Monogram Tote Bags

My weekends have been all wedding, wedding, wedding lately.  The big day is next Friday for my sister-in-law.  In honor of the upcoming day, I thought I'd share some of the things we've had going on.  A few weekends ago we headed out to the beach to celebrate the Brides in a little get together and fun filled night.  All of the Brides and Bridesmaids stayed at our condo, so I wanted to have a little something for each of the girls in a little gift tote filled with things they might need for our bachelorette beach weekend.

I wanted to personalize the totes for each of the girls.  I bought these 13.5 x 13.5 tote bags in a 3 pack set at Michaels.  Always a good idea to use your 40% off coupon!  I bought white totes for the brides and black totes for all of the bridesmaids.

I found my letter templates online Here and printed them out.  Next, cut out the letters.  Iron a piece of wonder under big enough to fit your letter onto your chosen fabric.  Trace your letter, backwards, onto the back of your wonder under and cut it out.  This should make your letter face the right way after you cut it out.  

Now it's time to place your fabric letter with the wonder under onto your tote bag.  Iron it in place according to the directions on your wonder under.

Sew in place around the outside of your letter with a zig zag stitch.  This really secures the letter in place.  

You can pick either a complimentary color or a contrasting color for the zig zag stitch thread.  

For our bachelorette bags, I filled them with things I thought we might need out at the beach.  The brides got white flip flops and the bridesmaids got a tan color.  Everyone got an extra large plastic solo cup and a towel.  Of course we needed some snacks and gum!

The beach weekend was a great time!  So much fun hanging out at the beach, great time at dinner and more fun checking out New Smyrna beach night life!  These tote bags would be great for any party favor and could be done with smaller totes.  You could also make them for Halloween treat bags with Halloween fabric for the monogram.  How about a child's dance bag?  Travel toy bag?  Reusable gift bag?  So many versatile ideas.  Make yours in no time today!

Monogram Jewelry Bowl

I'm so glad that I'm able to actually share these photos with you!  I was afraid that tons of pictures were lost forever when my SD card went bad and I couldn't get it to read.  While I'm sure I lost some photos, crisis was averted with ZAR data recovery software!  It took most of a day, but I was able to access most of my photos and save them to my computer.  Many of the photos were projects I had done as gifts.  All of which had already been given away, so no new photos could be taken unless I remade all of the items.  A big sigh of relief when I saw my photos come up!  Phew!  Lesson Learned: Save your photos to your computer right after taking them!!

Today I wanted to share with you a simple Mother's Day gift to make for any jewelry lover!  Make your own Monogram Jewelry Bowl!  I found these colorful little bowls in the housewares section at Target.  Just my luck, they were on sale!  Next I searched my scrapbooking supplies for some letter stickers.  I used single letters, but you could also use three stickers to make your initial monogram.  Simply stick your letter in place in the middle of the bowl.  Mine stuck pretty well, but you could also add a layer of Mod Podge over the top to make sure it stays in place.

These little Monogram Jewelry Bowls are great to keep jewelry on your dresser, in the bathroom, or by the kitchen sink.  They are a little catch all bowl to keep your jewelry safe when you're not wearing it.  A simple little gift that Mom will love.  You could even give it to her with a little jewelry surprise already inside!

Linked to Tatertots & Jello

Uncluttering your Closet for Spring

I've recently been inspired by a friend on Facebook.  She has been working on decluttering her house by filling a bag a day for 40 days!  While I know I don't have the time or dedication to work on this for 40 days straight, I'm sure I could fill 40 bags of clutter!  Whenever I start feeling the effects of stress on my life, the clutter around me is what gets to me first.  When I haven't gotten enough sleep, it's the clutter that frustrates me the most.  Clutter collects all around us.  It comes in the form of toys, kitchen gadgets, decorative items, and even clothes.

While there are many areas that I need to declutter, I've started by uncluttering my closet.  I'm hoping to make my life a bit simpler and maybe make it easier to find something to wear.  I don't really have a large chunk of time to dedicate emptying out my closet and going through it all at once, so I am doing it a section at a time.  That way the task seems a little bit less daunting.  You can work on this whenever you have a bit of extra time.  It also might help to recruit the help of an honest friend.  Some friends may trade their services for a glass of wine! 

It's now time to start the purge!  I work on a section at a time.  Start with dresses or shoes or wherever you can make the biggest impact.  You are going to be making a few piles: Keep, Maybe, Toss, and Donate.  Torn, badly stained, and damaged items should go in the toss pile.  Items that are still useful to someone, even if it's not you, can go in the donate pile.  The maybe pile is for the items you can't rule out just yet.  The keep pile is for your definites.

