Reusable Grocery Bags

So I always see reusable grocery bags at the store but I never can bring myself to buy them because 1. I never think they're super duper cute and 2. I know I can make them myself. So I did! And it was really easy! Now I want to make a whole bunch cause I'm all for saving the environment. And if you can sew a straight line, you can make them too!

Supplies needed:
* 1 yard canvas (will actually make about 2 bags)
* double fold bias tape
* thread


1. Cut 2 pieces that are 15" x 8" and 1 that is 37" x 12".


2. For the two smaller pieces (these are the sides of the bag) sew a nice hem on each. Make sure the hems are the same size and match up!


3. Make handles. All you need to do is cut 2 pieces about 30" x 3". Fold it over hot dog style with the right side on the inside. Sew a straight line all the way done and then turn right side out. Super easy. Pin each side of the handle onto the inside of the hem of the big piece. Do this for all four ends. Sew the hem. Once again, make sure the hem matches the ones you have on the side pieces. Go back and reinforce the handles.



4. Sew the sides onto the big piece. I found it was easiest to pin the sides first and then pin the bottom. The edges should be facing out and so should the right sides. You will be covering up the edges with bias tape. Sew all the sides together.


5. Sew on the bias tape to cover up edges. If you do not want to work with the tape you can just sew the edges on the inside. I just love the look of the bias tape. Then press the bag with a hot iron to get it to fold just right. And you're done! So easy!!!

Linking Up

I'm participating in the following link parties this weekend!

Rainy Day Blues

Now that summer is here I know that your kids are just itching to play outside, or at least I hope so. Unfortunately Mother Nature isn't always so kind to us and we are stuck watching the rain drizzle down the window. I don't know about you, but that's enough to drive a mom and her kids crazy. So I just have a couple ideas for you. And of course I would love to hear your ideas.

A Race Against the Rain Box
Ok, so I actually saw this on some show of my daughter's but I thought it was such a cute idea! So basically, you'll find a box (you can have as small as a shoe box, or something larger. I'm sure mine will be decoupaged) and you fill it with various little games, puzzles, or instructions for games that may not necessarily fit in the box. You can even have a little craft in there. I would recommend having at least 10 small games. Now the point is, that the kids have to play, complete, whatever, everything in the box before it stops raining. To make it more exciting, make sure the games or whatever are completely new to them. This may require some extra work on your time to be updating the box and finding new games (I love the internet. Some great websites are puzzlemaker.com and humanpingpongball.com). But it will always be something new and fun, keeping the kids occupied.

Build a Fort
Ok, so I know that as a mom you probably don't want to have to clean up, but if you can enlist your kids' help at the end it may not be so bad. Plus, if you keep it up long enough it will totally be worth it. Now, forts are great just by themselves, but for one of those real long rainy days, you may want more than just a fort. Forst are also great for picnics, movies, shadow puppet shows, games, and even sleepovers! All normal activities are made so much more fun by doing them in a fort. And if your kids are a little older you can really go all out with tunnels and multiple rooms. Just make sure you have lots of chairs and lots of heavy books to hold the sheets and blankets down!

I'm sure I have more ideas rolling around my crazy head, but now I want to hear yours!

Mail Divider

I know my tutorials generally come on Tuesday but I claim excuses like my daughter has a double ear infection and I've been painting my mom's house. At any rate, here's my tutorial. Now, my little family and I have moved into my parents house for a few months so we can save up to buy a house. My husband just yesterday got a job with a charter school down here (YAY!!!!). Well it just so happens that my little brother and his girlfriend AND her daughter also just moved in. Plus my parents have an old friend staying here as well. So to make matters short, it is a very crowded house. With lots of mail coming in. So in an effort to better organize the mail situation (so it doesn't get lost or misplaced....there's kind of a lot of junk at my parents house) I decided to make a cute mail divider for the kitchen.

Supplies Needed:
* Plastic office divider (found in the home office section of almost any store)
* Paper
* Embellishments
* Glue Gun
* Mod podge and brush
* Spray paint


1. Start by spray painting the divider a color to match your paper. This will make it so you don't have to cover every section with paper. Plus the mod podge will stick a little better to the spray paint than the plastic. You can also spray paint embellishments at this time if you need to.


2. Trace and cut out the paper for the individual dividers. Keep in mind that the one in front is shorter than the rest.


3. Mod podge the front and back of the paper onto the front of the dividers. Make sure you get all the edges nice and smoothed down. Let dry.
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4. Add your embellishments. I used some ribbon leftover from another project (chore bowl anyone?). I used hot glue but obviously you can use anything.


5. Add your names. I painted little squares of wood with the spray paint and then used a brown permanent marker to write the names on the side. I attached them using hot glue.


