Free Purse, Bag & Tote Tutorials

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Linda Matthews

I’ve been working a new project for quite some time and I’m so glad to say it’s finally finished!

As you know I LOVE making bags and purses, and for the last several years I’ve been regularly updating my listings for free purse, bag and tote patterns and tutorials but the list has gotten so large (over 320 links to date) that it was getting difficult to manage them all on this website, so I’ve been investigating a better way to present them to you and as it turns out, the best way was to give them a home of their own!

You can now find all my listings for free purse, bag and tote tutorials
on my brand new website at
www.free-purse-bag-tote-tutorials-patterns.com

On the new website you will now find lots of different ways to browse and search the listings and the best place to start is visit the “Browse Listings” page.

Also note that I won’t be updating the listings here on this blog any more, so if you want to be notified when new listings are added (which I can now do more frequently thanks to the new setup) the best way to do that is to sign up for the blog email on the new website. You can find the sign-up form here on the sidebar of the new site. This is a different subscriber list to the blog email on this website so all you will be receiving is updates to new listings.

I’ve just updated the listings so there’s a bunch of new links available and you can find them if you head over to the new website and scroll down to the bottom where the archives are listed. Look for the Archives for November 2011.

You’ll find the new website here and make sure to let me know if you like it by leaving a comment. Enjoy!

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New in the store: Photo Art Bookmarks

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Linda Matthews

Just added to the store, Photo Art Bookmarks. Same as the “One Word” bookmarks, but without the word!

Find them here in the store

Photo Art Bookmarks

Available designs

Photo Art Bookmarks

Photo Art Calendars and Bookmarks SPECIAL
From now until 15th December take 10% off all orders over $50.00 (excludes shipping)
Applies to Photo Art Calendars and Bookmarks only
Use code photoart10 at checkout
Find them here in the store

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“One Word” Bookmarks

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Linda Matthews

Update: Photo Art Calendars and Bookmarks SPECIAL
From now until 15th December take 10% off all orders over $50.00 (excludes shipping)
Applies to Photo Art Calendars and Bookmarks only
Use code photoart10 at checkout
Find them here in the store

As I mentioned the other day, over the last few weeks I’ve been working on some new photo art designs which I’ve used to make a set of beautiful 2012 calendars which you can find here in the store. And thank you to everyone who has already purchased one, I knew you’d like them!

Calendar Set

I’ve also now used these same designs to design a set of beautiful “One Word” Bookmarks. As well as being inspiring and beautiful to look at, these make thoughtful and affordable gifts for book-loving friends and family. Each bookmark comes in its own protective sleeve and these are now available here in my design store. Order one, or order the set!

One Word Bookmarks

Available designs

One Word Bookmarks

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Empowering the new year with my new 2012 Photo Art Calendar

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Linda Matthews

I promised myself I wouldn’t say it.

Not just yet anyway.

But I guess I have no choice.

2012 is almost upon us!

Instead of moaning about how fast the year has gone (it really has though), I’ve chosen instead to take this as an opportunity to look forward and envision how I’d like the coming year to look for me.

As you know, I’m a great fan of the “one word” concept – and if you’re a new reader of my blog you can read more about that here – so as well as one main word for my coming year (I haven’t quite decided on my “one word” yet), but I have decided to also use monthly focus words.

A new word each month to use as a booster for my main word.

And what better way to do that than with a “one word” calendar!

So I chose twelve of my favorite words and I’ve spent the last few weeks working on some new photo art designs that I can use for my calendar pages and I’ve finally finished! This is the first time I’ve done a project like this so it’s kind of exciting to see the project finished and printed. On paper not fabric for a change. And it looks fabulous!

Too fabulous to keep just to myself. So I’ve polished the presentation a little so it looks more professional, and you can now find my 2012 photo art calendars here in my design store.

Using the same design I made several different types of calendars because it’s always nice to have a choice.

There’s a “one word” (of course) photo art mini calendar size 2.3/4″ x 8.5″.

In addition to the “one word” mini calendar, there’s also an “unworded” photo art mini calendar size 2.3/4″ x 8.5″ for those of you who prefer to allow the picture to tell the story.

And finally, there’s a small calendar size 5.1/2″ x 8.1/2″ which includes photo art, words and a quotation (this is my personal favorite).

With gift-giving season coming up real fast, these calendars will make wonderful gifts for yourself or your friends. Plus they’ll continue to inspire you all year round.

You can find them all listed here in my design store, and for those of you who prefer to shop over on Etsy, you’ll find them also listed here in my Etsy store.

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Nurturing your inner pack rat

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Linda Matthews

During this last year I’ve been on a mission to dispose of stuff – physical stuff that I no longer use or want or need, and mental and emotion stuff as well (but that’s another story). I’m trying to learn to travel lightly without being weighed down by all the unnecessary stuff that we accumulate during a lifetime.

In the process, I’ve given away or sold hundreds of books and magazines, and suitcases full of clothes and shoes and personal items. I do it a little at a time so it’s not overwhelming. It’s like peeling away a layer at a time and it’s often interesting to see what those layers reveal. Sometimes it’s not what you’d expect. Sometimes it’s easy to let go of stuff and there’s a sigh of relief. Other times it takes a while to feel ok about letting go. It’s a process.

Of course I’ve saved the best (hardest) for last, and at the moment I’m working my way through my fabric stash which is no small task as I have fabric pieces that go back many (many, many) years. However as I’ve been going through my fabric stash and sorting through what I need to keep and what I want to dispose of, I’ve actually started to feel a little less like a pack rat with every item I dispose of. It’s finally starting to feel good not to have so much stuff.

I’ve also been having a little fun and as I’ve been working on my “inner pack rat”, it has manifested into the “PakRat Sakz” label … fabric sacks to keep things organized.