Stephanie's Creation

Spring Cleaning!

2010-04-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jimmy and I are preparing to move from our first apartment to our first house! In preparation I cleaned out my fabric cabinet. I pulled out all of my fabric and refolded it all to be the same size! I also pulled out all of the small fabrics for scraps and weeded out all of the old fabric I don't use anymore. Oh how I love organization. I can't help but to put it in order by color.

How pretty! And now I can easily see everything I have.

Facebook

2010-01-31T19:36:00.000-08:00

The best way to stay up-to-date with what's going on at Stephanie's Creation is to find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephaniescreation

Even if you don't have a Facebook account you can still view my page, so check me out!

Thanks!

Baby Ella in her custom onesie!

2009-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

You may recognize this onesie from a previous post. I gave it to Jess for her baby shower. Now Ella is big enough to wear it! Isn't she adorable!?

New Fabric from Amy Butler!

2009-10-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am so excited I just got notification that one of my favorite designers, Amy Butler, has released a new line called Love. It's the perfect name because I already LOVE it! Check it out! I will be making stuff with it soon, as soon as I can get my hands on it! If you see anything you can't resist let me know and I can make something for you!

Who wants a free bag?

2009-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

If you like my stuff and you think your girlfriends would like it too, you love a party and you want some free stuff I have an opportunity for you. Host a purse party for me for all of your girl friends and you could earn some free stuff from me.

It works like a tupperware/Pampered Chef/Candle Light party. Invite a bunch of your girlfriends over and I will bring over my catalogue, sample bags, and fabric. Everyone can custom order a bag that they love and choose their fabrics! I will also bring some inventory incase your guests want to leave with something that day.

For hosting a party you will receive $75 toward a custom bag(s) of your choosing. If your guests order more then you will earn more!

I will then make everything and bring it back to the host house so everyone can pick up their items. What a great excuse to get together with friends and shop and it's perfect this time of year since Christmas is just around the corner (eek!).

Let me know if you are interested in hosting a party, I will even provide invitations for you to send out.

Thanks!

Stephanie

Christmas, Christmas Time is Near....

2009-09-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

In the words of the Chipmunks, Christmas time is near and that means Christmas cards! For those of you who don't know I also design cards when I am not sewing. I will be doing Christmas card designs for Christmas this year. If you are bored with the choices you are given at Target and Costco, let me know, I would love to come up with a beautiful design with or without your family photo! The reason why I am mentioning this now is because I need time to design, print and for those of you who love to send out Christmas cards but don't like stuffing or labeling, I can do that for you too!

I charge $30 for designing the card. Printing costs depend on the design and how many are printed. Send me an email with what you are thinking about and we can discuss price.

Here is an example of a birth announcement that I did that could be translated into a holiday card.

Does the internet ever end?

2009-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I can search the internet for hours and hours! There are so many blogs out there I get so caught up going from one blog to the next. I guess you can also blame it on the fact that I get bored easily. I finished all of my current projects and I don't have a wedding, or shower to plan (would someone just get pregnant or engaged already?!) So anyways I love reading the blogs of some of my favorite designers, looking for new fabric, and finding new blogs of people like me doing the things they love!

My other search I am currently on is fabric stores in LA. Jimmy and I are heading West in a couple of weeks and I would love to find fun fabric stores out there, I know I will find some great stuff!

Well I am going to get back to my blog researching while watching America's Next Top Model (one of my guilty pleasures). I'll report back with some of my favorite blogs to get inspired by.

I love Wednesdays!

2009-09-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Wednesday and it's my favorite day of the week. It's a strange day to love, I know but for this past summer it's been great because it's my day off of work (I work m,t,th,f,sat). My typical Wednesday in summer goes as follows:

8:30am Pilates class at Lifetime

9:30am Poolside at Lifetime for a few hours

Lunch

1:30 off to work on fun projects!

I am sad that tomorrow may be my last Wednesday to worship the sun but it will be nice to have all that time to work on projects since I won't want to leave the house it's going to be so cold! I hear from the farmers almanac that it's going to be, and I quote, 'numbingly cold'.

On my list tomorrow is a computer laptop bag, I can't wait to see what it's going to look like and I know that Stephanie can't wait for it (she just got a new mac and is in love).

I will be sure to post photos once it is finished!

Happy Hump Day!

It's been a busy August!

2009-08-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already August 23rd! Summer goes by way too fast! Well I am winding down from a really fun weekend, my friend Alli's wedding! I was honored to be her personal attendant, I sometimes wonder if I am asked to do things like these because I am assertive and how do you say not shy? It's almost as if my friends think I am bossy! haha. Either way I had a great time and I am so happy for her and Tony. I know they will have a very happy life!

After I posted my photos of the silk flowers my cousin requested a clutch with a big flower on it, and I think it turned out great! Heather I hope you like it!

This past week I had a request for some baby stuff for a baby shower my friend Allison was going to and here is what I made her!

