Finally getting some work done

I’ve been trying to get some new items in my shop this week. I finally sat down & finished some owl totes. I sold out of these pretty quickly over the holidays & just haven’t had the time to sit down get to work on them.

I have to be in the mood. They take so much more time & detailed attention. But once I get started I can’t stop! I just think owls are so cute. I use eco felt for the owl shapes. Eco felt is made from 100% post consumer plastic bottles. It always amazes me what they can turn plastic into. Its so soft too!

I’m not much of a sewer. I know my basics. Like everything else I do, I just wing it & learn from trial & error. ( Some times there’s a lot more error!!) But I do love to sew & hope to try my hand at some new things.

I also made some new softies with squeakers. I had a lot of requests to add squeakers at the craft shows last year. I think I sold just as many of them to be used for baby gifts as I did for dogs!

The best part of sewing? This machine I get to use.

Its my moms & I’ve been “borrowing” it for about a year now. I just love it . Its sea foam green & such a solid machine. Luckily she hasn’t needed it for any projects lately. I will eventually have to bring it back to her. I almost bought a new one but they really don’t make them like they used to. I know newer ones can do so much more then this one can. I don’t mind though. That machine & I make a great team!! I probably should just buy my mom a new machine? HA! I’m just kidding Mom! I'll give it back....maybe : )

Thrifty Thursday....something practical & a little sunshine

I have a few projects going on at once here. One is almost done & I hope to be able to show you that soon! It involves a chair & some fabric : ) That’s all I can hint at for now.

But something nice I found……chalkboard organizer

I always see this at IKEA & think “I should get that”. But I have never picked it up. Well there it was sitting in Goodwill. And at $4 it was just my price.

So I did some rearranging in the mudroom. I decided to switch out the chair & place this chalkboard above it. It’ll be a great place to write my “remembers” for each day. With the girls back packs right there, it will help with all the little everyday reminders. Plus it has a great space below to hold mail etc. I actually had plans for something different for that space, but for now I’ll give it a try.

And for a whole $0.29.……. This beautiful little container! 29 cents!!! Crazy!!

It just spoke to me. I love the bird symbol & it has inspired me to get work on some new projects . The bottom and inside are slightly rusty but for what ever reason the top is like new.

 Its so cheerful and just what I need to get through the rest of this winter. Not sure what it will hold, but for now it makes me happy just looking at!

I need a little spring…project

I’m at the point that if I see one more cloudy day I might loose it!! So I thought I’d share a great project that SCREAMS spring.

 

Plant markers

I made this for my sister & she always grows catnip for her cat Oreo. I thought it’d be a nice touch to add a pic of a kitty that looked like him on the marker of the plant that’s just for him : )

You’ll need chalk board paint, paint brush, tape, Mod podge, printed pictures or words, and a few skinny tiles from the hardware store.

First find pictures you might like to use & shrink them down to the size of the tile your using. I searched google photos & also printed the names of plants.

After cutting them to size apply the Mod podge to the back. Then place on to the top of the tile. Apply more Mod podge over the top. Wipe away any excess & allow to dry .

While waiting for the glue to dry, use the tape to mark off the top of one of your other tiles. This space will need to be big enough to be able to write the plant name with your chalk. Now apply chalk board paint. You’ll probably only need 2 coats, but let the first dry completely before adding the next.

That’s it! Stick them right in to your potted plants. The nice thing about these markers are you can use them right now for the plants your starting inside , or the ones that maybe sitting on your windowsill.

Now I just have to keep my cats from eating the plants before I get a chance to plant them outside!

She looks pretty guilty don’t you think?

Rainy day bowling

This was one of those days that just never got any brighter. Rain all day & even some sleet. So we needed to head out & brighten it up a bit!

BOWLING!

Look mom..they're singing!



Notice how the youngest had to get all "fancy" for bowling!  Crown & all....

We have this great old school bowling alley near us. I don’t know what it is, but we all prefer it to the “new” one down the way.
We’re not great at bowling by any means, but it is so much fun!

Nope...I didn't get a spare on this one  : )

On her way back to get a HIGH FIVE from her sister.

My 5 year old is determined to fling that ball down the lane herself. We taught her the “granny roll” but she wants to do it just like us.

Running back in excitment from her STRIKE!

