Brooke bag in Paisley!

Wowzers I am so behind with my blogging :(  I'm thinking that should be in my top 10 Resolutions for the new year, lol!  My cousin emailed me that she needed a bag for a friend with an upcoming birthday, the friend was a college student and she gave me her favorite colors.  The pattern is called Raspberry Ripple (by Melly & Me) and I have been dieing to make it!  We found this gorgeous Paisley fabric by Wilmington Prints, and it was perfect!!  The inner pleats and handles are a charcoal color, and I think it just really makes the Paisley POP!  The top band is a little harder to see, but it's an Aqua with white hearts... I LOVE the way this bag turned out!
The inside has 2 pockets...

and is just the right size for everyday!  As soon as I get caught up on orders, I'm making one of these for me!! This Brooke Bag can be found here in my Etsy store.  This weekend I am working on three bags that will heading to the UK for Christmas goodies! 

Holy Pink Diva Diaper bags Batman!

A friend of mine needed a Diaper Bag gift for someone at her office, she told me the girl LOVES the Kardashians and Pink and this is what we came up with.  Pink and black really aren't "my thing" but I just LOVE the way this bag turned out!!

The Bag has 2 large pockets inside as well as a cell phone pocket (complete with a velcro closing flap)

and a bottle pocket on the outside :)  The top flap closes with a magnetic snap.  Lots of room AND lots of style! :)  I like patterns that are flexible, here is this bag with a "cute baby look"... versatile :)  If you are interested in ordering a Diaper Bag, please head over to my Etsy Store, Crains Addiction!

Fabrics used: Dandy Damask in Candy by Michael Miller, Pinhead Dots in Black by Michael Miller, Small Black Chevron by Riley Blake Designs

Insulated Lunch Purse, with a laminated lining

I have been wanting to make one of these for some time now.  I decided that I'd have to make the pattern myself since I couldn't find any that were exactly what I wanted...one "small" dilemma, I haven't been sewing bags all that long AND I've never created my own pattern for anything other than quilts!  Oh yea, I should also add I don't think I've ever sewn a zipper, or used "do it yourself laminate".  This was going to be an adventure!  At one point Hubby had to order me to bed because I was tired and trying to finish "one more thing" and frustration was coming fast and furious!  It was NOT as painful as I had thought it might be, there were a few "lessons learned", but in the end, I LOVE my Lunch Purse!  I didn't have much fun with the "iron on laminate" stuff, I thought it would be smarter than buying laminated fabric since it really only has one use (for now) and it seems so limiting since not every fabric comes in a laminate, but after playing with the stuff, I think I'll just learn to live with finding and buying the pre-laminated stuff.  If any of yall have any tricks or tips for using the iron on stuff, I'd LOVE to hear them!  Well here's the inside (laminated) part...

The laminate seemed to want to seperate from the fabric when I manipulated the inside.  I do like that the bag is deep enough to hold a water bottle :)

I love the zipper all the way across.  I also did NOT want the zipper at the top, top of the bag so it sits about an inch or so down.  I used some InsulBright in the bag as well to keep lunches warm/cool.  For the finishing touches I grabbed a handful of ribbons from Ribbon Carousel made some bows and voila!  Pretty!!  Since I'm a SAHM with older kids I really don't have a need for one of these, so this one is for a friend... I hope she likes it.  I have added this as a "Custom Order" item in my Etsy store, but will be adding some more pre-made bags soon.

Hand made Jam Labels and homemade Jam!!

This summer I was finally able to make all of the Jams I wanted to!  Well, I think I may need one more batch of Apricot (soooo yummy!), but we have a pretty good size stash and managed to give a few away :).  For me, labeling these silly jars is the most frustrating part!  I do NOT like the sticker labels (such a pain to remove!), even the water disolveable ones are icky (pull them out after a few months of storage and they look icky!).  Some of you may know that I am also a paper crafter so I went poking around for some ideas, and found this one from the brilliant Susan Liles...

So I ordered the dies and stamps I wanted and these are what I came up with... the heart labels are for my Daddy's PB&J stash ;)  I just used some Baker's Twine around the lid so it looks pretty when you present (and when you look in your pantry and see all of those pretty tags!) BUT here's the fun part...

I adhered a pop-dot on the back and left the "paper" on one side.  Once you've opened the jar for the first time you can stick this on the lid center and voila!  A Fridge-friendly jam label... you are still able to unscrew the rim.  Now I have to get my hind-end in gear and mail some of these jars to some of my friends :)  This year we made the following jams:  Triple Berry (1 whole batch for my Daddy and 1 batch for everyone else, lol), Blackberry Port, Spiced Peach Amaretto, Bourbon Peach & Vanilla Bean, Apple Butter & Apricot!!

The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift

Well I think it's high time I start keeping this blog up to date :)  I've recently been sewing my heart out, working on items for my Etsy store, Crains Addiction.  Fortunately (double edged sword here, but I won't look a gift-horse in the mouth ;)) I have been blessed with LOTS of custom orders (makes filling the store slow, but again... I feel blessed).  Anyway, a family friend is getting ready to have her first baby so naturally I had to come up with a great and personal gift.  I apologize for the not so color clear photo :(

 I started off with this great diaper Bag, I called it the Rachel Diaper Bag.  I loved this bag because it is not ginormous, but has plenty of room to carry everything you need for a day out!  I chose the Children At Play line by Sarah Jane. 

Next up I made a Changing Mat/Diaper Clutch.  I used ribbon to hold it closed because velcro might have scratched baby's head :)  The inside is lined with Pink & white polka dot minky.... soooo soft!  The clutch holds a package of Baby Wipes as well as 1 or 2 diapers.

I made this simple, lined Drawstring bag.  It fits nicely inside the diaper bag and is just the right size for holding pacifiers, baby toys, etc.

 And last but not least, I made up 5 wash clothes lined with more Minky.

I am happy to say that she LOVED the gift :)  And even happier to say that aside from the Minky everything was rather easy to make!!  Well thanks for popping by, hope to see you again :)

Welcome to my frog-alicious quilting blog!

Because I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head, I have decided to start sewing and quilting again :).  The first quilt I decided to mak is full, of course, of froggies!  Fabulous pink and green frogs!  I actually saw a quilt similar to this one on a visit to a local quilt shop, a friend of mine tracked down the froggie fabric (it was from a couple of years ago) and I was off!

Stay tuned and visit often, I have LOTS more projects in the works and up my sleeve.  I also plan on FMQ-ing this quilt and I can't wait to share!!!  Grab yourself a latte and join me on my sewing journey!  Thanks for stopping by!