet comments! This was lots of fun and I'm sure I will hold another again sometime. Colleen, I'll email you to get your address so these can get on their way.

In other news, my computer died. :( My emac had a long run and now it runs no more. However, I have a sexy new Macbook on the way. I'm mooching off Jason's computer at work till the new one gets here, so I won't be able to respond to emails and such quite as quickly as I might normally. Here's to hoping that 3-5 day shipping takes 3 days!

It's a Giveaway!

I want to pass along some good cheer, so I am hosting a giveaway. Hooray! To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post.  Say anything you want, just make sure that I have some way of getting in touch with you if you win. If you have a blog or even an etsy shop, that will do. I don't want to drag this out too long, so I'll end this thing Wednesday morning, the 10th, after I get the kiddo off to school (roughly 8a.m. Central time). I will use a random number generator and that post will win a super cute zippered pouch and a sweet little tissue holder. I made the items nice and light so I'm happy to ship internationally (although I'll likely have to leave the tissues out of the holder, sorry).  

  So get yourself entered and maybe you'll win a little something for yourself or something to give to a super lucky friend.  *One more thing - Through Wed., I'll offer you guys 15% off any purchase of $10 or more in my Etsy shop.  Just put "giveaway15" in the note to seller and I will send you a revised invoice through paypal for the adjusted total. If you'd rather not wait for me to send an invoice, you can pay the full amount and I will send you a partial refund, but you gotta leave me a message in the note to seller. :)

The zippered pouch is approx. 7 3/4" wide x 6 1/2" tall (20 x 16.5 cm).  The fabric is a dark brown linen blend topped with Ginger Blossom by Sandi Henderson.  The lining is a heavy, yet smooth muslin.  I also added some pretty sparkle with a button accent.  I would so carry this as a cute little clutch!

The tissue holder is made with fabric from Heather Bailey's Freshcut line and the same smooth muslin.  Again, I dipped into my button stash to add a little cuteness.

Special Gifts and Giveaways - Oh My!

This week has been very gifty.  On Wednesday, Sew Mama Sew hosted a giveaway day where lots and lots of crafty blogs held giveaways.... and I won one!!!  Oh, and you are gonna be jealous.  I won a box of beautiful fabric from Oh, Fransson one of my favorite blogs.  She is a super crafter and always has the most beautiful and fun projects going!  You must check her out.  But, the really exciting thing for you guys is that I want to keep the giving going so I'm tomorrow I'm going to host my own giveaway!!!  I don't know exactly what the gift will be yet, but I promise it will be worth checking out!

Yesterday, I mailed out my AREtsy secret santa gift.  I really love doing swaps.  I feel like I can really be creative, more so than when I'm creating for my shop.  I just hope she likes them!  I feel pretty safe posting a picture here because she should have it today and the chances of ruining the surprise are pretty slim I think.  So....

My person is getting this crafty little set of goodies.  The tissue holder is made with one of my favorite Japanese import fabrics, the house ornament is embroidered with that cute pattern from vol.25, and the little embroidered button pattern is from pimp stitch.  

Finally, the most special gift this week came from the big man himself - Santa.  I took Taylor to see Santa at the mall yesterday after school and she brought with her a teeny bell to give to Santa to give to Rudolf.  She sat on his lap and gave him the little bell and in return he gave her his bell.  How cool is that?!  The look on her face was absolutely priceless.  

Kids + Christmas Crafts = FUN!

I've never been one to buy tons of decorations and go bananas getting the house all gussied-up for Christmas.  In the pre-Taylor days, we would put up a tree (maybe), but that's about it.  I do a bit more decorating now, but I still just can't seem to make myself buy tons of stuff.  Partly it is because I know that as Taylor goes through school we are going to accumulate lots of the best kinds of decorations..... the kid-made kind!  We really just started to this year. 

 

First, she made the super glittery paper chain above that is the exact right size for our mantle with her Grandma.

