sew & tell - what a week!

Welcome to our last Sew & Tell of the year!  Never fear though, we will be back on January 8th to share those gifts you've all been working on that you can't show us yet!

I know we have a lot of new people joining us each week and I love it!  I just thought it might be good to restate the goals, rules and guidelines, so that we can have the best experience possible each week!  (Irrelevant or non-following posts will be deleted.)
*Our goal here is to have a place to share projects that have been completed in the past week.
1. Link to your specific post (email me if you have questions about that.)
2. Please mention us here and link back to this post so everyone can join in.
3. Pat each other on the backs in the comments!

I just love the comraderie and great inspiration we are getting each week!  Thank you all so much!  (and yes, I am still behind from commenting on last weeks,  but this week has been INSANE...)

*****
Speaking of insane weeks, I have hardly had a chance to sew this week.  I am working on a smaller version of this bag:

And I'm working on a mini-me version of this dress:

 

It's a little jumper!  Both of these have to be finished by tomorrow - so I'll post the finishes and link up myself!

P.S. - that bag from a couple weeks ago is for sale!  See the link on the upper left to go to my etsy shop! I hope to find it a good home!

Your turn - see above guidelines and then link away!!

it's a good sign giveaway

I met Amy, who blogs at It's A Good Sign, about 5 years ago when her husband, Justin Hackworth, photographed my wedding. (you may have seen his work here. And check out pics from his latest trip to Haiti and the D.R.)

Amy and I have since become better friends through our blogs and email. She's a sewer and creative person who also happens to be one of the NICEST people I've had the pleasure of knowing. I was really impressed when I saw this image on Design Mom last spring! I didn't know Amy was a photographer too - it only made sense though. (By the by, that's a great post on teaching your kids to sew.)

So I snatched one up from her Etsy shop. And put it in a frame and hung it on the wall in my cramped little sewing corner, er, um, I mean studio. I ♥ it so much!

To my surprise, Amy had included several sets of notecards.

featuring each of these images. I just love the old wooden spools.

A company that distributes to quilt stores just placed a large order for them! (That's a good sign!)

and she sent me enough to share.

Her cards and prints are printed on nice heavy paper and will certainly look great in your studio too! And for just this week, Amy has put everything on sale 20% off! Thanks, Amy! What an affordable way to have some original art!

I have two sets of notecards (4 cards each) up for grabs!

To enter:
1. Go visit Amy's shop and come back here and leave a comment about what you like about her shop. 1 entry
2. Leave me another comment letting me know you are a follower/subscriber. 1 entry
3. Blog about the giveaway linking back to this post and yes, leave one more comment. 1 entry

I'll leave the giveaway open until Sunday 4:00 PM EDT, 26 July. 2 winners will be chosen via Random.org. I'll post the winners Monday morning, 27 July.

good luck!

attitude adjustment

We have a new JoAnn's in town. I wasn't that excited. I mean the two that are near me (both 15 miles away - and virtually the only fabric store choices around) were dark, and cramped and dirty - with not a great selection. So I was lured to the new store by a 50% off coupon. I figured at the very least I could buy some ribbon.

Well my attitude took a 180 degree turn as soon as I walked into a big, clean, well-lit store with smiling workers! WOAH!! Looks like they all had attitude adjustments too. Now, it's not like they have Amy Butler, but I did find this cute quilter's flannel that was a perfect match for some pink minky with which I've been wanting to make a receiving blanket. And I have to admit, they had a lot of other cute stuff too (some of which I bought - see above pic).

I couldn't leave the boys out!

I just listed these in my etsy shop over there on the right.

better pictures of . . .

these. From that post way back when. When I didn't know there was a crafty blogland! I had a short stint at a bead store where I learned all sorts of cool stuff. And these necklaces were part of that. I am going to be listing them in my etsy shop in the next couple of days (when I have a break from my 3 year old asking for candy corn and trick-or-treating! - doesn't she understand it's CHRISTMAS?!). They will be over there <----------------- on my sidebar, when they're up.

