October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

We've all been touched in one way or another by this terrible disease. My maternal grandmother was taken from us many years ago when I was in middle school. One of my dearest friends from college and a friend from work are both survivors. We can all make a difference by joining the fight.

I have added some Pink Ribbon key fobs to my shop. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.



Here are some wonderful items from other Etsy shops who will be donating proceeds from the sales to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.



1. Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Art by MADART
2. Breast Cancer Hope Flag by KimHerring
3. Pink Vintage Zipper Lapel Pin by toniandtree
4. Pink For the Cure Scarf by mgbdesigns
5. Camera Strap by HowardAvenue
6. Candle with Bracelet by nikkicandles
7. Think Pink bag by jennjohn
8. Freshwater Pearl bracelet by revelling
9. Breast Cancer Bracelet by LaOdViE

Collage...Pumpkins

We've had our first taste of fall weather this weekend in Indiana. It was a pleasant 70 degrees in the afternoon on Sunday, so we went out and bought our pumpkins. Enjoy these Etsy pumpkin finds.

1. Mini Pumpkins by 39stitches
2. Little Pumpkin Beanie by Textilesone
3. Pick a Peck of Pumpkins by Sunfleur1
4. Homespun Mini Checked Pumpkins by simpledream2
5. Glittered Pumpkin by whitemarketblog
6. Crocheted Pumpkins by littlemargie
7. Pumpkin Pendants by gardengoddessmosaics
8. Pumpkin Polymer Clay Beads by tooaquarius
9. PDF Sewing Pattern Patchwork Pumpkins from retromama

Treasury Sightings...Fobulous!

New in the Shop Today

Collage...Chartreuse

Chartreuse Meets Metal Bangle by KnotChaCha
Super Snuggly Chunky Knit Cowl in Chartreuse by Happiknits
Verdant Valley Time's Echo Bamboo Tee by dyedianadye
Green Hornet by mendibarr
Mercantile Nostalgia Teal and Green Pin Cushion by minusOne

Trick or Treat Treasury

Halloween Glow Treasury

Autumn Inspiration

New Bag in the Shop

Halloween Badges and New Photos

Some New Brooches

Collage...Bicycles

There is a new bike path that runs pretty close to my house. Today I saw a bunch of kids riding and wished I had a bike to join them. It may have to be a spring purchase.

1. New-La Pomme Dark Yellow French with Bicycle Flap by ikabags
2. Colorblocked in Bicycles by CamilleStar
3. Bicycle Tire Belt by julienjaborska
4. Reversible Bicycle Chain Bracelet by hourglassproductions
5. Parked in Venice Photograph by RetrospectPhoto
6. Messenger Bag in Teal with Vintage White Bicycle by TrackandFieldDesigns
7. Anna Sling Bag in Japanese Etsuko Furuya Echino Bicycles by gutentag

Pantone Reveals Spring 2011 Colors

New York Fashion Week is September 9-16, 2010.

"For 17 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has surveyed the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to bring you the seasons most important color trends." Are you following the trends with your creations?

In Pantone's Fashion Color Report for Spring 2011, you will find colors inspired by exotic destinations like Africa, India, Peru and Turkey. "Designers continue to satisfy consumers' need to escape everyday challenges with intriguing color combinations that transport them to foreign lands."

New Fobs in the Shop Today

Went to a fabric shop in Rossville, Indiana this weekend and got quite a few cool fabrics. Had to make some fobs right away. Check them out in my shop.

Collage...Mums

1. Spider MuM eco T by Ahpeele
2. Mum No. 1 by AlexWijnen
3. Garden III by julietsetsy
4. Fall Mums Mini Greeting Cards by FreshLemonBlossoms
5. Hand Painted Clutch Wristlet by ivoryAndOrange

Some Weekend Pictures

One of my favorite summer places...



It's time for mums...



All Tucker'd Out!

Collage...Puzzle Pieces

Did I ever tell you that I work for a Toy company in the Puzzle and Game division? Here are a few of my favorite puzzle pieces...



