Productivity!

I have literally worked like a crazy person this weekend! I finished a bunch of orders including this custom diaper/camera bag I made for my girl over at The Paper Mama. You might be wondering where the straps are... well she asked if I would add these D rings so she could use her straps from this bag. Pretty fantastic idea huh? Yep, those are seat belts. In case you couldn't tell, I'm pretty tickled with how this turned out:

I love the fabric- upholstery weight, organic cotton by Mod Green Pod, it's pricey but super worth it. 

The lining is by Anna Maria Horner- it's pretty fly too.

D-rings for the straps

I love pleats.. I really can't get enough of them :)

Fully padded side pockets offer protection for a camera/lens and the 2" foam bottom can't hurt either.

I also just listed some new bags on Etsy today! I'm hoping I can keep this up and finally have decent inventory for the holiday shopping rush. I kinda feel like I'm slacking on the blog front- AGAIN... but I do have a few tutorials all ready to go and one exciting DYI project. I think this will be a busy week :)

What do you think?

I'm really into wool this year- it's so classy. Also note the yummy vintage brooch!

Everyone loves a good tote... especially in this rad ass fabric from Robert Kaufman

I'm also loving this woven strapping by Echino..

There is ALWAYS room for a ruffle.

In other news- I burned the hell out of my arm today.... guess that's what I get for doubling my ironing board as a work table. One day I'll have a big girl work room (sigh) :)

Happy Halloween!

Congrats to Sam Neely, the winner of the final Barely Birthday Giveaway! Sam and I will work together to make a custom barely clutch! A BIG THANK YOU to all our winners and everyone who helped Barely Measured celebrate it's big 3 by participating!

A festive pumpkin my girl Allie did of her cat, Snookles da' Dookles (sp?)

(don't hate me ;) )

Farewell Autumn

Dear Autumn,

I feel like you just arrived but already the leaves have mostly changed and fallen off. You are my favorite time of year and I am always sad to see you go. I am especially sad this year because winter up here will mean I will have to become a shut-in until May. I even heard that the notch is closed for the season because of the snow. Maybe you would consider staying a little longer.. perhaps an indian summer even?

Thankyouverymuch,
Heather

ps. Congrats to Nancy, winner of the Facebook birthday giveaway and charming barely apron!

Announcing the First Barely Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Whisker Biscuit!!! She is the winner of the Barely Measured Blog giveaway and new owner of a barely bag! Next Monday the winner of the Barely Measured Facebook giveaway will be announced so hurry up and enter to win a barely apron!! Of course the Etsy giveaway is running until the end of the month, so you have plenty of time to make a purchase and be entered to win a custom clutch!

Click here for complete giveaway details!

Vintage Baubles

So I got a package in the mail the the other day from a girl I've recently met through Facebook. It's amazing that we haven't met in person because we share many mutual friends- I'm sure we've probably seen each other at Andy's (an old local bar in Chestertown, MD where I lived for 8 years) and didn't even realize it. Anyhoo, Anne had read my post about our trip to Woodstock and saw that I was interested in vintage brooches. So what does she send me? A box of her grandmother's vintage brooches in excellent condition!!??! The trade? A custom barely bag :) I CANNOT WAIT to use them, in fact I've added one to a barely clutch listed on Etsy.

Aren't these fabulous?! Thank you Anne you rock <3

A vintage touch is just what this barely bag was missing!

Barely Clutch Class at Nido

I taught my first class at Nido last night. Thankfully there were only two students- so it wasn't too intimidating for my first class. It was definitely a learning experience for all involved- the students were VERY new to sewing so the many parts of the clutch (especially the zipper and pleating) were a little scary and I had to concentrate to make sure I was articulate and thoroughly explaining the process. I think their bags turned out super cute- of course the fabric they purchased from Nido had them halfway there :) The best part is that I don't think I scared them from ever sewing again, lol.

 Elisa and Beth hard at work... :)

I didn't pay them to look like they were having fun, I swear

Finished barely bags!

PS. There are only two more days to enter the Barely Measured Blog Giveaway!

Three Barely Giveaways!

Giveaway overload!! Why pick ONE giveaway when you can do ALL THREE?! I'm excited for my first giveaways so spread the word :)

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:


Etsy Giveaway

WHO: Anyone who makes a purchase from my Etsy shop during the month of October will be entered in the drawing.

