MORE AVA ROSE TOTES!

Can't seem to get enough of these bags.  They are so much fun to make!

Ava Rose tote made with Hawaiian Print fabric

Ava Rose Tote made with Asian print

Ava Rose Tote made with zebra cotton print

You can find the pattern here.  Do you have a favorite pattern?

ENERGY BALLS

For some reason, I've been having a sweet tooth lately and it's been making me snack on things that I really shouldn't be.  Someone turned me on to some tastey "energy balls" and since then have been looking for a recipe that can satisfy my sweet tooth and at the same time have some healthy benefits for someone my age (ahem.....forty-something....).  Here's one I found that is easy AND my family loves it, too!

SIMPLE AND EASY ENERGY BALLS

1.  Put the following ingredients in a large bowl:  1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup peanut (or almond) butter, 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tsp vanilla.

2.  Mix ingredients well.

3.  Form into balls and store in an airtight container in the refrig.  I used a small ice cream scooper to make my balls.

Doesn't that sound easy?  Great for the on-the-go working parent and a healthy snack for any student.  I'll be going to a picnic this weekend and will pack a bunch of these with me to share.

You can also add coconut flakes and chopped almonds.  Of course, use low fat and organic as much as they are available in your area.

Have you had energy balls before?

AVA ROSE TOTES, AGAIN!

Here are a two more pictures of the Ava Rose Totes as previously posted here.  It's amazing how productive and accomplished one can feel after some "sewing therapy".

Ava Rose Tote pattern by Artsy-Crafty Babe

The tote is made with vintage Hawaiian print fabric that is 100% pre-washed cotton.  I tried to center the lovely hula gal in the front's middle.  The interior is burgundy and am quite pleased how it turned out.

And here's another tote:

Ava Rose Tote pattern by Artsy-Crafty Babe

This lovely tote is made w/upholstery fabric and is very sturdy!   It has a wooden button closure and a contrasting cotton interior.  Yes, I have an early start for Xmas.  Trying  move my fabric stash so I can buy more (wink).

What do you do for your own zen therapy?

BACK TO SCHOOL BAG

Remember this BACK TO SCHOOL BAG that was posted sometime ago.  Well, my daughter's friends were admiring this bag and so I thought it was time to make more.  My daughter actually had some hands-on time with these.  With the new craze of Marvel Comics, we found some very cute fabric prints and finished these two:

Marvel Comics cross over sling bag

Marvel Comics cross over sling bag

The Pattern is from KWIK SEW #3749. 

Creating things w/my kids is so priceless!  I hope one day they can take our time spend creating and making more things on their own.

What have you created lately?

AVA ROSE TOTE

G'morning!  I realize it's been awhile since my last post but I've been busy making this Artsy-Crafty Babe's Ava Rose Tote.  I first learned of this tote when I saw it here on flickr.com.  I placed my order for the pattern at Artsy-Crafty Babe's website and as soon as it was received, I made the first trial run tote.  It has since survived carrying bottles of water, been to various sports games, few vacations and it still stands as good as new.  There's plenty of room for really anything you could think of.  I just luv the silhouette and the size.  Here's the most recent Ava Rose Tote I made for my sister as she specifically wanted a black/white tote.

Ava Rose Tote by Artsy-Crafty Babe

I modified it to have magnetic closure versus a button closure (you can barely see it above the red interior pocket):

And added a key holder, too.  I saw this in a few fancy bags in a department store and thought it was such a great idea and started making these in all project bags:
 

And of course, I sewed on my label just to see what kind of feedback will come my way.

My motto this year is to "RID OF THE CLUTTER" which specifically is targeted towards my ridiculous fabric stash.  As each project is done, I feel a sense of accomplishment that a little bit of room was made in our little humble storage shed and another project is complete!

Did you give yourself a motto to follow this year?

T-SHIRT BLANKET

Good morning!  Here's a quick post for today.  I finally finished my son's memory blanket so he can take it with him to school in a few weeks.  It is made out of collected treasured T's he purchased and/or rec'd as gifts and at sports camps in the past few years.  He'll be traveling to another state so making this blanket was very important to me as it will ease the home sick blues most freshmen go thru their first year away from home. 

I've seen many T-shirt projects but I have such a difficult time machine quilting large blankets and quilts on my little sewing machine.  When I cam accross this blog called Maiden Jane, she had a pattern that didn't call for machine quilting and knew it was right up my alley.  The blanket was finished in one week, just in time to pack it up and get it ready for traveling. My family can now have the dining table and living room back! 

What treasured items to you collect?

Sew Easy Simplicity 1995

It's been a rough few days.  So many things to do in such little time and my procastination has gotten the best of me.  There comes a time when I know I need to somewhat slow down and unwind, or as the saying goes, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES....Well, I did,...slow down and unwind that is.  I purchased this pattern sometime ago after seeing this beautiful bag on flicker:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritafazfita/4905450248/in/faves-37483854@N04/

The Patterns is a Sew Easy Simplicity 1995

 

 

I interfaced both the front/back and the lining with 906F Pellon to give it strength and structure.  This sewing project gave me the much needed time to slow down a bit.  It took me just a few hours and not only do I have a new bag but my focus back.



 

 

I even had a spare kanzashi flower to pin as an accessory. 

 

This was a long over-due sewing threrapy session.  I feel so much better now.

 

What do you do to unwind?