It's Your Bag! Can You Dig It?

Messenger Bag in Pink and Gray - $40.00
Amy Butler fabric with cotton lining
12.5 inches wide (this measurement is taken from side seam to side seam)10.5 inches tall3.75 inches deepStrap is 50 inches long and just slightly over 1 inch wide.

Kelly VanVoltenburg, proprietor of Banana Showcase located in Duncanville, Texas offers lively floral prints and repeating patters in her cloth items. Handbags, Kleenex holders, and Keychains are her specialty. Some of the fabrics she uses are vintage and others current. All items are made in a pet-free and smoke-free environment.

You can tell by her descriptions that the bags she makes are built to last. Many have multiple layers and are triple-stitched. And if that's not enoough to convince you to snap one up, her prices are fabulous!

This one below is a steal (marked down from $22.00)!

Smaller Basic Bag in Pink and Green - $13.25
100% cotton; discontinued Amy Butler print


Messenger Bag in Camo Hearts - $40.00
black baby wale corduroy, and Khaki cotton

This Tissue Holder is really pretty. I just love the intensity of the yellow and red design! She manages to make something utilitarian exciting and that is quite an accomplishment!

Tissue Holder in Yellow Flowers - $4.00
Cotton, measures approx. 5.75 inches long X 3.25 inches wide

Kelly’s customers are raving about her work.

Below are just a few of the many glowing endorsements from those who have received her creations;

“So wonderful! This was exactly what I was looking for; thank you so much for making it.”

“A wonderful seller - extremely responsive to personal requests.”

“GORGEOUS purse! Kelly went waaaay above and beyond to make sure the purse would be exactly what I was looking for. Definitely a favorite seller!”

"Super awesome craftsmanship! I am so happy with these purses, that I have bought several and have been telling everyone who will listen to buy one - they are that well made!"

Go to her Etsy store to get one of these for yourself or to give as a gift:
http://BananaShowcase.etsy.com

and to learn more about the artist, see her blog: http://kellyvanvoltenburg.typepad.com/bananashowcase/

It’s Beginning to Smell A lot Like Christmas!

Zoe Stewart of Zoestewartuk lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and sews a variety of things including aprons, stuffed creatures made from Scottish Tartan with hypoallergenic stuffing, T-shirts, and occasionally vintage items.

Her specialty is these really unusual elongated hanging hearts that go on a hook for decoration and to make the room smell good. Stuffed with either Lavender or Heather, these create a nice ambiance throughout your home. It has been known for a long time that scent evokes emotion, and Lavender in particular tends to make people feel comforted.

Pink and Green Polkadotted Heart- $24.00
Measures approx 42cm in length and approx 15cm across

Pretty in Polkas- $30.00
Made of 100% cotton, for ages 4-7

This huggable creature just might make little ones no longer afraid of “monsters under the bed”. He’s friendly and doesn’t bite, and he can even be used as a pillow.

Henry- $24.00
Made from Scottish Tartan, and measures 25cm tall by 25cm wide
These will make great feel-good gifts around the holidays.

Check out what else she’s got at:
http://zoestewartuk.etsy.com

and to learn more about the artist see her blog:
http://zoestewart.blogspot.com

Hand-sewn and Home-grown

Soandsewcrafty is a small craft business whose owner, Opp, Alabama native Karen Copeland, stitches a variety of interesting homespun items, with a sense of humor and playfulness. Among the many items she makes are costumes for pets (like this pumpkin outfit from which her orange tabby peaks out from over its shoulder to see who might be staring),

The lovely blue, green and yellow paisley handbag (shown at top),

these adorable cat silhouette pillows,

scrubs with Christmas trees and other unusual patterns on them, cloth sanitary pads, throws, and a mix of other fabric items.

Karen describes how she was introduced to needle and thread. “I have been sewing for almost as long as I can remember. My mother and her mother were talented seamstresses, painters....just plain "crafty" people, and I suppose I inherited that from them! And believe me I am thankful to them for that!”

Four years ago a car accident left Karen permanently disabled with a broken leg that never quite healed. In constant pain, she is unable to sit or stand for lengths of time, so opening an online store on Etsy gave her the venue she needed to make some extra money to supplement her monthly disability check, and the impetus to clear out a lot of the fabric she’d been hoarding for years. Like most artists, she loves her supplies and relishes going out to buy more whenever she can.

Her sewing gives her a sense of purpose and accomplishment, and when she’s immersed in transforming fabric into something useful or fun, she can forget about the stresses of life for awhile and enjoy the process.

You can find heartwarming gifts for everyone in the family and friends too at
http://soandsewcrafty.etsy.com/
and to learn more about the artist behind Soandsewcrafty, take a look at her blogs:
http://www.soandsewcrafty.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/soandsewcrafty