HOW: Make a purchase from my Etsy shop- pick anything, from hair clips to bags!

WHAT: A free custom clutch! The winner and I will chat about fabric, color, pattern,  and details.

WHEN: The winner will be announced October 31, 2010 right here on the blog.

Barely Measured Blog Giveaway

WHO: Anyone who follows this blog.

HOW: Promote these giveaways via Facebook or Twitter (or both)- leave a comment with the link.

            Add my badge to your blog.

WHAT: A barely slouch bag- pictured above!

WHEN: The winner will be announced October 18, 2010 right here on the blog.

Barely Measured Facebook Giveaway

WHO: Anyone who "likes" my Facebook page.

HOW: Promote these giveaways via Facebook.

WHAT: A barely apron- pictured above! 

WHEN: The winner will be announced October 25, 2010 right here on the blog.

The Honeymoon is Over...

One year ago today my best friend and I were hitched. It was such an incredible day. It was a small wedding on his parent's property, with seventy of our closet friends and family on a sunny, crisp October day. I nearly drove myself mad in the months getting ready for the celebration- focusing on the tiniest details. But the result was a day we'll never forget- it was truly a day celebrating love, friendships and family. It was like everyone just came together and helped us have an amazing day.

We worked (and bartered) with many friends to make the day a success, Jeff Carroll from the Fish Whistle and Amuse Bouche Catering handled the catering and bar, Tom Anthony and his now wife, Kim played guitar for the ceremony, Angela from Flower Child provided flowers, (we did our own bouquets and arrangements) and bridal bouquet, my friend, pastry chef Nichole made our delicious cake, Cheryl (my surrogate mother :) ) did everyone's hair, my friend Caiti McDaid-Kelly traveled from the Big Apple to take care of our makeup along with our talented photographer, Conway Liao.

Favorite details:  

- The handmade invitations I made with Dusty's cousin's girlfriend- we drank beer and sat on the floor while stringing pearls on wire and printing on vintage postcards. 

- The favors were homemade blackberry and raspberry jam I made with my mother-in-law Molly (we even picked the berries). 

- Dusty made holders of wire and wood to display our table numbers. 

- I gifted earrings and necklaces to my bridesmaids from Betsy on Etsy. 

- The table runners I made out of a gorgeous Amy Butler fabric. 

- Yummy pumpkin beer added a touch of fall.

- The wedding band made of jarrah wood and titanium by Rob and Lean on Etsy that I surprised Dusty with. 

- Tessa showing me how to make boutonnieres the day before

Happy Birthday Giveaway!!!

So, this is gonna be short- I'm sitting in the (cold and rainy) parking lot of the coffee shop again... I happened to notice a few days ago that I opened my Etsy shop on Oct. 8th three years ago! Of course I had only just started sewing then and had no idea what I would sell but decided that such a truthful name should not go to waste. In celebration of Barely Measured's three years I will be doing THREE, count 'em, TRES giveaways this month! The first will be open to anyone who makes a purchase from my etsy shop during the month of October- and the prize? A custom clutch in a color/pattern of your choice. The second giveaway will be open to those who follow this blog and the third will be for those who "like" the Barely Measured Facebook page.... more on those to come next week!! Stay tuned and don't forget to check out the hot new bags on Etsy! Here's a peek at some of them:

The Allie

The Annie

The Katie

Bad Blogger! Bad!

How do you do it? I can't seem to find the balance of life, bills, work, sewing AND blogging? I have one new fall bag up on Etsy... ONE! I have a gigantic pile of freshly washed corduroy all ready to be ironed and made into a barely bags- 50 headbands cut out and ready to be assembled and tons of scraps ready for a new scraptastic giveaway- not to mention a stack of barely paperwork to be filed for taxes... UGH! I seriously envy those who can juggle all this and keep their blogs fresh with posts.... I consider myself to be pretty organized but damn! I plan on using the rest of the week to do nothing but sew, sew, sew SO hopefully I can have more up on Etsy and then have more time for online tutorials, photo updates, a FALL GIVEAWAY (!!!!) .... and of course- DIY projects, complete with before and afters! Please bear with me- and if you have any suggestions... I'm all ears!