A skirt (for my purse!) And some exciting news...

I'll start with the exciting news: No, I'm not pregnant.  Why does everyone always think that when I say I have news???  Come on!


I made it into the first round of voting for the Spring Top Sewalong at Made by Rae!  Whoopeeeee!!!  So stop what you're doing, run, don't walk, over there and VOTE (for me!) and wish me luck!  And then come back here and read the rest of my post.  ;)

This is the one that made it.  I'm feeling very proud!

***

OK.  On to other matters.  Do you remember the convo I had with my DH about the mugs?  Well he's at it again.  Pointing out things, when all I really need him to do is sit there and drink his coffee.  Please don't tell him this, but he is often...well, occasionally...right.  About things.

So, I got this purse.  Long story short (you're welcome), I got it (legitimately!) for a deal.  $21 for the purse & skirt.  It's one of those where you can switch out the skirt/cover thingy.   I bought it to help a friend's daughter raise money for a mission trip.  It was for the CHILDREN!  THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

the children

But you know when you buy something that isn't altogether (ahem) necessary, and you don't want to hide it from the hubs, but you don't exactly want to parade it around so that he can see it (and ask questions) right away?  So you just kind of take it straight up to your closet, throw it under some stuff, and slowly assimilate the item into your life, so that it would be difficult for the naked eye to detect a new accessory/pair of shoes/piece of clothing/etc in the house?

DON'T LIE!  You know you do this.

Well, after almost 10 years, I think he may be onto my game.  Or maybe it was the pink giraffe print.  Either way, he noticed. 

DH: "Hmm.  New purse, honey?"
ME: (Nonchalantly) Oh...yeah.  Do you like it?  I got such a deal!
DH: "A deal, huh?"
ME: It was only $21 and that was like half off!  What a deal!  It was for a mission trip!  They were raising money for a mission trip!
DH: (Silence, accompanied by a look of amusement on the DH's face.)
ME: What?  Don't you like it?  That's a good deal!  (I tried to work the phrase "good deal" in as much as I could.)
DH :"It just seems like a lot to spend on something that you already have a closet full of, as it is."
ME:  *huff*...........................................................*sigh.*


You know, I think I liked the guy better when he still believed that money grew on trees.

***

So here's the dealio with the purse: once you buy the purse "body," you can just buy the changeable skirts.  For $15-$21, that is, depending on the style.  AS IF!

Fear not; Rachel is on the job.  I came up with a pattern and a prototype - I think all the big girls in the sewing world call it a "muslin."  Needs a little tweaking, but not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

What I love (one of several things) about this, is that the skirt does not have to be heavy-duty.  No home dec weight fabric necessary, no reinforced stitching necessary...it just needs to fit, and look pretty.  And there are so many possible options and embellishments for this!  I just need to fix my pattern a wee bit, and find some hardware for the hooks, and I'll be good to go!

Oh...the moral of the story?  I'm making up for my unnecessary purchase by saving money on *more* unnecessary purchases to go with my original unnecessary purchase...making it no less unnecessary, but a lot more budget-friendly.  That makes sense.  Right?

Alright.  If you did not listen to me at the top of this post, and you haven't voted yet, do it!

"If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true."  (10 points to the first person to name the movie.)