Lunch bag No. 2

I went to the fabric store, and... I've made another lunch bag.

When I went back to the fabric store, they had a few new things in... and I fell in love with one that went perfectly with the red lining I had left over.

I was kind of miffed that they hadn't had it the time before, but I forgave them because this one flew by-- now that I know what I'm doing.

A couple things I wish I had done:

1. sewn the hook enclosure on BEFORE sewing together the enclosure flap and
2. checked to make sure the enclosure was REALLY straight before I started sewing. It's not that it looks terrible, but I know it's crooked, so it is bugging me.

Note: the beautiful orchid that Mr. Cupcake gave me for Valentine's!

{busy, busy}

I've been running all day! But it feels good to have accomplished so much. I finally got around to taking pictures of a few projects-- thank you weather, so expect some new posts soon.

And I made Easter eggs! I tried to use the techniques from the most recent Martha Stewart Living, but it didn't work out quite right... Oh well.

I also made an apple pie-- well... am making. It's in the oven right now, and I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. I kinda ran out of crust, and I didn't feel confident enough to try to expand it on my own. I guess I'll have to wait and see. All that matters is how it tastes!!

The cards pictured at the top were also part of this morning's endeavors. These Easter-- well, more like spring-- cards are just a few hand-cut pieces glued to a Liberty of London card from Target.

I hand drew the flowers, trying to match them to flowers on the cards. Then I cut around the drawings with a craft knife.

I could have saved myself some time and just used a printed drawing, glued to the back and then cut around.

I'm working on a few cards now with bird's nests and eggs. They are pretty cute!

Lunch, anyone?

In one good afternoon, I can do a lot more than in several nights. I had been working on this one in pieces-- cut it out one night, sew a bit another night, iron and topstitch another-- but the other afternoon I had a bit of time off, and I just sat down and did it!

In all actuality, I probably hadn't done much more than on any of the other occasions, but finishing a project just makes me feel as though I've DONE something. And it's a good feeling.

This project was easy-peasy, once I understood the directions. I had been putting it off for a long time, but after a week of grocery bag lunches, I knew I need something more stylish.

This tutorial-- which I got from the Sewing:2010 Day-to-Day Calendar-- came from the wonderful Melissa Esplin at ISLY.

I had a little trouble following some of the tutorial's directions, but everything is simple enough to figure out. One thing I would do, is sew on the hook side of the hook-and-loop closure before sewing together the enclosure pieces.I also used oil cloth for the lining instead of regular cotton; it keeps things clean and was pretty easy to sew!

Also... I'm still not sure how to do the sew together and turn inside out part. I just folded the edges down and then topstitched!

I'm really loving the design though. And the wristlet is great for keeping free hands!

Kahlua Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

That's a mouthful isn't it? But a very delicious one.

The cupcakes are really simple, just a basic chocolate cake recipe-- or a box, if you were in a bind like myself-- with a few tweaks. Instead of water, I substituted some room temperature coffee. I also added a splash, or two or three, of Kahlua!

The icing is a recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor. She calls for six Tablespoons of boiling water, but I also substituted coffee-- this time hot-- here too.

The icing was a bit too melty, perhaps from the gorgeous weather--finally!! I couldn't pipe it very well, but I think it looks just fine. I might go back and add a few chocolate twirls or sprinkles, just for fun!

Today is a friend's birthday, and these are for her party tomorrow! Also, notice the lovely Liberty of London for Target serving tray!!

I had been waiting for weeks for these to come out, and I am so glad I got this piece! I'm almost surprised at how quickly these have sold out, but seeing how cute they are explains it all.

I just can't help myself...

Design*Sponge


I HAD to share this lovely post from Design*Sponge.

I'm so enthralled with this idea. The purpose is to display your "stock" so you know what you have and don't have to hunt around, or buy extras. But I think it's just a lovely way to liven up a craft room.

And I'm a total fabric hoadrer. I picked it up from my grandmother, who had boxes upon boxes of fabric stored away. I just don't want to throw away-- or use up!!!-- anything so gorgeous as my materials!

Perhaps with these I can just keep a small piece of each, display it, and use the rest. Do you think it's possible?

Whoo Hoo!

found myself with a bit of free time today-- during which I probably should have been doing the dishes-- but I got more accomplished in those few hours than I feel like I have in the past few days.

I now have a super cute lunch bag, and I am halfway finished with a friend's birthday present!

Pictures will be coming soon, but I though I'd let you know that I hadn't dropped off the face of the earth!

word of the week: nifty

So... I was blogging yesterday, and the site had a spaz on me, and then... CRASH!! All of yesterday's post went missing in one fell swoop.

After a small fit of rage, I decided to quit, but here I am again to recreate what was lost.

Recovering from a lazy weekend-- and the time change-- is making me a little bleh. So, I've been flipping through my google reader in hope of finding a few things to perk me up. Nearly 700 items!! I didn't know I had been MIA for so long. The weather is again crap, but I found a few nifty things to brighten my-- and your-- day.

Pictured above is a project I'd love to do from Design*Sponge. And I'm loving this three-tiered serving tray video tutorial from Decorityourself.

The wonderful LollyChops is also hosting a craft-a-long week next week and has posted the materials for everyone to get started collecting. I'm super curious to see what she'll be doing!

{thrifted, found and made}

This is going to be a pretty big post to make up for my recent absence. Hopefully, I can get back into a routine soon, but don't fear: the crafting never stops.

I went thrifting today, which was fun for me. I'm using my purchases to display a few new things that I've made. The cake stand is something that I've had for a while, but I bought the bottle this morning and found the mini stand plate in my grandmother's attic.

The rosettes-- oh, how many I've made!-- are a newer, better, I think, version of my older ones. I think the beading is a lot more delicate than the vintage buttons, and, of course, I love the coral.

I wore one to my mother's birthday party this weekend, and I got a lot of compliments-- and it perfectly matched my sweater!

I'm thinking of pulling a page from doe-c-doe's blog and using pin backs to make it into a necklace-- and also a pin! I love things that can work two ways. It's so convenient.

P.S. exciting!!-- let me know what you think of the card designs! I've gotten an Etsy shop, but just haven't set it up. I'm thinking that will be my logo-- and name.

{slow}

'm not sure what it is, but I've been feeling slow. It could be the weather, which seems as if it will never pick up, or it could just be stress, but hopefully my upcoming break will be enough to put me back in a crafty, or even just better, mood.

But all I can think right now is that "If I were a crayon, I would be gray." I really want to be coral though. I got two cute coral tops for spring, and I'm wearing one now with one of my most current necklaces. I thought it would cheer me up a bit, but it's not quite doing the trick.

Anyone got anything cheery to share? Please post!!