No? Is that because you have better things to do than ponder new bags I have been working on since January? That’s right, way back on January 9th I said I’d introduce you to Penny “sometime next week.”
Well, I didn’t forget Penny. She just needed a little refinement before being brought out into society. But she’s ready now.
May I present:
Penny
She’s a cross-shoulder “mail bag.” Which is why I could only think of the name Newman way back when I was picturing her in my head. {You know, Newman from Seinfeld?} Yeah, this bag is way too classy for that. She can be worn across the shoulder, but she’s not too tall to drape on one:
She’s casual enough to go everywhere with you… from the laundromat to the movies… and classy enough to go out at night. A button closure keeps all your belongings secure in style.
With an extra wide strap, she’ll be comfortable even when you fill her up! And she’s got plenty of room inside to pack her full of stuff.
Big enough you can even carry several books… with pockets to keep your cell phone, keys and a pen handy at all times. And of course, a zippered pocket to contain anything you may want to keep secret!
This particular version, in black and white with a touch of pink, was created especially for Kate, who named Penny. She may be the only one who jumped up and yelled “YES” when I asked if anyone remembered Penny. She picked the fabrics about two months ago, and has been so patient while Penny was perfected. I can’t wait to get this bag to her and see what she thinks!
Penny will be listed for sale soon in my shop, along with a few other goodies I’ve been working on today. More on those soon.
P.S. – I hope you can appreciate the crispness of the seams on Penny. I learned that everything looks better when you press the seams. Although my foot does not thank me for learning that lesson. Today my foot learned the lesson that hot irons leave a mark…
I love presents. I love giving them, wrapping them up, waiting with anticipation to see if the recipient loves it as much as I hope they will. Of course, I also love being the receiver. Piles of beautifully wrapped presents make me giddy. On Christmas, my sister said I’m the only person she knows who hasn’t changed since we were kids… that I act like a kid on Christmas. I took that as a compliment.
I applied two coats to make sure I got it in all the little details. Already it looked better – but still quite plastic-y. Is that a word? {okay, I know it isn’t but if you ask that after using a word you just made up then you can feign ignorance, right?}
See? Plastic-y. So I used a little Burnt Umber to deepen it up. A really dark brown like this is one of my go-to colors when I paint stuff, it’s just like a walnut stain ink pad for distressing edges of paper when I scrapbook. Just use a few drops of the Burnt Umber and a few dips of your brush full of water. It should look like a dirty puddle on your palette.
This is why my sister doesn’t craft. This whole project would be a nightmare for her. I know – we talked about it just this weekend.
Then, take a paper towel and wipe off the excess dirty water. Because let’s be honest, it’s more dirty water than paint at this point. If that looks okay to you, great! I wanted mine a little deeper toned, so I did that one more time.
I wanted to make a little area to write each day’s meals on, and I kind of like the bracket look. But I also wanted to make sure they were evenly spaced… so I measured down each side, making a mark where I wanted the tip of each bracket. Then I used Mod Podge to glue down the letters at the top and brackets down the sides.
and hang on the kitchen wall.
Tomorrow I’ll run to the craft store at lunch to get a nice white marker I can write on it with. Now at the beginning of the week, I can plan menus, shop accordingly, and not have to stare blindly into the pantry each night before I give up and pull out spaghetti yet again, just because it’s quick.
