Merry Christmas!

For your viewing pleasure, I am sending my readers over to my friend Tanya's Blog. Cakewrecks would be proud!

www.listerfamily.ca

*I am more than positive that cake balls were harmed during this photo shoot! If you have a soft spot for the survival of baked goods, please proceed with caution!

Holiday Treats

Every year I tell myself that I will not be a slave to holiday baking. One or two weeks into December I am hit with an overwhelming urge to bake mountains of cookies and bars. I start looking at wonderful gingerbread houses, and can't fight the need to build a candy monstrosity.

Four weeks later I am fighting the urge to join Weight Watchers for the tenth time and vow never to eat that many goodies again.

Yesterday we were house bound and bored. The cold winds here have made playing outside difficult and the kids are restless. I suggested a cookie baking session. My kids love to watch me bake, and Conroy is never far away, wanting to taste every single ingredient before it goes in the batter. His favorite is the sugar, he doesn't care for the baking powder. I refuse to let him try the raw eggs.

The first year we were married, Nathan bought me a cookbook for Christmas. It is a large hardcover book by Good Housekeeping. Almost all of the recipe's have been excellent and I love the fact that it has sections that tell you how many teaspoons are in a cup, or explain the best time of year to try fresh fruit and veggies.

Yesterday I came across a recipe for Spritz Cookies. The ingredients are few and it is (or can be) dairy, egg and nut free. It does recommend a cookie press, but since I do not own one of those (one day!) I just rolled the dough into little balls and then pressed them with a fork. This is the kind of recipe that can be thrown together quickly. The results are a wonderfully soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie that is so light, it is easy to over indulge! It also makes about 60 cookies, great for sharing or for that cookie exchange that snuck up on you! The recipe is at the bottom - enjoy!

Spritz Cookies
by Good Housekeepng

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat over to 350 F. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour and salt until well combined.
2. Spoon one third of batter into a cookie press and press 1 inch apart on two ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake until golden brown around edges 10-12 minutes. (If you are rolling and pressing like I did, use the 12 minutes as the cookies are thicker than if you used a press.)
4. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 60 cookies.

Each cookie: About 48 calories, 5g Carbohydrates, 3g total fat, 8mg cholesterol, 36mg sodium.

All Things Twilgiht - Kind Of

OK - I admit it. No one sent me a single Twilight-related craft, and it left me feeling a little disappointed. Obviously most of my readers do not share the love I have for the undead. Although technically, it's a chromosomal thing, not an undead thing. And I'm Team Jacob anyway. He's not undead.

Regardless - I did manage to take a couple evenings and throw together a little dress for Camryn. It's a little big right now, but by next year it will be prime party-wear! I used a silver polyester, and made a simple little dress, then added the ruffle up the front. I'm in love with ruffles right now. My mother would laugh at me, since I was a die-hard tomboy growing up, but I love seeing my girls in ruffles!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

September's Giveaway

Two weeks later, I'm finally getting around to posting the bag that was ordered by September's Giveaway winner! After a few emails and swatches sent back and forth, Tanya decided to go with a funky print from Ikea's fabric selection. I then paired it with a rusty-orange fabric and got to work!

I apologize for the less than stellar photography. I had to borrow a snap-n-shoot from someone and couldn't really get the lighting quite right!

Part of the reason for the delay was that I had intended to drive to Tanya's to take pictures of her and the new baby. Naturally, nature had other plans and I came down with a rather annoying case of Strep Throat. In the end I had to ship the bag instead.

On the good side of life, I was fiddling around with my old camera and surprise! It has risen from the dead! The good part of this is that I can go back to post more photos and getting the shots that I want. The down side of course, is that this means I will not be getting a new camera for Christmas. I just could not justify spending the money on something we already had - even if it would have been a nice upgrade. I'm just going to have to do a better job of "loving" my old camera to death!

Wishlist

Last night I pre-purchased my ticket to see New Moon, and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to see the newest installment in the Twilight Saga.
I've been perusing Etsy for all things Twilight lately - here are a few of my favorites!
ESME - Coiled Black Rose Satin Headband
by bethanylorelle

I'm on a headband kick. I've never been much for dressing up my hair, but the romantic in me is coming out this season and this satin rose is the perfect accessory to nearly any outfit I own.

BELLA'S BAG
by stitchandswash

This bag was actually used in the Twilight movie! You can read all about it by clicking on the artist's name at the top. How amazingly awesome would it be to have something you made in a movie? Bags like this make me wish I had a sewing machine that worked with leather!

