entering into the crafting world...

I have so many beautiful, talented friends who are so creative and artistically gifted. Every time my friend Becca sews a beautiful new apron or knits a cute little baby hat, I just sit back in amazement. And I so admire the beautiful pictures my friend Bethany  takes or the way she expresses herself  in her writing in a way that just takes you to where she is. Whenever my sister learns to play an instrument or sings one of the songs she written, all I can do is listen in awe. 

I could go on for a while with this list. 

Being surrounded by such beauty and creativity has left me feeling a teensy-bit insecure about tackling any sort of artsy project. I mean, most of my life has been spent on the softball field and I never really thought the art world and sports world could collide. And the part of me that doesn't like to try an activity unless I think I'll naturally excel at it didn't want to go anywhere near a pair of knitting needles or a sewing machine. 

But...as I try to overcome my fear of failure, (which is a ridiculously crippling fear), and spend more time around Becca, I've been finding myself dabbling in a few projects. I finally figured out knitting a couple months ago-thanks to Becca-and just last week I finished my first sewing project. 

Just like Becca and Sam, TJ and I have been doing a cash-only budget for the last few months. We really like it, but those darn manilla envelopes kept ripping, not to mention that they looked a little tacky...not that it matters...but when Becca suggested making cash pouches, I was convinced. 

So here are a couple pictures of our cash pouches. We used the artsy clutch pattern from the book, Bend-The-Rules Sewing. 

The different fabrics correspond with a different budget category. For example, the brown pouch in the back is our grocery fund, because we think the little circles look like doughnuts... 

TJ even got in on the sewing action. He made this bag and chose the fabric. Yes, those are dancing skeletons, so of course this would be our entertainment fund. 

We both had a lot of fun learning to sew together and now I just have to find the ambition to tackle a new project. Any suggestions?