Friday, May 1, 2009

Friday Favorites

Today I am spotlighting some lovely bags that I have fallen in love with. I really have grown to love having fun and new bags to carry my gobs and gobs of stuff in. Though I really have always love to have things to put stuff in. I buy those lamps with tiny drawers - you know the ones with drawers too small to really put stuff in - I find stuff that fits in those drawers. There isn't a cubby or drawer in my house that doesn't have something in it. Because of this fondness, I have been drawn more and more to buying new bags on a regular basis. It has grown from loving backpacks in college, to snatching up cute clutches when I was first married, to buying the latest and greatest diaper bag when my girls were little, to now loving bigger bags. My girls are out of diapers now but I still need a good-sized bag to not only carry to usual grown-up stuff - lipstick, chapstick, checkbook, pens, wallet, keys, emergency make-up, etc - but I also need to have space for the occasional sippy cup, snack, extra shirt, random dolls and toys.

These bags all come from a fabulous group of ladies from UWIB. Don't know what UWIB is? Click on the sexy lady to the right and find out! You can find all kinds of stuff you didn't know excisted but find you can't live without! Are you a crafter with fabulous items to sell? Join the group and tell them that Amy from Ellie-Jayne Designs sent you!

The first bag is from simplynotesandtotes and is made with the Love A Tree fabric that I have been pining after - where did you get it, Sherry? Do you have any yardage to spare?! :-) The bag is not only stylish, is a nice size, but it lets people know that you are on the Go Green bandwagon. Her shop is full of such lovely bags, I have spent some time fawning over her items. It was hard to pick my favorite. But here it is - the Lazy Daze Summer Tote.


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The second bag is a new style that I have not seen in a single shop until I came across PepperAndFarley. I am not always a big fan on knitting - that might be more of a jealousy issue because I have had such a hard time learning how to do it! *blush* This knit and felted purse is just too cute for words! It isn't big enough for an outing with my kids - but its too cute to risk getting kiddo cooties on it. Its perfect for those cherished moments of a girls night out or lunch with a girlfriend or even *gasp* an actual date with the hubby! There are a ton of adorable items in her shop - check them out! Here is your teaser photo to draw you in!


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The third bag is from DestinationHandmade whom I just bought the most adorable business card holder from - can't wait to get it! While it isn't something I personally can use right now - its too cute to pass up and would make the most perfect gift for a HS student who is graduating next month and heading off to college. Picture this adorable zipper pouch (with a nice stash of quarters already inside) packaged with a small box of your favorite laundry detergent, a box of dryer sheets and a pull-string laundry bag. What dormie wouldn't love this! I know I would have! Check out the rest of her shop for more amazing ideas for organizing your life.


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The last bag is probably my favorite from Designs By Jamie. I have bought several of her scrap fabrics to make some outfits for my shop - she has the best taste in fabric! The colors are so fun and its a big bag to hold all the stuff a mom of preschooler tends to carry arround. She has a ton of great bags to choose from in her shop and is even able to do customs. I just love the fabric in this bag. I'd feel less like a frumpy mom and more like a hip chic having this over my shoulder, even if I had peanut-buttery hand-prints on my shirt and a sticky-faced 3 year old clinging to my leg.


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Enjoy your Friday and your weekend! Check back soon for new items from Ellie-Jayne Designs!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

For the Hot Mom (or Aunt)

So my sister has been bugging me for several weeks to make her a cute top - the little girls can't have all the fun. After much thought and mulling it over, I ended up desigingd a top specifically for her that I based on a top that Padma Lakshmi wore on season 5 of Top Chef.

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Super cute top that I thought would be incredibly flattering to my sister's figure. While I was making that one, she sent me pictures of tops that she thought would be cute so I made another one based on those pictures and somewhat from a Vogue pattern I found. I finished them up this past week and my sister came to visit this weekend so I got to take pictures of her in her new "Hot Aunt" tops. I think they turned out pretty good!

Top #1 - based on the above picture of Padma.

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And the back of the top

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Top #2 - based on an assortment of photos and patterns

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And the back of Top #2

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And you can't be a Hot Aunt (or Hot Mom) without a cute kid to hold!

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I used some fabulous interlock cotton for both tops - found it on clearance at JoAnns last summer - bought out everything they had and I haven't seen this exact fabric anywhere since then. Its super soft and super stretchy in one direction. Its been a very versatile fabric to have!