Sabbatical, but...

Hi All,

Sorry to take so long to update y'all. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes. I've decided to take a break from BFZ. I'm calling it a sabbatical. My family needs me right now. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'm definitely not giving it up all together. I still have tons of donated fabric to deal with (unfortunately it's spread all over my house still) and I've really loved this project.

But, the good news is that Linda and Grace would like to keep sewing. Our little Columbian Zaza still isn't home and there are still some expenses that need taking care of. So stay tuned...

What about Jenn V? Well, she's mostly sleeping these days. I guess that's what a li'l cupcake in the oven does to you. Yes ma'am, you heard right - she's expecting her first child. In between sleeping and getting ready for the new baby, she's not sure how much sewing she'll get done, but I suspect that we haven't seen the last of her.

If you want to be contacted when new bags are available, just follow the "Stay in Touch" instructions over in the right column.

Treading Water

Hey all - sorry I've evaporated momentarily. I wasn't watching old Star Trek episodes, I promise. I've had a family upset this week and haven't been able to do anything in bag land.

I'm also having a bit of a think about priorities and how I can keep it all going. At the moment, I'm just treading water - not sinking, but not making it to shore either. Thankfully, my parents had me in swimming lessons before I could walk and I can tread water forever without sinking. Let's hope the metaphor holds up in real life.

As soon as I have it figured out and have had a good pow-wow with all involved, I'll let you know.

If you want me to contact you when new bags are available, just follow the "Stay in Touch" instructions over in the right column.

Happy Friday!

I Might Be a Trekkie

JayP, Elvis Takes a Back Seat is all yours. Thank you so much!

I didn't post last night because I was at the new Star Trek movie. It was so great. I ran straight home and watched Season 1, Episode 1 of the original series. I totally forgot about blogs and bags. I've always enjoyed Star Trek, but was never able to watch any of the series too regularly. I'm kinda tempted to backtrack and watch them ALL now. I just checked. That's only 716 episodes all together. So, at 1 per night - that will only take me 2 years. Ha Ha. OK, perhaps that's a bit unrealistic. Dang. Maybe I can sew and watch TV at the same time.

I'm hoping to have a bag finished tonight. Stay tuned...

A Bag!

I just surfed on over to my blog and noticed how it doesn't really look like there's a bag available. But there is! There's a bag! A really funky and different bag! It's down there.

Keep heading this way for bag called Elvis Takes a Back Seat!

Where are the Bags?

Where are the Bags? Where are the Bags you ask? Well, I'm not sure I like that tone ... but I know Linda is probably somewhere with her feet up, sipping virgin Margarita's. And of course, I'm just lazing around with a mud mask on my face and cucumbers on my eyes. Oh, wait - you mean those bags?

Linda was very keen and got all her sewing done before the weekend and sent me the pictures and everything. I started a bag, but at the spur of the moment dropped everything and drove over four hours to be with my Momma on Mother's Day. Therefore, I didn't sew. However, I did help get a load of fire wood. And I also managed to cut my lip, chip my tooth, and eat some dirt while on a little stroll through the forest. But all so worth it to hang out with my Momma.

So, here's Linda's bag and I'm back to the drawing board ... er ... cutting mat.

• Elvis Takes a Back Seat

Bid on this bag by leaving a name and a bid in the comments section for the bag. The highest bidder at 8pm (pdt) on Monday, May 18th gets the bag and ALL profits are put towards Zaza's adoption!

About the Bags ~ FAQs ~ How to Bid

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Here's some pictures of me not sewing:

Elvis Takes a Back Seat

Elvis Takes a Back Seat was created by Linda and is located in Phoenix, AZ.

Click on any picture for a larger view.

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 8pm (pacific) on Monday, May 18th gets the BAG! Postage extra.

Elvis Takes a Back Seat is a manly bag... as manly as Elvis. God rest his soul. The entire outside of the bag is made out of tan and beige diamond patterned plush fabric. It looks like a couch. Perfect for the man who loves the couch. The fabric washes like a dream.

[Editors note: I think this bag is great for a lady, too - so if you're only sporting double X chromosomes, I'll still let you bid.]

The interior and the under side of the strap are a ribbed sturdy fabric that matches the dark diamonds. I had fun inside making pockets... a pen pocket, 3 business/credit card pockets, two versatile Zune or iPod pockets, as well as a large side pocket for a day timer or note pad. The folded newspaper would also fit in here nicely.

Elvis measures 13.5" long, 10" tall, and 2.5" wide. The strap is 40" long. Elvis would have added a few rhinestones or peacocks, but I think it would have held his blue suede shoes quite nicely.

About the Bags ~ FAQs ~ How to Bid

Caught Up

Ooops - where has the time gone? I went to a meeting at my boy's school last night and then I got caught up in sewing my next bag and totally forgot that the bidding war had ended.

This week's lucky Bag Biddy is:

• Images of the Past -- A.C. -- $41
  

Please email BagsforZaza@gmail.com within 1 week to arrange payment and postage/pickup. All proceeds from this fundraiser go towards Zaza's adoption.

I'm thinking we'll be back on Monday with new bags. That's what I'm thinking.

Happy Friday!

Images of the Past

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Or you can leave regular ol' chatty comments, too! Bidding starts at $30 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 8pm (pdt/mst) on Thursday, May 7th gets the BAG! Postage extra. All proceeds go towards Zaza's adoption.

About the Bags ~ FAQs ~ How to Bid

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Images of the Past was created by Linda and is located in Phoenix, AZ.

Click on any picture for a larger view.

Images of the Past is a spunky little handbag with an Oriental flair. The fabrics for this bag were all remnants from a diaper bag I made not long ago. I've been itching to get at them for a BFZ.

The shiny Chinese red fabric is adorned with dragons and other oriental designs. The front pocket on the bag is made of a gold fabric with round oriental motifs and the black fabric has colorful peacocks on it. The trim on the pocket is gold silky braid with dangling clear beads.

The bottom of the bag feels like velvet, but upon microscopically close inspection, it is a corduroy. It is very soft and luscious. It is trimmed with a gold braid that has two lines of black velvet running through it.

The handles are black painted bamboo and are attached with two straps of the red shiny material.

The inside is entirely constructed of a silky gold fabric with a variety of oriental designs of flowers and coins.

The bag is lined with a thin batting so the purse has some form and cush to it.

The bag measures 12.5" across, 10.5" tall and 2.75" wide. The handles are 7.5" x 4.5".

Happy bidding on Images of the Past.

My Fifteen Minutes

I work for quite a large organization (23,000+ employees) and they publish a quarterly magazine for staff. I had fun monopolizing one of the pages in this spring's issue. [Click on the picture for a bigger view] Thanks to all of you that have made this wonderful passion of mine a reality.

This week's Bag Biddies are:

• Man in White -- Miriam -- $43
  
• A Tangled Web -- Elizabeth -- $25
  

Please email BagsforZaza@gmail.com within 1 week to arrange payment and postage/pickup.

I have one bag to post for tomorrow (made by Linda in AZ). It will be available for bidding until Thursday evening.