A Giveaway!!

I was sorting through my fabric and my inventory this weekend and came across this adorable Villette Bag. I absolutely love the bright color of this fabric and feminine apple blossom pattern. Does it get any more springy than this? And, this little lovely could be yours! I'm giving it away!

Here are the rules: Post a comment on this post telling me about your absolute favorite handbag, ever. Or, tell me about the weirdest thing in your bag right now. Or, BOTH!! One entry only please! I'm going to draw a winner on Friday evening (April 4th).

In all fairness, let me tell you about my all-time favorite handbag. And I have to admit that it is not one I made, although those are what I usually carry. This is my favorite bag:

It's a brown leather single strap backpack by Liz Claiborne. I bought it on clearance at Dillards probably close to ten years ago. I love the simple design, and the way it holds plenty of stuff. My favorite part is that rides easily on my back. I almost always take it with me on vacation, because it's such a secure little bag. I took it with me on our getaway to Parkville and haven't gotten switched back to my usual Bronte bag yet.

Here's what is currently in my little backpack:

1) 2 checkbooks - one is our joint account and one is my business account

2) eyeglass cleaning cloth

3) Ice Breakers - I couldn't do my job without these!

4) Comb

5) Pocket mirror that I bought on Etsy - I use this to check my teeth almost everytime I go into a closing. I'm a little paranoid...

6) Fingernail Clippers

7) Mary Kay lip gloss - I am not a lipstick-wearer, but this gloss is light and adds just a hint of color

8) A battery - I threw this away after I took the picture.

9) CO Bigelow Ultra Mentha Lip Shine - My lips get terribly dry and this also gives your breath a quick freshening, too!

10) Kleenex pack

11) My black flat wallet - I love this thing!

12) Cellphone

13) Wad of trash and receipts - I'm no neater in my purse than I am in my car.

14) Ibuprofen in an Excedrin bottle - I ocassionally suffer from migraine headaches. I will not go anywhere without some kind of headache pill.

15) Keys to Roger's car and our mini van

16) My regular keys

17) And, the weirdest item - a black plastic scorpion. What can I say? I have an almost 5 year old boy.

In Lust

Mr. Kay and I are currently in the act of making a concentrated effort to pay off our debt. Basically, that means not a lot of extra money for fun stuff. Plus, we are working very hard to simplify and plan to sell a lot of our extra STUFF. This is mostly as a way to get extra money for debt payoff, but the added bonus has been a feeling of lightness as a result of removing extra junk from our lives.

However, that doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of fabulous things on Etsy that I am currently lusting over! Since I haven't been creating much myself, I thought I'd show off what others have been up to!

Is this not one of the cutest hats you have ever seen? I already have another hat by BKMHattitude, but this one is in a different style and color. I was thinking it would be good for those Saturdays when I have to go to the grocery store, but don't feel like doing my hair. AND it would be perfect for fun nights out, too. (If I ever get the chance to have one of those!) A very cute alternative to the ordinary baseball cap, don't you think?Many, many years ago, my best friend and I were eating vegetable soup. I found a nasty looking piece of carrot in mine and removed it from my soup commenting that it was a "scary carrot." My friend, who is a very competent artist, drew me a little cartoon of a scary carrot complete with fangs and viscious expression. I still have that scrap of notebook paper buried in my boxes of memorabilia. Anyway, my dear friend moved to Indiana over a year ago, and I miss her very much. Wouldn't it be fun to mail her this funny little guy by plushoff? He's not so scary, but I think she'll get the joke. Besides, anthropomorphic food is pretty funny!I am dying to own a piece of art by Scarlett Cat! I just think she has such a unique style. A great combination of girly and sexy! I'd like to start with an ACEO, and maybe, someday, I'll be able to justify a larger piece.Even though I am anxious for spring to truly arrive, I have to admit that I prefer sweaters and jeans to shorts and t-shirts! And, surely, if I need a sweater, it couldn't hurt for my mug to have one, too, right? Isn't this just about the most clever thing? So warm and snuggly looking! I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I do adore a nice hot chocolate. This would look so cute sitting on my desk at work! You can get one from JuleeQue!

What's a girl to do? Maybe I'll dedicate my next sale to myself and use the money for a special treat. I'm only two away from sale #100. Maybe one of these items should be my reward! I'm the queen of justification. I'm sure I'll find a way to get at least one of these into my possession.

Confession

I have not sewn anything in about 2 weeks. I confess, I just haven't felt like it. Please forgive me for the lack of new stuff in my shop. I'm sure the urge will come back to me, but for now, I'm just going to go with the flow, because if it doesn't make me happy, and it's not a necessity, I'm not going to do it.

I did scrapbook a couple layouts this weekend. And that did make me happy!

Visit Parkville!

It has become a tradition for Mr. Kay and I to take one weekend each year, usually in February, and spend it in a fun little town, stay in a bed and breakfast and just be together with no other distractions. This year we went to Parkville, Missouri, which is just north of Kansas City. Such a fun little place! Lots of hip, cool shops all crammed into a very small town.

The one that really caught my eye was Nine Lives at 103 Main Street. Kind of a combination gift-antique store with none of the cheap, cheesiness that sometimes manages to sneak into those kinds of places. Everything was arranged so beautifully, and even though I went to Parkville with no intention of even thinking about my sewing, I couldn't help but be inspired!

I really wanted one of these skirts, but I ended up not taking the time to properly try them on. I could have spent all day in this shop, but I could tell the Mr. was getting anxious to move on. There was just so much to look at and soak in, and the owner was very sweet and friendly.

If you are ever in Parkville, I highly recommend that you stop in! Oh, and eat at the Power Plant and stay at the Porch Swing Inn! Both wonderful places!

Uninspired

I am feeling totally lazy and uninspired this week. I can't even think about sewing! I'm just not feeling it at the moment. It's one of those downtimes that every creative person has, and I'm just going to let it ride and wait for that next wave of productivity to come.

Mr. Kay and I did go on a little getaway to Parkville, MO, this past weekend. I've got pictures and will try to post those later. I want to tell you about a great little shop I found there!