Lots going on in these parts. Obviously the house reno takes up loads of our time. We're slowly going room by room, but it's finally starting to come together. The house wasn't in disrepair by any means, but definitely had a strong 70s vibe and way too much nasty, old carpet for our taste. The upstairs is done and we finally made out way downstiars. If you're interested in seeing some of our improvements, I created a collection in my flickr account.
The other big time sucker is that I'm running the NYC Marathon again!! This year, I'm running with a charity group that supports research for Crohn's disease (among others), a condition my husband suffers from. It will be nice to run with a greater purpose in mind this year. I'm training with a group this year, which I think will be immensely helpful (and I'll get to meet new people). And I won't have to run any 20 milers alone. I enjoy my alone time as much as anyone, but I think I'll appreciate companionship even more.
For some crafty content, an offiical writeup of the 2nd weekender bag....
My sister, the kind, generous person she is, gave her weekender a little photoshoot just for this here blog. (Thanks, Sara!) Look familiar? It looks almost identical to mine. It is, with the exception of the lining and cording fabrics and a little weekender know-how under my belt.
Here's the breakdown:
Pattern Amy Butler Weekender Bag
Fabric Amy Butler Sunbloom Collection, Lotus Print in Parsley. 2 yards? Getting this fabric was practically impossible. I went through all the links on Amy's page and kept coming up empty. After emailing back and forth about potential replacements with my sister, she gave me a few final options. I set out to order the replacement fabric and stumbled upon a fabric store with some sunbloom in stock! I surprised my sister with it, which was nice because she had really wanted this pattern. As this was 7 months ago, I can't remember where I ordered the fabric. And I really doubt they would still have it anyway.
Lining was just a brown home dec fabric from Joann's. I wasn't a big fan of this lining material (but it's not really fair to compare anything to Amy's pretty fabric)
Zipper bought from Zipperstop. I heart this place. I ordered the brown zipper without reading that only certain colors can be purchased individually. You have to purchase special colors in bulk. Just because they're that super over there, they ordered this one special for me. The zipper is of so much higher quality than the one on my bag. I bought the only 30" zipper at Joann's for mine and it gets caught and really becomes a hindrance when I'm opening and closing my bag. I was smarter this time, and bought a nice one. Plus, this way I selected the matching color.
Other notions Everything else I bought at Joann's. And I only had to go once this time around!
Well, that's pretty much it! I didn't make any drastic changes from my first bag, just improved my technique. No more weekender bags for me (for awhile at least). I'm sure I'll make one for my mom at some point. The three of us just seem to have the same, good taste!
The other big time sucker is that I'm running the NYC Marathon again!! This year, I'm running with a charity group that supports research for Crohn's disease (among others), a condition my husband suffers from. It will be nice to run with a greater purpose in mind this year. I'm training with a group this year, which I think will be immensely helpful (and I'll get to meet new people). And I won't have to run any 20 milers alone. I enjoy my alone time as much as anyone, but I think I'll appreciate companionship even more.
For some crafty content, an offiical writeup of the 2nd weekender bag....
My sister, the kind, generous person she is, gave her weekender a little photoshoot just for this here blog. (Thanks, Sara!) Look familiar? It looks almost identical to mine. It is, with the exception of the lining and cording fabrics and a little weekender know-how under my belt.
Here's the breakdown:
Pattern Amy Butler Weekender Bag
Fabric Amy Butler Sunbloom Collection, Lotus Print in Parsley. 2 yards? Getting this fabric was practically impossible. I went through all the links on Amy's page and kept coming up empty. After emailing back and forth about potential replacements with my sister, she gave me a few final options. I set out to order the replacement fabric and stumbled upon a fabric store with some sunbloom in stock! I surprised my sister with it, which was nice because she had really wanted this pattern. As this was 7 months ago, I can't remember where I ordered the fabric. And I really doubt they would still have it anyway.
Lining was just a brown home dec fabric from Joann's. I wasn't a big fan of this lining material (but it's not really fair to compare anything to Amy's pretty fabric)
Zipper bought from Zipperstop. I heart this place. I ordered the brown zipper without reading that only certain colors can be purchased individually. You have to purchase special colors in bulk. Just because they're that super over there, they ordered this one special for me. The zipper is of so much higher quality than the one on my bag. I bought the only 30" zipper at Joann's for mine and it gets caught and really becomes a hindrance when I'm opening and closing my bag. I was smarter this time, and bought a nice one. Plus, this way I selected the matching color.
Other notions Everything else I bought at Joann's. And I only had to go once this time around!
Well, that's pretty much it! I didn't make any drastic changes from my first bag, just improved my technique. No more weekender bags for me (for awhile at least). I'm sure I'll make one for my mom at some point. The three of us just seem to have the same, good taste!
Comments
We've been doing the reno thing lately too, satisfying, but a lot of work!