Dilemas of a Crafty Mom

So, when I get crafty (which happens often) my housework, umm... slacks a little.

I might just hand you a blindfold when you come in my house if it's during a "crafty spell".

One of those such "crafty spells" happened yesterday.

I've been kicking an idea around in my head for about a month now concerning tote bags. Here's my confession: I love tote bags. It has become a slight obsession. (some people might say, it's an addiction, but I can justify them, so it's just an obsession... right?) Do you know how excited I was that reusable bags came back in? I can now carry around cute bags in the stores? What? Awesome! I get to buy more to "Save the Earth"? Now my obsession is going to save the world? Excellent!

Bebe has 3 different pairs of dance shoes that she totes around in her dance bag, along with her jazz shorts, jazz pants, cover-up t-shirt, hairbrush, 2 combs, water spray bottle and heavens knows what else. I've been thinking that things might be a tad easier for her if they were all in their own little bag. At one point, I wanted to make her a bag complete with different pockets and labels, and all sorts of organized-goodness. Then I remembered that since this is her 5th year at her studio, she'll be receiving a dance bag with her 5 year patch on it (a very BIG deal!) and I didn't want to go through all of that work for only 4 or so rehearsals before she gets her bag.

Enter, the 'tote bags for the tote bag' concept. It's sort of like if you decided to pack your shoes in little bags when you go somewhere. Only way cuter.

I sewed up 3 little bags (one for each pair of shoes). I haven't decided on a fastener yet for them, and when I do, I'll stick it on there. Then I'll post a picture of them. Hopefully, I'll decide soon.

While I was cutting and sewing these, Bebe and Mamu were playing nicely. Like, for an extended amount of time! Usually, they play together very nicely, but for just a smidgent of time (like 5-8 minutes). They played Hungry, Hungry Hippos for about 20 minutes! No fighting, just playing (and madly banging the poor hippos lever thingys.). It was awesome!

At that time, I felt happy. Like, a proud momma happy. My kids are able to get along without me intervening. :) So what if my house looks like a giant horde of craft elves hit it with their full force, candy induced, craftiness mess making love? I've got happy kids AND I'm enjoying tote bags to boot.

So, please don't look when you come over during a crafty spell. (I probably should just hang a sign on the door to warn people). But please listen to the love. :) (And if you'd like to sweep, mop, or vacuum, I'll happily point you to the laundry area to get your items. Don't stand still too long, I might add you into a craft project. Or organize you into a tote bag.)

Crazy Craftiness!

Well, when you ask what we did this summer, one of the things we will say is "Craft"! Hopefully it'll come out enthusiastically... Bebe went to craft camp twice. She was the only one in the craft camp class both times. What are the odds? One was making pop-up cards and she had a good time doing that. The other class was making keychains with shrinky dinks. She loved that!

Then, I was all sorts of crafty this summer and made lots of different things as well. One of the last few things I have sewn was identifiers (I really can't think of a better name, so I will take suggestions...) for Bebe's lunch box and backpack. For those of you who don't know, Bebe takes her lunch every day to school. Yes, I'm one of those moms. So, I saw this idea for a luggage tag identifier thingy and thought that it would work for her lunch box and backpack too. I totally came up with the rick rack painting idea all by myself, and just tweaked the other one a smidge (aka added a super cute bow).

Now she's ready to start school in style!

The Forgotten

So, I don't know about you, but I LOVE to plan projects in my mind, buy the items, and I do have good intentions of completing it quickly, and yet, they sit unfinished on the window seat. I had a super crafting spring break this year and yet, I still got behind. I did hit some great sales at Hobby Lobby (love it when there's 50% off of things!) and I bought some wooden letters to use for a future project.

Well, awhile back, Bebe and I were at a kid's store and they had bow hangers made out of those wooden letters! All they did was paint the letters, hot glue the ribbon to the back, and bam! sell them for $15.00. In my usual "I can do that cheaper" brain, I totally told Beebs that I would make her one.

Fast forward a couple of months (only about 1 1/2!) and here I am on a Saturday night with not much to do (that I want to do - there's laundry to fold, carpet to vacuum--ok Roomba, ironing, closets to clean, you get the picture). Jason's show is in it's final weekend, so he's not home to watch a movie with or for me to go to the gym, so crafting it is! I pulled out the letters, my bag o' ribbons and paint box. I decided to be the bestest aunt ever and make KK one as well as Bebe. I started on KK's first:

I used painter's tape to detail dots onto the K to match the dots on the ribbon.

Then I put on the cutest pink paint ever! I did two coats just to cover it well.

I let it dry while I painted Bebe's.

I pulled off the painter's tape dots. Then I filled in the dots with glitter paint.

Then voila! Cuteness abounds!

All that's left is to hot glue on the ribbon to the back and then for the bows to get put on! I'll try to post that tomorrow when the paint's dry.

Totally random: Don't you just love it when your tile floors are freshly mopped? I am totally not Suzy Homemaker, but I just love it when the floors are clean. I bought a new mop today and I am so ready to mop, mop, mop! I'm sure it'll wear off soon, so I'll try to keep onto this energy as much as possible!