Fabric totes are all the rage these days.  You can advertise just about any store by buying their $1 bag.  But why let your family and friends use a store brand when you can make a personalized one in no time?  To make it cheap, find whatever fabric is on sale.  Canvas, burlap, and nylon ripstop are great options.  Or even cheaper and greener, use old clothes like a pair of cargo pants, jeans, raincoat — you get the idea.

The bag can be simple with four rectangular sides and a bottom sewn together with a couple handles.

Or even simpler with two sides sewn together on the sides, bottom, and handles.

Or, go crazy with extra pockets, handles, and shoulder straps. (This one took me quite a lot longer than a simple one, but I love how it turned out)

Check out all the side pockets for condiments, drinks, etc.

I started this one from a pattern, but learned that it can so easily be customized to whatever dimensions you’d like.  I could also see adjusting the outer pockets some to accommodate a wine bottle or two — just thinking

- Clarissa

Vintage is in!  Aprons are back and all over the stores.  Sewing an apron can be a nice gift for any cook, baker, or barbeque-er (is there a real name for them?) on your gift list. Even Martha Stewart is sewing aprons, she has a simple apron tutorial and pattern on her website.

Want to get a little more creative?  Here’s a list of 52 Free apron patterns available online.  A cute trend I’ve seen are aprons fitted more like a dress than an apron, and even some with ruffles at the bottom.  Really it makes sense — when you take the time to get dressed up for company, why put a boring apron on top?

Even if you’re not a seamstress, consider buying a plain apron and dressing it up with some iron-on designs or letters.  At any office supply store you can find iron-on “paper” that runs through your desktop printer.  So, make any design on your computer, print it on the special “paper”, and iron it on to an apron (I’ve learned from experience this works best on light-colored fabric).  Personal, fun, and easy!

- Clarissa

Gift ideas you can make in time for Christmas –

My Christmas count-down clock is at 14 days!  I’m a Christmas nut — something of the pecan family I’d like to think — and just love this season.  I love seeing family, I love shopping and making things for other people, I love Christmas songs, I love making Christmas cookies, and I love love love Christmas lights.  I’ll have to get outside and get some pictures of our lights for you.  We had a good time (well, minus the big tree/wind incident, but whatever).  Ok, enough of that, now to my point…

I have collected a few home-made gift ideas that are easy enough to start and finish before Christmas arrives.  And I don’t mean finishing at 1am Christmas morning.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that because I’ve certainly done it — remember the CDs, Dad?  And the year I decided to make a weekly calendar for my Mom (back in the stone age before Shutterfly and those guys) and did a page with a picture for each week.  After scanning each picture (no digitals, of course) and organizing the calendar, I was down to only a day or two to print.  With our old-school printer and PrintShop, it only took 2 days of straight printing at about 15 minutes per page – that one ended after Christmas Eve church too.  I must be into the tangents today because I just did it again.  So now that you know I like Christmas lights and am a procrastinator, what’s in it for you?

This awesome home-made chalkboard mat idea that’s what!  Check it out.

This idea and the photos came from my mom who came up with the idea and put them together. The basis is a fabric available at most fabric stores that works as a chalkboard.  It’s flexible, so it can be sewn on a regular machine like any other fabric and uses plain ole chalk.

She did a couple as placemats to keep kids busy at restaurants.

You can see she used old jeans for the backside so the chalk and eraser cloth have a nice little seat for the ride.  How cool is that?  Then, the whole mat just rolls up and goes anywhere.  I’m thinking a version of the chalkboard placemat would also be a cool gift for non-parents to use at home as a way to dress up a table for the season.  The host and hostess could write names like placecards or draw decorations to fit the dinner.

The other gift she made is a refrigerator note board.  It uses the same chalkboard fabric, but has a little pocket on the front for chalk.  What a cool idea?  Plus it’s lightweight and flexible so not always falling off when the door closes like our now broken dry erase board.

So, give that a try for a nice little gift for someone on your list.  And stay tuned for the next idea on Tuesday!

- Clarissa