I guess you can measure cuteness

She's currently at a 9. If she falls asleep right now and blesses mama with two naps today instead of just one, she'll be at a 15.

Soooooo.....

Yesterday didn't really work out like I had planned. Maybe it was the fact that I was still in my pj's until 2:00pm, or that my craft room was a complete disaster, or that I had a baby screaming "mama!" over and over again outside my door. Whatever it was, I just couldn't get motivated to do the marathon sewing session I had planned. The cute little birdie bag sold in just a few hours and I managed to finish off one more late last night. I'm really hoping to get one more listed today for the end of the contest but I think we're all a little crabby here after our holiday travel so I may just focus on eating chocolate and drinking diet pepsi.

A new all time favorite

How can you not love this bag? Fabrics from one of my favorite lines, Heather Bailey's Freshcut, the cutest little birdie applique ever, and super functional chocolate brown upholstery fabric on the bottom to hide dirt.

I'm hoping to get another two bags made and listed today before the free bag contest ends tomorrow. Don't forget to check back on January 1st to find out if you're the winner.

Before I hit the road...

Just one more. I had to do something with the new fabric I got yesterday before we leave. I hope you guys like this style because I can't seem to get away from it. And as I remind Bella daily, "Who's in charge here?". In case you're wondering, it's me.

A few programming notes

We'll be out of town for a few days so no shipping for me until Monday. However, if you order a bag tonight, I'll make sure it ships before I leave tomorrow. And don't get any crazy ideas about robbing my house while we're gone. 1) We're surrounded by old people who do nothing but watch our house all day. Seriously, at least once a week I hear, "Were you guys gone last night? We didn't see your car." Or, "Did Steve have to work late last night? Didn't look like he was home at his usual time." Dave apparently doesn't sleep at night and comes out to smoke at 3am so a night time raid will be too risky as well. And 2) We have nothing of value besides our new mechanical pony, Butterscotch. If you'd like to steal her, let me know and I'll leave her on my front porch.

I just got some new fabrics today and am hitting up a Joann's tomorrow that is closing so hopefully I'll find some more good deals. I'm planning to sew all day on Sunday and will have some new bags to list just in time for the end of my free bag contest. You can scroll down for details or check my store homepage for more info. In a nutshell, give me all your Christmas money, receive a bag, get entered to win a free bag.

He's watching you

I love the owl's expression on this fabric. I know he's saying, "What are you looking at, nosey?!". This will definitely be my only listing for the next few days. We're busy preparing for guests tonight (hubby is cooking tamales from scratch!), we're redoing our backyard, and if he knows what's good for him, Crafty Papa got me scrapbooking goodies for Christmas so I'll be busy tomorrow playing with my new stuff:)

And speaking of the backyard...sharing some pics of before and "in progress". We've lived here for over 3 years and have been talking about what to do in the backyard for the entire three years. Our budget was roughly $0 so that sort of limited our options. Steve has a customer at work who has a landscaping business and has been telling him for a few months that he had free brick for us. So, after getting some Christmas money from my dad and stepmom (Gracias!), we took the plunge and had the brick put in yesterday. All of the materials were free, we just paid $250 in labor and got a free bench and chair out of the deal! I love the new furniture and want to paint it a really bright, fun color like red and lime green but Steve vetoed that idea immediately. Anyway, we still have work to do. Need to arrange all of the furniture and the kids' crap and plant some stuff along the side of the house and back dirt area. But, we're sitting outside enjoying the yard as I type this so I can definitely say it's a big improvement already.

Flea Market Bag

Crafty Papa felt well enough to sit in the recliner and supervise the girls this morning so I snuck into the craft room and made this one. Bright and fun, kinda retro feel.

Really cute, if I do say so myself

Not only do I love the fabric and style of this bag, I think it's a perfect size for either a mom of two young ones or a mom of a newborn who still has to carry around a ton of stuff. I think i used the last of the little birdie fabric on this one so if you love it, this is your last chance.

And don't forget about your chance to win a free bag from Crafty Mama. You can see details a few posts down or check my Etsy shop home page. Every purchase between now and 12/31 qualifies you so feel free to burn your Christmas money with me:)

I had grand plans to get as much sewing done as possible this weekend so I could relax a little next week. But Crafty Mama and Crafty Papa went to his work party last night and Crafty Papa is a bit under the weather this morning, if you know what I mean, so I don't know if I'll be able to get away from the Crafty Children. I decided not to wear the ugly Walmart fabric shirt I made myself but instead wore some ginormous earrings I got on clearance at Walmart for $4. I also wore my "fancy" glasses which are shiny, coppery metal frames, rather than my usual plastic everyday frames. Doesn't Crafty Papa look handsome?

I've been tagged.

I don't normally do this crap because I don't have the time. However, after busting my ass all morning, I'm going to take 5 minutes and ignore the children while they eat lunch. So here goes...

