Another one you can't have:)

Bought these fabrics from my friend, Jona and even though they're from different lines, not supposed to go together, I had to put them together for some reason. Maybe because they're my two favorite colors, brown and green. Anyhow, I know the end result is a little too funky for many of you but I really like the bag.

The flower pin is from my grandma. She was really into gawdy costume jewelry and I thought this brown flower was the perfect accent for this bag.

On a separate note...sergers...why do they have to be such a pain in the ass? For those who don't know what a serger is, it's the fancy schmancy machine that does the nicely trimmed edge on clothing with like 5 hundred different overlocking threads...ok, it's only 4 threads, but it feels like more.

Anyway, coordinating 4 different tension settings is really beyond my patience. I finally got fed up and had a two hour therapy session with my serger last night. We exchanged some harsh words, there may have been some physical contact. I was the bigger person though, walked away, took a shower, came back feeling better and worked things out.

I swear though, I got all of the tension set perfectly last night, everything looked great and I can guarantee that when I go to use it today, it will be all funked up even though I didn't change anything.

Ok, I'll stop complaining now. At least until my next post.

Consider this your warning

I'm removing several items from my Etsy shop tomorrow morning to add them to my boutique items. Definitely the two strippy bags and a few others. Anyway, if you've been watching them, now's your chance. Don't email me in two weeks asking me if I'll remake one just like it for you. I won't. And I'll find a way to slap you via email.

You can look, but you can't touch

My last few crafty days have been really productive (and really successful, as evidenced by you guys snatching up the two bags I listed on Saturday within about an hour of me posting them!). Anyway, I'm planning to take all of my items to the boutique this weekend and I can't risk letting you guys take all of the fabulous items so I'll share them here but definitely won't sell them (unless you want to pay a hefty premium:) ).

I'm sooooo loving these little dresses and especially like the Heather Bailey Freshcut one (the first one). I think I've reached my limit though for dealing with my temperamental serger (aren't they all?) so I'll probably concentrate on bags, bibs, and burp cloths for the rest of the week.

I've made dresses in size 6-9 months, 9-12, and 12-18 but only have a size 18 month model to test them out on. So, tomorrow I'm borrowing a friend of a friend's baby to see how they fit a real life infant as opposed to a Cabbage Patch doll.

What you think?

Whipped up this little peasant dress for Matea tonight and thought I'd ask for some feedback from my loyal and honest readers. I'm thinking about making several of these for the boutique, some in cute juvenile prints and some in more sophisticated styles like the currently popular bold scrolls and maybe Heather Bailey's Freshcut.

Here's what I like about it...1. It's super quick and easy for me to make with one exception. It's not based on a pattern so I'm kind of free handing the sizes based on Matea's clothes. Not the best method and definitely needs some fine tuning. Although I will say, I shot for a size 12-18 months on my first attempt and I think it fits her really well. 2. It seems to be comfortable for the Tater. She was running around and twirling and didn't try to yank it off like she sometimes does with dressier clothes. And 3. Overall, I just like the design. Sweet and simple.

So, here are my questions for you. Do you like it? Would you pay about $25 for it if you loved the pattern? Should I add ties on the side that make a bow in the back? (I though about doing this but I kind of like the idea of leaving it loose and free flowing. I'm anti-restrictive clothing for little ones).

Hot Damn!

What a good day. And it's only 2:30! Here are all of the awesome things that have happened thus far:

1. Stepped on the scale this morning to find that I've dropped 5 pounds since starting counting Weight Watchers points about 10 days ago. I am now able to comfortably fit back into my favorite juicy booty jeans that Crafty Papa dried on high two weeks ago and thus ruining them because I could no longer come close to zipping them.

2. Got yet another delivery of fabric. Really bright, fun colors that I can't wait to work with.

3. Sold two bags just over an hour after listing them. Now I really have to get my ass in gear though so I'll have enough for the boutique.

4. Got a call from my friend Lena asking if my fam wanted to eat at Applebee's with her fam tonight. Her husband's pretty easy on the eyes, our kids have fun together, and Crafty Papa gets along well with them. Add to that the fact that they have Weight Watchers meals on the menu and I think I'm in for a good night.

5. Lastly, I got yet another bag done today that I think is just adorable. It's the most beautiful shade of vivid green and super functional with lots of pockets and a practical, heavy duty black cotton webbing strap.

