Zakka 2.0-Patchwork Please! week what now??

I am so shocked that I have successfully completed and uploaded every project from Patchwork Please. You can find the book Here on Amazon

You can see all the projects I have completed and made HERE

This is my completed Market bag

 

I have been crazy busy sewing. It seems as if I had joined one swap after another. I joined the Fussy cut block swap;

#URHere swap

Simple and Sweet Scrappy swap;

Fall Mug Rug Swap

What have you been involved in? swaps? sewing projects?

Out with the "Color puke" in with the chic and organized!

I am trying so hard to put everything in my craft room in its rightful place. It is difficult.

I bought this here Amoire for $50 handmade second hand by the guy that made it from Craigslist. I wanted to idealy make a craft amoire and give more use to my craft area and not allow it to be messy anymore..

So this is a mess...this is what the area of my craft corner aka) our was dining room.

This is what my craft im just going to say room looked like BEFORE:

 and this above..was way the heck before my infatuation with ball jars really became more of hording.
And above..was extreamly clean for maybe 24 hours until I blew up all over!

Well things started to get crazy and really, really unorganized.

This mess above..this was during a week I couldn't work because I had been very sick and was contagious to others for a few days. In order to make any kind of income during this time I had to make more things to fill my shop on Etsy- Sunshine Nellie which I received answers to my prayers and made some money that week from orders. My etsy shop is not a main source of income- I have a full time job and a part time job so,that week my shop was my full time job.

After a lot of collecting things that were cute and quirky I found myself a lot less organized and having a hard time thinking without sensory overload. So, I got a wild hair and decided it was time for a change. I purchased the amouir and became a avid researcher on pinterest. I got lots of ideas and this is so far..what the was "color puke" looks like now! (as of an hour ago)

The fabric hoops: I found them all, in a bag at Goodwill for $8.00 (okay, $7.99) and decided that these were going to be my wall art.

Fabric in the hoops: Colors of grey,blues,yellows and greens I bought cheap quilting weight fabric from joanns. Really, I wanted better quality BUT these were just going on my wall and really? I didn't need to spend the extra amount of money on fabric when I had coupons and got most of the fabric in either 1/2 yards or 1/4 hards. However, the large grey hoop and yellow hoop I bought the remainder on the bolt because I love it so much!
Amoire- $50 handmade 2nd hand from a guy on CL
Lacey "table cloth" (yes,that was our dining room table,its folded down and is being used as a surface space I had the table cloth for about 6 years now got it at a garage sale for I think $1.00
"Inspire" word- Ross $7.99
and the rest of the stuff are things I already had.

When you google "Shabby chic" or even "Shabby chic" craft room the colors are all pinks and whites-eww not my thang!

I am currently painting this here shelf it holds my Berry dolls ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Its "Winners circle" blue
I made the bunting that is strung across the top of my window lace. .32 cents for  1/8 a yard. in green,brown and cream.
I pinned them together on the backside with safety pins. since is burlap you can't sew it very easily.

This room is so much better than the color puke before. The room looks much larger too.
I am finding things I didn't even know I had! ..... I dont know if that is cool to admit or not...

Husmabiest and I went to IKEA late last night. I was on the mission for new holders for scrapbooking scissors, pens/pencils and rotary cutters and tools I use often. at $1.29 for the largest one and .99 cents each for the other two aluminum supposed to be plant pots- good deal! and that was the least i'd EVER spent at IKEA.. oh..IKEA..how I love tho.

This is what the interior of my Amoire looks like:

packed full of crafty goodness!
and its really unorganized but, thats for a different day!

Anyone can have a craft room or a craft area. It is hard to have a 4 walled room to devote to crafts because our apartment home is small and there are 3 of us that live here. My husband and I and my middle brother. I never thought i'd have an actual area that was bigger than a 3 foot by 2 feet table-that is all I had org. and it sucked. I hated that I didn't have  space of my own and that all of my crafty items had to be shuved out of sight. After we moved into this apartment home 2 years ago our dining room was never used and that is when I took it over. hung a cable from IKEA and bought a decrative curtain from IKEA and turned the dining room into my craft room. I call it my craft corner because I can see into the kitchen over the breakfast nook and into the living room as I sit in front of my sewing machine table. Ive made the best of it. I hope you have an area devoted to your creativity and you have been inspired by reading and seeing what i've done to a space in my home. Creativity and an eye for what could be is really,all you need. Someday i'll have a 4 walled craft room. Preferably a basement or attic that is well lit and all mine to paint and do as I please in. My husband and brother do not care that this is my little area..they were not going to use it anyways!

All while cleaning,organizing and creating new wall pretties I baked two loafs of Amish white bread and cooked my husband dinner. Peppered Bacon potato chowder. It rains a lot here in Oregon (I <3 it!) and soups are cheap and easy to make. Throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and there you go!!!!