I love the farm scene, the cows are too cute!

I did this birdie free hand and from what I hear it was a great hit at the shower. I love coming up with new designs and can't wait to come up with more!

Silk Flowers!

2009-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

I've been working on creating fabric flowers lately and finally found a great fabric that holds its shape, its called Dupioni silk. Alli's wedding is just around the corner and she needed me to make her ring bearers pillows so here is what I came up with.

Since her colors are blue and white the flower worked out perfectly. The blue fabric is from the sash that came with the bridesmaids dresses. The wedding is outside in the middle of August so it is highly unlikely that they will be needing a sash for extra warmth, so it was perfect to use for the pillows and her garter.

Alli has two adorable ring bearers so each of them get a pillow!

My friend Laura is getting married in September and for her bachelorette party I gave her the very first bridal version of my make-up bag. She was very excited when she opened it and it's going to look great on her wedding day!

For more detail I sewed some jewels and pearls to the center.

Baby Ella Birth Announcement!

2009-08-02T19:51:00.001-07:00

On June 30th at 4:04 am Ella Mary was introduced into this world. I was so excited that I got to make her birth announcement. My friend Ashley is a photographer so I suggested Jess contact her for some professional photos of Ella and they turned out beautiful! Make sure you check out her blog, she is great at what she does! All of the photos turned out great but this photo caught our eye as perfect for the announcement. I can't say enough good things about my mac and this is a great example of why. If you're looking for custom invitations or announcements let me know I would love to make something for you! Also I plan on concentrating on creating Christmas cards. Think of the pre done ones you can get at Target but better (or so I hope)! I'll continue to post what I come up with!

Operation Wedding 2010 the beginning

2009-07-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone is getting married and I have been lucky enough to have been asked to help in the planning. First my friend Alli is getting married in August (only 3 weeks, ah!). Her colors are dark blue and light blue and she let me do whatever I wanted (which I love), and this is what I came up with!

The swirls are stamps that I scanned into my computer and played around with until I came up with this layout.

In addition to the main invitation we also created a ceremony, reception and RSVP card. Here's a great tip to save money on your wedding invitations, use a postcard for your RSVP instead of a card with envelope. It costs $0.28 in postage versus $0.44 plus you don't have to buy envelopes, if you send out 200 invitations that $32 saved on postage alone!

Here is the back side of the RSVP card and the reception card. On the back of the RSVP card I created a map so guests could find their way to each venue.

Ooops....

2009-07-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

So I must be the worst blogger out there because as you can clearly see I haven't blogged for 2 months! Sorry about that but it has been a busy summer and I do like to be outside as much as I can while it's so nice out! But I will give you the long update on what has been happening and what has kept me from updating!

I got a new design for a laptop case, Tricia practically demanded that she get the first one and she hovered over me for 5 hours while I worked on it. Finally at midnight I told her no more I have to go to bed. With the next day being easter it was going to be a busy day. When I was with my family on Sunday Tricia practically wanted to kick me out of the house to go home and finish it for her! I finished one for her, myself and Tammie and it has been the best for toting around my mac, I love it!
The next new adventure was creating my first skirt! I never knew making an A-line skirt could be so simple! I have made a few for myself for the summer and a couple for friends who just love them. There is nothing better then getting to throw on a cute skirt and shoes to run out the door for work or errands, have I ever mentioned I don't like to be cold?
On May 17th Allison and I thew our friend Jess a baby shower. This is her first child so it was extra exciting! As a main activity with the guests we decorated onesies of all sizes, we used paint, buttons, ribbon, stamps and iron on designs to make 20 onesies. The new baby is going to have lots of outfits to wear for the next year!
Here is Jess opening up her gift from me. I made her this great flannel blanket and a red diaper bag (which is sitting in front of her).
Here is a group shot of all the ladies who came to the shower, it was so much fun I can't wait to host my next party. Someone is going to have to get married or have a baby, get on it people!
On May 31st I thew my second purse party, thanks to all of you who came out for it! I had great weather and got a great tan sitting outside talking with everyone who came.
Some great friends from high school came out to support me, thanks ladies!
After 2 years of school, Jimmy graduated! He graduated from ITT tech with a degree in computer networking systems, so he is officially a nerd! I am so proud of him, he worked so hard, I can't wait to see what he does in the future!
My birthday was in June so the ladies and I went out to Maynards for a fun evening out, it was a great time and it was fun to see everyone!
On June 30th we welcomed Ella Mary into the world! She is so cute, I can't wait to watch her grow up! Also she gives me a great opportunity to make more baby stuff! Oh what fun!

Jimmy and I got away for the 4th of July, we went to both Danbury and Hurley Wisconsin to be with our families at their cabins. We had a great time and the Vavrichek boys put on a great firework show!

