My Summer Sling for "A"...

How I know "A" is like the Kevin Bacon game- she knows friends of mine from 2 different parts of my life and she is also in the INCREDIBLE interfaith bible study that I go to.....or maybe that is just living in New Tampa- don't we all know a friend of a friend who ends up knowing you? Such a small circle out here. I always think of that when I yell at my kids in public- surely SOMEONE who knows me is within earshot and I'll be sticking my foot in my mouth soon enough.

Anyways- "A" has twins so she does need a decent size bag I'm sure. This Summer Sling is just the normal Sling but modified originally for my sweet friend Summer. The "basket" of the sling is simply smaller so you get all the style and ease of the Sling without such a giant space to fill up. It is still very roomy though! The inside space is pretty flexible- for "A" we added an inside zippered pocket on one side and another set of open pockets on the other.

Thank you "A"!! and thank you Summer for being my source of inspiration!! xoxo!

Slings are $45

One group of friends, lovin' the same purse all with their own style-

This order has been so cute to me- it started with "M", who ordered a Miss Karen's Multitasker (her post was Preview for M!) and then her girlfriend "H" followed up with her own order in a gorgeous Alexander Henry fabric (see the purse on the left) and now we are on to "J" (who this post is for!) in my very, very favorite designer Anna Maria Horner. All three of these girls are incredibly nice and have been a joy to work with!! I'm tickled pink that they all have their very own personalty in one of my purses, especially since this purse was invented by such a great friend of my own (I sure love you Karen!!). It makes me think about how inspiring my friends are and how enriched my life is because of them. I'm sure the three of these women feel the same! I hope you all enjoy- thank you so much!

Miss Karen's multitaskers are $42

I have to post fast tonight because I have lots of sewing to do but I recently finished my new Laci dress and I wanted to share it. I'm super excited about piecing the fabric strips together so I can get more creative with mixing fabrics (I know not for everybody but soooooo for me!) and the little gathered sleeves- to die for!! I can make it without the tie at the empire waist if requested.

These will cost $50.

Preview for "A"!!

"A" has TWINS! How do you make a purse good enough for a girl with young twins? I was able to meet with her at KidzClub while our children played and I got a glimpse of the giant backpack full of gear that she carries with her. I was so happy that she picked this style because it has such great outside pockets and I really think it will meet her needs. Can you see how there are two giant pockets on each side of the outside? Plus the big one in the middle and I lined the entire inside with pockets as well. TONS of space. "A" also wanted her bag to be a crossover so she has her hands free when needed (I'm such a fan of the crossover myself- I can carry baby "M", carry toddler "L" too and hold the big guy's hand while STILL having my purse attached to me- I'm sold!). So I made the straps extra long for her and it fits just perfect on your side.

Another great thing about "A" is that I had made a purse very similar to this for myself (but I keep holding onto it for inventory and examples) so I am clearly crazy about these colors and fabrics and you gotta love it when someone is on your style wave length!

I hope you like it "A"!! Thank you!

$42

Jen A's travel line!!!

I have more ideas than I will ever possibly get to in my lifetime but the GREAT thing about working out someone else's idea is 1- it's not mine so it comes from a different perspective and 2- I actually DO it because someone pays me to :). Jen A. also had the "seriously classic, seriously gorgeous" post purse made all to her specifications and she is my new partner in purse making crime! She gave me such a awesome compliment when she ordered even more bags from me and said "I think I'm addicted!". Loved, loved, loved it!!

Even more exciting is that she got inspired to pick up her knitting that she learned a while back and she MADE me a scarf to say thank you for her bags!!! Reciprocating with handmade items.....hello, can I say heaven for me?? I love her even more by the second!

Onto this actual bag.....she is taking a ski trip and had a list of things that didn't work for her while she was traveling with her young son last time. She knew exactly what she wanted so I got all of the measurements she was wishing for and we poured over fabric together and this is what the final result was. A crossover, hip bag roughly 8 inches tall, 8 inches across and 3 inches wide. There are pockets inside for her phone and small items that she needs to take with her and small pocket outside (but still covered by the flap) to keep her ticket in and her ID. It closes with a big flap and a magnetic snap which will hopefully be very easy to access her essentials in the rush of the airport.

I have been asked many times for specialty bags for travel and I am hoping with Jen's input I will have an entire line of patterns for you to chose from. Stay tuned for the toiletry bag that I am almost finished with as well for Jen- it's so darn cute, I can't wait to see it completed! Since I am entirely UNcreative when it comes to making up names for my bags this whole line will just be Jen. A's travel line and this specific one is her Essential Hip Bag.

