Where old things become new...

Here's a riddle for you: What do you get when you cross McCall's pattern M5599, a long Wednesday morning and two fairly hideous thrift store jackets?

If you answered the cutest bag on the planet then you're right!

A couple weeks ago when we were waiting in Border's for our movie to start (dangerous thing waiting for the movie) I was looking through the craft magazines that I love but can't afford and saw the cutest purses and bags made out of men's suits and thought, "Hey I can do that!" I love men's jackets for the same reason the artist does: The fabric is great, the lining can be amazing and the labels are pure art.

So, as soon as possible, I went to the thrift store and found four or five blazers that were ugly as blazers but looked like good possibilities for bags. Then I found a bag pattern I loved and cut it out of stiff pelon. Then I used the pelon cutout to piece the blazer fabric on until I was satisfied with the result and before I knew it, a cute and unique purse appeared.

So, what was once weird cuffs and lapels,

became cute pockets and decorations.

What was once a front pocket became two outside pockets.

What was once the front buttons,

became the inside closure.

What was once a chest pocket and sleeve,

became an inside pocket and water bottle holder.

So all of you unwanted, unloved, ill-fitting,

outdated jackets, come over to my house.

It's where ugly becomes beautiful, outdated becomes sheik,

unloved becomes coveted and where old things become new.

The Coolest Thing I've seen in a While...

The airshow is in town for the weekend so all week planes have been flying in. But that's not the cool thing.

Last night at Joe's ball game one of the huge F-something-or-others flew over the ball fields making what looked like a super slow turn to the airport. It was loud and huge and pretty exciting. But that's still not the cool thing.

When I glanced down at the field to see what was happening in the game I saw every single boy on the field looking up in the sky with their mouths hanging open. That was COOL! Sometimes I wonder about kids and how fast they seem to have to grow up and about the loss of wonder in their lives but that view made me feel so good and surprisingly optimistic about their future. When they can stop playing ball and simultaneously watch a jet fly overhead with those looks on their faces, life is good again.

Wish, wish, wish I had my camera with me!