Look What Came in the Mail!

Just a little sneaky-peeky to forecast what will soon be in my sewing future:

That's right... me, Heather, and Amy are gonna be hanging out a bit so mama can have a new spring bag!

On Deck... the March Bag!

I just finished up an order of my signature felt cookies so now I'm ready to settle back in to some pending projects.  The first project on deck is the March Bag from Fourteen May, from the fabulous Melissa Mortenson of The Polka Dot Chair.  I've been eyeing this pattern for a while, so when I got the itch to make a new bag, I pulled it out of my "Stuff to Make" list.

Oh what, like I'm the only one with one of those?

I purchased the pattern last week with all intentions of getting started right away, but the fabric search has haunted me.  You see, I think Melissa's version is pretty much fabulous the way it is and I can't seem to find any fabric combos that I like better than the original:

photo credit: Melissa Mortenson

See what I mean?  Perfection, right?  I'm working on obtaining these fabrics as we speak through some suppliers on Etsy.  (That Amy Butler polka dot fabric is not too easy to find...)  Hopefully this bag will be gracing my arm soon!

How about you?  Are you working on a new bag for spring?

{Tutorial} Ric Rac Roses!

Here's the tutorial I featured on Rags to Stitches this past week...

So, just in time for spring... a tutorial for sweet little ric rac roses!  These are the same little guys that grace my Easter Wreath right now on my front door - I love them on a wreath, I love them in my little girls' hair, I pretty much love them everywhere!

This tutorial is to make a rose with a flat bottom, so it's easy to convert to a hair clip or to add to a tee shirt or even a precious package for someone special!

What You'll Need:

Jumbo Ric Rac - 36 inches in length (or longer depending on the size of rose you want)

Hot Glue

Band Aids (for hot glue burns... oh wait, that's just me)

Ready to get started?  Here we go!

1.  Roll/fold in one end of your ric rac and glue into place.  If your ends have frayed, trim them now and dab a drop of glue on the edge.

2.  Begin to roll the center of your flower into the upward curve (hill) in your ric rac.  Secure with glue.

3.  Now you should be ready to roll into the downward curve of your ric rac (valley).  Before you do so, fold the ric rac upward from the bottom of the valley until you overlap the top of the valley.

4.  Add a dab of glue and continue rolling your flower, keeping the bottom edges aligned.

5.  If your flower begins to have a raised center as you roll, try to line up the edge a little bit above the the previous roll.  This helps even out the outer "petals".

6.  If you're not sure where to place your dabs of glue, this is what I do.  I place a dab immediately before a roll onto a hill and immediately before a roll into a valley.  This helps secure your lower and upper petals.

7.  Continue rolling your flower until you reach the end of your ric rac. 

8.  At this point, take your tail end and secure it to the flat bottom edge with glue.  This step gives you a nice, clean edge to your petals and hides the end of the ric rac.

9.  And you are done... repeat as necessary to fill your home with blooms!

Thanks so much to Alissa for having me over!

{Friday Faves} Bunnies!

With Easter just around the corner, I'm in love with the bevy of bunnies circulating the Etsy storefronts.  Is there anything sweeter than a fluffy little bun-bun? I think not!  Enjoy this Friday collection dedicated to our furry little friends...

Retro Mama's Betsy and Basil Bunny Pattern

ElephantDancing's Bunny Love Print

asherjasper has a felted bunny brooch

Surprise!  There's a bunny in your mug!  From purplepetunia.

And finally... look at this adorable bunny baby set, complete with tail!  From LollypopsNBellyflops.

There you have it... some of my fave bunny beauties courtesy of the handcrafters on Etsy.  Have a fantastic Friday!!

*** all images credit to the aforementioned Etsy sellers***

(Tutorial) Ric Rac Roses!

Hi guys!  I'm visiting over on Rags to Stitches today and sharing a tutorial on Ric Rac Roses... stop over there say hi to Alissa - she's not only got a great blog to share with you, but she has an adorable little shop that you must peruse!  See you over there!

To Sleep, Perchance to Craft

Things have been busy around here... we spent the past week caring for a pukey-puke and working like the devil to make sure our lil chick didn't end up with a tummyache too.  Saturday, we decluttered via our neighborhood garage sale.  (It was quite successful, I might add.  I can now park in my garage!)  Sunday was filled with church services and an evening banquet celebrating a recent building fundraising campaign, interspersed with some flowerbed planting and dips in the pool (well, the kiddos at least).  It's been a fun-filled start to spring... leaving little time to be productive on the craft-front.

My sketch/idea book is full of ideas I'm waiting to try and yearning to show you, so hang in there.  The craftiness will return as soon as we catch up with this thing called life.

Happy Anniversary Ice Cream Sundae!

Today is the 119th anniversary of the first ice cream sundae.  Being a lover of all things made of milk, cream, and sugar, I thought it appropriate that I took a little moment on this blog to honor one the most loved desserts of all time.  Enjoy these ice-cream inspired ideas!

This ice cream cone hat from One Charming Party makes me want to have an ice cream party yesterday!

photo credit: One Charming Party

Then you can make your own homemade ice cream in a can... thanks to Craft Tutorials!

photo credit: Craft Tutorials

What best to wear to aforementioned ice cream party than the Ice Cream Social Dress from Craftiness is not Optional?

photo credit: Craftiness is Not Optional

The cherry on top is this little ice cream garland from Simply Modern Mom... check out her fab ice cream party!

photo credit: Simply Modern Mom

Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday... now go have yourself a scoop or two!