Purse Palooza 2012

EEEEPPPPPP! Mark you calendars...this is going to be AWESOME!

Sara has put together an AB FAB fun month of purses and PRIZES!! Read all about it and join us for the fun!

Announcing Purse Palooza 2012!!

I have put together a fun event to get you sewing a purse for the summer! Here's how it works:

1. Every weekday in June, I have 2 amazing guest bloggers scheduled to share with you a purse sewing pattern review. The review will contain detailed information about what they thought about the sewing pattern, modifications they made, what kind of interfacing they used, and more! Get inspired!

2. Even more exciting...THERE WILL BE A GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEKDAY IN JUNE! That's right, 20 GIVEAWAYS! Your Giveaway Fairy Godmother is Kim from My Go-Go Life - she has some unbelievable giveaways planned!


3. At the end of the event, you will get a chance to show me your purse in order to win some amazing prizes!

My free tutorial: Caliti Convertible Clutch

Pattern Review Schedule


June 4 - Sara @ Sewsweetness (tutorial: bag interfacing)
              Kim @ My Go-Go Life (Urban Jungle Bag)
June 5 - Meg @ Fashioned by Meg (Anna Maria Horner Art Student Tote)
              Lindsay @ Lindsay Sews (Posie Rosie Little Things Jane Market Bag)
June 6 - Kaelin @ The Plaid Scottie (Oliver + S Day in the Park Backpack)
              Colleen @ The Busy Bean (something from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book)
June 7 - Bree @ My Crafty Crap (Jenna Lou Designs Mabel Bag)
              Ayumi @ Pink Penguin (Signature Bag from Kumiko Fujita)
June 8 - Tamiko @ Patchwork Notes (Hexagon Patchwork Bag from Playful Patchwork)
              Jessica @ A Little Gray (Pat Bravo Verona Bag)
June 11 - Jessica @ Sew Crafty Jess (Amy Butler Spice Market Tote)
                Amy @ amylouwho? (V. and Co. Favorite Bag)
June 12 - Sara @ The Pretty Pickle (Charlie's Aunt Casablanca Clutch)
               Lindsey @ LRStitched (Noodlehead Envelope Clutch)
June 13 - Erin @ 2 More Seconds (Keyka Lou Bucket Bag)
               Caroline @ Sew Can She (V. and Co. Carry All Tote)
June 14 - Ali @ a squared w (bag from I Like Orange Too)
               Rachael @ Imagine Gnats (Jen Giddens Pocket Tote)
June 15 - Holly @ Bijou Lovely (Noodlehead Go Anywhere Bag)
               Katie @ There and Back (Sweet Pea Pocket Purse)
June 18 - Monique @ Sew Fun by Monique (Millie's Market Tote from Happy Home by Jennifer Paganelli)
               Katie @ Swim, Bike, Quilt! (Green Bee Scoop Tote)
June 19 - Jennie @ Clover and Violet (Lunch Bag from Pink Penguin)
               Joanna @ Shape Moth (Emmaline Bag)
June 20 - Jen @ Bettycrockerass (While Baby Naps Metal Clutch)
               Krista @ The Spotted Stone (U-handbag Pretty Pinafore Purse)
June 21 - Katy @ The Littlest Thistle (Noodlehead 2-4-1 Tote)
               Terri @ Sew-Fantastic (In Color Order Lined Drawstring Bag)
June 22 - Elizabeth @ Don't Call Me Betsy (Amy Butler Weekender Bag)
               Sarah @ Fairy Face Designs (bag from the Bag Making Bible)
June 25 - Amy @ Sukie Don't You Know Who I Am? (Amy Butler Sophia Bag)
                Heather @ {House} of a la Mode (Retro Mama Granny Bag)
June 26 - Julianna @ Jednoiglec (Charlie's Aunt Kitchen Garden Bag)
               Jeni @ In Color Order (Bari J. State Street Tote)
June 27 - Kerry @ Very Kerry Berry (bag from Suzuko Koseki)
               Michelle @ I Like Orange Too (bag from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book)
June 28 - Kay Whitt @ Sew Serendipity Studio (tutorial: adjustable strap with metal slider)
               Amy Barickman @ Indygo Junction (tutorial: installing grommets/magnetic snaps)
June 29 - Melissa @ Bittersweet Designs (Bella Nonna Boutique Shoulder Bag)

My free tutorial: The Underwater Stripes Bag

Contest Rules


1. Check out all the purse pattern reviews throughout the month and get inspired to sew up a purse of your own!

2. Join the Purse Palooza 2012 Flickr Group.

3. Link up your completed purse to the Flickr Group BETWEEN JUNE 4th and JULY 11th. Your purse must be created and photographed between those dates; purses made prior to June 4, 2012 will be disqualified. The purse may be of your own design, or made from a sewing pattern.

