One in every color

For their upcoming family vacation

mom ordered a wet bikini bag

for each daughter.

Pretty sure she included one for herself...my kind of shopper!

There are reasons

This is a NEGATIVE POST...just a warning ...read at your own risk.

There are reasons I love my basement and feel most comfortable here. Here are a few:

• I do not like to drive, especially in unfamiliar places (yes, I got lost trying to meet Rach for dinner)
• I can not drive, talk on the phone, and read road signs at the same time
• I am the only driver in NC that uses a turn signal & understands who goes when at a 4 way stop
• People who are overly tattooed and talk with cigarettes hanging in their mouth scare me
• Exposed breast, fat rolls, butt cracks & underwear and ill-fitting clothes disgust me
• Women talking on cells phones in public whilst ignoring their screaming children annoy me
• Stores that have 50 check out lanes but only 3 open frustrate me
• I am baffled by the number of people living in the US who can't/won't speak English
• Same non-citizens buying groceries with EBT cards (electron benefits transfer...food stamps!) enrage me
• EBT cards that look like credit/debit cards make me sick to death of political correctness
• I am irritated by people who say they will contact me and then don't, especially for business transactions
• Politicians appall me with their arrogance and their total disregard of wishes of the people.

That should do it for now...thanks for letting me rant.

Airplane widow

You've all heard of (and you may be one) golf widows, football widows, fishing widows ...you get my drift...well, I'm an Airplane widow! One of hubby's hobbies (mind you I said ONE) is flying. He has a sweet Cessna Cardinal. He loves me, the girls and his plane. Hopefully in that order!
But not this week...Cardinal takes first billing. It's annual inspection time. Not only does he love flying the plane, he likes tinkering with it. He would be offended by that description, because it really is more like mechanicing. He takes the entire plane apart, bolt by bolt. Cleans every part, greases, paints, replaces worn parts, takes pictures of everything...really intense stuff. He is meticulous. Which works for me since I fly around in the thing with him! If he wasn't an Engineer, he would be an airplane mechanic and he would be a good one. He dreams of building his own plane someday and I have no doubt he will. The inspector will be here tomorrow and without question said plane will pass with flying colors. Excuse the pun.
Meanwhile, I've taken advantage of the empty house to catch up on some projects. Started some of that cleaning mentioned earlier. Dang, I hate housework! My back aches today, but my floors and bathrooms sparkle! The basement is shaping up too (at least my side). Fabric is all nice & neat, organized by color and everything in it's right place. Embroidery blanks are stored away in labeled drawers. What did people do before they invented those plastic storage thingies?
Almost finished the order list, here are pics of what I did today. Don't know which I like best! Pretty in Pink (top) is my most popular girl gift set right now. This one includes a hooded towel.
The 'church tote' (center) goes with the gift set I featured yesterday.
The last photo shows the new infant bibs and caps that I picked up at market earlier this month. Just added a little ribbon and monogram, so sweet! Pink for girls and blue for boys. Will be adding them to the website soon.
Three & a half weeks before school starts...I usually start 'mourning' about now. I love summer vacation!

Feeling froggie?

This is my new favorite! A little different from the typical sweet baby pink or blue , but it really works for me.
I 'm trying to work myself into a cleaning/organizing mood. The basement is a mess...new inventory is arriving daily and there's no place to put everything. I can not stand clutter, so something must be done. My A+ son-in-law took measurements to build a 'ribbon storage rack' to hang on the wall. Can't wait...it will be a great organizer, I'll be able to see all of that beautiful ribbon all of the time & it will free up several (6...so I like ribbon!) drawers for other stuff! I suspended the house keeping service for the summer....trying to save a few dollars & no reason I can't do it since I'm home,right?...yeah, well that's not working for me. We need some serious, old fashion Spring Cleaning up in here! I have been cleaning out a drawer or cabinet here and there, at this rate I'll be finished by winter! Might have to give my girl a call...need orders, please! so I can be 'just too busy to clean'.
Hope you have something great planned for the weekend...I'll be hanging out here.

Fruits of my labor....

This is what I did in the Basement today.

Mom is here visiting but I still managing to get a little work done. Tote w/diamond monogram

I love khaki & black

So classic, good for all seasons, goes with almost everything!

Bikini Bag for the winner of our giveaway!

Doesn't get more preppy than this.

Don't be jealous, yours is just a click away!

http://www.basementbags.com/Bikini%20Bag.htm

We have a winner....

First of all, everyone who entered is a winner and I appreciate your participation. Hope you will visit 'My Basement' often and shop with me at Basement Bags. A million thanks to Preppy 101 for hosting, she is fabulous! Now...Congratulations to Bitsy and Olive, she is the winner of an adorable personalized Wet Bikini bag. This was my first giveaway and it was so much fun...you have my word there will be more in the future.

Show & tell....

First shippment of new ribbon purchased at market arrived today...love it!

Gift Set for Baby "S"

Gender & name unknown...nice that some couples still want it to be a surprise!

This set includes two burp cloths, bib, hooded towel and a matching paci pal.

Clutches, complete with frames. I showed you the insides a few days ago.

