Honor Roll Tote

I have been looking for a new tote bag for school.  I was a traveling teacher last year and had to carry a huge bag all the time with EVERYTHING in it, plus I had a laptop bag and usually my lunchbox. I will have my own classroom this year so I want a bag that will hold my laptop, a few supplies and papers to grade.  I didn’t find anything in stores I liked so I decided to make my own.  I found a yellow tablecloth on clearance at Target for $5.  I got some gray duck cloth and the turquoise dot at JoAnn’s using a coupon for both. I also got the grommets, stiffy (stiff interfacing) and clips at JoAnn’s.  I decided to clip my laptop into the bag but also make a strap so I could carry just the laptop bag if needed.  The other side holds a pocket, zippered compartment, and pencil slots.  As always, the first one of anything you make is trial and error, but I really do like how it turned out.  I have enough fabric left over (ok, not of the duck) to maybe make a matching lunchbox. Here’s the pics of the Honor Roll Tote.

T2 looks very beautiful modeling the tote for me 🙂

Sharing at :: seven thirty three :: Someday Crafts :: Sugar and Dots :: Creative Itch :: Ginger Snap Crafts ::

craft wall

We have been working in our basement, helping the Mr. T put on the window facing and trim. Between cutting, nailing, and painting trim,  I’ve been working on a cork board, magnet board, dry erase frame, a chicken wire frame as seen at A Very Dandoislion Life, and a peg board for my craft area in the basement.  I need a little something on the left still, but overall I think it looks good and I can’t wait to get the rest of my craft room organized so I can craft more efficiently.

$2 frame from a garage sale and 40% off cord roll from Hobby Lobby. You can see in the pic above that I made some fabric rosettes and glued them to thumbtacks.  I need to make a few more of them.

This was a frame I already had and left over sheet metal.  I painted the metal to take some of the shine off, but I don’t particularly like it. The vinyl {create} makes it better.  I love that I can cut vinyl whenever I need it with my Silhouette.  I got my vinyl from Expressions Vinyl. I love that I can get a lot of colors for a low price.  (Sorry for the cruddy pic. If you read my blog often, you know why!) I plan on making more rosettes and gluing them to magnets.

I got this frame for my MIL’s birthday party but the matte I bought didn’t fit it, so I am reusing it as a dry erase board.

This may be my favorite thing on the wall.  I got this ideas from A Very Dandoislion Life. I used a frame that used to be purple and was part of the art wall in our previous house.  It took A LOT of paint to get it orange, but I love how it turned out.  I do need to paint a few more clothes pins.

This last frame was also in my stash, as was the peg board left over from T2’s window frame project.  I bought a pack of peg board hangers and the Mr. T can use the rest in the garage.

Here’s the shot of the whole wall again.  I will post the whole area when it’s “done.”

Sharing at ::  Thirty Handmade Days :: Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo :: Simply Designing :: Fingerprints on the Fridge :: The Shabby Nest :: Whipperberry ::

green pedestal plate

I think it may be a sickness.  I LOVE to make these painted treasures.  And it doesn’t help that Speckled Dog keeps showing her amazing creations so then off I am again to the thrift stores to get more wooden items to create pedestal creations.  Lowe’s and I have become pretty good friends too with the Valspar paint samples. Good thing this is a cheap project!  The Mr. T AND some of my friends think it’s time I start selling some of this business; food for thought.  In the mean time, here’s my newest creation using Valspar Sassy Green.

I’m not the only one who created today (I worked on a few other projects too –corkboard still in progress.) T2 took T1’s camera outside and photographed the wild lilys growing in out backyard.  This photo is without any editing.  It’s beautiful and is now our laptop background 🙂

Sharing at :: Thirty Days :: Simply Designing :: Fingerprints on the Fridge :: Shabby Nest :: Whipperberry ::

Pick Your Plum Giveaway

Somewhat Simple is giving away $75 in Pick Your Plum goodies.  Head over to Somewhat Simple and get in on the action.

A corkboard for the craft room is coming later today (I HOPE!)

Snappy Top Bag Tutorial Updated

The top edge sides of the Snappy Top bag can be tricky.  I’ve added a few steps that have made the process easier.  I also made a gift for one of T2’s friends in the process. I’m going to update my tutorial page with these new buttons.  They are a little more classy than what I have now.  A new basket tutorial is coming soon.

Sharing at :: Sugar and Dots :: Momma Hens Coop :: Fabric Bows & More ::

Pick Your Plum – Vinyl

Today’s Pick Your Plum deal is outdoor vinyl, 3 sheets for $1.  Go quick, they’ve already sold almost half of the stock.

Summer Mantle

I’m in love with the pedestal bowls seen at the Speckled Dog and MANY other places.  I’ve made quite a few myself.  I also love the fabric covered balls at Landee See Landee Do and the scrappy letters at Artsy Fartsy Mama.  So I put them all together to make my summer mantle. LOVING IT!  I do think I might make one of these beach balls to go on the edge with the last bit of fabric I have.

I love the blue showing through the white on this pedestal bowl.  I’m running low on good candle sticks.  To Goodwill I go.

Scrappy letters.  I want them all over my house.  What else should I spell?Sharing at :: Making the World Cuter :: Keeping it Simple :: Singing Three Little Birds :: Skip to My Lou ::

Sadi’s bedroom

I got a picture in my email awhile back with the colors of my niece Sadi’s new bedroom, lime green and grey.  She had to move to make room for her new brother. The problem was, they painted the wall before they had bedding. For her birthday, Gobi (grandma) and I decided to get her a bedroom set.  We took tons of pictures and texted them to her mom with no luck until we came across this set at Penney’s.  It was in gray, black and cream and I knew I could add some lime green to it to tie in to her walls.  I also found some green polkadot sheets for the bed that match the fabric I used.

with green ribbon sewn to the pillowcase

put an S on the small pillow with a blanket stitch around the edges and made a whole new cover for the other gross pillow

Gobi is making her a lime green throw for the bottom of the bed and I’ll be making some fabric baskets out of the green polka dot.  Turned out pretty cute for matching a bedroom set to the walls.  I haven’t seen the set up in person, they live another state, but I think Sadi’s picture says it all.  She loves it!

Sharing at :: 36th Avenue :: Somewhat Simple ::

Mmmmmm

We bought some of these

at the store yesterday.  We ate some for a snack last night while playing Monopoly.  When I got up this morning, some of them had some moldy spots.  Well, when you pay for cherries, ya’ don’t want them to mold.  I love cherry pie, but it isn’t the Mr. T’s favorite.  I love scones and, well I guess I didn’t care if it was anyone’s favorite, I decided to find a cherry scone recipe.  I found it at CC Recipe, a mother/daughter website.  They are DELICIOUS! Flaky, light, and do you see that fantastic black Fiesta plate?  49 cents at Goodwill and I got 4 of them. YES!  This recipe is a keeper. It didn’t lighten it any, full butter and cream, so even though it’s a keeper, it’s a not very often scone.

Tolen Family Fun on Facebook

I added a Tolen Family Fun page on Facebook.  Head on over and like our new page.