4. You may link up to 2 views of the same purse. More than 2 photos of the same purse will be removed from the group.

5. There is no limit to how many purses you may enter, as long as they were made between June 4th and July 11th, 2012.

My free tutorial: The Urban Jungle Bag

The Prizes


First off, there will be a team of lovely judges that will choose 1st through 6th place. ALSO, 3 randomly chosen winners will be picked out of EVERYONE who completes a bag! Some great chances to win!!

1st Prize

* $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop         

* 3-pack of books from Martingale Publishing
* $50 gift certificate to Zipit
* $70 Pellon gift pack

2nd Prize
* 3-pack of books from Martingale Publishing
* fabric bundle from Sew Fresh Fabrics
* $30 gift certificate to Spoonflower

3rd Prize
* 2-pack of books from Lark Crafts Publishing
* $20 gift certificate to The Quilted Castle

4th, 5th, and 6th Prize
A fabric bundle and sewing pattern from Pat Bravo!

3 Randomly Chosen Winners

$20 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics


The Sponsors


Thank you to all of the lovely and extremely generous sponsors!
Artsy Crafty Babe // Noodlehead // Izzy and Ivy // Serendipity Studio // Martingale & Co. Publishing // Betz White // Sis Boom // Atkinson Designs // Mommy's Thimble // Lila Tueller // Sew Fresh Fabrics // Bari J. // C&T Publishing // Keyka Lou // Clover and Violet // Indygo Junction // Marie-Madeline Studio // Pellon // Pink Chalk Fabrics // Lark Crafts Publishing // The Quilted Castle // Fat Quarter Shop // Craft Apple // iThinkSew // Emmaline Bags // Bag Purse Frames // Zipit // Oliver + S // Ellen Medlock Studio // Charlie's Aunt Patterns // Spoonflower // Pat Bravo


Grab a button, and let's get this party started!!

A Single Bird...In Sympathy

I make so many sympathy cards - but usually they are for our church card ministry and I don't know who will be receiving them.  It's easier that way.  Yesterday I had to make a card for a wonderful woman whose husband passed away unexpectedly in his sleep last week...at the age of 40.  How do you make a card for that?  I wanted a very peaceful card - with a single bird...but was completely stuck after that.  I turned to the Less Is More challenge for help and it was the perfect inspiration...

The memorial service was yesterday...such raw emotion...Heidi, you are in our prayers...

• Stamps: Our Craft Lounge Prayers and Blessings
• Paper: A slightly textured cardstock from my stash on the background and the bird
• Ink: Stampin' Up Basic Gray
• Accessories: Memory Box Nestled Bird, Stampin' Up bird punch (branch)

iSpy Graduation Cards

Now that I am through confirmation cards for the church, I am moving on to graduation cards for our graduating youth.  As usual, I didn't plan ahead - so I have a large number of cards to make in a very short period of time (translation: (1) nothing fancy or complex on the card and (2) components that can be parceled out to my 12-yr old, my 16-yr old and my 53-yr old...although I have a lot of bribing to do as they are still tired of cutting and gluing and addressing confirmation cards last week!)

I used this week's sketch from iSpy Sketches as I thought the various panels could be used with papers to add interest.

We had a phenomenal fund-raising concert at our church this weekend.  (I had a flyer a few days ago on this blog).  It was for an amazing family whose very young daughter is going through her fourth round of chemotherapy.  The bell choir was one of eight groups that performed.  We decided that, even though we are mainly a group of middle-aged Lutheran ladies (and a few Methodist men pinch-hitting on the giant bells) we were doing....LADY GAGA...to appeal to the sweet, but very sick, young lady.

{My husband just wandered over, read over my shoulder, and said "Ha!  Middle-age??!!  Only if you live to be a hundred!"}

I'm in the brightly-colored boa under "Christ is Risen"??!!  Check out the director...she's got moves!!  Then check out the gentlemen whose head you see right in front of her that never, ever moves...that's her husband!  

I posted this on Facebook and a wonderful (but potentially former) friend commented "So that's where the missing communion wine went!"

I hope we made you smile!
THE CARD DEETS:

• Stamps: Our Daily Bread As You Graduate
• Paper: dsp is from Flair Designs (I've had it forEVer) and CS to match is Stampin' Up Creamy Caramel and Peach Parfair, Papertrey Winter Wisteria
• Ink: Stampin' Up Creamy Caramel and Versamark
• Accessories: Seafoam White embossing powder, Cuttlebug border embossing folder, EK Success postage border punch