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I am learning to blog from my new iPad mini!

Robyn's Bag

I made this for My Favorite Girlfriend, Robyn O'Neill. Robyn is a most extraordinary friend. I treasure the shorthand we have together. Our friendship is nourishing. When I get to see Robyn, I am assured of getting 100% of that day's requirement of good friendship.

This bag has a nice long strap on it, which can be slung across your torso diagonally so you can be free to engage in debauchery without fear of your purse falling by the wayside! And, per Robyn's input, it is plenty big enough to hold an iPad.

The stripy trim was applied with a needle felting tool that Andy's mum and sister gave me for my birthday. It's really fun! You lay some wool on the surface and then just poke it into the felt. Eventually, after the repeated stabbing is complete, the fibers all glom onto each other and they become one. I might get carpal tunnel syndrome from it, but it is therapeutic too. Sort of like a (insert the name of the politician you dislike) voodoo doll.

The Triskele Bag

My friend Kelly has done so many nice things for me over the years...She introduced me to Andy Cleveland, she and her husband Paul have fed us dinner too many times to count, and they even were gracious enough to host our wedding at their house. Kelly was definitely high up on my list of people I want to make something pretty for. With its celtic motif, I think this bag suits her to a T. I lined it with a cheery polka dot fabric so she'll feel happy when she looks inside it.

L is for Scrumptious!

I made this cutie-pie bag ages ago--I think it may have been one of the first ones I felted.  It's finally going to a proper home. My co-worker is going to give it to his niece for her birthday. She's just a little girl of four or so, and she may very well color all over it with magic marker and drag it through puke. I just hope she enjoys it and learns to make a pretty cursive "L."

And no, I did not make this bag with the "L" thinking that someday I would meet a really sweet guy with a niece whose name begins with "L." The green accents were an add-on!

The Thinque Bag!

This bag is a collaborative effort between my friend Bridget Gethins and myself. I call it the Thinque bag because that is the name of the Etsy shop we started together--THIN for the last part of her name and QUE for the last part of mine. I have since moved on from Etsy, but Bridget is still going strong with it, adding new and wonderful creations to the shop all the time!

Bridget did all the beadwork on this bag and I did the knitting, felting and finishing. I love the delicate tree design, and how the pearls remind me of when the buds on the trees are nice and fat in the spring. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I had this stored in an unfinished state for well over a year. I was so happy to finish it today and I can't wait to give it to Bridget!

The Peru Bag

This little number is called The Peru Bag because that's where the yarn is from. The yarn luckily made its way to Bay City, Michigan, where I bought it in a very nice little shop called A Piece of Ewe. 

When the yarn was not yet felted, it was a clownish mix of really bright colors, but once felted, it turned into this beautifully muted piece that reminds me of a landscape. The "sky" bit across the top is an alpaca and merino wool blend. It's lined in a similar azure blue fabric I trimmed it with some cute wooden buttons that I found in a drawer at my mom's house. To give credit where credit is due, I must mention that using the buttons was Andy's idea. 

My friend Jenny is having a birthday in a couple of weeks, and I am looking forward to giving this to her. Don't you dare tell! 

Sunshine Day Bag!

Finished this yummy little bag this morning! Doesn't it just make you want to sing "Sunshine Day" by the Brady Bunch? This purse is all happy inside, as is illustrated in the picture below.

The craft use-up challenge is still going strong, and my yarn pile is getting smaller! I am having fun with these projects, and not planning them out too carefully. The bag tells me when it's done. It says, "Don't sew any more stuff onto me--I've had enough." I sound like the Psycho Craft Lady.