A heads up

If you've been keeping up with Crafty Mama, you know I'm working on making a bunch of items for a local boutique. I wanted to give you all a heads up that I'll be removing lots of items from my Etsy store next weekend and taking them into the boutique so if you see something you like, buy it now or it may be gone forever in 7-10 days.

Now, more about the boutique. Where I live has a cute little downtown area called "The Village". This boutique opened about a year ago in the village but I somehow missed out on hearing about it. It's mainly geared toward baby room decorating and baby related gifts but she also has some really nice stuff for moms. The shop is sickeningly adorable and I really feel so privileged to have my items in her store. Mari, the owner, is so nice and has been a huge boost to my sewing self esteem. She's super talented and has some of her amazing artwork displayed in her shop. Anyway, my items will be featured in her front store window in about a week and you can bet I'll be posting lots of pics here of me posing in the front of the window. If you live on the central coast, you should definitely make a point to check out the shop. There's some really beautiful jewelry from local artists and great gift items for yourself or a friend.

Ahhhh, that's better

We're getting a short break from the rain today so I braved the 2,000 mph winds this morning and finally got some pics that do my latest bags justice. Didn't I do a great job on my latest fabric purchases? Seriously, I'm really liking the bold patterns and I think I got a good variety of colors and patterns this time. I'm planning a marathon sewing weekend so check my Etsy shop and blog often over the next few days for lots of new items.

Super chic

My freakin husband came home from work two hours late tonight. Did he not realize that I have a bazillion yards of fabric in my craft room calling my name? Anyway, I was able to make this one and think it's so chic and sophisticated looking. I got the crochet trim on clearance from my very favorite fabric store, www.jcarolinecreative.com. Also got in in a really vibrant green and turquoise and can't wait to play with it on a few more bags.

And I have to say again how much I'm hating taking pics inside. The lighting is so crappy and my bags just aren't showing well. If it ever stops raining (and I don't know if it will-I swear, the forecast shows rain forever), I'm going to retake pics of all these bags.

My dream bag

I've outdone myself. It's ok, I'm not embarrassed to admit it. I absolutely love this bag and now have to decide whether to keep it for myself or sell it in the adorable boutique. I love everything about it, the size, shape, the colors match everything in my closet. It was made for me...by me. So, do I sacrifice the income to make myself happy or sell it and risk seeing the buyer proudly carrying it in Trader Joe's while I think to myself, "Bitch has my bag"?








































Today has been a great crafty day. Went to a semi annual sale at a local quilt shop this morning and got 12 yards of new fabric, including the ones I used on the above bag. Then, went to a meeting with the owner of the boutique I keep mentioning. She's super nice, I'll have to share more details about her shop later. Came home and the UPS man delivered a huge box of fabric and trim that I wasn't expecting until Monday. So, now I have about 25 yards of brand spankin new fabric to play with this weekend and another five yards on the way next week!

On a side note, has anyone seen my regular UPS guy, Jessie? I had a little crush on him, there's a very sexy power behind package delivery...not that kind of "package delivery", get your mind out of the gutter. Anyway, he seems to have disappeared and the new guys aren't nearly as flirty with me.

Another day...

another set of crappy pics. It's supposed to rain heavily here for...forever, I believe. And in case you're wondering, that's not really a great forecast when you still have three large holes in your house. Anyway, I can't get outside to take pics and am really feeling like the indoor pics just don't do my bags justice. This bag is absolutely gorgeous in person and super big, great for a mom of two or more. I just love Heather Bailey's Freshcut line and can't wait until her new fabrics are released.

Today's Etsy Bag

My psychic abilities tell me this one will sell quickly. It's a very generous size, definitely larger than your typical handbag. And I really like the combination of one bold fabric on each side. This is the last bag I'll make with either of these fabrics. I have just enough left to make some burp cloths tonight.


Before I go, can someone bring me some coffee? Matea's cutting three teeth right now and was up three times last night. Even though Steve got up with her every time (Add that to his chart of awesomeness - she seems to respond better to him putting her back to sleep at night so he always hops out of bed without me even asking), I still woke up. Top that off with being out of coffee this morning and my ass is dragging today.

Attention Stalkers

So, I'm working on making tons of items for the boutique I mentioned I few posts down. I've been going back and forth on whether to post everything on Etsy or not and have decided to keep the boutique items separate and not list them. But, I will share them here on my blog. Partly because I like getting your feedback on what you like and don't like. And, also because I know there are a few of you who are waiting for me to make your dream bag. If you happen to see it posted here but not on Etsy, feel free to email me for a price and you can decide whether you really have to have it.