Over Thanksgiving, my aunt brought craft supplies for the kids to make these hangings to count down the days till Christmas.  There's a cute little poem at the top and then a little bell at the bottom. You get to take a candy cane everyday and when you get to the bell you know it's Christmas! Kids got to glue on the sequins and decorate the top (Taylor's has a little tree).  The bigger kids and grown-ups got to sew on all the yarn to tie the candy canes.  

And, finally, we have the one that was the most fun to make.  I bought some styrofoam balls and let her cover them with Mod Podge and fabric scraps.  It's super messy (Of course, that's what makes it fun!) so we did one half, let it dry, then did the rest.  After the fabric was dry I gave it an outer coating.  I used a pretty pin to attach a ribbon and there you have it!

Brighter Days Comin'

Whew... the past 7 days have been rough, and I'm glad to be past them. Exactly a week ago, I broke a tooth that resulted in a root canal, a temporary crown, and one outrageous dental bill.  I tell ya, not having dental insurance really stinks.  The pain from the dental work really wasn't so bad, but the stomach flu that followed was plenty painful enough to make up for it.  yay. I suppose I could say that losing a few pounds and getting caught-up on daytime t.v. would be a silver lining? Maybe? There's certainly no worry of putting on any weight during Thanksgiving... anything sugary, crunch, or chewy is off the menu. damnit.

I did say that brighter days are comin', though, and they are.  The stomach flu seems to have pretty well run its course.  And would you believe that the little one has not gotten it?!  That alone is reason to be thankful. Today I'm playing catch-up with my etsy shop and getting some custom orders taken care of. 

p.s.  Glad you guys like my little box trick.... it's not a fancy tutorial, but that's a darn handy thing to know.

My Favorite Gift-wrap Trick

Since the holidays are approaching, I thought I'd share one of my favorite grift-wrapping tricks. I learned this when I worked retail... a real budget saver when you offer free gift wrap because you can use half as many boxes! I am much better at showing than explaining so you can find lots of pictures with instructions here. You'll see how I can turn one half of a shirt box (because I'm always losing or ruining half) into a usable gift box with a little bit of folding and a couple of snips. This is my first go at a sort of tutorial, so if the instructions aren't clear just let me know.

Go from:

To this:

1 Down...

2 more to go!  I posted a while back about a set of floor cushions that I'm making and I wanted to post an update.  I got the first one finished!  Yay!  The picture is dark so it's hard to tell that the sides (and the bottom) are dark brown linen.  I'm pretty pleased with it, but it is far from perfect.  Putting all the pieces together went really smoothly until it came to putting on the bottom piece, then getting everything straight was a challenge.  I had to fudge a little bit, but it's not too noticeable.   I also left off the handle from the tutorial because they are pretty much going to stay parked in my living room.  They are also bigger - 19" square x 4" deep.  Taylor says the next one must have more pink. ;)  

Yes We Did!!!!

The past 6 weeks of so have been so incredibly rewarding.  I am so proud to be able to say that I  worked to elect our first African-American president!  What a proud day for our country!

I sincerely hope that keep the enthusiasm and the momentum going so that we can make our country the very best that it can be!

(Now, after standing, sign-waiving, and cheering at the polls for seven hours and then staying up to see it all pay off, I'm exhausted.  I think I'll take a nap today.... then it's back to the crafty business already in progress.)

Being a part of something bigger

This weekend, I got to be a part of one incredible event on the most beautiful fall day ever. President Clinton along with several other of Arkansas' present and past political leaders (and Mary Steenburgen) were in town for a "Painting Arkansas Blue" rally. The event originally started out as a Get Out the Vote rally where we were going to meet, march down to the early voting location, and then have a cookout.  Well, just a few days before the event was scheduled it grew exponentially and I got to be involved.  Jason got to play grillmaster and I helped serve up the food.... not glamorous jobs, but boy people love some free food!  

