MadBags :: handmade bags & more!

Some things you may not know about me...

1.  I like lists.  I make lists all the time.  My husband is the opposite when it comes to list-making and doesn't understand my obsession.  I make lists for what I'm going to do for the day, what I need to buy at the store, fabric lists, price lists, whatever it is, I'm gonna make a list for it.  Does it help me?  Sometimes.  I am a visual person so I need to have those reminders to help me accomplish my goals.  Most of the time though,  I don't get finished with everything I needed to accomplish and then I'm just ill about it.  Do I keep making lists, yes!  It's what I do.

2.  I like organization.  I like a clean house.  I like everything in its place.  Don't just come over unannounced though because the house will probably be a wreck.  My workroom stayed nice and pretty for about a week, maybe two.  Now, for the most part, it looks like this-

            

My fabric scrap bins stay full, well over-full really, and anytime I have a show coming up (Market Street Festival... May 3... you know you want to come see me) my studio is in complete shambles.  I don't have a lot of storage area for completed items so my dining room usually holds the overflow.  I actually cleared off the dining table last night and we had breakfast this morning.  Yummy pancakes. 

3.  I really love food.  The thought of pancakes reminded me of this fact.  I love all kinds of food.  As for sweets, I'm not so much into chocolate but I love sugar.  Hard candy is the BEST.  This is all I'm gonna say because if I don't stop, I'll have to go fix me something.

4. I'm cheap.  I mean really cheap.  It's really hard for me to make big purchases.  For the first two years of MadBags,  I used my very first sewing machine that I got when I was 9 or 10.  It's a Kenmore.  Great machine by the way.  Anyway, I also had another machine that a friend had loaned me when her mother passed away and she had no interest in sewing.  Some of you know that both of those machines died, well temporarily (I've had them fixed just recently).  I had wanted an embroidery/sewing machine for years but just couldn't stomach the price.  When both my machines quit on me, (you can read about it here) in the same week no less,  I had to bite the bullet and get a new one.  It was time.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Bernina.  I was, however, sick for a long time afterwards thinking about how much it cost.  And it's not just big stuff that makes me queasy.  I will search long and hard for the best price/quality on everything before buying. 

5. I am a Diet Dr. Pepper addict and I hate water.

6. I am non-confrontational.  I loathe public speaking.  My husband is a minister and is totally comfortable speaking to large crowds, whatever.  I am extremely content to blend in with the crowd.  Of course I'm claustrophobic so I'll probably be blending in with the edge of the crowd.  Makes my escape much easier...hee hee.  In college, I had to take Speech.  Let me just say that I was in the bathroom everyday before that class.  I really like what I do because I can work alone in my studio and make contact via the internet which is much easier for me.  Shows are a little stressful for me but it's good for business so I just grin & bear it.  If you saw the newspaper article I was in, you'll see that I had to be interviewed.  The author of the article originally contacted me through email and asked if she could interview me.  I wrote back, can we do it over email???  She said, I'd like to call and speak to you.  I said ok... I was nervous from then on.  I even asked Paul if he thought it would be ok if I asked my best friend to talk to her as me and answer the questions for me.  He was like, uh, no Sara, you have to be the one the do it.  Get over yourself and do it.  Ok he didn't say that last part but I'm sure that's what he was thinking.   So I did it.  I sweated all the way through it with my death grip on the receiver.

7.  I have been working on some new things.  Surprise, I've made a list of them...

• I have the Ginger Blossom line from Michael Miller listed in my shop
• I am now making cute boutique aprons.  I wear mine everyday in the studio.

   

• I just got in a ton of these sippy cups that you can personalize.  They are so cute!  I wish my kids were still small enough to use them.  No wait, that means diapers.. ok so maybe I don't.

• I also ordered baby bloomers and baby boxers to personalize. 

• All these things (with the exception of fabric) and more will be available at my Market Street booth! 

 

Red-neck kite flying, Chuck E. Cheese, & Landscaping

That sure is a big title right?  I've had lots of things to blog about but not enough time to actually do it.  I'm combining several days into this one so BEWARE: it's long one.

