another giveaway....

Spring has sprung with lots of giveaways!!
We've got ruffled necklaces giveaway and now another sweet blogger, Sandy, is giving away mini card wallets---and again, not just one but two!! Sweet, right?
Ok, as always all you need to do is to hop on over her blog and enter!

sweet giveaway....

My dear friend, Jozen, is having a giveaway on her blog! She is giving away (not just one but two!) pretty ruffled necklaces that she handmade herself.
So hop on over her blog and hurry enter!

a sweet package...

A surprise package was waiting for me at the door yesterday. It was from my new dear friend, Jozen. I was so happy to receive it I opened the package right away! There was a handwritten note, a vintage brooch for me!, a super adorable little apron for my baby Audrey, 2 sewing patterns and a yard of fabric. I have to say, I LOVE it!!!!! She knows me so well. I swear I feel like she is my long lost sister. The funny thing is that we've only known each other for few weeks now and we haven't even met! Jozen lives in Vancouver, Canada and I live in Jacksonville, Florida.

I have to say that having a friend like Jozen makes life a whole lot sweeter!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much Jozen for the wonderful and thoughtful package *virtual hugs*

another bag....

I have been spending the last few days tweaking some bag designs. On Sunday I finished another bag. This one is larger than the blue one I made for Erica. I used gray canvas for the exterior and red stripes 100% cotton for the interior. I placed 2 pockets inside (one on each side) and it has a magnetic snap closure.
Dimension of the bag is about 13.5" opening, 14" tall, 16" bottom, 3.5" flat bottom, and the handle is 21" long. Very roomy!!! Perfect for a diaper bag. I plan on making more of these but with more pockets (perhaps 5 or 6) and different fabrics choices. They'll be on my etsy shop soon!




Let me know what you think!

a handmade gift for the birthday girl...

My bestfriend, Erica, celebrated her birthday (big 3-0) yesterday (Saturday). Erica's family always knows how to throw a good party--good fooods (lots!), friends, and games! So we sure did not want to miss this party. The party was hosted by her sister at her house.

For her 30th birthday I thought about giving her something special. So I decided to sew her a bag.



This bag is just the right size, I thought. Not too overly large; not too small.
It measures 13" high, 12.5" width at the bottom, 11" width at the top (opening), and the strap was about 25" long. It has one pocket inside and a magnetic closure.

So there you go, a handmade gift for the birthday girl!

what's in the bag?

My new friend, Jozen, tagged me. So now it is my turn to show you what I have in my bag *gasp*!

Ok. Let's start.
Bag --- Bought from this Etsy seller. Took about a month to get it but it was worth the wait.
Small Diaper Keeper --- it's not the prettiest thing but it's ok for now. I'll be making my own soon.
Johnson's Melt Away Stress handlotion --- my hands are always dry and I looooove this lotion for its moisturizing effect and its scents (lavender + chamomile).
Hand Sanitizer --- you never know!
Small Card Wallet --- from Coach. Was on sale otherwise couldn't afford it.
Deer Coin Purse --- handmade it myself. I sell them at my etsy shop!
Brown Wallet --- from Coach. Again, was on sale.
Compact Powder --- Lancome. I don't use it that often, actually. Just for touch-ups. I use Bare Mineral make-ups.
Red Dots Make-Up Pouch --- handmade it myself. Again, more are available at my shop.
Lip Balms --- 3 different ones! Chapstick, Beeswax Lipbalm (from Savannah Bee Company), Beeswax Liptint Balm (from Savannah Bee Company).
Tide Pen --- you never know!
Cellphone --- should be in museum by now. I'm not a tech-y person (unlike my husband who seems to have the latest cellphone). Bought this phone from Ebay for less than 50 bucks few years ago. As long as it rings, can do bit of texting... I am good.
Pocket Tissue --- well, again... ya never know!

Well, that's it. Sometimes I keep a coupon or two in my bag too and some old receipts but they get tossed out once a week.
What's in your bag?

Book Review: Sew What! Bags by Lexie Barnes

I purchased this book several weeks ago from Amazon and I have to say I am attracted to buy this book because I love making bags and pouches. If you are a new sewist who wants to learn about bag making, this book will be great for you.

The first chapter of this book gives you a lot of explanations of different types of fabrics to make bags, all the neccessary equipments, various fabric terminologies, and embellishments to pretty your bags.

The second chapter explains a lot of the how-tos. I find the information very, very useful. Then you can begin your projects from chapter three forward.

There are 18 pattern-free projects in the book. Again, this is a pattern-free book!The good thing is that you can customize any project any way you want it. The not-so-good thing is, well, there are no patterns provided. Don't be discouraged though because the majority of the projects are fun and fairly easy to do. This book is also filled with pretty pictures to keep you motivated. For under $20 (if you buy from Amazon.com), this book is worth the purchase.

my fortune cookie says...

....that's all I need to hear....

Happy Friday!

another pretty space.....

I was browsing through Decor8 blog when I found a new interesting blog, Nest Decorating by Tamar . Her blog is filled with pretty things. I especially like her crafting space.





