Erica has awesome amazing news!!

Guess who's in the Indie Trunk Show?  This crafty little blogger right here! Come visit me on Saturday, May 16th. If you forget to save the date, no worries... I plan to promote and advertise in the upcoming months...you'll get a flier ;)

Last December, my friend, Michelle, and I went to the Indie Trunk Show at the State Fair Grounds www.indietrunkshowokc.com It was pretty cool. A ton of local artists and vendors were there. So much unique stuff. I was walking around and thinking,

This is 100 percent without a doubt DEFINITELY what I want to do... I want to have a booth filled with my RagsRebornGifts (pillows and totes). And me in the middle of it all...handing out business cards like a pro and accepting custom orders on the spot. OMG... CUSTOM ORDERS!! Those are my absolute favorite to sew. Just imagine it-- lovely people bringing me used t-shirts and me sewing away; turning them into pillows. Then crowds of those same people happily skipping away with their new reborn t-shirt! (Its cheesy but my musings usually are) The only thing that would be missing is Sadie under my work space.

So here's how it happened... I was checking my Etsy dashboard and all of the sudden, I get this conversation:

I immediately got super excited but then thought it was just another marketing ploy. This lady probably contacted tons of Etsy sellers to get the volume of responses she wants. This lady is a professional in marketing...she knows what she's doing. I decided that I wasn't ready, yet, and my business isn't even a year old. I'll accumulate more inventory and then be in the show for 2016.

Then, a few weeks later, I get this message:

"Wow, she does like my stuff'" I thought.  Like, she likes it more than just as if it was a marketing ploy. I did some research and decided that I can handle this. Sure, I need to definitely make more pillows and totes (I only have about 15 made now). And, I need to advertise. If I want to focus on custom orders sewn on-the-spot, I gotta get my name out there. But, hey, its only February and the show is in May. I can do this...right? I'm an over-thinker and an over-stresser, so I made a little plan out in my head, weighed the pros and cons and then applied. And waited.

Then, I got this email!! 

I'm accepted!! I've never been accepted into anything my entire life. LOL I feel like the cool kid who tried out for the cheer leading team and got head cheerleader. Its kinda a big deal. So, it's off to work for me. This is where you, loyal readers and fans, come in... I need inventory! If you have a used t-shirt that you don't mind parting with, let me know. I'm taking donations.You can get a pretty good idea of what I use by looking at my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts I also plan to hit up thrift shops around Oklahoma City. If you know some good ones or want to go thrifting with me, then let me know. I love adventures and would love to have you with me!

So many pillows to make!!

I sew. I craft. I have big ideas. Great things are coming.

When too stressed to post a tutorial, Erica will just write about dogs.

The last few months of 2014 were a crazy roller coaster. I survived and now 2015 is here. While I appreciate life lessons and adventures, I'm hoping to have a relaxing and much calmer January. I have to admit that I'm a little crafted out. (Can it be?!?! o_O) I made over 75% of my Christmas gifts and I added a lot of new products to my Etsy shop...maybe I do need a break! While I was perusing the Etsy blog, I came across this article. https://blog.etsy.com/en/2014/4-perks-of-working-with-pets

I totally agree with the article. Sadie and Kensington are always welcome guests to my craft nights. They definitely provide stress relief and inspiration. And a lint roller has become an actual craft supply! Almost all of my projects are either gifts or something for the dogs. Sadie lives under my desk...she used to be deathly afraid of the sewing machine, but now she stays in her bed while ole Kenni is running.

Over the years, Kensington learned to not trample or destroy my crafts and supplies, as they were always laid out around the apartment. Sadie hasn't quite learned that, yet, but she sure does love helping (aka being as close to me as possible without getting glued or glittered).

One of the crazy end-of-2014 events was Kensington's passing. He had a terrible cough and his little lungs eventually gave out. I'm sure he's enjoying every bit of puppy heaven. Here's a throw back to my November 24th blog. (It was the cloth covered decorative box tutorial...just in case you didn't read that one). Wes and I made one for Kensington a week or so ago. I thought it'd be appropriate to share since Kensington passed about a month ago today. The only difference in this box and the one I made in the tutorial is the the burlap.  I used hot glue to glue around the edges and let it overlap about an inch into the inside of the box. The beauty of these decorative boxes is that they're run-of-the-mill cardboard and scraps of cloth. But after you put it all together, they look like the nice fancy boxes you can buy from Hobby Lobby or Target.

