how much stuff do I think people have to carry?

Yes, I finished more tote bags this weekend! This black twill was bought for a tote bag for me back when I took the bus to work and hated carrying a lunch bag AND a purse. I only needed about 1/2 metre of fabric, but it was buy 1 get 2 free, so I have a whole lot of it left. It's super sturdy, though, and I tried to jazz it up with some different fabrics on top. I also made a couple of smaller purses, mostly to use up some smaller pieces of fabric. And I'm totally hooked on keychains, these are some fabric ones, but I've also got some cute wood ones on the go.
Julia got her bags! I hope they last a looonng time!


My next goal is to learn silkscreening. I bought a kit last weekend, I just have to figure it out. I'd love to have a better way for decorating my bags, stenciling can get pretty tedious.

totes are us

There was more stash-busting fun last weekend! Julia ordered 2 tote bags from me, so I thought I'd use the opportunity to use up some denim. Hers are a surprise, so I won't put up pictures until she gets them, but here are the rest. I also realized that I have a ridiculous stash of ribbon as well as fabric, so I tried to use some of that up, too.

I also made myself a laptop bag. Now that I'm needing more computer time, Chris has let me use his laptop, but his bag is hideous and huge! I needed something cute, you know, just in case I need to take it somewhere.

I made a couple of other things, too, but they're all gifts so they'll have to wait!

I'm also working on my product photography, and I'd love some feedback! My makeshift lightbox seems to work well sometimes, and I've been working at altering the brightness and contrast a bit for the times it doesn't.

A stash-busting rampage!

So Friday night I pulled ALL my fabric out of the dresser and spread it all over my cutting table. The time had come to KILL my fabric stash, and I finally got some momentum. I started with the napkins from Value Village, moved on to some tea towels from Wicker Emporium (bought on sale because the pattern was so cool, but sat in the closet for 2 years!), then finished off the tan ripstop (still have lots of blue!), and finally killed any ideas of making a lampshade from the blue flowered brocade.
I also got tired of searching around my sewing room for my pincusion with a mouthful of pins (I know Mom knows what I'm talking about!). So, I made 2 pincushions, one for the sewing table and one for the cutting table. When the one on the cutting table gets empty, I'll switch them. Genius! Also, a great use for the little 5" squares of fabric that I can't seem to throw out. (Note to self: need to kill that tan cordouroy, I hate working with it!)
It's a little sad to retire my old pincushion, one of the first things I made. Does anyone remember when this sun and stars fabric was popular? I'm thinking about 1994. I remember there was a girl at my highschool who had pants made out of it, so I got Mom to make me a jacket with it (which was so cool! I have to find it, I think it's in the closet in Merrickville). I think Gill had something in her bedroom made out of it, pillow cases maybe? I lined my sewing basket with it and made this pincushion. Anyways, the basket was thrown out years ago, and I think I'm over the pattern now, so it's time for retirement :)
I also finally finished these coasters that have been sitting on my workbench for months, just begging to be polyurethaned. You know, because coasters can talk.
I finally learned to use my router yesterday! It's a lot easier than I thought, and will be even easier once I get the right bit that I need.
It's so hard to come back to work Monday morning after a weekend full of momentum. Maybe I'll sew something tonight (right!) :)

a day in the life

Here's a pretty typical Saturday in my world - in pictures.

I woke up and went to my freelance bookkeeping job. I didn't take any pictures, because I'm sure my clients wouldn't like their financial statements up here for all to see.

I got home around 1:00 PM, and had lunch. Mmm, leftover couscous and re-heated coffee from breakfast.

Then, because we got our wedding pictures this week, and I can't stop looking at them, I looked at them again.

But! I actually have things to accomplish today. Like going to the bottle exchange with all these bottles.

I said, "Maui, let's get in the car!" so she went and lay down in the grass.

While I was waiting for her, I noticed that our lilies have bloomed.

She finally got in the car, so I took her picture. She's saying "Let's get going mum! We've got bottles to return!"

(Notice how quickly a day in my life evolves into a day in Maui's life? It's just because it's easier to take her picture than to take my own!)

Since I didn't go to town after work on Friday as planned, I thought it best if I went to the bank in Hunter River to deposit my paycheque to avoid going into overdraft (too late!).

Since the bank is right across the road from the Confederation Trail, I thought we'd go for a little hike.


Maui loves this babbling brook. Too bad it's a pretty big drop.

"Can't I go in?"
For good measure, here's a video of the brook, just so you get the full experience of the babbling.

Time for a drink and a self portrait!

When we got back to the car, this strange dog came up to us and tried to jump in the back with Maui. I tried to tell him to go home, but he just kept trying to get in the car. When I tried to leave, he jumped in the front seat.

I didn't want to just leave him there, so I put him on my leash and walked to the nearest house. They had a backyard with a fence, so I thought maybe he got out. Then this chocolate lab starts barking like crazy and trying to get under the fence, so I'm thinking they aren't friends. I went to the door, but the woman who lived there didn't know the dog. She put her dog inside and put this strange dog in the yard, and I went to the gas station down the road to see if anyone was missing a dog. The man at the station asked what it looked like, and when I described it he sighed and said it was "Hunter River's dog." Apparently it wanders a lot, and goes up on people's porches and tries to get in their houses. He said it does live somewhere nearby, so I should leave it and it'll find it's way home. I didn't feel good about it, but when I got back to the house with the fence, it had somehow found a way out of the yard and was already gone. Talk about drama!

Home again, and time for a snack!

