Introducing the Kathybelle Kraft Carry-All Tote Bag!

At long last I am introducing my "Dream Child" to you. This is a bag that I have been planning in my mind for months. You must know that this bag is currently "Strapless" but we are working on that. The ones I sell WILL have straps! I won't put this onto my Loribelle Bags Blog page until I get that finished.

The story: when my friend Kathy saw one of the first tote bags I made, she immediately lifted it to see if it would go on her shoulder. It wouldn't. We ended up giving that to a child & it does go on HER shoulder. LOL! So, I made a mental note: make straps shoulder length. Then she said, "you know it needs to be wide enough to hold scrapbook paper." She is the Queen of Scrapbook paper. I know some of you have also told me you just love to have scrapbook/designer paper, so you can relate to her concern. Kathy had given me this great little bag that will hold a standard 12" paper cutter along with some ink pads & smaller sized items. I loved the concept it had with multiple compartments. I just wished that it would also hold paper and a few larger items.

I had a few other thoughts of my own to add. For several years I have been hauling my stamping stuff to & from different places. Some days it's been McDonald's where I could sit, stamp and color while my kids played. When we go to my mother-in-law's house I often take my supplies to work on. Then there have been times I would have enjoyed going to a friend's house to stamp. I've done it a time or two, but the thought of loading it all up & having to unpack it all to find anything to use just didn't make it much fun. So I decided a tote needed to be available that could REALLY hold what I needed and not take forever to find it.

This is what I wanted in addition to the above things:
*place for ink pads
*place for my personal stuff so I could leave my purse behind
*place for my cell phone so I could easily reach it
*place for my Scor-Pal
*place for other little components of stamping.

My dear "Dork Sisters" had one word that was most important in a bag: POCKETS. That's what I needed for this bag to do all I want it to do.

HERE is a guided tour of the new Kathybelle Kraft Carry-All Tote Bag. I need to measure this bag, but it is a BIG BAG!
This is one side of the outside. The pocket extends nearly the full width of the bag and has a zipper so you can put all those purse supplies into this pocket.


The other side of the outside has 2 large slip pockets. As you can see I can fit 2 different types of stamp sets in these pockets.
One side of the outside has a pocket for your cell phone.

The other end has a water bottle pocket.

Now the real fun begins with the inside!


This side has 2 long slip pockets. One is large enough for a paper cutter. The 2 smaller slip pockets are just right for ink pads.

This side has a pocket big enough for a Scor-Pal! There are 4 pockets big enough for ink pads or even small stamp sets. Below are more ideas for what to put in these pockets.

This end of the inside has 2 slip pockets. I found they are large enough for a fairly large punch. These could be made to fit your specific punch sizes or other tools. I put a jar of flowers in the top pocket.
In this model, I made one long slip pocket. I discovered it was perfect for my heat tool. This could be made with 2 short pockets instead.

I think the only item I cannot put in my bag in my Big Kick, IF I have the bag loaded with other items. I think I could put even the Big Kick in if the bag were empty.

In this model, I used a canvas fabric for the exterior and some pockets and cotton solids for the lining and borders. I used a VERY heavy interfacing so this bag is VERY sturdy.

This bag is going to start at $50 and will be a CUSTOM ORDER BAG. That means you can choose the fabric, pocket sizes, number of pockets, etc. I can make this a quilted bag for an additional charge.

I will be making add-on bags to go with this for other items (such as markers), so look for those to come.

I will be post this to my Loribelle Bag Blog and my Etsy site as soon as I get the straps attached. Until then, I would love to hear your feedback. I also will take orders for this bag now, but will not be starting those for at least 2 weeks.

Thank you for stopping by!

PREVIEW of the NEW BAG!!!

I'm almost finished with my "mystery bag." All I need to add are straps. I thought I'd share a few more sneak peeks with you tonight and keep you guessing!

It is a BIG bag. When I had only one side seam sewn, it was laid open on my ironing board twice as wide as the final bag. My 11 year old daughter came in and said, "Mom, that's HUGE! I could fit inside that!" LOL!

Any final guesses?

Busy, busy

No pictures to show you. I want to put in some links for some other blogs, but time...where is time??? Not here!

I still have not finished my "big project" and have about 20 more I want to do. Oh, my!

Just wanted to let anyone who might happen to read my blog know I am alive, just busy with life.

Will try to post something crafty soon!

