This is us at the Polynesian Cultural Center in La'ie. Here is the bag I made in action. 

Little birdie trying to enter our hotel room.

coconuts on the beach.

DIY Canvas Tote

Big news in 2014!

The Hubby and I are going to Hawaii in a couple of weeks! I am super excited. I've been busy packing. One of the things I was having trouble packing was a suitable bag. Most of my purses are black and not  beach appropriate. I decided I would sew a bag but I couldn't find a fabric I liked. Instead I went to Michael's. I bought some tape, a $3.99 canvas bag and Martha Stewart all purpose paint. 

 I love the Martha Stewart paint. It is good on any surface even fabric. 

The hard part was picking a design…Should I stencil? Do polka dots? Finally I settled on classic stripes.

I was inspired by the Starbucks packaging.  I was originally going to paint the bag brown and rose gold polka dots. After thinking about it I thought rose gold and navy stripes was nautical and look better for the beach. 

 Taped up the bag

 2 coats of paint...

And Ta Da my bag is ready to fill with sunscreen and a book!

Orange

I am really into Orange right now!

  I love the surprise fabric on the inside.

Elegance Pleated Clutch from Bags the Modern Classics By Sue Kim 

My latest clutch. It is a gift for my sister's birthday. I saw this fabric and I thought of her. It's so Palm Springs. She is into navy blue so the zebra print on the inside is a cheeky surprise.  I was able to start and finish this sewing project in 1 day! I am sort of looking forward to D starting Kindergarten. It's crazy what you can get done in a day without distractions.

Bags The Modern Classics

I got this lovely book from the library. I'd like to buy this book because it's filled with great patterns and really detailed instructions.

I like the colors of the fabric. However I should have used a heavier fabric so the bag would keep its shape better.

Great Beginner Bag!

Great beginner bag!

This is the Lauretta bag from www.ithinksew.com. The pattern comes with VERY easy to follow instructions. The only thing that I had a little trouble with was the handles because they are made with bias tape. I've only worked with bias tape once before this. It is a great size bag and only takes 2 yards of fabric total. If you don't want to make this bag yourself I have seen some already made Lauretta bags on etsy.com

Birdie sling

My sister finished her Birdie Sling. Its so cute. screams spring.

Boy Buttercup Bag

Here is the bag inside out. I really love this fabric! D wanted to have the Brown on the outside.

I used the buttercup bag pattern. I didn't bother with the interface becasue it is just a kid's bag to carry around his action figures. It just takes 2 fat quaters to make this "adventure bag" as we are calling it. It wasn't easy to get this boy to hold still long enough to take this picture! I think these would make fun Easter baskets.

Birdie Sling

Last night I finished Amy Butler's Birdie Sling. It is a big bag. My sister is also sewing this bag. I'll post a picture of hers when she finishes.

Birdie sling bag

I wasn't kidding about really wanting to start another bag!!! This is all Amy Butler! I am using Amy Butler fabric and the Birdie Sling bag. Here is a picture of the lining. I am keeping the outer fabric a secret till I am finished.

Must keep sewing!

Buttercup bag

Sometimes I will find a pattern in a library book that I want. Since you can't cut those pages out I will trace the pattern. The paper at Ikea is just thin enough to make tracing easy yet durable.

This is the buttercup bag I finished tonight. It is pretty small. It holds my cellphone and lipstick & that's about it. I got this pattern free from made by Rae (madebyrae.blogspot.com)

It's funny I just finished this bag and I am itching to make another bag already!!

Crafty

I've made a grand total of 6 Trick or Treat bags! I am pretty happy with the results each bag gets better and better! I have one finally bag to make by Saturday for my nephew. I also started a bag for my sister from a cut and sew pattern. I am really loving sewing especially at night when everyone is asleep.