Tuesday Tutorial: The Petal Pusher Bag

This tutorial was inspired by a few different sources – (I’m copying their links below the post for ya). Anyways, I’ll just say it started from a J.Crew petal-covered backpack & went from there after a couple of wonderfully crafty bloggers got involved…& now for my version…

Directions:

I started with a plain canvas bag with wooden handles (I found mine @ Hobby Lobby Craft Store – I’ve actually had it for a long time & not been sure what to do with it). My white petals came from the Dollar Tree (I just love that store =) around Valentine’s Day, but you should be able to find some somewhere now (check wedding supplies). At 1st I thought I’d sew the petals on, but after many finger pricks & other various calamities, I gave up & brought out my old pal the hot glue gun. Starting at the bottom of the bag & working up, I glued on the petals (overlapping them so most of the canvas is invisible). TIP: glue near the top of the petal (not much glue is required to hold the petal in place), & with the next row slightly overlap the top, because the hot glue can make a darker-looking spot on the petals – which you don’t want visible). When I got to the top of the bag, I folded the top part of the petal under, so it’s not showing (again be careful gluing – you don’t want dark spots near the top of your bag). Lastly, I tied a beige ribbon to the handle in a bow, & fray checked the ends (I used a glue stick to do this =)… & there you have it…The Petal Pusher Bag.

Isn't it cute? I really like how it turned out! Just perfect for spring (though, while I’m typing this, I can see snow out my window…O, Spring, where art thou?

My Inspiration…
http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/2009/08/guest-blogger-happy-together-with.html
http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2009/09/super-easy-petal-clutch.html

"The grass withers & the flowers fall,

but the word of our God stands forever."

- Isaiah 40:8

Disney's Got A Contest!

Well, the lovely Disney's hosting a challenge, & I'm just so excited (no, I'm not talking Mickey-Mouse-Disney). Disney: a mommy, preacher's wife, & fabulous crafter over at "Ruffles & Stuff," is to whom I refer. She created the book clock tutorial I previously posted. The contest centers around ruffles (what else =), & there are some GREAT prizes up for grabs for the winners. Click the button on my sidebar for more! I can't wait...

Oh yeah, the contest runs from March 1st - April 2nd. Disney will be posting more, so continue to check out her blog!

A Little Women Creation

-Little Women Collage-
Amy, the youngest of the March sisterhood, is known as the artsy one – as she loves to paint & draw, etc. In my creating, I used her as a sort of muse, thinking to myself, ‘What would Amy do?’ For this collage I used lots of various items that I had in my stash (old buttons, scraps of paper, some old trimming, etc.)(collage is one of my fav mediums by the way). The black & white photo (taken from a magazine) is an image of Orchard House, Louisa May Alcott’s family home (I can just picture Jo running about the place with Laurie making mischief next door). I also typed up a quote that I particularly love from the book & pasted it on (it’s also from one of my favorite chapters, “Under the Umbrella”). It comes after Professor Bhaer learns Jo's feelings (and Jo learns his), & he states that Jo has given him much in the way of "hope & courage" & he feels he has "but a full heart & these empty hands" to offer her. =) Here is the quote:

“Jo never, never would learn to be proper; for when he said that as they stood upon the steps, she just put both hands into his, whispering tenderly, “Not empty now,” and, stooping down, kissed her Friedrich under the umbrella. It was dreadful, but she would have done it if the flock of draggletailed sparrows on the hedge had been human beings, for she was very far gone indeed…”
-Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

How lovely is the improper Jo! Well, it is very sad, indeed, to see Little Women week gone! Thanks again to Rebecca @ A Young Lady's Blog for creating & hosting this literary challenge! It has been most enjoyable! =)

10!

Well, this is my 10th post… & I have 10 Gal Pals (well, actually 11, now – which is even better)! Thank you to all who take the time to read my blog & a big THANK YOU to all my Pals… I wish we could all sit down together with a pot of tea & yummy cakes & chat. Thank you… Ashley Nicole, Atlanta, Natasha, JessicaMae, Hanne-col, Emily, Rebecca, Bridget, Lulu, Rose, & Karis!