More Sneak Peeks, Good News, Bad News

You just cannot believe how excited I am about this bag. It has been a lot of work because I am working out of a plan in my head, not on paper. I am writing down dimensions as I go to reproduce or correct things as I need to do. The printed fabric is a canvas. I won't give away any more info, but hope to have this one finished VERY soon! It also has a special name, like my other totes, but that is a surprise, too!

Good News: My niece, who is expecting her first baby in August, found out today she's having a

GIRL!!!!

I am so excited! We'd be just as excited for a girl, but this is just fun since I have girls who love cute little baby things. I already have some fabric in mind that I will HAVE to get & make something for little Karis. Karis rhymes with Paris and means grace. It is from the Greek word "charis" used in the Bible in the original texts. Please pray for a continued safe pregnancy and delivery. My niece has had multiple health issues over the past 10 years and was considered a "high risk pregnancy" even though she is not yet 30. Then again, she was told it would be hard to conceive and it happened REALLY fast! LOL!

Bad News: My dear friend Kathy, whom I mentioned before, found out that, in simplified terms, the cancer is, in a sense, more aggressive than originally thought. Trying to get insurance has turned into a nightmare, not just for her and her family, but for all members of the group through which they are working. Pray for God's providence financially, and of course I ask for continued prayers for healing & peace for this dear family.

I will also be posting a new Loribelle Bag (a variation of the Katie bag) on my bag blog: www.loribellebags.blogspot.com

Thanks for sneaking by!

Teapot Tuesday

This week's Teapot Tuesday was to create a "soft" card with a quilted kind of feel to it. Here is Cindy's blog post. Cindy also asked, if we would like, to send the card to a young lady who is expecting her first child and just found out she has Hodgkins Lymphoma. You can read more about her story HERE on SCS.

I did an online search of butterfly quilt blocks & finally found one that was made of just triangles and squares. I thought it would work well in paper.

Details:
Stamps: Gina K. Designs Flowers for Daisy
Ink: Rose Romance
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, dp Basic Grey (2 Scoops maybe?)
Other: Sewing machine, Stickles, Thread

Thanks for fluttering by today!

Birthday card for my husband

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. We've celebrated 21 of his birthdays together (and on Monday it will be 21 of mine). Wasn't I smart to marry someone whose birthday is right before mine? He can't forget mine! LOL! It's hard to create something new after this many years. He used to fly planes, small ones, but he doesn't anymore (too expensive), and I've not seen Cessna 152 or 172 stamps. I've done motorcycles, but most motorcycle stamps are geared towards Harley's. He has a Kawasaki ZRX1100 (yes, I do have that memorized). He works on computers, but I've used my SU computer set a LOT & don't have another one yet. So, I was down to CHOCOLATE! ha, ha! You can never go wrong with that!

Here are the details:
Stamps: There She Goes Cupcake Mix & Match
Ink: Memento Black, Real Red
Paper: Red pre-cut card base, DP K& CO. Winter Wonderland, white
Other: Circle punches, ribbon from Michael's, copics

Challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend: Monochromatic
Creative Card Crew:Celebrations
Gingersnap Creations: Celebrate
Creative Card Crew: Celebrations
Cute Card Thursday:Celebrations
Pile it On: One color plus a neutral
Card Positioning System:Sketch

Sneak peek

I mentioned to some folks that I am working on a new bag. I won't give away any details of the style, but I noticed that I had a bit of fabric in a picture I took of a card last night. So, in this not so clear picture, I present to you a sneak peek. My 11 yo dd helped pick this vibrant fabric. If you'd like to guess at what this might be, feel free!

I also mentioned awhile back that I'd be having a BIG blog candy giveaway. Big for me, at least! LOL! Stay tuned for that!

Thursday is dh's birthday so we're going to be busy cleaning and cooking to give him a nice birthday dinner. I'll be back sometime Thursday or Friday with his card.

Until then, God bless!

Shawne's Blog Candy & another chance at that Scrapbox!

I'm not sure how I missed this, but Shawne Arnold, of Studio 313 designs, is giving away a $100 gift certificate to Clear Dollar Stamps! You can go to her blog candy page HERE. Hurry, it ends on 3/20!

ALSO, ANOTHER chance to win the Scrapbox Office Box: You can enter to win it at THIS site. It's Heather Justesen's blog page.

Clearly Delightful

This card is for the Clearly Delightful challenge found HERE. I used one of Laurie's free digital images. My dd & I got to meet Laurie & her kids last fall. Though Laurie's dd & mine are about 7 years apart in age, they have that "kid connection" where you refer to the parents as so & so's mom or dad. My Natalie has said now more than once, "Abigail's moms draws the BEST animals." I agree! You can find her digis HERE. She has a few freebies & if you play in her monthly challenges she offers a free digi stamp. This month is a set!