One day last week,it was really breezy and Maddie wanted to fly her kite.  She wanted it to go really high but it was hard for her to hold onto so Paul rigged up something to make it easier for her.  This is what we like to call "Red-neck kite flying"

Yes that's right, that's a fishing pole she's hanging onto, that's attached to the kite string.  Pretty ingenious I think (way to go hubby).  All that work Paul did and the she only flew it a little while and then was ready to do something else of course. That same day she had to get her Kindergarten shots.  4 to be exact.  I told her that morning what we were going to do and she immediately was not happy about the day.  I finally convinced her it had to be done and I would be with her the whole time so that she was so upset.  When we got there we had to wait about 20-30 to be seen and during that time she kept saying "When are they gonna call my name mom?, I'm ready for my shots!!!" Once we got back to the back she told the dr. Where are my shots??.  I was like, forgive her, she's a little nervous and just wants to get it over with.  But when the nurses came in holding four needles in one hand, she said rather quickly... "I don't want any shots!  I'm not ready, I'm not ready!".  She made it through couragiously and I took her to dollar tree to pick out one goodie for each shot.  She was happy with that, and I got out pretty cheap in the process :)

Last Friday night Paul & I drove over to T-town (Tuscaloosa, AL) for a night out to celebrate a friend's birthday.  The five of us went to a japanese steakhouse, which is one of my fav places to eat by the way, and filled up to the point of nausea!  I made myself not eat all day except for one muffin mid-day so that I would be able to enjoy all the food.  It was great.  After that Matt (the birthday boy) wanted to get some Starbucks coffee and then after that, we asked what he wanted to do next and he jokingly said, let's find an arcade!  Of course Paul was over that and said YES!  The only place we could find that wasn't a smoke filled pool hall, was Chuck E. Cheese!  I made everyone swear they wouldn't tell my children who were stuck at home with a babysitter and then said, I'm in let's go!  I hope we don't wait for another birthday to do it again. 

And finally, we come to the landscaping part of this blog!  Paul surprised me the other day by asking me if I would like to redo the front of the house?  I was like, uh, of course I do!  It looked terrible, since we really had let it go.  I took before and after pictures so you can see the difference.  It's hard to believe what a difference a little bit of dirt, mulch, and a whole day or hard work can do.

We started by going to Lowe's and picking up some stones for edging, some cow manure (which totally grossed my son out), and a hoe.  We still had some major weeding to do so instead of using the hand tool we had, we got the hoe.  It was so much better!  I especially liked the part where Paul used it.. hee hee.

After that, we stopped at the co-op and picked up a few scoops of mulch.  We've never bought it like that before and were surprised how much mulch comes from two scoops!  It was a crazy amount.  We ended up giving about a third of it to our neighbor since we couldn't use it all. 

Here's the before/after pictures!  (you can click on the pics to see them bigger)

I'm so proud of how it turned out!!!

   

   

   

We just enough stones leftover that we made a little garden around the mailbox.  I have to say I am extremely pleased with the new look of the house!  The window closest to the front door is my studio and I enjoy looking out of it now while I'm working.

We also picked up some watermelon seeds for the kids to plant.  Paul helped them get started in small buckets.  They were really excited about growing something-  I hope they grow!  I promised them I wouldn't touch them since I tend to kill all living plants.  Hopefully my pretty new flowers will take root and not die since I put them in the ground.

I think that about wraps things up.  Time to catch up in my studio...

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOW Monogramming

I've got my machine up and running!  Been doing alot of work for friends and family to figure everything out.  I am now available to anyone that needs it! 

I made a bag for my daughter (it started out as an easter basket bag, but ended up WAY too big so now it's a cute overnight bag) I still don't know what happened with my measurements...  I guess I just got carried away.  Luckily she is going to a sleepover birthday party tomorrow night and will have the cutest bag to take with her ;) I'll have to post a picture when I find what folder I stashed it in...

On a completely different note-

Throughout today, I will be posting new listings in my shop.  For those of you that were not able to attend Cooper's Closet a few weekends back, you can use this coupon:

Mention the code above in the notes section upon checking out and WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment.  I will take the best discount.

