2.19.2011

Ahhh...I got Bit!

Yup, that's right, I've been bit...by the Monster Bug!  As in I took my own advice (you know the advice i gave you all at the end of my Monster Mash blog post) and instead of packing up my Monster making supplies...I decided to live on the edge and try something new...*gasp*...i know the horror...something NEW!


Tada! (and i do have to say they are rather cute and fun...and now i am addicted! lol)  These cute Monsters have a pocket mouth (except for the orange mini...his pocket is in the back) and are stuffed with just the right amount of filling to make them squishy and soft! The one pictured on the right my daughter helped me make...she declared it a Mini Lorelai Monster and insisted that it needed blue eyes and yellow piggy's.

These guys and gals make great friends!  They keep all your secrets, stash tiny stuff in theirs mouths and can even hold that recently lost tooth until the tooth fairy arrives (they are very good friends with the tooth fairy!)  Each one is unique and made with love!

So see what you can do when you just use a little imagination and the supplies you have handy!!!  (ok, i did have to dig out my bag of poly-fill so i guess that part wasn't handy...but it was here...)

If anyone else took the challenge to have fun with felt I would love if you shared your pics/stories!!


Have a fabulous weekend! And remember to find time to be creative!!!

PS - You can see the rest of the crew here.  With more being added in the next few days.  They are available to fans first and should hit my Etsy shop soon.

2.14.2011

Spread the Love!

It's Valentine's Day and I want to Spread the Love!
So head on over to our Fan Page for a sweet little gift from Me to You! (and hurry, it's no good after 10:30 pm EST)

2.13.2011

Monster Mash

What a ghoul of a week! (more like a monster of one...lol)  This week was Monster-ific!  Must be tons of boys ready to have a Monster Mash of their own.  With party orders for Money Monsters along with a few stray orders for them as well...this week has been a....MONSTER ;-)

That's right I have been an assembly line Monster factory. Cutting.  Sewing. Adding Googley Eyes.  It has been a Monster good time. (i do have to note that i might have sniffed too many glue fumes at times...teeheehee). And I made it out alive with nary a Monster nibble to scar me! (whew! that was close!)

So I want know 2 things:
  1. What would you feed your Monster?
  2. And what would you Monster look like? (color, features, etc)
The Monsters I make are fun and not to complicated...so if you are feeling like a bit of a Monster, why don't you try your hand at them (you can make them to hold anything, just have what you want handy for measurements)

What you need:
  • Felt (whatever color(s) makes you happy)
  • Needle and Thread/Sewing Machine (or just glue)
  • Fabric Glue
  • Decorations (feathers, eyes, glitter, etc)
  • Imagination
Step 1 - Measure the item you plan to feed your Monster.
Step 2 - Cut your felt a bit bigger (for seam allowances)
Step 3 - If you are using a machine then pin your Monster where you want to sew and run it through the machine.  If hand sewing, try using thick funky thread for a different look and sew up your sides. (if you aren't sewing then run a small thin bead of glue and press the edges together)
Step 4 - Accessories.  Cut felt hair, or lips or teeth...add eyes...roll in glitter...color marker patterns on the felt...have FUN!
Step 5 (if you want a closure) - Glue velcro where you want it to stay shut...be sure to let that dry for 24 hours or so before feeding your monster (just to be safe)

Now go...and have a Monsterific Time! (and don't forget to check the fan page tomorrow for a Fabulous February Sale (to celebrate Valentines Day))

2.09.2011

Time to Get Over the Hump

With custom orders coming in today feels like busy day in oh, so many ways.  As I put my nose to the grindstone to finish not just custom orders, but to try and work on some new products that have been requested I find myself thinking "Man I love this"  Even on the craziest of days I can step back and feel joy over what I am doing (and a little shock that i was able to turn a piece of fabric into something fun and functional! woohoo!)

So give me a few more days of patience and then be prepared for a knock-your-socks-off blog post of what I have been up too!

1.30.2011

Purse-posefully Handy!

So far 2011 has brought a new line of goodies geared towards the Mama's! (or any grown woman who loves a good bag!).  That's right folks, we have purses! (and soon make-up bags!)

