Yoga Mat Bag

Yoga is pretty much the only exercise I truly enjoy. So I decided to give my yoga mat some much needed love and sewed up my very own yoga mat bag!

There are plenty of yoga bag tutorials out there and there is a pattern for a yoga mat in nearly every one of my sewing books. I really loved a lot of the patterns and ended up combining the two I felt I could handle. Simple Sewing has a super easy pattern but I liked the rounded bottoms better so I used that part of the One Yard Wonders pattern as well as the larger pocket and lining. Amy Butler has a free Nigella Yoga Bag pattern that doesn't have a closed top if you like the open style more (if not you can add 4"-5" and make a casing for the cord closure) and Sew 4 Home has a lovely Yoga Mat Tote tutorial if you prefer a tote style.

I used some home decor fabric for the weight and because it was on sale ;) Just a tip if you want to use the same, I ended up having to double check labels since most all of those fabrics were Dry Clean Only. I'm definitely not a dry cleaning girl so I found some that were machine washable. Plus the fabric matched my yoga mat, yay! Total time was about 2 1/2 hours for me. Now I've got a great bag to store my mat in between workouts ;) Thanks for popping by and I hope you have a superb Saturday!

Pool Side

This was the last layout I made at the crop. I didn't quite finish it there since there were some things I didn't have with me that I ended up wanting to put on the page, like those little fishes from my Tiny Treats stamp set. It used to be that I'd stuff everything I had into a XXL Crop 'n Style rolling monstrocity and a couple huge tote bags because I didn't know what I would use and didn't want to leave anything behind that I would need. But now I limit myself to a single bag so that means I have to somewhat plan ahead on what I'm going to be working on which works great if I've done a little stash shopping to make a kit. It's definitely improved how I crop and how much I get done. Plus it's much easier to carry one tote instead of a trunk load of supplies ;) I've been paring down how much I take to crops for the past couple years and I'm still not quite as streamlined as I want to be yet, but I'm getting there! Enjoy the page and have a fabulous Friday!

Sweet Surprise Ruby

This week #3 SCRS Challenge is an inspiration challenge. I needed a jump start on mine so I ended up using the ESS #93 card sketch via Sparkle's Blog since the inspiration photo simply made me crave dessert. We have the goodies for strawberry shortcake so that will satisfy my sweet tooth for now ;) Isn't Cupcake Ruby a cutie pie? I hope she's sharing that cupcake with some friends! Enjoy and have a great Thursday!

Papers by October Afternoon

Cardstock by American Crafts

Rhinestones by Kaiser

Sentiment by Papertrey Ink

Image by Sparkle Creations

With a Cherry

I miss little toddler swimsuits. A had such darling swimsuits the past couple years. The little girl ones just don't have that same adorableness factor. Not that she doesn't still look stinkin' cute in her little suit, it's just the girls' suits look... well older. Last year's model was a skirted pink cherry number. Too cute, so I had to make a page with cherries on it! I think pool pictures are nearly as stressful as Christmas pictures. I'm always afraid my camera is going to get wet so I don't always get the best shots. But I love the feel of pool pictures. I love the clear blue water and the bright happy swimsuits. I love the contrast of hot and cool, the giggles and squeals. I just wish it wasn't such a precarious position for my camera to be in ;) Anyway, thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Lemonade Paper by Basic Grey

Dotted Paper Detours by October Afternoon

Cardstock by Bazzil

Flowers by Prima

Cherry Chipboard Dear Lizzy by American Crafts

Flower Chipboard Urban Prairie by Basic Grey

Lush Decorative Brads by My Minds Eye

Thickers and Remarks letter stickers by American Crafts

Ticket Quite Contrary by My Minds Eye

Fiskars Apron Lace Punch

Float like a little Boat

Can you tell I was loving my Lemonade papers at the crop? I often find that I really have to switch gears when I'm at a crop. At home I scrap with my laptop ready so that I can use a sketch or draw inspiration from another layout. When I crop I don't take my computer and I end up having to pull ideas from someplace else. Sometimes it's from the products I'm using, like in this layout, other times it's from the pictures and occassionally I even have my own designs rattling around in my head. It's a longer process since I'm not lifting directly from another visual and am having to compose the page by trial and error. But even though it takes longer and can be more difficult, there is something satisfying and liberating about making a layout that's completely your own ;) I hope you enjoy and have a great Monday!

Lemonade Papers by Basic Grey

Baby Pink Cardstock by Close to My Heart

Other Cardstock by Bazzil

Splash (flower) Chipboard Urban Prairie by Basic Grey

Ticket Quite Contrary by My Minds Eye

Flowers by Prima

Glazed Lemonade and Urban Prairie Brads by Basic Grey

Thickers and Remarks Letter Stickers by American Crafts

Apron Lace Punch by Fiskars

Swim Lil Fish, Swim

Thanks for the water well wishes! The city repaired the line pretty quick the next day and finished over an hour earlier than planned. We ran errands and did a little shopping to make the day go by quicker and the water was back on before we got home, yay! Thursday I got to crop with some friends so I'll be sharing my layouts from that night over the next week. For this one I pulled together some blue scraps and some BG Lemonade papers. You can tell I'm still lovin' circles ;) And I've finally gotten to put my wave border punch to use with these pool pics. I got it on sale half off months and months ago and have been waiting for summer inspiration to strike so that I can use it!

C went through ages 3-5 adamant about not getting into the pool. She loved wading pools, the bath, the water park... but the swimming pool was a whole other thing. We would go and A and I would swim around (well I would swim around while holding A, hehe) and C would just sit on the top pool step, refusing to come in even though every time we went she was so excited. Each year it was the same and as long as she was safe and happy we figured it wasn't worth a battle. Last summer was a complete 180. She was rushing into the water, kickin' and swimming around with her floaties, wanting to go to the deep end, practicing holding her breath to go underwater... it was like she had been gazing out into this new world all this time and was suddenly brave enough to explore it. C had become a little mermaid and she's loved the pool ever since ;) Enjoy and have a lovely weekend!

Lemonade Paper by Basic Grey
Blue Detours Paper by October Afternoon
Wave and Dot Paper by Scenic Route
Cardstock by American Crafts
Flower by Prima
Flower Remarks Dear Lizzy by American Crafts
Glazed Lemonade Brads by Basic Grey
Thickers and Remarks letter stickers by American Crafts
Journal Lines Stamps by Papertrey Ink
Heavenly Blue Ink by Close to My Heart
Heart Punch by EK Success
Fiskars Wave Punch