Thank you Minnesota!

Earlier this week I received a long-awaited package in the mail...

And now I am the proud owner of a Duluth Pack!

Have you heard of this company? Based in Duluth, MN, they make really great bags and outdoor gear: from day packs to tote bags and everything in between. Of all their products I was particularly drawn to the shell bag: while it's original purpose was to carry shotgun shells, I'm going to use it as an urban purse. (Fun fact: shell bags are categorized based on their size- I chose 100- and the number refers to how many shells can fit into the bag!)

Even though I've only owned my new pack for a few days, I'm already smitten. I mean, how could you NOT love a product that comes from a company who includes beautiful photos in their catalogues!

Of course, the pack is also practical! I can use the outer pockets for my kindle and wallet, while the larger/inner pocked is perfect for my camera!

Oh- and did I mention that Duluth Pack sews all of their items by hand?

And every product is guaranteed for life- gotta love those wonderful folks in Minnesota!

If you're interested, check out Duluth Pack's website!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!

Stylish pirate accessories

A family friend of ours recently underwent major eye surgery and will have to wear an eye patch for a couple of months. She has a fun-loving personality, so we decided to send her a little "something" to liven up these next 2 months.

To accomplish this little maneuver I picked up some supplies at the pharmacy and the craft store. And while those two suppliers don't usually scream "craft project", they suited my needs just fine. For the first project I used an eye patch, craft glue and rhinestones.
You may have notice that I picked up self-adhesive "gems", but I only did that because they were cheaper. I could just have easily used normal rhinestones, but the adhesive sure did come in handy! I wanted to make sure I had enough gems to go around before I started gluing, so I stuck them to the eye patch first.
Once I was happy with the placement (and knew that I had enough gems to cover the patch), I removed them, dabbed a dollop of glue onto the eye patch using a toothpick, and re-adhered the gem to the patch.
When I had finished and set that eye patch to dry, I turned my attention to my second patch. (Yes, I totally bought two eye patches- I mean, what if there was an occasion that didn't call for rhinestones? Now our friend will have a second, and just as colorful, option!) Decorating this patch was particularly simple. I had picked up a few iron-on appliques at the craft store; following the manufacturer's instructions, I ironed them onto the patch.
Isn't it cute?
And once the glue was dried, the sparkly patch looked pretty cute, too!
Of course, it's hard to imagine just how "festive" these patches are when they're lying on the table. So, I ran to a mirror and played fashion model (what I won't do on this blog, right?)...
We dropped these babies in the mail this morning; I can't wait for our friend to receive them- I hope they make her smile!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!