Polka dot bag and clutch

A purse and a clutch from the book, "modern bags".  I made this bag and clutch as a Christmas gift.  The flower was easy to make and along with the leather cording, made the bag unique.  This book is full of great bag patterns and is a great investment....I haven't made one from the book that I didn't like yet.

Mario time!

My oldest son celebrated his 4th birthday a few weeks ago and loved his mario themed birthday party.  I crocheted him a mario star and mushroom as a gift.  There are many mario crochet patterns free on the internet but most are more advanced so I decided to tackle the simpler designs.  My husband found a tutorial for a question mark pinata at joyfulwhimsey.wordpress.com.  It was time consuming but unique and fun for the kids to use at the party.  I made a mario hat for the birthday boy and everyone got a chance to wear it when it was their turn to punch the pinata.  Finally,  the mario cupcake cake...I wanted something different than a sheet cake and found this idea at cuteasafox.com. It took some time to create but we were happy with the results!

Jewelry organzier and dangle earrings

This gift was made for my mother-in-law's birthday.  The jewelry organizer was made from a pattern from the book, "One Yard Wonders".  The only change I made was adding a ring holder instead of the ribbon for earrings as suggested.  There are two zipper pockets for storage and the entire organizer rolls up into a compact travel case.  The earrings are simple to make using your beads of choice and some headpins.

Button magnets

A quick project with a practical result...button magnets.  These are incredibly easy to make with just a few supplies.  Simply purchase self cover buttons and round magnets to fit the back.  After covering the buttons with scrap material you have  in your scrap pile either cut off or flatten the metal loop on the back.  Attach the magnet to the back with hot glue and you have some great magnets to start putting to use right away~

Clutches

I recently received a new sewing book entitled, "Bags, the modern classics" by Sue Kim.  I stitched up these two clutches using the patterns from this book.  I am in love with the patterns in this book.  The styles, as stated, are modern...but also unique and easy to create.  I used home decor fabric in both clutches to provide the most stability.  If you enjoy sewing bags for yourself or as gifts this book is a great investment.

Happy 1st birthday!

My little guy recently celebrated his first birthday and I wanted to make the day really special so I searched the web for ideas and party planning tips.  I found a great tutorial for a mini coloring tote at lbg-studio.com.  I also came across the idea to fill a fun plastic cup with treats and curly straws.  Since I was using primary colors in my party theme I used these crayola cups and stuffed them with the crayon tote, rainbow twizzlers, curly straws, and some glow sticks.  I also used some to create a candy bar where the older kids could grab a colored bag and fill it with candy.  Both ideas are easy to create and tailor to fit your party and guests. 

Fall housewarming gifts

Our friends recently bought their first home and with it being the fall season I decided to create a fall housewarming gift.  I bought some festive fall fabric to make a pleated ruffle apron and some potholders.  I also found a simple pumpkin coaster pattern at crochetbymonet.blogspot.com and made a set of these unique coasters. 

Simple beaded earrings

About a year ago, a coworker gave me a handmade beaded bracelet that I love.  It is beautiful and unique.  So after all that time of admiring her work I decided to try some simple jewelry making for myself.  I decided to start with earrings and hope to expand my skills from there.  These are very simple designs using beads and a headpin.  This is a very rewarding and affordable project for anyone to try.  Check back for jewelry tutorials to come!

Wedding quilt and plaque

My sister-in-law was married this August.  As part of the couple's wedding gift I wanted them to have something special they could keep throughout their marriage.  I decided to make this quilt incorporating a color that the bride loves...green!  From there I decided to find earth tone colors that consisted of natural looking prints.  One of the fabrics I found for this quilt was created to look like tree bark which was perfect for the natural feel of this quilt.  The tutorial for this quilt can be found at modabakeshop.com and it is titled the happy weekender quilt.  I appliqued their initials at the bottom of the quilt to personalize it further.  My cricut came in handy once again!  The wooden plaque pictured with the quilt was made by my dad.  I don't know much about woodworking but thought the plaque complimented the quilt perfectly.  To see more of my dad's work you can visit his blog at cwhatisaw.blogspot.com. 

Bridesmaid gifts

My sister-in-law so thoughtfully asked me to make bridesmaid gifts for her wedding and I happily agreed! The pattern for this phoebe bag yields one very functional purse.  There is an interior pocket and and a magnetic flap closure.  It is the perfect size for everyday use and I have found myself making more and more of these for countless reasons.  The free pattern can be found at artsycraftybabe.typepad.com...just look for the "phoebe bag tutorial".  As with most projects you always seem to have scraps of fabric left over so I decided to accessorize the purses with a tissue cozy and these change wallets.  The tutorial for the wallets can be found at thimbleanna.com.  Though hard to see all the details there is a vinyl pocket for your id to be carried and an elastic pocket on the back.  The zipper opens to a large main pocket to carry any goodies you want.  Lastly, there is a metal clasp so the entire wallet can be attached to your keys.  Two great tutorials which yield a cute purse and wallet set.