My 9 yr old has bowling down & comes close to beating me almost every time.

Just found out that they have $1 a game on Tuesdays nights so maybe we'll have to make it a weekly thing. I might have to craft up some bowling shirts!! (just kidding…I think )

I thought I'd give it a try...

Everyone keeps telling me ..."you should try a blog hop! Its fun & you can find so many different blogs in one place!" Ok...ok.. I tried it  : )

I have found a bunch of new blogs & can't wait to read more from them!!

So I hate to admit I was wrong...but it is fun : ) 

Repurposed book cover

Since I spend a lot of my time tearing the pages out of books to make my wreaths, I have a large amount of hard covers left over. I wanted to find a way to use these as well. I just hate to throw them out. Here’s one of the uses I have found for them……

A coupon holder

You’ll need medium hard cover book, fabric, glue gun, ribbon & coupon holder insert found in any office supply section

First tear the pages out of the book. Some older books will be very easy to just give a good tug & they're out. Otherwise an xacto knife works well.

Now lay the hard cover on top of fabric & cut to size leaving enough of an edge to fold over the sides. Using the glue gun ,seal the edges to the inside of the cover, pulling tight as you go.
 

Measure ribbon . Cut enough that you’ll be able to tie it into a bow once its attached. Glue ribbon to each side.

Now its time to add the coupon insert. Mine had a fold-over closer, so I cut that off.  Apply glue to the inside spine of the book. Push insert into book & hold until glue has cooled.
 

Now squeeze glue to the inside cover of book & press down sides of insert until glue cools. That’s it! Its ready for use !

This would also make a really cute recipe holder as well. I’d love to fill it with my favorite recipes & give it as a gift. Maybe even a wedding shower? Something unique & repurposed ! Or put a small spiral note book inside to keep track of daily notes. I think I’ll make that next : ) 

Thrifty Thursday

This has been one of those crazy busy days & “Thrifty Thursday” almost became “thrifty Friday"! But I made it! Its still Thursday & I have a couple of items to share. These were 2 items that just made my day. The first is this oil painting.

Yep, that says $3.45 .

I was actually in the check out & saw this laying on its side by the register. I was drawn to it for some reason & I instantly wanted it. I knew it would work some where in our house or I’d make it work .

The frame was originally dark brown. I’m sorry I forgot to take a before pic. But trust me…it was not very pretty. So with some creamy paint, I freshened it up.

The softness of the flowers and the colors ended up making it a perfect fit for our bedroom.

I just love all the detail.

And what was I in line to buy when I found this?

Already soaking my tea bag...

This pretty little mug!!

I have a thing for mugs. We have no matching mugs in this house. I love to drink green tea everyday & it’s much more fun to pick your “mood” for the morning. This cost me a whole $0.50 . So my fun thrifty finds for this week cost just $4.25! I think that’s a pretty good Thursday : )

Its Give-A-Way day!!!!!

Made my entry list.

Its time to announce the winner of my book page wreath giveaway!!! I'm going to drag this out for you. I just love the suspense :)  Of course you could just scroll down & see who won, but whats the fun in that?

Cut them out....

Put them in a jar & started to SHAKE them up....

Still shaking....

Still shaking ! I really wanted to be fair & mix them all up :)

the moment of the pick.......

Dawn!!! Your the winner of my Vintage book page wreath giveaway!! Please email me @ roundaboutshop@gmail.com with your address & I'll ship it out to you tomorrow!

Thanks to all of you that joined my raffle ! These are just too much fun & I'm going to be doing many more of these.

Have a great day everyone!!!

I think spring really is coming...

Call me crazy but yesterday was so sunny & actually felt warm! The snow is melting. Perfect timing since we needed to get out & burn off that valentine candy energy! So while my older daughter & her friend grabbed the sleds (that finally showed up under the mound of snow) & headed to the hill while the last bit of snow hung on, Addy & I ran around out back .

Its spring ! Right mom?

She was determined to swing even though the back half is still filled with snow. Notice the different color pants then the first photo. Yea, after the slide we needed to change. There may be grass areas, but they're super soggy :)

Yes, that's green grass in there!

Tiny buds!!

Hello Spring!!

Thursdays high is 57 ! I may just have to bust out the flip flops ! But as with all winters here, it will get cold again. It will snow again. But this week is a nice brake & we're loving that!