artsy-crafty babe

off on an adventure...

Things will be quiet around here while I go gallivanting off to California.  AGGGHHHH!!!   I'm both excited and freaked out at the same time.  I know that things will be fine, but this is the first time I've been away from my babies.  ever.  for 7 whole days!

Because I didn't already have enough to do to prepare for this trip, I decided to make myself a new bag, my travel bag.  I decided to use my pleated tote pattern because I wanted something big, big enough to carry purse stuff along with a little knitting and a few magazines. 

I did a few things different this time around, and I'm quite pleased.  On the pleats, I stitched them down about 2" from the top of the bag.  I think this gives it a more tailored, finished look.  I also made my straps differently, using this tutorial as a guide.

While I'm on the topic of the pleated tote, have you checked out the flickr group?  There are some wonderful versions out there.  I'm so impressed!  Just a note about the pattern instructions, they're misnumbered, I seem to have left out a few numbers.  Oops.  All the steps are there, I just don't know how to count.  I need to correct that, but haven't gotten around to it.

Enjoy your week, friends!  I'll check in when I get back home.

oh baby!

Remember that stack of fabrics I was going to play with a while back?  This is what it became.  Oodles of baby "stuff".  My friend asked me if I'd make some bib & burp cloth sets for her friend, who she was throwing a shower for.  Her plan was to hang the bibs & burp cloths on clotheslines to use as shower decorations, decorations she could take home and use.

Of course, I suggested that I make some appliqued onesies to match.

And for good measure, I made a bunting to go along.  How fun! 

If you want a better look at each bib & burp cloth set and onesie, I created a flickr set.

uh-oh

Look what I've been doing!  All I can say is "WOW", why haven't I tried this sooner?  Knitting is FUN!

Way back when I started this blog, I remember being totally turned off by knitting blogs.  In fact, here's my direct quote from August 11, 2005:

"And what’s with all the knitting? Gosh, I never realized how many people knit. Honestly, I have no desire to know how to knit. I just don’t get it. I think it’s too hot and humid down here to knit. Just thinking about it makes me sweat. Okay, now that I'm offended the knitters out there and sworn it off I'll probably end up being an avid knitter by this time next year."

Hmm, imagine that.  No, I'm not an avid knitter and my transformation didn't happen by the end of the year, but almost 2 years later, here I am, knitting. 

This journey started in the fall of 2005 when I had to go to a little yarn shop to buy supplies for my back-tack partner because knitting was something she wanted to try.  That place was so amazing.  It was at that point that I realized how people can get so into yarn.  There was eye candy all over the place.  This particular shop is a little cottage, converted into a shop, so homey and cute.  There were shelves full of yarn all over the place.  There was a table in one of the rooms where women were knitting.  They even had free classes on Wednesdays.  I made a mental note to go back one day to take a class, but a lot has happened since the fall of 2005 and I never made it.

So here I am today, in a sewing rut, with an upcoming business trip out to Ca. for a week.  This seems like the perfect time to learn to knit, since I'll have plane rides and evenings in a boring hotel room all to myself.  I decided to go back to that cute little shop to buy some beginner supplies so that I could get started.  The lady wouldn't let me leave the store until I learned how to cast on and do a knit stitch, LOL!  After that, I watched a few videos on-line and figured out how to purl and bind off.  I think I'm set, for a brand new beginner.  I have no idea what I'll make, probably just squares or a scarf for now, but once I get the hang of this, watch out!

Oh my, this is a whole new world!  I had better make some new purses for my etsy shop pronto, because I need some moolah to buy me some YARN!

something pretty

Isn't this sweet?  Last week I made this little "pillowcase" style dress for my friend Erica's baby girl, Kate.  Erica picked out the fabric and ribbon, I just did the sewing.  It's amazing how something so simple can turn out so lovely.  If I weren't afraid of my new-to-me serger I could have finished it in no time, but I chose to do french seams instead.  The inside is as lovely as the outside.  I love that!  I'm quite certain there will be more of these in my future.  I could use them to practice my serging (when I decide to take it out of the box).

Thank you all for your nice comments and words of encouragement on my previous post.  I promise I wasn't fishing for comments or compliments, I was just being honest.  These are the thoughts that run through my head, along with a lot of other stuff.  I'm moving on now, just getting it out there is therapeutic for me.