This was the sketch:

I used watercolor paper & dye ink markers (mainly Stampin' Up) with an aqua brush.

Other stuff: dp is a set from Paper Studio at Hobby Lobby, CM circle & oval cutters, Martha stewart daisy edge punch, ribbon is from Michaels. The top words are part of the free digi stamp. I tried to match the fonts & did a computer generated saying on the bottom oval. Cardstock is variety from my stash. Sorry I don't know more details about the paper.

Thanks for flying by!

Mo's, JUGS & SSIC

This card is for Mo's digital pencil challenge, Just Us Girls and Stampin' Sisters in Christ.

Details in the morning!

MORNING IS HERE! LOL!
The challenge this week at Mo's Digital Challenge Blog was to use blue, brown and one neutral color. Just Us Girls had a sketch challenge, and Stampin' Sisters in Christ was hosted by my dear friend Peggysue who challenged us to use the theme JOY in the midst of some pretty trying times on this earth.

Here is the verse Peggysue chose for this week:
SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 12:6 "Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

The image I used is a freebie from Mo's digital pencil. You can find her free images HERE. Of course, once you try these you'll be heading to her store for more! LOL!

I printed the image on watercolor paper, then used my Stampin' Up markers and an aqua brush to color this in. Since we were limited to blues & browns, I used creamy caramel to color the beaks.

The paper is from a K & Co. stack called Winter Wonderland. I love all the papers in that stack and they obviously go beyond just winter cards.

The little JOY embellishment was sent to me by a friend, but having a dork brain, I can't recall who sent it. I'm pretty sure it was a dork sister, so if she wants to identify herself she can! : )

I used the Martha Stewart Daisy edge punch to create the strip and a scalloped circle nestabilities die for the, um, scalloped circle. LOL!

Thanks for coming by today.

Midnight Madness & Teapot Tuesday

This is my card for last week's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge found HERE & Mothermark's Teapot Tuesday Challenge found HERE.

Cindy's (Mothermark) challenge had to do with the Mad Hatter. Or Alice. Or the White Rabbit. Well, you get the idea. So, here's my story.

We all know that behind every good man, or crazy male rabbit, is a good woman, um, or pretty bunny. In some cases the woman might actually be in front of the man, as you can see on my card.

Here's the deal. Being married to that white rabbit is a hare raising experience (tee-hee). He is ALWAYS worried about time and being so over the top ADHD, he ALWAYS gets distracted, then runs late. When his great great great grandfather, the original white rabbit, first had the family watch, it was a wind up watch. That attention deficit issue stretches back to his day when Ol' Pappaw Rabbit would just forget to wind his watch, which led to the upheaval of the entire family. Now days, though, there are batteries, and that watch does NOT need to be wound. The only thing wound too tightly is that Rabbit!

Sweet little Carol, named for some famous author who wrote biographies of the Rabbit family, and also some TV show across the pond in the USA in the 60's---something to do with an Alice & a Carol and a bunch of kids---met White the 5th and fell in love with his crazy nature. Like most women, she thought once they were married he'd be more responsible. But Noooooooooooooooooooooo.....that didn't happen. Now Carol has learned to love WR just as he is. She knows that henceforth and forevermore, or at least as long as rabbits live, she will be late to every important event, and some not so important events. She's okay with that. She knows it could be worse. She pities her cousin-in-law Louise who married WR's cousin, the March Hare.

Thanks for hopping by my blog today!

OOPS, forgot the details!

Stamp: Happy Hopper (House Mouse)
Ink: Stazon Black
Paper: Watercolor, white cardstock, Prima Nurserytales paper pad---with Alice in Wonderland themed pages---what are the odds???
Other: Dye based markers, watercolor brush, Prima Nuserytales flowers, CM cutting system

Scrapbox Giveaway at Priscilla Styles Midnight Madness!

Priscilla at the Midnight Madness Challenge has a huge giveaway going on! The Original Scrapbox is giving away a brand new product called the Office Box. It comes in four beautiful shades! You can find all the details HERE.

Here is what this beauty looks like:
Also, a signed copy of a new book titled Wrong Number by Rachelle J. Christensen will be given away.

You can check out the book HERE and watch a trailer of the book on you tube HERE. I'm blog deficient & don't know how to get a video to imbed. I think I accidentally did it once but since then it doesn't work, so the links are the best I can do.

