Make Your Own Camera Bag

 Friends, bloggers, crafters! Lend me your ears! (teehee) I have thwarted commercialism by bucking the system.  How? I made my own camera bag! And it was easy!

Seven months ago, when my fellow photographer friend found out that I was getting a DSLR camera she sent me a nice little care package.   One of the things she sent was a camera bag.  Wasn't that thoughtful of her? I'm fortunate to have friends like that. :-) So, here I am, 7 months later and all my stuff lenses won't all fit  anymore. So, I began looking for a new bag.  That's when I found these cute little bags that look like purses.  Awesome! Right?!  Until I looked at the price!

$169  Kelly Moore bag

Not in my budget.   As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a blog that showed how to make your own stylish camera bag with a purse, a few materials and a little sewing. And that is what I set out to do.  Find out how to make yourself one here.


So my sister and I set out on a mission to find the perfect bag for my needs.  We found one at Burlington Coat Factory for $25 that was lightweight with enough room for my camera and a couple lenses. I wanted it to have a zipper top and some pockets.  Nothing really big.  I just wanted something that I could grab for a quick trip out, and not have to lug around my purse too. 

My $25 bag.

Then I rounded up my Joann's Fabric store coupons ( love that 50% off one item coupon) and went shopping for my supplies. I didn't do things exactly as my inspirational blogger did.  I chose to use a velcro called Fabric Fusion that adheres by ironing with steam.  I just wasn't up for the battle of sewing on velcro.    It seems to have worked rather well, too! All of my supplies came up to almost $30.  I have enough supplies left over to even make another camera bag. Woohoo! Maybe I will return that favor and send my friend one. :-)  Here is how my bag turned out.

I love the front pocket!

If I want more space I can move the inserts around. There is also a zipper pocket to put lens cleaner and extra memory cards in too. 

Dontcha know I was having so much fun that I couldn't stop at making just a camera bag! I had to have a matching camera strap and key chain too. None of the Kelly Moore bags have those!  Find out how to make a camera strap here.  And the key chain instructions are here.

I even put velcro on the back of my keychain. What fun!

Don't know how to sew? I seen a bag made by hot gluing the fabric to the foam. I'm not lying! It looked pretty good too.  See for yourself.Ya know, all this creativity got me to thinking... a person could make a camera bag out of other things too.  Maybe a diaper bag, or a fanny pack.  Or maybe even  a lunch box could be used.   But, I love my bag so much, I think I'm stopping here.  It's exactly what I wanted ---at my price.  -----Oh wait. I might add an extra pocket. Or maybe, make a bean bag for a tripod alternative. Hmmmm... it might get heavy though. OH... but wait, I could use my teenager's air rifle pellets! Okay.. so maybe this project isn't quite finished...YET. 

Here are some sites that sell camera bags that look like moneybags purses.

http://kellymoorebag.com/ 
 http://epiphaniebags.com/  
I love the Belle one on the Epiphanie site.  
http://jototes.com/

Frugal Decor

It's that time of year again, when my creative monster wants to come out and play. Where to start first? Well, a couple months ago we got a new dinette set.  I have been chomping at the bit to decorate it! Isn't it lucky? (teehee) The other day, I was in Sams Club and seen this beautiful centerpiece. (It was much more impressive to see in person)

But it was so expensive for what it was. Almost thirty five dollars!  That got me to thinking.  I can make my own table decor! As I began my search for the perfect items for my table, I seen so many possibilities. But, one particular blog really caught my eye.http://www.decorchick.com/dollar-store-hurricanes/  How to make your own hurricane glasses.   And here is what I came up with. 

Isn't it gorgeous?  Believe it or not, I bought the glassware at the Dollar Tree, WalMart and Goodwill. Yes, Goodwill!  I'm not kidding.  So, let me show you how I put this all together for dollars.