There are a few exclusions:

1. Coupon cannot be used with any monogramming listing

2. Coupon cannot be used with custom orders such as contacting me directly for one

OR purchasing a "Pick your own fabric" listing

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Also, to those of you that were asking about the tampon hide-away cases.  Hmm.  I like the sound of that... I am working on a slightly different design so that I can list it in my shop without infringing on the design by threegreenapples.  If you are interested in the one I have previously posted about, shoot me an email and I'll get one made up for you.  I'm going to sell them for $10 plus shipping.  My new design may be a little bit higher but not by much.

FABRIC!!!

I am starting a new adventure, want to come along? 

I have always wanted to have my own fabric shop and the dream is starting to look possible.  I am going to start out slow, doing it from my home and soon you will be able to order fabric from my sister etsy site- madfabrics.  What type of fabrics would you like to see?  I am partial to fabrics like Sun Drop by Dena and of course all Heather Bailey fabrics.  Right now I am starting with Free Spirit Fabrics but hope to include Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Alexander Henry, and more down the road. 

Can you feel my excitement??? 

Pictures are in! Yay!

Both Soccer pictures and Dance pictures came in this week and I'm so excited about how each turned out!  I feel so blessed to have such beautiful children- inside and out.

Something else arrived this week and I can't wait to use them!  I now officially have REAL labels to put on my products.  They are woven labels and I love the look of them.  I may have to order a bunch in different colors so I can match the prints I use.  I really like black and white though so I may just stick to these for a while.  I have an obsession with always wanting more... Gotta get over that :)

Ladies Only Please

I don't know how many fellas read my blog but I'm gonna warn you right now...this may not be the post to read today!  One of my favorite Etsy shops, ThreeGreenApples, makes a product called "Pursonal", a case for holding tampons and pads in CUTE japanese prints.  Ever since she started making them I've wanted one and finally made the time to make one for myself.

I wish I would have had one of these in high school :)

I'm taking a break...

..from cramming like my life depends upon it.  Cooper's is less than a week away, so I have to make the most of the time I have left to get things made up.  I have been going non-stop the past few days, trying to make up for the time I've been sick and not able to do one single thing.  Also being out of town a few days set me a back a little too.  Not that I'm complaining.  I had a great time in TN.  Besides 6 more boxes, in the last 30 hours I have completed these 14 toy boxes, finishing my goal of 20! I snapped a picture of those in process-

Gotta quit my break- my fingers have stopped vibrating enough to get back to it. 

Flowers for Mama

My little girl loves to pick flowers.  Yesterday this is what she brought me.  It didn't start out this beautiful since she would bring me a handful at a time but this was the end result.  I wish I had a real flower garden she could pick real flowers out of but alas I kill anything I touch when it comes to greenery.  I have been able to keep my bushes alive but that's about all I have in front of the house.  Occasionally my neigbor comes over and plants things like lilies and such.  She is a pro when it comes to planting.  Sometimes they live sometimes they don't.  Probably because they've heard my reputation for being a plant killer.

On a totally different subject... I'm thinking of buying an embroidery machine.  I've wanted a good one for about 2 years now and can't figure out which one to get.  They are so expensive and I want to get the right one for me but it's so hard to tell which one that is.  I'd love to hear from you out there- I'm leaning toward a Brother and I want one with a USB port so I can use my computer along with it. 

Since I mentioned Brother.. I want to vent a little frustration I have with this company.  You cannot find prices anywhere for this brand.  The closest dealer to me is an hour away so I called and they said they couldn't tell me the prices over the phone.  Brother policy.  She said the company would take away her ability to sell Brother products if she disclosed that information because they want people to come see the product before they decide if the price is worth it or not.  I understand this to a certain degree.  My problem is that I have to drive an hour just to get a comparison of pricing???  So if any of you (who are not dealers) know some average prices I would really appreciate it :)

I'm off to work, I have about 20 Toy Boxes to complete and they sure aren't going to make themselves...