Anyway, the speeches were all excellent.  It was really something to see so many people here of all places gathering to show support for Obama!  I would love so much to see our state be something other than solid red on the electoral map... I'd even be ok with baby blue.  I just hate that we're considered in the bag for the Republican party.  I'd really like to think that we could show the country that we're more progressive than that, particularly since we seem to be A-Ok with electing Democrats on the state level.

Afterward, I hung around and got to shake Clinton's hand and tell him thanks for also talking about Initiated Act 1 because it is so under-covered here, but is really very important. For those of you not in Arkansas (or those here who don't yet know) it's an act on the ballot that would prohibit so so many people from potentially becoming foster parents.  It would ban anyone who is unmarried (gay or straight) from serving as a foster or adoptive parent and take away the ability for judges to make decisions on a case by case basis.  It was really good to hear him and Ms. Steenburgen speak out against the act and I'm happy that I got to thank him for that in person.  I tried to get a picture with him, but it was nuts and I only managed to get a blur, oh well.  I did get lots of good pictures throughout the day.  You can check them all out on flickr.

Finally... A Crafting Day!

I have a serious thing for online crafty tutorials.  I've been eyeing this one for cushions from Sew Mama Sew for quite some time and decided today to give it a try.  I'm not finished yet, because I just had to make it more complicated by adding some quilting to it.  I thought, though, that I'd share the progress with you fine people.  Here is the top of one of three cushions.  I pieced the top out of some new and some vintage cottons and sort of quilted it to a piece of nice flannel to make it a little more durable.  They are 19" square and 4" deep.  They'll be floor cushions for the living room.  I'll be using the brown linen I used on my little houses pillows for the sides and bottom.

One of the things about this tutorial that just knocked my socks off is the part where she shows you how to magically make tons of bias tape out of a small square of fabric and then turn it into some super fab custom piping!  It's worth checking out just for that little gem.
Now, hopefully it will not be months and months before I can show you a cute stack of finished floor pillows!

Back From Wherever

I've been avoiding my blog like the plague lately.  I've been fighting the urge to make political posts.  I struggle with the idea that it could turn some people off, but at the same time it is my blog, right... my platform so to speak?  And, I don't want to be Miss Negative Nelly Crankypants, not that it's all negative.  Far from it.  So, I'm going to do a split post starting with the non-political stuff and if you don't want to read the rest then that's A-OK.

The best stuff first:

We had our first parent-teacher conference yesterday and I am just the proudest mama ever!  I already knew that Taylor is a smart cookie, but her teacher told us a story that just makes me beam.

Little bit is always very quiet and well-behaved and has never had to change her color (they use the stop-light system for behavior).  Well, one day at nap-time the teacher got onto a girl who was near Taylor for making noise and made the girl change her color.  Before the kids go home, the ones who stayed on green for the day get to get a piece of candy or a sticker.  When the teacher got to Taylor, her color was on yellow and Taylor told her with tears in her eyes that she couldn't have any candy because she had to change her color.  Without being told, she had changed it on her own because she was the one who made the noise at nap-time.  Her teacher was so moved that she had been so honest that she told her to change it back to green so she could get a piece of candy.  My sweet little one's moral compass is pointing in the right direction! ... did I mention I'm really proud of her?!  

In etsy news, I really haven't had tons of time to sew.  I did manage to get a few things made last week, and this week I got a custom wallet out the door.  I also have some sewing to look forward to for a repeat customer who is sending me some fabric to use.  She's always super fun to work with so I'm looking forward to that.

OK, the political stuff.... starting with the positive.

I've been volunteering my time down at the Democratic HQ here and have been so incredibly surprised at the positive reaction people have had to the campaign.  People that you'd never guess would be supportive coming in, getting their yard signs, and saying "thanks for being here".  I've had lots of "thank you"s and "so glad you called"s  while doing phone banking.  It really has been an amazing experience.  The icing on the cake came today when we found out that Pres. Clinton will be attending our rally on Saturday.  How awesome is that!!!  

