Let's Go to the Beach!

I have liked several books by several authors that are based on the east coast of the states. The latest one is by Marie Bostwick. I am reading her new book "Threading the Needle" this week. I also read Nancy Thayer's books. She is coming out with a new one too. I like her Hot Flash Club series the most. Both of these authors base their books in towns that are near the Atlantic Ocean and are more in the northeast than the southeast. Anyway, with beach season upon us, I revisited that piece of fabric I showed you last week:
I am not sure, but I want to say I got this as a gift when I either subscribed to a new magazine years ago, OR more likely it was when I joined the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles as a member when it first opened. (Shame on me, I never actually visited this place when I lived in San Jose!!!)

The fabric is about two yards of some type of bark-cloth. I have had it for many years and really never could figure out what to do with it. That is, until last weekend! I took the fabric and folded it over with right sides together and stitched all around. I left a small opening so I could turn it right side out and then pressed the seams.

I had a 50% off coupon for JoAnn Fabric Store and used that to buy some brown cotton webbing. I sewed the webbing on, sewed up the sides and viola! I now have a big roomy beach bag:

It is perfect to take our towels, sunscreen, water toys, and my purse, to the public swimming pool! Everything is hidden inside it!
It is totally machine washable too. It measures about 24" x 18" x 4". I never was crazy about the colors or design. As a beach bag though, the colors and designs work quite well! It is bright enough to see, unique enough to pick out in an array of other bags, and just dang handy, all the way around!

In other news, I was on Mark Lipinski's Creative Mojo yesterday! I HAD to call in when I found out my friend Jaye was going to be on as a co-host. I was so nervous though! I am not great at public speaking! We even did a plug for the Creative Prompt Project. Mark's show was heavily based on creativity this week. I found it very interesting!

We are all creative in ways that we may not even realize! I was in my mid-fifties before I would admit to myself that I was, indeed, an artist, or would even define myself as an artist! You don't have to sell your creations for money in order for you to be a real artist. Like the one guest on Mark's show said, 'we are all human, therefor we are all artistic'...or something like that!

Now go sew something, or just stop and smell the roses!