Crafty and Caffeinated... need I say more?

Okay, maybe I do need to say more. I guess I should at least introduce myself a little before the whole allure of blogging wears off and another blog goes into the abandoned pile. Yeah, I commit serial bloggercide. But wait -- positivity people!! This one's gonna stick! Really how can it go wrong, it's named after two of my favorite things?

If I could sum myself up, I would say... I love coffee, I'm a New Englander born and raised, and I like to do crafty things. I live with two beagles, two cats, and a very patient husband.

To say that I am crafty is a bit of a stretch, but I try to be. Sometimes I think I like buying craft supplies more than using them. Mainly I scrapbook and sew (or buy supplies to do either). The sewing is a very new thing that my very patient mother-in-law is teaching me. She sells sewing machines and my very patient husband bought one for me for our anniversary. Awww. My mother never taught me to sew because she doesn't like to. She knows how, just wants no part of it. She never taught me to cook either, so I'm quite undomestic (but I can stack wood and hay should the need arise).

So I'm not very good at sewing yet. I really have no idea what compels me to want to blog about what could potentially be some unfortunate sewing projects. Like the one placemat I finished on Monday.

I made this

Yes, yes I did! It is adapted from the book Bend The Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. I've only been sewing since around mid-September so I am quite pleased with this.

Inside:




The instructions in the book are for a much smaller bag. I didn't figure that out until I did it and came out with a small bag. But it was great practice and I got familiar enough with the steps to make this larger bag.