New York City Inspiration and a Camera Bag Makeover

Back in January I went to New York City with friends Amy and Amy. I finally got the prints (yep, used a dinky little film camera) and wanted to share some New York City inspiration. Sorry about the dark pics.

I LOVE the 'new' look to M&J Trimming:



I was a little embarrassed when I asked the sales clerk when M&J got this "new look" - and she said it's been a few years now!

Here's Amy and Amy admiring the wicked cool stuff:



I fell in love with this storage piece:



Check out this lovely bunch of ribbon from another great spot:



I picked up some ribbon with the intention of sprucing up my camera bag. I've got the perfect camera bag. It holds just what I need it to hold and serves its purpose well, but gosh . . . . . . . . . it's . . . . . . . . . . . really . . . . . . . . . . . ugly.

So, I sewed a nice thick pink ribbon onto my bag strap, and tied a small piece on the handle, for a real simple camera bag makeover:



I have to admit, I did feel a bit conspicuous walking into my Nikon D80 class with this bag, but I'll get over it. Hey, my bag is pretty now!

Have a great week! - betsy

The Tote Bag Obsession

I have an obsession with tote bags. I have a hard time throwing away those canvas freebies you get at conventions and grand openings. I'm always thinking, "But, I just might need this one . . . "

I've started altering tote bags and am having a blast with it. The three I'm showing here are heavy duty tote bags from Smith and Hawkin.

This one I bought with a gift certificate from my Cub Scout Den after completing my years as a Den Mom. I used Making Memory Rubons, ribbons, and buttons to decorate it. Many of the buttons are from my Grandma's collection.

Here's a little one that I got free last Christmas with a rose plant. Mother-in-law got the rose plant, I got the bag - LOL!

I used Making Memory and American Crafts rubons again, a paper flower and some pretty jeweled pins. The pink pin was my grandma's.

Here's another one I made for a charity crop for Anne Heyen's little girl Margaret (hope you're doing well, Margaret!):

I again used a lot of Making Memory stuff, ribbons, and buttons.

It's a blast using your imagination and changing an ordinary tote bag or gardening bags into totes personalized just for you. I've found that Making Memory rubons go on canvas wonderfully. You just need to place a firm surface under the canvas when you are rubbing. American Crafts rubons work great also.

Next on my to-do list is to alter my camera bag. I want to turn that thing into something just a little bit cuter.

Have fun with your own obsessions!