My New Purse

I have been needing a new purse.  But being who I am,  I carry a good bit of stuff with me most days.  Things like batteries for the aerobics microphone and a water bottle and lots of little things like that, to help me attempt to keep up with this crazy life. 

A couple of years ago,  Charlie's unit switched to the new style of BDUs.  When he could no longer wear the style he had worn when I first met him,  I asked Charlie to pack the old uniforms away for future projects, and just in case the kids wanted them.  And I rather thought this project would come along. 

I made a similar purse for my niece last year, and about a month ago, I asked Charlie to sit out a few sets for me to work on some projects with.  As I began to cut this out, We made a few camouflage stockings, and Wyatt even learned to use the sewing machine while making one. 

As luck would have it, the uniform which would become my new purse was one of his favorites, sporting some random paint for character. The outside reveals four pockets,  including two with unit insignia. The inside has six, formed from material from the jacket back and arm, just for fun. 

So here is the finished product, complete with handles found on after Christmas sale at the fabric store!

Here it is,  almost completely loaded,  and with room to spare! Next up? Making one specifically designed for and by Bailey.  AND this next one will have goat patches,  too!  Stay tuned for that design,  coming soon!  Though for now, this edition got Charlie's seal of approval,  telling me that it looked good enough to make for sale. 

It is pretty exciting when he likes my work! But for now, I will be doing most of my work on a by request basis, so that my time is focused on what matters. So I have to ask, if you could design your own purse, what fabric would you choose, and what features would you want?

Baby Chicks Available at Local Hardware Store

A little over a week ago brought a new adventure for the little chicks of Patriot's Dream. One of the local hardware stores has begun carrying chicks. They ordered in some Ameraucanas from a hatchery, and since things were going well they wanted to add some local chicks as well. Four little ones from our recent hatch went along.

Wyatt packed the little ones in a crate lined with towels and played with them in the back seat on the way to deliver them.

I don't think they were too sure about leaving their friends in the brooder!

Here is Wyatt with the little ones, riding in to town.

Initially, the delivery went really well. But the littlest was just too little for the digs there, so Charlie stopped to pick her up on his way home from work (in the middle of a big rain storm, no less!) That little one came home and nestled right back in here. The Silkies long thought they were her mama, since she was younger than the rest, though in the bottom photo, she is nestled in to the feathers of a slightly larger chick of her own breed who we didn't take along since we believe it will be a boy. You have to look really closely in order to see the little one tucked under and a little behind the wing.

One of the many benefits of working with a local breeder is the support you get, and the service. For us, we are thrilled that the three little ones were sold to local homes, and things went so well, they asked for more chicks! We didn't have any at that moment, as we had cleaned out the incubator, but likely will soon.

Well, pretty exciting to have such positive partnerships with local businesses and good people! More exciting news to come as well!

Build Your Own Gift Basket

Love the fun of gift baskets, but looking for more variety than you typically find? Or want something more personalized than what you may find elsewhere?  Or perhaps you have found neat things that can be personalized, but aren't variable enough for the price range you want for certain gifts?

Feel free to build your own gift baskets, even with custom items and baskets...

Feeling overwhelmed?

How about a build your own tutorial?

Start with the budget...
Truthfully, the budget is up to you! Whether there is  mug, basket, tote bag or gift bag changes how much you put in a package as well as the overall cost. If you would like, you can email me with a few parameters like what a person likes and the approximate budget, and I can get you some sample ideas.

Ideas to use as the basket:

Mugs, Plates and Glasses

Metal  and Wicker Baskets

Gift Bags

Tote Bags

Feed Bag Market Bags (also available in a plain tan)

Ideas to Put in the Basket:

These can be customized:
Glass mugs, tall glasses, tumblers and plates

Soaps and Lotions Bars, Scrubs and Lip Balms

 Hairbands, and Feathered and Ribbon Barrette and Clips

 Custom Jewelry Pieces

Earrings, Bracelets and other Jewelry

Jewelry Sets

Up-cycled Ceramic Tiles

AND MORE!
Got favorite pieces or things you want to put together? Got an idea for a coming project, but want to have it packaged for you to put together later? We are glad to accommodate. Just call or email and we can set something up special just for you, and of course we do volume discounts.