Homemade Play rug/ blanket

I started out with a fleece I got from trying out a Taste of Home cookbook.

And then I took a bunch of my kids toys:

 

I thought I would start with some electrical tape to do the lines. I got this pack plus a yellow one at Sutherlands for about 75 cents.

 

I tried taking the tape and  making roads out of them but, even though my son played for about an hour with the area I taped off below, it didn’t seem as though it would last…so I did plan “B'”

I tried sewing a ribbon on to outline the roads.

I ended up just using a magic marker. I figured I can always change it later  if it is a big hit.

I cut up a business card for the bulldozer to “push.”

 

The road dead-ends….

 

Air strip….

 

 

Farmland

 

Parking lot. All the “areas” are removable.

Pedestrian crossing

 

Copter pad from our  train set.

 

 

$ Baskets or Free Boxes?

 

I see all these cute post where they use baskets and turn a closet of terror into a a true beauty. And organized system but yet one where you can still toss things in when you are in a jam. The baskets just make it look awesome!

The problem is many of those basket easily run $10 each. Now I’m not sure about many things in life, but I do know that if I looked in my closet and saw $80 worth of baskets, that would far out way the organization! So…what I needed to do was fake it!

I have a great linen closet, actually it is the only closet I have that isn’t in a room. I don’t have a coat closet but we make due. I found some boxes a while back and after covering them I tried this cute idea with the clothes pins. I thought it would be great cuz I could move the signs if I ever changed my mind or wanted them somewhere else.

Great idea, not constructed for my house. Within an hour 1 clothes pin was in half and the sign was lost. This one above held up but I knew it’s death was eminent!

So I needed a new idea. While searching for donation boxes, (Did you know that they have cardboard dumpsters? Just boxes! Fabulous) I found some boxes that were the perfect size for my closet so I figured I’d try again!

I forgot a key is to use very little glue or modge podge as I was doing here. So my paper wrinkled. Live and learn. I’ll fix it later…maybe when I don’t have 3 kids under the age of four!

 

I used these brackets to fasten the 3x5 cards I printed onto cardstock.

I was happy with the outcome!

For these I just folded the top part of the box inside. Seems to work just fine but I suppose you could cut it off. I was just worried about rough edges.

I still have some tweaking to do but thought I would post this and then get out of my PJ first! LOL!

Everything is better…with a little formalness!

 

I few month ago I got a package of invites in a bag of stuff purchased at the thrift store. I tried to sell them but they aren’t quite the latest in invite fashions. So I held on to them waiting for an inspirational idea to hit me!

Then, while patching the knee of a pair of Jeans (while they were still on me!) I thought of it! What if I get friends together for a sewing party? Actually it will be more of a patch party! So that is what I did. I called it “Sew Sweet plus Handkerchief Gal” Since most of my friends are very sweet and well, then there is me. I’m blessed. I know!

 

 

The set came with 20 invites, bows, sleeves, envelopes and online templates to print it all. Including the front and back of the envelopes!

I figured the rather “formal” wording and invitations might make it a tad more fun! I will do some baking for it and have some tea as well. I’ll try to take pictures if it all turns out!

Man Apron photo tutorial

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

Cold, wet and “I don’t feel so good” days.

 

Well, my hubs got to go back to work today and I’m home with the kids. I really need to do some grocery shopping. I mean like we are out of butter and almost out of flour and sugar kind of need. However, I think I might fall over if I try to do that so I’m staying home and we can just live off hot chocolate. I’m pretty sure I did that as a young tike and it work so I know we will succeed. At least until my mom catches us…well, that is what happened to me before.

Anyway! I needed something to keep the older two (ages 4 and 2) entertained while I got caught up on the laundry and dishes. Well, I’m not caught up but they were entirely entertained! At least while I was making it!

 

We, like so many other American family’s received a train set for Christmas. I found someone selling more of the peices for $10 on Craigslist and added them. We now have a nice size train set and my son goes through phases of playing with it. Right now he is in a phase of reading books. Probably because our awesome new behind-the-door bookshelf my husband made!

I don’t know what made me thing of doing this. We haven’t ever set the train set up on the table but this time was special so this is what we did:

 

  

Now if your son is anythign like mine then you know that 5 inches of that road with the yellow lines can entertain for up to 1 hour! He loved it! And then we went outside to get plants and our “wood pile” the bulldozer is moving so it was personalize it a touch more.

Piece by piece: selling big items!

 

A wonderful friend of mine heard I needed a swing for the new baby and gave me their very nice swing. I tried to use it but unfortunately the motor had gone out and it was rather useless to me though I did sit and rock him a few times!

As you can see it was far to large of an item to ship out if you want to keep shipping cost low. But I had read in a blog where selling parts can make you some money so I did. I took the whole thing apart. I put up of auction the tray, the seat cover, the fish (I only had 3) The battery cover, and the button cover. I figured anything else and the person should probably just get a new swing. The seat seems to sell as well but it wasn’t worth my time trying to package it up for the $10 I would make.

I notice a lot of watching on all the items and this is what I made off them.

 

Blue Button cover= $0

Yes, it didn’t sell, but it was worth a shot!

 

Tray= $5.35

 

Seat cover= $7.49

 

Seat Belt= $5.50

 

2 Fish= $4.25

1 Fish + battery cover= $4.50

 

Total= $27.09

 

I just looked these up on my local Craigslist and found that a similar swing is for sell, fully functional for $40! I made more than half of that and sold only the little parts! Yay!

This would also be a great way to get some money back if you buy a fluke toy 2nd hand!