MY MAD FOR PLAID BAG

A fellow 'soccer mom' was carrying the cutest bag last week.  I knew that she dabbles in sewing and couldn't help but ask her if she made it.  She did! (I was not surprised one bit, she is very talented).  The pattern came from a book she has and she was kind enough to share it with me.  Isn't she sweet :)   

I used this lovely little bundle of 2 Denyse Schmidt prints (from her JoAnns line) and a simple navy & white dot I got at my local quilt shop.

 

I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

Happy Thursday to all!

Smiles~Beth


ANOTHER PERFECT ZIP POUCH {CHALLENGE}

Whew, I finally finished my project for another of Amy's One Thing, One Week challenges.  Last month I was the lucky winner of the challenge & Amy so graciously sent me this adorable fabric bundle along with a Lapel Stick (love that stuff for zippers!!!).

Photo courtesy of Amy @ Amy's Creative Side

When I saw Amy had posted another challenge I knew right away what to make, a perfect zip pouch (you can see the first one I made & find details for the pattern here).  And I already had the perfect fabric, thanks to Amy.  This green and pink fabric makes for a unique bag.  Although it is the same fabric, it looks like it's different on each side. 

I have the perfect person in mind to give this cute little pouch to and I have no doubt she will appreciate the label I added ;)

You can purchase some of these labels here

Thanks to Amy for helping keep up on my goals!

Linking up to these fabulous blogs:

Finish it Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

A PERFECT ZIP BAG

A good friend of mine celebrated her birthday yesterday.  I wanted to get her a little something but wasn't sure what to get her.  She seems to have everything a girl could ask for... great nails, the most stylish clothes & the most amazing shoes (seriously, she has quite the collection!!).  I thought about getting her a gift card but it just didn't seem personable enough.   Instead I made her a Perfect Zip Bag, pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!

I made Style C in the large size

Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself ;)   I used fabrics from my stash for the patchwork.  There are too many different fabric lines to list but if you want to know the name of one of them feel free to ask in the comments and I will reply back.  The main fabric is Kona Cotton in Medium Grey.

Lining is Cheery Circles from the All Star 2 collection by Riley Blake.

A couple of weeks ago I saw these 'THIS TOOK FOREVER' woven tags over at OCD~Obsessive Crafting Disorder and couldn't resist ordering some for myself.  They crack me up and simply let the recipient know just how much you love them ;)  You can purchase your own here.

Linking up to these fabulous blogs

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

AN OZ TOTE BAG

My mother-in-law is going to Hawaii in February.  I know, what a lucky lady.  For Christmas, she asked that I make her a special bag to take along on the trip.  Originally she wanted me to use a Hawaiian print but I couldn't find any I liked.  Plus, I thought it might make her look too 'tourist-y'.  Luckily I have quite a bit of stash (ok, so I might be a fabric hoarder) and was easily able to locate (what I think is) the perfect print, Oz Poppy Field in black by Sanae for Moda.

3 pockets great for water bottles, keys, etc.  1 pen pocket
Lining is Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in grey & Oz Flower Basket in red

Zippered pocket
Pocket lining fabric is It's A Hoot Eggs by Momo for Moda

I was happy to make this special bag for a very special lady.  Looking forward to seeing pics of it in Hawaii too!

Linking up with

Smiles~Beth

SUMMER TOTE GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! 

Ok random.org, do your thing...and the winner is...

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 3
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Comment #3 was left by Jessica.  You should have an e-mail message from me in your inbox.
Jessica said...

I'm already a follower!

April 22, 2011 11:52 PM

Congrats to Jessica!  Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Smiles

~Beth

WHO WANTS A SUMMER TOTE?!

My boys were out of school today and I didn't have any of my "extra" kiddos.  It was the perfect day for lunch and a movie with just me and my boys.   I know they don't think much of it but it's days like these that really make me happy.  Ya know, the little things.  I think we should do it more often :)

Ok, ok, I know most of you are probably here for the giveaway I promised to post today.  Well, here it is...