Workin' on a livin'

Lots to do today!  Tuesdays and Thursdays are FULL work days for me and since I didn't work at all last week, I am really having to catch up!  This morning started with filling orders and then onto creating some hot iron mitts with my new heat-resistant fabric!  It's a little thicker than I thought it would be but I'm making it work regardless.  I should have a bunch of these listed in my shop VERY soon.  I will also have a ton of these in many different prints at Cooper's Closet which is less than 2 weeks away- AHH!

Can't stay on here long- Got lots to do!!!

I can breathe again.

Ahh.  The sweet smell of oxygen!  Ok, I know you can't smell oxygen but I can't really smell anything yet, and it's so wonderful to be able to breathe through my nose again.  I think the worst is over.  I've heard that some people that are getting this stuff are getting the stomach virus as well so I feel extremely lucky that I didn't have that along.  I hate the stomach virus.  I cannot tell you with words how much.  It just about kills me every single time.  One day I will have the courage to tell one of my most embarrasing stories about one time in particular, but today I am not so brave. 

I've got alot of catching up to do today.  Already started the dishwasher, and need to get some laundry folded and washed.  Going to take ALL the bed sheets off and clean them too.  Hopefully I have some lysol left around here somewhere so I can disinfect, disinfect, and disinfect some more.  And then a little more disinfecting.  Can you tell where my day will be spent?  If all goes well and I get all of that done I am going to work in my studio.  Have to play catch up there too.  Since Maddie has been home sick all week along with me, I haven't been able to do much.  She woke up again in the night with fever so she is homebound still.  She is still sleeping though which is more like her so I'm glad she is able to get some much needed rest. 

I finally finished up the sign I've been working on.  I was inspired by Marie (bellamariedesigns) with her sooo cute personalized pillows.  I haven't done a lot of shows in the past but this year I am going to try to do a few more.  I've had a little 8 x 10 with MadBags on it to set on my table but I wanted something bigger, like a banner, but just couldn't put my finger on what I wanted for sure.  I am REALLY indecisive, just ask my husband, so when I saw Marie's pillows, I just knew what I wanted to do!  It's dual purpose: It can be hung as a banner, OR, it can be stuffed like a pillow and be set on a table.  I figured that way, I can decide what kind of space I have and then hang it or stuff it.

Also wanted to give you the Pasta e Fagioli recipe.  I got this off the internet years ago.  I have to say it is a really good imitation of the Olive Garden's. 

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced (i like it cut into really small pieces)

1 cup carrot, diced or julianned

1 cup celery, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced (i use a garlic press)

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatos (i use the petite diced tomatos)

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, with liquid

1 15 oz. can northern beans, with liquid

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 12 oz. can V-8 juice

1 tbs white vinegar (optional, i forgot to put this in last time and I couldn't tell the difference??)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil (umm, basil, love it!)

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 lb (1/2 package) ditali pasta (sometimes i can't find this type of pasta and i then use the small shells pasta

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1. Brown beef in large pot over medium heat.  Drain off most of the fat.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.  Saute for 10 minutes or so.

3. Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.  (When I add remaining ingredients, I put everything into a crock pot and leave on high for about 2 hours, then leave it on low until we are ready to eat it)

4. While simmering, cook pasta according to directions on box and set aside.  DO NOT add to crock pot.  Keep seperate.  Only add to individual bowls when serving.  If you add to the soup, they will get mushy. (I always add about a tbs of butter and a dash of salt to the noodles while they are warm so that they will not get sticky) 

Supposedly serves 8.  I say supposedly because my husband and I eat about 2 or 3 bowls each so...

ENJOY!

Gloria

I have a new lady in my life- Gloria!  Isn't she pretty??  I have been wanting a dress form for some time now, and finally found "the one".  I just love the vintage feel of her and she looks great in my new made-over studio.

I am already having fun taking pictures of her and my bags as you can see in my shop. 

I am starting to get the hang of this blog thing.  I have started carrying my camera around in my purse just in case I see a blog moment.  Who knows what will turn up next! Enjoy your weekend, I know I will!