Warning...explicit felting photos

This is my thrifty goodness today. I went to the Salvation Army and they had their blue tags at 5 for 5 dollars. So....I picked up a few sweaters....35 to be exact. I even had Owen helping me find blue tags. (It was easy because blue is his favorite color!!) I also scored some great leather. 3 skirts and 2 pairs of pants. Can you just see the face of the clerk? Yea lady......like you are going to fit into those size 4 leather pants......not!!!! I may just have to put a picture in here someday of me in my leathers (I would not horrify you with me trying on a size 4 though...don't worry!!) I am sure that picture in your head would be enough.



Can you tell what this is on my floor. I will give you a hint.........I do not have any animals that would produce this.


This is sweater doo doo. That is the only thing I can call it. And when I wash the sweaters for my bags, it is all over the house. So, I try to do this all at the same time. Because no one is allowed over when I am felting.



This is the sweaters in their own zippered pillowcase and my sons shoes for aggitators.



This is some of the sweater booty from my hard work of finding the sweaters and washing them oh around 3 to 4 times. I wonder if it is because I have soft water or my water heater is not turned up high enough......I have youngun's.

I am getting ready to post a tutorial on how to make one of my sweater bags. Hopefully, it will inspire a few of you out there to make some of your own.

I wanted to take a moment to remember 9/11/01..........
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This is the last one that got done this morning. I am really excited that I was able to get 5 out the door this morning. Especially with a sick child at home.

These are the bags that are going to SoBo in the morning. Country Living is having their fair in Columbus so these are needed pronto. If I can swing it I may get one more done tonight. I have it almost done but we will see.

I have a new favorite site right now. It is called Pretty Things she sure makes some pretty things. And I am in love with her studio cottage. I could kick myself sometimes. I lived in Columbus, IN 4 years ago. And two years prior to that I had the perfect house and moved. It had a detached garage that looked like a cottage. I really miss my house. It was very Art Deco.

Cool Owl Bag!!!

I had posted last night about this and got 3 comments, I was so excited this morning. And then I looked at them and they were all spam..........yuck!!! Somebody please, give me a comment that is not spam!!!
Totally frickin' cool owl bag!!!
I have to say that this is my most favorite owl bag that I have ever made. It would be perfect for a knitter to put their knitting stuff in. Or just an everbody bag really!!
It is a pretty big bag. The bottom is 12x6. So it sits really well.
Here is the inside with vintage fabric. It has pockets on both sides.

And the Owl is just so darn cute!! I actually hand stiched that broken line around the owl. The buttons move a little so you can make it look happy or mad. So maybe I should call this the Moody Owl.
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I love it!! It is going to SoBo Style later today in Columbus, OH

What do you do when your kids are taking a bath? I decide to make a purse out of a leather skirt. I saw the skirt on my ironing board (not that I was going to iron leather) and decided that I must make this bag. Even though I really need to get my other bags made.
















On Saturday Dave and I and a couple of our friends went to this most wonderful place called Simply Good Kitchen. Bill and Shanny are a married couple and they are both chefs from the Culinary Institute of America. They are fabulous chefs and very nice people. What they do is have 26 people sit around their island kitchen and cook us a meal and tell us what and why they are doing it. For our dinner we had a ceasar salad, beef tenderloin, and bananas flombe. YUM YUM YUM. The steak is served with a zip sauce that is to die for. I could cut this steak with a fork!!!

Well I am in a dinner club. I have two other families that we swap dinners. On Monday I cook, Wednesday Megan, and Thursday Tina. I cook for 3 families and then deliver the other two and the other ladies do the same thing. There are not words to describe how wonderful this is. If you want more info let me know. We have been doing this since May of 2007. I have cut off about 200-300 off of my food bill each month.

Guess what I made tonight? Ceasar salad with grilled chicken. Bill and Shanny talk about the meis and plas (this is a french term and I am sure that I do not have the correct spelling). In English it should be to mind your P's and Q's. It is basically getting all of your ingredients together before starting your recipe. That way you know you have everything and are not running out to the Piggly Wiggly (grocery store) at the last moment.
Here are my meis and plas (again I know I am butchering this because I have tried to look it up so......if you know let me know). This is of course a picture of after I used the ingredients so I am missing an egg and few others.
I about broke my arm off stirring in the oil. Shanny said she has arms of steel from cooking...at least in her right arm.
The dressing is finished......yea. It was quite yummy and now it is 5 hours later and I have not gotten sick so I have done something right.


