commissioned purses

H's aunt commissioned me to make two purses for her granddaughters, and so here they are! Amazingly I have not gone completely insane making Christmas presents yet, even with commissions. I have to admit, being paid to make presents is really cool :)

These are made from Angry Chicken's book Bend-the-Rules Sewing (the charming handbag). The one above is made from a thick, velvet fabric and cotton/linen lining. All of the fabric for both purses is reclaimed/recycled. Instead of the bow on the purse above, I tried a yo-yo flower with a cool metal button.

This one is brighter and lighter. I think the outer lining is thin wool, but one can never tell with reclaimed fabric unless there is a tag involved. I love the ribbon on this thing - oh so fun to play with. Also, the lining goes almost too well with the ribbon. I would totally carry this purse.

I wish so badly I could share pictures of the other presents I'm working on, but I have the sneaking suspicion their recipients would be spying on the blog.

More to come!

Lost and Found Yarn

I was thrilled to find this collection of yarn mixed in with my college books in my mom's storage. This dates back to my lap loom days. Most of this is from Hearth Song kits, but a few came from random early crochet projects (most of which did not end well).


Imagine my surprise to find this motley knitting sampler - unless my memory fails me, this is my very first effort at knitting (along with my two older sisters). My mom began the sampler with nice neat garter stitch - you can see it on the right side of the picture below. Then you can see sections where my sisters tried stockinette, ribbing, and moss stitches. Then on the far left you can see what I believe was my first attempt at knitting.


I have always been more ambitious than patient. 'nuff said.


That is really funny though! I laughed out loud when I saw it. I think I would have trouble recreating those mistakes! I'm glad I took some photos of this piece of crafting history - I plan to unravel it and use the yarn for something else. Perhaps something with a moss stitch - isn't that part pretty?


As a Christmas update, I have just completed my parents' present (if they are not completely stoked I will be sorely disappointed). I've also finished a couple of purses for H's cousins. Still work to be done on two sisters' presents, brother and his wife's present, and mom-in-law's. Gettin' there!

Halls are Decked!

Earlier this week, mom-in-law and I finally got the tree decorated. Fun! We have been enjoying it thoroughly every evening. H comments every night how good it looks all lit up. Christmas is in the air and I'm drinking it in :) I could really use some magic this year.

Are you tired of looking at it yet?

Last week I visited my parents and dragged a ton of junk out of Mom's storage (you're welcome Mom), and I've been sorting through it bits at a time. TONS of art supplies, which is really exciting. I found the first thing I ever knitted, paint brushes I used as a toddler, beads, beads, and more beads. Lots of work, but oodles of potential. More to come...

Poised...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. My mom-in-law is visiting with us until we travel home again for Christmas with my folks. Family time is good :) We have a very naked tree to decorate, hopefully today. I do have lights on it, so we've been enjoying it at night.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures of decked halls to share soon :)

Merry Christmas!

Grand Opening!

I am pleased to announce the grand opening of my new Etsy shop - BusyBunny Handmade!


I've already loaded five goodies into the shop, so stop by and check it out! This is the perfect time of year to grab a special handmade gift for your loved one. Below I've posted some pictures of the items in the shop now. I plan to announce when I add new goodies, so stay tuned! I'm already working on the next batch (Christmas ornaments, purses, potholders, place mats, etc.) I hope you'll stop by :)

yarn harvest

I harvested yarn for the first time! I had an old red cotton sweater just begging to be taken apart and made into something new and wonderful :) It was a surprisingly rewarding experience - I am definitely excited to go thrifting to find more sweaters to recycle. Yarn for cheaps!

And embroidery thread for cheaps - this was from the sweater's seams. I already have some projects in mind for this.

While this was fun, I had a not-so-fun unraveling to do. This was a beaded beret (pascale hat from Rowan 37). Sadly, the gauge didn't turn out perfectly, the beads were slightly too big and too heavy (curses to Michaels and Walmart - neigther place carries size 8 beads!), and I didn't love how the clear glass beads looked against the dark brown wool.

:(


I must try this project again under better circumstances. Oh well - I'll recycle this yarn too :)

i see pumpkin pie in my future...

Just roasted my first pumpkin :) I tried to get a photo of the pumpkin right as it came out of the oven - it was one of the most beautiful colors I've ever seen, deep orange and glistening - but right as I was focusing the camera my batteries died. yup. Oh well, at least I have three jars of pumpkin puree! And the seeds there have been roasted and spiced up.

This pumpkin puree is destined to become a pie, chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie waffles, and anything else I can make with it :) Gotta love fall!