More Fabric!

Recently Shannon and Seth gave me a gift certificate to Reprodepot! (Thank you!) It is one of my favorite fabric stops! Today the fabric arrived and I love it! The gold fabric will go with a previously bought fabric from Reprodepot. I can picture the red, yellow and black flowered fabric with the snake skin fabric I occasionally use. And, I think the two fabrics in the forground will go together and to make an awesome tote. Can't wait to try them out!

Bloomin' Tuesday

It's finally warm enough in Colorado to plant our annuals, which means I can start filling all our pots! This weekend I made a little dent toward that end. I went to my favorite nursery and bought these...Organized my work area...
And then I went to work...

Sometimes it feels so good to get your hands dirty! Go to Ms. Green Thumb Jean's blog to see other Bloomin' Tuesday posts!

Spring has Sprung!

Organizing

Doesn't it feel great to get something in order? These last couple of months my fabric purchases and the ensuing bags of fabric were beginning to take over my life! I finally did a little organizing and got all of my fabrics on a portable bookshelf in one of the extra bedrooms. It feels great to have them in one organized space. Putting all the fabric choices together according to color did make me realize that I'm definitely partial to greens and blues ... not exactly a surprise for those who know me!

A Walk on the Wild Side

This bag looks totally wild and crazy in the photo, but for some reason it's a little more toned down in real life. (I don't know why I think that's even reasonable to assume, but it really does seem to be a little calmer in person than in the photo.) I absolutely love the fabrics and the patterns in this one, though! It has a pocket on the front with the two contrasting fabrics and a black "snake skin" bottom. Click on the picture to enlarge it, because it's really hard to see it well in the little photo.

Pretty in Pink

I made a couple of totes out of this fabric for two of my favorite people for Mother's Day, but couldn't post the photo until now!

I love the soft pink fabric in this tote. Even though it's pink, it's fairly neutral, so I think it could be "worn" with many outfits.

Tote-al Give-Away!

I'm very excited about this Tote Give-Away. I've always dreamed of being Oprah. That's not totally accurate actually. I don't really want to be Oprah. I just wanted to have the kind of moola to indiscriminately give away cars and houses and other desirables to deserving people like Oprah does. Of course, if I had that kind of money I would also have some pretty cushy digs myself, but I'd rather consider the altruistic side of it and how I would make other people's dreams come true. I imagine we've all experienced similar thoughts ...

I have to admit I had an ulterior motive when I asked you to state which tote you would like to win. I wanted each participant to have the pleasure of winning her favorite bag. What I didn't say, was that I'm operating this Tote Give-Away "Oprah-style." Ok, that's an exaggeration because if Oprah was running this contest, she would give away not only the tote, but she would have car keys inside the tote and a SUV in your driveway. If only... Still, I do have a little surprise up my sleeve! This Give-Away I will be giving away ALL the bags! Yup, they are all going to good homes!

The winning number that I chose before the contest started was 56. The month of May happens to be my birth month, so I chose the year I was born, 1956, for the winning number. All those who guessed closest to that number without going over in each purse "category" won the tote of their choice. The winners are:

Tropical Skies - Brittney, with the winning number of 27
Pink Polka-Dot Snake - Jillian, with the winning number of 32
Part Purse/Part Pet - Maryam, with the winning number of 50
Black & White - Brittany, with the winning number of 42
Asian Beauty - Jan, with the winning number of 54

Congratulations, Ladies. I hope you enjoy!

(PS - Even though it shows I posted this email on Sunday, May 11, I actually just wrote it then. I waited until Monday morning, May 12, to make sure no one else had made a prediction before the midnight deadline Sunday night.)

Green with Envy

Here's the unveiling... I love the alterations on this tote. It takes a little longer to make this bag because it is divided into more pieces and has a pocket, but it's worth the time spent. The pocket on the front is a great addition. Not only is it practical -- a convenient receptacle for your keys or cell phone -- but I think it adds a little pizazz! It is definitely monochromatic in color -- might have been better with a more contrasting fabric -- but I fell in love with the geometric pattern of the pocket fabric, so that made it a done deal! Hope you like it ...