Erica would love for you to meet Keni...

...that's short for Kenmore Ultra-Stitch 10.  My beautiful and wonderful sewing machine. She's an oldie but a goodie, handed down from my mother and used regularly to live out my dreams. That sounds super cheesy but its true; I LOVE this thing.

As you probably know, I started an Etsy shop about a month ago. I've already gotten 3 sales. If you didn't know, check it out www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts

                                     

My first sales!! Thank you, thank you Vietfil and Michelle (I also got a sale from a lovely lady out-of-state who bought a pillow for her daughter but I don't know her well enough ask for a photograph)!! : )

I just realized that I don't have any blogs that showcase Keni's magic. Well, its time to change that! Here's a simple sewing tutorial for a homemade scarf.

                                       Made one for my mom's boyfriend and one for Wes.

DIY Scarf Tutorial --
    Materials needed: sewing machine, one yard of cloth, scissors, ruler

1. I chose a pattern that is already lined so measuring was a cinch. Call it cheating, call it genius, call it what you will but it made this project a lot easier.The length of the scarf will be one yard. The width can be however wide you want. I made mine 8 inches. Fold your cloth in half lengthwise (hot dog style). Cut along the fold so you end up with 2 long strips of equal size. Cut off any excess, if necessary.

2. Sew the two pieces together along the sides of the length.
           Leave the first and last 6 inches of the two pieces unsewn. We will use this part for the tassels at the end.
           Face the pattern to the inside (so its essentially inside out).
           Sew about a centimeter in so the seam isn't too close to the edge of the cloth. That will help with it coming apart or fraying.
3. After sewing, turn your scarf inside out (so now the pattern should be facing the outside like its ready to wear). It should look like a tube.
4. Sew the two loose ends together so now it should be one whole piece of cloth (a very long rectangle). The only things that aren't sewn are the 6 inches you left free for tassels.

5. Time for tassels!! Cut the excess 6 inches into little strips. Mine were about 1 centimeter (maybe a bit thinner). Cut the same amount on the 'front' and 'back' 6 inches. After cutting them, tie two at a time into a knot at the top.

And that's it. Bundle up and enjoy the winter. Almost time for 2015. Another year for new adventures! : )

Erica is happy to present rags|reborn. !!!!!

I will be thirty in less than a month. I went through a pretty bad mid-life crisis this past summer.

<OMG, I'm turning 30!>
                   <What have I done in my life?>
          <Is my job a real career?>
 <Why don't I have children, a husband, divorce, house, second marriage, refinanced mortgage, more children and all the other things society tells me thirty-year-olds should have accomplished by now?>
                 <Why can't I fit in and be like everyone else?>
                             This last one is a constant struggle like you wouldn't believe.

I thought and prayed and wrote countless entries in my journal while I was in my depressive cocoon of negativity. And now, through my hard work and creative endeavors, I have become a butterfly. Well, I'm not the butterfly, but I have made something that can be the equivalent of the butterfly.

It started with this blog.  I thought, "Hey, if I have a blog, that's something that's MINE. I did this... I have something that I accomplished and am super proud to show off." The tag line to my Monday Craft Night blog is "I sew. I craft. I have big ideas. Great things are coming."

And great things are here! Over the weekend, I set up my Etsy shop. Its supposed to be stylized rags|reborn. but there's already a shop with that name and I can't use symbols... so my shop is RagsRebornGifts. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts

Here's my work station. Desk, notebook, sewing machine and music on my laptop. Sadie loves her bed but hates the sewing machine.

Please visit my shop. Browse and buy, if you'd like. If you're in the Oklahoma City metro area, message me and we can work out a delivery system so you don't have to pay the shipping fee. Here's a sampling of my pillows.  I do totes, too, but you'll just have to head on over to the Etsy shop to see them.

                                                                 

Here is my beautiful sewing machine. Its a hand-me-down from my mom.