Will they like it??

It's one thing when your [insert obligated person here] tells you that they love the stuff you make.  My husband, my mom, my friends, my kids, etc.!  It's another when it comes from a stranger.  


I have been so happy/relieved/elated by the feedback I've gotten from my Etsy customers.  A few of them even talked about me and I wanted to shamelessly brag tell you about it: 


Christy at MCH Photography just featured my shop last week.

Go check it out.  She is lovely...and took some great pics (way better than my shop pics...mental note: update my pics!).
   

Jessica at Little Pumpkin Grace purchased three wristlets for teacher gifts for the start of school.
  

She even dressed them up in cute packaging...which inspired me to step up my packaging as well!
  

I don't know what it is about seeing something I made in another environment (i.e. not my sewing room)!  Love it!

Ladies, I *truly* appreciate the shout-outs.  It warms my heart.  Thank you. 

melissa's beach wedding tote bags and a look back in time!

A few weeks ago, my college sweetheart and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.  A decade!  Two full time jobs, one professional degree, two kids, two mini-vans, and a mortgage later...life could not get any better!  I am the luckiest girl alive!  

Last summer at our 10 year college reunion.  How things change in 10 short years!

What, you say?  You thought this post was about beachy wedding tote bags?  Sorry, I digress.  Seriously, my wedding and 10 years of 'unity candle' is relevant, I swear.  

gosh, we look so young and well-rested.   :)  

me and my maid of honor, Melissa!

Exactly two weeks after our wedding, one of my best friends married her college sweetheart, in the same town, in the same beautiful campus chapel that we got married in.  

Melissa and her groom Shawn.  Yes, that's a kilt.

Melissa.  I've mentioned her before.  She is the designer behind Melissa K. Hoy Jewelry Designs.  Also the artist behind the logo for my little business, zero7one9 designs.  Melissa, her husband, and their 3 sweet children had a ceremony two weeks ago in Cancun to renew their vows and celebrate their marriage (can you say, jealous?  i can).  

I couldn't be there with them, but a little piece of me was (actually 8 pieces): 

Melissa filled the inside and the two front pockets with gifts and gave them to family that made the trip to share the event with them. 

I used Anna's (Noodlehead) Summer Madras Tote tutorial and absolutely love how they turned out.  

pay no mind to the collection of light sabers drying on a towel after being left out in the rain!  real life.

Love you, Melissa.  For letting me make these and for loving them (as much as I do).  


In case you were wondering: 

• the pink polka dot fabric is Premier Prints Oxygen Dots in Candy Pink (from Fabric.com)
• the interior paisley is Riley Blake Sweet Nothings Paisley Cream (from Fabric.com)
• the exterior diagonal stripe is from JoAnn Fabrics' Keepsake line: Gerbera Bias Stripe 

linking up here and at others listed on my Linky Party page.

yellow chevron in opposite colorway...your opinion?

for those of you who remember the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day, you'll recall the yellow chevron wristlet made from noodlehead's pattern.   


i have always been a *huge* fan of gray and it makes me happy that it seems to be the 'in' color right now.  (i'm finally fashionable!...not!).


it's been super-popular and definitely a best-seller in my tiny shop.  

then last week, i received a custom order request for two yellow chevron wristlets AND one in the opposite colorway.  i am happy to do custom requests because i get to see your vision in a tangible form.  drumroll............................

what do you think?  i must say i don't love it as much as the original, but you can't go wrong with this color combo.  oh, and the inside is another yellow and gray print.  

thoughts?  i hope she loves them.  she's giving them as teacher gifts for back to school.  which just makes me feel terrible for not thinking of that myself.  :(

who won the zero7one9 wristlet?

the sew mama sew giveaway day was so much fun!  i truly appreciate those who left me some blogging advice.  fantastic suggestions!  be yourself, be yourself, be yourself was the common theme. 

i hope my personality is peeking through in my posts.  but not too much, too soon.  i don't want to scare you off with my sometimes snarky, sometimes sarcastic, personality!  i'll try to ease you into it.  ;)

on to the winner...[insert drumroll here] or [insert a ryan seacrest awkward, anxious pause here]...

the winner of her very own zero7one9 wristlet (made by these snarky, sarcastic hands) is:

jessica!  who said, "How FUN! Your stuff is so cute! Blog advice..just be nice, and funny is good too!"

congrats to jessica!  i'll be in touch with you shortly to make arrangements to send out your choice of wristlet!  i hope you *love* it!

for the rest of you...thank you so much for entering.  if you are desperately in love with the wristlet, rest assured, you can have one of your own (wink, wink)!  just visit my etsy shop and one can be on the way to you, too!

a *hot* date clutch...and a "fussy cut"

Got a hot date for Valentines' Day?  Have I got the perfect clutch for you...this is ah-dorable.  I followed the free tutorial from Elizabeth at Oh Fransson! that was featured on the SewMamaSew blog.  You can also find the step-by-step on their sewing tutorial page (among other cute projects with easy to follow directions).

How hot is this bag? 

Interior pocket and magnetic closure

It's the perfect size for your phone, credit card, lip gloss, etc.  This was also my first project that allowed me to "fussy cut".  Yep, had to google that term the first time I stumbled upon it.  It means to cut your fabric so you can highlight the part you want to show (i.e. be on the front of the bag). 

I chose the yellow bloom (I wanted the black one you see on the inside of the flap, but it wasn't as visually interesting).  And I'm trying REALLY hard to not pick black and gray for everything...(did I mention how much I LOVE gray and black?).

             

Is it obvious?

Please confirm that I am not in fabric denial.  From the moment I saw this fabric online, I knew it was meant to be mine.  I don't know about you, but when I shop online for fabric, a lot goes into the cart.  Anything I'd even remotely think about purchasing gets added.  Then when I finish the joy of sorting through pages of thumbnails of fabric, I edit out the ones I don't l.o.v.e.  So, back to the fabric.  This one was different.  It was love at first sight.  Then I clicked on it.  Huh?  Seasonal?  How can this possibly be...oh, wait...yep...Halloween.  It's called Haunted Mansion by Sanae for Moda Fabrics.  

So, my question for you...am I blind in love?  So much that I went ahead and made a bag out of it and have been carrying it around (proudly, I might add) for the last month (January, not October!)?  

Or are you with me and see this as an awesome fabric with a great color combo (gray, red, oranges) and a nod toward nature?  

Don't leave me hangin' here...leave a comment so I can begin the healing process, if need be.  :)  

My Halloween Bag?  You be the judge!

There is a free tutorial and pattern for the City Bag available from Martina at Confessions of a Sewing Addict.  I love the shape and how it stands up on it's own (not so much the straps).  It has an interior pocket and a magnetic closure.  I changed up the straps on my version.  I used a really fine whale corduroy for the interior and a stiff piece of fusible interfacing for the bottom. 

If you use the pattern, place the interior pocket lower than it appears in the drawing.  There are no measurements regarding the placement, so I eyeballed based on the diagram which left a pretty tight squeeze for the clasp between the top of the pocket and the edge of the fabric.  

The giveaway is over, by the way, but you can still make this sweet bag and love yours as much as I love mine.  

Happy Halloween, er...I mean...happy Thursday!