I’m way overdue to show off what y’all have been working on last month! Thanks for all the bags you’ve been adding to the Cute2Carry Flick’r Pool! I love seeing your creativity! Here are two that I really loved this month.

Great job ladies! Keep those pictures coming! October is themed: BLACK for the Flick’r group, so show me what you’ve been working on! Click HERE for details and to see more bags in our Pool!

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I knew it was close to happening.  I could see the crack.  And then one day my son used my keys to get some skating, biking, baseball or blah blah blah equipment out of my car while we were at the ball park.  Sheepishly he brings the keys back to me, and tries to look all innocent, saying that the clicker just snapped off.  (Do we think he rolled over it with his skateboard or bike??  We’ll never know…sigh.)  Yes, yes yes, I did let him know that it was already cracked and that it was just a matter of time before it fully broke.

However, I was fully prepared for this moment.  Even my husband said, “You should sew up some kind of pouch for the clicker!”.   So I did.  I already had the design in my head.  I wanted to pocket to be snug enough so that the clicker wouldn’t slip out even if the velcro was opened.   I couldn’t be more pleased with the result!  Pretty cute, eh??!!

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Can you believe that the holiday season is quickly sneaking up on us?!  I’m working on a selection of thoughtful accessories that are all things I’d love to receive as gifts, so I’m hoping that others will, too!  Some of the items I have already begun stocking my my shop, like cute eye glasses cases.  I’m so in love with these!  I made a case for myself, and loved it and decided to make more to stock in my shop.  They are selling fast, so zip on over and check them out soon!

Koto Eye Glasses Case

Speaking of gifts, my friend Jenn, (yes, the one you always hear about here! LOL) made herself a cute bag and asked me to whip up some accessories for it.  She’s great about letting me take a concept and then run with it as I please.  I made an eye glasses case for her and a cosmetics/personals zippered pouch to match.  Anyone can make a zippered pouch, it seems, so I wanted to make hers a bit more special.  I applique’d her initial onto it, and added a fun button!  Super-cute!!! (if I say so myself! )

My idea continued, and I’m going to offer these to my clients with their choice of monogram.  I think that will be really fun, and will make for a unique personalized gift to give others.   I will initially be featuring these for the Fall season over on Wonderland, which is an online Holiday Boutique opening Friday, October 3rd.  (P.S. Look for new items over there every Tues/Friday throughout the Holiday season!!).  You can also find them at my shop.

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You know what October’s Flick’r Pool Theme has to be! —> BLACK!

• Are you working on any clever Halloween themed items?
• Working on any projects with darker, richer colors to take you into the Fall and Winter seasons?
• Gasp! Are you already working on Holiday gifts?

Well, if it’s got some BLACK in it, and you feel it’s “Cute2Carry~worthy”, then please show it off for us!  As always, I’ll highlight some of my favorites at the end of the month on my blog!

If you are new around here, let me explain what my Flick’r group is all about:  I’m always so busy showing off my projects, and I wanted to create a place where my cyber friends can show off some of their handmade handbag projects!  I love seeing what others create, and I’m betting you’d like for us to come and drool over your handmade goodness, too!  So, c’mon and join us!  Post your projects each month according to the theme for us to enjoy!  Click HERE to visit and learn more about the “Is yours cute2carry” Flick’r Pool!

***September’s Theme of Brown is coming to a close!***

If you have some projects to share with us to wrap up our BROWN theme, hurry on up and add it to our pool!  Later next week, I’ll show off some of my faves here on my blog!

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Nouveau Bouquet Lanyard

I wear a lanyard alot.  Usually, it’s for my name badge on Sunday mornings at church and another one to keep my work keys handy.  Sadly, for the past year, it’s been this ugly, unattractive rainbow and black colored cord.    Somewhere on my laundry list of projects, I wanted to make a pretty lanyard.   For this tute, I used Anna Maria Horner’s Nouveau Bouquet in Rose, from her Sketchbook collection.  I loved the results and decided to whip up a quick-n-easy tutorial for you all!

Materials needed:

• 37″x3″ strip of fabric (I’ve used both quilter’s weight and home dec weight fabric just fine)
• lanyard hardware (found at Michael’s, I’m sure!)

1) Fold and press your strip of fabric in half, lengthwise.  Open and press each long edge 1/2 inch in toward the wrong side of the fabric.

2) Re-fold along original center fold.  Pin together if needed.  Top stitch down each side 1/8th inch and then stitch down the center (1/2 inch in from the edge).  This will keep your lanyard from getting twisted and out of shape.