Finally we come to present day. I have a new product called trans web which allows me to do a form of embroidery on anything! Here is one example on a onesie that I have for sale. There is going to be more of this once I have a day off to play around with it. So check back soon! Also I have finally started my Etsy shop! Please stop by to check out what I have posted so far. There will be more posted soon. One great thing about it is that I can now take credit card as a form of payment through paypal and I will ship anywhere in the United States! I am still taking custom orders so convo me if you have any ideas!

The summer is still packed with plans, which is great but also makes the summer fly by way too fast! As a July resolution I am going to post more often, 2 months in between is just too long! Thanks for all of your support and I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

-Stephanie-

PS I'm hoping to have a new blog design sometime soon, just another addition to my long to do list!

No time for blogging

2009-05-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been very good about blogging lately, I've been working on the plethora of projects. Alli's wedding invitations (pictures to be posted soon), Jess' baby shower, Junior League of St. Paul project, many other small projects in between and of course pursapalooza!

I recently remembered saying to myself 'remember when I would make up a project because I was bored?' Well there is no longer a need to try to create a project they always seem to find me. A friend said to me last week, 'Do you ever just sit around?' And the answer is rarely. But I love being busy, for those who know me I have a hard time sitting and just watching TV, don't get me wrong I love TV but I have to be doing something while I am watching (ie my Super Sudoku addiction).

One of my favorite things to do is plan parties, which I get to do 3 times this month, and upcoming is a graduation party for my lovely boyfriend, Jimmy. I scared him recently when I told him I was going to clear out the graduation section of Party City, balloons, plates, napkins, cups confetti, all with Congrats Grad 2009 on it as well as a huge cake with his face on it. He did not find it as amusing as I did. In reality I am keeping it simple just like Jimmy asked, BBQ, beer and cake, how simpler could it get? I am really excited to celebrate Jimmy's graduation, he has spent the last 2 years working full time and going to school full time. He has worked so hard to get his degree I couldn't be prouder. Congratulations Jimmy!

Well enough blabbing, I have a very busy month coming up, so there will be posts about everything I have been working on and how it turns out!

Nightmares in busy season

2009-04-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

At the moment I have a lot on my plate for spring planning, a baby shower for my friend Jess on May 17th, my purse party on May 31st, and now a graduation party for Jimmy on June 5th. Each of these are at my parents house, and as I told my mom she could start charging me for renting out her place like a hall :). So to the nightmare part, I had a dream the other night that it was the day before (or the day of, you know how dreams go) and I realized that I hadn't planned ANYTHING for the party! I then spent time scrambling around trying to make it a nice shower on such short notice. It gave me anxiety the next day because I want everyone to have a great time when I have a party. Well it was great to the realize that I have plenty of time to plan this shower, plus my purse party, plus Jimmy's graduation party.

Well as a preview of Jess' baby shower here are some photos (Jess if you are reading this you are cheating! And it will ruin your party so look away:)

For the baby shower invitations I kept it simple. I used the petal envelope because I thought it was very soft and girly. It's hard to read but it reads 'First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby with the baby carriage'. I like to tie in a theme from a popular rhyme or song or saying to open up the invitation.

As a cute way to close it up I used a sticker and then stamped a baby's footprint.

For Jess' party we are decorating onsies, so I decided to decorate one early. The print you are seeing in the background is actually a flannel receiving blanket that I am also giving to Jess at her shower, so I cut out so

me of the shapes from the fabric and sewed it onto the onsie so it all ties in together. To also prepare for the party I am 'pre-decorating' some onsies with buttons or ribbon so people can create around it it they would like to. I am also printing out some iron on sayings and pictures so no matter how creative the guests are they will be able to decorate a beautiful onsie.

As another gift for Jess I made her a diaper bag in her favorite color, red!

This bag has a ton of pockets to hold all of the diapers, pacifiers, baby wipes and extra clothes that they could possibly need. I hope she loves it, she had mentioned that she was having a hard time finding a diaper bag that she really liked. We will see come May 17th!

Once the shower is over I will make sure to post photos about how it went, and what people come up with for their onsies!

Pursapalooza Spring Edition!

2009-04-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have a date for my spring purse party! Sunday May 31st 1pm - 4pm. I am looking forward to showing some new designs and new fabrics. Some new items include, skirt samples, baby blankets, diaper bags, more beach bags, computer laptop bags, clutches and more. Contact me if you would like to come, I will give you the location and my contact information. I can't wait, and I hope you can come!

Check out my facebook page for more information, pictures and RSVP:

Stephanie's Creation Facebook Page

Pursapalooza Spring Edition

Did I mention I love organization?

2009-04-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a fun, organizational fest weekend. I conned Jimmy into going with me to Ikea and a quick stop over at MOA. Both places were a total zoo, I'm a little surprised Jimmy survived. I was disappointed because they didn't have the dresser I wanted in stock. But what we did get was a great new 2 section hamper, cute new fabric and these great shelves to go above my fabric dresser in the living room.

