Wednesday, March 27, 2013

DIY Charlie-style bag with tutorial


My friend, Ashley, sent me a picture of a super cute pocketbook on Etsy that was $42 with the comment "Came across these.... you could definitely make them and I would definitely rather buy from you than some stranger".  Sooo, knowing I had an anxious "customer" already, I found a tutorial I had conveniently already pinned on Pinterest, located some extra fabric I had, and went to work.  It was pretty easy, but it took me about 3 hours just because I misread one part of the instructions and had to rip a few seams out.  I'm sure my next one won't take so long since I know what I'm doing now!  I'll update when I finish hers.  

I made this bag using this tutorial.  I don't think the tutorial specifies the amount of fabric she used though.  I used a little less than a yard (of each print) of the fabric I already had, but when I make the next one, I will buy a yard of each print because I want to try to put pockets in (but FYI it might not be so reversible with pockets).



LOVE IT!!  I had to switch out my current pocketbook immediately!!
Hope you like it too!
Jess


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tutorials



My crazy schedule has, again, made me not be able to post like I'd like to.  But I'm pretty sure no one's reading this anyway.  When I created this blog, I just had the intentions of putting all these tutorials I find in one spot so I could find them when I had time to sit down and sew.  Now I can just pin them on Pinterest...
But here goes my latest projects with tutorial links...


                                                    Super Easy Tote Bag Tutorial (click here)




Buy McCall's iPad cover pattern here on Amazon or I found the pattern at Hobby Lobby when they had McCall's patterns for $0.99 each.


                                                     Add ruffles to denim skirt like this...


No tutorial for this but SUPER simple:  1)  match the ends of a scarf together (found this one at Walmart for $6) and 2) sew the ends together. The end.  Like I said, simple.



I made this for a school project in my Visual and Performing Arts class.  It is my "self-portrait" so each t-shirt square represents a different part of what makes me...me.  I'll have to get into all that at a later time.  I used this t-shirt quilt tutorial to make it.  And I made a 100 on my project...so, yay!

(back view of t-shirt quilt)

 These are some burp cloths I'm making for our little bit, Brayden, due in June.  I think they turned out pretty sweet.  Here's the tutorial I used.



Hope you will find one of these tutorials useful (none of which are mine, personally...I don't claim any rights to any of the information found within the tutorials, just passing along good information).
Thanks,
Jess

Saturday, August 25, 2012

A Summer at the Farmer's Market


Been a while since I posted, but I've just been over-the-top busy this summer.  We planted a huge garden May 1st with the expectation of a local produce market buying "everything we had" (that was the owner's exact words).  BUT it didn't work out that way, so we had no idea what we were going to do with all the yellow crookneck squash (we planted about 8000 square feet!!), zucchini (3000 square feet!!), and pickling cucumbers (5000 square feet!!).  We didn't have much variety because, once again, the man we were intending on selling to had specified those 3 things he wanted.  We called around to see if anyone would take any of it in bulk and had no luck.  So, for a week I set up a stand in our front yard, but since we live on an old country road, there's not a high traffic volume, and even with signs advertising I mostly sold to neighbors.  We made about $20 that week...which is more than I expected but still not very good.

Anyway, by the 2nd week in June, we were eating as much as we could.  I should add that my husband is a very "meat-and-potatoes" kind of man, and by then even he didn't complain when we had squash/zucchini casserole, cucumber salad, and zucchini fries for supper.  We had vegetarian suppers quite a bit because there was just SO much, we hated for it to go to waste.  We gave some away to family and friends and then started looking into the local farmer's markets.  I didn't think we'd have the time to go and sit and sell it all ourselves with Jason having work and me having the kids out of school for the summer.  We sent in an application, bought a box of plastic bags and a money lock box, and started Saturday, June 16th at the Anderson County Farmer's Market.  We brought all we had...we were actually able to have a little bit of variety because Jason's friend, Lewis, let him come pick some eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and okra from his overflowing garden.  Here's a picture...