Here is the beautiful romaine lettuce freshly washed and spun.
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At some point I need a picture of us eating but.....well next time.

Ok...get the "Saftey Dance" song in your head, just replace saftey with "pebble in my shoe." That is what Owen is doing when we took a hike. Love and logic, I told him to get his gym shoes on and he wanted to wear these.

These pictures are a brief recap of what we have been doing.

These are some beautiful flowers we found on our hike.

Michigan Melons.......yum!!!!
Spencer on the hike.
Owen on the hike.

Cindy in the car on the way to swimming with the family being silly with the camera. Owen is caught red handed bothering his brother!!! The difference between those words is only an "r". (Bother...brother!!)

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These next few weeks should be busy. I am making more bags for SoBo Style. Yes, this will be the 3rd order since the middle of July. I am so excited. I need more stores. Anybody know of some cool stores that would like my bags? Let me know!!!

Hello. Sorry I have been away for so long. I promised my kids after I finished my last two orders that I would not work until after they started school. They start on Wednesday. I am kind of sad the summer is over. I feel like I just got in the groove and its over.

This week we went swimming several nights, we had lunch out a bunch, we went on a hike, school clothes shopping, outdoor swimming and a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Starting Thursday, I will be getting back into the purse making groove, I have a few orders. So to those of you who have orders, I will get them done by September 10th.

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!!!

This is me with my newest addition the Frame Bag. This is for an order for 6 brides maids. I am actually going to use the most gorgeous silk I could find. Chocolate brown with a muted diamond pattern on it.

I went to friends wedding yesterday and I just had a manicure.........fabulous darling!!
I did not actually attach the frame to the bag so it looks kind of wonky. I only have 7 of these frames so I wanted to try on a different frame to get the hang of frame attaching....good thing I thought to try it out on a different one........not perfect yet.

This is a great learning activity for me. Thanks Hillary for the request!!

And thanks Lisa for the tutorial!!
Here is a close up of the frame. It is gorgeous!!

This was my first practice one were I actually attached the frame to the fabric. It looks better but I got a little glue on the fabric. I need to find an attachment for the glue so I can be more exact.

I really like these. I have so many fabrics earmarked for these frames. I have silver ones too!!

Some new sweater bags for SoBo Style. As of last Friday, she only had 1 left of the original 6 for the store.

Two Owl Bags, 2 sets of Mommy and Me bags and a really cute red one with an appliqued blue flower on the flap.

If I can swing it there may be another surprise bag in there, if I can finish it.

My sewing machine broke on Tuesday...hense the reason for no posts until today. On a positive note it made me break out my industrial sewing machine that I have been too afraid to use. LOVE that machine! I probablly would not have broken my other machine if I would have been using this machine. It really goes through all the layers with out complaint.......unlike my Kenmore 385 (however, that is my favorite everyday machine).

Kitchy Owl $65.00






















Red with Blue Appliqued Flower $60.00






















Mommy and Me Stripes and Flowers
Mommy 85.00 Me $45.00













































Brown Mommy and Me with Pink Flowers
Mommy $85.00 Me $45.00












Green Owl on a Branch $75.00

Ok......one more funny vintage picture. I got this for Christmas in 1990. Only one song comes to mind..."Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evening." OH.....and totally diggin' the glasses.


Just in case you were wondering......Llamma fur and rabbit fur.

Some good news........a bag sold in downtown Brighton. My first one here in my home town. (yea!!!!) They are located at Just So! I am giving 15% off for the Brighton Art Festival. Get on down there.....I think I have about 10-13 bags down there.

These are the Mrs. Darcy collection available at the Milford Memories Art Fair in Milford, MI.
I hope to get a couple more completed by tomorrow (because I am so sure these will sell out....smile) so there may be news one tomorrow.
Sold!!! $59.00




Mrs. Darcy Brown and Cream $59.00 Sold!!!! Thanks Tracy
Mrs. Darcy Black and Pink $59.00 Available
Mrs. Darcy Blue/Emroidered flowers $59.00 Available
Mrs. Darcy Tan/Emroidered flowers $59.00 Sold!!! Thanks