My dad is very sweet and came over on Sunday to install them. Looking back I probably could have installed them myself but it is so much easier to watch him do it, and plus then they come out even! So after I then cleaned the entire apartment I decorated my new shelves with some of the bags I have finished. It's great because they give me more storage and they make a great display for my stuff. It's almost like my own little shop in my living room!

New Recipes

2009-04-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Taking inspiration from my good friends Allison, Jess and Katie I am trying new recipes that I find. In Family Circle I found recipes for hostess cupcakes and twinkies and things like that so I tried my hand at the cream filled cupcakes and I have to say they turned out pretty well.

Jimmy clearly liked them as he tried the first one.

While I was making cupcakes, Jimmy was trying out a different recipe of spinach pasta. He modified it in his own special way, we added chicken for some good protein. It was great as usual when Jimmy cooks, he was proud of his dish so I took a picture.

It was a great light dish and I would definitely make it again.

Spring is on its way!

2009-03-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that Spring is on its way, soon to be followed by summer, my favorite season! I took my first run outside last week, it can only get better from here on out. With spring and summer comes lots of events. I am throwing my friend a baby shower in May (check back to see all the cool baby stuff I am making for it). As well there are lots of weddings this summer (which I love).

In all of this I am trying to plan another purse party spring edition. I am making it my goal to have it in late May, possibly Sunday the 24th. Once I set a final date I will be sure to post about it. For that party I am going to try to have more beach bags, clutches, baby bags/blankets and anything else you can think of for summer.

I hope everyone can come!

Thanks!

Busy Busy Busy

2009-03-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been so busy lately between, work and sewing, trying to keep up with working out as well as trying to sleep! Blogging just seems to be pushed to the back burner. So here is an update on some of the MANY projects I have been working on.

I made a bag out of this red fabric and as soon as my friend Margaret saw it she feel in love! So she wanted me to make her a clutch for all of the black and white dresses that she wears.

My friend Anne is going to Maui this month and she wanted a beach bag to carry all of her stuff to and from the beach. Her favorite color is pink so we went to the store and she picked out this floral pattern that she loved and I found this great striped pink fabric to go with it. This bag literally looks like pepto-bismol exploded all over it and she loves it! She also had me make a matching camera case to go with it since her first all pink one got lost or taken because it was so darn cute!

Last Wednesday was a big day. I learned how to make simple A-line skirts! This is the very first one I made, with yours truly as the model. I can not WAIT for summer! I am working on making a slew of these so I have a whole new wardrobe! I never thought it would be so easy to make clothing but now I am figuring it out.

My boss' birthday was in January and for her gift I made her this great shoe bag. She always carries her shoes to work so that they don't get ruined in the nasty winter weather. Her favorite color is orange so I pulled together some of the great orange scraps I had and this is how it turned out. She loved it and is making great use out of it.

Finally I used some of the left over pink fabric from Anne's bag to make a camera case for Tina's sister. I love how the stripe is so simple.

I have also been helping Niki out repairing nearly ALL of her pants and I am not joking. I am hemming or re-hemming 6 pairs of her pants, as well as a sweater. I have never seen so many pants in disrepair! I think she even has more for me in her closet she hasn't brought to me.

Besides these projects that I have finished, I cut a bunch of things for other projects on my list and I plan on spending all day Wednesday working on them. I won't have anything better to do since it will be freezing out! Hopefully I will be good and blog about them right after I finish them.

Have a great week!

New Bag for Sale!

2009-02-11T19:14:00.001-08:00

I love having a day off, it gives me time to do some sewing in a relaxed setting, usually in my comfy clothes. Today I pulled out some of my favorite black and white fabric. I made this great bag with inset handles which makes it fun to carry. The best news is that this bag isn't spoken for! I am selling this bag for $75 if you are interested let me know. This has been a popular fabric so it could go fast! Or I may change my mind an keep it myself!

Inside is all black with two pockets on one side.

What's Black, White & Red All Over?

2009-02-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

I had a request for a large bag that was mostly red with white and black. It is very hard to find an interesting red print, but I found this great Asian inspired print that works great for a large bag.

I found this red polka dot fabric that works great for a fun interior. I made lots of pockets so there is plenty of room to hold everything you could possibly carry.

Blue Jeans & Bling

2009-02-10T18:11:00.001-08:00

My sister, Tricia, is involved in a volunteer program called The Junior League of St. Paul, which is an organization of women that volunteers around their community. On February 28th they are throwing their annual event called 'Blue Jeans & Bling' which is a fundraising event to benefit kids. There will be a silent auction and I decided to contribute one of my bags to hopefully start a bidding war and raise some money for the cause.

Tricia really likes my bags with the inset handle so I picked this bright and cheery print perfect for spring.

The inside is a navy blue with white polka dot.

Check out the JLSP Blue Jeans & Bling event and come if you can, it's for a great cause, it's going to be a lot of fun and of course I will be there taking part!

