{W.I.P} Work In Progress Wednesday

 Welcome to the first week of Work In Progress Wednesdays! Each Wednesday I will share with you the progress of a project I am working on whether it be our bedroom, a sewing project, or a DIY project; you'll get to see the process! 

This week I am sharing with you what I am working on for myself; a tote. Lately {especially with the Stitch Market} I haven't really sewn much for myself and after finding some amazing Japanese fabric on Etsy, I decided it was about time I do. 

I had a hard time selecting fabric for the interior, but I finally found the perfect one

I have an amazing collection of bags, but I wanted something unique and a sewing project that was going to challenge me. I've made totes before; mostly in a reusable grocery bag form, which is a simple construction - outer fabric, lining, boxed bottom, handles. With this tote for myself I wanted to add more elements to it so that it would not only challenge me, but set it apart from anything I own and anything that is out there. Im adding leather handles, including a cross-body one {I hope}; zippered interior pocket; and a 'cinch' for the outside. I'm also using fusible interfacing, which is something that I have never worked with before! Here is my inspiration bag...

{{Via}}

 I plan to use leather lacing cord in a dark brown or mustard to cinch it. Ahhhh, just talking about it right now is getting me even more excited!

Ok, so now for the progress part... I currently have the entire main part of the bag constructed and finished! I love how stiff the bag is with the interfacing... definitely want something durable and something that will keep it's shape.

All that is left is getting the lace cording and attaching handles. 

I also am working on a few chevron mug hugs with a backing of the same fabric as the interior of my bag. All I need to do is add the buttons and they're good to go. Two of them will be going towards prizes for some giveaways and another is going into the shop.

Do you have any works in progress? Leave me a link {or a description} in the comment form below! I'd love to see what you're all up to!

Did you know I'm having a Blog Design Reveal + Giveaway? Head over for your chance to win some amazing prizes from eight amazing sponsors! There's still time to enter! {Ends January 5th}. 

Pinspiration Friday

Happy Friday! And it sure is a happy one because the Stitch Market is done and I had a lot of fun. I'll be writing all about it sometime next week so check back for that! 

This weeks Pinspiration involved two of my favorite things: coffee mugs and sharpies. And since I am in this crazy boho/native american/chevron mood at the moment {and probably forever}, when I saw this mug and saw that I could do it myself I almost fell on the floor with excitement. 

I found this mug on Wild Olive and immediately pinned it to the Pinspiration Friday board on Pinterest:

Yes.

So I already had three white mugs in the cupboard and a black sharpie screaming for use. I gathered them up and created 3 fun, messy, and amazing coffee mugs for myself and myself only! Haha. 

I love the arrows and the chevron arrows going down on the mug in the middle. And, I have always wanted a herringbone mug! The one on the left is very funky and not that pretty, but I love it anyway. I also was able to sneak in a little 'hello' on the handle of the mug in the middle.

This project is so easy to do and super cheap too. For $2 you can have your very own mug designed by you. Head to the dollar store and get a white ceramic mug and a sharpie {our local Dollar Tree sells sharpies in two different sizes - I used the regular tip size one for these mugs}. Draw your design on your mug while the oven is preheating at 350 degrees. Once finished, place your mug on a baking sheet {so it won't tip over} in the oven for 30 minutes. When the timer beeps, turn the oven off and let your mug cool in there. Wash and ready to use!

I ran mine through one dishwashing cycle and it still looks great. I'm sure it will wear over time, but all you have to do is pop out the sharpie and draw again!