The posts I've been avoiding are really about how I'm really tired of the Republican campaign taking ownership of patriotism.  That somehow I'm not as American or that I'm not as proud of my country because I don't buy into the neo-con ideology.  It is ludicrous and it pisses me off! I'm tired of and saddened by reading hateful, fearful letters to the editors of my local paper about how Obama is going to be the end of us all because he's Muslim, the anti-christ, going to kill babies and on and on and on.... all lies fueled (or at the very least not repudiated) by the McCain campaign.  

I've chosen my candidate because I care about our country and want someone in the White House who will inspire us, bring us together, and restore our standing in the world as "the shining beacon on the hill".  I admire his "intellectual vigor" as Colin Powell so eloquently put it and I'm proud of the campaign he's running.  I feel like Obama gets what it's like to be in my shoes... lower middle class (stuck in a no-man's land of not making enough, but making too much for assistance), having to make hard decisions about money, health-care, etc.  I want the war in Iraq to be over and I want our military to be able to focus on the real threats.   I want real change from the last 8 years!

You know, I also think it's perfectly fine if someone doesn't agree with Obama's policies and wants to vote for McCain, and I'll never ever call them unpatriotic or somehow less American. I will not wish harm on their candidate or on them because that's the beauty of this country, we all have the right to decide for ourselves.  

Ok, there.  I really do feel better now.... 

Cute Houses

I have a thing for cute, colorful houses.. in real life and in art.  Last night I got to test out a new embroidery pattern by Jessica Rose of Vol 25.  She emailed me the set of patterns yesterday, and I just fell in love!  They are so cute and fun.  I immediately thought "row houses" and "pillow".I used bright colors and kept the stitching really simple and artfully imperfect to keep it feeling whimsical.  The border around the pillow is by Amy Butler (Wall Flowers in Mustard). The back and background fabric is chocolate brown linen.

Jessica has a couple of free patterns in her flickr group as well as pictures from other testers.  I can't wait to see what else she turns into embroidery patterns.  You should check out her other work.. fantastic it is!  She has a very lovely etsy shop.

Birthdays

We are up to our necks in birthdays around here!  Thursday was my birthday.  On the great birthday scale, I would rate the day as "eh.".  It had some great moments, like my Dad coming up to visit, Jason and Taylor singing me "Happy Birthday" in the morning, and the most delicious cake ever that I made for myself.  It is my very very very favorite cake... and it looks just like the picture.  (Or, it did before we devoured it!)  There was other stuff that made the day, well, not so stellar, but that's all water under the bridge now.  I went out for a little retail therapy yesterday and that really did make me feel better.  Besides finding a cute pair of jeans that fit On Sale, I found these super ridiculously cute shoes at Target (I heart Target!).

It is also Taylor's very best buddy's birthday tomorrow.  The kid freakin' loves to dress up!  So, I made him his very own super hero cape.  I used the tutorial found on puking pastilles.  I was a little unsure of the how to draw out that shape exactly, so I made one out of paper first.  It's really like making a giant bib that you wear backwards.  I made my own applique from felt and the fabric of the cape is costume nylon that has a satin finish.  I wanted to do satin, but that stuff is so ravel-y and this sucker is going to get put through its paces, I'm sure.  Since you can't use a hot iron on this stuff I just glued the applique to the cape with fabric glue and then stitched it down by hand with embroidery thread for a cool border.

Next stop for today is a bowling party for some kid in Taylor's class.  

Rock the Vote

The deadline for voter registration is Oct. 6th.  Are you ready?  If you're not registered to vote, then please click on the Rock the Vote button to your right and get yourself ready to take part in this historic election.  