A great summer tote you can take with you to the pool or beach (if you are so lucky!!)  Fill it with towels, water, snacks, sunscreen, whatever you want!

Tutorial by OCD: obessesive crafting disorder

I made it out of "pet screen" fabric and some quilting cotton from the Frolic line by Sandy Gervais for Moda.  Pet screen is a durable mesh-like fabric so it is perfect for wet towels and suits. 

Want THIS bag?  It can be yours.  All you have to do is:
1. Leave me a comment and tell me if you live by a beach (so lucky if you do!)
2. Become a follower of this blog, Sewing for Sanity.  Then leave me a comment telling me you did.  Already a follower?  Just leave a comment letting me know.
3. Blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway & then come back and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Ok, that's 3 chances to win.  Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry AND include an e-mail or make sure it is on your profile.  No e-mail address means no entry :(

You have until 10:00 p.m. (central standard time) on Monday, April 25 to enter.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday.  I will let random.org do the honors.  Good luck!

*I linked up at Tatertots and Jello!

Smiles
~Beth

A FORT KIT, ANOTHER BAG & A SHIRT

It's no secret that I am a BIG fan of Celebrate the Boy month hosted by MADE and Made by Rae.  You can see some of the things I have made using tutorials from Celebrate the Boy here, here and here.  

When my littlest monster was invited to a birthday party last week I new just the gift to make...the Fort building Kit.  I found the idea during Celebrate the Boy month over at Saltwater Kids.  

I love this idea for a gift (thanks Saltwater Kids!).  It's fun, personalized and encourages imaginative play!  What's not to love?!  I found most of the items at the $ store, except for the twin flat sheets.  I bought those new at a department store (I had a great coupon!).  I used an old t-shirt of my husband's for the ties on the sheets.  I used colored denim for the bag.  And, of course, I just had to use my Silhouette to personalize the gift.  The birthday boy LOVES hockey so I put a hockey player on the front of the bag.  I also put his name on the flashlight.  Ya know, in case his brother tries to say it's his ;).

The party was at a Mavericks (a local CHL hockey team) game.  We were asked to wear orange to help support the team.  Adam (aka littlest monster) didn't have an orange shirt so I bought a new one and added a little something to it (I used my Silhouette, of course). 

The party was a lot of fun & to make it even better the Mavericks won...whoo hoo!!!  If you live in the Kansas City area and haven't been to a game yet, you really should go.  They are in the 2nd round of playoffs so the games are sure to be good. 

Happy Monday!

Smiles
~Beth

FUN BAG FOR A BOY

Making bags is alot of fun.  I like that I can usually whip one up in an afternoon and that they can be as simple or as detailed as I want.  When my boys are invited to a girls birthday party I usually make them a cute bag/purse and put a few little goodies inside like bubble gum and some lip gloss.  They are always so happy to have something that was made just for them.  I have found that it is harder to come up with good handmade gift ideas for boys.  In comes Celebrate the Boy month.  I have posted previously about it here.  If you aren't familiar with Celebrate the Boy or haven't ever been over to MADE & Made by Rae you are in for a treat.  Be sure to grab yourself a little snack and beverage first though.  You may easily get caught up looking at all of their beautiful pictures and fantastic tutorials. 

I found 2 really great bag tutorials and put them to use recently.  (I also found the Peek~a~boo bag tutorial by Make it Perfect during Celebrate the Boy, she was a guest blogger).

Retro Duffel bag by Saltwater Kids

I made this Retro Duffel Bag for a friend of my son (monster #2).  It came together rather quickly.  I only changed a couple of things 1. I used belting for the handles rather than making my own (saved on time)  2. I used my Silhouette to add the "R" on the front to make it a little more personal.  I didn't have time to put together a fort kit like suggested on SaltwaterKids blog (aren't those pics of her boys great!!!?) so we gave him a little $ to go along with it.  8-year olds like money, right?

