sewing for a cause

My husband Dave's band, The Deadwoods, played this past weekend up in Bemidji, MN. The drummer's wife Carrie and her sister are doing the 3 day Walk for the Cure, and the gig was a benefit for them to raise the remainder of their entrance fees. We've been excited to have a weekend out of town - we had lined up a dog sitter and asked my sister to watch the monsters... Of course, 4 days before we were to leave, Griffin started running a fever. The next day he, and his big sister, were both diagnosed with Strep throat. Arg. Then the next day (Thursday, that is, and we were to be leaving Friday) Dave was told he had it. Of course, then Friday it was my turn. With an entire household on antibiotics at any given time, I had a lot of cleaning to do to get the house ready for a dog sitter to visit (it was BAD news people, believe you me). I also had a bizillion loads of laundry to wash so that we all had clothes to wear. On top of all that, I had volunteered to make some type of sewing project for the silent auction that was to accompany the band playing and other activities to raise money for Breast Cancer. Ack.

Well, thanks to Brooke's (and now my own) new addiction to Iced Coffee, I was able to complete all my duties with time to spare. Not only that, I am in love with the totes I threw together, and think I'll be making myself one as well! I used this tutorial (my favorite and a serious "go to" for me) thrifted canvas for the main part of the bag. I then used a Target dishtowel for the pocket...and the cute flower pin on the shoulder. This was my first time trying a flower - I used this tutorial. Very easy and I'm pleased with the results. They earned the girls about $50 or so...fantastic! We had a lot of fun at the show. We actually went out 2 nights in a weekend. Amazing. There is life after small children. The band played great and I was able to get a bit of dancing in - though I felt a bit like a bad 80's movie, showing off my mad skills on the dance floor :)

Here are the totes - with Miss Rowan modeling them about 10 minutes before we left town!

Oh - and for anyone interested:
Brooke's Delicious Addictive Iced Coffee recipe
Brew a pot of coffee - adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and cocoa powder to the grounds. In a glass pitcher, pour coffee over a can of sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
Chill in fridge overnight - or for a few hours until icy.
Fill a glass with ice, coffee mixture and a splash of half and half (again, I used fat free).
Enjoy!

I know there are cold brewing methods, but for this lazy butt, this recipe rocks. Oh - and I'm searching for ice cube trays to make coffee ice cubes so it doesn't get so watered down. I didn't realize I did not own trays anymore since we got the automatic ice maker - but these should be an easy thrift find! I've got a pitcher cooling in the fridge as I type... yum!

(This may have been #5 or #6 that I had while sewing the totes. It was a bit like a caffeine drunk... why in the world else would I snap photos of a glass of coffee??)