Texas Bound!

So,you may or may not know, but I am headed to Texas on Thursday night to go and work at a really great convention for The Stamp Doctor...but the best part is getting to hang out with the one and only LIZZIE for 4 days!! I seriously and stoked, excited, scared, dorked, and so many other things all at once. Gonna work our tushies off but we are going to have a blast!

So, I have been preparing for the trip. Making lists, packing, and creating. The latest things I have created are these luggage tags and a lanyard.

A couple of you might remember this apron from a few years back.

Do you see that fun, poppin fabric? I was hoping and hoping that I would have some leftover fabric and I DID! I couldn't believe it! Digging through all of my fabric I had enough to make some fun stuff for my trip! And now, I have a lanyard that matches the apron so I am all matchie and stuff! And yes, the apron is going to Texas as well. .YAY Please excuse the cell phone picture. Its night...its dark...and I live in a cave....

So, I made these adorable luggage tags as well. I was disappointed in the tutorials I found on pinterest this time around. They were all so overly complex with 4-5 sheets of fabric and fusible interfacing and blah, blah...I don't travel. Like...ever....I am thinking...at some point I will more? But I am not going to spend hours on one stinking luggage tag. Sorry. Too lazy. So, after a failed attempt at making one by the tutorials, I came up with my own. Because, why not? Its shabby, but cute...and it matches my stuff. All I need to be happy. 

So, here is how I did it. First, I cut a rectangle from 2 prints of fabric (so 2 rectangles) and another rectangle from interfacing (I just have the cheap kind, not the fancy kind) the same size. I didn't measure. This was all winging it. Nothing by-the-book.

 Next I layered them as follows: The bottom layer is your interfacing. Then you put the two printed fabrics right side facing one another. Both are on top of the interfacing. The interfacing is going to give your tag structure.

Sew the layers together leaving one side unsewn. You have to be able to add stuff and turn it right side out. So sew 3 sides of the rectangle. The side that you leave unsewn will be the top of your luggage tag. 

 Here is what it will look like once you have turned it right-side-out. Here is the top. You will want to fold the ends in and iron them flat to hide the raw edges.

Stick your elastic strip ends into the top of the tag. Sew that bad boy up!

 Now comes the tricky part. OKay. So, you want to cut a piece of vinyl/plastic....I used the kind that comes on the cover of a Smash*book. The protector. Anyway, cut it down the size you want, then mark the inside of what is going to be the front of your luggage tag. Right now, that will be the bottom. Cut a rectangle smaller than the markings and then cut the corners diagonally. NOT all the way to the markings, but about a half inch or so in from the markings.

Okay, so I am not sure how well you can see this next picture, but it shows you how I folded back the edges of the rectangle you just cut and then I ironed them flat. I placed the plastic on top of the ironed edges. I didn't pin the plastic down because when I tried it messed the plastic up. It was a lot of trouble. It was a lot easier to just sew one side at a time and hold it tight with  both hands. 

 Sew the rectangle as close to the inside edge of the window as you can with proper allowances. This ensures that all 3 layers of your ironed fabric get sewn securely.

Now all that is left to do is to fold it in half and stop stitch 3 of the 4 edges. Remember, you need a pocket to slip your information into. I went around the edges 2 times. Once each direction. 

 Now stitch around the window. This will keep your information snug inside.

 After I saw how really rough the tag was looking I decided to do crazy stitching free-hand everywhere to make it fun. Swirls, zig zags and all kinda fun crazy stuff on the edges.

Anyway, that's about it. Not too bad. Nothing complicated. 

I am totally stoked and ready to go to Texas. T Minus 4 Days, and counting.