My New Obsession

During my recent decluttering phase, I have been setting aside, as many of us do, a HUGE pile of stuff for a garage sale and/or donations. Our neighborhood is going to be having a community garage sale, so I figured it's worth it to make a buck or two off some of my stuff. While I was Stumbling the other day, though, I found freecycle, a nationwide grassroots organization that is basically an online swap meet. Ours here in Brevard is a Yahoo group where anyone can post something they need or have to offer - for FREE. So a lot of my things won't make it to that garage sale...but I did get a set of drawers for an awsome DIY that I'll be posting about in the future :)

<3E

GREEN Spring Cleaning: Part I

As we approach the time for tax refunds and warmer weather (hopefully!), we also approach the most wonderful time of the year - Spring Cleaning!! Ok, I know it seems that I am getting way to excited about it, but I find it cathartic to purge those items which I no longer use and send them to a better home. It's also a great time for me to discover lots of new materials with which to make more handbags and accessories for YOU!

The cool thing is that I am not the only one out there that does this. Check out this article from Suite101 that talks all about green crafting and how we can all be a little more Earth-conscious when we are going through our yearly "out with the old, in with the new" ritual.

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DIY: Yoga Mat Strap

So now that Diana and I are pretentious yoga snobs (made official by the fact that we bought our own mats), I decided that we each needed a strap to carry them. Instead of using "new" fabric tho, I decided this was a perfect use for some of the scraps I have hanging around and can't bare to part with, specifically the front parts of blouses that is the reinforced rows of button-holes (yes, I have saved them all):

The first thing I did was measure over my shoulder to see how long the strap should hang, then around the yoga mat. Add the first length to 2x the second length - for me it was about 60 inches.

This equated to three "button-hole strips". I sewed them together, not really worrying about seaming or fraying - thats the look I'm going for!

I then added a keyring (hey, it's what I had around!) to each end....

And VOILA! Here is my Yoga Mat Strap, all recycled, all in about 7 minutes :D
Here's how to put it on:

Loop the strap thru the ring on each end to create a loop.

Feed the mat thru each loop.

Now you are ready to hit the gym for yoga!!

<3E

Not-SO-eBay

Yesterday, my lovely assistant (I mean friend!), Diana, helped me out by posing as my purse model! Check out my Etsy shop to see how photos came out :)

<3E

Buy Toot Sweet! on Etsy.com

Announcing...online shopping for Toot Sweet products!

I've opened up shop on etsy.com. There, y'all can find all of my products that are currently for sale, as well as request a custom made handbag or other item. Also, go poke around the site and check out the other sellers there - these are really talented crafters and artisans that all have their work for sale.

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Alterations and Hemming

I've had some questions about alterations and pants hemming, so I thought I would put it out there for all that I absolutely provide these services*:

slack hem (hidden seam): $8
denim hem ("Euro-hem"): $10
skirt hem: $6
alterations: $5-20 (this depends on the complexity of the garment, and will be quoted upon consultation)

I will provide rush services at no extra cost, as I know how important it is to have garments that fit correctly! (I've had to hem just about every pair of slacks and jeans I've ever owned...:)

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*these services are provided for local customers only.

A Big Decision

Happy New Year!

Along with all of the rest of my Healthful resolutions, I have made a Big Decision: instead of pursuing the craft fair circuit, I am going to set up shop on Etsy.com. For those of you that don't know, Etsy is basically an online craft fair community. As a seller, I have a webpage (my Etsy shop) where I can list items for sale, and receive requests for custom work through their Alchamy system.

This is going to take me a few days to get set up, but I'll be up and running soon!

<3E