UNO, DOS, TRES

Been busy again. Have completed three bags.

First: another Zippidy Doo Da bag, this time using pastel colored zippers. I have to admit that this is my favorite. It's time consuming to  make, but so worth it. It's really a fun, good-looking bag. Lots of pockets inside.



Next, my go at a little romance. I used vintage doilies, lace and button, along with a flower I made from a man's suit coat. I then built around the motif to make the bag a reasonable size. I do believe I have succeeded in the romance department with this one, plus it's practical with four roomy pockets inside. Gotta love it. Here's a close-up of the insert.



Finally a quickie tote. I found a wonderful table runner that begged to go home with me and morph into a Yayamade bag. I had to do it. It was only a dollar. It's a basic lined tote with a hint of patriotism, only with a pink tinge. Pink, white and blue. How fun is that!

TOTE IT

As promised, however delayed it may be, I'm posting pics of my latest totes. Made from tee shirts -- or t-shirts, if you prefer -- they're part of the Tote-A-Tee line. I had tons of tee shirts pigeon holed and finally got tired of looking at them. I culled least favorites out and redonated them to St Chris Thrift, and made up the rest. I went mostly for basic totes, fully lined, but no pockets. Did a couple of my favorites with pockets inside.

Here's a couple of my all-time favorite. I mean, who doesn't love Blue Bell Ice Cream? These two have pockets inside. The "Cranky" one also has a velcro tab closure.




Next are some Southern Belle cuties. You know exactly what "Bless Your Heart" means, don't you?

 Then, there are the school themed ones. And, no, I don't favor any of these. They just became available to me and I thought someone might actually buy them.



I also have a couple of miscellaneous, like Inks Lake State Park. They're kind of fun, too. The Texans one ought to sell right away since the Texans are so hot now. I have to admit that the Reese's one is my favorite. It, too, has inside pockets and tie closures.




 I've taken the pics and am writing the descriptions so I can post them onto Artfire. And, of course, they'll be available for sale at my booths this year. First show is at St Christopher Church in League City on October 19. I'll also be doing the Art Fair in Friendswood on November 16, and the AVA showin Dickinson on December 7. Don't know if I will fit any more into my schedule. We'll see.

SHOPPING, NOT DROPPING

Another shortcoming -- oh, so many -- that I must confess to: shopping for fabrics and notions for my bags. If I did more sewing than I did shopping, I'd be a lot better off. And so would the closet in my studio. It's full. I mean FULL. But I keep on shopping. I mean, if I don't, I might miss the perfect thing for my next project, right? Don't you feel that way, too? At least I shop THRIFT. I haunt the local thrift shops and garage sales to scoop up those wonderful finds.

So, in honor of shopaholics, thriftaholics, GSaholics everywhere, who live for the hunt and smile over the finds, this is for you.

Check out the double-knit fabrics from the Sixties. If it were a puppy, my mom would say, "It's so ugly, it's cute."  I mean FUGLY, freaking ugly. But, oh, so, wonderfully cool. Is that what you call "kitschy"? 





I also snagged a bag full of ribbons and trims. Most are so-so; nothing you'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming for, but the ones wrapped on the flat card are the ones I bought the bag for. Really nice trims that I can envision on one of my bags in the near future.

And check out the envelopes of embroidery transfers. These have to be from the Fifties-Sixties, too. They retailed for 19 cents, for crying out loud! And were made in the USA! I don't know if they'll actually transfer, but I can scan them and trace them if NEED BEE. (Note the cute reference to one of the envelopes of cute bee sayings.)



Last, but not least -- well, maybe least. Naw! It's pretty cool -- is a brocade valance with tassels. I can see this becoming some pretty amazing Just Enuf bags, and maybe some larger versions of Just Enuf bags. Perhaps they'll be More Than Enuf bags. (My cleverness at naming my bags is exceeded only by my silliness at naming my bags.)





