My Updo Bag Project ~ Messenger Bag Redo #2

Happy Wednesday everyone!

On Monday I showed you the first of several bags I decided to give a second life to by simultaneously clearing out some of my fabric stash while practicing my sewing skills at the same time this Summer. :)

Today, I am so excited to show you the second bag I redid just by sewing on another retro napkin that I got at a garage sale and a scrap of pug doll fabric from my stash!

Just like the inside of the first one, I added a couple of internal pockets by sewing on a change purse I purchased at Quit-A-Fair a few years ago and a vintage appliqued tea towel that I got on Ebay ages ago! :)

The final touch was to add a row of orange pom pom trim to the front edge!

Ta Da!

The two bags are pretty similar in style, but I like how they match each other without being exactly the same.

Next week I will show you the last two bags I redid.

I am so proud of myself because I even added a zipper to one of them which I never thought I could do!

Thank goodness for the internet and all of its wonderful resources!  I just googled how to sew in a zipper and ...

Voila... I found this tutorial that showed me that even I could do this! :)

What new things have you learned to do this Summer?

Please leave me a note and let me know!

I cannot wait to hear all about them!

xoxoxo

Melissa

Updo Your Favorite Bag ~ Messenger Bag Redo #1

Happy Monday everyone!

I cannot believe we are starting the last week of July already!

The Summer is just flying by!

When I sat down to write this post I realized that I think part of the reason the Summer has gone so fast is that I have been at art camp this whole time!

Even though the one I had planned to go to with Melanie was cancelled by the people running it, we went anyway!

We went to Melly's mountain cabin and crafted together all weekend!

Besides not letting that stop us from our crafts & learning we also took a fabulous Batik class together!

I also realized that I set my whole Summer into a perfect crafting motion this past Spring by closing my eyes and making a whole wishlist of projects I wanted to do and learn in the coming months.

I am having so much FUN doing each one and actually checking them off of the list!

One of my wishes was to practice sewing and feeling more comfortable with my sewing machine in addition to the hand sewing I have always enjoyed doing since I was a little girl.

As I was organizing my craft closet I found several wonderful bags I have collected over the years to carry projects and art supplies in.

What a perfect way practice sewing!

Without having to spend any $, I decided to "updo" them with my scraps of craft stash to make them into brand new bags!

The one at the top of the this post is the first one I did!

All I did to remake my plain burgandy canvas messenger bag was to take an old vintage napkin and sew it down to the front flap with a remnant of my pug doll fabric that I made into a pug patch!

To remake the inside, I sewed a few pot holders and patches that I had collected & made and turned them into pockets and patches!

...and what project would not be complete without a pom-pom trim? :)

I think I have been putting pom poms on everything I have been making this Summer!

Ha Ha! :)

I liked how it turned out so much that I did several more and will show them all to you in the coming days. :)

What FUN things are you up to this week as we begin the last full month of Summer?

Please leave me a note and let me know!

R-Chee & I cannot wait to hear all about your plans!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Friday Funnies ~ 2 Colorful Characters!

Happy Friday everyone!

It is me...

R-Chee here with my bird brother, Gilbert!

He would not stop singing at the top of his lungs this morning until he got to come and blog with me today!

Chirp Chirp says Gilbert !!!

"Hello and Happy Friday to you!"

I spend most of my day perched above R-Chee in my luxury apartment cage watching my silly pug brother clown around!

R-Chee just got tummy scratches when he rolled over so I think I should get some too!

What do you think?

Momma says we are two colorful characters just like the colors of the rainbow that light up her day!

Dad captured this photo of a double rainbow the other day on his way home!

I guess then this is a photo of me and R-Chee playing together outside in the warm summer air!

How FUN!

What FUN things are you doing this weekend?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about them!

xoxoxo

R-Chee & Gilbert

Cutie Patootie ~ Pug Snuggles from Coast to Coast!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

R-Chee & I are so excited to have you meet & greet some of our wonderful furiends from coast to coast who have recently shared their FUN photos with us! :)

Meet Walter & Beluah from OH enjoying their custom made Buckeyes dog sweater vests that we made for them this Spring!

Tweedles, in OR, just loves her tote bag!  

She is very busy this Summer watching over her mom's yarn stash to make sure all of the colors of the rainbow are fully stocked at all times! :)

...and Zack & Zelda in NM are beating the heat by napping in the one & only original pug cave that inspired R-Chee's!

Thank you so much for playing with us and sharing all of your photos!

We would love to see your favorite photos too!

Please feel free to contact us anytime with them!

Hearing from you always makes our day!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Oval Crochet Project Bag ~ It's all Zipped up & in The Bag!

Happy Monday everyone!

I am so excited to show you my second crocheted container I made with Lion Brand Fettuccini Yarn on the bottom and Wool-Ease Thick & Quick for the body of the basket.

