What in the world can I do with all those plastic bags?

The answer is simple... fuse them!! My most recent creations have been involving fused plastic totes and other things my hands can invent. The process of melting 6-8 layers of all those plastics you get from every store under the sun is a little intimidating at first, but now I have gotten the "bug" for it! This is a clutch purse, and a large tote which I completed in the past week. The straps and other trim are all from scrap materials or recycled belts I picked up at a thrift shop, so it is truly a GREEN project!



You can see how roomy this little trick is... and it will make the fashion statement that everyone will remember! This accessory is one to be the conversation starter every time.





Still love that old shirt? In stead of donating all those favorites, try to re-purpose them. One thing my clients have really loved is creating unique applique faces. If you can sew, all you need is a little imagination, a plain shirt, plus some scrap fabric (I prefer fleece). Here is one of my monsters on my favorite 4-year-old. I am told that she wears it every chance she gets!



Quote for today:

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows."

-Helen Keller

My favorite quote today is:

"Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid."

-Lady Bird Johnson

This goes well with my encouragement from the earlier post to try something new. When we throw ourselves into the newness of a project and the intricacies it can involve, we can seem to forget why we were so hesitant to get started. Have a renewed confidence in yourself, and take a leap... even if it's a small one.

Ah, the spring is coming!

This week, while walking through the back yard, I noticed the most wonderful thing. The earliest spring flowers are starting to bud! While sharing this exciting news with my 7-year-old, it seemed the revelation was completely lost on him. However, this gets my "juices flowing" as they say. Thoughts of what yummy things to plant in our vegetable garden flooded my mind. I can't wait!!

As I went back into the house, I also looked over my sewing area and thought of the many new ideas that seem to blossom every spring as well. There is something about spring and what it does to our imaginations, hopes for the future, and general well-being that makes this my favorite season of the year. Everything is bright and new, and I can't wait to see what's around the corner that will knock my socks off!

Today, I want to encourage everyone to start something new this spring. Everyone has that little something that they wanted to attempt to create or develop, and it never got "off the ground". Whether it's dusting off the sewing machine to try your hand at a simple project or drawing off plans for a renovation, I encourage you to think outside your normal box. There's nothing like a bright spring day to get you moving in a positive direction.

This week I am MADLY preparing for the Whimsical Women Show, hosted at the Sanderson farm just outside Winston Salem, NC. As a participating artist, my favorite job to do at this show is to work at the general checkout... yes, you will get to pay ONLY ONCE for your combined purchases. We even have an express lane! We all love the start of the holiday season, and many customers shared with me that they try to do all of their holiday gift shopping at this event.

Last November was my first Whimsical experience, and the camaraderie shared between artists is unique here. The artwork and creativity you'll experience here is outstanding. Some bring your shopping bag and come on over to the Whimsical Women Show. You won't be disappointed.

For directions, photos, and additional information, go here...
http://triadsmartypants.blogspot.com/2009/11/whimsical-women.html

First post...

Based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, Polliwog Pond is my WAHM business. I make lots of things I find interesting and creative, almost always involving my sewing machine and some sort of textile. If you want to check some of it out, here is a link. I plan to use this blog for instructional and sharing purposes for creative ideas and related thoughts as we go along. If you have any awesome new (or old and undiscovered) tutorials to share, I would love to hear about them!

My thoughts today are surrounding organization of my crafting/workroom. Moving earlier this year threw my organization out of whack, and I am still trying to recover. The question at hand is... how to organize a workroom when it has to double as a guest bedroom at the same time? So far, the most useful and simplest idea was to use simple six-inch bed risers. This allowed me to use much larger containers, making the absolute best of a difficult situation. Onward with my quest - tonight I'll be working on it again with high hopes!