Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...reusable bags!

I had seen these reusable bags before but had always wondered what people were lining them with to make them suitable for food storage...that is until a friend of mine showed me one that her husband had purchased online. I just took a quick look at it the other day and made some mental notes. Got the fabric and velcro I needed while I was down in Phoenix over the weekend and I made a test one last night...which I won't post.

But then I made a few more today...I was able to come up with a design based on some purse like bags I had made for the girls...

I made them in two sizes, 7"x5.5" and 7"x8.5" (a bit bigger than regular ziploc disposable snack and sandwich size bags) I intend to really only use these for the girls snacks (crackers, fruit, sandwiches etc) as the nylon fabric is only water resistant, not waterproof. These would not be suitable for extremely wet items plus the top just seals with velcro which would not keep items fresh for extended periods of time - like for more than a day I would guess.

But just think about how many plastic ziploc bags you go through with kids or if you take your lunch/snacks to work every day. If you had a handful of these around, you wouldn't go through quite so many!

I'll be posting more designs as I get them completed. I'm still trying to figure out pricing so check back soon for more info!

Crayon Keeper Rollups-Girl Designs

Here are the Girl Designs of Crayon Keeper rollups that I have available to ship. The # in ( ) represents the # I have of that design...Cost is $6 per rollup (shipping costs extra and depends upon method of shipping requested)

1. Light Blue Barbie (2)
2. Light Blue Tweety bird (3)
3. Pastel house, mountain, floral (3)
4. Polka dot (2)
5. Red Violet Daisy (3)
6. Striped Daisy (1)
7. Pink/green frog (3)
8. Pink/green dots & stripes (3)
9. Light Pink floral (1)

Crayon Keeper Rollups...Boy Designs in stock

Here is a picture of the "Boy" designs I have complete and ready to ship...the number in italics represents the # I have available...Cost is $6 per rollup (shipping costs extra and depends upon method of shipping requested)

1. Black motorcycle (1)

2. Tan camoflauge (6)

3. Black/gray All-Terrain bicycle (1)

4. Royal Blue Sports (2)

5. Dark Blue Football (3)

6. Multi color Sports (1)

7. Boy Tropical/Luau (7)

8. NBA Basketball, multi team (2)

9. Construction (1)

Water Bottle Carriers

I found this tutorial over on a website called Pink Chalk Studio http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/ and thought it was super cute. I altered mine a bit by making them bigger and I also made the strap instead of using ribbon/twill. I think these will make great gifts!

Fair update and wristlet bags

Wow...its been awhile since I posted anything here. The pseudo craft fair that I made all those crayon holders for was a bit of a bust. It wasn't actually a "craft fair" so to speak but more like vendors set up on the St Joseph's bridge trying to sell stuff to passerby's. Not the easiest thing to do. Plus, St Joseph's encourages employees to NOT carry cash...so I probably would've sold a handful more had people had cash on them...but its ok. It was fun anyway and everyone seemed to like them! I do plan on going to an "actual" craft fair as we get closer to the holiday season..

Anyway, the newest thing I started making is these wristlet bags. They measure about 7"wide by 5" high and have a handle that is about 10" long. Each bag is lined with a coordinating fabric and have interfacing to help them hold their shape. I've been selling them to friends/family for $10. They make a great, unique gift!

Here are a few pictures...

First Tote bag

I made this bag to give away as a raffle for our MOMS Club banquet. I used a McCalls pattern I had and just modified it a little bit.

The theme of the banquet was "Vegas" so I lined it with Robert Kaufmann card fabric. It turned out pretty good but I think I'd use a different type of interfacing the next time I make a bag as this craft stuff I used wasn't the best stuff and wouldn't iron on very well.

Anxious to make different things...

While I'm still busy making Crayon Keeper Rollups for the craft fair (which is in about a week) I am really wanting to start making other stuff. I want to try a water bottle holder as well as a CD/DVD case for all the girls music CD's I have in the car. I've also gotten some really cute fabric over the last month or two that I want to perhaps make the girls a couple summer dresses. (I made one for Kendall a few weeks ago...I'll have to take a picture of her in it and post it...the pic I thought I had was on my cell phone.)

I haven't spent any time making any more belts or headbands (other than a couple I made to order) so it looks like my craft fair table will be primarily the Crayon Keepers. I do have about 70 of them...I'm gonna shoot to have 80 for the fair. I figure any that I don't sell I may post on Etsy.com, sell to friends or whatever. If I have time I'll make some headbands and belts...we'll see.

So thats all for now...