Fun Feature and Catching Up

Where has the time gone!?! It always seems no matter what I do, this time of year just sneaks up on me. I am in full crazy sewing mode. I am busy sewing and shipping lots and lots of Chico Cozies. These bundles are moving fast!

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was featured in IndieSpotting's 12 Days of Christmas. I just love Indiespotting. You can find the greatest handmade items and let me just tell you that An Indie Christmas is full of great gift ideas!

image credit

That's my pretty little wristlet there in the bottom left corner.

Well, I must get back to my sewing machine! I have lots of fun new ideas swimming around my head for the new year, so be on the lookout for fun new stuff. Oh, and I really need a holiday curtain for my kitchen and some new pillow covers for my couch... Hopefully I can share those soon!

One More Day!

There's one more day left to enter my giveaway over at Everything Etsy! You only have until midnight on Monday, October 25th! That's tomorrow!

You could win this super cute bag!

So, hurry up and go enter!

P.S. There's a discount code over there, too!

New Pillows!

OK, so they aren't really new pillows. Just new pillow covers.

The other day I came across this awesome tutorial that Kim over at Everything Etsy shared and just had to give it a try. Here is my version...

I made covers for the two pillows on our couch (please don't pay attention to grubby kid handprints on the couch).

I chose to use a brown background, because, well, I have 2 little boys... and one big boy. Enough said.

I used scraps that I just haven't been able to part with for the leaves. Now I get to look at those gorgeous fabrics all the time!

My new pillows make me so happy! Fall is my absolute favorite season and these are very Fall-ish.

I think these pillows will have a bit of the "worn and weathered" look before long. The edges of my leaves will fray with all of the jumping and flopping the boys do on the couch, not to mention the Wipeout stunts that my 2-year old is perfecting... (You can kind of already see where the boys have smooshed and rumpled up the pillows.) But such is life as a mom of 2 boys. The frayed edges add a special charm!

Oh, and now I'm working on curtains for my kitchen! I'll share those soon, too!

Special Order

A friend asked me to make a set of custom pouches for her girls' weekend.



She wanted the girls' initials appliqued on each one.
I had this yummy fabric I've been wanting to make into something fantastic.
I think they turned out pretty great.













What do you think?

Happy Labor Day!

We're heading to the cabin for the long Labor Day weekend. Yippee!!! The kids are already back in school, but this is still like our end of the summer celebration. I'm looking forward to a few days filled with sitting on the dock, looking for pollywogs, pretty sunsets over the lake and maybe a cocktail or two. Hope you get the chance to do something fun and relax a bit!

I've been stocking Bagel Creations with some new pouches, key fobs, and a fun new line of wristlets. While I'm away, enjoy Free Shipping over at both Bagel Creations and The Chico Cozy!

Time for School

It's been a rough day over here. My little guy has started pre-school and after 2 days, he's just not happy about it. Today I had to leave him in tears. Which resulted in me in tears...

I know it'll get better. And I know he's going to love it. But, right now... this just stinks.

Here are a few fun finds for little ones from some of my fellow Busy Moms of Etsy to brighten the day.

Toddler and Kids Cotton Flower Cloche from zbelle.

Pocket Mirror with Drawstring Bag from Heather Jane Design.

Numbers Prints 123 by Grace Hester Designs.

Speedy the Turtle - Funny Toddler T by Cantaloupe Corner.

Here's hoping for no tears on Thursday.

Happy Morning Surprise

The other morning I opened the shade in my bedroom window to be greeted by these beauties growing along our garden fence...

Not sure where they came from, but they sure were a pretty surprise! So bright in the morning sun! Their white centers almost seem to glow in the sunlight.

I think they are Morning Glories...

Which I've heard grow like crazy and can take over your yard in the blink of an eye! We'll see what happens... I'm really enjoying these in the mornings for now.

Summer Fun!

Aren't summer trips fun? I'm really looking forward to my annual summer trip back East to Philadelphia. I always bring my boys and we always have a fantastic time. We hit the beach, eat lots of soft pretzels and water ice and visit with family and friends.

In anticipation of this year's trip, I decided I needed a new tote to carry around all of my essentials... diapers, wipes, a few toys, snacks, my wallet, a camera, sunglasses... oh, you get the point. Needless to say, it needs to be a pretty big tote!

I decided that I wanted to use fabrics from Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet Collection. I am in love with these fabrics! I added a solid taupe twill, a few pockets, and a heavy muslin lining. It's sturdy, pretty, and will hold just about anything I need!