This turquoise was sold to me as turquoise, but then the lady I worked for told me it was howlite - which is commonly dyed to look like turquoise. Real turquoise or not, I still think it's pretty. It's paired with red coral, sterling silver bali and accent beads and a versatile toggle clasp. It can be worn long, double stranded or as a lariat.

I love the colors in this. Smoky topaz and peridot. The focal stone is aventurine, I think. All sterling silver accents and handmade s-hook clasp.

Doesn't this one just scream fall? Smokey topaz, orange freshwater pearls, and carnelian. Sterling silver beads with a handmade s-hook clasp.

I'm tempted to keep these for myself. But the reality of it is that I don't wear jewelry that often. I hope that someone will love them as much as I do!


Speaking of posts from way back when. . .

When looking through my sitemeter stats I've noticed that people come here from a google search for Bart Simpson as Hamlet and Funfetti images. I love that those posts get looked at often - they are a couple of my favorites. Say what you will about the Simpson's but they do the best remakes! Anyone seen Homer's rendition of the Nutcracker? Hil.a.ri.ous.

P.S. Don't forget to check back for my giveaway tomorrow!

jenny's bag

This is one of the bags I cut out last weekend. It was a (belated) birthday gift for a dear friend of mine. I was telling her she needed to get a new bag when I saw the diaper bag she was using was not really working out. She wanted a classic but fun design that would go with a lot of different things. This black and white Michael Miller had her name all over it.

I found the Alexander Henry print for the lining at Joann's. I have to take back my griping about that place - they have managed to have some cute fabric lately. Some. Not a lot.

I like how this is very geometric compared to the less structured print on the front.

I did some top-stitching in red. Just because. I think it needed a little pop. I really like how subtle it is.

I gave it to her on Friday and she was really excited. It's really true, every time I make a new bag, I think, "Wow! This one is my favorite!"

Well, that's true for now. Wait until I post the other one I've finished! It's going in the mail to it's owner, so I have to wait until she gets it to post about it. But it is CUTE!

If you are looking for a fun Christmas gift, I have 2 of these bags stocked at my etsy shop. I also have some fabric selections that aren't made up yet. Just let me know if you are interested and I'll get sewing for you! Look for some jewelry to be added this week too.

Sew, Mama, Sew has designated this Wednesday, December 3 as Giveaway Day!! I will be hosting a little giveaway that I have been meaning to do for at least a month. I had a winning streak a few months ago and I wanted to share the love and pay it forward. I plan on having 4 different prizes to win - so stay tuned!! I'm excited!

two more bags and a shop opening

I feel like I'm getting back into my normal routine here after 2 fun-filled weeks with my mom in town. I have a few projects almost finished that I started while she was here. Namely my table and chairs and a duvet cover. I'm really excited with how they are turning out. Now if I would just take the time to get them finished!

Here are a couple of bags that I finished. I really love them both.

I haven't really thought of myself as an "orange" person, but I find myself drawn to it recently. And I really love the interior of the green bag.

Both of them are made from Amy Butler fabric, the Lotus Collection. Shocking, I know. I can't get enough of Amy Butler's fabric. Or really, anything that she designs!!

So, it's official. I have a shop on Etsy! Look over there on my sidebar and you can see the little pics of my bags. Click on them and it will take you right to them! There are more pictures of the interiors and some close-ups. You can also get more detailed information about size, etc. The picture below helps show the size a bit better. It really is a big bag. The strap is also long enough to wear messenger style, but not so long that you can't comfortably wear it on your shoulder.

I've been toying with the idea of an Etsy shop for a while and wasn't sure how much inventory was enough to open up. Well, I've decided to beat my perfectionist-self down and just open with these 2 bags and keep adding things as they get made. So much for the BIG grand opening! It's okay though. I've also realized that this is still more of a hobby than a career at this point. Selling my wares is really just a means of feeding the addiction. I feel like a druggie whose just started dealing.... is it that bad, really?