Uh, oh. Almost forgot. Whew! (So, the valance is not last nor least.) Here's some vests I snagged for future VesTotes. You know, the soon-to-be famous YAYAMADE design that is to appear in the gallery section of the August edition of   GREENCRAFT magazine. (See "Whoa, Nellie" post below.) Not that I'd brag or anything by repeating that I'm going to be published!

Whoa, Nellie!

Okay. OVER a year since I last blogged. So sad. I've been thinking: I spend way too much time surfing the web instead of contributing to it. Besides sucking the time out of my life, it sucks the life out of me. No productivity. No good feelings of accomplishment.

No, I've not been depressed. It's just way too easy to get on the net and Pinterest or Facebook my life away. Both fun sites. Both way too easy to stay on and get nothing else done. They're like the candy and magazine displays at the checkout.

It's time to break the cycle. I'm thinking egg timer. Set that puppy for 15 minutes or so, and when it dings, that's it. Off the site I go and back into the studio to create wonderful things.

So, here we go, F&F (Family and Friends -- or -- Friends and Family -- whatever you feel more comfortable with), time's a-wastin'.

Besides all this deep thought, I also have some GOOD NEWS. Perhaps -- not perhaps -- for sure, that's what has inspired me to be more inspiring and get off my net.  Ready? Interest peaked? or is that piqued? Anyway:

I submitted three of my YAYAMADE items to GREENCRAFT magazine -- Tote-A-Tee, both regular and messenger styles; Milk Money, several pieces; and VesTote, two or three.  I received an email this week that VesTote will be included in the gallery section of the August issue.  I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED. 

Now, keeping things in perspective, the gallery section is like the honorable mention section, where you get a page or half-page for a picture of your item and a brief write-up. But to me -- I'm so freaking excited! I'm going to be published!

So, I was thinking, why don't I get off my net and get more serious about this whole creating and blogging and promoting/marketing and selling thing. I mean, I love to create/sew bags and the like and I really enjoy selling them. I could use the money. So, here I am, blogging.

I HAVE created a few things. I'll be posting about those things, including pics. We all love pics. And I'll also post pics about some of my recent finds at my local thrifts and garage sales.

ToteATee 2

Show everyone how you really feel and say it in such a cool way with this chocolate, fringed ToteATee, which sports a shoulder strap, tie closure with beads and striped pocketed (4 open pockets) lining. This ToteATee measures at 15x9 (sans fringe) and sells for $13.95. It's model no. TAT2.

ToteATee 1

It's a tote. It's a tee. No. It's a ToteATee. And it's fringy, fringy. This brown, dual screen printed (front and back) bag sports a tie closure with wood beads, a shoulder strap, and a yummy floral lining. It measures at 15"x9" (bag size, sans fringe). Grab this ToteATee, item number TAT1, for $13.95.

VEST TOTE 3

Here's another clever little Vest Tote, made from a man's suit vest, making it part of our Green Line. I added some silver flower buttons to glam it up a bit; so, now it's a one-of-a-kind bag. It's lined in black. These Vest Tote is a dark, dark, navy blue pin stripe -- almost black. The front and back of the Vest Tote sport a small watch pocket. You can carry this vest tote and be all business and all fun at the same time. The tote portion measures at 9"x12"; entire height, with handle is 23". It's model no. VT3 and sells for $10.95.

VEST TOTE 2

Olive green doesn't mean drab when it's covered with colorful embroidered flowers. This clever Vest Tote will turn heads while you shop and hold lots of goodies. It's another one-of-a-kind bag from the Green Line. Refer to model number VT2, $10.95.

VEST TOTE 1

Shop in style with this Vest Tote on your arm. This clever tote in patriotic patchwork of red, white and blue is roomy and will definitely be a conversation starter -- a one-of-a-kind bag from our Green Line. It's model number VT1 and sells for $10.95.

VESTED 1

You’ll have a vested interest in this conversation piece, a brown herringbone tote with 2 buttoned-down pockets trimmed in suede, front and back. This one-of-a-kind tote from our Green Line will carry more than style for your next outing. This not-so-little tote measures at 9x9, sports an 8-inch handle, and is fully lined in a chocolate brown. It’s model# VS-1 and sells for $15.95