Remotes Under Control!

As a teacher, I have remotes for many, many things: projector, slide advancer, DVD player, TV, etc. They used to be in my desk drawer, floating around with sharpies, bandaids and other necessities. One day, I couldn't take it anymore. I threw together this 'Remote Holder' and I think it's pretty fabulous!!






I didn't do much measuring...just layed each object down to make sure the pocket was big enough. I think it turned out pretty well for an hour of work!

Spring Break: Thrift Stores and Bags

Hey there! Well, spring break is over. We didn't do too much--just hung around the house, went to the parks and had fun not being in school!!

I was able to grab a few hours here and there to go to my favorite thrift store. I am currently into vintage (or maybe just old!) pillow cases. At Thrift City (my favorite thrift store), I came across a lot of great stuff!!



I love all the pillowcases. I love how so many of them have sweet details on them.



And this is my favorite piece I found. I have no idea what it's original purpose is. And I have no idea what I'm going to do with it--but I'm really loving all things yellow right now, so I had to get it. For $2.99, how could I pass it up!! I really love the scalloped edge at the bottom.

I don't know what I'm going to do with that, but I've been making cute bags out of the pillowcases. They're really simple. No pockets, no frills really. I'm making them as a children's tote bag, similiar to this one I made Sam.



Sam and Henry LOVE putting stuff in bags. We take them outside and they get filled with leaves, rocks, acorns and other treasures we find walking around the block. I think they'll also be great to take to the library this summer, to carry our books home.

Hopefully other moms will like them too! I'm going to be a vendor at the Trade Days Event hosted by my in-laws church at the end of April. Should be fun!! I'll have tons of bags, aprons and other great stuff in a booth.

More soon! I made the CUTEST apron ever last night...can't wait to show you!

Sam I am

Poor Sam. He did NOT like the Cat in the Hat. One of the directors at his school dressed up for Dr. Seuss' birthday last week and poor Sam-I-am was so scared. He closed his eyes the entire time she was in the room. His teacher said he would peek out of one eye, then close them quickly when he saw she was still in the room.

At least he didn't cry? I guess that's a good thing!

It's here!! Celebrate the boy!!!!

So excited for a whole month of BOY projects!! Check it out here:

and here:

Can't wait!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

We had a great few days at the Stag house. Ryan and I went out Sunday night, to Blue Goose and Barnes and Noble. While we were at the bookstore, Ryan informed me I WOULD be getting a Nookcolor for Valentine's day. I put up a good fight, but in the end that little electronic book won me over. I've been playing with it for about a day, and so far, I love it!!

I made a couple of items for the boys for Valentine's day. First, I made each of them a shirt to wear to school:

Sam's shirt:



Henry's shirt:



Here they are in action! Henry got some bubbles from his teacher, so the first thing we did when we got home was play with bubbles.






Such a satisfied smile on his face!



Sam couldn't quite grasp the bubbles, but he had fun eating his graham cracker.







Well, he had fun most of the time!



I also made some cute little bags for Henry's class and for both of the boys' teachers. These are super simple to make. I've made them for bachelorette parties, baby showers, wedding showers...they're a great party favor!






Inside the bag, candy and a thank you note to Henry and Sam's wonderful teachers!



Bags for teachers and kids!







Overall, a pretty successful Valentine's Day!!!!

Celebrate the BOY!!!

Two of my favorite bloggers are about to start their second annual "Celebrate the Boy" month. I think everyone agrees that there are a ton of cute tutorials on baby girl stuff. Tutus, bows, cute onesies, dress up clothes....but the boys are often left out. I know, I have two boys! So I'm so excited that these two women felt the same way and are doing something about it!! Check them out!

and

Can't wait to see what they've come up with!

Bits and Pieces

After being snowed in for 4 days with two sick kids, I'm glad to report that the sun is shining, the snow is melting and both of my sick boys are on the mend! Sam is back to his sweet self, and Henry is almost there. Right now, they're both going on hour 2 of their nap, so life is good!

Over our snow filled holiday, I wasn't able to get a lot of sewing done. All Henry wanted to do for 4 days was lie down with me and watch cartoons. While I was happy to oblige and have the forced quiet time, I'm definitely antsy to get creative again.

I was able to get a little bit done, but I came to a stopping point on several projects...and because of the weather, I couldn't run out to Joann's to get what I needed to finish. But, here's a little peek at what I've been doing lately.

First, as always, are the aprons.





I still need to buy Velcro to attach the towels, but otherwise I've got two of each of the three aprons made. A good start! My goal is to make two a month until September, when I will hopefully be participating in one of the largest local craft shows in Flower Mound. Since I've already got 6 (almost) done, I'm well on my way.

I've made a small change to my design. I added a 'D ring' so that the neck strap would be adjustable.



This adds to the cost of each apron, but I think it will be worth it. I think with the adjustable neck strap, they will be fit a wider range of people. Men, teens, women, etc. I've got a ton more fabric, and some great ideas for iron-on transfers using my awesome Silhouette.

What is a Silhouette, you ask? Only the coolest thing EVER! It's a little machine, similiar to the Cricut that cuts paper, vinyl, iron-on transfers and fabric. I'm in heaven. I started with paper, in case I messed up, and have been organizing the house.



When I showed my husband the new laundry labels, he said "I know where our laundry goes!" True...but now it's cuter!



I moved on to the adhesive vinyl, which was a little tricky. Hopefully with more practice I'll get better at applying it.

The one thing I actually completed over the break was this little bag for Sam.



Henry got a monogrammed bag for his birthday from his aunt, and he LOVES it. He puts all his favorite books in it and carries them around the house. Any time Sam tried to use it, Henry gets really angry. So now Sam has his own book bag. I wish I had made the straps brown, but otherwise I'm happy with how his little bag turned out. Perfect for trips to the library!!

I was finally able to venture out to Joann's today, so hopefully I'll have my Recycled Receiving Blanket tutorial done and posted soon.

Stay warm and safe!