When critiquing your clothing, be honest.  This is where your honest friend will come in handy.  The first round will be the easiest.  First pull out all of the items that you can't believe you still have and the items in poor condition.  Next decide which items are out of style, don't fit your style or you know you just won't wear anymore.  It will feel good to get these items out of the way.  Now it's time to try on everything you have left.  Do these items still fit?  Are they flattering?  Is it still your style?  Do you feel good when you wear it?  It can be tough to toss certain items, but ask yourself what is the reason you are really holding on to it?  Go through your dresses, pants, tops, and coats.  Don't stop there.  Don't forget your bags, shoes, belts, and jewelry.  Accessories can get cluttered just like everything else. 

Once you've finished your piles, it's time to put them where they need to go.  The toss pile is easy.  The donation pile can be split even more.  Have any items that are still in style and have value?  These items may be able to be brought to a consignment store and sold, earning you a portion of the sale.  There may be a number of consignment stores in your area.  Check with the store or website for their terms.  You will also need to find out what type of items they accept and how their process works.  Another option is consignment sales.  I've participated in one called Just Between Friends, that happens twice a year.  This sale is mostly for children's clothes and items.  I've had great luck selling items that I don't need anymore and at better prices than a garage sale.  Although, a garage sale is another great option if you are uncluttering your whole house.

Have any designer items that are 10 or more years old?  You might be better to take these to a vintage store.  These type of stores have become very popular and you will probably get a better price for these type items at a specialty store.

Now, how about the rest of it?  I hate to throw out anything that might be useful to someone else.  Drives me crazy!  I've picked up items people have put in the trash, just to donate it.  Just seems so wasteful to me.  There are many options for you to donate your leftover items.  You many know  friends or family that would love to get your hand me downs.  I've received bags of kids clothes from friends and it's always like Christmas in our house going through the items to see what we can use.  If you don't know anyone personally, you might check with your church to see if they are collecting donations for anyone.  I have donated old school uniforms to my girls' school that they pass on to students that need them.  Also check in to local homeless or women's shelters to see if they are accepting items.  Warm clothing items and maybe even blankets might be needed here.  Have formal or semi-formal dresses or even a wedding dress to donate?  There are organizations such as Donate my Dress that accept donations and give them to girls who could not otherwise afford them.  You can always donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army, but there are also many smaller charities that are happy to accept your donations.

After removing your toss and donation piles, you will be left with a maybe pile.  Now is the time to be critical.  Have you worn this item in the last 6 months?  Is it something you need?  Will you actually wear it?  Does it fit correctly?  After trying them on, move them to the keep or donate pile.  Now it's time to get everything back into your closet.  Organization is the key!  I put my clothes in my closet by category.  Shirts are all in together starting with my sleeveless, light colors to dark.  Then short sleeved tops, light to dark and finally long sleeved.  Organizing by style and color will make them easier to find when you need them.  I do the same with my dresses and pants.  I've even labeled my jeans by style, so it's easier to find the right pair.  Fold sweaters and knit dresses to keep them from stretching.  I also fold my sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, lounge wear, and any other items that I'm not worried about wrinkling.

Organizing your shoes and accessories is just as important.  Clear plastic shoe boxes are a great way to store your shoes and are easy to stack.  You can always add a picture of the shoes on the side of the box for easy reference.  Living in Florida, I wear mostly flip flops.  I use a small hanging section of unused space as flip flop storage.  The white closet racks are perfect for this.  I have a few purses, and not as much space to keep them.  I now keep them on a top shelf in a clear plastic bin, but I have a booklet of pictures of them to reference what I have.  Sounds kind of crazy, but it does help me find the perfect purse for my outfit. 

I've also created a Hanging Scarf Organizer to keep my scarves accessible.  This also hangs in my closet, keeping the clutter out of sight.  I have an awesome full length mirror that opens to reveal a jewelry cabinet.  It is a great way to store lots of jewelry and keep it from tangling.  Other options would be a jewelry hanger that has tons of pouches for each item.  They can be hung in your closet to keep the clutter to a minimum.  If you have extra drawer space, you can also use jewelry trays to get organized. 

This whole process could take you a weekend or it could take you weeks, but you will truly feel lighter and more accomplished when you are done.  Donating and helping others may be just enough to make it worth it.  I know I feel better every time I get rid of something that I just don't need. 

