All in a Day's Work

Yesterday was one of those days where I had a lot I wanted/needed to get done and well, some things were accomplished and others... not so much. My oldest had a play-date while my youngest napped so I thought I would get some sewing done. I had seen this lovely Anthropologie tote online and was first thinking I would snag it because, "hey, it's only $28.00 bucks" I told myself.  I quickly remembered I'm trying hard to be crafty and inspired instead of shopping till I drop. A few days later as I was folding my dish towels I came across an old one from Ikea and knew it was perfect for making a tote of my own.

PS - I'm not usually a fan of trompe l'oeil, but the crisp white with the navy lines stole my heart. I don't know - it's kind of nautical without going overboard (forgive the pun!) My bag is nowhere as cute or fun, but it is the navy and white that a like with a splash of yellow. Perfect for denim - which I wear everyday.

Ikea dish towel

tea towel and lining cut for sewing

corners sewn to give a bit more structure

lining of finished bag with pockets for keys and cell phone

finished bag

Unfortunately my photography doesn't really do it justice. I used a really cool rich brown leather belt from the thrift store for the handles and the leather looks great with the navy and yellow. I might color some of the squares in with red in the shape of a heart. Maybe. Pretty simple, easy tote right?  Can you believe it took me all day? All day? you ask. Yes, all day. Here's why:

Red Ranger and his sidekick Superman (not pictured) were battling on my bed while I was sewing and the all important mask (which conceals identity - very important) got crushed and broke for the fifteenth time! As you can see, Red Ranger was none too happy. It was time for mom to do some alterations of the super-hero sort. 

I broke out the packing tape and repaired the damaged mask again to bring peace, order and unity to our world once again. Villains beware! Too bad all that tape pulls out my guy's hair every time he wears it. He's really dedicated to his role of Red Ranger. Lucky for him, I'm really dedicated to him. The apron I'm making and the grocery store are at the tops of my list today. As well as loving on my super-heroes! xo