What a Month!

It's been quite a month! I had gallbladder surgery on the 14th and it has just stopped me dead in my tracks! People were telling me that I would be feeling great either a couple of days after--or the next day. What lies!!! I was down for about a week. I'm just now feeling better. Well, ok that's a fib. I was feeling better on Thursday but I messed up and did way too much (vacuumed, laundry, changed the sheets on the bed, took out trash, cleaned the bathroom) and put myself down for another day.

To top it off, I feel really bad because I forgot about my parents' b-days (they were on the 18th & 20th) and two nieces whose b-days are the 29th and 30th. Ugh! Not like I knew what to get/make them, but that's not the point--I forgot them completely.

Plus the surgery has really put me behind in my sewing. I'm the type of person who HATES to get behind because I feel as if I can never catch up! Thank goodness I didn't have any custom orders waiting to be finished. Now I will drive myself crazy (and trust me, that's not really a far drive) trying to get things made. And of course at this point, I don't even know what I want to make so I don't know why I'm so wound up about it lol.

But hopefully in a week or two, there will be some new projects to post on my blog and in my etsy store.

Finally!

Well, I believe I have finally finished all my Valentine crafting. Still debating whether to make some sachets or not. It's getting pretty close to Valentine's Day so I may skip those. I meant to get more things made, but surgery held me up for a bit. I didn't really want to have a lot of leftover holiday items either, so there you have it!

Valentine Coasters

I managed to list the coasters I made for Valentine's in my etsy shop today. Two different sets of wine coasters--both made from organic felt--and three sets of "regular" coasters made from V-day fabrics. Very cute all.

Ideas Needed

My niece has asked me to send some Valentine's items to sell in her massage shop. I'm not sure what to make. So far, I've only gotten as far as coasters. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them! If you give me an idea I decide to use--I'll even send you something as a Thank You!

Appliques

I have decided to make iron-on appliques out of some fabrics that I have. Most of the fabrics I am using have bigger prints on them like dogs, Disney, kids' things, etc. It's a great way for me to downsize some of my fabric stash, while making something useful for crafters. You can use these for any number of crafting projects: totes, purses, clothing, jackets, etc. These will be for sale in my etsy store.

Tissue Pack Covers

This is the perfect solution for keeping your mini pack of tissues neat and orderly. Will fit handily in a coat pocket, your purse, in the car, on your desk, or wherever else you may need a tissue! I just made these this afternoon and I think they are the CUTEST!! I plan to make a ton more because they were so fun! I'm sending the four pictured here to my niece's massage shop and I have three others that are for sale in my etsy store.

Eye Pillows

My niece owns her own massage shop. She had asked me if I could make eye pillows and cases for them. She said that her shop is decorated in a Tuscany style and wanted the cases to match as closely as possible. So, I went online to see how big an eye pillow was, since I had no idea, and took down the measurements.

I finally got the inclination to make them today. They came out very nicely. I filled them with rice so she can scent them herself and heat them if necessary. The prints I used were the closest I could come to in a Tuscany style. I made her four extra cases also. I hope they will do.

The black bags are the eye pillows themselves and the printed fabrics are the cases. I made her a total of six pillows and 10 cases. The first picture shows what the cases look like with the pillows inside of them.

Vacation

I'm so excited---I have from today until after the 1st off work!!! My
boss closes the shop down for the holidays and inventory. Plus she's
getting the old carpet ripped out and putting in hardwood floors so
it'll be a "new" place when I go back!

I'm also excited because I have quite a few ideas of things I want to
make for my etsy shop and now I'll actually have some time to do it!!
I know you girls know how I feel about wanting to make this and that
and never having the time--gets frustrating!

I'm thinking of making purse sets--the purse with matching accessories
like checkbook cover, notepad holder, tissue pack---what do you think?
Do you think people would be more interested in those or if they were
just sold separately? I may try just a couple of purse sets to see.

Anyway, I just had to share my excitement over my vacation. Oh--and
I'm feeling a bit better too--I haven't been in near as much pain as I
was a week or so ago. Hopefully I'll stay that way during my vacation
so I can sew lol.

Finished Notepad Holders

I made five notepad holders so far. They are so fun to make! I am including a 3' x 5" notepad along with a mini pen with each holder. They are all listed in my etsy shop. I plan to make more after the holidays.