Rosalie's Red Flower Ring
by TwilighterVA

I don't own a lot of jewelry. I don't even wear my own wedding ring (blame the baby weight!). But how could I possible resist this charming blossom? I'm a sucker for red gems and this one fits my style to a T.





I would love to see your own creations that are Twilight inspired or themed! Just send your images to me at closebj@shaw.ca and tell me all about it! I'll feature a few here just before the release of New Moon - so that we can all enjoy a little more of Meyer's fantasy world!

Jennie's Bag

This design is becoming very popular! This bag was made for Jennie - the first person I ever made a bag for! She saw the black and white fabric and loved it. Here it is - all finished! Photographs are courtesy of Chelsey Roberts Photography - you can click on her link to the right!

Time For A Change

As of October 1st, I am no longer a working mom. I have some mixed feelings about this - I really did like getting a paycheck every two weeks.

However, I am also going to be spending more time on BBP. I've been so busy with work this past month that I've fallen behind on my projects. I'm looking forward to getting caught up and putting more time into cultivating my dream of working from home!

We Have A Winner!

30 days and 54 entries later - we have ourselves a winner! Last night, the hubby and I did the draw. 54 slips of paper from a plastic juice jug - it was all very official. Grey's Anatomy played in the background - I may have even teared up a little!

Let's see how the entries broke down. A few of you put in some big work and garnered several extra entries with your referrals - thank you for that! Our largest number of entries went to The Royal Family. It occured to me yesterday that I ought to do a bonus prize for the person with the most referrals. I just haven't come up with anything yet! I'll do a little consultation with my good friend Chelsey today and see what we can dream up for a bonus prize - Royal Family, I will be in touch later on today!

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for....our Grand Prize Winner is...

TANYA from Lethbridge, Alberta! This probably comes just in time as she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl just a week or so ago! Congrats Tanya! Her bag design and pictures will be posted here when they are complete! I just may have to hand deliver this one, as I really want to see the new addition to the family!

Last Chance!

Today is that last day for any entries into my Diaper Bag giveaway! If you would still like to be entered, just comment here or drop me a line at closebj@shaw.ca!

Breanne's Bag - The Whole Shebang!

Now that Breanne has in fact received her bag - I can post the whole picture! This was my first bag using Flexi-Firm Fusible interfacing, and I must say, I was impressed! The bag holds it's shape wonderfully and my machine had no problem stitching through areas that had four layers of fabric, plus two layers of FFF.

The original design used fabric bands, instead of ribbons. What I didn't account for was the placement of the flap when the FFF is used. All my other bags have had more give to them, making the opening a little more flexible. With this one I had to alter the flap length and extend it by about 5".

Breanne's Bag

I can't show you aaaalllll of it. But I can show a corner! This is the first time I have disliked my own design. The original idea was similar, but it turned out a little too "grandma" for my liking. It just wasn't something a young mother would carry. And hey, if I wouldn't want to be seen with it, I'm not selling it to you!

I originally finished the bag on Monday, but spent the last few days changing the design, internally and externally. Truthfully, it doesn't look much different on the outside, but it is more polished and youthful in style. I hope Breanne likes it!

Breanne

Cherry Blossom Designs Hair Accessories GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Cherry Blossom Designs Hair Accessories GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Adorable! I'm wishing I had done this instead of the Cars backpack that I sent my son to preschool with this morning!

Poppy Boutonniere Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Poppy Boutonniere Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Getting Started...

On Breanne's diaper bag - this one will be fun!

Kelte's Bags

The Rules

My great and fabulous friend Chelsey of Chelsey Roberts Photography has suggested a new twist to my September giveaway. So here are the rules and regulations, along with the prize info. I'm looking forward to seeing who garners the spot for most entries received! So spread the word and improve your chances! I know a lot of people who say "But I don't need a diaper bag!" Don't forget that you can customize the bag for a friend as a gift as well! Almost everybody knows somebody who is expecting or has had a baby!

THE RULZ

1. Entries can be made by either posting a comment here on the Buffy Bo Peep blog, or by emailing me at closebj@shaw.ca.

2. If you refer a friend, ask them to mention your name and that person will be granted a bonus entry - so if you refer 10 people, you will receive 11 entries into the contest!

3. The contest is open until September 30th. The draw will be done October 1st, and the winner notified.

THE PRIZE

One custom Buffy Bo Peep Diaper Bag. You choose how many pockets, weather flat or elastic. You get to choose your fabric, to a maximum expense of $10/m CDN. You choose your design and options. Shipping is included in the draw as well. If you live in Japan, join on in! The winning bag will be posted here.

Good Luck to all!

September Giveaway!