"The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men."~Lyndon B. Johnson

A new project

Happy day, I have found something creative to work on while I'm on my little sabbatical (perfect term for it, thanks Anne) from my etsy shop.  Yay!  I visited a flea market today and I literally walked into this adorable little desk and chair.  The woman working the counter at the place was glad to see it going because she had done the same thing twice today, lol.  At some point, this was a beautiful cherry set I'm sure.... you can see from the back (that's the 2nd picture).  I guess whoever decided to paint this really wasn't much for detail because they only painted the surfaces that you could see when it's pushed against a wall.  I actually sorta like that shade of green, but this desk is going to be for Taylor and she will not be amused that I brought home a green desk.  So.  Now, I need to decide just how I'm gonna Taylor-ize this thing.  My first thought was to add fabric panels to the sides, but I wonder if that's too permanent.  Part of me wants to do something really bold and fun for her, but I don't really want to be re-doing this thing again in a couple of years.   I may just go with off-white to match her other furniture, some fun fabric for the seat, and some glamorous new knobs. Oh, the decisions!  I need to go browse the web for some inspiration.***After school update:  Taylor loved the desk as is.... stinker ;)  Actually, it looks pretty darn cute in her room, too.

a wee little break

I know, it's been forever since I've posted.  Sorry. It's also been quite some time that I've sewn something for my etsy shop.  I'm taking a little break while I wait for my crafting mojo to return. I think a combination of the new school schedule, having time now that's mine all mine, and not really knowing what to do with it is putting me in a bit of a funk.  Before we moved to this part AR I had ideas (vague ideas, but ideas nonetheless) for what I wanted to do when the little one started to school.  Now, those really aren't an option and I'm kinda thrown.... more than I thought I'd be. Funny, how we don't realize how much we want something 'till we can't have it.

Anyway, I'm sure the crafting bug will bite me again soon and I'll get back to my sewing room and all will be well again.  

Normally, my position is to keep work separate from politics and religion and all the other hot debates.  However, I just can't this time.  I won't go into the details of my political beliefs... I'll spare you.  I do want to give a little nod of recognition to the badge I've added to my blog for Crafters for Obama, a campaign set-up by julie ree.  Her goal is to raise $2000 from crafters like me and many of you to help Barack Obama in his campaign to become President of the United States.  

I was incredibly moved by several of the speeches and the historical significance of the DNC this week and feel compelled to do something.  I don't have much money to give, but I do have a voice and a venue.  Even if you do not agree with my choice for president, I implore you to educate yourself about the candidates and get out and vote!  It's easy to become cynical about politics, I know, but we can not let cynicism take over... we must be involved and have faith in our country.

If you would like to view or read Obama's historic acceptance speech, the link is right here.

A fun find

I rarely find anything really great when I go to flea markets and such, but I love to go looking anyway.  Yesterday, I had good luck.  I found a copy of Sewing Made Easy by Mary Lynch.  Not only is the writing and the language just hilarious (we're talking 1950 here), there is a ton of great information!  She covers everything from how to alter a pattern (the whens, whys and wheres) to how to sew the perfect drapes.  There is even an extensive section on choosing the right clothes and accessories for your body type.... I mean really "Never wear socks on the street in a city, unless you are in your teens."  Got that?  Ok.  

I've just about read this grand book from cover to cover and I can't think of anything that she's overlooked.  I really would like to start sewing more clothes for myself (If I can't buy great fitting pants, then I'll frickin' make some.) and I'm glad I now have Ms. Lynch at my side.  

So excited to unveil....

My very first Special Edition wallet!  Some of you may remember that I was working on getting set up with Sublime Stitching's licensing program a while back.  Well, I got approved and I just listed my very first hand-embroidered super organized wallet!  

I will be listing these periodically, so you'll have to check in every now and then. I'll give a special head's up to my blog reader's so you guys will be the first to know when a new one is being listed. Each one will be different (different fabrics, patterns, colors.....).  These are really an outlet for me.  I love sewing the items for my store, but sometimes it becomes more about getting products out there than about the creative process.  These take care of that for me and we all win!

