Potato Sack Chic

This totally fabulous clutch {made from a potato sack from Idaho} is so much fun!

A true Crystelle Handbags Original

• I love the shabby chic feel to it!
  
• For more pictures of this purse, please visit our Potato Boutique Blog.
  
• Now pay attention, because this totally fab potato sack clutch is a free giveaway right now!
  

  Check it out at LindsayBlogs!

Make your own potato sack clutch with a genuine potato sack from here....!!! Guaranteed to elicit a LOT of compliments!

Crystelle Handbags and Crystelle Boutique

Crystelle Handbags: Home of the famous PotatoPurse

Crystelle Boutique is the parent company of Crystelle Handbags

Fun Potato Bag Sewing Patterns and Genuine Potato Sacks are available at EtsyPotatoBoutique

The Perfect Recycled Gift for the TRUE Recycler at Heart

Thought I would update you on the thank you gifts for the teachers of the children in our household:

This is what my son's teacher actually ended up with as thank you gift at the end of the school year.

My son adores the Crystelle Handbags {it's fun to have kids who support their mom.....} But for his teacher he wanted me to make something special: Instead of a Crystelle Handbags original {a handbag made of a genuine Idaho Famous Potato Sack}, he opted to give her something that represented "green" living even more, as she LOVES to reduce, reuse, and recycle.....

He wanted to thank his teacher for the module she taught on recycling, so he insisted I make her a black and white bag out of a re-purposed billboard banner....

I must agree. He did a good job choosing: it is the perfect recycling gift...

I really like the way this glam recycled bag turned out. It is BIG (teachers are notorious for carrying around a LOT of things....) and fun.

The interior has YELLOW pockets which are fun and spunky.

Great Idaho Gift Ideas for Great Idaho Teachers...

My daughter insisted that her teacher loved Idaho and pillows, so her teacher thank-you gift was an Idaho Potato Sack Pillow!

Her teacher was pretty excited.

The assistants and student teachers ended up with "Hot Potato Mitts...."

Oven Mitts made out of genuine potato sacks

Make Great Thanks You Gifts for Great Teachers

A bag makes a great teacher gift.

Or a tote, or a handbag, or a messenger-bag, or a purse.... Anyway, you get the idea!



It's that time of year again: end of the school-year, and all of a sudden we are all scrambling to give our children's teachers something meaningful to show our appreciation for taking good care of our children during the school-year....
Teachers are always carrying around lots of stuff to and from school. You may as well make it a bit easier for her/him with a fun bag or tote. If it is cute and personalized, so much the better!
For fourth grade teachers I always recommend an Idaho Potato Sack Bag, as they teach Idaho history. (if you don't live in Idaho that would not apply, of course...)
Have fun sewing! Crystelle Boutique {aka Crystelle Handbags} has some fun and easy to sew patterns available on the Potato Boutique Etsy shop.


Or how about a Washington Onion Bag for teachers in Washington?



And then for the perfect gift for the motivating fifth grade teacher who diligently taught our kids about recycling, how about the ultimate re-purposed bag out of a banner....?



What other ideas can you come up with?
Enjoy thanking your kids' teachers for the great things they contribute to our lives....

Repurposed Onion Sack Made into a Cute Purse

I really like way this Onion Purse turned out!

I'm really into orange right now. And blue has been my favorite color since forever.....

I used the Crystelle Handbags Rachel Handbag Pattern, and an Onion Sack from Sunset Onions in Prosser Washington.

Hope the customer who ordered it for Mother's day likes it! and her mother-in-law does too!

The Rachel Handbag looks fantastic, but is actually easy to sew pattern. We have that one and some additional fun bag sewing patterns available at our shop. After purchase they are just an easy download to your computer.

The Hartley Family (onion Farmers from Washington State) are also willing to let you use their bags. They have different colors and styles available. Please contact them or me for more info.

How to Make a Burlap Rose

Easy instructions on how to fold a burlap rose like those shown
on the Ronda Purse in Haute Handbags Spring 2010.

These and other instructions are available when you
click right here to go to Tutorial Boutique

Find the matching SO easy SEW patterns
at the Potato Boutique

Thanks for visiting!!!

Mole Day Project Ideas.....????

