Why am I smiling like an idiot? Because I found out today that myself and my friend Amie Miller of Enamor have been accepted to vendor at the Renegade Craft Fair this September! I'm seriously excited.

These next two months are going to be full of lots of sewing!]]> 324@/ Crafting 2008-07-12T21:15:24-05:00 /2008/07/write_it_down.html I know that it seems like I've yet again, abandoned the blog, but alas, I am here. Sewing my brains out!

I'm getting ready for a show next weekend, and these are the latest edition to my goods that I'll be bringing along with me. Journals! For as much as I'm obsessive compulsive about writing everything down, these have been perfect for me to make. Once I fill up one notebook, I can slide it out and put a new one in.

I've been using different colors of linen to line the outside, with three pieces of cotton to make it all pretty-like. I've also found a bit sturdier of an iron on interfacing that seems to work really well. I'm not sure of the name; so far I've been able to pick it out based on feel.

**Side note: Am I the only one who does that with interfacing? All the women at the craft stores don't believe me when I ask for other interfacing than what they have on display, and they'll tell me, "Oh honey, these are the only kinds they make. I'm sure one of these are what you need." And I'm all like "no, I can tell the difference by touch, and this isn't the same interfacing you had last month when I was in the store. I swear there's a conspiracy.

So, these, along with oodles of pouches and bags and other sewing have been keeping me busy this month. Next Saturday I'll be back in Ypsilanti, Michigan for the Summer Shadow Art Fair at the Corner Brewery. It's always a really fun day, so if you're in the area, stop by, look at crafts and have a beer! (You'll have to buy your own, though.)]]> 323@/ Sewing 2008-07-09T15:28:09-05:00 /2008/06/why_i_love_summer.html Oh.My.Goodness. I love having the summer off!

Let's just discuss a few of the reasons why I love summer and my days off.

I dare you to deny that this is the best and weirdest tongue you've ever seen before. Who wouldn't want to spend time getting soaked by something so full of chocolate-y love? I love being at home with Hudson.

Knitting socks on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon--another wonderful perk to having the summer off. Do I need to do laundry instead? Probably, yes, but we can wear old undies for just one more day this week. I've got plenty with holes that I've been hanging on to for just that reason.

Need I say more? Totally acceptable to have this in the middle of a hot day, while lounging on the patio, knitting socks that I won't wear until October.

I'm sure I could enjoy all my flowers even if I had to work in the summer, but not in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of the week. (I'm just pushing it now, aren't I?)

Thank you for joining me as I list the reasons why I love summer, and why I love working for the public school system. Happy first day of summer to everyone!]]> 322@/ Life 2008-06-20T16:37:30-05:00 /2008/05/buttons_in_your_hair.html Well. I sure was in a grouchy mood earlier this week. I've perked up considerably from the other day--I guess I just get frustrated about feeling like I'm trapped in a rut. I want so badly to be coming up with new things and making everything that ever crosses my mind but that's just not possible, and I know it. FRUSTRATING!

I'll try not to be so fricking annoying from now on.

So these are those hairpins that were in the photo from the craft show two entries down. I've had a lot of people say things about them, so I figured I'd show you a few up close.

They're actually one of my favorite things to make for a show, because they really seem to make my table seem a whole lot fuller than it actually is. Plus, all of the colors really draws a whole lot of attention, and let's face it--at a show, I'm looking for something that will do that. (Greedy Sarah.)

I love them for the fact that I keep every single last scrap of fabric now to make these. I have three bins in my sewing room (what the heck...let's call it my studio) that I keep my small pieces in. I keep them organized by color:

1.) Blacks, whites and neutrals in one

2.) Green, blue and purple in another

3.) Red, orange, yellow and pink in the last

Color coding is very important to me, as you can see. You would never know this though, by looking on the floor and the desk and seeing that half of the fabric pieces never actually make it to the bins, because I don't know how to clean. I just don't think it's possible for me to do.

So, regardless of all of that mess stuff, I had a bunch of hairpins left over from my show the other weekend, and today I decided to try photographing some of my favorites. I've put a few of the sets up at my Etsy shop, too. Just thought you might like to know that. ]]> 321@/ 2008-05-16T21:01:58-05:00 /2008/05/in_a_funk.html

I'm in a really frustrated mood this week. I've been thinking that on the whole, the week itself has been good (a free iced coffee from the new coffee shop in town for lunch yesterday, a phone call from my very best friend, Kate, and my summer break only a few weeks away) but I think I'm feeling out of touch with my creating. Instead of feeling inspired, I'm feeling run down and out of new ideas.

I need to build up my confidence in new projects, and be happy with those that I want to finish. I feel as though I base my success solely on the opinions of others, and I just think I need to move past that.

This, apparently is what a gloomy, chilly, rainy day in May does for my confidence.]]> 320@/ Life 2008-05-14T20:34:27-05:00 /2008/05/show_time.html

The posting is a little late, but here's my report of my first craft show of the season!

