A Very Happy Birthday (Bag!)

As I mentioned in my earlier post about Sophia's letters, I've been taking more time lately to sew gifts for those very special people in my life :) Its my favorite part about being able to create - giving 100% unique gifts that bring a smile! This totally fits with my gift-giving-personality, as many of my friends and family will tell you, I am an OBSESSIVE gift-giver. I obsess for weeks over finding the perfect gift to give which includes many hours of online shopping, frequent stops to unique stores and shops for ideas, asking said friends and family for ideas - it is kind of redic. I wish I had an explanation or story as to why I am this way (don't worry, all of the people in my life are great gift-givers, so I never had that time that I got the most awful gift and never recovered), but the sad truth is I am just an perfectionist and I take my gift-giving seriously.

So, onto my latest gift. This is one of my new Overnight Bags! Its a larger version of the everyday tote that is my most popular seller and I just LOVE it! It has so many pockets - and a ZIPPER (more on that later!). Just finished this bag over the weekend and it is a birthday present for my boyfriend's mom Carolyn! She is always making trips back and forth from Northern Virginia to North Carolina each month either in the car, on the train or via plane, to visit her mother, so I thought she would like a bag to have all of her travel must-haves by her side!


Don't you just love the subtle monogram on the front? I think it adds a great personal touch - and I know she's a huge fan of personalization on gifts - as the boyfriend and I got a great Christmas ornament this year with both of our names on it for our tree! The fabric is Art Gallery (which is my favorite fabric on the whole planet - it feels as awesome as it looks!).

Smells Like Fresh Cut Grass

Or at least that is what I can smell when I view all of the lovely handmade items in chartreuse that can be found on Etsy right now. I've always had a very love-hate relationship with green until recently. I just can't get enough of chartreuse here lately (plus, it sounds so fancy, I just love to say it too) that I've made a table runner, replaced the pillows on the couch, and today I bought a lovely kona cotton solid yard to use in an upcoming project. You can say I'm 'Crazy for Chartreuse"!

All of these items make me think of days as a young girl, walking to the bus stop through dew-covered spring grass...

Yay for spring!

XO,
Christen

Sophia's Nursery

Julie has Sophia's Nursery all set up - all she needs now is the baby! I wanted to share photos so you can see the letters in place and how amazing everything came together without being too "matchy matchy" which I know is what Julie was hoping would happen! Didn't she do an amazing job?! I just LOVE it all :)




Does that fabric wreath look familiar? It should - because I made that too! Its here in the shop! So, if you want help with your nursery, I'm all set with letters, fabric wreaths, baby bags, curtains and more! Just ask!

Thanks Julie for letting me be apart of such a special time for you and Sophia - can't wait until she gets here!

Waiting for Sophia!

Often times when you run a handmade business, you find yourself making a lot of things for other people to give as special, one-of-a-kind gifts that you have no time, energy or brainpower left, so you run to Target and get the cutest thing left on the registry!



However, because its the "slow season" in craft-land, I was able to take some time to make gifts for the special people in my life - even those who are not yet here! Let me explain, my bestest friend Julie is having a baby girl, Sophia (they are going to call her Sophie - how cute is that?!), due in April but we all think she'll be making her arrival before the end of March (yay!). Ever since Julie told me she was pregnant, I was beyond excited with visions of all of the WONDERFUL things I could make for her! Well, I had the idea to make letters in fabric to match the nursery - which is all pink and green and shabby chic, basically any little girl's fantasy! (Please excuse the carpet background, but Julie doesn't have them up in the nursery yet and I just HAD to share because they turned out so great!!!)

The letters made their debut at the Baby Shower at the end of February and were met with squeals of excitement and tears of joy by Julie! It was an amazing feeling! I hated to make a pregnant woman cry, but I think it was a good thing! And, she is the cutest pregnant girl ever - all belly! Here's a photo of us at the shower.



After the shower, I went back to Julie's house to help unload the loot and see the painted nursery - its a beautiful bright green and the letters match perfectly! And of course, I also volunteered to sew a curtain to cover the closet to match the ones she already had made - which is going in the mail today. Here's a photo of the fabric taking up most of my sewing room.



I can't wait for Sophie to get here! I just know she is going to be the cutest little thing ever, and Auntie Christen (yes I am already calling dibs that I get to be an "auntie") will love babysitting and spoiling her with lots of handmade goodies!