Catching Up: Bags and More Bags

The last few projects on my list were bags so it seems fitting to put them all in the same post. Plus I just wanted to get them over with so I can focus on the next big project, Christmas.  So here goes.

First up is this purse.  Some may notice it bears a great resemblance to a certain lace covered purse I made years ago (see It All Started with Goodwill).  There is a good reason for this.  A certain individual I know really likes my white lacey purse and sort of requested one just like it except for a few differences.  I figure it would make a excellent gift, maybe.

Second up is this pretty purple tote bag.  I have been badly in need of a new everyday bag as my old one was about to kick the bucket.

I used some pretty fabrics I got from SAS (see The Biggest Craft Haul Ever) and trimmed it with the same lace as the purse which also came from SAS.

At first glance it may seem like a normal tote bag, but if you look on the sides you can see a zipper.

Two zippers running all around.  These are what make this bag truly special.  Because when unzipped…

…The bag is much bigger with nearly twice the capacity. That’s right, it’s a convertible bag.

I’ve found that on some days I carry considerably more stuff than others, so much so that my old bag was being overly stuffed.  Plus on my “lighter” days, my bag seemed needlessly huge.  Having a convertible bag solves this problem.  It goes small when I travel light, and grows larger when I carry more.  Much more in fact, it can hold noticeably more than my old bag.

Another problem I had with my old bag was trying to find things in it.  With a big bag full of stuff it can be easy to lose important things in the void.  This bag solves that problem thanks to the many pockets on the inside.  Perfect places to stash my wallet, phone, lotion, pens, compacts, tiny notebooks, etc..

And there is a larger pocket for things like my tablet and such.  The lining of the bag is actually made of vinyl to make it easy to clean.  I frequently carry food or water bottles and other things that may spill.

My third bag project is a little pouch made to match the tote bag.  It has lace along the zipper and some lace for a handle to make it both pretty and easy to grab and go.

Of course it is lined with vinyl too for easy clean up and actually has a vinyl divider inside.  One side I use for makeup and the other side I use for other supplies like cough drops and tissues.  Basically things that would be handy to toss together in any purse or bag.

Here’s the updated list:

• Purse
• Bag
• Mini-bag
• Dress
• Vest
• Fleece

Six down and out.  Now time to get started on Christmas. That list will be up by tomorrow for sure.  Look forward to it.

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The Biggest Craft Haul Ever

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Over the last couple of days, I managed to pay a visit to almost all of the stores I typically shop for craft supplies.  Everywhere except Goodwill and other thrift stores and Bookman’s.  My bank account took a hit, but I’m happy with the goodies I found.  So happy that I wanted to share them all.

At Michael’s I got various jewelry findings including jumps rings, crimp beads, and ribbon clamps.  There was deal where if you bought three of them you would get 22% off, couldn’t pass that up.  I also got a chain I’ve really needed and a bottle of possibly the best glue known to mankind, Aleene’s Jewel-It. 

It’s an embellishing glue intended for gluing things like beads to fabric, but I use it for so much more.  It’s really useful for making hair accessories.  So many times I’ve glued flowers and bows to metal clips and combs using the glue gun only to have them pop off with use.  Never happens with the Jewel-It.  I’ve also used it to glue magnets to things, it lasts for years.

At Joann Fabrics and Crafts I got this jewelry making tool kit.  I was in need of a pair of pliers as well as other items for jewelry and this kit had everything I needed and more for only about $10.  Works out well.  I also got a spool of stretch cord and found a string of glass pearls that are the perfect size for making doll sized jewelry.  The best part is that I found it in their “Treasure Box”.  It’s a special area for beads and stuff where everything is only $1.99.

Speaking of bargain priced glass pearls, I found these beauties at Wal-Mart for 97 cents each.  I got two each of both white and off-white.  I’m hoping they will work with some pearls I already have.

The bulk of the my craft shopping was at SAS.

Here’s what I got from them:

• 1 yard purple floral print vinyl
• 3 yards lavender poly poplin fabric
• 2 white zippers
• 10 yards white grosgrain ribbon
• 10 yards white ultra thin satin ribbon
• elastic
• green thread
• Pretty green flowers with pearls
• toggle clasps
• 4 hair clips
• 4 yards white cotton lace
• 16 yards of thin white lace
• lace gloves
• faux pearl necklace and bracelet set (it was only $1)
• 0.19lbs of black lace from the $4/lb. remnant box

It all came to under $30, and around $60 combined.  Not too bad. Best of all, most of it is actually stuff I planned to buy.  The fabric, vinyl, zippers, elastic, ribbon and thin lace are all intended for projects on my current craft list.  And the thread, flowers, jewelry stuff, glue, hair clips, pearls,and other laces are for future projects I’m planning. 

