New Zippered Pouches

Features:
-Rounded top..which I love! I think it makes a plain pouch a lot more sweet and feminine.
-Zipper closure
-Shabby frayed edge flower accent

Only $12 in my shop. And my Christmas in July sale is good through the end of the day so you'll get free shipping AND 10% off.

I'm enjoying a quiet weekend at home with my family. We have lots of cleaning, organizing, and household projects to do but instead I'm sewing like crazy and Crafty Papa's working on a wiring harness (whatever that is!). I'm hoping to list a few more of these new pouches during the weekend and really want to take advantage of Jona's big Fabritopia sale...but I'll have to check my bank account first:)

Coraline Gourd

Yesterday was Matea's 4th birthday and Crafty Papa and I gave her this amazing Coraline gourd painted by Lena.

Doesn't it look exactly like Coraline?

Matea was so excited. "Coraline" is her favorite movie and I caught her hanging on the couch with Coraline watching tv. She wanted to sleep with her too but I convinced her that might get uncomfortable.

I can't tell you how detailed and truly amazing Lena's work is in person. You can check out her gourds in her Etsy shop here. I've given them as gifts to my mom, mother-in-law and now Matea and they've always been a hit.

Handmade Gifts

I love them.

I do not love when the recipient responds to my handmade gift the same way he/she would respond to a clearance Walmart item. Crafters, I know you know what I'm talking about.

I treasure my handmade gifts. I'm giving Matea the most amazing handmade gift for her birthday this weekend and can't wait to share it here. Unfortunately, I didn't make it, Lena did, so I don't get to bask in the glory of its awesomeness.

Bella went to a birthday party this weekend for Lena's daughter, Hannah. Hannah was Bella's first ever BFF when they were only 2 1/2 years old. I wanted to make something for the birthday girl but my skills are not nearly as interesting as Lena's. I settled on a personalized fabric banner for her room because what girl doesn't like to see their name everywhere like they're princess-level important? (Wait, are all girls like that or just Bella?)
Lena did an excellent job of faux-gushing over it and talking about how special it was. I know it's more my taste than hers but I think the birthday girl liked it. This was handmade gift giving gone right. Doesn't it suck when it goes wrong?

Christmas in July Sale

***CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!***
-Free Shipping
-Take 10% off all items

Just make your purchase and wait for a revised invoice from me that reflects the discounts. Discounts good through the end of July. Happy Shopping!

Also, I'm currently accepting customer orders so feel free to contact me for details. Have a look through the sold items in my shop for some great ideas.

Poppy

LOVE this collection from Laura Gunn and I don't think it's what I usually gravitate toward.

This fabric is GORGEOUS in person. Really, one of the most vibrant fabric collections I've ever seen. I think I may need to buy some more and maybe get the fall-ish color scheme. (Yeah, because did I mention I'm already looking forward to fall and the start of school? Ok, I'll mention it again.)

And I really like the size and shape of this bag. It's definitely big enough for carrying some mama essentials...snacks, little toys, spare undies (for the kid, not me)...but doesn't look like the typical boxy mommy tote.

You can see all of the specs and details in the listing in my shop and also check out the bargain listings in the sale section.

Dumpster Divers

Am I the only crafter who has a problem with my children constantly digging through my sewing studio trash? I was just telling friends that at least once a day, I walk by my sewing area and it looks like raccoons have been in my trash can.

The girls have an amazing craft supply stash with lots of fun stuff. There's no reason at all for them to be hunting for treasure in my trash. Crafty Papa says I need to put my trash in the kitchen trash can. Say what? I'm supposed to walk through our weird maze-of-a-house to throw away every stray thread and teeny tiny scrap of fabric? I don't think so.

Remind me again when school starts? I was really looking forward to this summer but the reality hasn't been quite as fun as the dream. We've been busy every single freaking weekend with one event or another to attend. The girls are at each other's throats and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance working from home with my stay at home mom duties. The girls are watching more tv these days than I would like but I believe that may be what's keeping us all from killing each other. They start swim lessons next week and I could almost pee myself thinking about having 45 minutes straight without having to tend to children.

I'm missing sewing for Crafty Mama Creations and really wish I could list more frequently (and actually sell something now and then!). I'm currently working 15ish hours a week sewing for my employer and a lady can only sit at her sewing machine for so long, you know?

Free Motion Quilting

I think I could become addicted to it.

Not sewing in a straight line or aiming for perfection is just perfect for me.

