Giveaway - Bags Galore

Ok, sticking with the bag theme, I am giving away a 'book' bag, a clutch, and a tote (that I had planned to enter into the April Stash Bust Challenge, but I ran out of red thread and didn't want to use a different color).

The 'Book' Bag - This was my second attempt. I am not super happy with the way it came out, the fabric inside is a bit wrinkly. Still pretty darn cute though!

This bag currently does not have a closure, but if the winner would like one, I can probably whip one up.

The Clutch - This was my first clutch, and aside from it being pretty plain, it came out great! The glittery fabric is so much fun (but it does tend to glitterify everything).


The Tote - I made this from some of my fabric swatches. I love the slightly patriotic theme. Great tote for general use.


Entry Rules:
1. Leave me a comment before noon (central time) on May 31st.

That is all. If you decided to follow my blog, that would be splendid! If not, I am ok with that also.

If you like what you see, feel free to check out my ArtFire Studio.

Thanks, and good luck :o)

Purses Galore!

I seem to be stuck on making purses, clutches, and other bags.

Let's start with the "Book" bags that I have made.

This brown book made me think of a professor, (kinda like Indiana Jones)and I wanted to find a tweed fabric to go with it, but I didn't have any, so my next favorite was the stripped fabric you see above. The handles are some beads I got on clearance. I was happy that I only needed to use one strand, means more for another project:) I have not decided on a closure for this one yet, so if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!


This one I did a little different. My original plan was to make a pillow case type thing and slide the book inside. I didn't measure correctly (which is known to happen around here with all the winging it I do). Plan 'B' was to use the fabric on the outside. I love it! I added a zipper closure to this one (I think this might be like my third time sewing a zipper). Add a recycled belt, and I am set. I have been carrying this purse around for a few days. I love it. It fits just under my arm and is super comfy.

I had grand plans to make a ton of these purses (I bought about 20 of these Readers Digest Condensed books at a garage sale last weekend for $.25 each!). But, I got distracted.

I can almost hear you asking, "What could possible distract this focused and steady individual?" (and yes, I can hear the sarcasm:)

These fun little doohickeys!


I think the technical name for them would be "Clutch", but that seems just as goofy as doohickey. Well, to me anyway.

Here is the first one I made.


I borrowed the book "bend-the-rules Sewing" by Amy Karol after reading her blog, Angry Chicken. I love the book and may have to start looking for a used copy to add to my own collection.

Anyway, one of the patterns in the book is for this cute clutch. I was suppose to decorate the white fabric first, but seeing as my artistic abilities do not include drawing or painting, and I didn't have the patience to do any freezer paper stenciling, I decided to just leave it plain. I still like it, but it would look much snazzier with some artwork on the outside.

So, the same day (night actually) that I made my first one, I decided to whip out a few more using the same fabric and such just to save myself a bit of time.


I like them. Don't think I would ever actually carry a clutch around instead of a purse or bag, but they are super cute. And with 3 bags being completed in an hour or two, it is the perfect project for this Kaotic Krafter :)

Lets see, what else.

Oh, my brick pillows.

Before I introduce you to my brick pillows, let me ask you something. Do you ever go into the fabric stores and look at those big huge swatches of special order fabrics? You know, the ones that are absolutely gorgeous, but cost around $30 a yard or more? I love those fabrics. I would never in a million years spend that much money on a yard of fabric, but I still love the fabrics.

One day while making a quick run to Joann's for a few specific things, I discovered that when the fabrics are discontinued, the swatches are sold. And for only $2 a swatch! I suck at guessing sizes, but I would say that the average swatch is about 18" X 18" (I could get up and measure one, but I don't want too).

I bought a ton.

Emma and I where at Joann's this Sunday (because the April stash bust was over and I "needed" a few things). I was delighted to see that the swatches where now only $1!!! I think I bought all but about 10 of them.

Don't they look pretty though?


I did try to pick ones that would go together, but I am not the best at matching (which is why I am happy that Emma dresses herself and I can tell people that it is not my fault she doesn't match).

Anyway, as I was greedily grabbing all the swatches, I made a vow to use the majority of them before the end of the month. Lucky for me, they are the perfect size for the clutches, and for the books. Score for me, I love it when things accidentally work out :)

Ok, so after that really long side note, here are my brick pillows (which I used fabric swatches for).