I will post about the other tutorial tomorrow (hint~it includes the fort kit!).

Smiles
~Beth

DIAPER BAG FOR BABY DOLLS (or a cute little purse!)

I had a request from a sweet little girl.  For her birthday, she wanted me to make her a diaper bag to use when she plays with her baby dolls.  Having 3 boys, it's not very often that I get to make cute little girl things so I jumped right on it.  Here is what I came up with.

The birthday girl helped pick out the fabric from my stash.  I think she did a fabulous job...I love the bright colors!  The bag is complete with 5 outside pockets and 3 inside pockets.  Just the perfect size for all of her American Girl doll needs :)  Or, it could also double as a purse.  I love it when things have more than 1 use!

I used my Silhouette to make a personalized label.  That thing has come in so handy!  I added the year so it would be easier to know when I made this particular bag for her.  You can see a picture of the messenger bag I made for her birthday last year here (it's the one at the bottom of the post).

I don't have a link for a tutorial this time since I just kinda made up the pattern as I went along.  If you have any questions about the bag, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday.  It is sunny and beautiful here...yay!

Smiles
~Beth

PEEK~A~BOO BAG

Wow, I have been so busy with practices, games and projects that I didn't realize it's been so long since my last post...oops!  Hope you are enjoying the new scenery!  Here is one of the little things that kept me busy in the last week.

This cool peek~a~boo bag was made for a neighbor for his birthday.  You can find an easy tutorial on Make It Perfect.

This bag is perfect for legos or any other special things that your little one would like to tote around with them.  Could even work for an overnight bag.  The possibilities are endless :)

The birthday boy has graduated from the bigger legos to these smaller, more challenging legos so we took out the block in the above picture and put this box inside. 

I knew both gifts were a hit when he grinned from ear to ear about the legos and then went straight to his room to fill the bag up with his favorite bedtime items.  That is exactly why I love sewing so much.  It truly makes my heart happy to see others so excited about a gift I made just for them.

I have 2 more bags to show you this week and a custom crib bedding set.  Hope you come back soon!

Smiles
~Beth

GIFTS FOR BABY

When my sister found out she was pregnant I was so excited to be able to make some things for a baby.   Since I didn't start sewing until about 2 1/2 years ago I never got to make my little guys stuff when they were itty bitty.  I had intentions to post about these things as they were completed but with the Holiday right in the midst of it all I kinda forgot. 

With help from my SIL, Rachel, and my sister's bestie, Tracy, we had a lovely baby shower.  Complete with lots of great food, a fun game and wonderful people.

Yummy mint cookie chocolate cupcakes (recipe here)



White chocolate Chex Mix with M&M's...I couldn't get enough of this stuff!

The chocolate fountain was a favorite!

I threw together this fun little decoration idea that is also useful!

Diaper cake

I ended up making a ton of stuff for my new nephew.  I couldn't help myself.  If I had more time I would have made more!   I forgot to take pics of a patchwork minkee blanket and cute little "tie" onesie but here are most of the gifts I made.

Ruffily burp cloths

Custom Diaper Bag
PDF pattern purchased from Watermelon Wishes on Etsy

complete with stroller straps

I changed/added only few things on the diaper bag.  And, of course, all diaper bags need a matching changing pad.  This one is wipeable and has a pocket for a couple of diapers and a wipes case.

clear pouch for small items

Since all of the other boys have monster shirts I just had to make one for Connor too! 

And a reversible nursing cover for Mommy.

I added a small pocket for baby's binky

And, my favorite, a quilt for baby Connor (48" x 48")


 I also appliqued these "bigger" and "biggest" brother shirts for 2 of nephews.  They went really well with the "little" brother and "big" brother shirts my sister found for Connor and the smallest of his 3 big brothers :)

I already plans to make him more stuff!  I just need to find the time :)

Do you have any fun ideas for baby gifts?

Smiles
~Beth