I have been waiting for the right time to do this - and I think the time has arrived!

This month I will be drawing for a FREE Buffy Bo Peep Diaper Bag! The winner will get to choose their design and colors.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment at the end of this post - or you can send me your email address at closebj@shaw.ca! Just title the email "September Giveaway" and you are entered! The contest closes September 3oth at 11:59pm MST. October 1st the winner's name will be announced here, and (with their permission of course) pictures will be posted when their selection is complete! Good Luck!

New Stuff

I'm doing a little more organizing and have created a "Designs" section in my Flickr account. Click here to see it, or click on the link to the right of my page!

No Camera...No Cry...

No camera makes Buffy a very boring blogger!

When I realized it had been 4 weeks since my last post I cringed. There goes my blogger of the month award. Maybe I have come to rely on pictures a little too much? Perhaps with a little creative writing, I can convince my readers to conjure images of sassy little diaper bags, complete with matching clutch wallets.

Nicole's Bag

Picture a lusciously dark blue denim, paired with a blue paisley print. The depth, the character! The big, beautiful bow, draped across the flap, encompassing the bag as if to give a gentle, uplifting embrace! Isn't it wonderful? I really like this bag. I loved the end result and the denim was so easy to work with!

Drew's Bag

For me, this was a very special bag. Last year friends of ours experienced a loss that I cannot imagine, when their infant son, Drew, passed away due to mitochondrial disease. One year later they have upheld his memory and his struggles with the First Annual Drew Clark Memorial Golf Tournament. There was a call put out for items to be raffled off in a fundraiser and I offered to make a bag for the event. My initial design included a reverse applique design. What I didn't expect, having never done it before, was that the cotton twill would absolutely shred in the process. So instead I used a bit of ruching on the flap. My main fabric was a bright Kelly green, with a black and white interior print. To top it off, I created a small clutch wallet to go with it. Another first, and a pleasant one! Today they are out on the links and although I am sad that I could not make it to the Tournament, I hope everyone is having a great time!

Chrystal's Wallet

I did have a couple concerns with the first wallet I did, so when my sister dropped by yesterday for a few hours, I had her choose fabric and I whipped up another one, with some changes. I'm much happier with the outcome and the black denim with a skull print came out terribly cute!

And In The Future...

I am currently booked up with orders until the end of September, but I am taking new orders for the months of October and November. I won't take on more than one bag per week, so that means I have 8 spots to fill on my calendar. If you are interested in purchasing a BBP bag, you can contact me at closebj@shaw.ca.

This was too fabulous not to share! I have a unique name, which I have come to terms with. As a young child I had issues with being named Buffy, but I rather enjoy it now, even if I do hear a lot of vampire jokes.

The other day while browsing Etsy, I came accross this little beauty!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27186701&ref=sr_gallery_12&&ga_search_query=reverse+applique&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Goodbye and Good Ridance

My camera is dead. After all my complaining about it's lousy shots and slow shutter speed, it decided it had enough of my verbal abuse and gave up the fight. I don't blame it. I could be pretty nasty.

As a result, the only shots I have of my latest bag are grainy, badly lit and blurry. But it will have to do until I can scrape up some pennies for a new camera. Adieu my friend.

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

New Bags - Popular Fabric

This turned out to be a very popular fabric! Between the black and blue, I called numerous stores trying to track down more of these prints. Alas - it is all gone and I don't think I will have much luck getting more, unless I want to pay a very high price!

Cute Clutch - Clean And Simple

This is my first clutch from the pattern I made last week. It lacks a couple of the finer things, but for now, this one is on it's way to Leslie in Saskatchewan!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is a simply fabulous product! I'm often frustrated with dresses that are cut so low, I'm afraid to wear them without altering the neck line first! I'm one of those gals that prefers to wear black biking shorts under every dress, just in case. There are some things the rest of the world does not need to see! I know I try for every giveaway on Grosgrain, but this would be amazing!

Vintage Earrings Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vintage Earrings Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Activity Bags

I made these for the Gamble Triplet's. It was their birthday this past month and I thought they would enjoy having some bags that they could carry various items in. I made one for my son as well and he takes it with him everywhere, toting toys and books. I made them big enough to fit a standard coloring book, a pack of crayons and a juice box. There are three pockets inside - two smaller ones and one large one. This will become a staple in my Etsy shop, once I get it up and going this month!

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Soooo Pretty!!!

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Swirly Squares

I spotted this fabric today and just had to get it! It's a black base with a mixture of grey and extremely light yellow swirling squares.