I stayed up until 10:00 last night sewing (that's really late for me) and made this diaper bag and two sets of two burp cloths. I started using natural colored fleece on the back side of the burpies and bibs and really like the finished product. Soft, absorbent, and neutral.

I've said it before

and I'll say it again. If you don't love little birdies, there's something wrong with you. Here's my very first custom label. Totally should have been using these years ago.

For the birdie haters

So, now that I'm going to be famous and have to stop speaking to all of you, I needed to come up with a better hang tag (I've just been using my business card) and label. Since all of you were so helpful (not), I had to plug away at it last night and come up with my own design. After about an hour, I finally got a product I was happy with and my husband said he thought it was cute but I should use my own original artwork. He suggested I do a generic heart. Really? After 7 1/2 years of marriage, Crafty Papa thinks a heart would say me?

I had two cans of diet pepsi yesterday so I guess I was feeling particularly ambitious and decided to draw my own artwork. And what says Crafty Mama better than a cute little birdie? So, I whipped this up. Wanted something that looked playful and not quite perfect (just like me, I'm so close to being perfect, just not quite there). Picked a kind of hand drawn looking font to go with it, and here you go...























My label kind of matches, white background, black outlined birdie on the right, "Crafty Mama Creations" on the left in green and the whole thing outlined in a dotted black border. Go ahead, pat me on the back.

Lots to share

We had out of town guests this weekend so I'm behind on my blogging, sewing, pretty much everything. My friend Jenni was here and we had so much fun talking about our different crafty projects, things we want to make, etc. Anyway, here's what I know today...

1. I was looking at my business card the other day and it says "...gifts for mamas and babies". I'm not really making much for the babies. I mean, I have a few outfits listed but other than that, the babes really haven't been getting much attention so I'm going to start listing more bibs, burp cloths, onesies, etc.

2. I ordered about 20 different yards of new fabric this weekend, no thanks to you guys. Not one of you left me a comment about colors, patterns, etc. you're looking for or into right now so you may hate all my choices and I won't care.

3. I have had the most fabulous opportunity fall into my lap. A lady who owns a local baby/home design boutique found my stuff on Etsy, liked it and we had a "meeting" on Friday. She's going to carry my items in her adorable shop, have a trunk show for me in a few months, and in a few weeks, my bags and baby stuff will be displayed in her front window! I am beyond excited. I'm also working on some other projects with her that I think will be a lot of fun. Anyway, I may not be listing quite as much on Etsy in the coming weeks because I'll be saving some fabulous items for her store.

I really need to work on getting labels for my bags and clothing items. I have already ordered some really simple labels for my bags but need to figure out what to do about clothing. My friend sent me a link to the person she buys labels from but I need to come up with a design. So, if anyone reading this has a cute idea for a clothing label that says "Crafty Mama Creations", 2" wide by 1" tall, go ahead and whip that up for me and send me the jpeg. Gracias.

Attention Scrapbookers

If any readers don't already know, I've had an Ebay scrapbooking store for a while. After some thought, I've decided to close the store in order to have more time for my family, home, and sewing. This means some great deals for you guys. Inventory is moving very quickly so check it out now...

www.craftymamacreations.com

Hopefully, this will mean I can list a few more bags each week (or keep my house cleaner?) and have more money for buying fabulous new fabrics:)

Take Two

Tried out the strippy bag again today and am really pleased with the result. And can I just say that I'm totally surprised the Amy Butler strippy bag hasn't sold yet? Several people have it in their favorites and are probably hoping it'll go on sale and then they'll cry a little when they miss out on it and email me asking if I'll make another one just like it because they don't carefully read my listings and see I never make the same exact bag twice. That was a long sentence.

Excellent

If I do say so myself. I told you guys I was feeling kind of uninspired lately. But then, a wonderful thing happened. Stay with me here.

Crafty Papa comes home from work last night and I begin a pity party. Holes in the ceiling, a birthday, and short camping trip have left the house a disaster. Add to that needing to work out, grocery shop, do some shipping, blah, blah, blah, and I start crying. My awesome husband sends me to take a hot bubble bath and then off to a movie by myself. I come home to a totally clean kitchen and livingroom (are you jealous? I'm considering renting him out for extra money-or offering some kind of awesome husband seminar) and then somehow got inspired to make a bag using only scraps. And thus, this funky, kind of wonky strippy bag was born.

