Two new travel bags

For Valentine's Day, I very subtly gave my parents a link to what I really wanted-one of the totes from Dear Lillie

I love the tote and have used it for carting ballet slippers and more (thanks Mom and Dad!!)! :]

One thing that was a little disappointing in the bag was that it is just the one big pocket. It's a bigger tote than I was expecting and I have lots of little things that get lost even in my little purse, so I decided to make a clutch-type insert so that I could have dance clothes and my Kindle and such in my bag, but also be able to find my keys and my wallet when I needed to.

I used the remains of a dress (previously meant for this project), to make the first bag.

Here's the bag!
I didn't realize until I started loading these pictures that I did not take good enough to make a tutorial out of, really.
I cut out a rectangle of fabric that I knew was large enough for my biggest item then serged around all the edges. I just eyeballed where I wanted it to fold-over and sewed it up!

I picked a button and cut a hole big enough for it then somewhat secured it by stitching on the ends.

Beautimous. :]

I made this one last Tuesday and used it for my toiletries for a retreat I went on this weekend, but still needed it for my wallet and things, so I whipped up another one. I like the newer one better, but I never got to take pictures of it. Maybe later I'll get one up for ya!

What have you been crafting lately? Or has this nice weather pushed you out of the house and away from the sewing machine?

♥L

Ash Wednesday

I love Easter. I love that it brings my family all to the same place. I love the pastel colors. I love that my mom always gives my granma (yes, that's how she spells it) a bouttenire (really, spellcheck? You can't help me out with that one?). I love the baby animals. I love the symbolism it has for me as a Christian. I even love the smell of vinegar when making Easter eggs. This love affair with Easter then leads to my love for Lent and Ash Wednesday.
I hear the Gospel all the time. I'm active in multiple Christian organizations. I study my Bible. The belief that Christ suffered on the cross for my sins, died, and then rose again three days later, giving me eternal life is an omnipresent idea in my world. In fact, it gets a little old hearing about it all the time. But somehow, every spring, Easter comes around and I am so excited to hear the message again.
One thing that I really loved as a youth member was an "activity" we participated in when I was in 8th grade that made the message even more powerful. This year, I decided to pass on the practice to my Phi Lamb Phamily.

I brought three different materials to make black bracelets out of. The one that's triangular in the above picture is some braided leather cord. The lacy-looking strip is just some trim I picked up in the ribbon section. The last one is a strip of bandanna. I remember making bracelets out of bandannas all the time when I was younger. You cut a strip on the bias, get it damp, twist it until it curls itself together, then let it dry. I used this same concept to make them again. 

I told the girls that the black bracelets they were wearing represented sin. Every time they looked down and saw the black, or took a shower and noticed that their wrist wasn't getting dry because the bandanna was still wet, or felt the bracelets as they took notes in class, to remember their sin.

The leather one didn't stay tied. This picture is after the leather on came off and was added instead to my...

Keys! Now I'll remember my sin and why I am celebrating observing Lent when I drive, too.

More to come on what to do next. Not until Good Friday, though. Until then, share your experiences with Easter! Also, what are you giving up (or taking on) for Lent? I've gotten pretty lax about taking the Lord's name in vain, so I'm working on taking that out of my vocabulary. I already messed up once today, so I'm definitely going to need to find a rubber band to snap on my wrist when I catch myself doing it.

Short tutorial coming up soon!

Happy (?) Ash Wednesday! Have a great rest of the week! If you need a reason to smile, you should head over to see Clara Rose, Dana's newest addition :] Such a precious bundle!

Leave your tips for giving up something over the next 40 days to help me out!

♥L