Orange Harvest

I really want to tell you how easy this was to make. I want to tell you that I am a "professional" seamstress and have no problems, throwing things together willy-nilly with a creative flair that no one can match.

But I can't.

The truth is - this bag took a lot of time and some major patience. I've learned my lesson - don't sew when you are sleep deprived, or bad things can happen. Like cutting a hole in the back pocket and having to make a whole new one. Or completely missing the stitching on the strap. I have also learned that not every fabric type will adhere smoothly to heavy weight fusible interfacing. The result is an interesting texture that I don't entirely dislike.

I have also learned that I am not the only person out there using this design. My first bag was from a Simplicity pattern which I then altered to make my own. I have been designing other bags without the help of stock patterns and I think I am going to start highlighting them more than this particular style. After a search on the internet I found several other people making bags like mine, and while I know that I am not in direct competition with them, I do have a desire to be different from the rest. I also want that ego boost that comes from being able to claim a design as all-my-very-own. I admit it, I have an ego and I'm not afraid to use it.

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!!

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!!

Interview

Early this week I was interviewed by Tina, the creative mind behind wahmbiztips.com. You can read the interview and get other work at home information here:http://wahmbiztips.com/http:/wahmbiztips.com/looking-for-a-gorgeous-diaper-bag/

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The dress featured in this giveaway is very similar to one I tried to sew myself last month! Key word of course is "tried". It's still sitting in pieces, waiting for me to have time to get back to it! I have a feeling it is going to end up as a skirt, rather than a dress.

Persimmon Jewelry Kline Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Persimmon Jewelry Kline Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Can you tell how desperate I am to actually win one of these giveaways???

New Fabric!

I love new fabric - I'm sure I've said that before, but I don't mind repeating it. I could be very happy just to have a room full of new fabric and no projects on the go. Just the idea that I could would be enough for a little while. It's brain candy.



Here are the new fabrics I have prepped and ready to go. Since I am just starting this little venture, I only have enough of each fabric for one bag. However, if more than one person request particular fabric, I'm sure I could find the time to go back to the fabric store - and I'm sure I would have no problem convincing a certain someone to come along with me if the timing was right. You know who you are!



Each of these fabrics can be used either as an outer or a liner. In my first bag, posted below this, I combined two contrasting fabrics, while my other bags had a solid black or brown liner. All that you need to do to order is email at closebj@shaw.ca and tell me which fabrics you want to combine, or if you prefer to just use a solid liner, just let me know. I can always use a solid contrasting color or just the black.



I suppose at some point here I should consider an actual online order form, but I'll hold off on that until things progress. Right now I'll rely on good old email!



Fabric #1 - Orange Solid Flowers
Fabric #2 - Cherry Blossom
Fabric #3 - Orange Flowers & Butterflies
Fabric #4 - Orange Harvest - SOLD!!
Fabric #5 - Blue Paisley - SOLD!!
Fabric #6 - Blue Blossoms
Fabric #7 -Raspberry Harvest (actually a much darker raspberry color)

Blue Fields

****NOTE -THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD****

Here it is! My first "official" Buffy Bo Peep Diaper Bag!

Contrasting fabrics are 100% cotton and pre-shrunk.

All seams are double stitched for extra strength. There are three pockets on the outside.

Three flat pockets on the inside.

This particular bag has a "bow" on the front

PS - Buffy Bo Peep can now be found on Facebook!

Two Bags

I made these bags for a couple friends of mine. I call them my starter bags since I used them to study my patterns and try a few things that I had not thought of before. The major difference here is that I used elasticized pockets on the insides and I made two magnetic snaps for the closures. My newest bag has flat pockets and only one snap. This makes the bag a little more affordable and cuts down on my sewing time per bag.

My Very First Bag

I made this diaper bag after a three year search for something that would fit my needs. I needed something big enough to hold items for three kids and more importantly, something that would keep my bottles upright! I was so tired of having spilled formula all over the contents of my bag, but manufacturers couldn't seem to understand why this was important.

I made this thing as cheaply as I could. The first time I attempt a project I go cheap so that I am not wasting expensive materials on something that might end up in scraps. I didn't use any interfacing. The thread was 33 cents a spool. The fabric was in the extreme discount bin. I didn't double stitch any of the seams.

Even so, this bag has held up better than any store bought one. The first year we had my son we went though about 4 bags with each of them ripping at the seams within 3-4 months. This bag, despite it's penny pinching heritage, has only just begun to show signs of wear and tear. This bag is used on a daily basis and crammed full of diapers, formula and sippy cups. It gets dragged, thrown around, hung over my shoulder and hung over the bars of my massive double stroller.