My new favorite thing to make (now that I have a mini food processor) is dip. This one's cream cheese, sour cream, feta and garlic. We made the same one the other day but added roasted red peppers, and it was a big hit.

Just as I was sitting down for my snack, a crazy storm came rolling in.

The power kept going out, and thus the satellite as well.

Forget patience, I just want to watch Tori and Dean: Inn Love!

It died down for a bit, and I took a shower (I'm nervous about showering during a thunderstorm ever since an ex-boyfriend got electrocuted once). A few minutes after I got out, it started up again, and this time SCARY! The lightning was simultaneous with the thunder, and it was that crazy loud thunder that sounds like the house is crashing in. I was Blair Witch Project-scared.

Once I was pretty sure the power was back for good, I made dinner.

The pot on the right looks like baked beans, but it's actually toasted pine nuts in an olive oil/honey/curry sauce. I copied it from an Italian restaurant in Charlottetown, and it's so easy to make! Mix together with egg noodles and sauted red, yellow and green peppers, and you get my new favorite comfort food!

Then I dug out a shirt that I started ---3 years ago--- to work on. I love this fabric, and every time I see it in the closet I think, "Why haven't I finished that shirt?" But I never work on it. Well, last night I finished it!

Yes, I have another one the exact same but green. I meant for this one to be different, but it didn't work out.

Then it was time for some couch time. I got out my knitting and started watching The Cider House Rules, and I got through the first hour and a half before I noticed it wasn't over until 1:00.

No way was I going to make it through that, so I went to bed. Anyone know how it ends?

The rain finished, but there was lightning in the distance all night. I tried to take a picture, but have you ever tried to photograph lightning? Impossible!

So, that's my day in pictures! Pretty uneventful, really, but that's pretty much the story of my life, and I like it that way (minus the scariness). Oh yeah, and normally Chris is there, but he was away for the weekend, so it was just me and my girl Maui.

my dress lives on!

As Mom will attest to, I only had virtual scraps left over from my dress. I loved the fabric so much, though, that I wanted to make something of it that's not hanging in my closet in a garnment bag. (Who are we kidding, it hasn't been dry cleaned yet, it's actually hanging exactly where I left it when I took it off. But I plan for it to be in a garnment bag!) Behold, a new purse and card pouch!
Also, keeping in lines with the great de-stashing, I made a couple of shopping bags for sale from some material I bought years ago. I must have bought at least 4 metres, because I've already made a dress, thumbless oven mitts, lined numerous purses, now 2 totes, and I still have a metre left. Why did I buy so much? It was probably on sale :)
The totes come with their own little pouch so you can fold them up and stash them in your purse or glove box, or wherever.

I'm also lovin' Etsy mini over on the side bar! --->
It shows my latest items for sale!

I'm back - with a clearance sale!

EDIT! I'm no longer retiring, but the stash busting is ON, and I'll be changing formats once the current stash is gone.

So, here's what's in my Etsy shop for now, I'll be adding lots more in the coming weeks! Ask me for details on any items, or make me an offer if you think things are ridiculously overpriced.

Etsy Buy Handmade inahandbag

Happy weekend!
m.

cabled purse

After months of planning, I finally got my stuff together and made this purse. It's everything I've ever wanted in a purse - big pockets for my address book and other junk, a cell phone pocket (so I don't try to answer my sewing kit when my phone's ringing), and a key ring so I don't have to dig around for my keys anymore. I'm not sure why I picked out blue zippers, they don't really go, but I didn't want to go back to the fabric store so I used them anyways.

birds on a wire

I've been busy crafting, but not so busy posting!

Here's a stencil on canvas I made for over the bed. I know birds on a wire are kind of overdone, but they're personal to me because we have a flock that's been hanging around the house for the last couple of months.


Here's my new headband, which is Calorimetry from Knitty. I love it soooo much! The yarn is from Gill from last Christmas, but I'm glad I waited for such a good pattern to use it!


I've been working on tons of little flowers! I still have about 30 to go!


Finally, some gifts that have finally arrived!

Slippers for Gill:

Jewels for Julesia!:


I'm hoping to get my dress mostly done this weekend! Gotta go get sewing!

more for meeee

I finally finished my new mittens! AND the very first time I wore them, someone asked me for the pattern! I think that's the sign of a real knitter, when someone wants to copy you :)
(I also tried to make a light box, which didn't really work but at least I got one pretty good picture!)

I also finally made some Fetchings for myself! This is a great pattern, and I should know since this is my 5th pair!


I also made myself another pair of mary jane slippers since my old pair wore through. I think it was because I used cheap yarn, but Mom thinks it's because I like to run to the end of the hall and slide over to the stairs. Either way, I added some leather footprints to the bottom to prevent it from happening again :)

That's all for now! I have made a couple of other things, but they're for gifts so you'll have to wait!

Christmas, finally!

Gill and Grant's package finally arrived! Now you can all see what each other got and compare and fight!
Gill and Grant and Dad got mosaic house numbers. This is my new plan for sellable goods on Etsy:

Gill and Christine got fingerless mittens (Fetching from knitty.com - I just bought yarn to make myself some!), and Grant got the boy version:


Bonnie and Maureen got bath mitts with handmade soap from Moonsnail Soapworks in Charlottetown:

Chris and Christine each got Wilco stencilled t-shirts, but I forgot to take a picture of Chris's. It's grey and blue and asks "you still love rock and roll?"

The Mom got a knitting bag and matching needle/hook holder:


Everyone with pierced ears got earrings! Unfortunately, I had a really hard time photographing them:
So, another Christmas has come and gone, and it's already February! See you in 10 months!