Reusable shopping bag....makeover!

We have all seen the reusable bags that are available at most grocery stores. I bought mine for $1 a bag and every time I use them again I get a few cents off my grocery bill. I LOVE mine, but got tired of being asked if they were new or if I had previously bought them......despite the big permanent "R" I had put on them. SO....I decided to make them a little bit more fun. I guess only going grocery shopping once a month I was not breaking them in fast enough :)

Here is what I did, SIMPLE SIMPLE!!!


Depending on what you are trying to cover up, cut strips of fabric just a little larger then what you need to cover. I decided to cover the part in the middle of the bag, so I used that as my guide. I also covered BOTH sides of the bags.




I folded and pressed the fabric like this,



to fit inside the part I was covering.

Turned the fabric right side up and and pinned it like this to the bag. I found it easiest to slip my hand inside the bag as I pinned, making sure not to pin the bag closed.

Now it's time to sew. This part can be a little tricky, just make sure to not catch the under part of the bag because it would make it so it doesn't open.....oops, I had to use my seam ripper a couple of times!! Sew a full rectangle making sure to close all the ends of the fabric.

There you have it! I think they look a lot cuter now and more used!!

**** I chose to sew fabric on the bags instead of using heat n bond or some other iron on adhesive only because of the material the bags are made of. I didn't want to melt anything.

I think these are a great way to dress up an ugly bag, stained bag or I even think they would make a great wedding gift!

Happy Sewing!

Summer Time Kid Car Kit

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I know I did!

We took a road trip to see family over the weekend and thanks to that I was able to get motivated to put these car kits together before we left.......to make the drive a little more enjoyable for the kids.

I found these great fold-able containers in a 2 pack at Target, used some VERY old pillowcases (thanks mom!) to make a liner and filled them with a TON of different things.

I made a liner so I can take it out and wash it and also to use as a cover to hide the stuff when I leave it in the back seat of my car.

Here are the 2 kits....one for my car and one for daddy's car:

And here is what I put inside:

coloring book, coloring pencils, clipboard, books, ABC flashcards, mirror, tissue and wipes, stuffed animals, magnet games, pinwheel (works great when the windows are down!), snacks that won't melt (pretzels, crackers, water), notebook, tic tack toe game, sunglasses, lacing toys

The possibilities are endless and I am always adding new things, also I put different things in each kit so they have something new and different depending on which car we are in. Just remember to put things in your kits that will not melt, now that summer is on its way!

And it Worked LOVELY!!!

Dinner Ideas

I cook dinner every night OR every other night when there is leftovers. I remember asking my mom years ago after I first got married how she always knew what to make for dinner. She said you just need to have an idea. Well, let me help you by giving you some ideas.....sometimes that is the hardest part!

Stay at home Salad Bar:

Stuffed Peppers with cheesy rice and Beddar Cheddars:

I won???? what???

Back in March I entered a contest with the company of Mod Podge. I entered this project that I had made for my living room. (pictured below)

And I just found out that I won THIRD PLACE!! What!?? How exciting is that! Thanks to the Plaid Company for your kindness! Check it out here: http://www.plaidonline.com/articleDetail.asp?articleID=477

You can do it to.... Take scrapbook paper, mod podge over it and frame it!

Teacher Appreciation gift

My Sister In Law made these ADORABLE edible teacher bouquets and I knew I just wanted to share them with you. She used so many fun fillers to decorate with.

What teacher would not LOVE this!!

Here is what my Sister in Law said on her blog about this project:

"Here's 2 Partial edible arrangements that I made this week. A friend asked me to make these for her little girls pre-school teachers for a Thank-you gift. These ones were really fun to make . I used the floral foam on these instead of using gravel. The part i loved the most was sticking the crayons up out of the bottom, and using the foam Alphabet letters and using pencils for the fillers."

Thanks for the fun Idea Roxanna!

$1 Alphabet memory/matching game

I found this great game at the dollar store the other day and thought it would make a great game for the kids.

But when I opened it at home I didn't like how it only had one way of using it, so I changed it up a bit.
If you can notice in the picture, each card had a picture and a letter but they didn't go together (part of the original game)


So I cut each card in half, took my corner rounder and made the cards into this:


Having them separated like this, the game has more then just one way of playing it.

It can be a memory game, a matching game and also used as flashcards on the younger children learning new words and the alphabet. Oh the possibilities for only ONE dollar!! yippee.

Check out my GIVEAWAY in the Below Post!!

Giveaway Time!!!

Giveaway is now CLOSED!!

THanks to the nice lady who made a purchase in my shop....she will be getting a free owl from me!!

I feel so loved, really. When I finally decided to get this blog and my etsy shop up and running I really doubted myself. Do I have the time, the talent and the patience for it all????. which I am sure we have all felt at some time. Thanks! to all of you for your comments and support.