I can't wait to work my organic scarf Jen!! Even if it's 70 degrees I am still totally wearing it, I'm not waiting until next winter :).

The cost on this is $45.

A purse for little "S"!!

I have never met little "S"'s mom but I really, really like her via email. She sent me such a kind text message before my little guy has his eye procedure last week- I was so touched that she even remembered!! It doesn't get any better than that!

So, I was thinking of ways to make little "S"'s purse extra special and I started playing around with my scraps and wire and voila- these little, jangly, flower charms were born! They are totally removable if "S" is not that into them but now I am OBSESSED so if you see them popping up on my little girl items just go along with it and take them off when I'm not around :).

"S"- I hope you love this purse made just for you honey!! You sure have a sweet Mommy!

My little girl purses are $18

Make up bags, a StrollerStrides/Wiregrass event and press!!!

I never did get around to posting the rest of my Mommyista make-up bags that I made for my awesome friends so here they are!

I am participating in an event at Wiregrass mall in a few weeks for StrollerStrides! Those of you who know me know that I am a work-out-aholic (although I will post at another time how a personal trainer named "S" has taken me out of my comfort zone and I realize I'm not as strong as I think I am!!) so I was thrilled to be asked to be involved and support fitness for us frazzled women with young children. There will be a free class, raffles (I will raffle something and so will my amazing girlfriend Karen at http://www.thereadingcorner.org/ along with many others) and various things for the kiddos to do.

It's Friday, March 26th-here is more info....

TIME: Registration 8:30
Class 9:00 – 10:00
Entertainment and Fun 10:00

LOCATION: The Shops at Wiregrass
Meet at Centercourt in front of Macy’s
28211 Paseo Drive
Wesley Chapel, FL 33543

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.strollerstrides.net/newtampa

I hope that some of you can make it!

Very exciting news for me lately is that I had a little "press"!! I was so humbled and I loved my interviewer- loved her!! Here is the article-

http://www.examiner.com/x-10270-Pasco-County-Parenting-Examiner~y2010m3d5-Artistic-Pasco-mom-creates-a-stir-with-oneofakind-handbags

My last note is my littlest guy has eye surgery tomorrow morning. We are in Orlando tonight because the surgery is very early tomorrow morning. I can't nurse him after midnight tonight so I'm not looking forward to the wee morning hours :). Please keep him in your prayers that he handles it all as well as a 10 month old can!! Thanks!

Mish mash.....

This is kind of a purse post- kind of not.

I found my daughter the other day going through really old VHS cassettes in a drawer. She (being a part of me) turned the VHS into a purse- who wouldn't think that glossy strip of tape wasn't a perfectly placeD handle for her tiny arm?? Thankfully it wasn't an old video of my childhood. We had an extensive argument following this photo that the VHS definitely was NOT a purse to no avail- she carried it around that way for the remainder of the day......I loose again.

A thing about sweet, wonderful, into-everything, 9 month old babies is that it is very difficult to get anything done with the older children you may have. I pray almost every night that I need to find more balance between baby's needs and my other children's needs....it's exhausting. While playing reading games one long afternoon my 4 year old decided that he had enough (!) of his brother crawling all over his carefully placed writing- after all, Mom was passing out jelly beans for every 3 words spelled!! So he drew a line on his board and wrote "No Mason"....the humor of it all struck me hard. How we all live together....wanting to be together but all needing some space/time/place of our own and none of us getting it :). Life as a family just cracks me up sometimes. The written sign fell on deaf ears and soon "No Masin" was smudged just like all of the other words from being crawled all over but it was so funny to me that I had to document it.

Mommy and me!!!!!

I have been dying to post these bags! I was so thrilled that "M" asked me to make purses for her and her 2 year old daughter- I just loved making them!! I can't help but think about how excited my daughter gets when she has a purse- let alone one that looks like mine. She keeps all of her "lipsticks" in hers and I hope "little M" stocks her tiny purse full of the things that she adores.

When I was making these my daughter begged me to put this long, beaded fringe on "little M's" so it would be "shaky-shaky". I stalled a little but she continued to beg so I relented. Prying the purse out of my daughter's hands was no small task! Thankfully "little M's" mom was an awesome sport about the "shaky-shaky" fringe and hope it was as big as a hit as it was in my house!

I am still laughing at my daughter's tummy poking out of her jeans as she strikes her pose for these photos.

"M"- thank you for letting me go nuts on your bags! I loved adding trims and making something for the both of you.

Mommy "M's" purse is $42 and Little "M's" is $18