I'm thinking of selling the pattern for them also because they would be a great project for beginners. Also for people who are looking for something quick and easy to make for gifts

WIP Update

Just an update on my latest Works-in-Progress. I am currently making small notepad holders for my etsy shop. I have two made but want to make at least five altogether before I list them. This way it gives buyers a few selections to choose from. I hope to work on these today since I don't believe I'll be called in to work. It's a good day to sew since the weather is bad also (freezing rain on top of snow makes for slickery roads!).

After I finish these, I have a couple of personal projects to make, and then I plan to make some tissue packs for purses! Very cute and functional! They are all cut out and ready to go so they won't take me long to stitch up and list!

Drawstring Bag

I finally finished my winter purse! I decided to try a drawstring bag--and it turned out great! I'm very happy with this one. I think it turned out very cute. I ran out of the polka dot fabric that I used for the lining and binding on the pockets, so decided to go with a solid bright pink fabric for the straps and drawstrings. However, since they were made from a solid fabric with no pattern, I decided to add decorative stitching on them using a blue that matches the background color of the purse body.

I also made a "case" that I slipped a piece of plastic canvas in so the bottom of the bag would be stable and hold it's shape. It's removable so if I need to wash the purse, I can just take it out.

Winter Kitties Ditty Bag

I thought after a hard week at work, getting that big order finished and sent in plenty of time for Christmas, and putting up with gallbladder problems, I deserved a little treat. So, I made myself a new winter purse.

I had found the cutest kitty fabric that features little kittens wearing hats and scarves about three weeks ago! I couldn't resist it! I just haven't had time to make anything with it before now.

So, this is the Ditty Bag, as I named it. Well, unfortunately it won't suit my needs :( Not to worry--I still have plenty of leftover fabric so I can make myself another purse that better suits me! I just listed this one in my etsy store. I hope someone falls in love with it and buys it lol.

Catnip Mice

I had joined a "group" called The Spotted Box a few months ago. You make samples of your work, send it to the group leader, and she packs them in various boxes and then sells the boxes on etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6010437) or hyenacart (http://www.thespottedbox.com/). It's a great promotional tool as the people who buy the boxes see your work and maybe order from you. I've only sent once so far.

This time I decided that I wanted to send for December. So, instead of making just 20 samples, I made 60. If you send 60 or more you get a free box. My intention was to get a free box so I could see what other shops make, how they package their samples, etc. So, I made 20 each of mini felt dog bones, coasters, and catnip mice.

The catnip mice were by far my favorites. They turned out so cute--and my own creation to boot! I just had to post a blog about them and a picture. I'm considering making some more of these along with bigger bones to sell in my etsy shop. I may sell them three in a package since they're small--and since cats tend to lose their toys lol.

Big Order Finished

I have finally finished my big order!! She got eight coloring totes, four litter bags, two visor organizers, two double glasses cases, a large pouch case, and a purse w/matching checkbook cover and notepad holder. Here are some pictures of the order. It only took me two weeks!

Now I have to think of what to make next!! Any suggestions?

Big Order

I'm very excited!! I just had a regular customer order a TON of things from me for Christmas!! She wants four litter bags, two visor organizers, eight coloring totes, a double eyeglass case (got that one done tonight), notepad holder, purse, checkbook cover (all of those to match), and a wipes case!

So, today I was busy getting everything cut out and ready to go. There are two items I have to take to JoAnn's tomorrow so I can find lining fabric to match them (with all my fabric you'd think I'd have SOMETHING), but otherwise, everything else is ready to go.

So, if you don't see any posts about new projects or ideas I'm working on, that's why--too busy getting this order filled.

Book Weights

My idea for the book weights worked out perfectly!! I only had to make one prototype and didn't have to make any changes to it! That's VERY exciting. Most of the time, when you come up with a new idea, there are several changes you end up having to make and it can be a long process before you finally make the finished product.

I used up a lot of my scrap fabric to make several of these. I listed three of them in my etsy shop. I have several more ready to go--just have to add the weight to them--and I'll be listing those also. I'm very excited about these and hope they do well.

