Two Button Pouch with Denim

Do you find that there are certain types of crafts you do at certain times of year? I know that sometimes we make things for people at any time, but generally speaking, do your creative exploits cycle? Just curious because I find myself enjoying the more woolly and fabric type crafts in the Fall and Winter. I tend to paint in the Spring/Summer and do a lot of paper crafts then as well. 

A couple of weeks ago I made some very simple little pouches that were quick and easy here. Recently I found a pouch on Pinterest that I love, but when I went to download the pattern from the blog it was featured on, much to my chagrin the download was no longer available. The blog is called Elisanna Sofie, and she is a Dutch Blogger. I just linked to the whole blog because you can't download the pattern anymore anyway, but it is a really cute blog and she has some great projects on there so check her out. Her original pouch is on my Pinterest Board here if you'd like to see it. It'll lead you to a tutorial found here. 

I wanted to make that pouch and so I had to make up a pattern for it myself. Which is what I did. But first here is one of the pouches I made. I took this photo outside on a cloudy day because it was too dark in the house even with lighting. I really need to get a light box.

I used some medium interfacing and some quilt batting on this pouch which gave it a nice sturdy yet soft feel. I love the denim. I also made the buttons like Elisanna did. It's a nice touch.

Here is the pattern I drew up. 

I cut it out of fabric and denim, then made up the piping cord and sewed the denim to the fabric with the piping cord in between. It's not a good picture, but if you look closely you can see the piping cord there.

This is the front piece completed with the buttons sewn on by hand. I used the purple fabric for lining, I just wanted to use up some fabric I had on hand, but it works okay.

I only used medium interfacing in this one, but I love the one with the batting more, so from now on that's what I'll do. This one is nice too but I like the thickness of the yellow one.

Still pretty cute, and not too terribly time consuming. Plus another gift done.

Even though it's cloudy here, the temps are supposed to get to 33C (91.4 F). Not too bad. I would love to see some sun though.

Happy Sunday,

Carmen

Victoria to Sooke, BC

Recently I added a segment called "Livin' in the 'Loops" to this blog. I think it's important to feature your hometown and the areas you live in. Since I live in Beautiful British Columbia, I will sometimes share something about living in BC for those of you that want to visit or are just curious about the North. This is the second piece for that segment. Enjoy. 

While it's true that I live in the 'Loops (Kamloops, BC), my husband and I met in Victoria and as such Vancouver Island has always held special meaning for us, plus it is one of the loveliest places in BC. There is always a bit of a breeze off the ocean and the heady smell of fresh clean ocean air. Victoria, the capital of BC, has an English influence with a bustling Inner Harbour graced by the Grand ol' Empress Hotel. The James Bay area borders the Inner Harbour on one side and the ocean on the other, which is where we go hunting for sea glass. We often 'stay' near the Inner Harbour and walk around enjoying the bustlers, artists, sellers and open air theatre that is a part of the harbour throughout the warm summer months.

SOOKE

Our last trip to Vancouver Island brought us to Sooke which is a small town bordering a bay near the southern tip of the Island. There's an interesting little story we heard from the locals about a Pirate ship that pulled into the bay many years ago and hid there from those pursuing them. The bay does seem like a perfect hiding spot for a fairly large ship and its entrance could easily be missed from the ocean. Sooke is surrounded by lush greenery and many beaches. You may have heard of the Sooke Potholes as well.

The Best Western Prestige is one of our favorite places to stay when we're there. We recently went to execute a will and unfortunately, to bury a family member. In the mornings we'd go to the restaurant at the hotel and enjoy our breakfast on the balcony overlooking the bay. It is a happy, relaxing way to start a busy day. The seals hang out under the sun on a pile of logs near the fish cleaning station by the docks. You could see various sealife when walking the pier. The sound of seagulls and the odd bark of a seal amidst breaths of fresh ocean air makes you ponder the possibility of staying forever. 

The courtyard

From the Pier looking back

Seals sunning on the logs near the cleaning station

The Marina

Another view of the Courtyard

Early morning fog hugging the waters

Due to the fact that this was such a busy trip, we took an hour out of one day to drive out to Shirley. It's about 20 minutes down a country road with not much traffic. It seems there's nothing much out there, but when you get to Shirley there is a little coffee shop on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere that is always busy. This time we were treated by a girl taking our order who seemed to be auditioning for a part in a play. She was entertaining, fun and quirky. Right up my alley! We enjoyed our food in a garden on one side of the building. It was a nice break.

We're back in the 'Loops now and resting up from our unexpected week long trip. In spite of the nature of it, we love the Island and often go and visit. If you're thinking of coming to Canada for a visit, don't miss Vancouver Island. It's totally worth the trip. If you're lucky, you may even see a pod of killer wales, some dolphins, or if you make it up to Coombs, some goats on a roof.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good week,

Blessings

Note Cards for Fabric Envelopes

Hello my friends!

