Pattern Testing : Little Bow Zipper Wallet

First off, let me introduce you to one of my favorite craft blogs:

I found Michael Ann Made via Craftgawker last year.  Her chalkboard painted cans caught my eye and I have been a follower ever since.  She always has something inspiring going on over there, her latest being a cute zippered wallet.  I happily offered to test out this brand spankin' new tutorial/pattern, which you can now purchase! 

Meet The Little Bow Zipper Wallet.

Isn't it just lovely!?  Michael Ann emailed me the 3 PDF files (pattern, tutorial with pictures, and text instructions) and I downloaded and printed them.  Although I predicted it would take me about an hour to complete, I ended up spending more like 2 1/2 hours on it. There are a few things you have to sew by hand which added a bit of time.  The tutorial was clearly written and very detailed.  The nice thing about this compared to a pattern you would buy at a store is that there are pictures!  It is really helpful to see how to do something before trying it.  Michael Ann also includes a few rather insightful tips!  This is a great beginner's sewing project.  You can purchase the pattern and tutorial here for just $5.50!  

*You may notice mine is just a little different than hers.  I decided to lay my ribbon down horizontally rather than vertically because it was not the same on both sides and it looked better this way!  It is also made for a left handed person (the zipper zips from the right side).  This happened by accident :)

Mini Dry Erase Boards

A few months ago, while blog surfing I discovered that I was the lucky recipient of $50.00 worth of supplies from craftvinyl.com!  Talk about a nice surprise!  I wasn't even aware that I had entered a giveaway.  I later discovered that by linking up to her party at Every Creative Endeavor, I had also entered Amanda's awesome giveaway!  So with my credit, I ordered a few sheets of dry erase vinyl and have finally gotten around to using them.  Isn't the mini dry erase board a fun alternative to the chalkboard?!  It's just as easy to make too!

I purchased the unfinished chalkboard at Joann's for a couple of bucks and then sanded off the rough spots.  I used acrylic paint to give it some color and then cut a piece of vinyl to fit inside.  

And now I can't wait for Jayna to wake up from her nap and try it out!

Mini Envelope Bookmark and a Book Review

I am having a lot of fun playing with and figuring out my Silhouette Cameo!  Today I made this cute little bookmark out of scrapbook paper.  Two sides are open and two are closed, letting it rest easy on the corner of the page.    

It makes finding your place even easier than a traditional bookmark does!  On the back side, I added a polka dot stamp and am now thinking I need to order the sketch pens for the Silhouette so I can finish it off with an address.

Have you read any good books lately?  My latest read was Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee.  Although I really didn't care much for all the profanity, sex, and infidelity, I found myself turning page after page to find out what was going to happen next.  I didn't enjoy the book, but I couldn't put it down either.  I give it 2 stars.

Loud, outspoken Graciela Jones, aka Ace, is a young high school art teacher who recently left her boyfriend and returned to Bugtussle Mississippi with her chiweenie, Buster Loo.  The drama begins when her best friend Lily bails out on a trip to Florida to spend time with a man she has been very secretive about.  Lily is also a teacher and the next thing you know, she's being accused of sleeping with one of her students and is fired.  The ridiculousness continues and escalates with the discovery that another friend's husband Richard has been cheating on her.  Ace and Lily set out to document his immoral actions and are successful.

All the while, Ace struggles with her body image and won't let herself accept the love of her ex-boyfriend who appears at her doorstep to woo her back.  In the end, Ace finds happiness and so do her two best friends.    

BlogHer Book Club provided me with this book and I was compensated for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  To read more about Diary of a Mad Fat Girl and how Stephanie McAfee self published it, visit BlogHer.