Patchwork Everything Pouch

I am always looking for fun and practical ways to incorporate my fabric scraps.  I decided to try this new twist on The Everything Pouch.

I love these pouches!  I used one to pack my make-up during my trip to Rome, and even I was surprised as to how roomy it was!  The best thing is that I can make these in any size!

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La Vita Bella

I know I don't normally blog on Saturdays, but I have just been so busy since returning from my vacation that the week has flown by.

Besides coming home with two bags full of laundry, my dryer was broken for a week prior to my trip. So, I am STILL in the process of tackling about 18 loads.  The good thing about European jet lag is that I've been up and at 'em by 6 a.m. every day.  Let's hope it stays that way!

I promised some photos from my trip, so here goes...

Here we are in the Colosseum.

At the Circus Maximus

At the Trevi Fountain

In front of the Colloseum

At a fab beer shop in Rome

In front of the Tiber River

The Vatican

The beach in front of our hotel in Lido di Ostia

At Anima Mundi Bar, with a beautiful church just steps away!

I have to post a disclaimer on my appearance.  Inasmuch as I wanted to look all hot and European on my vacation--it was impossible.  Our power converter wouldn't heat up neither my curling nor my flat iron, hence the not-quite-flat, not-quite-wavy hair thing I had going on.  The blow dryer in the hotel room was basically a vacuum cleaner on reverse.

Also, this was technically a business trip, and we were generously put up in a beautiful hotel on the beach of Lido di Ostia.  Unfortunately, Ostia is 2 trains and 45 mins away from the center of Rome.  This means I had to layer my clothing to account for the changes in temperature in the 8 hours we would ultimately spend each day between visits to our hotel room.

Even so, I had such a wonderful time!!  Maybe next week I will post some photos of all the ah-mahzing food I ate!  YUUMM!

Featured on: Reduce, Reuse, UPcycle!

Buongiorno bellas!  I am back from an AH-MAHZING weekend in the beautiful city of Rome, Italy!  I will share photos soon, but I just wanted to pop in today to say "hi!"

Also, while I was on vacation, my Pillow Sham Messenger Bag was featured on Reduce, Reuse, UPcycle!  I am totally stoked since upcycling is my favorite form of creativity! 


Check them out!

Vacation...

Hi my lovies!  By the time you read this, I will be-- God-willing--enjoying a well-deserved vacation and celebrating my (gasp!) 36th birthday (which isn't til the 24th, but we are starting early!)  I will be back to work sometime next week, depending on how it takes me to recover.  ;)

Please take a moment to browse my site.  Visit projects old and new.  Become a fan on Facebook.  Follow me on Twitter. Leave me a comment.  Follow my blog....

I'll be sure to share some photos upon my return.  Love you, and enjoy your week!

Bunting iPhone Sleeve

I had some left over pennants from Tuesday's iPad 2 Sleeve project, so I decided to make a mini version for my iPhone:

I made it big enough to fit my iPhone in its hard case and added fusible fleece for extra protection.

 I don't think I mentioned last time that the fabric I used for the exterior was a drop cloth!

One fat quarter was enough for both projects and I had enough scraps left to make a lot more pennants for any future bunting projects.

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Pillow Sham Messenger Bag

One of my biggest passions is repurposing items.  You might remember my Placemat Clutch,  Sheets to Curtains,  Man's Shirt to Flirty Skirt or Tea Towel Curtains.  It gives me such a thrill to turn one item into something completely different.

I was shopping at Marshall's last week with Hubs when he got a call from an old friend.  I used this slight distraction to pop into the home section and rummage through the clearance aisle.  Sitting there, just waiting to come home with me, was a king-sized, quilted pillow sham in a gorgeous paisley and leaf print for just $3! I didn't think twice and tossed it into our cart.

King-sized pillow sham.

My mom had been asking me to make her a new purse, something with a long strap that wouldn't fall off of her shoulder.  I have to admit, making hand bags isn't, well, my bag (wah, wah).  I have a couple of friends who make phenomenal handbags, and I tend to lean more toward accessories and clutches...

Anyhoo, I got a spark of inspiration and decided to give it a shot using the fabric from the new pillow sham.

This isn't going to be a tutorial, exactly, since I don't have step by step pictures or measurements, but maybe it will inspire you to make your own!

The first thing I did was remove all of the stitching.  This left me with one large quilted piece (beige), and two smaller pieces of a thin cotton (pink).  I then cut the quilted piece in half (through the short side) and used that for the exterior and one of the small pink pieces as the lining.  The other piece of pink fabric I cut into strips and sewed together to make the strap.

I didn't use a pattern or any specific measurements.  I just played it by ear and hoped for the best.  Here is how it turned out:

VOILA!

I mitered the corners, and added a fabric flower with some left over lining fabric.

I added two interior pockets for Mom's cell phone and keys.

 

Roomy and comfy, and all for $3!

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iPad (2) Sleeve

Last week I came across Just Another Hang Up's Bunting Kindle Case and I fell in LUH-HUV (too bad I don't have a Kindle, yet!) The next day I stumbled upon Sweet Verbena's iPad Sleeve (GORGEOUS!)

I decided that I would blend both of those ideas and came up with my own version of a Bunting iPad Sleeve:

I had such a fun time going through my scraps and cutting out little pennants!  My mini-me cut out a bunch more for my next bunting project...oh and there will be another!

I used a funky fat quarter for the lining and added fusible fleece.

In the end, it turned out to be a bit too snug on my (Hubs') "original" iPad, but should fit an iPad 2 perfectly!! Hint, hint, Hubby! (if you didn't catch that Kindle hint at the beginning!)...somebody has a birthday next week.... ;) Just kidding, I already got my birthday present! More on that to come!

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