My new friend, Rachel came over a few weeks ago to ask a few questions about free motion quilting. Apparently, some incredibly crappy stippling on three quilts and a few quilted bags makes me an expert. Now I can't stop thinking about free motion quilting ideas. My Pfaff machine was made for this kind of thing. I'm aiming to do a lot of handmade gifts this Christmas and am on the hunt for any great free motion quilting projects. Any suggestions?

Tie Dye Fun

For some reason, I love tie dying. And I love tie dye shirts. Is it acceptable for a grown woman to wear one in public? Seriously. Is it? I'm not talking bright rainbow with a peace sign in the middle. Something far more understated...tie dye chic.

Anyway, I've been dying to tie dye all summer. Haha! Dying to tie dye. The girls have been far less interested than I am so I finally had to get serious this morning about talking it up, showing them lots of pictures on the internet.

I decided to go with Rit Dye rather than a tie dye kit because I'm cheap. Unfortunately, my Walmart had fairly limited color choices so we got pink, yellow, and blue and combined colors to make purple and green (purple totally didn't work out for us and the green is kind of murky).

Crafty Papa came home in the middle of the process and I was so excited for him to see how organized I was. Usually, I jump into a project like this and am totally bummed out later when half my house and clothing are ruined. I actually planned today's project and even said to Pops, "Aren't you so proud of me? Look! I'm wearing gloves and put down a trash back to protect the concrete! And I have on an apron! Do you see me?!". Apparently he wasn't nearly as impressed with me as I was.

Anyway, here are our finished shirts. I made one more for myself but because I washed it in warm water (per Rit's instructions), it's now practically a midrift. Damn my father and his tall genes! I'll save it to wear to bed. Nothing says sexy time like gray yoga pants that are too big and a too small tie dye tshirt.
In other news, I'm moderating comments now. There's only one way to say it...I'm a dumb shit. I honestly didn't realize those Chinese comments were links to Asian porn sites! I kept clicking on the commenter's name and would be taken to an empty but legitamate blog. After researching (and freaking clicking!), I found out that clicking on the "........." in the comment takes you to a porn site. That's great. Nothing goes with crafting more than Asian porn (or any kind of porn for that matter). I'm trying to see how many times I can say "porn" in this post. I think I'm done now. Anyhow, apparently it's a widespread issue on Blogger and they're not doing anything about it so I had to resort to moderating.

Lastly, I finally listed a new bag in my shop! It's bright and cheery and gorgeous, if I do say so myself. Also, be sure to check out the sale section for new additions.

Should I?

I own an insane amount of scrapbooking stuff. Especially for someone who hasn't scrapbooked in a year and a half. I keep going back and forth on giving up traditional scrapbooking and switching to digital. I think digital makes more sense for me. In the long run, it's definitely cheaper and a major bonus is that it takes up far less space. Our house is less than 1000 sq ft and even though we have a garage with lots of storage, I realize I have way more crafting stuff than is reasonable. I just can't seem to part with it though.

Even though I can't find the motivation to scrapbook photos anymore, I still really like making cards. When I redid my sewing space a few months ago, I lost my scrapbooking space in the garage and now all of my supplies are just shoved into boxes. I hauled out some of my junk today and made a few cards that I really like. And a huge mess that I hated cleaning up.

Any digital scrapbookers out there with feedback or opinions on making the switch? I know I'd like to keep some minimal supplies for making cards and definitely my Cricut. What are the best digital shops and how do you organize your computer files? And mostly importantly, Shanna, will you still be my friend if I convert? :)

Are you as skilled as an 11 year old?

Because FYI, I am.

I easily completed my pattern for tweens (I don't know why I italicized "easily"). Apparently, being three times as old as the target age range is helpful.

I actually really like this pattern and will definitely use it again. I did two separate fabrics for the top and bottom. Maybe because I thought that was more fun. Maybe because I'm cheap and only wanted to use fabric from my stash and I didn't have enough of either fabric. I guess you'll never know. And I did the fabric casing on the outside instead of the inside like the pattern called for. I was inspired by the dress I got for Bella from Blue Corduroy and you know I like to cram as much pattern as possible into one outfit. Definitely more of these in Bella's future and I might try to draft a pattern for myself since I like the style so much.

I'm having a girls night with my babies tonight because Crafty Papa has to be out of town for a family emergency-ish (on his 33rd birthday-poor Papa). Wanna know a secret? I'm very much not in need of a girls night with my babies. I have been with them every waking minute for way too many days in a row. So much fighting, whining, and screaming. We're working on putting pavers in the backyard so the girls can play there while I work inside and that project can't be completed soon enough. I wanted to sew after they go to bed tonight but I think I'll just sit alone in my livingroom and watch a movie without having to tune out Bella's high pitched singing and Matea's shrieking.