Oilcloth Tote and Lunch Bag Set

In our house we are big believers in reusable bags. But, the bags we use for our groceries aren't exactly the bags I want to be toting around at the mall or to friend's houses. I found this great tutorial over at Prudent Baby and decided I needed to make this bag.

This bag is the perfect size for bringing PJs over to a New Year's Eve party or snow pants over to a New Year's Day sledding party, or a day of shopping! As my good friend over at Jane of All Trades would say (though it's never true for her stuff), don't look too close. I could not for the life of me figure out how to do the mitered corners. I just kind of winged it, yelling all the while. My daughter told me to be patient.....

I ending up buying a yard of this beautiful Michael Miller Far Out Floral and had enough to make a matching lunch bag. I decided to do it without the bias tape border.

I really love the way this set came out and it's so useful. I suspect I'll be making another one of these lunch totes and maybe, just maybe the stars will align so that I can get enough time to take photos while it's light out and then write a tutorial. Stay tuned....

DIY Fabric Jewelery

I love jewelery, but often find that it looks better on others than on me. So, rather than invest a fortune in jewelery I won't end up wearing, I looked for some tutorials to make my own. Here are 2 great tutorials. I really like the finished pieces, and have actually worn them!

I found this necklace tutorial on Pretty Ditty. I made 3 colors and love them all.


I've seen these rolled flowers a lot, and I have to say, this was the best tutorial. And, she makes the flowers as a pin, so you can take it off or change it out depending on the outfit. So fun!



Need some new earrings? Try this tutorial over at Ginger, Boo and Pickles.

I made mine smaller and changed the shape slightly. I love that she uses recycled plastic. Chances are you've got everything you need to make these lying around the house.

Here's another beautiful necklace I saw recently.

Got a favorite fabric jewelery tute? Leave me a comment with the link and I'll add it to the post.

Recycled Storage Jars

I've been on a bit of a kick lately to get my sewing room (and my head) organized. It all started when I bought myself this

and my wonderful husband (hope he's reading this!) immediately hung it on the wall for me. Suddenly I had this major urge to clean out the closet and desk drawers in my sewing room. I have major "out of site out of mind" syndrome.

So, I had some jars sitting around that I've been collecting and decided to give them a little face-lift.

I LOVE these jars, and luckily, my kids love the jelly. Win, win.


There is nothing genius or overly creative here.....just took some acrylic paint and painted the lids. Used one of my favorite colors.


The end result is very satisfying.