Ikea Expedit Hack Platform Bed

I don't know if you've heard the news!  Seems that Ikea is discontinuing their Expedit line.  Run don't walk to pick up some pieces before their gone!  We bought a few of their shelves last year to make my daughter's Platform Bed. 

With kids, you are always looking for more space in their rooms to hide their toys and stuff.  With my oldest, it's books.  She reads a ton and really fast too.  I try and get most of her books from the library since she reads them so quickly.  It's really not worth it to buy her them when she is done in a day.  I have had luck finding books at garage sales and Goodwill.  I like to buy her favorites that she will read again, like Harry Potter and American Girl books.  So, she has accumulated a nice collection of books and we needed space to keep them all.  This Ikea Hack Platform Bed is the perfect way to add storage to a room without taking up more room. 

You will need a piece of plywood, 2 4x4s, 2 2x4s, T brackets, screws and nails.  You will also need two Expedit bookcases.  My husband began by building the base out of 4x4 posts and 2x4's to brace between them.  The height of the 4x4 posts was just a bit taller than the bookcases that were going to be slid next to them.  Cut a piece of plywood just an inch or two smaller than your mattress.  Center the plywood on top of your base and attach it with nails to your 4x4 posts.

 

Here is a close up of the brackets he used to attach the 2x4 braces. 

 

After the base was complete, I wrapped black felt across the top of the plywood and wrapped it under to cover the bottom of the plywood as well.  I used a staple gun to keep it in place.  This will protect your mattress and also the bookcases you will slide under it. 



 

The next step is to simply slide your Expedit bookcases under your plywood.  The base plus the bookcases really makes the bed quite sturdy.  We used a full size mattress on our platform bed, but I'm sure you could adjust this to fit a queen or twin (with one bookcase) as well. 

The end of your bed will have this opening.  You could paint the posts to match your bookcases, staple a piece of felt to cover the opening, or staple or drape a piece of cloth over the end to create a bed skirt kind of look.  We actually wanted to use this extra space between the bookcases for more storage, so we added two small storage ottomans to make a bench at the end of the bed.  We can easily drag them out of the way to get to her overnight bags and items she doesn't need too often.   

 

We've had the Platform Bed set up for almost a year now and I just don't know what we'd do without all that extra storage.  It really helps to keep my daughter organized and is so easy for her to get to everything she needs.  I was nervous about the sturdiness, but it has been great with no issues.  I hope this guide is helpful to you in building your own version of the Ikea hack platform bed!

No Sew Fabric Covered Stool

We had spent many trips to all the different fabric stores hunting for peacock themed fabric.  Even before that, we had already searched all the department stores, discount stores, and everywhere else we could think of for anything peacock.  We were able to find pictures for the walls and a couple of pillows, but no blankets or comforters or other accessories for a bedroom.  For my daughter's tenth birthday, we had promised her she could have her own room.  She chose a peacock theme based on her favorite colors.  I didn't realized peacock items would be so hard to find since they seemed to be gaining popularity.  What we decided to do was go with a solid color teal comforter and add peacock details.  I finally found this blue and teal peacock feather fabric at my local fabric store.  It just happened to be 50% off too!  I bought a yard of the home décor fabric for these Fabric Covered Stools and a couple of yards in the regular fabric to make some other coordinating projects. I'll share those with you soon!

We have two of these faux leather stools and they have been in our house for some time.  They started off in our family room as ottomans.  After they started to show some wear, we moved them into the girls' playroom for them to use as stools and for storage.  Now they are even more worn and could really use an update. You can see that they are missing some buttons and there are some cracks in the material.  The bottom pieces of the stools were okay, so we decided to just cover the stool lids.

The bottom of our stool lid had a fabric cover.  I removed this carefully so that I could reuse it after I changed the top fabric. I also cut off the remaining buttons on the top of the stool lid.  The rest looked okay, so I decided to just add my fabric over the existing leather cover.  I was hoping this would make the lid more durable and protect my fabric from rubbing on the rough wood edges of the lid base.

Lay your fabric with right side down.  Lay a piece of batting on top of your fabric and then place your stool lid on top.  Your fabric should be large enough that the sides can be folded around the edges of your lid and stapled in place.

Starting in the middle of one side, fold up your fabric and batting, and staple in place.  Continue stapling, moving to the sides.  Next you will do the same on the opposite side of your lid.  Be sure to pull your fabric tight and again start stapling in the middle and work your way out. 