This show was in Flint, Michigan and was at the cutest little sandwich shop. I loved the place--it had brick walls, pictures of customers, and a really sweet owner. The day overall was a little quiet (it was raining most of the day, and I was a little bit out of the main loop of sellers) but everyone who came by was so nice and positive about my work.

I'm really feeling like I'm getting the hang of the whole show thing, too. I was able to get set up in just a few minutes, and I had time to relax before people started coming by. I'm really starting to enjoy doing these more and more.

Overall, it was a great day and it got me really excited to do more as the summer goes on.

P.S. I do have a lot of bags and totes left over from this show though. So if you're interested in a tree pouch or tote, or just some of my other patchwork totes and Japanese fabric pouches, check out my Etsy shop over the next few days. Thanks!

I should have no-brained this one. I have a 6 month old puppy and a very excitable year-old cat, so why would I have ever left a partially filled glass of water sitting next to something I'm working on?

Because I'm lazy.

Who could have ever knocked my glass over? Who runied the bag I was so close to finishing?

Could it be you?

Or maybe you knocked it off the table?

Ugh...Either way, I'm off put my dishes in the sink, and remake my bag. ]]> 318@/ Crafting 2008-04-25T16:32:26-05:00 /2008/04/the_most_awesome_bag_ever.html I usually like to carry bags that I make myself, but for this gem of a tote, I'm making an exception.

Seriously...a breakfast tote. Eggs and bacon on a red and white gingham palette. Why didn't I think of something like this? I feel as though I let my creativity slide here. Oh Target, why did you have to come up with the breakfast tote first?

Happy weekend, lovely friends!]]> 317@/ 2008-04-11T19:04:40-05:00 /2008/04/assembly_line.html One of the big perks of working at an elementary school (other than enriching the lives of kids, of course) is that I have an awesome schedule. This week, I'm on spring break.

Of course, I'm not really on break. Craft show season is fast approaching, and I have my first show of the year in less than a month. I get really excited and twitchy about shows. Current thoughts are as follows:

Will I have enough items?

When the heck am I going to make all of my items?

Holy crap, I have nothing made.

So today, I turned my sewing room into an assembly line.

I had five tree pouches ready to finish, and three others made with fabric from Superbuzzy. It made me feel like I was accomplishing all this work today, but in reality I've been working on the tree pouches for the past two days now.

I really believe that a system works for me. Put the zippers and lining in first, then sew in the tag. Next bag. Seeing them in a pile makes me believe I'm getting somewhere.

The last step is always to sew the sides and the bottoms, and at this point, I feel like I'm racing to the finish. My brain shuts off, and I feel like I can do this step with my eyes closed (knowing well that sewing with my eyes closed would be a bad idea...I'm extremely clumsy). Several hours of sewing done for the day, and now I'm eight pouches further away from having a nervous, twitchy breakdown. ]]> 316@/ Sewing 2008-04-08T21:48:44-05:00 /2008/04/new_cuteness.html Psss.....I have something to show you...

Meet Hudson, our new puppy dog! Go on...call me a sap. I'm okay with it.

We got Hudson this past Monday, and he's adjusting to life in the house very well. (We're adjusting pretty well, as well!) It felt like a big jump to get a new dog already, but as soon as we got him into the car to take him back home, I knew we were doing the right thing. I can't say that Hudson has taken my sadness for losing Kasey away, but having a new friend to come home to every day makes me so happy.

I am so happy to have Hudson! ]]> 315@/ Life 2008-04-04T18:49:27-05:00 /2008/03/how_to_make_a_bag.html As promised yesterday, here's my tutorial of how to make a simple bag! I hope to be as clear as possible, but if there are any confusing spots, please ask and I'll be happy to clarify where I can.

First of all, you'll need some materials. For this demonstration, I'm using a thick, cotton duck cloth for the outside, and a standard cotton quilting fabric for the inside. You'll also want an iron on interfacing (I prefer a polyester that's thick, but soft, so that the bag still has firmness but isn't stiff as a board), some thread (I use 100% cotton), something for the handles (like a cotton webbing), a straight edge ruler, scissors, and straight pins. If you have access to a rotary cutter, it will also be a big time saver.

The first thing you'll want to do, is to cut your pieces. I'm making a small bag in this demonstration, but you can chose any size you prefer. Typically, my bags are about 10 inches wide and about 12 inches tall. It's totally up to you though. You'll want to cut your outer fabric first, then iron on your interfacing, and then cut your two inside pieces. You can either use your ruler and a pencil or fabric marker to mark your fabric and then cut with scissors, or use your rotary blade at this point.

At this point, you'll want to add whatever you'd like to your bag for embellishment. If you're making the Circle in the Square bag from Bead Simple, follow those instructions.

Then, tell your cat to move. She's always sitting where you want to be working....or maybe that's just me.

You'll want to cut the handles next. You can use the cotton webbing, or if you'd like, you can always make your own out of fabric.

Setting the front panel of the back so that it's facing you right side up, pin the handles evenly onto the bag. You'll want to make sure to measure here. The ends of the handles will be flush with the top edge of the front panel. This is also a good time to check to make sure the handle isn't twisted.

Lay the lining fabric on top of the front panel and handles, facing down. Then pin everything together on the top side. I like to pin on either sides of the handles, so that I don't get lumps sewn in. Take your front half of your tote to the sewing machine and zip across the top, leaving at least a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I also like to backstitch over the handles for extra support.

Follow the last steps to put the back panel, straps, and lining fabric together. After each are done, pull out your pins and fold the pieces down so you can press the two parts with your iron to lay flat. Once that's done, open them up again, and get ready to pin them together.

Pin the two sides together, right sides together. Line them up as close as possible.

So as to not overload your sewing machine's needle, you'll want to butt-up the top of the bag. Fold one of the front flaps to the right, and the other to the left. You'll be much less likely to break a needle this way.

Sew up both sides of the bag, as well as the bottom of the outside of the bag. Again, make sure you use at least 1/4 inch seam allowance at minimum. This leaves only the bottom of the lining to be sewn.

If you would like your bag to have a square bottom, you need to cut the edges. Using a ruler, mark on the interfacing a square, measuring from the seam line and not the fabric edge. For this smaller bag, I chose to measure in 3/4 inch. Do this on both sides and cut the squares out with scissors.

Using the same technique as in the last seam, butt the two edges up to each other, folding one to the right, and one to the left. Stitch the seam once, and then backstitch over the whole edge once more. Making sure that the seams are going the right way, do the same on the other square.

Now working on the lining fabric, stitch in on either side about 1 1/2 inches. Then, make the square on each side of the bottom, following the same directions for the outside fabric.

Flip the bag right side out through the bottom of the lining.

Pull the lining fabric out of the bag, and pin the bottom together, with edges facing inside. Using a blind stitch (this website has a good instruction of how to make a blind stitch) sew the small opening together, and finish with a small knot slipped into the fabric fold at the end. String the thread into the middle of the bag, and bring the needle out away from your work before clipping it.

Pin the top flat and sew around the edge of the bag, about 1/4 of an inch away from the top. Press the bag to get out any extra wrinkles.

That's it! You've made a bag....hopefully!]]> 314@/ Tutorials 2008-03-26T16:58:30-05:00 /2008/03/moving_forward_sharing_good_ne.html First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who left a comment or sent a message in the last week about Kasey. It's been a week of adjustment, and it would be an understatement to just say that I miss her. It's unreal how much a dog can become a part of your family. But each day is better, and knowing that she's no longer sick is a relief to us. So, I really do appreciate the kindness of everyone who has reached out to me. It has meant more than you could know.

But now for some better news, alright?

Way back in the fall of 2006, I was asked by super crafter, Susan Beal, to contribute a tote bag embellishment project to a beading book that she was working on. Today, Bead Simple has finally come out!

Not surprisingly I decided to do a button tote. My friend's mother had just given me a heaping bin of some amazing vintage buttons, and I knew I had to use some of them. I had some friends over, and after consulting about what looked best, this is what I came up with:

I had no idea what to expect with this book, but it's so lovely! I'm one of 39 guest designers, and all of the projects look like they'll be so much fun to make. I love the fact that even though it's a beading book, there's a ton of other projects that aren't exclusively about jewelry. It's just a really beautiful book all the way through.

So tomorrow, to help celebrate the book and my project, I'll be posting a tutorial of how to make a simple tote. I know there's a lot of patterns around for bags, but I my goal is that this tutorial will be simple enough for even beginners to figure understand and use. That's the plan at least! ]]> 313@/ Crafting 2008-03-25T17:32:18-05:00 /2008/03/goodbye_kasey.html Thank you all so much for your touching comments and thoughts. We sent our sweet puppy to sleep today after a very hard weekend for her. It was the hardest thing to do, but it was right. I miss her so much already.

It's been a hard week or so for me. We found out that our sweet puppy, Kasey, has lymphoma. There's nothing we can do for her, other than to treat her symptoms, and it has broken my heart.

Growing up, my family never owned a dog. Up until Ben and I were married, I wasn't sure I would ever want a dog! But when we took Kasey in to our lives in 2004, I couldn't imagine my life without my crazy little dog-person. It's hard to explain just how much personality Kasey has, but her sense of humor, her smile, and her companionship was never ending to me.

Back in January, we started noticing things. She wouldn't eat and just wasn't herself. The vet told us she had the flu. Then it was strep throat. When things just weren't getting better, the x-ray and the blood tests started to tell us the bad news. This, unfortunately, is what happens with so many golden retrievers that are her age.

It's hard thinking about what it will be like coming home from work and not having my wagging puppy by my side. For now though, we want to make the rest of her life as comfortable and as happy as possible. Even though I am sad for the inevitable, I have to remember how much joy she has brought to my life in the past 3 and a half years.

I'll be right here, comfy with my Diet Coke and pajamas on, working away until I can't keep my eyes open anymore. Have a good weekend, everyone! ]]> 310@/ Sewing 2008-03-07T21:10:21-05:00