BIG BIG Tote Bags so you can Fit-It-In!

I hate carrying 5 different bags when I go on an excursion to the beach or pool or wherever. I need my big beach towel, change of clothes, snacks, water bottle, camera, MP3 player, books and magazines, and at least 2 or 3 craft projects (you never know what you'll feel like working on at the time, and I always tend to overestimate what I'm capable of completing in a given amount of time).

So, I made these HuMonGouS tote bags for others who are like me. I have them for sale at my etsy shop, www.mikimi.etsy.com. I'm calling them Fit-It-In tote bags, and I hope to make more in other fabrics. They are really fun to make and are my "obsession du jour".

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70 Corsages for Mother's Day

When I was growing up, at my church, the youth always made corsages for all the mothers at church. But we made them out of Kleenex tissue. You know, you fold a tissue in half, make an accordion, tie the middle with a wire, and fluff up the layers. Strange, but true. Sometimes, we'd even take lipstick and rouge the edges, so they looked more like a carnation.

Now that I'm a mother myself, although I appreciate the efforts that went into those tissue paper carnation corsages, real flowers hold a little more appeal to me. Call me funny that way.

So, last year, I took it upon myself to make real flower corsages for all the mothers at my church. I had a $100 budget, and of course, all the women loved them. What makes you feel more special than having a lovely corsage to wear?

This year, we made it a youth group project, so 5 youth (including my own two girls) helped me make 70 corsages. The youth were fairly helpful--but even a group of 5 adults would be hard pressed to make a decent corsage. It takes an eye for design, plus manual dexterity to hold the flowers in place while you wind them with florist tape. Even making a nice bow is a challenge for most people, not to mention kids.

Still, I was happy to celebrate Mothers Day with this yearly ritual. Being surrounded by lots of flowers is enjoyable, whatever the reason.

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Birdy Obsessed

I can't stop making these little felt bags. They're such a calming, gratifying project. Here's my latest, listed at Etsy.

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Items on Etsy

Here's a few other things I've been making and selling on Etsy.

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It's Already MAY!!!!!

I cannot believe that April is already done and gone, and now it's already the second day of May. A whole month has transpired since I posted to my blog. But that doesn't mean I haven't been making things. I've made plenty! I have had lots of opportunities to be creative, both tactilely (?) and computer-generated. Here are some tote bags that I made to give as Mothers' Day presents. I used Timtex, a very thick interfacing which is what makes the bags so firm and stable. I love that stuff! I bought more fabric to make more totes, which I hope to sell on Etsy.

April was a good month for me Etsy-wise. After weeks and weeks of no sales, I actually sold about 7 items! Whoo hoo! I won't be quitting my day job, but it's definitely exciting.

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