I got the Amish white bread recipe here Recipe of goodness Easy and CHEAP to make!
and the Peppered bacon potato chowder is my own doings here is my recipe:

Peppered Bacon Potato Chowder

10 Russet potatoes-size does not matter we bought a 10lb bag. Chopped into "medium" peices
1/2 lb of Peppered Bacon from the Deli counter. (or packaged your choice) chopped
1/2 cup green onions-diced
3 veggie bolion cubes disolved in 1 1/2 cups HOT water.
           Can Substatue Veggie stock- 2 cups (I just didn't have any on hand)
1 Cup heavy cream OR milk
---------------------------
1)Boil chopped potatos until they are soft and smash under a fork. Remove from heat, pour into strainer to remove water. Set back onto cold burner.
2) Half cook bacon in a pan do not drain. If you dont like the idea of "limp" bacon- just cook it till its NEARLY crunchy. After bacon is half done add it to potatoes. Stir
3) Pour Veggie bolion/broth into potato bacon mix return to heat.Stir
4) Add green onions to potato bacon broth mix. Stir
5)Add heavy cream or milk to potato,onion,bacon mix, Stir
6) Bring to a good simmer-almost to boiling- then drop heat down to low.  Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Tada! Enjoy your chowder!

Our apartment smells wonderful. I'm not a love of bacon but the combo of bread and soup smells just is devine.
As I write this blog I am  drinking my Cranberry Lemoncello - 21 and over!..... Homemade Lemoncello might I add... I got the recipe from Food In jars Marisa's recipes are divine-I own her cookbook- I started canning after accidentally coming across her blog.  Food IN Jars I highly recommend buying her cookbook. I have made a few of her jams/preserves and the Lemon Cello (A boozy lemon beverage).

Vanilla Pear Jam

Cranberry Pear Jam

 Enjoying a bit of handmade homemade goodness.
I hope you enjoyed reading my little blurb for the day. I have a lot of fun writting into the universe and I have hopes that people read and enjoy! Back to organizing this mess!

TTFN

The News from my Corner Office

Hello Blogosphere!
I have been a busy little bee buzzing around fixing,cleaning,working,cutting,scrapping,cleaning,drinking coffee,staying up way too late,thrifting,painting,creating,duplicating,rejuvenating,recreating and trying to stay sane!
I am Danielle,25 year old addict to: Pyrex,Sewing,Cleaning,Cooking,Creating,Drinking Coffee,Buying too much stuff from Etsy,Trying to keep up with herself, Married Girl looking to share a bit of her life with the bloggy world!
I have high hopes that someday i'll make it past 2 followers!
I enjoy writting thus, If  I only have 2 followers whatever! As long as  I get to write and act like people really do read my blog!
So here it goes!
I have been wicked busy! Seriously..busy! This month has been busy for me at work. I work at an Assisted Living Home(s) here in the town I live in. I work in the Activities Department-yeah,I get paid to have fun. Sometimes..its stressful and just overwhelming because I, I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and I have been very much this way since who knows how long but.."Diagnosed" at age 15. Yay! Go me!
So..this is what i've been up to in photos..

Starbucks (I loath Starbucks) has there Fall drinks back! I went in the Day after I found out..To grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte..MY FAV! I am a fall girl! I love the fall! The leaves change,the weather is cooler and the sweaters come on-I love sweaters!- I love the Black and white photo. Don't you? My husband came across a deal on LivingSocial.com for a "Buy $5.00 Ecard get $10" so..he bought one and I bought one! wahoo! I was cruisin' that day! This bad boy was drank up by 10AM (I savor my drinks!) and after work I got an Iced Chia Latte..-to die for- Sometimes my husband just dosn't know when to not encourage my habits!

I have been going thrifting nearly everyday-ya-lots of gas "wasted" to find Fall clothes-because i'd rather spend $40 on compleatly wearable attire-that most likely no one else has anymore-for 5 outfits than $200 ..see where i'm going? I am a semi-penny-pincher. and working where I do-things get trashed easily from running around in them. I snagged this HUGE bag of zippers and belt making kits for $5.99 at GoodWill... let me tell ya...There are about 40 zippers-all new-and in wicked awsome colors...sure beats spending big bucks for one when im in a pinch-I normally buy mine from Zip It Zippers but,I couldn't resist the Vintage fun in a bag!

I use to have a Zebra Print car I named "Spunker" he was an Art Car. Ever see an art car before? not so traditional to see on the road. But,there is a HUGE group of people that create art out of cars and well,I had one! He was multicolored and wicked awesome! I painted the interior all kinds of neon colors. I was a nanny at the time and the kids thought I was the coolest person in the world! (miss them :( ) I had bought him from the artist for $200 he was a Toyota Corolla wagon-the coolest cat around! or...is it Zebra? Anyways..I saw these flats and had to have them! I miss my car!

The fluffy cotton tail is Gypsee.. Shes approx. 6 years old. Shes a mutt .. Dwarf,America,Lop Mix. House Trained fluffy ball of love. I like to think shes admiring my pyrex here.. but I think she's just up to no good- that is her normal MO.

