Yet another bag!

and I am not tired of them yet. Strange... I THINK NOT! I think I have made five bags so far. Such a huge hit! My mom picked the fabric for this one, and it completely fits her personality!I couldn't very well do a bag without putting her name on it.I seriously love the polka-dots on the inside. The bottom of the bag is reinforced and completely lined!

COMPLETED PROJECT:
$35 with name on front pocket
(I have a few tricks to get
the right color scheme and fabric)
Dimensions - 17"x15"x8"

HOW TO ORDER:
Email: AllDahledUp@gmail.com
Etsy Shop (I will make you a custom order)

Splish Splash Welcome to a Birthday Bash!

This entire summer my son has asked for a pool party for his 8th birthday. I think I had a little too much fun with the decorations and the puns! The sign was made from a cabinet door, spray painted... then vinyl :)The food was a hoot to put together. I had a blast coming up with all the different names of things...
Blue jello with swedish fish in the bottom made cute kiddo pools.And of course, what is a pool party with out pool water?I used yellow salt water taffy. Microwaved it (thank you Michelle) for 4 seconds and shaped it into shark fins!With all this preparation... I couldn't very well have the giveaways be lame. So... instead of giveaways, I purchased a white towel and embroidered each boys name on them. The boys thought it was the coolest thing EVER! One kid asked me if he could keep his towel. I told him that I didn't want a towel with his name on it. He just looked at me funny and got back in the pool!This is what the towels look like when the pool is full with kids! I think this is my favorite pictures... well... besides the one with all the boys in their swimming trunks!
Happy Birthday ETHAN! What a good group of kids!

Bags... Bags... and More Bags!!!

I am addicted. I love these bags. I created this bag specifically for a dear friend and her little family. The woven ribbon reminds me of the seriously cute braids she often wears in her hair.The Southworths are a great family of whom we dearly love to eat everything that ever comes out of their kitchen. So... this is kind of a payback for the 10 pounds that I have gained just by being her friend.So... this is kind of a payback for the 10 pounds that I have gained just by being her friend. It has tasted to good being her friend. My mouth has never been so pleased with my choice of a friend.

Becoming a bag lady

We have a wonderful swimming hole located within about seven miles from our home. We have spent countless hours at Klineline this summer. It is a clean, fun place where we can bbq, swim and eat. However, every time we go, we end up taking five or six bags. I don't have one that fits all our stuff. So... I got fed up and made one. I love mine. Did I take a picture of it... uh... nope. DUH! So I made one for my sweet friend who normally goes with us! It is a 17" x 15" x 8" bag. I can fit FIVE towels in this bag, my keys, phone, and camera. Oh MAN... I LOVE THIS BAG!!!!
I reinforced the bottom of it... put a name on it...put more pockets on it...The best bag EVER!

Girl Birthday Party Present

I love when one of my sweet dear children says "Mom... today is so-and-so's birthday party!" UGHH! Okay... so this is one of the quickest handmade gifts I have ever done. It turned out oober cute! And more importantly Nicole (the birthday girl) LOVED it! CHEAP and EASY - two things I don't mind promoting! :)
So we went to the $1 Store and picked out Body Wash and Lotion, then went to Fred Meyer and picked up a matching towel. If you don't have an embroidery machine, pick the color and sew on a ribbon to match!A gift for girls of all ages! Cost=$6! SUCCESS!

TUTORIAL - Hand Embroidery

I love ALL things personalized. I don't have a fancy dancy (that is a technical term, btw!) embroidery machine. Besides, I kind of like the hand stitched look. It is very very easy to do...

You need a couple of things... embroidery needle (I use whatever needle I can find... bad bad me.. I know), embroidery floss (Joann's $0.37), hoop - size that fits your fabric, fabric, and design.

1. Go to your computer and print out something you like. Lean towards the line drawings or fonts that don't have alot of difference between their width. (If you want some "Love" copy and paste this image into Word and manipulate it to fit your fabric.

2. Each of us has a light box in our home... it is called a window. You need daylight to do this step... SORRY, but wait til the sun is up. Tape the design to your window, then tape your fabric over that.

With a pencil, trace your design.

3. Place in hoop and start stitching! Try to keep your stitch widths the same, and if it starts to pucker you are pulling the thread too tight. If your hoop is not big enough don't worry, just move your hoop throughout your design. Play with the number of stands you use. On something like my LOVE pillow... I used three stands.

4. Try not to go too crazy in your home with this.... it is really cool though!!!! OOOOOHHHHH the possibilities!

The LOVE pillow...

So... I was cleaning today (don't fall out of your chair just yet!), and spotted the red (flannel), black (fleece) and white (soft - yeah... I don't know the name of this stuff)fabric in the corner. And said to myself (you know cause I talk to me alot)... "I need a cute Valentine's Day pillow for my living"... so I set out on an adventure. I have been working with wood and vinyl... so this was a little bit of a flash back... (not too far though! Cause I am not THAT old... yet!)