I like Pretty Things…

Just in case you weren’t sure, I thought you should know.  And I have some incredibly pretty things sitting in my dining room right now.  Want to know what they are? 

{So. Awesome.} 

Sharon at Elphia Designs has given me two of her beautiful handmade handbags to share with two of my fantabulous readers.  Not yet, mind you.  I like to build up the suspense and make you wait. 

Not too long though, I promise!

How cute is this blue and tan handbag?  I think this would this would be awesome to use at, say, a farmers market.  Although I love our local farmers markets, I know I would end up using this bag at the places I am most frequently found at:  Target and The Dollar Store.  I’m just telling it like it is, people. 

Sharon searches out the most beautiful fabrics to make her bags out of.  The purple and diamond patterned fabrics on this long handled bag are so pretty together.  I don’t know where she gets her inspiration from, but I am in awe of her talent with a sewing machine. 

I can’t wait to share these bags with two lucky readers.  Since next month is my birthday, I’ve decided to have a whole week of giveaways to celebrate.  After all, the only thing better then getting is giving, right?

I’ll let you know all the giveaway specifics as well as what other awesome stuff I’ll be giving away in upcoming posts.  I can’t wait!

If you’d like to see what other amazing creations Sharon has made, you can visit her shop at Elphia Designs or see what she’s up to on her blog.  She’s new to blogging (newer than me, that is!) so stop by her place and say hi.  I know she’d love to hear from you!

The next giveaway I have to tell you about is from Dayspring, and it is soooo cool!  ACK!  I can’t wait to give away all this awesome stuff!!!

Apron & Chef Hat, Part 1...

I haven't sewn many things in my lifetime, and those few things were generally pretty awful. I mean, I could mend things like a hole in a shirt and sew on Boy Scout patches. But true sewing, no way.

Because if I’m being honest with you, I am afraid of sewing machines. Seriously, what’s not to be afraid of? In my middle school Home Ec. class three kids ran the needle through their fingers, people! Let’s read that again: RAN A NEEDLE THROUGH THEIR FINGER. So I pretty much said goodbye to sewing machines after that.

Fast forward (mumble, mumble) years later, and Lovely L gets a sewing machine for Christmas. I realize that I either have to learn to use the thing to teach her how, or just let her go at it and hope I don’t have to make a trip to the E.R. to have the needle removed from one of her fingers.

The first project I decided to tackle were pillow covers for our couch.

I was so astonished that they turned out great (my exact thought when I finished them was, ‘holy schnikes, these aren’t crappy!’) that I set about finding other projects I could sew. I knew Lovely L was having a cooking themed birthday party and thought how cool it would be to make her an apron and chef hat to wear for her party.

In the meantime, I sewed the top of these curtains together. The red part and the stripy bit had been hanging for a year held together by just sewing pins.

And still enthralled with my pillows, I pretty much barraged the Master Chef with my constant insistence that he look at my amazing creations.
‘I made these! Sweetie, can you believe that I MADE these???’ I don’t do ‘amazing’ all that often, so apparently I have to beat it to death when I do.

Full circle to Lovely L’s apron. Even after finishing my (angels singing) amazing pillows, I found I was still hesitant to sit back down and sew again. My head was filled with all the various ways the needle could stab and attack me.
And so on our dining room table the machine sat, with its giant man-eating needle, mocking me and forcing our family of five to sit at the dinette table, where only four of us fit. This was getting ridiculous. I was just going to have to bite the bullet and do this.

Next time: How I overcame my fear of sewing machines and a how-to make your very own apron : )