Shoe whore meet bag hag

2009-01-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

My friend Pat contacted me with a great idea to solve a problem that she, me and I know many women have who live in places like Minnesota. Carrying a ugly plastic cub bag to bring our cute shoes back and forth to work while we are wearing our snow boots to trudge through the snow. Pat asked me to make her a bag that was cute and this is what I came up with:

I got new black and white fabric and it was perfect for this job. Inside the bag is black since we all know shoes get very dirty. Also inside the bag is a 'sleeve' so you can stick one shoe one one side and one on the other and so they don't scratch or scuff each other.
Finally I made it a drawstring bag so that it is easy to get in and out of as well as you can throw it over your shoulder and have your hands free. I know that I am always carrying a ton of stuff with me to and from work, especially in the winter. Let me know if you are interested in a bag like this, winter is far from over and we all know that spring is wet, sloppy and hard on expensive heels!

Messenger Bag

2009-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I finished this messenger bag for my friends daughter. She plays volleyball for Hopkins so she wanted a bag that she could put all of her sports stuff in when she went to games.

In Chanhassen there is a places called hoops and threads and they do embroidery. I gave them the fabric and a couple of days later I had the perfect piece for the front of the bag. The strap is adjustable, you would not believe how hard it is to find a two inch black plastic slider! I searched everywhere for this one small piece and finally when I almost gave up my favorite store, Crafty Planet, had a bunch of them! I should have figured that if anyone would have it they would.

Alli & Tony's Save the Date

2009-01-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

So here is the Save the Date postcard I made for Alli & Tony. We choose to do a postcard because it makes it easy and simple to get them out to guests as well as a great option to keep the cost down (which is always a great thing!).Her colors are going to be navy, cream and a touch of light green so this card gives guests a sneak preview of what is to come. We used a photo of them from Katie's wedding which is just beautiful. She wants a romantic feel so the cursive writing works great for that. I am going to be working on her invitations next which is going to be lots of fun, I can't wait to see what we come up with! I will keep you posted on all of the elements that I create for them.

Katie's Wedding - Professional Photos

2008-12-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

So I finally got a copy of the professional photographers photos of Katie and Lee's wedding and I am really excited to post some of them!

This is a great photo of all of the place cards that were color coded by meal choice. The servers loved them because it was really obvious from across the room what people were eating. A good thing to keep in mind for the future.

Here is one of the finished tables. The black and pink favors really popped against the white table cloths.

All the wedding programs that took so much work to put together, why do people then throw your hard work in the trash? Ahhh...if they only knew!

Me with the beautiful bride, you can tell we were running around all day by the looks of my hair!

The happy couple Katie and Lee. Cheers!

All of the bridesmaids showing off their hot pink shoes. They were so cute but so painful! Too bad someone spilt their drink on my shoes an ruined them! But they were such a great touch to the final look and it was perfect for the brides shoes since she LOVES pink!

Me with the lovely Jamie, my hair style master. She was the one behind my fabulous hair.

With Katie's wedding over I now have a new one that I am working on, Alli's who was a bridesmaid in Katie's wedding. I just finished her save the dates and we are now onto her invitations. I can't wait to post about her wedding! Coming Soon!

Christmas Cards!

2008-12-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

So my favorite part about Christmas is making my Christmas cards, and it seems like my list keeps on getting longer and longer. I made 3 versions of my card:

Here is a close up of the image which I made by hand on my trusty Mac Book. I had a lot of fun being creative in a new way. I wanted my theme to be Christmas lights and I just couldn't find what I was looking for so I made my own through Illustrator. It turned out just the way I pictured it in my mind.

I cut out the image and mounted it on a foam circle so it was raised from the rest of the card.

Christmas, Christmas, time is near!

2008-12-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas is such a great time of year! I get to be creative almost everyday in preparation for Christmas. Well this evening I finished wrapping all of my presents. I think that how you wrap the gift is just as important as what you give. Who doesn't get excited to get a gift that is wrapped really pretty? I feel it makes whatever is inside even better.

This year my theme was Christmas lights, my Christmas cards had lights on them (next post will show what they looked like). Who knew that I would be able to find Christmas light ornaments? Target is so great. So attached to the center of the bow I tied a couple of ornaments and viola! A fantastic looking Christmas present!

I got the wrapping from both the Container store as well as target, the ribbon I got from Michaels, and the ornaments are from Target which I got on sale. Over all it was not expensive to wrap all of my gifts (especially if you have coupons) And it looks far better than a plain old boring bow found on most gifts. There is something about putting thought into a gift that people just love.

For my To and From tags I found a stamp and stamped the image on a round label sticker. Simple and looks great!

This green and pink gift was for my friend Katie. I found this great green wrapping paper from The Container Store and used some ribbon on hand. Her favorite color is pink so it was perfect for her!

Tomorrow night I will post my Christmas cards, they were very fun to create since this year I made them completely from scratch with my fantastic Mac that I bought for myself for Christmas last year.

Pursapalooza Custom Orders

2008-12-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Before and after the party I had some custom order to fill. I love it when I get a request, it gives me some creative guidelines and it challenges me to make something different.