So my thank you to you is the following:

First: PLEASE become a follower of my blog. If you are not a follower...yet...become one! You don't have to be a follower to qualify for this giveaway...although it would be nice :)

Second: For the first 2 people to purchase an item from my esty shop (link located on the side) will receive one of these owls (pictured below) as my thank you for continuing to help me get started!

****There are a lot of new items to come, but I need help getting started, give me feedback!! When you make the purchase make sure to leave a comment here on my blog so I know :)

This giveaway will end on Thursday night May 21st!

Thanks to you, really, for being so kind!

Have a great weekend!!

Where to put all that juice...

I know it could be worse looking (believe me it has) but I was really tired of all the loose little papers that had all those great ideas, projects, websites, brain storming ideas and who knows what else because I lost most of them in the mess. And sometimes I have an idea come to me and i can't get on this blog fast enough, so this way I can write it down before I loose it!

So I made this.......

To hang here instead of loosing it somewhere.

All you need is a composition notebook, some paper scraps, adhesive, eyelets and ribbon. Give your book a great title (you are happy to use mine), add some tabs to the inside and now you have a great place to put all those ideas that have been lost in the mess OR in my case still in your head but just needed to be squeezed into something.(at least in this book you can find it later hahaha)

My tabs included:

project ideas, projects in progress, my blog, my etsy shop, important accounts, stampin up ideas, pictures, notes, random thoughts, creative websites, important email addresses

Maximize your fridge space

A fridge with NO cheese/meat drawer?? Yes, that is what is going on here:

But by adding a few of these drawer selves I now have more space in my fridge for the things that I really need assessable....like all those snacks for the kids!

Quiet Book Pages.....you asked for them!

After posting my first look into my kids Quiet book back in April, I have been asked be several wonderfully nice people to please show the rest of my pages. I was happy too. Here they are. I hope this will help you come up with some other ideas for your Quiet book.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Please look at my April 27, 2009 post for the rest of the ideas on this Quiet Book!

Pin It

Scrabble Tile Pendent...my recommendation!

I will be the FIRST to admit that I am not easy to shop for when it comes to jewelry. My dear hubby has tried many times to please and I will also be the one to admit that I am extremely PICKY in this area. Well, that changed today. My husband surprised me with this AMAZING pendent. He got onto etsy, signed up for his own account and found this great place that makes the cutest Scrabble pendents that I have ever seen. ( I had not even heard of these....what a great idea) Needless to say that I have now asked for several more pendents from this place. Seems like I won't have an excuse to be picky anymore! Check them out here and get one..... you'll have a smile on your face all day long! www.homestudio.etsy.com He chose a great one don't you think!

Oven Kabobs.....yum yum

Here is what you need for the kabobs :

seasoning, skewers, meat, pineapple, peppers, zucchini, onion

Additional items that are also great : mushrooms, grape tomatoes

I grill up the Johnsonville Better Cheddar's on the George Foreman first then you just skewer

it all and lay them on a Pam sprayed pan.(I also line it with foil for easy cleanup) Sprinkle your favorite seasoning over them and add salt and pepper.

Cook in the oven on 425* for about 20-30 minutes and there you have it!
DELISH!!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Mothers Day gift idea

This is what I made my mom for mother's day this year.

I took some of my stamps, paper, a piece of scrap fabric and a frame that I already had and turned it into something that she can hang up in her kitchen.....I just know that is where it will go because I know she will see it there :)

As a mother myself, there is nothing better then a lot of thought put into something small.

Happy mother's day to all of you!!!

Toddler Size towel bib that will fit any sized head!

Here is how I make my toddler size hand towel bibs. I found a 2 pk of hand towels at Target for $1.58 a pkg so I can make 4 bibs. Bias tape and 1/8 of a yard of fabric is enough for 2 bibs.

And what I mean by toddler size is explained in this next picture. There is a HUGE difference in the sizes of these bibs. And as we all know, when the kiddos are learning to feed themselves, food can find amazing places to hide. At least with hand towel bibs most of the towel lays in the lap to catch all that run away food. So here is what you do:

Fold towel in half. On folded side cut an opening like this. Try not to make it to big. Since these are not pull-over bibs you do not need a huge opening.



This is what it looks like when you unfold the towel:




Pin and sew your bias tape to the opening. (make sure to fold in the ends for a finished look.)





Take your 1/8 of a yard of fabric and fold in the sides like this. (remember that I am making 2 bibs...that is why there are two pictured.) Press with an iron.





Lay the pressed fabric on the towel, pin in place.







Fold in the sides and match it up with the end of the towel for a finished look.

Now you have something like this.

Sew the fabric to the towel by sewing a complete rectangle.....closing up all edges of the fabric.

Now for the closing of the bib: Cut a strip of Velcro and pin in place like this. Sew in place.

There you have it. All done. Simple and so practical. I like my bibs that are not pull over bibs because then I don't have to pull it over there heads and mess up there hair OR sometimes you have a kid with a big head and the whole is too small for it or you even have that kid that HATES having something pulled over their head. Not with these.

Happy bib making!