This is where i'm currently sitting while blogging this :) This is our Dining Room of our Apartment home. We don't use the dining room..well didn't because we all worked different hours. So, this became my small (15x15 ft) studio/sewing room/where I am normally found. Room. It looks cluttered and a mess but really,it isn't. I am a very organized person (95% of the time) and because the space is limited and I think the boys (my husband and brother) would be upset with me if I moved into the living room :) which,is 3 times larger than this area... just sayin'....hrm...

This is my "office" part of my corner. Where my pink laptop (Bertha) and my cutting mat are located. This was my first table in this corner of mine. My husband found it off Craigslist and when we drove out to go get it in a rich part of where we live..The nice business man said "its a great table,I don't want to dent it" as we were stuffing it into the back of my Subaru Impreza Sport wagon (yes! it DOES fit! I have hauled a lot more than a desk in it! don't underestimate Subaru's! )  My reply was "oh,im going to use it to cut fabric on,get paint all over it and probably destroy it in a year anyways its okay! " in my cheery bubbly self attitude. The look on his face=speechless! My hubby bought it for $50.00 its VERY sturdy. and has a shelf under it.
A huge tree stands at the back of our apartment-we live on the 2nd story.

 

This is the corner to my current left. Its small. It houses my shelf with only about a quarter of my Berry Doll Figurine Collection and a pyrex bowl (crazy daisy) full of thread. A couple jars of zippers,my OttLite,my fav collage ;-) Measuring tools,a bunny mesh "basket" that i've hung on the wall with some of my vintage wooden spools,misc. notions and a couple books. 

So,under all the stuff..was our dining room table. From Ikea..it folds out to a much larger table to seat 4 people. .... it now stands to hold fabric bins,a few of my MANY Ball jars filled with notions,stamp cabinet, and a few rolls of interfacing. under the table is Some of my Etsy Items 

Behind the bunting curtain held on by a small curtain rod, is a book shelf that houses some etsy items,fabric,notions,scrap booking papers for my Recipe and Photo Boxes on Etsy

I am pretty proud of my dining room art/sewing studio! It isn't magnificent but,I know its mine and I can pull the curtain shut and be "shut out" of the boys in the living room poking fun at old lady me at my sewing machine!

And this is me! in my PROUD TO SAY! Second Hand cardigan! I scored for $5.99 at Goodwill while I was out on one of my Looking for fall clothes runs! I love buying 2nd hand. It is not only helping re-purpose,help those that need jobs,makes me save money,but I can gladly pay $5.99 and NOT feel the guilt if I had bought this sweater at full price and Lane Bryant for nearly $40! see what I mean?! This day I was feeling "Sassy" as I like to say. I had even curled my hair. Which is VERY time consuming because its thick.

My husband found this jar at Goodwill. It is a wire jar. the unique part of it-its a misprint and was made somewhere around 1915 it is "Made in Canada Perfect Seae" see the error? it is blue and it is a large jar and a #6! it was $3.99 ...another reason I love 2nd hand..and its funny my husband encourages my niches! I don't know what i'm going to put in this one but,eventually i'll have a purpose for it.

So far, September has been good to me. I am learning a lot about myself that I had forgotten threw the years and rediscovering who I am. i'm trying my best to make this month so much better than the last because August was HELL! ....
I know i've left a lot out in this bloggy but, I have been DYING to write SOMTHING the past couple weeks. and I love to share! so there we go! TTFN

New Products for the Shop!

...to make bigger things for my Etsy shop than I normally do.
I love the little things I make because sometimes, the littlest things are the most helpful.
I had partaken in Purse Palooza over at Sew Sweetness about a month ago. I had made a pattern all by myself. I had made 4 purses in total from the same one pattern and decided that I loved it so much and had skilled how to make it. No directions except a template that I had made from wax paper... I wanted to make a couple for my Etsy shop to see if I got any bites. I had made 3 for myself and one for my best friend. I have gotten TONS of comments about the bags and so has my friend so, I decided Saturday evening that I was going to make more than what I had already.

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is the back of the bag^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I had sewn two pieces of bias tape to the pieces before placing the zipper on the back. This pocket is the whole backside of the bag so it fits a tablet or IPad.

 ^^^^^^^^^^^The Front of the bag of course^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
it closes with elastic over a button. Because I think its easier for ladies to use the elastic over finding a pesky magnetic snap or velcro.

 The back of this bag..with the TWO added bonuses!! A tissue cozy and a zip up pouch for extra organization!

 The interior of the bag has ONE pocket Why? because I find it better to have less when tossing in wallet! My wallet kept getting caught on the open pockets on other handbags I have made and purchased. This pocket has a pen slip too making it possible to find that little rascal!

 And the tissue cozy..a little patch worked to use scraps because I really dislike "wasting" fabric!!

The zip up pouch..it has a coordinating in color strip pattern. This pouch would fit an IPhone or the like with more room for lipgloss..etc..
This bag is offered at a low price because I love to share my art with others and would rather not have it hang out for months before selling. Sewing is a hobby not my lively hood. 
 :)

I finished another bag today also I just haven't made the tissue pouch or zip up pouch to go along with it yet..so it will be posted soon!!

To see if this bag is still for purchase click here