It was one of those kind of nights....

So last night, I decide that gosh darn it, I am going to make something for myself. I've been wanting a new purse and was itching to use this lovely green fabric that I've been holding on to for quite a while.
Unfortunately the gods of craftiness were not on my side. The first snag in my plan was that my daughter, who normally has a very reasonable bedtime, refused to go to bed. Now don't get me wrong, this was no normal anti-bedtime fit. Noooo she stayed up 2 whole hours past her bedtime which ate into my precious bag making time and my patience. Finally she went to sleep only to have her little brother wake up crying. After a quick "mommy is here" and a back rub, he fell back asleep. Sadly, by this point I was so frustrated and worn out that all I wanted to do was eat a giant bowl of ice cream and sit on the couch. BUT NO! I rallied myself and started working on my bag, only to find out once again the craft gods were against me.... I didn't have enough iron-on interfacing. Did I let that stop me? NO! I simply went to my pile and pulled out a yard of washed canvas and basted my fabric to that! I could not be stopped. I would not be thwarted in my bag making endeavors. I WOULD PREVAIL!!

Luckily the crafty gods must have thought I was worthy because the rest of the bag went without a hitch.

Mostly I'm proud of it because I made it all by myself. No pattern, no book, no tutorial or instructions. I just used what I've learned and put it together on my own.

There's a certain kind of pride in that.

I have been doing something.

Not a lot but something...Putting together fabrics for a softee turtle from Bend the Rules Sewing AND cutting out the pattern pieces.

Trying to decide which would make a better lining for the brown corduroy.

Deciding between these darling prints, I like them both so much.

And thinking of what I should do with these. I've been "visiting" them at Hancock's for a while now but they finally went on sale for less than $3 a yard. I just had to buy them but I have no idea what to do with them.

So see I've been working hard.
Yep, really, really hard.
All this fabric can really wear a girl out.

A picture's worth a thousand words......

(One of the joys of being married to a photographer....all moments are documented)

So sadly, this is how I've been feeling lately, completely pooped.

But with this new school year (Maisy started Kindergarten. Woo Hoo!) I've decided to make some new resolutions.

1. I'm going to be nicer to myself. I've been really mean to myself lately and I've decided to stop. There's enough crap in this world without me making snarky comments about the size of my fat girl arms. Seriously when they are unleashed, they are a truly frightening sight. (damn, okay, last one I swear. )

2. Possibly blog more. I know I don't say all that much or anything terribly deep but I feel better when I write, I feel more connected to a community of interesting, creative, smart women and well, that's important.

3. Exercise more and eat more fruits and veggies. And I'll just let it be known that I have to get up at 5:20am to exercise. *Insert sympathy here * I swear, there's nothing like having to wear a bridesmaid's dress to motivate a girl.

Okay, that's enough for now. I don't want to get carried away and trust me, I could. Lately so many things have been weighing heavily on my mind that I decided it was time to focus. So thanks for listening and think kindly of me at 5:20am.

See, I told you so.....

*Dang art time! You are the destroyer of all shirts!!!!
(heehee, actually it all washed out. Anyways that's why I embroider cheap t-shirts, they're so easy to replace. )

One more quick picture

okay, here's one of my quick vacation projects snapped right before the girl went to school. I knew if I didn't get a picture right then I'd never get one with out a stain.

I'm trying to get excited about embroidery again and I sort of am..... I still love the end result but I'm just kind of bored with the process. Oh, well, maybe it's because embroidery is my winter project. The ones I work on when the craft room is too cold for sewing and I can curl up with a blanket, my needle & thread and just veg out to some tv. Geez, with all this horrible hot weather, winter is starting to sound really good about now.

whew, I'm back.

Okay, first things first, Please forgive the hasty and slightly crappy photos below. It was one of those times when you worked hard on gifts but finished them last minute and barely remembered to snap a photo before you gave them away. It's just crazy how I've become so insistent on documenting all of my work. ( my high school math teacher would be so proud) So here are two of the projects I've been working on.....

Appliquéing on bath towels is my new addiction. It's really easy, the terry cloth is very forgiving and you don't even have to use Wonder-under to keep everything in place. This is the second set of towels I've made and I'm still not sure how well they hold up to everyday use. But they would also be cute just as decoration.

I really wish I had gotten a better picture of this pencil roll. I'm actually pretty proud of it. It's a combination of Lori's pencil roll pattern and the color coordination from Pink Chalk Studios. It was one of those tricky homemade gifts for a man, I just never know if it's going to be seen as lame or truly appreciated. Luckily, I think my friend really liked it or at least he was nice enough to pretend he did.


Well, it sure feels good to be back. We went on an extended family vacation that was a wonderful time beginning to end. But I sure am happy to be home, especially since I cleaned the whole house before we left and I don't have to do anything this weekend. woo hoo.