My assistant

I think I'm going to have to fire her. Today I caught her sitting in my drawer of scraps and then using them for peek-a-boo. She's gotten by on her good looks for long enough now.

My latest and greatest

I only have a few minutes to post because my toddler is on a biting rampage today and my preschooler is the victim.

I'm really thinking I need some new fabric. I've been feeling kind of uninspired in the last week or so even though sales have been great. I don't know, maybe it's the tree through the house/holes in the ceiling situation. I'm trying to hold off on buying fabric until my friend, Jona, opens her shop but I don't know if I can wait. Must-have-new-fabric-now! So, any color combos or patterns my loyal public is looking for? More birdies? Less brown? More funky? More shabby chic floral?

Just sayin'

I seem to have hit a hot streak with my bags lately. Sales typically go in waves for me but I've been riding the "almost a bag sold a day" wave for a few weeks now. Anyway, besides sharing how awesome that makes me feel, I'm telling you this so you'll realize now is not the time to be waiting around to see whether a bag goes on sale. Go ahead and buy that bag you have in your favorites. You'll just be sad when someone else buys it and since you pay via Paypal, it's not like it's "real" money, right?

Lovin' the new camera

I know this picture isn't anything too special but it's proof that reading the manual and playing around long enough, a stay at home mom whose brain has turned to mush, can still learn a new trick or two.

I really wanted to get the hang of getting one item as the focus of the pic (literally) and everything else blurred. Messed with the aperture setting and distance and finally figured it out.

I'll be back to sewing soon and will hopefully have some new listings on Sunday or Monday. Today was Bella's birthday so we spent the afternoon hanging out and tomorrow we'll be partying it up. She has a fabulous dress to wear tomorrow that we were lucky enough to buy from my cyber friend, Jona. On top of creating some fabulous dresses for little girls, she's just as nice as can be.

Told you

It's an addiction. I absolutely cannot get away from the birdie. Actually, I was planning to complete this bag without any birds but it just looked too plain and unfinished to me once I had it together. To top it off, I had a scrap of the birdie fabric sitting in a bin next to me and I think it was tweeting at me....or was that the breeze hissing through one of the new holes in my ceiling? Hmmm, I guess we'll never know.

I used the last of the birdie fabric and coordinating circle on this bag so if you likes it, you needs to buy it.

Lastly, I feel like I have to share this...I used Christmas money from my grandma to splurge on Bare Escentuals makeup for myself. It arrived yesterday and I LOVE it! I had actually just done my face 15 minutes before the UPS man dropped it off, but I washed all my make up off so I could play with the new stuff. Then, after my shower last night, I put it on again. Mostly because I wanted to play with the application a little more but I think partly because I love the way it looks. And the brushes are awesome. I've never owned an expensive makeup brush and these feel so nice on my face. I'd like to brush my whole body with them but I believe that would cause some nasty cross contamination issues. TMI?

Even my husband noticed a difference and agreed that it looks wonderful. I just bought this basic kit from Sephora along with some blush/all over color and lipstick. Now I really want some of their glittery eye shadows but first I have to find a place to wear it. And the money. And somehow getting new makeup has made me think about growing out my hair just a little. Still keeping a short cut, but more like a short shag. Anyone have some good short shag pics to share?

Sneak peek for Kristi

Or is it peak? I don't really care. What do you think this item is?

Oooooo, and yes, that is a metal stud eye that I set with the Bedazzler my mom gave me for Christmas. Thank you for noticing.

Hurry up already

We don't really have seasons where I live, the temperature pretty much stays between 60 and 80 degrees year round. But I think I'm totally ready for winter to be over and spring to arrive. I notice I'm gravitating more toward colorful, springy fabrics lately and am already starting to list some great summer hand bags. Did I really just spend an entire paragraph talking about the weather? Ok, I'll stop. I'm boring myself.

Much more exciting...I got a new Canon Rebel XT!!! I couldn't be more child-like giddy about it. And let the record reflect, we ordered this bad boy the night before the tree fell through the roof-never would have purchased had we known we'd be needing a new roof, etc. but in the end, I'm glad we bought it. Anyhow, it is FANTABULOUS! We already had a nice camera, a Canon Pro1 but this is in an entirely different league. I can't stop taking pictures, even taking random pics of myself throughout the day, mostly because I love the sound the camera makes:) I would really love to take a photography class and think Steve and I would have fun doing that together but these freakin kids can't stay home alone yet...maybe next year when Bella's five.