Don't forget to enter our giveaway...deadline is midnight!

"Welcome to My Basement!"

Here's a big ole "Hey ya'll" to all of my new blogger friends! Mega exciting to see so many new faces ... thanks for stopping by ... please take a minute to check out www.basementbags.com
Hopefully I'll be around to visit you, your blog that is, soon. Good luck with the giveaway!

Shoes will travel in style

Bag for Purple Shoes!

Brides and wedding planners constantly amaze me with their attention to detail and their ability to come up with unique touches that make the day completely memorable. This shoe bag was commissioned by a MOG (yes, Mother of the GROOM!..I'm so impressed with her thoughtfulness!) for her future daughter-in-law to transport her purple wedding shoes. The wedding colors are purple and green...this fabric is a perfect match! As for the bride wearing purple shoes?... I love the idea of a little color tucked away in the traditional sea of white.

Have you entered our giveaway?

click here for details

Giveaway!

We're giving away this adorable

Wet Bikini Bag!

The fabulous Preppy 101 is hosting this giveaway, check her blog http://southernandpreppy.blogspot.com

for entry rules. Good luck!

Cute inside & out

Clutch bags waiting for frames

Since someone {me!} didn't order enough clutch frames this set of bags is just waiting for the shipment to arrive. So much for staying ahead of the game! Anyway, it's a great opportunity to show you that these bags are as cute on the inside as they are on the outside!

I was fortunate to have two amazing women in my life who guided my induction into the Wonderful World of Sewing. When I was 10 years old, my (favorite) Aunt Emily (also a Home Economics teacher) started teaching me the basics. Then in high school, my Home Eco. teacher, Mrs. Garrison, challenged me to perfect those skills. She encouraged me to always keep learning and pushed me to make a more difficult project each time. Of all the things she taught me, I think the most important was to value my talents. One of her favorite sayings was: "Your garment should look as nice on the inside as the outside"... I didn't really understand it then, thought it was just a way for her to torture us into doing more work. I realized later that she was teaching us about quality workmanship and taking pride in your product, even the inside part that others typically don't see. I think of Mrs. Garrison every time I pick out a fun fabric for the lining of a bag, it's just another way to make each one special and "as nice on the inside as it is on the outside"!

This little piggy went to market....

Three, 18 story buildings connected by sky walks, jam packed, wall to wall stuff for sale! Our first trip to AmericasMart in Atlanta...Absolutely overwhelming! My feet are actually bruised from all the walking. Didn't really know what to expect and may never go again, but it was definitely an experience. Picked up some great embroidery blanks- newborn bibs & caps, garment bags & matching duffles, linen hand towels (some really cute ones for Christmas) and ordered ribbon that is to die for! I could have spent a kazillion dollars! But of course I played it 'safe' and didn't buy anything outrageous. Great wholesale prices, but when you figure in the expenses: air plane fuel (hubby flew us, 5.5 hr drive vs. 1.5 hr flight, no contest!), hotel, meals (that very nice bottle of wine!), taxi fare (OMG!!!) there's no doubt it is more cost effective for me to do my 'click & buy' right here on the computer. Hubby was a real trooper and we got to meet Kay (blogger/email friend) in person, she is just as nice in the flesh as on the computer. Now, time to process the stack of orders that waited patiently while I was off playing in the big city! Nice weekend, but next time market rolls around this little piggy will probably stay home.

Little lamb....

Ethan had a little lamb, little lamb....we are allowed to change the name, right? Lamb Roundy Applique shown here is one of my new designs, so sweet for the little boys! I changed bib vendors recently (old ones had Velcro that wouldn't stick). I love the colored trim and adjustable snap fasteners on the new ones. Hope you'll check out all the great baby gift sets at BasementBags!

Off to market tomorrow...can't wait to share all my treasures with you next week. 'Til then, take care!

Rules about being mad

So if you are mad at someone, then they can't be mad at you because you are mad at them, right? not everyone knows these rules and they need to read up on being mad or this could go on for longer than necessary. End of subject.

Been busy in the basement...do you love this set of clutches for a wedding party or what? The bride wanted them alike, yet different...I think we accomplished that. This was a fun project! The black and white bags are lined with hot pink satin so the bride decided she would do a 'reverse' bag for herself (with sassy zebra print lining). I've had an awful headache for the past couple of days and it just dawned on me that it's the new glue used to attach the fabric to the metal frames...dah! No wonder I have to order it from UK, probably banned in the United States...definitely need to leave the fan on next time.

We're home...

Hope everyone had a fun & safe holiday weekend. We just rolled in from the lake house (been there since Thurs) and I'm so rested it is sinful! I'm ready to crank up these machines and produce something. It was a very nice long weekend - all of the girls (and friends) were there at one time or another. Hubby has the whole week off but he has so many projects planned that I probably won't see him much. We are taking a quick trip to Atlanta at the end of the week to attend the 'market'...this will be a first and I'm so excited. Hubby is excited too, but mostly for an excuse to fly me there!
Stayed tuned for some new pictures...I'm working on a fun set of black/white/hot pink clutches for a wedding party.