Lesalicious

 

I got my Swap Swap Gals package from Lesa!  She made these amazing sewn bags with dragonfly and butterfly fabric.  The dragonfly bag is really roomy with an oval shape bottom. 

Book bag-size is actually my favorite size bag for everyday use.  I like the circle handles, too.  They’re big enough I can fit my arm through and carry the bag on my shoulder (a definite plus!)  On a side note, I wonder how she managed to cover the handles with matching fabric without it being loose.

The smaller butterfly bag has this great diamond shape sewn on with gold glitter added as an accent.  The style is great!  This is a really nice evening bag that can double for daytime.  The handles are black on the outside and butterfly-print on the inside. 

Both the butterfly and dragonfly print bags are lined with matching fabric and magnetic closures.  I’m so impressed with all the professional sewing!  Plus, I have not tried magnetic closures yet, so I really appreciate them!

Lesa also included this ruffle top crochet clutch with a gusset bottom.  The jewel-tone yarn feels like suede or chenille to me.  Whatever it is, the yarn is really soft and sturdy.

The clutch has a magnetic closure also.  With Lesa’s magnetic closure tutorial for crochet purses and a real life example, I think I might be brave enough to try it out on my next purse. 

 

Along with the purses, Lesa also sent me this light pink candle.  The scent is really mellow, but sweet.  The candle says strawberries, but I think it smells like strawberries and cream. 

Anyway, it smells wonderful and candles are always useful in this area since we get lots of blackouts with the summer storms.    

Along with the purses and candle, I got a nice card, a set of pens, and matching memo pads.  I love the colored patterns on each of the pens and the flower-shaped memo pads are so cute! 

Finally, Lesa sent me a skein of baby blue, light weight yarn.  I’ve never seen this brand before, but the yarn is really soft and the color is really pretty. 

Thanks again, Lesa for the fantastic purse swap package!  I’m so happy to be your recipient this time around; I hope to get you as my recipient in the future.  Swap Swap Gals is so much fun and I’m so glad that you started the group!

 

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Crafts ‘n things

There’s a magazine out there called Crafts ‘n Things. Could you believe that they’ve got a collection of crochet patterns tucked between craft sections? This mosaic is just a sampling of the crochet projects included in the February 2008 issue.

The amigurumi doll is titled “Princess Peony”.  What a cute name for a doll!  As far as I’ve read the arms don’t have wires so they’re probably not poseable as the picture suggests.  Even without poseable arms she’s a promising project and comes out at 16″, which is a sizable little crochet creation.

The baby blanket with the delicate shell border would look nice all in one color.  The two tone is pretty too, though.  As for the quilt, the pattern calls for a vintage doily for each square.  I like the idea, but I don’t know if I would tack handmade doilies to a quilt.

The applique bird has nothing to do with crochet, but I liked project with the rick-a-rack edging.  Looks like a fairly simple way to spruce up the kitchen towels. 

There are tons of projects crammed into the Crafts ‘n Things magazine.  Along with eleven crochet patterns and one knitting pattern, (can you believe those odds?) there is a mish mash of Martha Stewart-ish crafts.  The sections read like this: heartfelt gifts, hooked on crochet, the jewelry box, crafting green, cards*stamps*style, simply quilts, product showcase. 

You get cross stitch, wall hangings, photo album bindings, gift basket ideas and much, much more so, even if you aren’t a rubber stamp person, there are plenty of other crafts covered.  It was actually nice to see a selection of popular crafts all in one magazine.  One downfall of the magazine is there are so many different craft projects there aren’t many articles focused on technique.  However, if you’re looking to expand your crafty mind and score a few crochet patterns in the process it’s worth the $5.99 U.S./ $6.99 CAN INT’L, or at least a proper skim in line at the grocery store. 

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