I'm off to work on a little prize for a birdie lover I know. I might post sort of a mystery pic later tonight to peak her curiosity.

Another little cutie

Whipped up this mini twirl set this morning and couldn't be happier with it. A little bit funky and a little bit sweet. And it totally got the stamp of approval from Matea. She came and snatched the skirt away from my sewing table while I was working on the onesie and sat down to put it on. I took a few pics of her in it, you know, to add to the cuteness factor in my listing. I really do think it looks damn cute on her and is totally comfortable...at least that's what she told me. I have enough fabric to do this in a smaller size if you love it but need it smaller.

And yes, that's a big bruise on her face. As though I'm not already bummed out enough, this morning I was wearing Steve's ginormous size 11 slippers that I love, she tripped over one, and face planted into a bar stool leg. Crap.

Suprisingly productive

I've realized the more time I spend in my craft room, the less time I have to spend looking at the freakin tree in my house and having a pity party. So, I present today's creations. I know, the floral might be a little too springy for January, but I just got the fabric and really love it. I think it works so well with the twisted bamboo handles and is a big enough size to be functional.

Sale :)

Be sure to check out my sale items. I've dropped prices even further on some items and added a few new ones as well.

And no, this has nothing to do with having a tree in my house. Ok, that's a lie. Picture me right now holding a sign that says, "Will sell bags for a new roof".

Naughty and Nice

First, the nice. Here's the adorable little twirl set I plugged yesterday. Really, could that skirt be any tinier? I just think it's so sweet and playful. And it almost (ALMOST) makes we want to have a tiny little baby in my arms again.

Now, the naughty. A tree fell through our house last night. Not on our house. Through our house in three different places. Why am I telling you this? 1. Because reality has sunk in this morning and I'm totally freaking out and really sad so I could use some well wishes. You all know I'm a stay at home mom, so we're on one income (besides my little Etsy money) and really have no wiggle room for an event like this. Sure, insurance will pay for it but we have a deductible just like everyone else and it's looking like we'll have to pay out of pocket for a lot of expenses and then try to be reimbursed. And 2. The damage is fairly extensive (you can see pics on my family blog... www.bellamatea.blogspot.com) and I'm thinking we may have to stay in a hotel for a bit during reconstruction. That means I'll be away from my sewing stuff and will have to take a break from listing.

Oh, and I almost forgot to share that Kristi is definitely the winner of the "best birdie feedback" post. I don't think anyone could even make up that many birdie connections. Haven't decided yet what to send you...is your house decorated in a rustic style? I could make a lovely tree trunk cozy for the branch in my hallway...or the one in my bedroom...or the one in my bathroom...and send that your way. Actually, don't laugh, but we're going to try to preserve a slice of the tree or something and display it in our house somewhere. Every time I look at it I'll either be thankful for our safety or really sad about all of the damage and money.

Question of the day

You have a friend who got a Wii for Christmas. She's gone on and on about how great it is, how much fun the family is having with it, blah, blah, blah. You very casually ask "When are you going to invite us over?" several times yet she still has not invited you. She let you play with the Wii on Thursday, asked again and again if you were totally having fun (you definitely were) but still didn't invite you over. She appears to like your children and is vocal about her positive feelings toward your husband. She claims to hate you but you know deep down inside, she realizes you light up her life. Do you just show up on Saturday night with pizza and beer and pretend like you were invited? Contact her totally nice (and as an added bonus, hot-but not hotter than yours) husband and get the invite from him?

Why bother?

We have a huge storm blowing through town right now so I was forced to take pictures inside. I wasn't even going to bother listing the bag today because the pictures really don't do it justice, but the wind and rain are supposed to be here through the weekend so it's now or never...or now or Monday, I guess, but you get what I mean.

This one is generously sized, a little bigger than my usual listings, and perfect for a mom of two or more or a mom of a newborn.

And Matea can't handle having the camera around and not having her picture taken so she hopped up on the bench as soon as I stopped holding her back with my foot. Someone should find out why she's still in her pj's even though it's 5:00 pm.

And check back later tonight for the sweetest and smallest little twirl set ever. Remember that cute pink bear fabric I bought last month and didn't know how I would use it? Well, on a whim I decided to make the tiniest skirt ever, complete with pink tulle trim and a matching onesie with an adorable bear applique.