Last Monday I showed you my round basket project, and today I have a new one to share!

I made an oval project bag that is so fabulous!

Ta Da!

I even learned how to hand sew a zipper into it with this tutorial which was the icing on the cake so to speak that really made this my new favorite bag to grab and go! :)

It holds a ton, is super durable and strong, and the perfect shape to either hold on my lap in the car or tuck under my arm on the way out the door!

R-Chee is a bit disappointed that it is not his new doggie bag to hold his lunches!

I think he thought I was making him a giant bread basket!

Here it is before I sewed the zipper in!

... and here it is...

all zipped up!

My last embellishment was to add the blueberry bobbles that I crocheted with fingering weight wool yarn.

Yay!  That was FUN!

I love making up patterns as I go sometimes!

I am always so pleasantly surprised at the end because I was not really sure what I was making when I started!

Ha!

I love how this one evolved, and that I learned how to add a zipper to any bag!

It was so easy to do!

I guess because I am such a beginner sewer, I was always so intimidated by just the thought of it.

I will definitely do that again!

Now my new project bag is holding my NEW Project that I am working on!

I am almost done with it and cannot wait to show it to you in the coming weeks!

R-Chee is still waiting for his fresh baked bread!

I guess I had better go and bake him some dog cookies before I lose my trusty assistant to an official puggy strike! :)

What FUN things are you doing this week?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about them!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Friday Funnies ~ R-Chee & Moe's Magical Garden Retreat

Happy Friday everyone!

It is me... R-Chee!

Guess what my corgi cousin Moe & I are doing this weekend?

I'll give you a hint...

There are lots of pretty wildflowers for us to romp and play in!

Garden walls to climb on...

... and little fairy houses for us to explore together!

You guessed it!

We are going to have a FUN weekend playing together in Auntie Melanie's gardens in the mountains while our moms craft together all day!

They are going to have another sister's art retreat while we play the day away!

There is even an art fair in town that weekend that we will get to shop at!

I cannot wait to show you what they make and the treasures they find!

What are you up to this weekend?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about it!

xoxoxoxo

R-Chee & Moe

Friend's Fabulous Art ~ Lynne's Gorgeous Paintings & Fiber Art!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

R-Chee & I love to see what you are doing and creating everyday!

Today we are so excited to share the new journal my friend Lynne in the UK just started making.

She features her sketches every Saturday!

She has been my crochet buddy for years and she recently started making these amazing renderings!

She was inspired by Urban Sketchers and this gorgeous Artist's journal Workshop Book that she shared with me!

I am excited to try my hand at creating quick urban sketches on location too with all the markers and pens I got for my Blob Book!

I was so honored when she chose to add sketches of the dolls I made for her birthday this year of her 3 wonderful Chihuahuas, Bridgette, Elliot and Dinah. :)

Her art is even better than the real objects she is looking at!

This is a sketch of the mug I got her for x-mas! :)

Lynne's crochet mini me Chihuahua

Lynne's love for life and everything around her inspires me everyday!

She is so generous and has a blog, etsy shop and creates these mini me's of peoples dogs as custom orders.

Contact her anytime if you would like one custom made of your pets too!

She makes, cats, dogs, birds and more!

They are so popular, I am amazed she has time to create these wonderful drawings too!

Thank you so much Lynne for sharing your inspiring art with all of us!

R-Chee and I would love to see what you are creating too whether it is art, food, vegetables from you garden... 

Anything that brings you joy!

Please feel free to contact us anytime!

I would love to share it with everyone too!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Crochet Containers ~ My Round Basket!

Happy Monday everyone!

I am so excited to show you the new Round Basket Archie & I just made!

As you know, two of my favorite things are containers & yarns so it was super FUN for me to make this basket free form!

I even added handles at the top which makes it easy to carry! :)

I was inspired to make a basket after seeing the new yarn offered by my favorite yarn company, Lion Brand.

It is called Fettuccini (formly called Zpagetti) and is made from garment fabrics!

It is a stiff, heavy weight yarn that has a bit of stretch to it too so it was perfect for creating the bottom of the basket!

Another FUN detail about the yarn is that you cannot choose the color or pattern you will get!

Every skein they make is unique & different from all the other skeins in their inventory, so all you can request is if you would like a solid color or a patterned one for your skein and then see what comes in your package!

I got 3 to start and my surprise package had a red, a black and a red, white & blue!

I decided to make the first basket with a red bottom, a terracotta top and add in my favorite Amazing Yarn by Lion Brand for the stripe and handles.

I just love how it turned out!

In fact, I was so happy with it that I immediately grabbed the black skein from my mystery package and started crocheting an oval shaped bottom that turned into the coolest container ever!

I cannot wait to show it to you next Monday!

Until then, I will have lots of other FUN posts featuring what my friends have been creating and sharing this Summer!

You all inspire me everyday!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee