Wonderland Blog Hop: Chair Pocket Tutorial

School is back in session which means tons of papers being sent home and lots of homework. In years' past, the completed worksheets, art work, and notes from school would pile up on the kitchen counter or dining room table, but this year, all those papers will be stored in this new chair pocket I made for my daughter's chair.

What's even better is that I created a matching double zipper pencil pouch that detaches from the chair pocket when she needs to sit at the table to work on a project. All of her pencils, crayons, scissors, and other supplies will be conveniently at hand and can be stored away when she is done with them.

Help organize your home when you make my Chair Pocket Tutorial with a detachable pencil pouch. It's easy to sew and your child will love it when you use fun fabrics like the Wonderland Collection by Josephine Kimberling for Blend Fabrics.

Disclosure: I was provided the fabrics used in this post in exchange for sharing a project I sewed with them. All opinions are my own.

Perfect Petal Purse & Pirates Treasure Wallet + Giveaway!

Now that my daughter, Ella, is in school and has a dress code, I'm finding that I don't have as much to sew for her anymore. Makes me so sad, but I'm finding new ways to make little things for her and for her older brother--accessories! When Fenna from Fabulous Home Sewn announced a pattern tour for her Perfect Petal Purse and Pirate Treasure Wallet (affiliate links), I jumped on board to make both for my children!

Why I Blog...

A couple of weeks ago, Carrie from Right Sides Facing asked if I'd like to participate in a blog hop where I would have to answer some questions regarding why I blog. This particular post topic has been overdue for me for a long time, and I actually have attempted to write about my reasons for blogging for sometime now. Apparently, I unknowingly played a small part in Carrie starting up her own blog (read about it HERE), and now in return, she has encouraged me to open up a little more about why I blog. Thanks, Carrie!

I know I have said a few times in the past that sewing and blogging have changed my life, but I've never gone into great detail on the specifics of "how".  I'll attempt to explain a few of those reasons for you now.

Why do I blog?

Craft Book Month - Little Things to Sew

Have you been following Craft Book Month at Craft Buds this September?  If not, then you are missing lots of valuable information on great sewing and crafting projects!  Plus, there's a contest with great prizes!

When my super-duper sweet friend and soon-to-be new mom, Lindsay, asked me to contribute to the Craft Buds' Craft Book Month tour, I knew right away which project I would make:  the Baby Doll Carrier in the book Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S.

My daughter loves stuffed animals and baby dolls, and when she saw this Baby Doll Carrier in the pattern book Little Things to Sew, she begged me to make one for her.  Of course I agreed, and in a couple of hours, I had it finished!  

This book is full of wonderful O + S patterns for clothing, accessories, bags, toys, and more.  If you've ever sewn an Oliver + S clothing pattern, then you know the high quality of the patterns, the instructions, the pictures, and the graphics.  This book is no different and does not disappoint.

Picture Source:  Oliver + S Website

Ella loves wearing her favorite baby doll or stuffed animal around in the carrier like a real mom would.  The baby doll carrier is sized to hold a small (shown) or large doll or stuffed animal and has two different sets of buttons and velcro tabs to make the sizing adjustment when needed.  

It crisscrosses in the back and has a small little pocket in the front to hold a baby spoon or coupon when play shopping!

If you are like me, both storage space and funds are limited around my house.  Before I make the plunge and actually purchase most craft or sewing books, I normally check to see if my local library has it available.  If it does, I'll check it out and peruse it at my leisure, perhaps make a project or two, and then decide if it is really something I want to own.  That's exactly what I did for this book, Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S.  When I did purchase it, I found it at Joann's Fabric & Craft Store and used a 40% off coupon!  Big score!

To learn more about Craft Book Month, the Craft Buds Blog Hop, and the contest, keep reading below. Also, be sure to check out the other Blog Hoppers to see what projects and craft books they've been using.  You might just find a few things to add to your wish list!

It's time for the 3rd Annual Craft Book Month at Craft Buds! This year, we're excited to celebrate all month log with a blog hop of your inspirational craft book projects, a crafty contest, free patterns and prizes!

Don't let those craft books sit on your shelf and collect dust! We want to see what you've been making. That's why I've teamed up with some fabulous bloggers who will be showing off their projects made from craft books, all month long!

Blog Hop

Week One
Monday 9/2: Fabric Mutt / LRstitched
Tuesday 9/3: Stitch This! The Martingale Blog / Stitched in Color
Wednesday 9/4: Fabric Seeds / Pile O Fabric
Thursday 9/5: The Feisty Redhead / Rae Gun Ramblings
Friday 9/6: Sew-Fantastic / Clover + Violet
Saturday 9/7: A Prairie Sunrise / Small Town Stitcher

Week Two
Monday 9/9: Hopeful Threads / Go To Sew
Tuesday 9/10: The Sewing Rabbit / Sewing Mama RaeAnna
Wednesday 9/11: Marci Girl Designs / imagine gnats
Thursday 9/12: Sew Sweetness / amylouwhosews
Friday 9/13: Lindsay Sews / 13 Spools
 Saturday 9/14: Inspire Me Grey / Angela Yosten 

Week Three
Monday 9/16: Sew Very / Craftside
Tuesday 9/17: The Littlest Thistle / CraftFoxes  

9/1-9/30: Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from your blog or Flickr account, and enter to win prizes. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, October, 1!

To participate in the month-long contest, just link up any project you've made from a pattern in a craft book. That easy! You'll tell us a little about the book, the project, how you personalized it, etc.

Rules

1) One entry per person. 
2) Your craft book project must have been completed in 2013. 
3) Create a new blog post or Flickr photo (dated September 1, 2013 or later) and link back to Craft Buds/Craft Book Month in your post or photo description. In your post or photo description, make sure to list the craft book you used and provide a link if possible.
4) All winners chosen via Random.org. Some prizes available to international winners, so please join us!

Prizes

Visit Craft Buds and link up your craft book project during the window of Sept 1-30 and you'll automatically be entered to win some fantastic prizes from the Craft Book Month sponsors!

No time to make a project? You can also follow Craft Buds all month long for your chance to comment and win some new sewing and quilting books for your library.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have fun sewing!

Bag Blog Hop

Do you love to make bags and purses?  Then join this Bag Blog Hop for inspiration and to find others who share your passion!  The Bag Blog Hop was started by ChrisWDesigns and is easy to join.  Find the instructions straight from the source here.

What do you have to do?  It's simple.

1. Add your blog link below by clicking on the "Click here to Enter" link and follow the easy steps to add your blog.

2. Click on the "Get the Code Here" link shown to grab your copy of the code and add it to your blog!  Please include these instructions so new members will know what to do.

3. Grab this button:  (Right Click and Save)

and pop it in your sidebar linking to your Bag Lovin Blog Hop post so that we can leave this blog hop open and people can keep finding it and hopping on.

After all 3 steps ahve been completed, your link will be approved by ChrisWDesigns and added to the blog hop.

That's it!