Do the same thing for each of the other two sides, being sure to pull the fabric tight and always starting in the middle and working your way out. 

 

I left my corners for the end.  Trim any extra material.  Fold your fabric, so that you can get it the flattest.  I stapled my edges almost all the way to the corner and then pulled the very corner piece straight in, stapling it in place. Trim the excess fabric all the way around.

 

Reattach your fabric covering to the bottom.  If yours isn't usable, you can leave it without one.  If you would like, you can cut a piece of fabric the same size as your lid.  Fold under the edges all the way around and iron them back.  Now use this piece to cover your lid bottom by stapling in place.

The peacock fabric covered lids gave these stools new life.  They are perfect for seating or storage at the end of our daughter's bed.  I love that we got to recycle, renew, and save money with these Fabric Covered Stools!

Organizing your Flip Flops

My hubby thinks that I am obsessed with flip flops.  Looking at these pictures, I can see where he might get that, but I do have to defend myself.  We live in Florida.  Flip flops are pretty much the only thing I wear besides running shoes, even in winter!  I may own one or two pairs of closed toe shoes (besides boots that is), I'd have to check on that.  I'm not even sure because they are only worn during winter.  So in my defense, I've gotten great deals on ALL my flops and I wear them daily.  However, even flip flops start taking up space in the closet when you have quite a few of them.  I needed a better way to organize my flip flops when I wasn't wearing them.

Luckily, many of the flip flops I buy come with these little hangers that are used to display them.  Even the cheap, rubber flops at Old Navy come on their own little hanger.  The hangers may not work if you have a large bar for your clothes, but they are perfect for the wire closet organizers.  I have a little area in the corner of wasted space where clothes are too long to hang, but it is perfect to fit my flip flops on their hangers. 
 

Even if you don't have the wire closet organizers, you can still use these handy little hangers.  Hang a few pairs of flip flops on a plastic hanger and then hang it in your closet.  Hanging your flops keeps them from getting flattened by other shoes on the bottom of your closet, especially if you have the cute ones with the jewels on them.  You can also see which flops you have, making it easier to pick the perfect pair.  In my opinion, you just can't have too many cute flip flops!

 

Placemat Colored Pencil Roll Up

Does anyone else decide to start a birthday gift craft 30 minutes before heading out the door for the party?  I hope not, because it is not a good idea!  That's me though.  My daughter was invited to a birthday party for her friend.  We knew she liked art since they were in the same art club together after school.  Plus the party was going to be at a pot painting studio.  We decided to get her a tote filled with a journal, photo album, and lots of art supplies.  We picked out some crayons with a case to keep them in, a box of markers, and a box of colored pencils.  I liked that the crayons had their own decorative box, but at the last minute I decided that the pencil and marker case were just too boring to send in their cardboard boxes.  I started to raid my craft supplies to see what we could create.

I had created a Vera Bradley Marker Roll Up from a Vera Bradley placemat for a teacher gift in the past.  I had a blue polka dot placemat that I had picked up from the dollar store.  It was perfect to create a roll up for the colored pencils.  Check out my tutorial on how to make this easy roll up.  So cute and easy.  Good thing it was quick too!  Definitely cuter than the cardboard box.

I figured I had about two more minutes until it was time to go, so I had plenty of time to whip up this felt marker holder.  I used two rectangles of felt.  Make your first rectangle shorter than your markers and your second piece the same width, but long enough to fold a flap over the front.  I really wished I had time to sew on a piece of ribbon and a button to create a closure, but we were late enough as it was.  Next time I will be sure to give myself more time and start at least 45 minutes before it's time to go!

Lego Storage

Last week my daughter went on a field trip to Legoland!  How fun is that?  I don't remember field trips like that when I was a kid.  Now Lego has a new line out for girls, called Friends.  They are the same Lego's loved by so many, but now they come in more girly colors, with girl figurines, and vehicles and buildings that are geared to girls.  My little ones have really embraced these Lego's and got quite a few of them for Christmas gifts. 

The girls didn't really want to throw all the different kits in a big bin together.  They wanted to keep the pieces separate so that they could make each item without searching through the whole bin to find a certain piece.  I didn't want to have to store all of these bulky boxes either.  Major waste of space.

Together we came up with this storage bin idea.  We put each kit in its own zippered bag, along with the instructions on how to build each item. 

 

All the bags fit nicely in this cute pink bin.  Plenty of room for more kits too.  The best part is that you can put the lid on top and stack more.  Have fun building with your Lego Friends!