We made over a hundred and fifty dollars that first Saturday, and the only thing we didn't sell-out of was the zucchini & yellow squash (but we sold most of it!!).  We were both just ecstatic!  We figured if that kept up, by August, we'd have enough saved to take the kids to the beach!  I also tried selling some of my crafts at the farmer's market because the rules are as long as it's grown or made in Anderson Co. it can be sold there.  I sold a few bows, one dress and a few of my glasses, but I could tell most of the "hardcore" farmer's market goers were there for the produce.  However, I did find out that at the end of November and through December they will have a Craft Market there....so guess what I've been doing the last couple weeks since our garden has played out?  I've made more earrings, key fobs, skirts, bows, dresses and the like than I have in the last 2 years put together!  I'm pretty stoked about the possibility of selling more than a few items here and there out of my home and through Facebook and Etsy!!  But I digress...

Anyway, after all was said and done with the Summer, the box of 1000 plastic bags we bought at Sam's Club was almost empty, AND!!!....we made our trip to the beach!!...only for a few days but the kids were excited and so were we!  

The kids' first time in the ocean at Myrtle Beach!!  Morgan, Jarrett, Logan
Thought it was pretty sweet Logan carrying Jarrett on his back!!

Jason and I took a "coffee beach walk" every morning there...

And the first morning he wrote this in the sand  ... =  my melted heart!! 
Daddy's girl at breakfast!!

Stopped by a beach/antique shop?? on the way to Surfside Beach to the water park and snagged this pic in front of a JD!!

Jason taught (or tried to teach) Jarrett to play pool.  The kids would've spent all their time in here if we'd let them...there were pool tables, an arcade, and bowling alley  right in our hotel just a few floors down!  

A little silliness on the way home!

We've planted some more things for a late summer garden (green beans, crowder peas, pink-eyed purple-hull peas, some more cukes, zucchini and yellow squash, and mountain fresh tomatoes), but we're not sure how good they'll do since our creek's dam broke with all the gushing rain we had a week or so ago.  I know Jason can fix it though!!

All-in-all I had fantastic summer!!  Jason and I spent a lot of much-needed time together, and working beside him has made me appreciate him on a-whole-nother level.  It's hard work out there, and sometimes we wonder if it's worth the money we make.  But the moments we've had when we're dog-tired and sweaty and still laughing, the times at the farmer's market with our new elder generation of friends, the times at the beach with the kids bowling and playing mini-golf and water slides and sand castles...all made possible by our hard work and perseverance!...those are all priceless!!




Thursday, April 12, 2012

Glasses

I'm super excited!  Jason has been searching for folks who would possibly be interested in buying our produce this summer in large quantities rather than us having a produce stand type deal on the side of the road.  Well, the other day, while out and about, he met a man who is interested in my southern wine glasses!  I had all but given up on making anymore til the holidays again.  They sold really well around Christmas time, but I've had only small orders here and there since January.  Now this!  I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I really can't help it.  And I have my husband to thank!


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Tulle and tissue paper flowers

This is a great blog I found for lots of different things I wanted to share.  One thing that really stood out was the tulle and tissue paper flowers.  I'll definitely be making some of these for my sister's baby shower!

http://diycraftstomake.blogspot.com/2011/10/greedy-for-colour-tissue-paper-and.html

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Ruffle Skirt

I made this super easy skirt for Morgan today!  I was so proud of it.  I made her one the other day using a tutorial on another blog.  It was for a 5T size though and I didn't allow enough for the size difference and needless to say it didn't turn out well.  I used a pattern this time!!





   Although, if you keep a check at Hobby Lobby, they sometimes have patterns for 99 cents!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Zipper Flower

I found this Zipper Flower Tutorial the other day and tried it out today.  Very pleased with the outcome!

I used a 36" zipper rather than a 7" zipper, but it's still basically the same concept.  And I also added the sparkle in the middle.  And I also hot glued an alligator clip to the back so it could be worn on a band or clipped to a jacket pocket.  

Hope you like it!  Use the tutorial, but make it your OWN!!

Jess