Works in progress

I just spent an hour performing magic. When I say magic, I mean I ruthlessly cut up a pair of size 16 pure linen capri pants into 14 sets of rectangles that shall soon become zippered pouches. 14! I even cut part of one leg off a while ago to make Grandma's tea pouch. So really, I got 15 out of it.



After lunch I'm going to go rob the best scraps out of my giant scrap box for super cool applique time (which will hopefully coincide with Felix's nap time).

I really wanted to work on some projects where materials were not a huge part of the cost. I would love to offer some cheaper things in my store, but using new materials keeps things a bit spendy (and I'd like to make a few dollars profit here and there). So I am going to be making some things out of recycled or thrifted materials to keep costs down for everyone.

I did just get all that glorious new fabric, so I'm sure it will be playing some roles here and there.

In other news, Felix has been using the potty, and it is awesome. I have been bribing him with candy for his Pez dispensers. I bought a big bag of half packs of the candy (6 in each), and I've been giving him 3 for each successful pee. He has had a dry diaper all morning. I offered to let him wear his underwear around the house, but he refused, stating that he likes diapers and will wear them forever. He also refuses to do other business in the potty, but at least we're making progress. Hopefully we'll kick his diaper habit to the curb by his birthday. Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

Seeing red

I accidentally let the lazies get me again last weekend, but I think I kicked them out this morning. We'll see!

So when I wasn't being lazy, I did get some work done on my other custom order. I was told that the recipient likes red. So this is what I came up with for the purse:



She wanted some accessories to go with it that would coordinate without being super matchy, so I used some of the same fabrics to make another love bullets pouch. Apparently the black fabric picks up the fuzzies, and I used my flash. That means they show up REALLY WELL. Oopsies! I'll have to lint roll it before I send it out.



I was also asked to make a checkbook cover. I made one this morning that turned out super cute, yet also super wonky. I decided to keep it for myself, learn from my mistakes, and start over (which I'll be doing as soon as I'm done here!). Here is the not quite right first try:





Oh wow, is there an award out there for worst top stitching ever? I'd like to award it to myself. I stitched it topside down, which I probably shouldn't have done. Actually, it doesn't look so bad in real life. Those pictures made me want to scrap or fix it, but after a quick real life looksy, I don't think I'd be embarrassed to say I made it.

Um, I also made up a new style of purse this weekend that I messed up a bit. I am apparently not to be trusted sewing right now. I think I'm going to keep working through it though.

Jellybean Soup Co.: Giveaway!

Check out this cool give away too!

Jellybean Soup Co.: Giveaway!

Out the door

I finally finished custom order numero uno: A pen holder, with a stripey tie on the front. A cool kid named Chris who works with Chainsaw asked me to make him one. He has a really fun etsy shop HERE. A lot of fellas in his art end up wearing adorable red and white stripey ties, so he wanted his pen holder to also be wearing one.

I'm a little embarrassed about how long it took me to get done, but first I had to deal with the lazies. The lazies wore off, and then I had to deal with the sick kid. I started working on it and realized all my white zippers looked like they used to be white. That means that they were yellowish, dingy, nasty, no good. So then I had to wait for new zippers. What's even more embarrassing is how long I worked on it yesterday. I kept messing up. In the end, I think it turned out pretty dang cute.

I hope he likes it as much as I do.





Now it's time to get back to work. I have more custom orders to work on. Custom orders make me feel special and fancy, even if they are from my step mom and not someone all fancy who is dying for my work. Oh wait, she is fancy. :D

Oh my heart!

The zippers just got here today, and oh. my. word. are they beautiful. I want to take off their rubber bands and roll in them. I'm not going to do that though. I will wear them on my head like a zipper wig though. I have no shame.

(Excuse the fact that I couldn't be bothered to use a real camera. Your mom invented photo booth so I could use it.)





The colors didn't show up well in photo booth, but they are awesome, I promise.

Zipper stop is where it's at kids!

Also, sewing machine still works and fabric is being fed to it. She is so happy, and so am I!

A happy list for an unhappy day

Felix feels a little bit better today. That should be good news, but in all reality he feels just good enough to have the power to hate everything. Fo reals. He "hates" every show I can put on the tv. He "hates" it when I take him out of his high chair. He "hates" being in the high chair. He hates "milk," but he wants some. In fact, he even "hates" me and himself. He has told me all of these things several times today.

All the hate that's flying around here isn't making me very happy, so I thought I'd make a list of things that do make me happy.

Ashley's Super Cool List of Happy Stuff

1. I know I've said it before, but I am always happy about getting new fabric in the mail from overrainbow.com. Sign up for her newsletter, I dare you. Then you'll know about the sales on her already cheaper than most places fabric. I got 18 half yard cuts in the mail yesterday, and that makes me happy.

2. Cheap zippers. Mama needed some new zippers. Zipper stop has several lots of 100 zippers for $9.99. Shipping is a little spendy, but they will combine. So I just got 200 zippers for a little less than $30. They are on their way. I'm excited about this bringing down the cost on the zippers I put into my items. 35 cents a zipper is much better than $2 a zipper!

3. Winning stuff. The universe apparently thinks that if I need anything right now, its a calender. I won one of these cuties from LeeAnn at MintBasil. Then a couple days later I saw that I won this family organizer from The Toby Show. I currently have a big ol' dry erase marker calender on the wall that I haven't touched since sometime before Uncle Babraham went missing in July. I think I'm going to put it away. I'll let you know where the new, glorious calenders go when they get here. Thank you so much ladies! Let us let 2009 be the year of no forgotten birthdays, anniversaries, or appointments!

4. Christmas Eve Fambly picture:



5. Adorable nieces with carrot faces:



That's what I've got for now. I hope your day if a happy one and that no one else is being hated as much as I am right now.

Work, huh? What's that?

I have been lazy. Gloriously lazy. My sewing machine has not been plugged in since before we left for SD. My floors are dirty, my rugs need vacuumed, my laundry needs folding, but I don't really care.

Today seems like a good day to get back to work though. Chainsaw headed down to Denver after a four day weekend. If he can do it, I think I should be able to also! My only obstacle today is sick kid. Sick kid wants to stay in his bed (WEIRD. He must really be sick if he'd rather hang out there by himself). Sick kid has a chest full of junk. He coughs so hard he gags. His breath is not good. I try not to smell it if possible. However, sick kid has adorable sweat induced curly hair. He is sweet, thanking me for every drink of water, every cool wash cloth face wipe, every kiss on the forehead. Today is day three, and I think the sickness is on its way out. All the resting must be doing some good. I can't wait to have this happy guy back:



So maybe if sick kid sleeps a bit longer I can get to work. I have a few custom orders I need to work on, and I won some adorable pear fabric from Lolly that I'm supposed to be making into an apron. I have also won a couple giveaways that I'll soon be documenting. I would love to do another giveaway here soon. It's always good to pay back the universe for things generously given to you. Oh wait, I'd have to get to work for that, right? Yikes!