This bag has been a favorite of so many. I made this bag specifically for my cousin Sara. She requested this exact combination and so many people have wanted me to recreate this bag but she made me swear I wouldn't make it for anyone else. If you love it I am sure we can come up with something similar! Sorry Sara!

This make-up bag is for Katie for a Christmas gift, I hope she likes it since this is one of my favorite patterns. It looks so great with the green ribbon.

So these two bags were a request from Anna and her mom who saw a bag that I had made my sister. They loved the inset handles and requested them even though they can be very hard. But I am happy to report that I found a new trick that makes these handles easy, so this style of bag is back in business!

I love how bright and cheery this bag turned out, how could you be sad carrying this around?

I almost had a hard time selling this bag, this was a request and once I was done with it I didn't want to sell it! Black, white and green are my favorite colors and it turned out so well I am so tempted to try it out but I slap my hand away every time I walk by it so I don't take it with me.

If these have inspired you for a custom order let me know! Also to all who have not received their custom order, it is in the works and shouldn't be much longer.

Pursapalooza 2008!

2008-12-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Thank You to everyone who came out to the first annual Pursapalooza! Everything went really well, I had a great turnout. I hope everyone had a good time and is enjoying your purchases, hopefully they make someone happy this Christmas! I am already planning for the next party which should be spring, so if you didn't make it to this one, don't worry there will be another.

My cousin Sara munchin on some home made Jimmy specialties. Everyone loved the food, thank you so much to my loving, adoring and oh so supportive adorable boyfriend Jimmy. Love You!

Anna trying out to be my next model. Doesn't see do a great job?!

Ladies be shoppin'

Jimmy and my dad relaxing and watching football before all of the ladies arrived, they soon ran away to the basement.

Some large bags and camera cases.

All of the make-up bags, there are still some left over if you are interested!

Pursapalooza 2008!

2008-11-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

So I am very excited to announce that I am having my very first purse party on December 7th! There is lots and lots to do before then so I don't mind the bad weather, just more encouragement to stay in my warm jammies and sew. Today I spent the whole day sewing since I just got some new fabric in the mail (YAY!). I am slowly but surly building up my stock for the party so if there is anything you see that you want or if there is anything you would like specifically let me know so I can have it at my party. If you would like to come to my very first pursapalooza email me so I can give you more details.

Love this new fabric!

I added a ribbon detail between the two fabrics to give it a more finished look.

Check back later for more previews and updates of pursapalooza!

It's black & white

2008-11-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

So I just found a great black and white print and it looks great as

the lining of this diaper/work tote.

Here's a little better view of what it looks like from the inside.

Inside there are 4 open pockets, two on the long side and one on either small end.

The outside of the pocket is the pattern with the inside being solid black.

So I also added a new feature to this bag. Inside there is a hidden zipper pocket,

the pocket is nice and large.

This bag hasn't been spoken for so if you are interested, let me know it's $65.

. . .

What's black white and purple all over? Margaret! Margaret loves these colors so I made her up a couple of small pouches (as she calls them) for her rather large new bag she just got. At first they were just going to be black and white but in the last minute I added the purple stripe, they are lined with the same purple fabric as well.

Close up view of the small pouch.

Close up view of the make-up bag.

Bags for Sale!

2008-10-21T21:29:00.001-07:00

I just finished this large carry all tote. It measures 12"x 15"x 5" and I am selling it for $65. There are two pockets on the outside small sides, perfect for a cell phone or ipod.

Inside there are 6 pockets to hold anything you can think of! The inside is a great sage green color with white polka dots.
The handles are the perfect length to throw it over your shoulder, carry in the nook of your arm or just to carry it in your hand.
I love the pattern of this fabric! It goes great with jeans and a t-shirt or navy slacks (not that I tried the bag out first..wink!) This bag measures 10"x 11"x 4" for $35. Perfect for shopping, it's big enough to carry your wallet and phone and some other necessities.
Inside there are two pockets for quick finding of the small things that always get lost in the bottom of our bags! The navy color inside is great for hiding stains as well (just in case).
Let me know if you are interested in purchasing either of these bags, or you like the style but want one in a different fabric or vice versa. Thanks so much!

Gotta love organization!

2008-10-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

I just found this great dresser/buffet at a furniture outlet store in Savage. I am now using it as my sewing storage so my apartment finally looks clean and fully moved in! This dresser was only $129! I just had to share this fantastic find with everyone.

A bag for Anne

2008-10-21T21:19:00.001-07:00

I just finished a bag for my friend Anne, she loves pink and butterflies so

naturally this was perfect for her!

The inside looks great with coordinating yellow dots.

Oh the Traveling we will do....

2008-10-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I just finished a new design. This is a great all in one toiletry bag. The bag measures 12"x10"x5". It's purpose is to be able to carry all of your make-up, hair care, body care and possibly even a small hair dryer all in one bag so there is no need to carry a bunch of bags to the bathroom.