Diaper Bag Woes

The diaper bag I've been working on didn't come out as well as I would have liked. The top w/the zipper was too small. Not sure how that happened. So, I had to scratch that because I didn't have enough fabric to make another (that's what happens when you buy clearance fabric unfortunately). So, I decided I could either leave it as an open bag or find some way to have it close. I sewed ribbon on it for a closure. Looks ok, but not sure how practical that will be.

If that weren't bad enough, the changing pad didn't come out very well either. The wipes cover is ok, but I'm so not good at binding, so I'm not happy with it either. It just turned out to be one of those projects that didn't want to cooperate.

I told my niece I'll send it to her and she can judge it for herself. If she doesn't want it, that's fine. I told her I'd make her bibs, burp cloths, or something else instead. I really don't want to try another diaper bag. I've made these before so I'm not sure why I had such a problem with this one. Maybe it's because I don't really like the girl it's going to?

Holiday Coasters

I made some reversible holiday coasters for my etsy shop today. Not only are they reversible (Thanksgiving on one side, Christmas on another), they're also scented!! Nutmeg on the Thanksgiving side and cinnamon on the Christmas side! You can see them in my coaster section: www.LilBitSassy.etsy.com
I also have two more styles I want to make but I want to see if I can find peppermint scent first.

WIP (works in progress)

Just an update on what I'm working on. Firstly, I have a diaper bag I'm in the process of making for my niece for a friend of hers. I'm very late with this project. She wanted it by the middle of this month and I just started it this weekend. I was just so busy with my new job, etc that I hadn't had time time to get to it. But I did manage to get it cut out, prepped, and got some of it sewn together. I had to get more fabric for the lining (did that yesterday) so I plan on definitely working on it this weekend.

I'm also planning on making reversible holiday coasters for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had some really cute fabrics for those. I managed to get them cut out today while watching "Wife Swap" on TV this afternoon. There will be four different coasters (12 of each one). I hope these sell well as they're so cute when finished! I plan on putting some on my etsy site and maybe sending some to my other niece's massage shop.

I did manage to get a package sent to my niece's massage shop today that included Halloween bags (the same ones I posted here), glasses cases, checkbook covers, a wallet, and a purse. Hopefully they'll do well in her shop.

So, that's the latest Sassy news!! Will post pictures of the diaper bag when finished.

I found some beautiful Moda 5" charm packs at the quilt shop yesterday, so I decided to buy a pack. What a wonderful collection! There were a total of 45 fall and Halloween prints and solids! So, I brought them home and had to decide what to do with them. I made coasters! With all the fun prints to choose from, I made them reversible. You can find them in my etsy shop in the "Coasters" category.

Bejeweled Bats

So here are my cute little bejeweled bats!! They're made from organic felt and are 8" from wing to wing and 4" tall. I attached Halloween ribbon to them so they'll be able to hang anywhere. They're decorated with pretty rhinestones. The bodies are also lightly stuffed.

Treat Bags

I finished my Halloween treat bags!!! They are now in my etsy store waiting for a trick or treater to snatch them up! I think they worked out well and are too cute! I may have to make these every year to sell--depending upon how well they sell. Maybe make different characters!

Halloween Magnets

I did manage to finish up a set of Halloween magnets yesterday. They are now listed in my etsy store. I have more of these ready to finish (attaching legs, eyes, noses, bows, etc.) but I wanted to get them listed so people would know they're available. Today I work on treat bags!

Halloween Project Plans

I purchased some felt today to make Halloween treat bags with. I'd like to try to make ghosts, witches, pumpkins, and Frankenstein. So, my plan for the weekend is to get those made and listed in my etsy store. We'll see how far I get lol.

I also have some cute witch, cat, and spider magnets made out of plastic canvas. I need to finish those by attaching ears, legs, hats, and eyes. I would also like to get them listed in my etsy shop by the end of the weekend. I think I'll sell those in groups of three.

If I have time, I would also like to try to make some Halloween coasters. I would like to do some primitive ones and others out of Halloween fabric. I need to get all of my Halloween crafting done within the next two weeks so we'll see how it goes.

Hannah Montana Coloring Totes

These two coloring book totes were a custom order from a wonderful woman who ordered most of her Christmas items from me last year. She's a great customer because she just tells me what she wants and allows me to be as creative as I want to be. These coloring totes are for her granddaughters for Christmas this year. I made each one with different handles, lining, and pockets. I know how kids can fight over things lol.