Reusable Shopping Bags

I had a request to make some reusable shopping bags with longer handles that a person could carry over their shoulder.

They still needed to be folded up small enough to fit in a little pouch in the person's purse so they were easy to carry & store.

After some trial and error This is what I came up with.

Right now they will be available in my shop by special request.

Summer Wedding Showers & Chocolate Cookies

A friend of mine is getting married next month and I attended a wedding shower for her on Tuesday night. It was really great to meet some of her oldest friends and it was really neat for me to be included in that group of friends :)

Her friends put on a "Something Blue" wedding shower for her and it was great! Her friends did a great job and everyone had a good time. There were games and prizes, good conversation and of course great things to eat, blue cupcakes and even blue punch!

The weather was perfect for this outdoor party and the garden setting was gorgeous. I sure wish that my yard looked that nice!

I found a great serving dish at Pier One, for part of her gift, and baked some delicious cookies to take to the party. The recipe is from Martha Stewart Everyday Food (click on the title for a link to the recipe). My daughter helped me bake the cookies and we had a great time! We used chocolate chips instead of chunks and used a cookie scoop to make them just the perfect size for a decadent treat!

Here is a snapshot of our picture perfect treats.



Thanks for a great evening!

At long last ......

At long last the much anticipated purse for my friend is DONE!!!!

I am so happy with the way it turned out!!!

It is bigger than I anticipated but now she will have lots of room to carry all of her most important things with her.

I am delivering it in September when we got out to visit her in Victoria, BC.

I am really looking forward to seeing her :)

Here is a sneak peek at it's total fabulous-ness!!

INTRODUCING - my brand new Auto Bag!!!!

A stylish and durable bag for your vehicle.

Use it for a trash bag, on it's own, or lined with a small plastic bag.

Use it to keep toys, snacks, maps and all your other goodies organized and easy to find.

8.5"H x 8.5"W x 4"D with a 24" strap

100% cotton outer fabric, middle layer of heavy duty interfacing and lined with laminated, water-resistant canvas.

These will be available at my table at the Bentley Farmer's Market, this Saturday, June 26. I will be listing them in my shop next week if there are any left.

Click on the title to be sent to the Facebook album with all finished ones to choose from.

My little assistant made the fabric choices and I think that she did a wonderful job!

If you see one you cannot live without, send me a message and we'll work out the details.

The Project continues

POCKETS, POCKETS, POCKETS!!

I took a little break from my friend's purse to make some things for my daughter and some more things for my shop. I still have lots more projects in the works but really wanted to get to work on this purse again. I am still totally in love with the fabric and really want to see the finished results.

I added pockets to the inside and outside of the purse today. The outside pocket has a flap that closes with a magnetic snap to keep everything safe inside. It is big enough for a cell phone, a set of keys, chewing gum, CD's, a small notepad, or whatever else a person needs close and easy to access.

There were only supposed to be a few small pockets inside but I really like lots of places to stash things when I need to, so I added extra big pockets to the inside and then split them up in a few places. The result is lots of places to keep all kinds of great things.


I got the rest of the lining finished too and am hoping to put together the rest of the outside over the next week.

I bought some leather handles, which will look really sharp. They arrived a couple weeks ago and I have been getting anxious to put them on the purse and see the final effect.

New project in the Works

Here is the first picture of a new project I am working on:

I am working on a new project for my very good friend.

She picked my absolute favorite fabric and asked me to make her a handbag with it.

She picked the style and I started cutting out pieces this week.

I just have the outside fabric left to cut - a striking Black & Red Batik.

I confess I am a little bit nervous about cutting it because if I mess it up there's no going back. There is no more of the fabric at the shop where I bought it in Salmon Arm, BC.

I am thinking of posting some updates here as I work on her bag - then she can see how it looks as I work on it.

I will post some more once I get some sewing done

Insulated Grocery Cooler Bags

Need a stylish, lightweight cooler for a picnic or road trip?

How about to take your groceries home from the store?

This bag is perfect!!

Folds flat when empty, so you can tuck it away until you need it next time.

Available by custom order at Nana Brown's - pick your favorite fabric and I will custom make a cooler just for you!!!

Reusable Holiday Gift Bags

It's that time of the year - the Holidays are here!!

We are all busy shopping for and wrapping the perfect gifts for everyone on our holiday lists.

Who says being green has to be boring? These bags are functional and they look great!

Enjoy the holidays and help look after the environment. Avoid sending all that gift wrap, tape and ribbon to the landfill.

These reusable bags make gift wrapping a breeze - just open the bag, pop in your gift, pull the ribbons closed and you are done.

• Use for wrapping holiday gifts or storing decorations


• Smart alternative to gift wrap or plastic gift bags


• The perfect way to beautifully wrap all the gifts you get for everyone on your list


• Compact & lightweight


• Double satin ribbon drawstring closure - bags are made of 100% cotton fabric


• 100% Canadian Made

These bags are a great way to avoid using mountains of gift wrap and tape for all your holiday gifts.

Use one of these handy Reusable Fabric Gift Bags in place of expensive paper gift wrap
OR
Wrap your gifts and use one of these bags to keep multiple gifts for one person all together.

After the holidays these bags can be used year round to store toys, books, DVD's, CD's, beauty products and anything else you need!

The bags come in 3 standard sizes: Medium, Large & X-Large.

These bags are also available in custom sizes to accommodate any sized gifts. Let me know the size bag that you need and I will be happy to create it for you.

Machine wash, tumble dry – these bags are handy and easy to use.

All seams are serged / overlocked for extra durability. These bags are not lined.

Fabulous Etsy Find!

I just received the most stunning pair of Swarovski Emerald and Pearl Crystal Earrings in the mail yesterday!

They were sent from Patch at PatchFirstShop, a wonderful jewellery shop on Etsy. You can check out her other stunning pieces in her shop at www.patchfirstshop.etsy.com

I had stumbled across her blog last month and won a contest that she was running. Here is a link to the gorgeous pair of earrings that she sent me
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=477663

Mine are done all in silver and I love them. They arrive beautifully packaged in a pink velvet, embroidered bag tied with a beautiful pink ribbon.

I was so excited to receive them and look forward to wearing them and showing them off often.

Thank you so much Patch for the lovely surprise.