And I admit it, I may be cheating a little... But, I'm already using it! I just couldn't wait!

Make sure you head over to Everything Etsy to check out all the other great creations in the I Made It! {Blog Party Thursday}

New Ruffle Tote

Are you seeing ruffles everywhere? They are certainly popping up everywhere you look and they are super cute! I've been experimenting a bit with them, and so when my friend asked me to create a gift for her sister, I thought, "I have just the thing!" What do you think?

I am really happy with how it turned out.

I even made a little zip pouch to match,

I was really tempted to keep it for myself...

But I really hope her sister loves it!

So, I've already gone fabric shopping to whip up some more of these! My sewing machine is going to see a lot of ruffles this week! Keep an eye on the shop... these babies are sure to be listed soon!

Make sure you stop by Everything Etsy to see lots of other great projects in the I Made It! {Thursday Blog Party}

Thursday Night Market!

This past Thurday was the first night of this season's Thursday Night Market in Downtown Chico! It was tons of fun and it was great to see everyone! I met lots of new people and was so happy to see some familiar faces from last season. So fun!

I was very busy the last few weeks getting ready. I had lots of new goodies. I whipped up a stack of super cute little coin purses...

And a stack of fun pencil pouches...

Of course, I had lots of new Chico Cozies! Lots of fun new patterns this year...

I made several new totes with repurposed denim and pretty spring fabrics...

And these new ruffled totes... So cute!!! Perfect for carrying books to class...

Here's my set up. Notice the fun new screen that my super-talented hubby put together for me to hang my bags on...

From another angle...

I was so excited to be back at the market! I'm always working on something new, so you never know what I will have from week to week. Of course I have my Possible Bags, card holders, key chains and other favorites, too! Stop by and say hi next week!

Introducing...

...my newest creation!!! The Anything Is Possible Bag!!! I'm so excited! The idea for this bag has been swimming around in my head for some time now. I wanted to make something bigger than my wristlet, The Possible Bag, but not too big as to be cumbersome. I think I got it. This purse is big enough for a wallet, cell phone, checkbook, a little make-up, and a few little odds and ends. It still has one zipper compartment and a front snap pocket. The strap is long enough to go over your shoulder and detachable so you can use the longer adjustable strap that I make.

I love it! And I'm loving the new Meadowsweet fabrics that I used.


I customized this one for me with two little pockets inside the front snap pocket. I have two phones (one for work, one personal), so this is just perfect! And when I'm not at work, I can use the other pocket for my iPod!

OK, I'm off to add a few of these to my Etsy shop! I have a few already made in super cute fabrics with more to come. You'll have to stop by to see for yourself!

And the Winner is...

The winner of the Adjustable Coffee Cozy Giveaway is...

Friendliest Ghost! Congratulations!

She chose the Adjustable Coffee Cozy in Wood.

Thanks to everyone who participated. That was fun! I may have to do more of these... be on the lookout!

March Giveaway!

I can't believe it's March! The trees are budding and the flowers are blooming here in northern California! To celebrate, I thought I would have a little giveaway!

The lucky winner will receive a Chico Cozy of their choosing from my shop! Chico Cozies are adjustable coffee cozies for your to-go cup. They are insulated which makes them great for hot and cold drinks. They are totally adjustable thanks to a button and an elastic loop. Plus, they come in super cute prints! Sure to get you noticed while you sip a treat at the local coffee shop!


To enter please leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite item is in my shop, Bagel Creations.

Receive an additional entry for each of the following:


*Follow my Blog


*Follow me on Twitter


*Become a fan of Bagel Creations on Facebook


*Tweet about this giveaway


*Blog about the giveaway (leave a link to your blog post)


*Purchase something from my shop for 5 additional entries!!!

Good luck!

The giveaway ends at midnight PST on Sunday, March 14th. The winner will be announced on March 15th.

New Spring Totes

So, I've had some of this really great fabric and I've been dying to use it. I finally made some great Spring Totes and they really did turn out great!

These are all at Made in Chico now. I was super excited to take them over there, so if you see one you must have... you'll have to head to Made in Chico and pick it up. That one in the first picture with the pretty reds and greens? I had a hard time giving that one up....

Sunshine

What started off as a gray rainy day has turned into a bright sunny day here in Chico. I ventured out this morning and strolled around our Saturday morning Farmer's Market. I wish I had had my camera... beautiful daffodils and gorgeous fruits and vegetables for sale!

These are daffodils from my own backyard. The sunshine feels so good! Spring is on its way!