Kokeshi Madness!

So, I've recently fallen in love with Kokeshi dolls! I just blogged about them on the the Owls Blog and made this gorgeous little kokeshi themed collage with Picasa

I got here because of Beladonna who makes the most precious little kokeshi dolls. Takara (pictured above top left) is made by her and is my absolute favorite. She's having this awesome giveaway where you can win one of her kokeshi dolls for free on her blog and it's so easy to enter, you have to go do it! I'm so inspired by the absolute cuteness of these dolls that I'm attempting to crochet them. :) It's going to be exciting, for real!

Here's links to all the shops featured:

http://beladonna.etsy.com http://retroattack.etsy.com/ http://myverybutton.etsy.com/
http://stephaniefizer.etsy.com/ http://isabellsumbrella.etsy.com/ http://purpledaisies.etsy.com/
http://bamboobaby.etsy.com/ http://temple7e.etsy.com/

A Crafty Adventure

So, last summer for my birthday I got my very first laptop computer...a very sweet 15.4 inch Sony Vaio. Nothing spectacular, but as a gift it's definitely up there on the charts.
So anyway, the point. I started shopping around for laptop sleeves. Not a carrier, but just a nice little sleeve to keep it nice and cushioned while it's hanging around my apartment. So after not finding anything I liked anywhere on Etsy or anywhere else that didn't cost a ton...I decided I could make my very own!

So, A Fabric Queen, one of my very awesome team mates on Etsy runs a fabric supply shop, and I decided to see what i could find in there...and oh my goodness...she had so many beautiful colors and patterns!!!

This is what I ended up choosing
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=12493771

The listing shows each of the 4 prints I chose along the side, and when my package arrived, she had added a ton of extras, several more prints that matched...so now I have this whole pile of fabric to work with!!! So, I wanted to chart my progress on this project by blogging as I go along, taking pictures and such, and allow you all to laugh at my inability to sew.

I don't have photos yet, but I've gotten started.

The idea is to deconstruct a yoga messenger bag made of a static friendly material for an inner lining, and then line the outside of the bag in the awesomely colored fabrics linked above.

I did the deconstruction last week, breaking this yoga bag apart to use the materials for the lining. I even salvaged the zippers, an outside one to use for the bag itself and a small inside pouch zipper that I'll probably use to make a crocheted purse out of for my shop.

It was really neat taking this bag apart, cutting out seams to get the most out of the fabric, getting to break down something that was machine produced ( I imagine the feeling similar to that of unraveling a sweater to recycle the yarn, something I haven't gotten to do yet). It was exciting to hold the material in my hands and know what it was going to (hopefully) become.

After getting all the pieces out, I've just started sewing a single seam, so my work is only just beginning. It's still very exciting to have the project started, and I hope to get it finished in the next few months. As sewing isn't something I do much, I'll only be working on it in small windows, in between my real world job and crocheting for my Etsy shop. Plus, I get bored quick. :)

But stay tuned for updates, and pictures very soon!