Mole Day is October 23. It is an un-official holiday that chemists celebrate. And in honor of that, why not make a "mole-person"!!!! Doesn't that sound like fun?

I was thinking it would be fun to make something in the style of "Temporary Folk Art by Dylan and Jo."

They are artist from Oregon who make amazing "dolls" You can check out their art right here. I think it's fabulous.


Well, what do you think? Mole ideas such as Molechael Jackson (Michael Jackson), etc...
I would like for it to be a person that I can make....

How about Mole-bama
or Angelina Molie
Or what about Larry, Curly and Mole? (the three stooges)

Any other ideas?

Potato Sack Purse with Orange Print: Warning: VERY cute!

Here it is: an ORANGE Ginny Potato Purse!The Ginny Famous Potato Purse has long been a Crystelle Handbags favorite, and here it shows up again....

The Ginny Famous Potato Purse is so much work to make, but then when you are finally done, you sit back and look it over, and you realize that it is just such a happy cheerful little bag you just can't help but smile..... :) .... BIG!!!! :D

• This particular Ginny Handbag has CUTE cheerful orange lining (which Leslie picked out....)...
  
  
• This Burlap Potato Sack Purse is for my friend Leslie's birthday. (today!!!!)
  

• She happens to be going on a 23 mile run on her birthday! Good for her! Go Leslie!!!! :-)
  
  

View more pictures of this cute potato sack purse right here

Selvage Edge Sewing Tips

How to make a selvage edge bag, selvage edge tote, or selvage edge handbag.

Isn't it so fun to make something out of something we would normally discard?

I think so!

It's not hard to do. This is how we at Crystelle Handbags make a selvage edge bag, and YOU can do it TOO....!!!! :) :

• Save your selvage edges {or just cut them off the collection of fabrics you already have
  

• Cut 1/2 inch into the print of the fabric. {some people do more, I like to be consistent and do 1/2 inch each time}

• Cut your purse pattern out of white cotton
  

  

• Draw parallel lines on the cotton to keep you going straight as you go along
  


• Place one strip of selvage edge on at a time, and sew it in place

  

• Be sure to overlap the unfinished edge of the previous selvage edge with the finished edge of the current one

  

I really love the way it turns out. See another view right here

• This is a very green, reused, recycled, re-purposed {all that good stuff..... :) } project for you and your friends and kids to do
  

• I used the free Aerika Purse Pattern {a Crystelle Boutique original creation} to make this selvage edge bag....

  

• Instructions on how to make the selvage edge poppy flower are right here
  

Selvage Edge Aerika Purse

I am so excited to blog about the new stunning handbag made from from selvage edges.....

I love it!

What did I use?

-the free Aerika Purse pattern...
-selvage edges from all decorator cottons {so it is nice and sturdy}
-The Aerika Pattern {a CrystelleHandbags original creation} is a free gift for those who follow the Crystelle Boutique Newsletter

Sign up for the newsletter here and receive the Aerika Pattern FREE

Fun Potato Sack Handbag

I made another Melissa Handbag!

I love this easy to sew pattern. And the bag always turns out so fun and great.

Exciting! This bag WANTS to go out on the town!

This very bag and the pattern (and other bag sewing patterns) are available right now in the Potato Boutique....

See you there! Have a fantastically happy day!

The Melissa pattern is a creation of Crystelle Handbags

Fabulous Sewing Patterns

How to Sew with a Vinyl Advertising Banner

Are you wondering how to make a purse/handbag/bag/tote out of a used vinyl billboard advertising banner?
It's really quite easy. Job number one is to select some bag sewing patterns that are easy to sew.

Crystelle Boutique offers an easy free pattern and other really fun and easy to sew patterns.

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

Job number two : acquiring the vinyl advertising banner.
It probably took me three months to get up enough courage to ask the first business if I could have their banner after they were done with it. Their answer? NO! I was quite discouraged and it took me another six months to get up enough courage to do it again… This time was different. They were really nice, and said : YES!!! My confidence was up after that and I tried it again a week later. And the third business said YES too.
So rule number one is just to ask for a banner, and chances are, you will get one!

Pros and Cons of Sewing with Vinyl Banners

Pros

• Cheap (I just got mine for free)
  
• Easy to cut
  
• Easy to sew
  
• Easy to clean (I just used a natural cleaner and a rag)
  
• Durable
  
• Fun colors
  
• Very “green”
  

Cons

• Could be hard to acquireSome are old and show a lot of dirt and wear. (But then again, that adds to the novelty...)
  
