Leaves & Stitches Etsy Shop is open!

After months of planning, experimenting and testing various recipes, my Etsy shop is officially open for business! I've listed several all-natural bath salts, lip scrubs and lip balms in various fragrances/flavors, with more to come. I have so many ideas for products, I'm not sure where to begin. My craft room smells like half a dozen essential oils and I keep finding lavender buds in the darnedest places...

Check out the shop and let me know what you think. Questions, suggestions or custom orders are always welcome!

Wardrobe Refashion - 1st official project

I joined Wardrobe Refashion for a two-month stint at the beginning of this month but, aside from some embarassingly easy too-short-pants to shorts conversions for the Little Guy, hadn't had a chance to work on any projects. This is my first "official" refashion, beginning with this bag. I loved the fabric and the idea of a hands-free, cross body bag when I bought it, but discovered the bag's structure is just not functional on a very short, busty person. I never used it and had tossed it in the Goodwill donations pile before Wardrobe Refashion.



I dug it back out this weekend and took the bag apart to see if there was enough fabric to create a new bag. Here's the destruction in progress. Round bottom of bag and long strap have been removed, and lining has been separated from all the bag pieces. I was pleasantly surprised to find this left a nice, square shape that could be converted into a decent-sized box bottom tote.



Adding low-loft batting to the lining layer for added strength and structure; one long, wide strap converted into two short, narrow straps...



And the finished product, a much more usable tote bag with a funky button closure.

Happy Independence Day!

I love small-town celebrations. Today started with parades, complete with antique cars, firetrucks, Boy Scout troops, gymnasts, Shriners in little cars, clowns, a high school marching band, local politicians and Uncle Sam.

Today was also the second day of the craft show with Mom. Yesterday was a slow day but more people came by the booth today. Mom sold several baskets and my “sore muscle soaking salts” have been popular. Mom enjoys craft shows as much for the opportunity to visit as she does actually selling her baskets. She still lives in the same small town I grew up in and I think she knew 75% of the people who’ve stopped by her booth. We took turns watching the booth and taking breaks to have homemade ice cream and watch the entertainment (clog dancers, country music and the local dance studio troupe), and we bumped into Abraham Lincoln and President McKinley at the barbequed chicken stand this afternoon.


We finished off our 4th of July with fireworks. This is the first time we've taken the Little Guy to see them. He's six but still really sensitive to loud noises, so we wanted to find someplace where we could see them clearly but still be far enough away to make the noise a little more manageable. He absolutely loved them, and it was so much fun to listen to him ooooh and aaaaah over every one.

Headed to a craft show this weekend

I got a last-minute call to help my Mom display her hand-woven baskets at a craft show this weekend and decided to make up some extra bath salts, lip balms and scrubs to have in her booth. I’d already planned to take some vacation time this week which should have given me plenty of time to make up some products…except the containers I ordered were delayed and didn’t come in until yesterday afternoon…and the show started this morning at 11am. I started mixing bath salts at 3:00 yesterday afternoon and finished labeling the last batch at 1am. When I finally crawled into bed the Big Guy told me I smelled like an herb shop. Here’s hoping Mom and I have a good show! And if we don’t, I officially have enough items to start setting up my Etsy shop.


Here's Mom with her beautiful baskets. The crafty gene runs in the family!

Adventures in beading

For my birthday this year, the Big Guy went together with a few friends to get me a larger bead loom. I have one my Dad made me a few years ago that’s large enough for necklaces (like this one) or small wall hangings, but I’ve wanted to try some larger pieces. This loom can be used as a traditional bead loom or with a double warp like a tapestry loom, which will be nice for larger pieces because it will make them stronger. It took be a full day to figure out the double warp but I finally have it strung and am working on a little test piece. Now I just need to decide on a pattern for my first real project.