Finished ON Friday - Holiday Decorating...

...or maybe I should say Holiday UN-decorating.

It has been a real struggle for me this week. Last night I decided I just needed to push through the blue funk that has been surrounding me for the last couple of weeks. I decided that if I got the Christmas decorations put away, I would feel better.

This is what my dining room looked like this morning.

This is what it looks like now.

Where did all that stuff go? Back in the TEN plastic totes where they belong eleven months of the year. All of these totes are stuffed.

Please! Someone tell me they have as much, if not more Christmas decorations. Shortly after taking this picture, Hubs put his muscles to work and carried all these boxes to the garage. Some time next week, we will move them to the loft in the garage.

It was a beautiful day here today with lots of warm sunshine. I made sure to get outside to soak up some yellow light. It seems the blue has disappeared.

Have you managed to accomplish something this week - big or small? Tell us about it at "Finished for Friday" at Lit and Literature. Threeundertwo is our host and she has a new look. Check it out!

May you have a productive weekend!

More Bags Made for Christmas

Last week I posted about some bags I made for my friend's quilt shop. They are getting a lot of "talk" from customers. If you missed that post, you can see it here.

This is a little bag I made for daughter in law for Christmas. It is a small bag to use when a woman only needs her cell phone, an ID and a lipstick. The name of this bag is "Runaround" and it is a Lazy Girl design. Check out more of their designs here. There is a zipper in this bag, but those Lazy Girls have a very easy method for sewing in zippers. It is as easy as sewing two seams...REALLY!


Below is the first X bag I made. I was disappointed that this bag did not turn out like I thought it should. The pictures on the pattern do not show you that the other side of the bag is opposite. If this bag is turned around, the bag would be the turquoise fabric and the strap would be black...not the look I wanted. Being pressed for time, I sent it to daughter anyway and told her I would redo it. Bless her heart! She said she likes it this way and there was no need to redo it.

After I had the pattern figured out, the next one came together just as I wanted. The outside of the next bag is all black and the lining is pearly pink.

The X bag is from Four Corners Designs.


What am I working on now? Stay tuned...

Finished for Friday - Bags by the Old Bag

Brr! I hope you are staying warm. This has been a good week to stay inside.

Hubs and I have managed to get the Christmas tree undressed and to the curb. I have also managed to get a few of the other Christmas decorations piled in the dining room, but seem to be in no hurry to get all the decorations gathered and repacked. There is next week...

I have been enjoying time at the sewing machine. This week I have been working on a couple of handbags to display at my friend's quilt shop. This pink bag is too cute! It would be a great little Valentine's gift. The grommets are plastic drapery grommets and they were so easy to use.

Here is a close up of the pretty beaded trim.

The other bag is an X bag; so named because of the way it forms an X when it is put together. This is the fourth X bag I've made as I did three others for Christmas.

Here is a closer look at the fabric.

What have you accomplished this first week of 2010? Join threeundertwo at Lit and Literature and tell us.

Happy New Year 2000!

Remember when every one was worried about the havoc that would be caused when the new millennium would begin? Y2K. People were concerned that the Y2K bug would shut down everything.

Not me. I was only concerned with finding someone, anyone who would perform a wedding ceremony on that day. That is the day Hubs chose to marry me. I did find a minister and we have lived happily ever after.

Happy Anniversary, my love!


Happy 2010 to you, my blog reader! I hope the new year and the new decade are all that you want.

Finished for Friday - Some Christmas Stuff

Why is it no matter how early I start preparing for Christmas, the closer it gets the more I have to do?

Boogie made a visit last weekend. He and Papa went to get the Christmas tree and he helped decorate it.

We made and ate Rice Krispie Treats.


Then came Monday and a flare up of my lower back. The back is much better today thanks to nsaids, ice and heat.

Despite the back, I did complete the tree decorating Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday was spent decorating and cleaning the rest of the house.

I also got three packages put together and mailed this week. One was a new iPhone for the youngest daughter. Her Christmas present early. A package filled with ornaments went to daughter #3. She wanted all the ornaments she had made and collected over the years. The third package went to my girlfriends back home. They will be having our Christmas gathering on Sunday.

I have been a busy Bea in my studio these last months. These are not things I have finished this week, but I wanted to share them. I will not be letting any secrets out as none of these gifts will be going to friends and family that read my blog.

This is a quilted thread catcher. A pin cushion filled with sand rests on the table and holds the little basket. I made two of these; one for my mom and one for Hub's mom.

I made a handbag for one of my girlfriend's who celebrates a December birthday. I was so pleased with the way this turned out. Hope she likes it.

Below is one of the reusable shopping bags I made from fabric in my stash. The blue print was four yards I found at a flea market and paid $2. The red polka dot used for the pocket and lining was a damaged piece I found in a remnant basket.
Next is one of the crayon keepers I made for the grandsons. These were fun and fast to put together. Here it is all rolled up.

This is the back.

And the inside.

*You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

What's next? This weekend I need to wrap, wrap, wrap! Monday morning I want to be at the post office with huge boxes going to the grandson and kids in Milwaukee, the parents and kids in Kansas and the MIL in St. Louis. Last year everything had to be sent priority mail. Ouch! I am hoping to save some money this year by getting things shipped earlier.

My little Singer will be humming again this weekend as I have two more handbags to construct. Then next week I can get the last of my gifts for Hubs and start the cookie baking.

Are you beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Join threeundertwo and tell us what you have accomplished this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You're going to eat what???

Hello to all my blog buddies! So sorry I have been AWOL. I have been working my fingers to the bone in my studio making Christmas and birthday gifts but I think I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. All the wonderful gifts should be complete and ready to post in time for me to start baking all those holiday cookies.

Are you busy with the preparation for Thanksgiving? Are you hosting or guesting? Staying home or traveling? We will be going to Raleigh for the day. It has been two weeks since I have seen grandson and I am missing him terribly. His momma and I decided that since it was just the five of us for the day, we would not clean, cook, clean and then deal with leftovers. We have reservations at a fancy schmancy restaurant for our Thanksgiving meal.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and food. Travel safely!

I'm back! See you soon!

Finished for Friday - Baby Shower Gifts

It has been a while since I have posted on Finished for Friday hosted by Lit and Laundry. Seems I have been in a blog fog lately; not really knowing what to post, not wanting to take the time it takes to down load the pictures, just a general indifference more or less. Hopefully, that has changed.

I have been a busy busy busy Bea in my studio the last couple of weeks. Christmas is rapidly approaching and I do not want to be racing from the cookie baking in the kitchen to sewing in the studio a couple of weeks before the holiday.

One of my dear friends is expecting her first grandchild, a girl, in December. They are having a shower for the expectant mother this weekend. I was caught off guard by the early date and have not quilted the blanket I have made for the new baby. Quickly, I put together this doll quilt that looks like the baby's blanket with a note to the new momma explaining what it represents. The little matching Teddy Bear came together quickly too.

I also wanted to send something to the grandma to be. This "Grandma Tote" went together quickly. I am very pleased with how it turned out. The fabric is beautiful, feminine but not girly.

This bag is from the Lazy Girl line and is called the "Whimsy Bag". If you have been toying with the idea of creating a purse or bag, this is a great one to help you build skills and confidence.


Besides these two projects, I have all the little, tiny pieces cut for a quilting class I will attend on Monday. I am hoping to show you the progress on that quilt next week. Tomorrow I am on my way to Clarksville, VA to attend a class on machine quilting. Maybe I will have that baby quilt finished by next week too.

I hope you have a productive week so you can show us what you have Finished for Friday.