*sigh*

I couldn't come up with a good title today, but big a *sigh* seems appropriate.  No, nothing is wrong, just kind of "bleh".  As wonderful as this whole blogging experience has been, there are times when I get so very overwhelmed by it all.  Really, I'm happier now than I ever have been in my life, much due to blogging, getting in touch with my creative side, and making connections with other creative people.  I often feel like so much is going in the right direction, like I'm making baby steps to reaching my goal of being able to do what I love, but then I wake up, come back to earth, take a look around and begin to doubt myself.  I'm sure this is the little insecure person inside me talking, but I hate feeling like this.  There is the constant conflict between "yippie, inspiration, beautiful stuff, rainbows, sunshine, unicorns" versus "who do you think you are? what makes you think you're so great?". *sigh* I'm sure it would help if I didn't compare myself to others. There, I said it. I know this isn't healty. I try not to do it, but sometimes I can't help myself.  *sigh*

I'll work thourgh this, it's just a personal problem, one that will pass soon enough.

what's going on

Even though the heat and humidity has been insane, we still manage to get outside for some playtime in the evening.  It's my favorite time of day, actually.

   

I usually putter around the yard while the kids play on the swing set.

Ava loves to explore EVERYTHING!  At least she is no longer eating rocks, though she does still sample the grass from time to time.  Did I mention she's walking?  She started walking for good about a month ago.

The kids love for me to catch creatures for them.  I'll catch lizards, toads, dragon flies, crickets, but I draw the line at garden snakes.  No way.  Have you ever seen a toad so tiny?  I keep seeing these all over my flower beds.

Sidewalk chalk has been providing us with lots of entertainment. 

That's Lily drawing a pond.  I like her cat tails.

The other day we had the whole driveway covered.  Above is a Fleebah, Alex's imaginary people.  He told me how to draw one.  When we were on vacation, he kept finding Fleebahs on the beach and putting them in my pocket.  Fleebahs must like the beach.

Lily's been keeping the tooth fairy quite busy.  She lost both teeth week apart.

I'm very happy to report that my mom is finally home.  It's been about 3 months since her accident.  It's been a long road from the hospital, to a nursing home, then to a rehab facility.  Now that she's home she still has 6 weeks of outpatient therapy 5 times a week.  She is able to walk with a walker and can do for herself, though she gets very worn out doing so.  She's made it this far, I know she can do it.  We plan to visit her this weekend.  We all miss her and I'm sure she misses us.  Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

q & a

Thank you all for such great questions!  Some of them really made me think.  Okay, now for the answers - I think I got all the questions asked, if I missed one, let me know and I'll answer it in the comments.  If you have a few hours to kill, read on.

Sewing/Crafting

1. Other than your sewing machine, what is your favorite, couldn't-craft-without-it sewing tool?  Hmm, there are so many.  I definitely couldn’t do without my various rulers and my trusty seam ripper.
2. What kind of sewing machine do you have and do you have a serger? I have three sewing machines – a Singer (bottom of the line), a EuroPro Craft-n-Sew(also cheap), a Riccar industrial machine, and I recently inherited a Juki serger, but I’m still afraid of that.
3. How did you learn how to sew? Did you teach yourself? I remember watching my grandma sew, but I’ve never had a lesson or had someone sit down at a sewing machine with me to show me how to do anything.  I guess you can say that I’m self-taught.
4. How often do you change your needle (say you were working with just one fabric weight...is that possible?) I change my needle quite frequently.  When I sew clothing, I’ll change my needle after each garment.  For bags, I’ll change it after I’ve sewn a few.
5. What I would like to know is what would you definitely NOT try to sew? The first thing that comes to mind is stage curtains.  My husband wanted me to make some for his school, um, no thank you.  I won’t sew clothing for other people either, well other than my kiddos.
6. How do you approach designing something new?  Most of my designs start with inspiration from something – a detail on a little girl’s dress, an element I saw on a bag in a catalog, something.  I keep a sketchbook near by to keep all my ideas.  When I get the urge to make something new I’ll sketch it out or jot down what's on my mind.  If I’m making a purse I’ll then start working on a paper pattern.  Sometimes it takes me 3 or 4 tries before I start working with fabric.  I hate to waste fabric!   Then I make it up.  I generally make 2-3 versions before I’m happy with something.
7. Have you ever thought of venturing off into the realm of sewing your own swimsuits?  I briefly thought about making myself a skirted bottom right before vacation because I couldn’t find one, but other than that, no.
8. Have you always been an artsy-crafty babe?  I've been crafting and making things for as long as I can remember, since I was a little kid.
9. Do you craft with people locally, or is your "craft group" basically everyone online? I wish!  I’d love to have a local craft group.  So, if there’s anyone reading in the greater Baton Rouge area and want to start a group, let me know!!
10. When do you start [knitting]? Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll take up knitting.  All the beautiful yarns I see out in blogland are seriously tempting me!