Working on Rag Totes is always fun and can be super creative, but with prepping over 30 for the craft show and filling holiday orders I was a little Toted out for a bit and wanted to try some new patterns out that I could show off in the new year.  So I browsed. Browsed patterns. Browsed fabrics. Browsed clasps. Browsed handles. Browsed. Browsed. Browsed.  I came across a ton of cute things, but nothing that screamed YES! This should be your next project!

Then it happened, I was reading a cute little article about things to do with all your scraps.  And they had some fun suggestions.  Nothing that was exactly like I was looking for, but a few things that were sooooooooo close.  So I thought to myself..hey self...why don't you combine the things you like from each and do your own thing.  My own thing? Really?  Do I know enough about a a purse to just wing it?  And then it hit me...it's scraps...it's fun...and what harm would it do to try (not like i hadn't tested out a bunch of different things with the totes...monsters...blossoms...and well projects that never made it to the shop...lol).  So I pulled out my Box 'O Scraps and started pulling out things.  I referenced a few ideas to formulate an overall plan and then made a cute pattern piece and went to town with my scraps.


Now that is how it looked finished (didn't think to snap pics as I went along) but when it was just the two sides...quilted to the fusible fleece...I found myself stumped for a bit. (and in need of some cute handles).  So not quite sure what to use for the lining...and lacking handles I decided a trip to the store was in order. (as you can see i found the perfect handles!) and while browsing I stumbled across a few other things that launched a whole new set of ideas!
  • B-E-A-Utiful Linen fabrics! (pointed out to me by my ever trusty store employee...who always seems to be the one at the cutting table when i hit up the store, so in the midst of our chattering she pointed me to a section and said she thought i would find some goodies! boy was she right!!)
  • An assortment of handles that were super cute!
  • A deal on Black Minky material that I couldn't pass up (and why not have a lush liner for a cute little purse!)


Armed with my stash I headed home and spent the next few days creating...pattern making...and cutting and sewing samples.  My next attempt was a cute red bag:


The fabric was amazing and I wanted something a little unique.  So I started with the general shape from the pieced together scraps and traced it on some paper...I then straightened the bottom edge for a more trapezoid shape (with a slight curved top) and went about sizing and measuring and perfecting the pattern.
While working I deciding the plain white lining I chose went rather smashing with the red, but lacked the pizazz of the red fabric...so I quilted it with a leaf stitch in a random pattern...hard to see in these pics, but believe me...it is CUTE!

Onto the purple linen fabric.  It may not have the same zip as the red...but something about it caught my attention and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  It couldn't be the same as the red purse.  I was enjoying the pattern process as much as the sewing process and I thought with a few changes to the trapezoid pattern that I could make something equally fun and unique.  So out came the rulers, tape, pencils, and card stock paper.  And I drew up a fun new pattern that I was ready to test.  And Viola!


The only problem was all the fun handles I had bought days earlier were...oooookaaaay. But not perfect.  So I left it mostly pieced together and set about thinking...do I use one I have here, or venture out in search of the "right" handle.  Well those who know me know that when I get a thought in my head it digs its heels in and nags me.  Sooooooooo, to the store. Yup, a new handle was definitely needed.  And there it was...tucked on the back of the rack...last one...and PERFECT!

Home and with the best handles ever I quickly put together the purple purse and it was better than I pictured in my head. (and i have been happily using it for a bit now and love it for  quick outings...smaller than my tote it still easily holds:
  • 2 diapers
  • a pack of wipes (not a full pack, but a 1/2 pack)
  • my wallet
  • my cell
  • my Money Monster (ok...in my case Business Card Monster...lol)
  • a pen!
  • a few napkins
  • and a couple of times i have tossed in my camera :-)
yup, that's right, i fit all that in there!) I am a purse magician! (not just in making new patterns and impressing myself...but in my ability to fit what i need in my bag without carrying around a luggage sized monster).

So there you have it...the inspiration and journey of the new set of bags for the shop.  And up until now just FashionableLore Facebook Fans have seen these pics and been able to place their own custom orders for purses.  But don't worry...there will be etsy listings coming this week.

1.27.2011

I'm Back...from Outer Space...