The rest sadly are impulse buys.  It’s something I’ve come to expect when shopping for craft supplies.  It fuels creativity, mainly because some impulse items are so strange that I need to get really creative to figure out what to do with it.

Anyway, I am now very well stocked and ready to get going on my projects.  Look forward to that.

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Pouches, Just Pouches

In addition to the usual gift ideas (like ornaments), I thought it would be good to give something useful.  Something that served a practical purpose while still being pretty.

Something like these lovely, lacey pouches.  Perfect to organize a purse or to use instead of one.  They were quick to make too.  I just cut rounded rectangles from the lacey fabric and some satin and pinned them together right sides out.  Just fold to form a pocket and add bias tape to the edges.  Finish with a snap and it’s good to go.

In addition to the lacey ones, I whipped up these pouches too.  The top one is a simple zippered pouch but with the zipper in the center for easy use.  The two on the bottom are a little more interesting.  They are made of two fabric yo-yos with a zipper between them and buttons for decoration.  A bit tricky to do but worth it.  They will make excellent change purses.  I’m thinking of making a tutorial for them, I just need to figure out how to explain it without confusing or annoying anyone.
Here’s the updated list:

• Pouches
• Zip, zip, zip
• Red skirt
• Black skirt
• Bird skirt
• Hair accessories
• Ribbon fun
• Top
• Wreath
• Ornaments galore
• Bun-bun

Seven down, just four more to go.  I should have them done by Sunday, hopefully.

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Charm and Character

Today is my brother’s birthday, he is younger than me although I look much younger than him.  For the past few years, whenever I gave him a present it was always a CD/DVD holder.  I would decorate them in different ways and last Christmas I made one from scratch.  Will just how many CD holders does one guy really need.  So I decided on something different.

I hadn’t touch the shrink plastic in so long or made my zipper charms in a while for that matter and thought they would be perfect.  I found some images around the internet from some of my brother’s favorite anime and manga series.  I found the image from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya here, Lucky Star here, School Rumble here, and K-On here.  I did have a bit of trouble trying to trace them on to the plastic.  Thankfully pictures on shrink plastic always look great after being shrunk, it hides all the flaws.  They came out pretty good, I might make a few more with other characters.
Here’s the updated list:

• Rosettes
• Doll aprons
• Zipper charms
• Refrigerator
• Heart purse
• Doll
• Kitchen sink
• Cupboards
• Clothes
• Vase
• Dishes
• Curtains

Three down, nine to go.  The next one will be up in a couple of days, no worries there, I have loads of time since my externship ended.  Of course I still have to job search.  :(

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Zip a Dee Doo Dah

Remember sometime ago I mentioned something about a tutorial I found for rosettes made from old zippers (see Something about Zippers), well I decided to try it out a bit.  Remember the tutorial is here at Ucreate.
This is the first one I made, it is modeled here by my niece.  I found out that these rosettes aren’t quite as easy to make as they look.  They can take a bit of time to get it just right too, but they are worth it.  Just look how cool it came out.  I decided to make it into a pin despite the fact that I might have way too many pins in my collection already.  What can I say, I love pins.

I found it was easier to make this second one since I had gotten the hang of it.  This one is also modeled by my niece.  I made it into a cute little hairclip to tame her tangled, messy hair.  Maybe it will give her an incentive to sit still for detangling.
Here’s the updated list:

• Rosettes
• Doll aprons
• Zipper charms
• Refrigerator
• Heart purse
• Doll
• Kitchen sink
• Cupboards
• Clothes
• Vase
• Dishes
• Curtains

One down, eleven to go.  The next one should be up by tomorrow evening, don’t miss it.

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Something about Zippers

Anyone know what to do with a broken zipper?  I just found something.  Ucreate just posted a guest tutorial on making these cute, vintage looking little rosettes with old zippers.  You can put them anywhere, but especially on head bands, pins, and bags.  What’s great is how simple they are to make, not to mention how simple it is to gather the materials.  You can salvage zippers from old clothing that wouldn’t have a use otherwise, like totally destroyed jeans.  I’m thinking of making more bracelets with them, that is as soon as I finish my current project list, I am so behind on it. :(

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A Past Halfway Project List Update

Now more than halfway through my list with these beaded zipper charms.  I actually used sewing pins with the beads instead of the usual, I have more pins than I need anyway.  They are pretty easy it make, except I kept on dropping the pins while trying to attach them. 

Now the updated list:

• Ribbon headbands
• Jean waistband cuffs
• Jewelry with crescent moons and stars
• Tote bag with umbrella appliqués
• Something square
• Watermelon shaped oven mitts, maybe with matching accessories
• Cell phone sleeping bag
• Change purse key chains
• Monster plush key chains
• Strawberry pins and magnets
• Painted binder clips
• bottle cap pins
• zipper charms
• butterflies

Eight down, six to go.

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