Sewing a new purse

I will be going on vacation for a couple of weeks this summer and wanted a new and very noticeable purse/tote to take along so I decided to make one myself out of things in my fabric stash -
(have I mentioned that I am on a very strict budget this year - oh yes, I know you say - but you are going on vacation - yes, but it was planned and budgeted for a while back - and - I have been a miser so far this year in anticipation of it - plus - not to mention - there have been so many increases in our expenses, like home insurance, car insurance, my health insurance, having to pay the whole amount for my skin cancer surgery - believe me, you do not want me to get started on the insurance industry!!! - but I digress.)
So I dug through my scraps and came up with some Heather Bailey 5" squares that I had bought several years ago, a big-enough piece of a yellow/peach stripe for the lining (this was hard and took some forethought), a leftover apron string made from HB fabric and enough of a similar fabric to make a second strap (pieced), several pieces of leftover quilt batting sewn together for internal padding, some scrap velcro, and a piece of cardboard for the bottom.

I sewed the squares together in rows of threes and then the rows in fours to create a back and front prox 14 x 18. I pieced and cut batting to fit and then quilted in the ditch. I sewed around 3 sides and then did the cross the corner deal at the bottom corners to create a bottom when you turn it right side out. I cut out the lining to fit and added lots of pockets to hold various things. I sewed the lining together leaving a space for turning at the bottom. I made the 2nd strap to match the apron string that I already had (I have no idea how I could have had one left???). I then sewed them to the outsides and finally sewed the lining to the outside at the top edge, right side together. I turned it all through the opening in the bottom of the lining and topstitched around the top. Finally I whipstitched the lining. I cut the cardboard to fit into the bottom and covered it with scraps of the lining, and then finished the purse with a velcro closure. I made this without a pattern but I have to admit that I had made a similar tote/purse a few years ago as well as a much larger fabric tote, and really this kind of project is super easy. 
thanks for reading and hope you give this a try!
Chris