10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Bess…
1. The drone of a bagpipe makes me smile!
2. I’ve gone to public schools for all my elementary, middle, & high school years.
3. I love Nancy Drew books, & it’s my secret ambition to be a super sleuth. Shh!
4. I was 16 when I was baptized & accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior. I grew up in a loving & active Christian family, but it took me awhile to make my decision – the most important decision in my life…ever. I’m so glad I made it & Jesus is in my heart & washes me of my sins (& gives me the hope of everlasting life)!
5. I’ve waded in Loch Ness!
6. I teach a preschool class at my church on Wednesday nights with 3 other ladies.
7. I heart a good fairy tale.
8. The word ‘zephyr’ is one of my favorites.
9. I RARELY use my cell phone.
10. I think it would be cool to be a mermaid… I know, I know, it sounds like the reverse of a Hans Christian Andersen fantasy.

Louisa, You're Such the Literary Fashionista!

In typical Jo-fashion, I'm out-of-doors with bare feet & a stack of marvelous books. I intended to work on my writing, but as you can see from my crumpled companions - I had a bit of trouble.

What I've donned: a denim skirt I found at a yard sale (with a white lacey petticoat underskirt); a Ralph Lauren button-down (I unearthed this at a thrift shop); a Mossimo bolero (Target); a silver pen necklace (it actually has a working pen hanging on the chain - also from a yard sale); vintage rings; & a sweet little book & bow locket pin (you guessed it, from another tag sale) (my book is Louisa May Alcott's masterpiece, Little Women, of course).

Tuesday Tutorial: The Book Clock With Disney!

I just love Disney (yes, that’s her 1st name) over at “Ruffles & Stuff.” She’s an artistic genius! For today’s tutorial I’m linking over to her blog for her “Book Clock” tutorial, cause I thought what better in honor of “Little Women of 2010” week than to create a clock out of an old (or new) Little Women book (or any book =)! Click the link to see how Disney creates her fantastic book clock (& be sure to visit all of her tutorials & thoughts over at her blog (“Ruffles & Stuff”)). You can also visit through my fav links on my sidebar (it’s the “Calling All Crafty Girls” one)! Enjoy, & thanks to Disney for doing all the work for me on this one!

Link: http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2009/11/time-for-good-book.html

Jo: Little Woman

“Never till I’m stiff & old, & have to use a crutch. Don’t try to make me grow up before my time…” That is Josephine March’s rebuttal to her older sister Meg’s nagging & agitated question of “When will you stop such romping ways?” Jo, as she is known, is well suited to her boyish nickname, as she revels in such activities as fence-jumping, tree climbing, & running about most unladylike.
Jo, the second oldest of the four March sisters in Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women, has been beloved by generations. In her I find a dear kindred spirit & a very sympathetic soul, indeed – in fact, looking at Jo March is often like looking in a mirror.
Meg’s question has come at me many a time or two. I have enjoyed pastimes that others have deemed too frolicsome, futile, & silly. Climbing trees & jumping over things has always allured me, as well. True to tomboyish nature I have been known to run rather than walk.
Jo is also the writer of the family; scribbling stories as fast as they come to her mind. Louisa May Alcott based Little Women on her own sisterly crew, & Jo is most definitely a close representation of the author herself. I, too, have ambitions to be a writer – it is, truth be told, a very great dream of mine. If I could be a mile near as great a writer as Louisa May Alcott I would be pleased. Jo’s early troubled authorship is very like my own.
As Jo grows up (as she couldn’t stop it); she has a muddled time of it (as I suppose most do). But in her trials I see my own feelings unearthed – needing new horizons & adventures; being uncertain & angry at her family’s ever-changing state (as she loses a beloved family member & sisters marry); not wanting to be romantically entangled or matrimonially captured. She states, “Nobody will want me, & it’s a mercy, for there should always be one old maid in a family.” Yes, those have all been my feelings. Jo is my kindred literary counterpart.
We can read all of Jo’s story & no secrets are left to be had, but my story is still unfolding – and like Jo, I seek to face it & feel it & totally & completely live it, in order that I might see the details, secrets, & ending God has in store.
Quotes Taken From: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Grosset & Dunlap, 1993)

If You're a Jo, Too - You Just Might Like:

Here's a Jo-inspired Polyvore creation I quite liked:

Jo from Little Women by ♥charlotte♥please join my group on Polyvore.com