And the winner is...

I entered all of your names randomly on a spreadsheet and ended up with 20 different bloggers and 48 separate entries. I had my spouse choose a number between 1-48 and he chose #41.

The winner of the bag is: Literary Feline! Congratulations! I will email you for your address and some information about the bag itself!

Wanna win this bag?

Need a new bag? (Everybody needs a new bag!)

This is round two of the bag that I currently carry. I am hoping to make more of them and put them up for sale in my (currently empty) Etsy shop.

It's approximately 13 inches wide, 11 inches tall and 3-4 inches deep. There are two open exterior pockets and two interior pockets. It has a magnetic snap closure. The exterior is a heavy weight dark gray-green fabric (yes, looks gray in the photos. It is greenish.) The interior is a made from a sheet and is white with pale pink stripes and roses.

I regularly carry two checkbooks, a small wallet, a 5x7 notebook, a book (often a hardback or trade paperback) and a stack of bills. There is still plenty of room in it.

How can you win it?

1) Agree to carry it for a week (or longer) and give me feedback on what you would change.
2) Leave a comment on this post for one entry.
3) Post about this giveaway on your blog for 3 more.
4) Add this blog to your blog reader for 3 more. (You're on the honor system for this one, I don't know how to check on that!)
5) Include a valid email address if it is not in your profile so I can contact you.

Contest closes July 27. US and Canada addresses only, please. Winners will be announced on Monday.

Baby gifts

My mom will be celebrating the birth of her 7th biological grandchild later this month or early next month. This is the first girl. (I have a step-niece who joined the family at about age 5. I only make the distinction between biological and not because it is amazing to me that my brothers and I have only been able to produce boys until this one.) ANYWAY. I made a few gifts for her.

First is a smallish tote bag. It's made of white canvas (actual, heavy canvas) and flannel. This is my first attempt at combining the two, and I'd really recommend against that. The canvas has no give and the flannel seems to be made of give and together it is frustrating.

I made a nice stack of burp cloths out of flannel as well, nothing fancy there, didn't even seam up the selvage edge. (I would SO do that if I weren't making them for family.)

Last, a cool little blanket. This blanket has loops on all four corners that can be drawn into a carbiner and clipped onto your diaper bag or stroller. Why would you want this? so you can scoop up all the toys in one shot! I made this of canvas and flannel as well. The canvas should keep the baby dry on damp ground and the flannel is nice and soft. Once again, I would not combine the two. Perhaps a lighter weight canvas next time, or a cotton top with some batting inside? Stunt baby is not included with the blanket.

Jewelry Bag...

For a friend's birthday, I made this little jewelry bag. The fabric is from Mary Englebreit and has been in my stash forever. It's black, with tiny little cherries. The inside is red with little diamonds and is a newer addition to my cabinet. I used ribbon instead of cording on the drawstring, which is harder to use but looks really cute. These bags are so quick and easy to make, I hope to get a few into the shop this weekend.

How much do I love taking pictures outdoors? I like to tell myself that the peeling paint looks artistic, not crappy. Please let me believe in this fantasy.

New Purse

I made a new bag for myself, and I gotta say- it rocks! It's pretty roomy and I used canvas for the interior so it's got some body to it.
I hope to make some of these for the shop someday. If I ever catch up on making gifts!

Tote Bags

Recent tote bags.

(Blogger is hating me, the inside of the second bag is the darker pink with a stripe of the lighter pink and a flower like the outside. I can't seem to post that picture.)