Can you believe August is just about over? This has been one crazy year, but it's moving along regardless of the strange happenings. After researching for a long while, you just get so worn out that you look to the things that take your mind off of it all. I'm so glad we all have our arts and crafts to turn to. Of course, there's always our family and friends as well, but arts and crafts are way up there for me! 

Do you remember the fabric envelopes I made? I also made little note cards out of cardstock to put inside them. These were meant for people to give away, so I didn't fill any of them out, but left them for others to use. First here are some of the envelopes I made. If you'd like to see the post, there's a little tutorial on it - Fabric Envelopes, Cute Little Gift Idea.

But I really wanted some little note cards for them. 

I cut the cardstock into 5.5" sheets, then scored them at 4.25" which gave me two cards per piece of cardstock and they fit perfectly in these envelopes. 

Then I took out my faithful little Cuttlebug and made some impressions on the front of the cards. These may be a little hard to see. 

They looked kind of bare and I could have stopped here since note cards tend to be pretty plain. However, I went through my stamps and found a few I thought would make cute card fronts. It was fun coloring them and it only took a bit of time. Some of them did show through, so I added a white backing to the inside of the front piece and done. Some have sentiments inside, but I left some blank too. 

And now they're done and ready to go! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Blessings,

Carmen

Easy Zipper Pouches

Hello,

Roaming Pinterest is fun but this time I was looking for something very specific. I wanted to make some easy pouches to donate that wouldn't be too time consuming but still look good. I found these little 15 minute zipper pouches by Melly Sews on my own "Bags, Pouches, Etc." board. 

Honestly, I should check out my own boards more often. There's some good stuff in there! LOL!

Melly's post not only shows you step by step how to make these pouches, she also provides a video. So click on the link provided above if you'd like to try to make your own. They're really very easy!

Here's a sampling of mine:

I spent about an hour cutting up all the pieces I needed to make seven pouches, and picked out zipper colors to go with them.

Each pouch has a colorful fabric for inside the pouch as well.

These are the first four pouches I completed. 

The inside of one.,,,this one will be a gift instead of a donation.

These other three with the fleece inside, I had to quilt.

Two of the three can hold heated items. 

These can be used for cosmetics, medicine, jewelry, and essential oil bottles. There's really tons of things you could use them for. 

Next post will be some note cards for my fabric envelopes.

Thanks for popping by!

Blessings,

Carmen

Fabric Envelopes - Cute Little Gift Idea

Hi there,

I was looking on Pinterest for some donation ideas and came across a tutorial by Celebrate Creativity for fabric envelopes and thought I'd try making some.

I'm going to take you through the steps here even though she's done that too. Here's a photo of a small stack of them. 

First of all, I didn't go and buy any decoupage solution because it's so easy to make. You just use glue and water. That's it. I did about a half and half mixture, using a bit more glue than water. 

I grabbed an envelope and tore it open to use as a template. My envelope fit in a space about 11' X 11." I have pieces of leftover fabric that are a bit larger but too small for pouches and bags. I also had a piece of fabric that is larger, but it's been in my stash probably 20 years. I decided to use it as well and make several the same. 

I covered my workspace with wax paper and put my ironed fabric on top of it. Using a foam brush I covered the back of the fabric, and then the front with decoupage solution. I put enough on to cover each side without using too much. You'll have to judge for yourself. Just go for it - it'll be fine.

Then I made a makeshift clothesline in my craft room and hung them to dry. I actually did that first, but you know. 

I understand this is quicker than leaving them on a flat surface. You want them to be as straight as possible....it's not easy. Don't judge. LOL. 

It only took these about an hour to dry.

Then I took the envelope, outlined it with a pencil on the back side of the dried fabric and cut it out. I don't recommend a pen or a marker as it'll bleed through.

I used my cutting mat as a guide to make the folds as I wanted them as even as possible, but you can go commando with it if you want to. It seems pretty forgiving.

I put my glue on the side flaps, because I wanted the bottom piece over top. It's really up to you how you do it. However, be careful when putting on the glue as it's easy to use too much, or put it too high on the side flaps. You can see I had to start a bit lower than you'd think. 

Don't ask me how I know that (oopsie). 

When I glued it I put a little card down the inside of the envelop to keep the glue from getting everywhere. It wasn't really a problem, but better safe than sorry.

Then I just had to let it dry for a bit. 

And, they're ready to gift...

Oh, I also made little blank note cards for inside of them. A gift ready to give! All they have to do is fill in the card.

These were actually fun to make once I got everything set up. It's a quick little craft and they make great 'just because' gifts. These are probably not suitable for sending in the mail, but definitely good to give by hand. You could embellish them with ribbon or a flower or something, maybe more for if you're giving one filled out as a card. I kind of like them plain with a ribbon tied around the stack of them. 

I actually had pictures of 4 different note cards I took, but you really couldn't see the detail since they were white on white. This picture turned out better, so I'll just show you this one in the envelope.

You know, I kind of like these.  I might have to keep some to give away myself. 

Yes, I think I will. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,