PS - Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Sneak Peek

Yesterday I went to my favorite fabric store in town and bought some fabrics to go with the Reprodepot fabric that I showed you the other day. I started making the green tote today. I altered the pattern a little and added a pocket on the outside of the tote. I'm not finished with it yet, but here's a sneak preview of the front panel! It just might be my favorite yet!

New Fabric from Reprodepot

Before I left for Tennessee I ordered some fabric from Reprodepot. I could have bought their entire stock, but I decided to be prudent and I only purchased four fabrics. When we arrived home from our trip, the fabric had arrived. I've been admiring it ever since. I'm still undecided as to how I am going to arrange the fabrics for totes...I'm sure a few more hours of ogling will help me decide. Any suggestions as to how I should put these fabrics together would be appreciated! :o)

Bloomin' Tuesday

It's Bloomin' Tuesday at "Ms. Green Thumb Jean's".
Click here to see other gardens in bloom.What's blooming in Colorado?
Here is a sampling of the things bloomin' in our
neck of the woods ...

Another Tote Give-Away!

It's time once again for another Tote Give-Away! As is evident in the picture to the right, there is little better than a matching handbag! The contest will run through midnight on Sunday, May 11th. Monday morning, May 12th, the winner of the contest will be announced!

This contest will run a little differently than last month's contest. We are opening this contest up to blogging friends, friends, and relatives of my daughters & daughter-in-laws (or my sons for that matter) and myself. If you are a friend or a great aunt three times removed from any of us you can participate. Likewise, if you are a blogging friend that has commented on any of our blogs in the last month, you too can sign up to win a free tote!

Here are the rules of the contest:

1.) The participants must live in the continental U.S. (I will provide the postage.)
2.) Each participant must choose a DIFFERENT number between 1 & 100.
3.) The person who guesses the closest number to the winning number without going over will win.
4.) Include your guess in a "comment" below.

Now for the FUN part! This month you get to select the bag you would like to win! The options are below. So ... when you leave your comment, make sure you leave your "winning" number and the name of the bag you would like to win! Here are the choices (click on the picture to enlarge) ...

Tropical Skies, (13" x 16", 22" straps)
Pink Polka Dot Snake, (11" x 13", 22" straps)
Part Purse/Part Pet, (11" x 15", 22" straps)
Black & White, (11" x 13", 22" straps)
Asian Beauty, (11" x 13", 22" straps)
Good luck to all!

Shannon's Terrific Turquoise Tote

My daughter, Shannon, is here visiting with her son, Dallin. While here, we decided to make Shannon a tote and she picked out the colors and fabric. Here's the result.It's a little hard to pay any attention to the tote when you have such cute models! Who cares what the purse looks like! :o)

Another Hang Up

This last week Shannon, Dallin, and I flew to Tennessee to visit Forrest, Mia, and family and for Shannon to go apartment hunting prior to their move. One of the places we visited was the Loveless Cafe, which is a well-known establishment in the Nashville area. Their claim to fame is their buttermilk biscuits ... visit Bake 'n Make if you want to hear about those delectables! I thought I'd show you a fun idea I saw in the windows at the cafe and the shops surrounding it. If you look carefully in the windows you will see that the window coverings are actually vintage aprons. I thought it was especially cute when the windows were a little more narrow and they hung one apron per window. Just wanted to share another Hang Up!

A Brave Front

Yesterday Shannon, Dallin, and I flew back from Tennessee to Colorado. It was 81 degrees when we got in the car at the airport to make the 45 minute drive home. When we arrived home I noticed my blooming perennials were a little parched, so I turned on the sprinklers to give them a good drink and they immediately perked back up!

Overnight the temperature must have dropped about 60 degrees, because this morning we woke up to great big, wet, fluffy snowflakes. Such is life during Springtime in Colorado. My perennials are trying to put on a brave front. The bachelor buttons are attempting to stand tall in the midst of the cold ... It's probably a good thing that I haven't planted any annuals yet. Sometimes I get anxious and plant them too soon. This primrose and coral bells will bounce back just fine ...
This little primrose is sheltered well, because it is in the shade of a pine tree ...
Our birdie, however, looks like it's frozen solid and having a tough time of it ...