Cool for School Messenger Bag

I made this messenger bag for my niece for school--it was my first non-tote bag and much easier than expected! This is the second bag, I tweaked the strap to make it heavier duty and adjustable and added my very first magnetic closure (which hopefully doesn't rip out the first week it is used). I hope she likes it! I actually already have orders for at least two more, plus I'd like to make one for myself...

Back to "Cool"

It's that time of year ago when kids start remembering their summer reading projects and parents start count down calendars. Back to school time. But since it has been one of the hottest summers on record across the country I think we need to celebrate "Back to Cool". Start scratching your craftin' noggins and think cool. Cool waters, cool temperatures, cool colors, cool personality!

Sharing the Wealth

Hello all,

Late to the party again with May & June but they'll get up there, eventually.

I made three fascinators for my friend Jodi. She lives in Saratoga Springs and visits the racetrack often with her husband, Carl.

I wish I had taken photos of all three before I gave them to her, but she was kind enough to text me this photo and message.
"Feather headband was a huge success. I even had men telling me how much they liked it. Carl thought it was so funny because people kept coming up to me and commenting on it. Thank you. Perfect for Saratoga!"

She looks fabulous, as always.

July challenge: Share the wealth

Hey there crafty ladies! If you are anything like me, you rarely get to craft things for yourself because you are too busy making things for other people. So why fight the urge? Crafters are some of the most generous people around, so let’s take that to the next level and share our craftiness with the world.

So this month’s challenge is pretty simple: Make something, and then give it away.

Feel free to shine your halo if you find an organization out there that you have never supported before and/or give something to a complete stranger.

Here are a couple suggestions – and feel free to search the Internet to find a specific organization looking for handmade items. The lists of charities that accept crafts might even spark ideas for new crafts: clothing for preemies, chemo caps, scarves for people who have been sexually assaulted, crafts for shelter animals, prayer shawls, blankets for disaster relief, etc.

Some big organizations that come to mind include Warm Up America and Project Linus, but several people have compiled very comprehensive lists of national organizations that seek crafts:
http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/craft-charities.html
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/craftingforcharity/Crafting_for_Charity.htm
http://www.craftbits.com/crafts/charity

For those in the Rochester area, here are a few crafting charities that are always looking for additional crafty people:
The Handiwork Ministry - http://thehandiworkministry.vpweb.com/ - An active crafting group that makes a variety of projects for the community near and far. This group is growing and recently launched satellite groups in Hagerstown, Maryland, and New South Wales, Australia.
Angels of Mercy – http://www.angelsofmercyny.org – An Irondequoit-based group of crafters who turn pillowcases into dresses to help fight sex trafficking around the world. They meet at St. Cecilia’s on the third Tuesday of the month.

One other way you can find recipients is to pick a charity that you like to support (a Hospice home or a food cupboard) and check their wish list to see if there is an item on it that you can craft. Or give them a call and find out what they need and want.

Before you unleash your creativity, make sure to check out the organization’s website to learn what types of items they need, and see if they have any free patterns or guidelines on their site. If the site looks sketchy, do some web research just to make sure they are legit - Charity Navigator, for instance, is one way to check and make sure the organization is a nonprofit and is going to do what it says. Have they been written up in local newspapers? Have people sent them pictures of completed crafts?

After you have finished your crafting, post pics so we can all admire it. Then, set your craft free to bless someone else’s life. Happy crafting!

A much needed freshened up porch!

So we bought our home back in Nov 2009, and we needed a new roof put over our porch. The roof turned out great, but underneath was left in a shamble. I talked my husband into tearing off the old wall cover and restoring the original cedar siding. After a few words, nice one of course, we started tearing off and this is what we found:

My Mom works with a lady who lived in this house as a child and she must have written her name (Michelle) on the porch as they were covering it!

We replaced some of the siding up under the roof that was missing/ had roof tar on it

and then painted it up nice! Crafty-tasticy!

Late May Entry

I am a little late posting this, but I think it may apply to May's "light" theme and maybe June's theme. I will probably post again for June, since a lost of things in my house need "freshening up"! Okay, so I had this ugly outdated light fixture hanging over the table in the kitchen. See Figure A.

Figure A:

That thing had to go. It looked like a UFO.

I was about to sell Figure B at a garage sale when it dawned on me that with a coat of spray paint, it may actually be tolerable to look at!

Figure B:

It was difficult to spray the paint on and have no drips, so I did end up sanding it off a few times and applying more coats of paint. I kind of like the look that gave it, though. Sort of rustic....? I decided to paint the little candlesticks, too. I think it looks a little more updated now, it matches other accents in the kitchen, and it was even better that this transformation cost virtually nothing!

So take a look at Figure C:

So there you have it-the new "light" that my life needed!

June's Theme: FRESHEN UP

OK fellow crafters. The theme for June is "freshen up". Take a look around your home (inside or out) and find something that could use a little facelift, sprucing up, or just needs a new look. Let's reuse these items and make them "new" again rather than throwing them away and buying new ones.

I have been wanting to get a new bedding set for one of our guest rooms. The set in there now is old and really beginning to show its age. The "guts" of the comforter are still great, though, so I hate to throw it away. I thought instead that I would make a duvet cover for it to "freshen it up". There are many tutorials out there on the www that tell how to do this. Most of them say you will need 10+ yards of fabric. A MUCH cheaper way is to use 2 flat sheets for the bed size of the comforter. That's the method I'm going to try. This site (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=42495) has step by step instructions, but no photos. I'm going to try this one using the bed sheets. I'll post pictures as I work on it.

Can't wait to hear what everyone else decides to "freshen up". Have fun!!