The zipper goes almost all the way around three sides for easy opening. Inside there are 4 pockets to organize all of your bathroom needs.

United Way

2008-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I just donated a couple of my bags to a United Way silent auction. The first was a combo of a make-up bag and camera case. The camera case was the same material as the interior of the make-up bag.

The second bag I donated was a work bag with lots of pockets.

I hope the winners love their bags, and thank's so much for bidding it went to a great cause!

Busy Busy Monday!

2008-09-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

I had Monday off so I spent a majority of it making bags, bags and more bags! Here are some of what's to come. I am going to participate in a craft fair at Toro in November so I am gearing up for that as well as many other things I have on my plate right now. I am making a couple of bags that I am donating to a United Way silent auction and of course who knows how many days until Christmas but I know there is not enough! I should have a craft day countdown on my blog to constantly remind me to keep sewing! (just keep sewing just keep sewing...:) If you are thinking about giving a bag of mine to someone you love this Christmas, put your order in now, so I can make sure I get it done! Maybe I can quit my job before I know it! :)

Rebecca's Bridal Shower

2008-09-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

So I am helping my sister with a bridal shower she is planning and here is the invitation that I came up with. Her colors are brown, ice blue and white, and we used the theme 'tying the knot'. I found some faux engagement rings and used them as the focal piece tied with a white and blue ribbon.

I love how they turned out they were so clean and sophisticated! As prizes for some of the games, Tricia is using some of my bags so I am very busy making as many bags as I can.

New Design!

2008-09-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

I just finished a new bag. This bag is great for a work tote, diaper bag, overnight bag or gym bag. It measures 16' x 11' x 6.5'.

Inside there are plenty of pockets for anything you could think of. There are 6 pockets on the interior and 2 pockets on the exterior.

The interior is a bright and cheery light yellow and the exterior is a peachy pink color with white and yellow accents in the flowers.

This is such a great print, I picked it up yesterday and couldn't wait to make a new bag out of it.

I am going to make additional versions of this bag, including one that isn't as deep as this one and one that closes with a zipper. If you are interested in this style let me know!

New reversible bag

2008-09-10T21:46:00.001-07:00

I just finished this big, reversible bag. It took a lot of hand stitching due to the inset handle, but it turned out great!

This bag is large enough to fit a laptop and more!

There are 5 pockets on the inside, to hold and organize everything you could think of.

Here is what it looks like when it is reversed, two bags in one!

Now that this one is done, I am working on another design I haven't done yet and can't wait to get it done and posted, so stay tuned!

Ja'mon Jammie

2008-09-10T21:36:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine just moved away to the east coast (tear!) so I made her a very orange going away package to remember me by.

This is her frame roll, since she sells eyewear for a living and has many pairs herself, it was perfect.

This is a 'coozy' as she would call it, she uses it to protect her phone, but it can be used as a camera case, phone case or an ipod case. Close up photos will be posted soon.

Katie's Wedding - Favors and Place cards finished!

2008-09-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Finally! I have pictures from the reception of Katie's wedding.

My hard work payed off in the end, the tables looked

gorgeous! Here is one of the tables all set up. The white table cloths an

d black napkins really showed off the black and pink favor boxes.

Here is a close-up view of the place setting.

All of the place cards set up before guests arrived. They looked great all set up. Katie had a plated dinner of steak, chicken and fish. The pink represented chicken, black represented steak, and white represented fish. One of the servers commented to me how much she loved the place cards since it was very obvious from the front and the back who was eating what. A good planner thinks of everything! :)

A picture of me with the beautiful bride. Her mom (JB as we call her) made all of our dresses, Katie's wedding dress, four bridesmaid dresses as well as the flower girls dress. She did an amazing job, we all looked great! The wonders of sewing!

Mara's Birthday!

2008-08-21T21:36:00.001-07:00

So today was my friend Mara's birthday. She has been a supporter of mine since I first started sewing in high school. I made her a bag for her birthday and as I was taking photos of it for my blog, Jimmy, my goofy boyfriend, was getting ready for camping and decided he wanted to be my model.

Here is Jimmy showing how a pink wristlet goes with any camping outfit...

Here is Jimmy putting the bag on full display...I sometimes wonder about him...

Here is Mara after she opened her gift. It worked out perfectly, she matched the bag! I knew I was psychic!

Here is a close-up of the actual bag I made her, no model required but don't be surprised if Jimmy makes a future appearance on my blog...

Love the new fabric!

2008-08-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

So I was able to do some sewing this past two weeks and Tricia and I had a photo shoot with them in my mothers garden. This bag turned out great since it has a large bold pattern.

Here are two different size bags. I made the small one for my cousin, Sophie. The pear attached to it is stuffed like a pillow and attached to the zipper.

I am lovin' my new fabric and can't wait to make more, if you want a bag out of any of these fabrics or the bag you see in the photo let me know!

New Fabric!