We won :)

Not long ago, BrightonEarly had a contest on her blog and the prize was 1/2 off one of her super cute dresses.  Guess who one!  Me (well, Taylor really)!  The dress arrived in the mail today and it's just super cute and super well made. I see this staying in the wardrobe for quite some time. Thanks so much Tasha! You can check out her Etsy shop here where she has a fantastic back to school sale going on.

More Etsy Bicycle Goodness

In honor of the temps coming down a wee bit so that riding is fun again, I thought I'd do another round of cycling accessories found on etsy.

First up is this super duper cute cycling cap from

KoziePrery's shop:

Her shop is full of really stylish caps that appear incredibly well constructed.  Many of her caps are made with reclaimed fabric, a wonderful little bonus feature!

This next product just rocks my socks!

These are Ear Toasties from Matel Makes.

They fit around your helmet straps to keep your ears warm. Brilliant!  I never have much luck with keeping beanies down over my ears with a helmet, so this is just the thing.

Can you tell I'm ready for cooler weather?

I love this track jacket from Red Boot Design! 

Another project for little bit

I'm just popping in to share my latest project.... another little something for my little bit to take to school.   We're just a few days away from the big first day!  We went shopping today for a few last things (bag, lunchbox, and thermos). But, I just couldn't bring myself to buy a backpack from the store.... just couldn't do it.  So, off to Hancocks we went.  Taylor said she really wanted a messenger bag, so that's just what she got.  She picked out this super cute corduroy all by herself and decided that it must have her name stitched on it somewhere.  The name patch is fused on and then I just kinda went willy-nilly with the border stitching.  Kinda fun, I think.  I even went for an adjustable strap.  I'm not sure why I've always shied away from doing those; it was way easy.  There's nothing fancy inside, no pockets, and the flap closes with a magnetic snap.  

Oh, and we did buy a lunch box (pink camo) ... I thought about making it, though :)

The New Blankie

As promised, here are the pictures of the new nap-time blankie.  I decided that it really didn't need tying  since the flannel sticks pretty well to the cotton.  It's just a simple, sew it right sides facing, leave a hole, turn it, then top stitch around the edge (note: I should have changed to a top-stitching needle to make the stitches look a little nicer, but I'm out and too lazy to go to the store).  Easy peasy.  I did add a little special something to the backside, though.

Getting ready for school?!?!?!

I am just in shock that in two weeks Taylor will be starting pre-k.  She's never been in any kind of daycare or mother's day out; it's always just been the two of us hanging out together. Needless to say, I'm a little nervous... for me.  No, not so much for her.  She's a little social butterfly that's wanted to be in school ever since she learned that there was such a place.  I'm really excited for her.  I'm not gonna know what to do with myself without her around her all day.

All nerves and excitement aside, though, we have to get this gal ready. When she heard she needed a blanket and pillow for nap-time she asked if I'd make her something (sweet girl).  So, I let her browse fabric on etsy till she found this great butterfly print by Alexander Henry from bellasarababy.  I'm thinking a simple flannel backed blanket, maybe tied, will do the trick.  Of course, I'll post a pic or two when it's done :)

And, while we were in her shop we had to browse the clothes and Taylor picked out the cutest skirt ever!  The fabric and skirt came in the mail today and she had to put it on right away!  I didn't get to look at it long, but the quality looks great.  It's a good thing; once she falls in love with an outfit it's hard to get her out of it!

A little something for me

After last week's custom order craziness, I decided to make myself a little something yesterday. I whipped up this cute little needle book.  It fits in the palm of my hand and keeps all my embroidery needles nice and organized.  I have quite a thing for patchwork, too.  I find it really relaxing and fun to go at it freestyle.... just dig through the scrap stash 'till something catches my eye and start sewing things together.  