Personal

1. What's your very earliest childhood memory? What really freaked you out and stuck with you to this day, as a child?  My earliest childhood memory is watching cartoons with my mom while eating toast and drinking coffee-milk.  I can remember the place we lived at the time, so I must have been around 2-3.  From the same time period I remember being freaked out by my bunk beds.  To this day I don’t like sleeping on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed.
2. What was your #1 most embarrassing moment during your teen years?  I don’t really remember any embarrassing moments, but I do remember being super embarrassed about having to drive around my grandmothers big ole brown 1984 Cadillac Sedan DeVille.  That thing was a barge!
3. What did you want to be when you grew up? What do you want to be when you grow up? :) I have a letter that I wrote to myself when I was in 8^th grade where I said that I wanted to “make stuff and live in a cute apartment” when I grew up.  When I was in high school I said that I wanted to be a lawyer, but once I got to college I changed my tune.  I wanted to go into interior design or architecture, but I was too chicken.  I’m still not exactly sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I know that I still want to “make stuff”.  Through having my blog I have learned that I really enjoy the design process of making projects.
4. What is it you do for your full-time not mommy job? and what was your major in college? I work in the IT field (Information Technology - boring computer stuff).  In college I majored in Art History.  You see the connection, right?
5. I'd like to know how you met your husband! Tell us the story.  We were introduced in passing by his sister at a softball game.  At the time, me and my boyfriend would hang out with her and her boyfriend.  Fast forward a year or so – I was a freshman in college, dancing the night away at the Varsity.  I happen to see Matt there and I remembered who he was.  Since I had a few beers in me (back then the drinking age in La.was 18, so it was legal), I had the nerve to go up to him and ask, “aren’t you Lori’s brother?” I don’t even think I knew his name.  We talked and danced, and at the end of the night he asked for my phone number.  At this point we had both had many beers, so I thought there was no way he’d remember my number, so I told him.  Much to my surprise, he remembered it.  It took a few dates before I liked him, but after about two months, I wrote in my diary that I would marry him one day.  We married almost 4 years later.
6. How did your marriage proposal take place?  My husband proposed at a park under a huge oak tree on the 4^th of July.  He got down on one knee after I had spent that last hour talking about how we’d never get married because he didn’t have a job, blah blah blah.  Yes, I was surprised.

7. When do you sleep? I don’t.  I get by on 5-6 hours a night.  By Thursday I'm dragging big time!  I try to catch up on weekends.

8. How do you fit it all in/do it all?  Believe me, I don’t!  We eat a lot of quick easy meals (or take out), I’m rarely caught up on my laundry and my house is never as clean as I’d like it to be.  Sometimes things are terribly out of whack, but most of the time things balance out.  I honestly don’t know stay at home moms do it.  I get way more accomplished while I’m working than when I have time off.  I think working forces me to be more efficient in everything that I do.  My time is a very precious commodity!

9. Who are a few artists/crafters that have been inspiring you lately? Right now I’m, enjoying Pink Lemonade Boutique, a recent find.  I really like her style.  I always look forward to seeing Sulu Designs ear rings, which are super fabulous.  And last but not least is Joel Dewberry’s line of fabric, my heart started racing when I first laid eyes on it, seriously!

Blogging

1. Does anyone in your real life know about your blog and do they read it?  Yeah, people in my real life know about my blog, but very few read it, not even my husband unless I specifically tell him to read a post.  They’re just not interested.  Most people I know don’t get the whole blog thing. 
2. How much time do you spend a day blogging? Oh gosh, I have no idea!   I spend bits of time through out the day, (before work, after work, before bed) but over all I’d say a couple of hours (is it really that much?).  Of course there are those days when I get totally lost in blogs and spend hours and days where I don’t even turn on the computer.  If it weren’t for Bloglines, I couldn’t do it, really.  There’s no way I could keep up.
3. Just what do you like least about blogging? The guilt I feel about not being to comment on and read all the blogs of those who visit.
4. What, or who, inspired you to start your blog? The first blogs I read were mommy blogs, then I came across a few craft blogs and wanted to join in the fun.  I’m pretty sure the first craft related blog I ever read was ljcfyi, but the first craft blog that ever clicked for me was Soulemama.
5. Do you find typepad worth paying to $50 bucks a year?  I started blogging with Blogger, and comparing the two, I like Typepad better.  I don’t like paying for it, but I think it's worth it.
6. What kind of camera do you use? Did you take any classes on photography...or how did you improve? First off, my photography is not that great!  I don’t have a fancy camera, it’s a Canon PowerShot SD450.  I’ve never taken a photography class, though I’d like to.  What has helped me improve is learning about what my camera can do, and how to do it (read that manual!) as well as looking at photography that I admire.
7. What's the biggest lesson you've learned to taking good photos. I guess reading your camera’s manual.  I've attempted to read stuff on the internet about taking good pictures, but it bores me to death!  Also, you need to pay attention to everything that is in your view.  I think my better pictures are those where I’ve gotten closer to the subject that I think I should.  I think my "product" shots still suck big time.  I need to work on taking better pictures of my bags. 