2008-08-07T20:57:00.001-07:00

I am sooo excited! I just got new fabric that I ordered online. I can't wait to pump out some fun colorful bags out of these.

I already have plans for some bags I am going to make, but if you see fabric you love and want a bag made out of it let me know. And let me know before I run out of the fabric!

A couple new wristlet bags

2008-08-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have managed to squeeze in time amongst all of my commitments to make a couple of new bags. I improved them from the last few times, I think I perfected the sizes for the large and the small. The flower one is the larger size wristlet and is about 8x11 inches and sells for $25. It has a layer of interfacing that is thick enough that keeps the shape of the bag.

The lining is a green stripe, I prewash all of my fabric so a wash on delicate cycle and lay flat to dry should be fine.

Here is a the smaller size wristlet, 6x10 inches and sells for $25. This particular bag is made out of my latest purchase of fabric, oh so cute!
Once I get a free day I am going to go find some new coordinating fabrics, so you should see some new fabric combinations soon.

Working on Katie's Wedding

2008-08-07T20:17:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been mia these past couple of weeks, I have been busy working on Katie's wedding. Recently I put together 150 favors. Katie's favors consist of little black boxes, with chocolates, wrapped in a ribbon and then topped with their K & L logo sticker.

Here you can see all of my supplies laid out all over my floor during assembly. The black pile on the right is shredded paper to fill the boxes, I had so much shredded paper all over my floor, thank god Jimmy bought a vacuum cleaner! It took about 3 hours to put together the black boxes (that was fun while watching bad movies). And then about another 3 hours stuffing them with chocolates and sealing them. It was so hot the week I was doing these I had to make sure I had my apartment air conditioned so the chocolate didn't melt

Here is a finished stack of what the favors look like finished. Oh so pretty. It feels so good to have these all finished. Its only one week till the wedding so I will be very busy assembling wedding programs and finishing the place cards so there may not be too much new sewing posted until after August 15th. Look back soon I will be posting about the rest of the weeks events leading up to the big day as well as highlights from the wedding.

Labels!

2008-07-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

So very exciting news, I made labels for my bags! I used printable fabric and designed it on my computer. Here are pictures of the first two bags that are now branded with my label. Only someone like me would find this the highlight of my day!

My favorite color is green, and I really think it will work on any bag I make no matter what the color....

Here is the latest large bag I just finished tonight.

Black & White

2008-07-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the great black and white fabric I got! I made it into a beach bag that angles its way down from the top to the bottom. It's about 18 inches tall by about 16 inches wide. I am selling this one for $50, let me know if you are interested!

Here is the inside, its all black with a fun black and white pocket. The black fabric is denim so it's very durable.

It's been a busy creative week....

2008-07-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

The latest frame roll out of some fun new blue fabric I got...

Here is a small makeup case that I made for a friend's birthday who loves red.

More new fabric I got on Friday and had to make into a bag for a friend as a travel gift.

I got some new fabric this Sunday and can't wait to make some new stuff. Look for some black and white bags coming soon! If only I had some vacation time to work on all of this or I didn't need to sleep!

Let me know if you have ideas for things you would like to see, I am working on creating a camera case, and ipod case and a diaper bag.

Big Bags!

2008-07-13T21:32:00.001-07:00

Here are some the the bigger bags that I make:

The First two are reversible

Here is a bag that my sister picked out for herself, its finally finished!

This bag is nice and large 20"x20" I use it as my beach bag. Its great it hold everything you need even a towel!

Inside pockets for your phone, ipod keys etc.

Frame Roll

2008-07-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some new things I have been working on. These are cases for glasses. For those of you who have more than one pair (it can be an addiction as some have seen with me) this pink frame roll and yellow frame roll are perfect. They both hold three pairs of glasses. The concept for these was a jewelry roll. These rolls are also great for people who travel so you don't have to carry multiple hard cases with you.

As you can see from the photo there are three pockets that hold the glasses, there is also a snap to keep the pocket closed and your glasses from falling out.
The ribbon that keeps the roll closed also doubles as a way to display/hang the case up so when you are getting ready all of your glasses are viewable.
Here is a photo of the outside of the case.

Here is the yellow frame roll.

For those who don't have multiple pairs, or just need a single case here is a frame case for a single pair of glasses. The case is made of fabric and the top has a flex snap frame to keep it closed.

The inside of the case (love polka dots, especially green polka dots)

Invitations

2008-06-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

My other creative passion is making cards and invitations.

This invitation is from my girlfriend Katie's wedding.

RSVP Card

This invitation is from a bridal shower that I planned, it was a very pink bridal shower

This invitation is from a vip work function.

Welcome to my blog

2008-06-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, I am using this to showcase the creative projects that I do. My specialties include making purses, small handbags, as well as creating cards and party invitations.

The following are some of the bags I have created.

Large Round Toiletry Bag

Small Toiletry Bag

Inside of small toiletry bag

Large Toiletry Bag