8 things I'm passionate about:
1. Being a stay at home mom
2. Scrapbooking
3. Sewing
4. Diet Pepsi
5. Using coupons
6. Creating a healthy, well balanced diet and home for my family
7. Celebrity gossip
8. The color brown

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Take my girls to Disneyland
2. Go on a vacation with just my husband
3. Pay off medical bills/cc debt
4. Have a huge, impressive garden
5. Clean my craft room and keep it clean
6. Go on an Alaskan Cruise (I'm doing this with Shanna and Keeley and their families when I win the lottery-it will be a scrapbooking cruise and our husbands will be there solely to watch the children-but we'll pretend it's a "family" vacation)
7. Have my own crafting shed that's separate from my house, all mine, no children to come in and steal my buttons and throw them all over the livingroom
8. Have my teeth whitened

8 things I say often:
1. Bella's driving me nuts!
2. I'm counting to three and then you're going to the naughty spot.
3. Seriously
4. I need a diet pepsi.
5. Love you.
6. Like
7. Sooooooo
8. Really? (I repeat this all day in response to Bella's super long stories)

8 books I've read recently:
1. The Goodnight Book
2. The Rain Song
3. Corduroy
4. Curious George Christmas
5. Chicka Chicka ABC
6. Little Kitty and her Friends
7. Santa's Suit
8. The KI Memories product catalog

8 songs I could listen to over and over again:
1. Better Together-Jack Johnson
2. Into the Mystic-Van Morrison
3. Drive-Alan Jackson
4. There Goes My Life-Kenney Chesney
5. Brick House-who sings that?
6. Sexy Back-Justin Timberlake (I don't know why but I'm embarrassed to admit that)
7. Walkin in Memphihs-Mark Cohen, is that his name? Why do I love this song?
8. Baby Girl-Sugarland

8 things that attract me to my best friends:
1. Sarcasm
2. Common interests
3. Easy going, not easily offended
4. Other moms
5. Sense of humor
6. Support in tough times
7. Openness to talk about anything
8. Accepting, non judging (of us, it's ok to judge everyone outside of the friendship:) )

8 people who should do this:
1. Jona
2. Jenni O.
3. Lori Sweatshirt (her last name isn't really sweatshirt but that's how I say it in my head)

Hmmmm, I don't think I know 8 bloggers

Blink, and it's gone

Apparently, these crappy pics didn't stop my friend, Lena, from falling in love with this bag. It's the last of the Japanese doll fabric and I think that put her in panic mode or something because she called me twice and emailed me another two times. I listed it yesterday afternoon just before leaving to pick up Bella from school. Ten minutes later, Lena called and said she had to have the bag and I had to go straight home from school. I always knew she sat by the computer all day with my Etsy shop on the screen, hitting "refresh" over and over again.
Oooooo, and she said she was going to wrap it up and put it under the tree for herself (which surprised me because she's kind of a grinch). So, I wrapped it up for her last night so she really won't get to see it until Christmas morning.

Rain=Crappy Pics

I usually take all of my pics on a little old bench in the backyard that gets lots of natural light. But, it's raining and gloomy here today so I was stuck taking them in my front doorway. I really don't think the pics show off the bag well so I'll retake them outside once the rain goes away. Anyway, looking at the pics makes me want to paint my front door. I've always wanted a deep red. Our house is white with tan trim. Yay or nay on the red? Any other ideas?

Yay or nay?

Ok, let me preface this post with several statements.

1. This is the first item of clothing I've made myself other than some pj pants a long time ago.
2. I used $5/yard fabric from Walmart, not exactly the highest in quality.
3. I used a pattern intended for children who have no boobies, tummy, or ass.
4. Looking at these pics, I realize I need a good pair of Spanx.
5. Bella took some of the pics, thus the weird angle. Also, I'm sure it added 20 pounds:)

Ok, all that being said, what do you think? I took the same pattern I used for Bella's dress in the post below and tried to make myself a fancy shirt for hubby's work holiday party. Here's what I don't like...the fabric, kind of bunchy around my tummy, possibly making me look pregnant. Here's what I do like...I made it and it was cheap.

Ok, now leave me your harshest comments. I can take it. I haven't clipped all of the loose threads yet or adjusted the hem. Ugly? Makes me look too fat? I do have a back up so it's not like I'll go into freak out mode if you all say no, no, no.

Productive Day

In addition to the sock monkey bag (which sold in about an hour! a new record for me!), I whipped up this little dress for Bella. Used the this tutorial and added length to make it a dress. I think it's adorable as is but will probably add some width at the bottom next time to make it more a-line. I really want to make one for myself too:)

Could this be any cuter?

Seriously, if you're not smiling while looking at this bag, you need professional help. I'll put you in touch with my friend, Dr. Shana. She's a forensic psychologist so while looking into why your cold heart doesn't love sock monkeys, she can also explore the reasons behind you shoplifting that candy bar from 7Eleven when you were 6.

If it's not gone by Sunday, it's mine. No exceptions. Crafty Mama's in need of a new bag and I have declared that this shall be the one...unless you want to buy it and be entered into my free bag contest:)

Today's Creations

Despite having an all day headache, I was able to finish off two projects I started last night. I found this tutorial for a quick and easy ruffled twirl skirt so I thought I'd try it out on Bella. Overall, I'm happy with the result but I think next time I might add a third ruffle or layer because Bella's daily request is for a skirt or dress that's "really long". And I think it would look even cuter with some vintage look or shabby chic fabric but Bella really goes for the more bright and wild stuff.

