Author Archives: SewTara

I splurged a bit.

When my shop was featured I had some money come in and it was just my birthday and some lovely people gave me money too so I decided to treat myself to some of my Etsy wishes. Since I have a tote/purse/bag weakness I stumbled upon, and fell in love with, this bag from luckycann.

I had a terrible time deciding on the colour I wanted.

Now that it’s arrived I’m totally in love with it and want to order more colours just because!

Just for fun I wanted to share what I actually carry in my bag! It’s funny when the bag I’m using is one I’ve made myself because when people ask “Did you make that?” I usually answer with “Yes and this and this and this and this . . ”

Clockwise from top left – budgeting envelope, coin purse, wallet (pattern here), notebook with cover (tutorial here), purse organizer (pattern here), thing I put my earbuds in (pattern here), sunglass case, pencil case (pattern here) and in the middle, of course, my cup cozy!

So this happened last week.

I was listed in the Etsy October Gift Guide email.

A rush on my store followed. The Etsy iPhone app is awesome, price it goes “cha-ching!” when you get a sale. My phone was going nuts while I was at work. Sadly, I work in a windowless classroom with very poor signal so I had trouble keeping up with renewing listings and replying to convos all while working. But it was a good day.
I treated myself to some items I was lusting for and then I responsibly left some money in my Paypal account and moved a chunk into my bank account. Savvy business woman right here!

Sundays around here.

This is what my kitchen has ended up looking like for the past few Sundays.

I’ve been taking over the counter and going nuts on meals for the week, lunches I swap with friends, baking for my kids lunches and just general cooking. Then I go nuts with a few dishwasher loads and lots of general cleaning. But I’m also learning, I’ve been putting on informative podcasts, or TED talks and such. I’m kinda a force of nature lately.

I did it!

For now. Whew.

Sometimes when I leave work, where I spend my day in a windowless classroom with cement brick walls with wonky wifi, I’m greated with a little icon that says I have 50+ emails.

I feel good about this ‘All read’ thing.

Hey girl

Wow it’s been crazy at work, you know since it started 11 school days ago! It’s just been nuts. In case you’re new around these here parts, I teach a special education class. While some people say I *only* have 10 students, many of them are very high needs. Not to mention I’ve got 5 different grades in my class, which really doesn’t mean anything because I’ve got 10 different levels going on in my 10 students. So it’s kinda madness.

Those are some lavender scented eye pillows I made for my class to use in our sensory room. We put calming music on, like something you’d hear at the spa and for some the smell is too much but other students really enjoy smelling or feeling the pillows.

That said, Friday is my birthday and I totally plan on having some fun this weekend and also getting some time to make a something since I worked really hard on the weekend to tidy my craft space and now it deserves to get used!

We did this fun little booklet where you have to put the right number of apples on the trees. I carved each of my students their own little apple stamp.

I’ve been trying to fit creating in with this whole work thing, or combining them if I’m tight on time.

Stay tuned, I promise I’ll be back ;)

I made soap!

No really! And it was so cool!

With the help of Claire at Homespun Dazzle who taught me the great and mysterious ways of soap making, not to mention provided the supplies, I have hand crafted some pretty awesome* lime poppyseed soap!

*opinion may be biased.

The giant brick o’soap I had once I peeled the container away. I was attempting to make a swirly design, it didn’t really turn out that way but I love how it is.

It smells great, looks fun and the poppyseeds add some texture. Now it just has to cure in my kitchen for 6 weeks before I can use it. Crazy huh?

She also makes *amazing* soy candles. I mean it, literally amazing.

Blarg!

I’m at school :(

I’d rather be creating. Well that’s not true, I love being a teacher.

I get to be a teacher by day, get paid for it, come home and be a mom to my 2 little boys who I love more than anything, then I get to spend some me time working on myself or creating.

It’s going to be a great school year.

Another WIP gets finished.

I finished this bag a little bit ago. It’s made with a Michelle Patterns pattern. My best friend started it when I started my own bag, we were working together. But then she left it here and so I went ahead and finished it.

It’s great fabric and the colour combination is really nice, yellow and grey, love it.

It was a fun quick project to finish and it was nice to put a smile on her face by pulling out her finished bag. Isn’t the blingy button great?

Modcloth, I love you.

Ohhhhh this came for me today! It’s the
Bows Upon Bows Cardigan
.

I love it. Love, love, love it!

I had
Wave Reviews Cardigan
in my cart but took it out, but put it back, but took it out . . .

It’s even on sale now! Wishlisted it is.

I also ordered this, even though the only size left was a touch too big. It was on sale for a ridiculously low price, I just couldn’t pass it up!

Nothing a little work with a serger can’t fix.

New Shop?

Ages ago I worked really hard to brainstorm a cool name for another Etsy shop.

My brainstorming, and pestering some friend, paid off and I came up with a great name for the shop. I signed up on Etsy and since it’s just been sitting there.

Waiting for me to fill it with the things I want to make for it.

And waiting.

I had planned to get to it this summer and so far, this is as far as I’ve gotten. Making the screens.

Perhaps this weekend, before school starts again, I can go insane with creativity and get it all done and launched?!

Cross your fingers form me and send some happy creative thoughts.