• You can’t use pins in places that will show in the finished product. They leave visible holes. So be careful with that.The vinyl gets folds in it (you can kind-of get the folds out by covering the wrinkly banner with a cotton tea-towel and then, using a hot iron, press it. Do not leave the iron in one location for over 10 seconds: the vinyl WILL melt!
  

You could consider sewing a free item
for the donor of the vinyl banner. He or she would love it....

To see some of the bags I have made out of billboard banners, please visit here and here.

Sewing a Fun Recycled Bag from a Vinyl Banner

A friend of mine manages a local store and let me have
a discarded advertising banner. The next step for me
was to sew this fun handbag of course!

I used the Crystelle Handbags Melissa Handbag Pattern, which is one of our easy to sew patterns, and had SO MUCH fun! (SEW much fun...???)

Good times!
Crystelle

Cute Home Made Storage Basket

This storage bag is the perfect size to contain all the remotes that are always laying around in the living room. The name "CrystelleHandbags" typically denotes purses and bags to carry around, but a container that looks like a potato sack bag and just sits around, holding your precious items is JUST as useful, and just as much fun!

I know these pictures have been taken outside....but....

it looks good inside the house too...!!!! believe it or not.....

I love it....

Isn't it adorable?

Make a Burlap Rose Instructions

Easy instructions on how to fold a burlap rose,

like those shown on the Ronda Purse
in Haute Handbags Spring 2010.

These and other instructions are available when you
click right here to go to Tutorial Boutique

Find the matching SO easy SEW patterns
at the Potato Boutique

Thanks for visiting!!!

Cute FREE Purse Pattern

I am excited to announce that Crystelle handbags has designed a new purse pattern that is not only extremely cute and practical, but also easy to sew, and {most of all... } FREE!!!!

Haute Handbags like the design so much, they put it on the cover of their magazine!

All you need to do is sign up to receive a FREE eNewsletter from us and we will send you the Aerika Purse Pattern Absolutely FREE to your email address in easy to print PDF format.

Follow the instruction in this link,

and your pattern will arrive in your in-box shortly.

Like all of our Crystelle Handbags sewing patterns, the Aerika Pattern is easy to follow and has lots of pictures to help you every step of the way!

Send us pictures of YOUR finished Aerika purse, and we will post it on our blog!

Enjoy Sewing!

Crystelle

Easy Shirt for Size 10 Girl

OK, good September Monday everyone!

Here are the instructions on how to make that cute shirt that I made for my daughter's birthday.

Fun & Creative DIY Instructions  

No worries. It was about the easiest shirt I've ever made. Cute too, I thought....

• I just started out with a purchased T-shirt from a local retailer
  

• I cut off the shirt {which happens to be size 10-12 kids} straight across 4 inches under the arm-pit {for lack of a better term....}

Then I started adding strips

1. Strip 1: (2) 3 x 16

2. Strip 2: (2) 3 x 20

3. Strip 3: (2) 5 x 20

4. Strip 4: (2) 7 x 24

The seams are just to the edge of the foot.

You may want to adjust the measurements if you are using a different size T-shirt....

I really like the umbrella fabric.....

And I am also digging my "new" old fridge.... by the way...

One of my most prized possessions....

Not that material possessions are very important.... of course...

My daughter has been very creative. She put this fish on a clip-board so she could haul it with her wherever we went and she could work on it...

Isn't it fun!

And I finally figured out that the drum that was laying back behind the chicken coop made a nice side table for my bench...

Love the color.

Fall flowers are the best. September is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is mild. The flowers are blooming...

Smells of harvest in the air....

I love a Monday in September!!!!

No, I have not disappeared.....

No, I have not disappeared from off the face of the Earth....

Just been a busy Mom....

But now kids are back in school. Kids of all ages.

From elementary school to college.

Lucky them. I just get to sit here at home and clean...

And scrub....

And SEW.....
hahahaha!!!
Yay! for me!

{If you look closely at this window picture you will see that I have still not learned how to spell "birthday"....heeheehee.... LOL!!!}

Back to sewing!

That is my favorite thing to do, after all...!!!