Owl Be Seeing You...

My friend asked if I would make her soon-to-be-mommy/daughter a diaper bag. The only stipulation was that it had to be owls. Owls. Owls. Owls....hmmmm. OK.  After a very thorough and exhaustive search on the Internet for owl material, I found a pattern that I thought would be cute as a baby motif. As with all modern textile lines, the design comes in different color segways, so for guidance, I once again turned to the excited grandma-to-be for color advice. She didn't care. As long as it had owls. For a girl. This narrowed it down a little for me. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Here is what I decided upon:

 Pretty bright, don't you agree? But what fun! That Grandma knew what she wanted...and she was right! The owls are adorable!

 Each side panel has a sweet elastic pocket, to carry a bottle, or some other handy-dandy doo-dad they make for babies and their mothers these days.

And the necessary changing pad...'cause you just can never tell when or where you're going to need a quick change...

Did I mention it's reversible? It's reversible...

And a quick peek at the inside of the bag...lots of pockets and a center divider.

In the old days, I would have fixed these pics up a little bit, in either Flickr or Picnik. They did away with Picnik and I'm just not on- board to the other photo-editing sites.

So you're getting RAW!

Did I mention that this bag was supposed to be finished in time for Grandma to take to Texas for the birth of her first grandchild? And that I missed that deadline, then the deadline of Grandpa leaving for Texas? And then the week following the birth of the baby? And a few days after that?

I didn't mention it?

OK, we'll keep it our little secret. I had many reasons for the delay, none of which really matter...

You know what "they" say....

Excuses, excuses, EXCUSES!

Nobody wants to hear them....

But the bag is enormous and bright and happy, and I threw in a few little extra coordinating goodies for the new mommy.

That is my story and I'm stickin' with it!

Green Purse

Green Purse. Pfffffft. Don't let the uninspired name fool you. It's so much more than green!

*Note to self: "Use the correct color information, it does make a difference!"

The color palette is "Citron and Grey," a hot color combination in the world of textiles.

There's an outside back pocket, but I didn't think to take a photo of it. It's not that I'm lazy, I just didn't think to snap it until just now. I've been dusting and cleaning toilets...perhaps the bleach addled my brain.

I thought the purse needed a little oomph, so I rolled this flower, put a little tulle behind it and attached a pin. The flower is removable...it can be attached somewhere else on the purse, on your clothing or in your hair...though I think it'd hurt if you try stabbing the pin portion in your skull.

I don't know, maybe I'm over-thinking things. I think I'll get back to my cleaning, now.

Housework is sooooo stupid overrated!

I'll be putting this purse in my etsy shop within the week!

my purse needs a nice home!

This is the first attempt at making this bag. "First" is never perfect..."first" comes with little mistakes. Often, a person might not really see the imperfections in construction that my eyes see. But the mistakes are present and they bother me.

I really love this fabric. It's bold and pretty. Very summery. The blue background is lovely and soothing.

The inside of this bag is just as pretty as the outside. In fact, it's supposed to be reversible. But most of the mistakes are on the inside of this bag. That's also why there are no inside pockets...if one were to turn it inside-out there would be funny-looking pockets on the outside. Hence, no pockets.

The purse is very roomy, 13-inches high by 15-inches wide and 3-inches deep. I love it, but I can't keep every purse I make. I'm listing the purse right here from my blog for $18 plus shipping (unless you live near me and we can meet), just email me and the first person who contacts me will be sent a Paypal invoice. Please include your name and address...My email is in the upper right-hand corner.

I've been known to include a little something extra when I sell a purse...just to show my love and appreciation.

see ya later, alligator!

If you live in Florida, you or someone you know is enamored in some fashion, with gators.

The Florida Gators, Gator-Nation, gator-meat, gator-skin, gator-huntin', gator-watching...

So when I found this lil' ol' piece of gator, I fell in love...

The design is by Tammy Keefe and the fabric, by Michael Miller.  A great bio on the very talented Ms Keefe, who designed this print, can be found here.

Once I laid eyes upon this print, I just had to have it!

So I ordered a slab of this delectable gator from this shop and waited...

...through MLK Day (this was so very hard to do), until Tuesday, the day of its much anticipated arrival. Upon my return from running errands, the package was patiently awaiting my return, as I peeled into the driveway and almost through the inside garage wall. I was so excited!

I wrestled the fabric out of my mailbox, out of the envelope and onto my cutting table.

