More Maxine

I'm really loving this new Maxine Bag pattern. I was so inspired by it, I made a new bag yesterday and another one today! I think that's a new record for me. Having Monday-Thursday off at work this week doesn't hurt either. I went through my fabric and purged a bunch of stuff that I passed on to a super crafty friend. I came across some fabrics I forgot I even had and I think they both look great as Maxine Bags.

I'm really liking the shape of this bag. And it's roomy enough for a mom to carry travel wipes and snacks but doesn't look like a diaper bag so it's great for non-moms too. And at $34, I think it's a great value!

I also updated the clearance sections of my shop tonight with some new additions and new markdowns. Be sure to check it out.

Clearance - $10 and under
Clearance - $20 and under

Presenting: The Maxine Bag

Named for my Grandma...wait for it...Nora. I know, confusing, huh? Her "real" first name is Nora but she's always gone by Maxine. Apparently it's not all that uncommon for her generation because I distinctly remember finding out at my other grandma's funeral that her name wasn't Helen, it was Martha.

I've always wanted to make one of these granny bags but I lived in fear of bias tape. Thanks to Jona and her apron pattern (I swear, I'll share more about that soon), I can now live in harmony with bias trim.

So, I whipped up this little number this morning. Wasn't sure whether I was going to list it for sale or keep it and now I definitely must have it. Lucky for me, it's not quite perfect so it shall live on my shoulder.

I really like the shape and size of the bag. The only thing I'm not too sure about are the skinny straps. I know some ladies like thinner straps but I prefer more bulky, webbing straps. We'll see how it works out.

I seem to have developed a bad habit of never cleaning out my purse and instead just making a new one. I know it's gross, but I have a whole pile of purses in the closet filled with receipts, old lipstick, and snack crumbs that I just never clean out. I would like to say that I'll tackle those today but realistically, I should just focus on getting the breakfast dishes into the sink and making sure we all have clean underwear to wear tomorrow. Baby steps.

Oh, and funny story. I took the pictures of the Maxine Bag in my front yard. I was facing my neighbor's yard and realized when I was finished that he was sitting in the middle of his yard smoking, directly in my line of view through the camera. I panicked and thought maybe he thought I was some weirdo hiding behind a chair taking pictures of him so I was going to say something but then I thought that might be even weirder. I don't want to be the crazy neighbor but I think no matter how you look at it, I am.

Introducing...

I made myself this necklace yesterday and now feel the need to coordinate every outfit with it.

I'm sure you've seen these necklaces every where but they usually feature big rolled roses, chunky beads, and ribbon instead of chain. Those are pretty but I wanted something something smaller, practical, and casual. Something I could wear with a tshirt or to work and not have to worry about it getting in my way.

I love these frayed edge flowers. They make me think of old vintage linens. I think the gun metal finish chain makes it a little more modern and the whole combination is a little funky. I liked my necklace so much, I just listed two in my shop.

Nicey Jane

Meadowsweet

Can't. Stop. Sewing.

I've been feeling especially crafty lately. But since Etsy shop sales are super slow, I've been taking advantage of time to sew for the fam. In an effort to make my wardrobe less boring, I've been scoping out lots of blogs with fun and thrifty refashions. You must check out Crafterhours which has some super cute ideas like this tshirt redo.

Started as a plain grey tshirt and now it's been perked up with side panels and a fabric flower (that match the curtains in my livingroom!). Honest thoughts? Too homemade looking? The flower is really flat right now but will perk up with washing.

You can also see a sweet little dress I made for Matea last night. She loves this fabric that I got a few years ago for just a few dollars a yard when my mom's local Joann's was closing. I had the green and white floral left over from a custom order apron so Tatey ended up with a sundress she loves for just about $3. Can't beat that!


I'm feeling so inspired, I'm off to work on a fabric necklace before heading off to work tonight. But first, a shout out to Arkansas. I got the most thoughtful and HUGE package in the mail today from someone special there who included this Arkansas tshirt for me. I'll wear it when I get my walk on at the beach on Thursday and pretend like I'm seeing the ocean for the first time. Thank you so much my sweet, southern friend! I miss you! Lots and lots of love!

Easy Tank Top

I recently tested Jona's new apron pattern (I'll share more on that tomorrow) which forced me to get comfortable with bias tape. I rarely use bias tape in sewing because it just seems like so much work when really, I think it actually makes things quicker and easier.

I used a tank swing top from Carters as my guide for drawing this pattern. Just two pieces of fabric with bias tape around the edges and on the straps. Couldn't be easier and it only took about 30 minutes!

I definitely see some adjustments to make next time. I think the top needs to be a little narrower and the arm holes definitely need to be smaller.

But overall, I think it's cute, comfortable and only took about a half yard of fabric for a size 6 so it's affordable too. It's really warm here today so I'm avoiding turning on my iron but I've promised Matea a top like this for her and I promised myself I'd list another new bag today too.

Domesticity

I somehow managed to get the entire 4 day holiday weekend off from work without even requesting it. I felt so guilty, I almost offered to take another supervisor's shift tomorrow but decided that I deserve the break and have lots of projects to work on at home.

This morning though, my guilt was eating at me so I delivered kahlua cupcakes to my coworkers. Made the cute little Valentine's Day cupcake picks which I think is a nice finishing touch.

This afternoon, we went out for heart shaped pizza and I wore the new ring I bought myself for Valentine's Day. I've been wanting one of these for a long time and ran across one at Target yesterday that I just had to scoop up. I like it so much, I think I'm going to order supplies to make some of my own and maybe even some hair pins for Bella too.

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day. We'll be relaxing and crafting here. I have two bags in the works and the kids got some new craft stuff from Ikea this week that they're having lots of fun with.

Stay Tuned

I will actually (finally) be listing a new bag tomorrow.

A full-size, not-seen-before bag.

It's the Texas Kristi in a slightly larger size for those who need to carry more than their wallet, keys, and phone -I envy she who does not need snacks, extra undies (for the kids, not me), and miniature toys in her purse.

I told Crafty Papa I didn't have the energy to throw some olive oil and spices on a chicken and shove it in the oven before work tonight but I somehow had the energy to finish a new bag. Don't tell him.

So, check the shop tomorrow and throughout the weekend. I'm off work ALL WEEKEND:) and I plan to do lots of sewing.

P.S. Tis posted.

This Kid...

makes me so happy. She's a mama's girl through and through and knows just how to manipulate me. She's silly and funny and has a really wild and entertaining imagination.

After boycotting anything made by mommy, she has suddenly decided that wearing Mama Creations is acceptable. I made her this dress yesterday and she said, "Oh, I love it! It's so beautiful, I'm going to wear it for every Christmas!". This dress is so easy to make, I really think even an extremely novice seamstress could handle it. Oh wait, that's me!

I'm so enjoying sewing for my family again. I bought a bunch of Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabric and made Bella a big, beautiful, super twirly skirt yesterday. Pictures of that to come soon.

P.S. I wish Great Grandma would jump into this century and get on the internet. You can see a touch of red in Tatey's hair in the pics above and I believe that would bump her to the top of the inheritance list:)

Ginormous Sale!

Like really, really, really good.

Two new sections in my shop.

Clearance $10 and under (yes, there really are $10 bags!)

Clearance $20 and under

My closet runneth over and I need to make way for some fresh spring stuff. Some of this stuff has been hanging around for way too long and I'm just tired of looking at it. Give these little creations a new home:)