3) Thread your lanyard hardware onto the fabric strip all the way to the center of it.  Pull it taut and it should fold itself nicely around the hardware loop.  About 1/2″ inch above the hardware, stitch the two fabric layers together by stitching a square shape.  This will prevent the hardware from sliding all around the strap.

4) Now, to close up the raw ends and create the loop that you’ll slip over your head, take each raw edge and press it 1/4 inch, as seen below.  Each of these “folds” will slip into each other and then you can stitch the area closed.  I did this by sewing another square shape.  Also, this way no raw edges will be remaining, and the closure will be nice and neat!

Ta-dah!  You are done!

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Tomorrow, 9/16/08, my friend, Nicole, who is amazing with all things yarn and knitting related is hosting her Anniversary Extravaganza at her online boutique: Laines Magnifiques.

Nicole invited several of us to collaborate with her on a very special knitting set that includes a Knitting Tote made by moi’!  This has got to be one of my very favorite bags I’ve made in a long time.  The fabric is a gorgeous print called Drawing Room Sketchbook by Anna Maria Horner.  I’d been wanting to work with her line for awhile and this was the perfect opportunity!

The exterior of the bag is a really sharp chocolate home dec fabric that was gifted to me by Jenn’s mom, Cindy.   Again, that fabric was waiting for just the right project, and I was thrilled that the two worked so well together.

The applique’ is actually part of the print and it was just a perfect addition to the front exterior of the bag.

You can find this bag and all the goodies included with this set,  beginning tomorrow, September 16th, at Laines Magnifiques!

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I know. It makes no sense, but he’s so darned cute, how could I possibly refuse??? My little guy, who’s usually scared of the dark, requested (out of the blue) a Sleep Mask. I grinned and maybe rolled my eyes a bit, but it got me thinking. I knew I could come up with a cute version, even if it’s just something to play with (I’m not expecting him to really sleep with it).

So, here it is! It’s so cute that I’m making a few to stock over at Artiste this week, (and I may add some over at my boutique)!  I’ve also stocked a few kitchen items and a really cute eye glasses case!   I think I just needed a break from bags for a bit.

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Such cute things you all made for “Back to School” this month!

Here’s a few of my faves this month.

 This is a must have for any pre-schooler!

by Jenn of It’s Sew Sweet

Laptop Bag made with Anna Maria Horner fabrics (they are AMH fabrics, right? Now I’m pulling a blank…It’s getting late. *sigh*) …regardless  I LOVE!!!

From kathygarn1

I believe both of these talented gals offer these items at their Etsy shops.  Be sure to check them out!

Stop by my Flickr Pool to see what the September pool has to show off! The theme is anything BROWN!  I figured we need to welcome in the Fall season.   All the details are there and can also be found by clicking here.

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Artiste Congo is a group of talented ladies with whom I stock some of my handmade Cute2Carry items. September is our Membership Drive and you can win a gift certificate for a purchase on the Congo.

Click below to learn more! Oh, and be sure to mention ‘Cute2Carry’ when you sign up for the Newsletter!

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 My friend, Jenn, of Etsy’s It’s Sew Sweet got a custom request from a Bunco pal for some sandwich wrap mats.  So, she’s been researching and making several varieties to determine which she feels would make the most functional (and cute!) wrap mat.   She’s made some super cute ’stop sign’ shaped mats so far and they are so adorable!

To be helpful at least in my own mind, I whipped up a variation tonight from 2 - 13 inch squares of fabric for her to check out as another option.   I used a cotton in a pirate print since it’s one of my son’s faves, and a PUL remnant to keep the surface that will inevitably get all the sandwich goop on it easy to wipe clean.   I attached some velcro and then it folds up like an envelope.

So, I decided to test it out.  Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do in the research phase of things?!!!   I made myself a sandwich.  For me.   I know it looks like the set up for a kid, but I was ‘in the moment’ and was going for the full effect.   A kid-size Wonder Bread type sandwich fits perfectly in this size of Wrap-mat, by the way.   Within moments, my 5yo son wanders over and eats my sandwich.  All of it.

The beauty of it all is that he used the wrap for a place mat! (which is part of the purpose of the wrap-mat, too!).  And considering that I recently popped in to school to have lunch with him and saw him spread his entire meal out onto the bare table top ~gag!~  I’m even more sold on this idea!

The moral of the story:  be sure to stock up on these little cuties when Jenn gets her final product stocked!   I’m going to sit back with my PB & Fluff sandwich and pretend like my contributions to her project were majorly useful.

ETA:  She’s stocked!  Go here for details!

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