Edited to add video! Thanks Rachelle! I feel so empowered! LOL!


Priscilla has several other items up for grabs, so go check it out!

If you haven't seen Priscilla's sites, go to her challenge site and check out her new store site and her art site from there! I just "met" Priscilla when I started doing these challenges & she is a "kindred spirit" as Anne of Green Gables would say (that's Anne, with an -e, like my middle name--LOL!). She has a special place in my heart, too, as she was the last customer I was able to serve as a Pampered Chef consultant. At least this go round. Maybe I'll get to do that again in a few years & she can be my first customer! tee-hee!

Get on over to the MM site now, ya' hear!

Cupcakes & Birthdays

I am SO behind on Birthday cards, but hope I can get some of these I've made with a note in them & mailed off soon. This one was for a challenge that's over now. The digi-image is from Nikki HERE. I watercolored it. Computer generated words. cupcake brad from Clear Dollar Stamps (see my sidebar). Basic Grey paper.

Gotta get a kid to bed. Thanks for stopping by!

Multi-Challenge card for a dear friend

SFYTT SKETCH CHALLENGE
CRAFT Challenge Ribbons and Sparkle
Cute Card Thursday Ribbon Tastic
Rosie D's Challenge Friendship
Secret Crafter Stitching

This card started off as a funny card to cheer up my dear friend Kathy. Last Tuesday, February 23, she got the call we all fear. "The lab results are in and the tumor is malignant." This digi image was a freebie from My Favorite Things. I downloaded it because it's free. I thought I'd never use it. I HOPED I never had to use it, and if I did, it would be for someone whose distant relative twice removed had survived breast cancer. NEVER did I think I'd be using it for one of my dearest friends. But I did.

As I said, I thought a silly card would cheer her up. Neither of us like headless stamps, so I HAD to put heads on this. I realized the only pics I have of Kathy are when we've had no sleep after a Girl Scout camping trip of some sort. Her hair was in a ponytail, so I added hair. I told her I think I will officially be in charge of hair replacement for her this year. I started making this just to be a plain card to give her. Then I saw a sketch that if I just tweaked it some, this would fit. Then I found the challenges for ribbons, glitter and friendship, and kept embellishing. Just when I thought I was done I decided to add stitching which I saw on another challenge. This is when it got really fun. I took off the brad with the ribbon so I could stitch. The fancy stitch I wanted to do just wasn't working on paper. So I had a ripped up area of cardstock, which is hidden by the ribbon. That ribbon, well, I had the brad holding it on until I decided to sew. I'd cleverly punched the hole through just one layer to hide the brad ends. Then when I finished sewing I realized I couldn't get the brad back in. LOL! So, I punched another hole all the way through. By this time the back was a MESS and it was the inside of a card. This is when things got really fun. I labeled it as what she might look like post surgery. There was an incision, a scar, some staples, and of course stitching. I suggested she ask the breast cancer surgeon to use a fancy stitch during surgery.

You might wonder why I would use a card like this to enter so many challenges. Kathy is a stamper/scrapbooker. I figure if we were chosen for any of these she would really enjoy having new toys to use.

Now, about Kathy. She is holding up really well during the day. She isn't sleeping well and fear creeps in at night. She is trusting the Lord and her faith is being affirmed day by day. Two verses she said keep coming up in the most unusual places:
Psalm 118:24: This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Please pray for Kathy and her family. She has been uninsured but God is providing some ways, we think, to cover the treatment she will need (MRI's, surgery, chemo, radiation). Pray that all the right doors will be open for this. Pray for her husband, who tonight said, when he heard what insurance would cost, IF they will cover her, "I guess I'll work 8 days a week now." We both homeschool so we aren't two income families with any money to spare. Kathy helps run their business from home in addition to that. There's another prayer request: I guess they will need someone to manage the computer/billing end of things at some point. They have 2 children, ages 12 & 13 (no, that's not a typo!). Pray for healing, whether it is miraculous healing or through the wisdom He gives doctors. Please pray for the doctors to all make wise decisions in treating her.

Thank you!

A splash of color

Last week's Mothermark's Tuesday Teapot challenge was to make a white card with a splash of color. What better color to splash than a bunch of M's??? This cute little stamp is from Deadbeat Designs. If you head north on I-35 from San Antonio and exit in Salado, you'll find the cutest little stamp store. Oh, wait, most of you don't live here. Well, NOW you MUST come visit me!

And in tribute to THIS week's teapot Tuesday challenge, in the words of the white rabbit, I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date.

Bye!