Crafty Natalie

Recent Custom Orders

natalie — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:17:55 +0000

i can’t believe summer is practically over! it’s been a busy time, and i’ve had lots of stuff keeping me occupied the last three months! i’ve been (really bad!!) about posting latest creations, so hopefully now that the kids are heading back to school i have a bit more time to get on here more than once in a blue moon!

thought i’d post some of the recent custom orders that i’ve had while i get back in the swing of things!

i love this new style purse. it’s a much smaller style than i’m used to making, but looks can definitely be deceiving because it’s VERY roomy! (and although there are no interior pockets, i don’t find that to be a problem when i’m carrying my version!)

i’ve had my nephews several times during the week all summer long. they’ve had to do a few pages of workbook pages a day while they are at my house (one of my nephews is starting kindergarten, so we’ve been prepping him with letters and numbers). my sister always packs a bag with their workbooks and whatnot, and everyday when we sit down to work on the pages, we are always scrounging around for pens/crayons! so, i managed to make them each a small pencil pouch, that’s embroidered with their names, and not only that, the fabrics i used were their sports they like!

and lastly, i had another order for a baby playmat. this monkey fabric is too cute! it’s amazing how hard it is to find some cute monkey fabric, but i got it from this Etsy shop. (most of the time i find that baby prints are in either pink or blue, so i was glad we were able to find a more neutral tone!) the backside is a really soft, plush minky brown, and i layered it with some thick batting, and added some toy links to the sides.

Back to School Sale!

natalie — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:18:56 +0000

this post is about a week overdue, but thought i’d give you all a heads-up that there is a back to school sale going on in my shop! MacBook sleeves and larger style tote bags have been marked down! (i know there is only one 15inch sleeve right now, but i have a few more to add, which will be posted later this week!) and for all the kiddies that are starting school, i marked down and am offering free shipping on the girls’ alligator hair clips!

Frisco Family Vacation

natalie — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:45:14 +0000

thought i’d post some pics from our latest trip! hubby and i went out to Colorado to visit with his family. it was my first time to Colorado, and more than anything, was nice to get away from the awful heat here in DC! (i remember the night we drove in to the mountains, i think it was in the 40s!! what a nice change from having a heat index of 110!!)

i promise…i’ll be back to show some latest projects that i’ve been working on!

Another custom messenger bag

natalie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:52:45 +0000

just wanted to show off my latest custom order! it’s another messenger bag made with Michael Miller’s “Owl By Myself” fabric, with the top flap and interior made with Michael Miller’s “Divine Damask.”

it’s not exactly a print i think of for warm weather months, but it works! after i took this picture i actually tweaked it a bit (and didn’t get an actual final outcome picture)…but see how it’s kind’ve bare in the front? (the owls are spread out throughout the fabric, and when i was cutting, didn’t realize the actual end placement would be so empty..) so, right in the middle front, i ended up cutting out an oval owl from some of the leftover remnant, and stitching it right in the front with a coordinating yellow thread, so that the owl would grab your attention when looking at it!

Passport Holders

natalie — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:37:04 +0000

every time i take a trip out of the country i always say i’m going to make myself a passport wallet for my purse (since i usually carry such a big bag, i’m forever having to dig around for my ticket and passport!) since my trip to the Dominican came and went i decided to make a passport wallet for my friend who was going to Taiwan and Japan instead of one for myself! since she was going with her husband and young son, i decided to make them each one.

the first one is like an actual wallet. it’s longer, with slots on the side for the passport and ticket, and smaller slots on the opposite side that could carry cards or cash.

(i figured my friend would probably be the one in charge of carrying everything since most likely she’d be carrying a purse anyways, so i made the passport wallet in the feminine style…that way, if she was in charge of carrying all three passports, they’d all fit in here).

the other two passport wallets are a plainer style, which just two pockets. they came out slightly larger (wider) than i would have liked, so when i make them again, i’ll decrease the width of it!

once i tweak the designs and get them to where i want them, i’ll definitely be adding these little accessories to the shop!

Custom Tote Bags

natalie — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:19:09 +0000

just thought i’d post a few more custom orders i recently worked on. as i mentioned in an earlier post, one of my cousins is a huge Hello Kitty fan, and loves browsing Japanese imports! (i think i created a monster!)

she came across a few more prints she loved and wanted tote bags made from them. the first two are heavier bags, lined with fusible fleece and stabilizer, and the last two are just simple totes with only fusible interfacing.

this first one is one of my favorites. i love the feel of the Japanese cotton-linen blend!

the second is the same style, but with a more spring-like print!

i love the third bag because i’m also a huge fan of Paul Frank! love that there is a fabric out there that captures Julius with all his buddies!

and lastly, another lightweight Hello Kitty tote in pink!

Custom Messenger Bags

natalie — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:58:00 +0000

for my sister’s birthday back in may, she requested a new purse. i told her she could pick out whatever fabrics she wanted and i’d make her whatever bag she wanted. since the cross-over body bags are in this summer, she chose a messenger bag as her new summer bag. instead of just one print, she found two that she couldn’t decide against, so, much to her husband’s dismay, she is filling up the closet even more with purses!

these are slightly different from my previous messenger/laptop bags because they actually have side panels sewn in, rather than sewing the two front and back panels together, and folding up the bottom corners to make the boxy shape (i don’t know what the technical term is!)

both of the fabrics my sister chose were from the local Jo-ann’s.

this first one is my favorite! it reminds me so much of the latest fabric trend of following Indian styles. it’s bright, fun, and colorful, and i love the flowers and all the different shapes and patterns!

and because we’re like two peas in a pod, my sister also found a bird print she liked (i had to laugh when i pulled it out of the bag, because i considered buying the same print in the blue version!)

It’s about time…

natalie — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:09:06 +0000

i made myself a new bag! just for ME! i’ve been so busy making everyone else stuff that i never had the time to make a spring bag for myself! and now, it’s summer… so i decided to put one of my new favorite fabrics to use (Patty Young’s Flora and Fauna line) and made this small bag for myself! it’s the perfect size for an everyday bag- it may be on the smaller side, but it definitely holds more than it looks and works great when i don’t feel like lugging around a larger bag- which inevitably means i’ll pack more junk and wind up spending more time digging through my purse!

Punta Cana

natalie — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:53:52 +0000

it’s been a while since i’ve posted anything, and i have tons of stuff to catch up on in my etsy shop, but for now, i’ll leave you with a few vacation pics! (which sadly, was nearly a month ago!!)

Shop Update!

natalie — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:28:29 +0000

just wanted to give everyone a heads up that i will be on vacation from May 22-May 31. my shop will remain open, however orders placed during this time will not be sent out until June 1, 2010. thanks for your understanding!