Ok, maybe not Outer Space...but I did disappear on you guys for a bit (sorry about that!).  Things got a tad hectic there for a bit:
  1. Had to prep in 5 weeks for a Big Craft Show (and it was AWE-SOME!)
  2. The Holiday's were in full swing (and kicked off with my Gram's 80th birthday...cause she ROCKS!)
  3. Oh and did I mention the Holidays?  I did, OK, that explains most of it. Christmas rush in the shops, meant long hours of sewing and designing and left little time for quality computer time...
So there you have it...I got swamp, side tracked and a little lost ;-)

But now I am back and there are sooooooo many updates I have for you all!  And I have no idea where to start...

The new purses?  The fun crayons?  The growth the of the fan page?  How fun the Atomic Craft Show was? So many decisions!

Today I think we will talk about...

The Craft Show!

(shown here...FashionableLore and Janda Panda)

The Atomic Craft Bazaar was our first ever Craft Show and it was Fan-Craft-Tic! (get it...fan-CRAFT-tic...i do amuse myself sometimes...lol)  Leading up to the show was long hours spent at the machine (mostly) and prepping and printing and running around crazy!  But it all paid off because when I packed up the car I had:
  • Totes in all sizes (and for everyone...mom's, 'tweens, girls and boys...and lots of them!)
  • Rag Quilts in a few sizes ranging from Car Seat sized to Crib Blanket/Toddler Bed
  • Crayons, Crayons, Crayons...all colors and fabulous winter themed shaped (wreaths, snowmen, presents, and so many more!)
  • Button Rings!
  • Hair Bows, Flower Clips, little Clippies (it was like a clip bonanza!)
  • Kid Craft Aprons (super cute and adjustable!)
  • Money Monsters and Money Blossoms (perfect for gift cards!)
  • Burp Cloths and Bibs (thanks Gram!)
*All pics are a sampling of our B-E-A-Utiful Tables!  Packed with all our goodies (that we worked on up to the minute we packed the car...lol)



    We shared our booth with the ever fabulous Janda Panda and here is some of her stuff:
    • Boutique Clothes
    • Cloth Diapers
    • Crayon Rolls
    • Art Kits
    • Flower Rings and Pins
    • Holiday T's


    The show was great, lots of traffic, purchases and a fun time.  We had to prompt with our break down since our booth was the location for the bar for the night show, and we cleaned up, packed up and broke down like craft show pros.  On the way out I ran into the the stunning lady who runs the event and was given an opportunity for a table at the night show.  I stuck around at a small table (that we covered in twinkle lights and put out our more adult bags, monsters, rings, etc) and enjoyed more sales and LIVE ENTERTAINMENT! It literally ROCKED!

    So the day was a success! (albeit rather loooooooong and exhausting...i think it took me a few days to recover...lol) And we look forward to doing more shows soon! (we will be in the Jacksonville area in March...)

    And I promise to be better with the blog :-D  So stay tuned for the next entry...where I will talk about the new line of purses and what inspired me!

    10.19.2010

    From the Mouths of Babes

    This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how they respond.

    1. What is something mom always says to you? go to sleep (can you tell bed time is our biggest debate...)
    2. What makes mom happy? kisses
    3. What makes mom sad? no kisses
    4. How does your mom make you laugh? tickle me
    5. What was your mom like as a child? crazy
    6. How old is your mom? i can't member (followed by...are you this many, while holding up 1 finger...then two...then...well it went on for awhile...lol)
    7. How tall is your mom? tall...just like the giraffe
    8. What is her favorite thing to do? make stuff...a lot of stuff...
    9. What does your mom do when you're not around? cook dinner!
    10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? be-cause, cause your a kidder
    11. What is your mom good at? play with computers
    12. What is your mom not very good at? nothing (with a rather odd look on her face)
    13. What does your mom do for her job? wooork???
    14. What is your mom's favorite food? melon (not really)
    15. What makes you proud of your mom? that u hang up all my drawings all over the house
    16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? american (does that even make sense....i think she is losing interest...)
    17. What do you and your mom do together? draw
    18. How are you and your mom the same? we like blue
    19. How are you and your mom different? be-cause your not a kid, and i am
    20. How do you know your mom loves you? you say "i looooooove you"
    21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? the playground (although, i think this is her favorite place...although i do enjoy the mommy chat there)
    22. Where is your favorite place to go? THE PLAYGROUND I SAID!