Needed Something New

Earlier today I got a fancy new haircut and I decided that called for a fancy new bag.

My inspiration was an Anthropologie bag (of course). But really I've seen this general design all over the internet. It was fun and easy to make and I love how wide the bag opens so you can actually find something inside it!



I finally cut into some fabric I got during my last Ikea trip to make this bag. I love the weight of it and luckily I have enough to make more!





I was a little worried about carrying a white bag in the winter - is that a horrible fashion faux pas? Clinton, Stacy, are you out there?

A Quick Game of Catch-Up

The rush of last minute Christmas projects made me put my Quilt Along squares on hold for a bit. I'm trying to not get overwhelmed with it, since that was the point of the whole thing, so I am only doing one square a day.

Here is my week 2 square. A little wonky, but I am pretty pleased with how my corners match up!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2008!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the new year and what I want to change. Not resolutions per say, just goals I guess. At some point one needs to create a plan for their life, set some goals, grow, learn. The rest of this week my husband is going out of town for a "Strategic Planning Retreat" with some co-workers. He works for a small engineering company that has grown very rapidly over the past 15 years and has had a sort of "fly by the seat of our pants" mentality regarding growth and running their business. They are are at a point where they need to re-evaluate and actually plan for the future, and I guess I feel like I am at that point too.

As I think about the things I might like to accomplish in 2008 I keep coming back to the word intentional.

intentional: (adj.) done or made or performed with purpose or intent.

There is nothing specific that I can say I am going to stop doing this or start doing that...I just want to try to live more intentionally. And the more I think about it the more I realize it relates to almost every aspect of my life. I want to be more intentional in the way I cook and the foods I choose, in the things I buy and where I spend my money, in my time with my daughter, in my home and how I care for it, in the way I write, in my health, in my faith, in my relationships with others. The list just goes on. I think I will probably be talking more about all of this here as the year stretches on. And maybe you would like to join me in making 2008 an intentional year.

I wish you all the best for 2008. I hope we can spend a good share of it together! I appreciate each and everyone of you that stops by to read my blog. Take care!

Roxanne

Whew!

We are back! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. Ours was wonderful - spent with lots of family, filled with tons of food. I'm still trying to unpack, clean, set up my new computer, etc.... This time of year really makes me feel like "spring cleaning" for some reason. So hopefully there will be lots of changes in our house, our diet, this site, etc. in the next weeks. A big job all around, but I feel ready.

As promised, here is one of the gifts you haven't seen, though you have seen something similar. After I made the "house bag" for a cousin Sydney was obsessed with houses and had to have her own version. I was happy to oblige.

Alright, back to cleaning!

Wrapping it up...

We are taking off this afternoon for a very long weekend of Christmas, splitting our time between our 2 families. So, I guess time's up! I got pretty close to finishing all the things on my list. I stretched my brain and did a little math this morning...over 70% of my gifts were at least partially handmade! I'm pretty proud of this fact and honestly I can't wait to gloat to my husband about it. All that money I saved surely has paid for my new laptop by now, right? Anyway, it sure doesn't seem like I could have possibly shown you all of those gifts, so I think I will be doing a little gift roundup after Christmas. Maybe we can all get some ideas for next year and start early - right? :)

Before we take off I thought I would show you my wrapping theme for the year. It's simple, but I like it. I found the brown craft paper at my grocery store on sale for a quarter a roll!! Someone must have screwed up when they placed the order or something. Regardless, I stocked up. I paired it with a minimal amount of colorful grosgrain ribbon and tons of string (which I got at the thrift store). The ribbon goes a lot further this way, and I used enough string that the recipient could actually use it for something else (hopefully). So, its eco-friendly and frugal! Most of the tags were made with a stamp from the dollar section at Michael's. And that's it! As much as I love the presentation of a gift, that is what I get sick of the fastest. I think my goal for next year is to start wrapping much earlier.

I wish each of you a very merry Christmas filled with love and peace. I am so thankful for each one of you. I'll be taking a little blog break until next Wednesday. Can't wait to catch up with you all then!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Procrastination Productivity

I seem to be scrambling a bit this week to get things done. I can procrastinate with the best of them, but I usually kick it into high gear when the pressure hits and it all works out okay. Well, this week it backfired a little. I've been feeling like crap since last Thursday, and my brand new spankin' laptop came today. So, I'm kind of ready to be done with the whole "to do list"! It will all get done though, it always does.

Here's what I wasted time on last week! I adore this winter scene fabric and have been trying to come up with a good use for it. It's new home is in our downstairs family room. All from the stash of course, and the bottom row is leftovers from a quilt my sister made me that lives on the same couch! I like that this fabric isn't too Christmasy so it can stay out all winter.

All right back to work.

Aahh, I keep forgetting to tell you...you must check out Mary Ann's latest project "Indie-pendence." It is a very cool new blog where she features indiependent artists. Feminine Addictions was featured on Monday, so scroll back a little if you want to read about little old me. Nice work Mary Ann!!

Mini Books

Wow Tuesday already...where did the weekend go? I really did get a ton done this weekend, just not a ton finished. Soon, hopefully soon. I did get this little gift done though. My niece K is 10 and absolutely loves to write stories, so when I saw the cute little handmade books making the rounds out there I knew they would be perfect for her. (Basically you sew down the center of the paper to make the booklet - don't try too many sheets at once! My sewing machine complained a little after about 6 or 8.)

They really only took minutes and it was a great excuse to pull out my scrapbook paper and play! I also included some plain labels to decorate for the covers.

And its wrapped up in the good Ikea paper, because K knows things like that are important. I'm a good influence wouldn't you say? :) I got her several other gifts, but I think this one might provide some immediate entertainment on Christmas morning.