Wake up call

I'm taking a bit of a different angle on this week's topic of BAGS. Let me start out by asking the question, "Who's tired?" It's OK if you raise your hand. No one will know what you're doing unless they're looking over your shoulder this moment. If you're like me, the BAGS under my eyes make my current state of mind quite obvious.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume I'm not alone. Who can blame us? Whether our exhaustion comes from working, mommy-ing, playing (the good kind of exhaustion), or simply the result of a foolish decision to stay up way past our bedtime, it can show on our faces, and in my case it does!

So what to do? All sorts of expensive serums, surgeries, acupuncture and gadgets claim to take away the evidence of our exhaustion. But I'm not exactly in the market for one of these:

(eye massager - what the ???)

Anyway, I decided to try a couple of home remedies and give you my review.

• Of course, you've seen the old cucumber-slices-on-the-eyes trick. Place a slice on each eye for 15 minutes. The coolness will help under-eye tissues contract. Pro: inexpensive, cooling sensation, effective. Con: must repeat several times a day to retain effectiveness.


• Tea bags. Ironic that you would use bags to get rid of bags, eh? This is my favorite remedy. After getting your daily antioxidants from your tea (this is one of my favorites), place two used tea bags in the fridge and apply one to each eye for 15 minutes. Pro: inexpensive, feels good, stays on eyes better than cucumbers because you can really fit it on your eyes, effective. Con: same as cucumbers. And you look sorta freaky, so make sure your little kids aren't around to see Mommy with black eyes.


• Diet. I'm not a big salt-craver, but I've been more aware of the sodium levels in my diet. Salt can make you retain water, and under your eyes is one place it likes to settle. Drink ample water to flush salts and toxins from your system. Pro: looking and feeling good. Con: none, other than the discipline to monitor what you're putting in your body, but we should be doing that anyway.


• Hemmorhoid cream. This is one I haven't tried, but I've heard it touted as a viable and effective treatment. It works to constrict the tissues just like it does for the *ahem* original intended use. Apply it under your eyes twice a day. Pros: less expensive than pricey eye creams, effective, less applications needed. Cons: getting it in your eye, and living with the knowledge of exactly what you're putting on your face!

What tried-and-true remedies do you use to keep yourself looking awake, refreshed and glowingly radiant? You know you have some secrets to your beauty regime, so spill it. And here's to looking and feeling gorgeous!

Skirt to Bag: A Tutorial and Giveaway

I just love making old things into new things, don't you? Before I ever throw anything out, I'm always asking myself how I could possibly re-vamp it to make it useful again. And I adore seeing re-made old things when I shop; there's just all sorts of cleverness out there when it comes to making something from another thing! Here's my take on it today, using an old skirt and some fabric scraps.

Please forgive the highly random image-quality here. The photos were taken over the course of the day (so I lost my natural light) and I believe some children who shall remain nameless kept changing the camera's settings ... :)

Okay, so first I took an old ill-fitting skirt, and hacked the bottom off to be used elsewhere (I'm adding a ruffle to the bottom of a too-short but super-cute skirt, but that's another project):



And a couple blocks of cute fabric (these are about 14.5" x 11"):


I laid the fabric on top of the skirt and trimmed the skirt down to size:


Like this:



Then I noticed that the top of the skirt was curved. So I curved the top of the fabric pieces, too:



Next, I took a scrap of a different fabric (simply because I didn't have enough of the first one ... but they look alright together, right?) and cut two pieces to the size I wanted the inside pocket to be (they ended up to be 11" x 7"):


To make the pocket, I sewed the pieces right-sides together, leaving an opening for turning. Then I clipped the corners, turned right-side out, pressed, and stitched the pocket to the lining, using the open end as the bottom so that stitching it to the lining would close the opening:

Later, I realized that the pocket was placed entirely too low, and had to dismantle and reposition. I do stuff like that all the time, though, so it was only a minor frustration ... :) The waistband on this skirt had a little flap on the inside that I could attach the top of the lining to, tucking it under the flap and then stitching across:

(I totally left the tag on ...
it's a reminder that this bag used to be something completely different.
And that makes me happy :)

With outside right-sides together, sew it all together around the sides and bottom, like this:


Much later, after the bag was all done, my good friend and fellow Praiseworthy blogger, Jen, suggested adding some bias tape to finish up the raw edges. So I did, but I'll put the photos here because this is where that step should go:


Next comes the shoulder strap, which I made by cutting a piece of fabric 5" x width-of-fabric. I kept it long to start with because I wasn't sure how long I wanted it to end up. Then I folded it in half, stitched along the long edge, turned and pressed with the seam in the middle, like this:


To make the strap more substantial, I cut a piece of quilt batting 2" x really-really-long and slid it into the strap through an open end:



Then I cut it to the length I wanted, pressed it, and sewed lines along the length to keep the batting in place:


Next, I wanted a way to close the bag, so I took a piece of excess strap and cut it down to a nice size, rounded one end and stitched it closed:


Then I turned the closure piece and pressed it, stitched around the edge, and fished out my sewing machine manual to try and remember how to make a button-hole. Once that was done, I turned the open end in, and stitched the closure strap to the inside of the bag, like this:


Added a button and the straps, hiding the inside raw edges at the top of the bag as I did so:



And ... done!