1. Rockin' Autism Awareness Bangle Bracelet by tamanthajewellery
2. Leaf Textured Fine Silver Puzzle Piece Necklace by SilverGarden
3. Puzzle Necklace by miettefr
4. Puzzle Piece Autism Awareness Square Bezel Necklace by cheekycrafts

Working on Something New

I've been creating some new badges with my fabric scraps and buttons that are too small for my buds. I'm really thrilled to be using up some of my supplies. Not sure yet what I'm going to do with them. I'm thinking of calling them bag badges and putting pin backs on them...or, maybe magnets. Any ideas?

Collage...Hoops

1. Little City Hoop by LittlePinkHouse
2. Wall Art by PilliPillihandmade
3. White Cascading Flowers by DashingEtc
4. Puffed Heart by neawear
5. Green Angel with Buttons by DesignsByNancyT
6. Blue Crazy Patchwork by merriweathercouncil
7. Wall Art Crazy Patchwork by merriweathercouncil

Some Quick Updates and New Shop Items

I've been silent for a while. Life just seems to be flying by and I'm lucky if I can grab ahold. I'll run it down for you...

We have a new kitten named Tucker. He started out a little sickly, but is healthy now and full of fire. I just couldn't resist adopting him. Sorry that the picture is a little blurry. It's hard to catch him still. We haven't introduced him to the older cats yet. That should be fun...NOT! I think I'm now in danger of becoming known as the crazy cat lady. Ha! Three cats isn't too many...is it?





We moved my son's furniture from his last year's school apartment to a storage unit Friday. In another week we have to move it from the storage unit to a new apartment. We didn't plan that one very well. If the lease had just gone for another week. And, of course, It just happened to be the hottest day of the summer-96 degrees. Ugh! I'm praying for 80 degrees or lower for the next move.

My daughter starts graduate school tomorrow. So, we've been getting ready for that. School clothes shopping...that's fun!

Haven't had much time to sew lately, but I have a few new fobs in the shop today. I love this new MIchael Miller fabric called Pretty Bird Spice.

Public Art

Recently my husband was given the opportunity to do a public art project in West Lafayette, Indiana. He was asked to submit a proposal for a mural that would cover an 18 ft. high x 38 1/2 ft. wide concrete wall. He spent the last 3 weeks painting the mural. Not an easy task to begin with, but made all the more difficult because of the beastly hot weather we've been experiencing.

The mural depicts a character called "The Celery Bog Man" and is titled "Mythic Wabash". "The Celery Bog is a wetland located in West Lafayette, Indiana. For much of the 20th century the wetland was drained and farmed. Celery, as well as other crops, were grown in the rich peat of the drained wetland. However, the agricultural drainage system constantly failed, which resulted in the termination of farming in the wetland. Thus, part of the former wetland has gradually reverted to wet conditions. The wetland and important nearby sites are now preserved as the Celery Bog Nature Area. This area is listed as a “significant ecological site” by the Indiana Natural Heritage Program and it has become and important park in the area."

The original painting of "The Celery Bog Man" was conceived for another community art exhibition call "Tippecanus Rex" which my husband curated. The object of that project was for area artists and writers to create works about imagined myths and legends of Tippecanoe county. Some of my favorites were the Wabash River Dolphins, Tippecanus Rex, the Wea Plains Pigmy Bison and the Celery Bog Man.

The public unveiling of the mural was this afternoon. Craig says "It's meant to be fun, obviously, but primarily provocative. I'm hoping people respond to the creativity and the imagination behind it." So many people stopped to watch him paint and commented on how cool it was. The mayor was in attendance during the unveiling and he mentioned that not only is public art beautiful to look at and enjoy, but that murals like this actually detour vandals from creating graffiti. Who knew?

If you are ever in West Lafayette, the mural is on a wall near Purdue University behind Spurlock's restaurant. It was sponsored by the City of West Lafayette and the Tippecanoe Arts Federation.

Here are some pictures of the mural in different stages.