I sliced it up and served it on a frame.

And made a gator-purse.

All in the same afternoon...in fact, I made two purses that day. I was inspired!

I have some leftover gator and like all leftovers, it's going to sit here for awhile until I decide what to do with it. I can tell ya, I won't be flushing it down the toilet anytime soon!

They say that gator can be thick-skinned, like an armor.

Not this one! It was easy to cut into. Anything made from this gator would be cute.

What do you think I should make with the leftovers? An apron would be cute, maybe potholders?

It's going to be hard letting this purse go.

This gator-hunt was a fun one.

In case you didn't know,  I am a "Swamp People!" 

Hooked on gator...

Only my gator is the cutest one, by far!

Take that, Troy!

better late than never.

I had plans to get things done this weekend.

And as usually happens more often than not, my plans were thwarted... by a case of a bad cold.

My good intentions of getting the laundry washed, dried and ironed went up in smoke, as did the sewing that was included in my weekend plans.



Front of bag

 I finished these little purses last week, but never got around to taking photos and posting them on this here humble blog.

These are my latest favorite purses.

They hold just enough and are great for taking on errands...




Back side of bag w/pocket

 The bag easily straps over your shoulder and schleps along with you, not getting in your way.

Why, Hello Kitty!  Nice of you to stop by and my, don't you look so cheerful!

Next up: Later Alligator...

...cute, cute, cute!

stretch!

 This little love-muffin, a brand new baby giraffe born here, at our local zoo, became the inspiration for this:

A brand new purse for our niece, Lena.

NeeNee, aka "Granny," (one of the twins), promised Lena a trip to the zoo, to go and see the new little calf. While spending the day with us, I suggested to Lena that we go and she pick out some fabric for a new purse that I would make for her. We landed at Cinnamon's and after looking at many bolts of material, our eyes landed on this delightful little fellow and we just knew that this was the fabric.

Hence, the purse.

I am so in love with the little giraffe that it is now the wallpaper on my phone.

As for Lena, she hasn't seen her purse yet, but I'm sure she's going to adore the little giraffe!

purse-onally obsessed.

It seems that I became obsessed with a cute little purse at Paula's Fine Fabrics. And I may have gone to visit it several times, going so far as to sign up for a machine demonstration, just to get the pattern for this purse. My dreams of this purse, however, was shattered (after canceling a much-needed hair appointment on the same day as class) when the owner of the shop called and said she was sick and would have to cancel the class. Arrrrgh!

In quiet desperation, I had only one option remaining...I purchased the pattern and went ahead and made it on my own. I am quite capable of following easy instructions most of the time, but I sometimes lack self-confidence. So silly of me, when I make purses all the time. But here we are, said purse in all its Christmas glory.

The beauty of this little purse is that you can change out the bag itself, using the same frame. I'll be making some more "skins" for my purse in the next week, to show you the versatility of this little number. Perhaps I should make it a little smaller? With an option for a chain, so that it can be worn over the shoulder...whatdaya think? 

I'll be debuting my purse this Sunday, at church. My only hope is that my purse not divert attention from the real purpose we're all there.

JUST KIDDING!

My Christmas purse is cute, though.

In case you're wondering, I haven't finished decorating...that hutch looks a little nakey. Not to worry, I'll have it loaded  with Christmas decorations by the end of this weekend!

And baby, it's cold outside!

Yee-haw!

ahead of schedule.

Wow. 

My self-imposed projected day of completion was Friday.  Saturday at the latest.

Maybe Sunday. 

Monday, no later than Monday!

But here it is, Thursday, and the bag is finished. 

I did impose a self-punishment in the event I didn't meet my deadline.  I was to post a litany of nice things about my friend Terri, should I fail my mission.  Terri and I have a love/love relationship.  We say ugly things about each other, one trying to outdo the other.  Nothing too mean, just little snipey things.  All said with affection.  We've been doing this for years.  From the day she blew cracker crumbs all over me approximately 11 years-ago, we've been matching wits.

Nit-wits.  

Besides, we apparently amuse our friend Tim and hey, an audience makes it even more interesting.

I may just head on over to Face Book and list a few things about Terri...good or bad, I'm not sure.  I'll figure it out once I get there. 

OK, Connie.  Your bag is ready.  I hope you love it!

*This bag was made from the pattern by Rebeka Lambert, over at her fabulous blog, Artsy-Crafty Babe.  The fabric is from the Amy Butler collection.