Random

1. What are three things you must have in your bag when you go out? Credit card/money, lip gloss, and my cell phone.
2. What would you do if you received $500,000 (tax free) and *had* to spent one-half on yourself and give the other half away.  For my half, I’d spend the money paying off all my debts – house, car, student loans, then with whatever is left I'd use to take a trip.  For the other half, I’d give it to my church.
3. If you could spend the day with anyone living or deceased who would it be?  This was the hardest question for me to answer.  I wanted to choose some famous person who was inspirational and profound, but I came up with nothing.  If I could choose anyone, it would be my grandfather.  He played a big role in my life, a bigger role than I ever realized.  He passed away 8 or 9 years ago.  I wish that I could spend time with him now, to tell him about his great-grand children, my life today, and thank him for all that he ever did for me.
4. Do you remember your dreams, and if you do, have you ever been inspired to do or make something because of a dream? I do frequently remember my dreams, but I don’t recall being inspired by them.  The last dream I vividly remember was about aliens destroying the earth, then I dreamt that alligators were chasing my family.  Yeah, I’m having a little anxiety about an upcoming business trip to the west coast that I’m taking alone!
5. If you wanted to totally jam out (exercise, dance or just at home Risky Business-style) what three (or more if you'd like...) songs would you want to hear? "Holiday" by Madonna, "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani, "London Bridge" by Fergie and "Give it To Me" by Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake.
6. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be, with whom and why? I would love to go to Greece, to visit the ancient ruins, with Matt, of course.  I can’t think of anyone other than him I’d want to share that with.
7. Have you ever had a stalker? Hee hee, I don’t think so.
8. How, exactly, did you get so fabulous?  Me, fabulous?  Yeah, right!  I’m just a mom who likes to make things.

And now what you've all been waiting for - the drawing.  I used a random number generator to select a number between 1 and 52, and the winner is comment #46, Erin S.  Congrats Erin!!  I'll get something off to you soon!

 

new bags

After a failed attempt at something weird I was trying out, I arrived at this.  A simple, medium sized shoulder bag.

I tried a new type of strap, used different interfacing, and added a flap closure.  This is where I worked out the size and shape of the body of the bag.

Then I arrived at this.  Unlike my other pleated bags, this one has pleats on the outer pocket.  Yep, that's a pocket there, trimmed in red bias tape.

The idea is not my own.  I saw a little clutch while on vacation with this type of thing, but it was different.  I immediately gravitated towards it because of the pleats.  I have a thing for pleats, ya know. 

To spruce it up, I sewed buttons in various shades of reds, pinks, and oranges to the center of all those little daisies.  Cute?  I think so.  I was worried that it might be too much, but I think it's just right.

I still have a bit of tweaking to do, but so far I'm happy with this latest pleated bag.  I'm so happy with it that I might just feel like making some to put in my little neglected etsy shop!

2 years

For the second year in a row I missed my blog anniversary.  Am I alone in thinking that the word "blogiversary" is a really stupid word?  I could get all mushy about what this blog and all of you mean to me, but I'm not a mushy kind of person, and I've already done that.  What I said last year still holds true.  Thank you!

To mark this occasion, I'm going to open myself up for questions  Ask away, anything you want to know (well, I suppose there are some boundaries, hee hee!).  Then, in a few days I'll do a post answering questions and do a drawing for something.  I'm not sure what, and I can't promise timeliness, but it will be handmade by moi.

Honestly, I've talked about myself so much I'm sure there isn't much that you already don't know!  I'm very interested to see what you come up with.  I really do cringe when I go back and read my early blog entries.  So much of my early blogging is bad, really bad, with horrible photography - so if you decide to go back to my old archives, you've been warned!!

P.S. All my ripping and re-thinking paid off, I have some good stuff to show you tomorrow!!

rippin' & sippin'

Things have not been going so great on the crafting front lately.  This is mostly because I'm trying new things.  New things that aren't working and are causing me and my seam ripper to become BFF's .  That's what I get for trying to combine too many new things at once - new design, new interfacing method, and just plain not thinking things through.  Yeah, I rock.  What I want right now is to make something that I know will work.  All this not working is making me want to not work.  This is bag month for crying out loud, I NEED to make a bag!  I think I need to chill out.  TGIF!!!

Have a great weekend, all!