Also made another bag with the new fabric. I think it's a little too subdued for my taste but I do like the pattern combos and style of the bag.

Fun, funky, and not brown

Shuffled one kid to school, one to her crib, and whipped this up. Love this Michael Miller print and wish I would have bought more than a 1/2 yard. I could keep this one for myself. Hmmmmm.

Yippeeeee! New Fabric

I've said it before, I love getting new fabric. And it's even more exciting when you've have to wait freakin forever for it because Hancock's of Paducah has such slow shipping. Anyway, I'm so happy with my purchases, there's a noticeable absence of brown though. I must have been a little sick or something when I ordered.

The first set is for ruffled, funky twirl skirts for the girls and the rest is all for bags. I'm sending Bella back to school today after her being home for three weeks now recovering from pneumonia (at least I hope she's going back today-she says she wants to stay home with mama) and Tater didn't nap this morning which means she should have an extra long afternoon nap. Why do you care? Because that's means I'll have plenty of time to sew and list a new bag today made with my fantabulous new fabric:)

And don't forget about the free bag contest. Every buyer between now and 12/31 gets entered to win. Custom orders included.

Hearts and Skulls

Definitely not my usual fabric choice - this was left over after a custom order for my friend, Andrea (or is it Marie?:) ) - but I think it turned out really cute. Great for a younger girl or a funky mom. And I just got my second entry for the free bag drawing so it's officially a competition now:)

Welcome Spring

Ok, I know spring is still several months away but I needed a break from all of the dark colors and *gasp* brown. I think this paisley fabric is one of my favorites, super colorful and fairly non traditional looking. Paired it with Heather Bailey's jelly bean dots - when is she coming out with a new collection? Loved her Freshcut line and have been debating whether to buy more or wait until she has a new release.

Anyway, got the first entry for my free bag contest - Julia. Don't forget any purchase or custom order between now and the end of the year qualifies you for a drawing for a free bag so get to shoppin'!

My first recon

Craftster is one of my favorite websites for all things crafty. There are some amazingly talented ladies there who must have children who sleep all day and night because they're able to create some really cool, detailed projects in the blink of an eye. Anyway, taking an old garment and reconstructing it into something new for your child is really big there and this is my first stab at it.

Started with an old favorite Old Navy gray t-shirt, cut it into an a-line, narrowed the sleeves, added lettuce edging and then gathered the neck opening. I'm not loving the lettuce edge but I didn't really know what else to do with the neck. This was my first time doing it so maybe I just need to play with it more. Overall I'm pretty happy with it though. Bella tried it on for me with minimal fight and is still wearing it now without any type of bribing.

Free Bag:)

I love, love, love Christmas because I really like to give gifts. Of course, getting them isn't bad either, but I get a lot of joy from shopping, wrapping, and then watching the recipient open their gift. So, in the spirit of giving, I'm going to send a free bag to one lucky customer.

Buy anything from my Etsy shop between now and 12/31 or place a custom order and you will be entered to win a free bag. I'll pick a name from a hat on 1/1 and post the winner on my blog and Etsy shop homepage. The specific bag will be a surprise to the winner - may be something listed in my shop, might be a brand new, unseen creation. Good luck and happy shopping!

Can't-stop-the-brown

My friend Lena thinks I need some kind of self help group for people who are addicted to the color brown. Seriously, I love it. It's everywhere in my house, my scrapbooking, my wardrobe, and of course, my bags. I can only bring myself to make a black bag every 2-3 months. I think admitting my addiction is the first step toward recovery. Anyway, I ordered some new fabrics last week and actually got a few without any brown in them. And I also got some more sock monkeys so be on the lookout for a super cute and funky monkey bag soon.
As you can tell, I'm loving this new style and can't seem to get away from it. This print has been really popular in the past so if you love this bag, I think you need to buy it immediately because I suspect it won't be in my store long.

So pleased with this

Ok, more like, so pleased with myself:) Seriously, I was so happy with this but didn't get the "wow, how adorable!" reaction I wanted from Steve and Bella so I had to march her over to the neighbors and fish for compliments. The whole thing only cost about $5 ($3 Walmart t-shirt and $2 in clearance fabrics). Love the cute little chicky on the t-shirt, inspired by my favorite Heidi Grace stamps.
I wish I could have gotten better pictures of her. She was in a posing mood but couldn't stand still long enough for me to get some good shots. And a big thank you to my cyber friend Jona who totally inspired this outfit with her creations.
And for the record, I so didn't tell her to pose like that. She was flying all over the front yard like a freaking fairy, vogue-ing here and there.
Now that I've finally gotten my serger tension settings where I want them, I want to spend the rest of the weekend sewing clothes:) Maybe something for myself for a change. Hmmmm, don't think I have that much fabric though:(