And voila! You have a very cute mail divider!
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Meet and Greet Monday

Hey guys, this week I'm participating in Meet and Greet Monday so check it out!

Yay! and It's a Social Parade!

I thought my follower number would never get above 29, but it did! Thanks everyone! I'm getting settled into my parents house and I've got some great projects and such to come....thanks for following!

I'm also participating in the Social Parade!

http://www.smartandtrendymoms.com/2010/06/social-parade-follower-friday-blog-hop_17.html

Click on the link to check it out.

I'm not a flake!

ok readers I promise I am not a flake! I know I haven't updated as much as I usually do (and I haven't been able to participate in any link parties...boo) but it's all for a good reason! This past week I was in Lake Tahoe with my family with no internet (except for my phone..not so great for updating) and now until next week I am in the crazy midst of moving from Utah to Texas. There's been lots of packing and such and tomorrow is UHaul day! I'm a little stressed so blogging has gone on the back burner. But I will return in full force after next week! I promise!!! Thanks for following!

Make Your Own Coloring Book

Good coloring books can be a little expensive. Plus, I haven't been able to find an LDS coloring book I really like. My daughter loves to color, so having one for her during church would be great. I was looking online and I realized I could make my own coloring book for free! Here's how:

Supplies needed:
* Coloring pages printed from internet. I found mine here. If you aren't LDS or you just want a non-religious one click here.
* Elmer's Glue
* Cardstock
* Construction Paper
* Embellishments


1. Print off your coloring pages. I lost track of how many I had. They were all so cute or perfect! (I think I've made at least 3 different coloring books for my daughter by now)


2. Put the pages in the order you want them. Turn the stack upside down. Using the bottom page first, flip it upright and put a line of elmer's glue down the left side. Try to stay closer to the edge to be able to use as much of the page as possible for coloring. Continue doing this with all of the pages. Let dry on a flat surface. TIP: It only takes a think line of glue. If you've got glue coming out the edges, then you're using too much.


3. Using the same method as before, glue a piece of cardstock to the back and construction paper to the front. I like the construction paper because it's heavier than regular paper but not stiff like cardstock. Let coloring book dry like this overnight.


4. Cut a strip of construction or scrapbook paper that will fit around the spine with a little left over on the edges. Glue in place.



5. Decorate the outside cover of the coloring book. I made a couple for the daughters of my daughter's old babysitter so I put their names on the front and some cute flowers (they're very girly). You can decorate it to reflect the theme of the coloring book also.


Color and enjoy!


I'm linking this to:




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Washer Necklaces

Have I mentioned how much I love Studio 5? Seriously, they always have the cutest ideas. And most of them are from awesome mom bloggers! So here's another one of their projects, complete with a tutorial. And since I actually did it all I can give you my tips and such that I learned as I went along! These necklaces are super cute and cheap! And they're actually really easy to make.

Supplies Needed:
* 1/2" washers
* scrap paper
* mod podge
* resin (we used Pour On..you can find it over by the spray paints and such)
* Leather Cord
* 2 Plastic cups and popsicle stick for mixing resin


1. Choose which scrap paper you want to be on your necklace. I found so many I liked! I found polka dots to be the cutest, but you can choose whatever you like. Trace your washer(s) and cut out the circles of paper. Make sure you are careful when you cut out the middles!



2. Mod Podge the paper circles onto the washers. Put a layer of mod podge on the top. TIP: Make sure you completely seal the paper to the washer all around the edges or the resin will seep onto the paper and darken it. Let dry.


3. Place the washers on wax paper. Mix the resin according to the package directions. Pour over the washers. Make sure there is a nice thick layer over each washer. Exhale on the washers to pop the air bubbles. After about 5 minutes of sitting, use a plastic fork to carefully move the washers to a dry area of the wax paper. This will make it so you have a circle in the middle and you won't have to chisel away at it. Let dry according to package directions. TIP: You could also place the washerson an old cooling rack with wax paper underneath. This means less sanding later.



4. Peel the washers off the paper. Sand down the edges to make them smooth circles. You can use either sand paper or a heavy duty nail file.


5. Attach the leather cord. You can use whatever knot you want. We chose a simple loop. I actually ran out of cord so by using the loop I can use the cord for different washers.


Wear with style! I think these are so super cute. And you really can do so much with them. If you use holly printed paper you could make little wreaths! My friend and I were also thinking these would make great camp or youth projects. After the mod podge dries you could write on them (ie. Camp '10, Faith, etc.) and then put the resin on. There really is so much you can do! Have fun! I would love to hear what you do with them!

I'm linking this project to: