i have to say...

many shopping bags

My second craft show is coming up at the end of July so crafting is in full swing around here.  I am feeling relieved that I don't have to make the multitude of items that I did for the last show, but I only need to fill in the empty spaces left by goods that were sold.

First up has been shopping bags, the kind you can use instead of grocery bags, and I must say they have been fun and simple to make.

I am trying to work up the nerve to use one of these for produce when I grocery shop, but I always get a little chicken when I think of a cashier giving me the evil eye for not using the plastic bags the store provides.  Maybe I just need to take my daughter with me.  Somehow she makes me brave with little things like this!

In case you haven't heard,  we are right in the middle of the "Use What You Have Challenge" sponsored by Karyn and Katie, two lovely crafters who are nice enough to remind me to use the fabric that I have instead of buying new.  What a concept!  The bags above were made with leftovers from previous projects.

Also, July is Bag Month at Sew, Mama, Sew!  You will find tutorials, prizes and pattern reviews to help you in your quest to make the perfect bag!

I have a little bit of trivia about, well, me!  I love making bags.  They are simple and fun to make and they provides a great opportunity to combine fabrics and be creative.  But guess what?  I don't carry one myself--one of the cute ones anyway!  I carry a boring brown purse with a handle that is cracking on the edges.  I did make one for myself that is pink and cute and girly, but as of yet, it still hangs on a little peg in my craft room.  I MUST change this!  I simply must!

Best wishes for a Happy 4th for my American friends, and a wonderful day for all of my friends outside of the US!  It is a blessing of the blogosphere to meet people from all over the world!

See you on Thursday!

let's get real monday---my favorite artist!

This week's "Let's Get Real  Monday" theme is My Favorite Artist.  I found this topic to be challenging simply because I could have easily named at least 5 artists whose work I love, and given a chance to think about it, I could have named many more! But in the interest of streamlining (and the fact that my computer is taking up to 15 minutes to download a picture!) I decided to keep it to one artist.

I discovered Andrew Wyeth a year ago after recieving my issue of Smithsonian Magazine in the mail and his work drew me in instantly.  Looking at his art is like looking at a snippet of life, full of emotion and breath:

"Alvaro and Christina" by Andrew Wyeth

"I conceived this as a portrait of the whole Olson environment, and I painted it the summer after Christina and her brother, Alvaro, had both died. I went in there, and suddenly the contents of that room seemed to express those two people--the basket, the buckets, and the beautiful blue door with all the bizarre scratches on it that the dog had made. The Olsons were all gone but powerfully there nonetheless." -Andrew Wyeth, Aubiography

Here are some more pieces by Mr. Wyeth:

Groundhog Day:

Christina's World:

Trodden:

This man made even a pair of boots on hard ground look amazing!

To read more about him, click here.

If you would like to play along, please post about your Favorite Artist on your blog and then leave your post URL in the auto-link below so we can come visit you!