Sometimes I like to just start cutting fabric and sewing it together to see where it takes me. I had originally thought these swatches would turn into a bag. They decided they wanted to be a pillow.



I made this purse using the left overs from the clutches above.

So why are these pillows called brick pillows? I used fabric scraps to stuff them. An awesome way to use every last piece of fabric. The only problem is that it makes the pillows heavy. They are still pretty comfy (though I wouldn't use them to sleep on all night).

Well, I feel that I have taken up enough of your time for today. To show you how much I appreciate you sticking through this long post, I am going to be posting a giveaway on Thursday.

Hope you had an awesome first half of the week!

Playing with Plastic and A Favorite Blog

Ok, I have to tell you that one of my favorite blogs is Just Jingle. Jennifer just cracks me up! Aside from being hilarious, she is a great source of inspiration. Every time I visit her site, I find something new to try out.

My last visit lead me to playing with plastic. And a hot iron. Together.

Someone out there is probably cringing at the thought of putting their iron on plastic, but that is just what I did.

A very important tip: Use parchment paper in between your iron and the plastic, and everything will be ok (no, I did not put my iron right on the plastic, but you just never know).

Do you doubt me? Check out what happened at our house. (Not that they look all that different, but I have front and back pics of each 'sheet' we made)

Attempt number 1: Grocery store bags and take out food bags (I am in the mood for Applebees all of a sudden...) (edited 3-14-10: We did end up eating at Applebees the night I posted this!)


Attempt number 2: Just grocery bags, but that reminds me, I was suppose to go to Wally world today. Oops.


Attempt number 3: See below.

Attempt number 4: This sheet was made using a blue garment bag like you get when you buy a dress or suit at one of the bigger department stores.


Attempt number 5: This is kinda my favorite, can you guess why (see hippie comment below)?


Well, the process was simple (after I made a stop at this site).

I made a few sheets of fused plastic, then stopped. Why? Well, being the earth conscious hippie that a few of my friends have started to call me (and I love), I stopped using plastic grocery bags and started making my own. What does that mean? I don't have a lot of plastic bags in the house. I will now be saving all my bread bags, produce bags, and clean used ziplock bags. I wonder if I can use chip bags...

Anyway, I did manage to make two things already using my new plastic sheets (Attempt number 3).

A little story behind the sheet of plastic we made and used for these two items (I of course forgot to take pictures of the sheet before I made it into something).

So, the story. As I was screwing up the first attempt (I managed to majorly shrink the plastic because I think my iron was either to hot, or I left it in one spot for too long). Anyway, as Emma was watching me mess up and listening to me complain that some of the layers were not sticking together, she offered some advice, "Maybe if we use some glue, or glitter glue..."

I did happen to have one of those clear garment bags that you get when you pick your clothes up from the dry cleaners as well as a few other clear bags. And what house with kids would ever be complete without glitter? So Emma's advice set off a fun light bulb and the result was this plastic which made these fun and functional bags:

Bag #1 - The clutch (I think that is what it would be called, but I really have no idea...) I am not a big fan of carrying around my wallet and such in a clear bag, so I used a scrap piece of hot pink satin to line this bag. It took me a while to decide on how to close this bag. I thought velcro might look tacky, so I decided to try a button. The button makes me a little nervous because it is after all plastic. I was worried that the button hole would just keep ripping, so I sewed a button hole (which I kinda suck at and have never really figured out how to use the button hole feature on my sewing machine). The pictures are not the best, but you can see the glitter.



I wanted to try making a bag with a zipper (zippers and button holes are kinda in the same category for me). I know there has to be an easier way to sew a zipper on, and I will one day look into it, but I was to lazy to do that today so I just made it work. Emma tested the zipper out for me so I figure it will hold just fine.



I was kinda excited with the zipper bag. I thought to myself, "This will make an awesome make-up bag!"


Then I realized that I only use my make up maybe once a year (except the mascara; that I use about 5 or 6 times a year). Not really worthy of such a cool bag. So, back to the original bag they went.


I already have my first request for a bigger bag. Emma is always looking for a way to coral her massive and every expanding herd of horses and ponies...



I did learn today that she has different herds of horses, and some horses can not be in a different horses herd. The things I learn...