I Heart Custom Orders

1. Custom Sling Bag, 2. More custom jewelry rolls, 3. More custom jewelry rolls, 4. Custom Jewelry Rolls, 5. Mondo custom seat bag, 6. custom top tube tote

So, this is what I've been up to this week!  I have been glued to my sewing machine all week long.  I still have a couple more custom orders to work on, but I am taking the weekend off. Hooray!  I really do love custom work, though.  It's always fun to see what my customers will come up with.  The jewelry rolls are all for brides. (Congrats Nicole and Amanda!)  The seat bag looks normal, but it is actually much bigger than my normal ones.  I had a customer who just needed to carry more stuff, so....  The top tube tote was for a gal who has the cutest cruiser ever!  And, the sling bag... It looks so simple, yet that was one heck of a challenge.  I'm really diggin' it and sorta thinking of making one for myself.

Way To Go Jason!!!!!

In a very manly sprint, Jason won the State Criterium Championship in his category this morning.  I'm so proud.   Congratulations!!!

(Sadly, I have no photo... )

Just popping in...

Where the heck did this week go?!  I can't believe today is Friday!  I've been pretty buried in my sewing room I guess.  I took in lots of custom orders this week so I've been busy working on getting those together, and will still be working on them next week.  I treated myself to a pair of really nice dress maker's shears, and I had no idea what I was missing.... I just thought I had good scissors.  What else?  Jason's shirt came in from Rat Trap Press and he loves it!  Those folks are so nice; they sent me a shirt, too (one of their crank set designs)!  How cool was that?  I also ordered some vintage buttons that I hope will be in soon.  

Oh, how I love buttons!

Crafty Bike Stuff on Etsy

As of now, there's no cycling specific category on etsy.  However, I've been told by admin that they'll look into adding a section for cycling in the subcategory of sports (in the toys category)... yeah we'll still be buried, but it's a something, right?  Anyway, until then, I thought I'd highlight some of the many fabulous cycling related items on etsy.  For starters....

"The Badger" by rattrappress

This is one for the hardcore cycling fans.  Rattrappress is making one in orange for my husband who NEEDED this the moment he saw it.  Check out their shop for other cycling inspired designs.

Need to add a little cute to your cruiser?  CityStreamers makes the most fun streamers for your bike ever!  They just slip right over your grips... easy.  Who says streamers are just for kids' bikes?

How cool is this?!  Laura from Tangerine Treehouse makes these custom head badges that are just amazing!  If you can make a line drawing of it, she can turn it into a beautiful head badge.  And, if you're like me and can't draw, for a very small fee she can turn your idea into a drawing!

While putting this post together I spoke with (ok, well convo'd) all of these sellers and they are all really great folks.  I hope you will go check them all out and show your support for us cyclists on etsy.  I hope to make this a pretty regular feature here, so stay tuned... or go ride!

Diving back in

After much whining about it this morning, I dove right back into my sewing.  I really wasn't ready for the vacation to be over (it was fabulous, btw), but after I got my belly-aching over with I had pretty darn productive day.  

When I really need to sew a lot of stuff, I dedicate one day to cutting and prepping.  So, today was that day.  Now I have all ready to sew: 4 jewelry rolls (for a bride), 2 bicycle seat bags, and 4 top tube totes to match.  That bit of red and pink striped fabric is some super duper cheap knit that I picked up today at Hancocks.  I've been thinking about trying to make something fun with knits, and at like a dollar a yard, I couldn't pass that up.  I'm thinking of this really cute sleep set from BurdaStyle.  I just love that site!  I haven't tried making any of their projects yet, but I love seeing everyone else's projects.  I really do think I'll try this one.  

Oh, and more great crafty news... my application for the licensing program at Sublime Stitching was accepted!!!  Yay!  Once I get my shop all caught back up, guess what's next?  Keep your eyes peeled!  

I'm gonna leave you tonight with one more beach photo... this is one of my very favorites.

And.. We're Back!

Happy Birthday Jason!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the best husband, Daddy, and friend 

these two girls could ever

 ask for!!!