Goodies from Japan

Today I finally got my package from Atelier Jade . Now I can't wait to think of something cute to do with this great hedgehog fabric! Not to mention the cute flower print with the denim blue back.


I also got this cute dot pattern fabric.


And this adorable ribbon. This would have made perfect handles for the doggie bags, but the package got here a week or so too late. I guess I'll have to do some more doggie bags...

It was evening when I shot these photos, so I placed them on the table instead of the floor so that they would get more light.An unintended consequence is that now everyone knows what an ugly piece of crap my table is!

New Business Cards

I recently received my new business cards. Okay, they aren't really business cards. I'm going to put in a hole punch at the top and use them for tags on the bags I'll eventually list in my shop. I got them done on the cheap at Overnight Prints. I'm not excatly sure how much you'd have to pay to get true overnight prints, but these ones arrived only six business days after ordering, and cost only $61.00 with shipping for four color front and back printing with a diecut. Pretty nice, really!

Gifts

Since unpacking those boxes kind of means closing the chapter on life at my previous job, I should probably mention that on my last day of work I got some really generous gifts from coworkers. I miss seeing those guys every day! Everyone there was so much fun.

Mike knew that I had been buying up old kimono silks for crafts and got me this on eBay.

And I know just the pattern I'm going to use to turn it into a handbag!

Jolie gave me this gorgeous necklace she brought back from a recent trip to Rome.


Another friend gave me a gift certificate to a local craft store so I could add to my fabric stash.

And finally, last but not least, I managed to (through completely legal means - but it's a long story) walk out the building with this...

Yep. An Epson 9600. It's beautiful. It prints on paper, canvas, cotton, silk, and wood veneer. It's amazing. And it's in my home office right now. I just got a fresh set of ink on the cheap from eBay. The package should arrive any day now. I feel some fabric design ideas coming on....

Unpacking

So, I've been off of work for 20 days now and as of this morning still hadn't finished unpacking the two giant boxes I had brought home with me. Every day I'd walk by them and wonder, "why did I bring all that crap home!" Finally, I finished unpacking today. I actually found a few gems in there and thought I should share:

My Chairman Mao alarm clock. Nice bit of propaganda to get you moving in the morning....


And if Mao doesn't do it for you, you can always have Ultraman wake you up.


My Copy of the "American Frugal Housewife" which was published in 1833 and is dedicated "to those who are not ashamed of economy." It instructs you on everything from how to clean a brass kettle, to how often to change your bed linens (once a week! And these people didn't even have washing machines! I'm so lame....)


"Over the Rainbow" a book Kevin and I picked up in Hong Kong about, as near as I can tell, two softies who fall in love in Hong Kong.

I love these little guys! They are like misfit versions of Hillary's creatures. Still, so cute!

Shhhh! Don't tell!

Here's a bit of embroidery that I'm doing for a gift. I'm going to use it as the front of a tote bag. My three and a half year old son made the drawing (I'm afraid I can't take the credit for these cool looking people) of himself, Grandma in the middle, and Quinn, his sister, on the right hand side. So cute!

Doggie Bags

My kids were driving me crazy last week. They kept playing with the hand bags I was working on and dragging them all over the house. Finally, I told them that I'd make them their own bags. So, Friday I stayed up until 3 a.m. getting these two cute doggie bags ready for our trip out of town to visit some relatives. The kids love them. And, so far at least, they've kept their hands off my other works in progress.

I love this bag

That last bag just left me frustrated, so I jumped back in quick and knocked out a second bag over the long weekend and am much happier with the results of this one. I had been holding on to this pre-World War II girls’ kimono fabric for a while just waiting for inspiration to strike. The fabric is old and quite stained, and really only suitable for patchwork projects. I ended up using a couple of parts of it as an appliqué for this cute denim bag.



I actually finished this bag in one day -- with only minimal neglect of everything else at home (kids included). I still have enough bunny fabric left over two probably make two mini-tote.

I hate this bag

It's my own fault, really. I started the project by thinking, "Gee, this is a really simple idea. It shouldn't take long to make at all." So, right straight from the start, I had jinxed myself.

Let me tell you all things about this bag that I don't like:
1) It's too floppy
2) It's a little crooked
3) The lining is too thick for the silk exterior, making it hang a little funny
4) The handles aren't straight

Grrrrrr. I hate working on something and then being frustrated by the results. But, I learned a lot from this bag, and I'm sure my next 'skinny bag' will turn out much better.

There are a few things I like about the bag:
1) The kimono fabrics I used are really quite beautiful
2) The magnetic closures turned out fine -- it was my first time using that kind of hardware
3) I finished the bag in two evenings

So, there you have it. I'm ready to move on....

Quickie mini tote

Back in April I made this great bag for my friend Jolie's birthday. I didn't take a photo of it though (shame on me!). Anyhow, I had this little scrap of cotton kimono fabric left over from her bag that I couldn't really use for much else. Then I thought I'd try to use it as an appliqué for a simple denim mini tote. And here it is! I think it came out really well and only took about two hours to make. It's nice to start and finish a project in the same evening. I may go back and add a magnetic closure at the top once my order from tall poppy arrives.

Messenger bag

Here's a photo of a messenger bag I just finished for my sister-in-law. I love the brown floral fabric. The bag is much less floppy then most messenger bags due to a double layer of interfacing. It is also reversible. But because it’s stiff, it's a little hard to reverse! It has a pocket on the back, and a pocket inside. This is my first time trying cloth-covered buttons. I didn't really have enough hand strength to get the back of the button on, so Kevin had to help me with that one. If I had to do it over again I would have made the strap a little thinner. But overall, I'm pretty happy with this one