Craftiness

Sorry for the week of no blogging, we did the big switcheroo and now my computer is in the living room, and it only took me a week to install the camera hardware. I think I may just have to post pictures of the house, because I love this new setup!

In other news I have been sewing up a storm. There are so many crafty ladies out there, and they inspire me to strengthen my own skills. I have had a lot of fun coming up with things I can make without any guidance.

First up were some handmade birthday gifts. I really wanted to be more aware of what we were gifting this year, and so far I have done an OK job of it. For these girls I made a little quiet bag of sorts, with just enough room for a little book and some drawing utensils. I hand stitched on each girls initial to make it special just for them.
I had my eye on these adorable eco-friendly notebooks in the school supplies of Target, and so when they went on clearance I snatched up a bunch of them. I splurged a bit on some really great quality eco-friendly coloring pencils and then made the bags all from material I had on hand. All in all a fun gift for under $5 a kid. Not too shabby.

I have been loving quilting, but came quickly to the realization that they are time consuming and costly. So I wanted to mess around and see what else I could make in the same vein. I think this play mat is just the thing! I added 5 loops of ribbon to hook baby toys on, and lined it with double batting so it's extra squishy for playing on.
The back material is my FAVORITE. So fun and modern.
Close up of the ribbon loops. I may actually make a ton of these and try to sell them. It's not a new concept, but all the ones I have seen in the store are polyester (blech) and the ones for sale on ETSY are crazy expensive (like $50 and up) and there is no way I would charge that. Some people want handmade stuff, but can't make it themselves, and also don't want to pay an arm and a leg for quality. Who knows if I will ever actually do it, but I sure am having fun sewing!