This is Recycling at it's best!! i love taking something that is cool but not really practical and making it into something great like a BAG! um, cause i loooove bags.

So Brian and i were over at our Friend Donnie and Jen's house and they were showing us their great attic. Where Donnie keeps a costume collection. It was soo cool. I loved it. Jen said they have people come over for Halloween to use it. So it does come in handy from time to time! :) She pulls out this great green dress! She said that Donnie got it for her. It's huge tho, and she wasn't really sure when she would wear it but still a special dress and it was something she held on to cause she liked the embrodery. I got so excited and said, "wow that would make a great bag!"

Then Donnie reminds me that her birthday is coming up in July.. So she just gave it to me with that in mind.. i wonder if she really thought i would do it, or if she expected, we'd be 80 b4 she'd see her Mexico dress in form of a bag.. i mean at the rate i get things done! and she knows this. But i even surprised my self and got it done for her birthday! I'm so excited for her to see it! i don't really know if she will be into the style of the bag.. but maybe she'll just wear it for a while to humor me or cause it is special. I want her to know how much she means to me and I'm so thrilled to do this for her. She has done so much for me! I love making bags and other things for the people i love! Love you Jen! Happy Birthday!

Here's the before and after pics







some cool inside pockets i made with the sleeves

So let me try my hand at a tutorial on Freezer Paper Stencils - before i run off to our Financial Peace class.. that starts soon.. I took a picture of every step. I just wanted to see how easy it is to understand.

1. find your stencil and print it on freezer paper. i recommend taping the freezer paper to another piece of paper and running it thru the printer.. or um.. your freezer paper will get all squashed in your printer - like mine did! You could also trace anything or make a stencil free hand.



2. cut it out, i just used a box cutter but an exacto would probably be more exacto.. :)




3. Iron it on the shirt you will stencil. and also iron another piece of freezer paper the same size of your stencil to the back of the stencil on the inside of the shirt, so the paint doesn't soak thru to the other side of the shirt



4. pick your fabric paint color(s) i chose bronze, it just seemed appropriate for my lion. :) and fill in your stencil. This was my favorite part. it makes all the cutting out worth while!




5. remove the stencil immediately and let it dry the recommended time. Be sure to heat set it; like iron or throw in the dryer for a few minutes. Ta Da! you have made a stenciled shirt how fun! i loved it! These are the others i made. I made all three in just a couple hours! ok off to Financial Peace to have Financial Peace..