Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Birthday Party Goodies


My little Olivia is certainly too young to be invited to friend's birthday parties. Or is she? Maybe not, she received her first invitation in the mail last week. Sniff Sniff.

The little girl will be turning 4 and all the kids will be bouncing their little hearts out at this party.

The gift for the birthday girl? Here it is. An applique'd tee shirt with her name and cupcake. You know the cupcake was the fun part right? Yes, I did spend 1/2 an hour sewing the little glass beads on the frosting to look like sparkly sugar.

And because every little girl needs a ribbon drawstring pouch to match each tee shirt. Hmmm...blogger why are you turning my picture? I'm not happy with you, blogger.

Ever since I made the drawstring pouch for my daughter's friend, I've been obsessed with these darling little lined pouches and am determined that everyone I know will be getting one in the next several months.

Take a peek at this wonderful online tutorial. I downloaded it and was able to make the pouch in about 1/2 an hour! It is a great way to use small amounts of fabric from your stash. I'm using small bits of ribbons and beads too making them up.

Ahhh, summer time crafty'ness. I will get back to the very serious business of bags galore very soon. I promise. Say it three times. I'm ready to start the serious business of bag design, um, very soon.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I Heart This

I bought myself a little present, for the business that is. I am usually an incurable cheap skate and rarely buy anything full price, I think it is my grandmother's depression era blood running through my veins. But, I saw this curvy and loopy acrylic template and just had to have it, sans coupon.

What would you use this for?

Well, first I tried the wavy side for a fabric basket I made as a gift for my friend. It was sized and designed to be used for magazine storage. The top was supposed to be a bit more wavy, but for a first attempt at a fabric basket, it's ok.


Then I used the scalloped side for this.
My next door neighbor is moving and donated a whole stack of old fabric to moi. She knows I love fabric like little colorful children.

In return I promised her a tote bag made from some of the stash. The scalloped edge on the floral section is a big pocket on the front of the bag. Clever yes? I was having a ball playing with making the large pocket work on the bag with the oversized tassle trim.

I think I will make up a few more bags with variations on the big curvy pockets in the front. What is left of my summer stash is out at 2 boutiques and I literally have almost nothing here or on the website. I'm planning on building up inventory again just as soon as I can get to work in the sewing room. My children are on summer break and seem to have different plans for my time. Hmmm, 2 kids at home full time does not seem to be conducive to accomplishing lots for the business.

However, when I figure out the balance and have several made I will post them on the website and I also plan to stock an Etsy store soon as well.

Ohh, one last little summer project to post about. My daughter's friend needed a new drawstring bag for her gymnastics equipment. Her mother gave me some material and asked me to take a stab at it.

I wanted this little bag to be lined and have a double ribbon string for easy access. With the help of a wonderful free tutorial and the wise internets I was able to whip up Becca's new bag in no time last night.


The lime green lame' with pink beads and ribbons makes me think of a very fashionable crocodile. I hope it makes the adorable Becca the envy of all the little girls on her team as she carries her new equipment bag around the gym.

That's what's new over here at Pink Evita this summer. Enjoying the lazy hazy days of summer with my girls and trying some new creative ideas!