Before/After- Project #16

It's time for another Before/After project!  Before Christmas I was shopping at Homegoods and came across this table runner in the clearance section for $5.00.  Yep, you got that right, $5!!!  I knew it was destined to become some kind of handbag, so I grabbed it before anyone else could steal my good fortune.  I loved the milk chocolaty brown and the pale blush pink flower embroidery design (one on each end!). 

Here's the Before:

And here's the after:

I added interfacing to give it some structure and stability, a zipper closure at the top, and it has 4 large open pockets inside to hold all your goodies.  The overall shape of this bag is more tall than wide.  The straps are long enough so you can carry this bag on your shoulder.  It was really fun to make and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!    

 

Have you tried it yet?

Oh come one, I know some of you have.  This past Friday we had an empty fridge come dinner time, so we both decided it would be a good night to try the new and improved Domino's Pizza we've been hearing all over the tv and radio. 

You can't beat $5.99 for a large carry-out, so we figured what the heck.  We were divided when it came to our opinions.  I like Domino's better, Franz prefers Papa John's.  We both agreed that their new sauce tastes much better than the old, it's not as sweet and has a little kick to it.  The crust is still a little thin for our preference, but they added this parmesan crumbly cheese stuff to the edge of the pizza, and let me tell you- yummy!  It's like getting pizza and breadsticks all in one.

I will definitely order it again.  Franz and I have decided to alternate between Domino's and Papa John's to satisfy both our tastes.  If you haven't tried it already, I say give it a chance.  And you can't beat that $5.99 special offer they've got going! 

Woo Hoo!!!

I made it to Etsy's front page today!!!  That's my red and aqua octopus tote bag :)  It sold pretty quickly!

Seven Red Things

I was tagged by Care at Obsessively Stitching!

Two rules:

* Post photos of 7 red things in your home.

* Tag 7 people to do the same.

My Senseo which gives me a foamy, frothy cup of coffee for the mornings I need an extra jolt.

A framed piece of Thomas Paul fabric.

I have no recollection where I got this Dentyne pencil tin.  I think it was for Christmas sometime back in the 80's.  I guess it's now considered "vintage" by Etsy standards!

My bulletin board!  I've always liked tacking things up as a way to remember things.

Oh geez, the 'piece de resistance'.  This was my hubby's Christmas gift.  He's been asking for a punching bag for a long time.  This will soon be filled with water and will weigh 270 pounds.  The best part, it resides in our spare bedroom- Weeeee!

Fabric waiting to be made into another octopus tote bag.

Today's lunch- pasta!

I tag:

Sarah, Nikki, Linda, Kim S, Mindy, Tracy, Kim M   

Need a favor

Thank you to all of you who responded with your favorite fabric option in my last post.  I *think* I've decided on the the yellow dandelions :)  Like a few of you said, they just say "happy" and say "spring", and that was the feel I was going for.  Plus, I've never had a yellow bag before- I need to try something different for a change! 

This is where I need your help.  The dandelion fabric is from Ikea of all places and I have never seen the yellow colorway at my local Ikea.  It's always been out of stock- and still is- with no expected date for when they'll get more.  Bummer.  And you can't order it online through Ikea.  Ebay and Etsy listings are ridiculously expensive since the only seller appears to be in Canada.  After doing a quick stock check availability across the country, it seems like there is plenty of it in just about every other Ikea location except mine.

Would any of you readers out there happen to have an Ikea nearby that you just happen to be going to sometime soon?  If you do and wouldn't mind helping me out, would you please email me?  We can work out the details privately.  You can find my email address on my profile page.

To check availability at the Ikea nearest you, click here.

Thank You!  {{{{fingers crossed}}}}   

Amy Butler Weekender Bag Fabric options- Help!

I've got the pattern in hand and I'm ready to get started!  But, I can't decide on the fabrics.  Coming from the field of interior design, it's so hard for me to settle on fabrics for myself.  Help me!  Tell me which fabric(s) you like the best.  All the photos below show one full yard, so you can get an idea of the scale of the pattern.

Option 1:  Yellow Dandelion, paired with Teal stripe

Option 2:  For the Birds

Option 3:  Large scale modern flowers in green and gray

Option 4:  Blue Scooters with lime green dots and orange stripes

Option 5:  Red Scooters with brown and aqua dots and orange stripe

See?  I have too many choices.  I need help narrowing it down.  Which would you choose?

I almost kept her for myself

When I finished her, she was just so cute- I almost couldn't part with her!  Ever since I'd seen these dolls, I knew I wanted to make one.  Avery isn't too interested in dolls at this time, but maybe when she's a bit older she will.  In the meantime, a friend of ours was having her 2nd birthday and I knew I just had to make one for her.

The fun part about this little pattern is its simplicity.  You can make your doll as "dolled up" as you want by adding shoes, buttons, pigtails ,ric rac- even clothes if you're that ambitious.  She could easily be made with a couple of fat quarters and a few pieces of felt.  I was so excited when I found these flower shaped felt buttons!  Felt buttons?  Who knew there was such a thing :)  They're much more kid friendly.  I used fabric markers for the eyes, nose and mouth.  If you want to see what others have done with their Black Apple dolls, check out this Flickr group.