I purposely made the closure strap a little too long like that, so that the bag could be closed when full, like this:

(It's a hardback copy of Don Delillo's "Underworld",
in case you were wondering what's inside ... )

And here's how it hangs. And yes, the fabric I used for the pocket and straps is the same as my curtains. I just adore that fabric! :)



Hooray, a new bag! Do you like it? Would you like it? Because I want to give it to you. Leave a comment below and tell me where you would shop if time and distance and money and small children were not an object, and I'll draw a random name out of a hat (or a bowl ... or a bag ... maybe *this* bag!) on Friday (that's March 12, say, around noon pacific time?). I'll post the winner soon thereafter.

Defined by My Bag

photo credit

You know how people say they can tell a lot about a person just by looking at their shoes?  Well, I think that you can tell more about that person by their bag and the contents contained.  Let me just show you by using myself as an example.

My Bag's Exterior:  Simple. Usually cotton or linen. Pretty enough to buy and use but not eye grabbing or trendy in any way. Plain. Sturdy. Mostly practical with a few embellishments. On the bigger side. And a little scuffed on the edges.

photo credit

My Exterior: Simple (I don't think I even own anything fancy). Although I am not made of cotton I do wear it more than anything else. I must have been pretty enough to marry and keep but I don't think I have been "looked at" by anyone but my sweet husband since...and I don't mind. I don't even understand what trendy really is or means.  I wear a lot of t-shirts and jeans and I have since I was...well...small and kid like. I'm plain but most people like my hair.  I think it's time efficient.  I consider myself to be sturdy and strong. I don't have jewelry because I lose it or break it...although I do have a pair or silver tiny hoop earrings that never leave my ears.  As much as I hope to one day be tiny and frail I do have "big bones" and Popeye calves which I have come to accept and even love because I got them from my dad and I love my dad!  Finally I too am also a little scuffed on the edges because I have kids, I like dirt and sidewalk chalk is the greatest invention ever!

My Bag's Content Right Now: IPod and head phones, water bottle, toy cars, scraps of current fabric projects, Ducklin (Sadie's stuffed love right now), Personal Progress book, flashlight, crumbs, a book called "What Dad's Can't Do," bloomers (diaper cover for baby girls), toothbrush, big bag of wipies, crayons, more crumbs, Sadie's jacket, a bird toy, two kid snack containers, my wallet and phone should be in here, scriptures, camera, a paper towel, more crumbs, an old handout from church, 3 diapers, a coloring book, stickers, pen and a small journal.

Me: I love to exercise as long as I am hydrated and kick'n it to my favorite tunes.  I love my kids...especially when they are happy and content while I am out.  I am always looking for something to match something when it comes to sewing and quilt making.  I think I love Ducklin as much as both my kids do.  I find things that are worn and loved to be sweet and story like.  I am the personal progress leader in my ward so carrying this around helps me stay focused on that. I would like to think that I put the flashlight in my bag to be prepared and ready for anything but that's not me.  That's my boy Payton.  The crumbs must just symbolize the way I feel about cleaning.  No matter how much I do it or how often I keep things up...there will always be something more to do.  My new motto is not to clean to keep it that way but to clean so that it doesn't get to bad.  Crumbs are not bad...they are just there like laundry and dishes...always there.  The book...we'll just leave it as that. I don't always carry this book.  That would be weird.  I do find it funny that today it's in there and in this post and that it just reminded me how much I miss my traveling husband.  The boomers are like the hoodies I put on right before I have to answer the door first thing in the morning to hide my breakfast covered shirt.  It's there to hide from the world what's real and sort of yucky.  The toothbrush is the only thing that keeps Sadie happy sometimes...and I live for these things.  I am forgetful.  I have good intentions. I usually remember the things that aren't important so important things like keys and wallets are often replaced around here.  I like the idea of capturing memories with photos but I normally forget the camera is even in my bag.  I like enjoying the moment and thinking I'll write about them later, but I never do.  That's sad.  The journal is in there just in case I like what I see or I need to write down an idea I get.  Living here in the Seattle area makes for some pretty fun day trips and for some excellent window shopping.  If I wasn't super forgetful then I wouldn't need this.  Although I do forget the pen most of the time.

The last thing I almost forgot to mention is that at the beginning of the week this bag is usually organized and well thought out but within a few hours it's basically chaos.  So it is like my house, my thoughts, my creations, my kids...my life.  That's okay though.  I have everything I could ever need. 

What's your bag like?