Christmas in July Sale

It's Christmas in July at BagsandBuds! I am offering FREE SHIPPING on all SALE category items and 25% OFF on all other items. The sale runs from today, July 15th through Sunday, July 25th. Check it out.

New in the Shop...Pincushions

My Creative Space

For optimum sewing experience be sure to stage your creative space.
My must haves…
• Television in the corner of the room tuned to the food network. I figure if it’s playing in the background I’m bound to become a better cook just from hearing what’s going on, right? (beware..this can slow down production)
• Or my laptop tuned to Pandora.com with my favorite artists crooning
• A large icy beverage in one of those sweat-free plastic cups
• My most comfortable reading glasses-the kind that don’t pinch my head
• Perfect lighting either from the window during a bright sunny day, or from my task lamp and overhead lighting
• Comfortable chair-cushiony with proper lumbar support. One with swivel and height adjustment is a must. Sometimes I pull my ironing board over close to my sewing table and put it on a low setting so I can just swivel from sewing machine to iron without going across the room. Lazy? No, just efficient.
• Plenty of clear workspace on my sewing table. I sometimes have a problem with this one, so I have a nearby table for the things I need.
• A great, clean sewing machine with a sharp needle.
• My fabric stash neatly folded and organized.
• A cutting table with rotary cutter and cutting mat.
• My plastic cutting guides/rulers. One long and one short.
• My inspiration board. It’s a metal sheet that hangs on my wall with magnets holding patterns, cards, magazine articles, photos, etc.
• Sharp scissors-at least 5 pair. I put one at the ironing board, one for paper/patterns, one at my cutting table and my favorite pair at my sewing machine. Oh, and a smaller scissor for clipping threads.
• Lots and lots of pins. I have pins at my sewing table and pins at my cutting table on magnetic “cushions”.
• Lots of organization in clear totes and drawer units. I cannot work in clutter. At least not in unorganized clutter. Ha!
• A shipping station with all the necessary items for wrapping orders.
• Two trashcans-one on either side of the room, and some shopping bags to hold my little scraps.
• And, if I’m lucky, I have my daughter, a fellow crafter, joining me in her corner of the room.

What is your creative space like?

Collage...Silhouettes

Some beautiful silhouettes from Etsy sellers.



1. The Silhouette Collection-Pets by aedrieloriginals
2. Silhouette Group Scene by paperportraits
3. Custom Silhouette in Graphic Ornate Frame by BlueClara
4. Small Plate by aedrieloriginals
5. Custom Silhouette Necklace by STELLAandHODGE
6. Custom Mugs with Portraits by MissCrowland

These are the silhouettes of my children. They hang above my bed. I had them done when the kids were both around 18 months old. I cherish these.

One Moment week #13

My moment this week was having to put our 1998 Ford Escort out to pasture. Here she is in her hay day.



She was a good car for many years, but lately she's been a money pit. The last straw was the fuel pump that needed to be replaced. Another $500 repair. Why is it that whenever you take the car to the shop it costs $500??? Every time!!! So, goodbye old friend. Hopefully they will be able to salvage some parts before they send you to your final resting place.

Collage...Pretty Portraits

I was browsing through Etsy today trying to find a subject for a collage and happened upon some very pretty little portraits.



1. Colored Pencil Portrait by JaneWittenberg
2. Watercolor and Colored Pencil Portrait by pentopaper123
3. Custom Pencil Sketch by Lavatican
4. Quick Sketch Custom Portrait by Sketchbookstudioart

These drawings made me remember a portrait that my mother commissioned of me when I was a little girl. It is dated 1966~I was 5 years old. Yikes!

Some Fun Treasuries for BagsandBuds

Collage...Pinwheels

1. Tiny Pinwheel Earrings by mxmjewelry
2. Paper Pinwheel in White by UseYourKnoggin
3. Independence Day Pinwheels by rule42
4. Pinwheel Mobile Sassafras by mamax2
5. Pinwheel Baby Quilt by FrozenKnickers