Don't they just want to make you organize and tidy up your craft room?
She blogged about her crafting space here. Make sure you spend time to browse around her house. It's a true heaven.

{Images belong to Nest Decorating, and Nest Decorating via Decor8}

I want a new bathroom

We live in a small house. There's only one full bathtroom in the house. It's a small one too. For the longest time, I've been trying to convince my husband to do a full remodeling project for the one and only bathroom in the house. For few weeks, I have been scouring the internet to find some ideas. What I want is a simple and clean look. Something that feels airy. More like these below:







Image 1 - 4: My Home Ideas
Image 5: Apartment Therapy

Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabrics and new sewing patterns

A few weeks ago, I ordered some of Heather Bailey's newest fabrics from her new line Nicey Jane. I have to tell you, I love, love, love her new collection! I've always been her fan anyways but her new line is awesome. I love the way her fabrics feel and look.

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised to see the pattern style on her new line. A bit different from her last collection. My first introduction to Heather's fabric was through her Pop Garden collection. I remember admiring the bright and dramatic patterns on her fabrics, in which some became my all-time favorites. So for the longest time I had always associated Heather with the vibrant and dramatic pattern element. Until recently. And actually, some of the new fabric patterns remind me of patterns on her first fabric line, Fresh Cut, which has been discontinued.

Now, moving on to the sewing patterns. I also happen to just bought 2 of Heather's newest mini sewing patterns, Smart Girl Book Bag and Effie and Ollie Elephant pin cushions or toys. I am mostly excited to try to make the Smarty Girl book bag (with my new Heather's fabrics!). As of the mini elephants, the plan is to make several of them and turn them into baby mobile for Audrey.

Ok now as a reminder, don't forget to enter the giveaway. You don't want to miss it! Also, remember, there'll be more giveaways in the coming weeks on my blog, so check back often!

the First Giveaway!

Happy Sunday and Welcome Cakies blog readers!
So glad to have you here. And for those of you who are not Cakies readers, welcome, welcome. Make sure to hop on Cakies blog to learn more about my shop's giveaway! It ends on Wednesday, so don't miss it!

My shop is also running a FREE SHIPPING offer especially for lovely Cakies readers for the month of March! All you need to do is to spend $25 or more to get this offer and make sure to put "a Cakies reader" on notes to seller when you check out. Easy enough, right?

I'll have more giveaways in the coming weeks, so make sure to check back my blog often. You don't want to miss it. If you like this blog, feel free to become a follower and tell all your friends about it ^_^

Hope you have a fabulous Sunday!

Saturday market

Today was an exciting day for us.The Riverside Arts Market started today. So, we decided to check it out. We brought Little Audrey with us. She was sleeping the whole time so let's assume she enjoyed the market too! Here are some fun pictures from the lovely market.

Please stay little....

I became a mom almost two months ago. On January 19th. I gave birth to a baby girl. One single moment and it changed my life forever. I knew it was love at first sight. I knew I would never let her go when I held her in my arms for the very first time. I never thought I could love someone this much.

We named her Audrey.

She is sleeping on our bed, right next to me, as I type this post. I can hear her soft breathing. So precious. I wish I could freeze moment like this. I wish time would stay still a bit longer. I wish forever existed. There is not enough words to describe how much I love this little baby. I thank God each and every day for trusting me with such a miracle. One day she's going to grow up but for now... please stay little....

All the pretty things....

I want to live in this pretty house. I love every single nook in this house. Oh how I wish my house looked like this. Everyday. How lovely. I am drooling over every single one of these pictures. The living room.... the craft/sewing room! Ah..... look how lovely!

(pretty images belong to Sheer Whimsy)

Whose house is this, you ask? Well, this very pretty house belongs to a lovely gal from Sheer Whimsy, who's been kind enough to let me write about and post pictures of her house. I've been following her blog for quite sometime and I tell you, everything on her blog is an eye candy. You should go check it out yourself.

Maybe I should go clean and tidy up my own sewing room. And maybe (just maybe!) it'll look presentable enough for me to post here....

Scrap Buster Project

The weekend is approaching. I don't know about you but I am ready for a new sewing project. Now you see the image above, right? (image credit: Sew Mama Sew). Well, that very project is what I plan on doing this weekend. If you sew, chances are you'll have scrap fabrics somewhere, which I hope you keep! This project is a great way to use all those scrap fabrics you've been saving.

You can find the how-to here. It's a fun project and perfect for beginner and experienced sewists. I'm thinking of making several of them to give to friends. I might even sell some on my Etsy shop.

Vintage Lovelies

I love vintage.
I love the stories behind it. The history. The mystery. The facts. Everything.

It also happens that I married someone who shares the same passion for vintage. My husband and I go vintage hunting all the time. And most of the times, we find interesting vintage things.

Over the years, I've collected so many vintage finds and it got to the point where we didn't have enough room for them in our little house anymore. That's when I started selling some of my vintage lovelies on my Etsy shop. Now I love the idea of finding new homes for my vintage finds. The above picture is some of my new finds that some are already listed on my shop and some will be posted soon. I have few more lovelies, so you just have to check out my vintage shop to see them yourself!