Back To School In Style

Backpacks, notebooks, and lunch bags.... OH MY! With the new school year up and running, your kids are sure to want the latest and greatest everything when it comes to their gear. I've compiled a list my favorite handcrafted school supplies that are sure to please. Everything shown is unique and one-of-a-kind. Guaranteed to let your kids personal style shine. Many of these items can be custom made with their school colors, names, or anything their little hearts desire!


Pack It Up

You've got to have a place for all those pens, planners, and pages of homework... give those boring school items a place to hide by tucking them away in a stylish bag! I especially love the cool canvas messenger bags... with so many fun designs, you're sure to find one that suits your style. You can even take it a step forward and have your name, sports team, or motto embroidered or screenprinted onto the front.



screenprinted canvas bag by Stevester childs backpack by All About You Design

Lunch Time Has Gone Green

...Eww. Not the food, silly! The gear! Check out these fun finds. A recycled Capri Sun insulated lunch bag and an eco-friendly reusable sandwich bag... a perfect way to say "I love you mommy" (mother earth, of course!)

Capri Sun lunch bag by REbaggingIT reusable sandwich bag by Bells & Unicorns


Take Note:

You can settle for the plain black and white compostion and spiral notebooks... or you could jazz those 99cent items up by giving them a cool new cover. Like a new outfit, these covers will make note-taking a refreshing new experience everytime you pull out your notebook. (Ok, maybe not.. but they sure do look cool!) I have even featured a cute little eco-friendly baby birdie notebook for jotting down homework assignments, project supplies, or doodles.

journal covers by Daily Threads

eco birdie notebook by Cabin

DIY Lunch Bag

I love the idea of custom EVERYTHING! So, when i stumbled across this how-to article I was just tickled pink. With Amy Karol's idea of scanning whatever you like onto fabric is absolutely brilliant. I was thinking kids artwork, scrapbook paper, photos, or anthing really. Thats the beauty! It's "anything goes"! So go for it!

Original article by Amy Karol as featured on Etsy.com

Finished Size
10 3/8" high x 6 1/4" wide x 3 1/2" deep (26 x 16 x 9cm), unfolded

Materials
Outer bag fabric: (3) 8 1/2" x 11" (21.5 x 28cm) photo fabric sheets for your printer or copier, or homemade sheets using Bubble Jet Set 2000, cut after printing into:

(2) 6 1/2" x 11" (16.5 x 28cm) front pieces
(2) 4 1/4" x 11" (11 x 28cm) side pieces
(2) 6 1/2" x 11" (16.5 x 28cm) front pieces
(2) 4 1/4" x 11" (11 x 28cm) side pieces
(2) 6 1/2" x 4 1/2" (16.5 x 11.5cm) bottom*

Binding:

(1) 2" x 20" (5 x 51cm) piece of fabric for homemade binding, or, if using premade binding, (1) package (3 yards [2.7m]) of 7/8"-(22mm-)wide single-fold bias tape

(1) 1" x 2" (2.5 x 5cm) piece of Velcro (optional)
Vintage magazines or other images to copy
Printer
Sewing machine

Seam Allowance
1/4" (6mm)

*One bottom lining piece is used for the bottom of the outer bag.

BASIC INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare your artwork by scanning and printing it onto your fabric at home, or make color copies of it and print it onto color copier fabric sheets at the copy shop. You will need 3 printed sheets total.
2. Cut out the outer bag pieces from your printed fabric. Cut out the lining pieces and binding strip if you are making binding.

3. Make the outer bag: With right sides facing, sew the long sides together on the front and side pieces, creating a box without a top or bottom. With right sides together, pin a lining bottom piece onto the front and side pieces. Sew carefully, flaring out the sides and front, stopping and pivoting with your needle down at each corner.

4. Repeat step 3 with the lining fabric.

5. Turn the outer bag right side out. Place the lining bag inside the outer fabric bag, wrong sides together. This will now look exactly like it will when it is done, minus the binding. Baste around the top edge to keep the layers together.
6. Make binding by ironing your strip in half lengthwise. It will now be 1" x 20" (2.5 x 51cm). Align the raw edges of the binding and the top of the bag and lay out on the printed side of the bag, right sides together. Fold the short end of the tape over so there is no raw edge, and stitch using a 1/4" (6mm) seam allowance from the edge. Flip the folded edge to the inside on the bag, and hand-stitch it to the lining.
7. To create the closure, machine-stitch one Velcro piece centered just under the binding along the top edge of one front piece.


Fold the bag over twice toward the other front piece, and mark where the Velcro touches the other front piece. Stitch the opposite Velcro piece onto the other front piece where the two Velcro pieces would touch.

Tips, Hints, and Other Suggestions:


•You can make this with a vinyl lining. Plastic-coated fabric like oilcloth can be tricky to stitch with, so try a Teflon presser foot or use masking tape on the edges and sew through all layers to keep the oilcloth from sticking.
•Create a cute closure by stitching an elastic band into the binding on one side and adding a button on the outside front instead of the Velcro.
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Check out Amy Karol's book, Bend the Rules with Fabric, for more innovative ideas in paint, dye, and thread.

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Thanks for looking and I hope you have found these products and ideas helpful in getting you or your kids through the school year in style.

Enlighten Your Home: Go Zen

Zen is simplicity and balance. Its about clearing the mind to see the natural beauty in the things around you. It is about sight, sound, and smell. And when you bring a little zen into your house it can become an oasis, a haven, and a place to let the hustle and bustle of the busy world fade away.

Want a little zen in your life? All it takes is a few well placed decorations and natural elements. Every time you walk in your door you'll feel like you have stepped into your own personal secret garden.

pillow covers by Pabrika , lotus blossom sculptures by Fanciful Form

sushi platter by Illyria Pottery, birds painting by Johnnie Belinda

Start simple... light insense, create a small rock garden on a decorative platter, or have candles lit all around your house for a warming glow. Create "space" by adding large mirrors to small spaces. Buy a sounds of nature CD and listen to it while doing household chores.


Need a little zen without the bulk of traditional decor? Check out these decals! They are perfect for small spaces and apartments... they're removable and leave no damage or residue. There are so many to choose from! Here are a few of my favorites.


A Hint of Chic Boutique........... Dali Decals......... Revolv3r Apparal

Eco-friendly Crafts for Your Lil Green Beans!

I can remember when I was 5 or 6, we had recycling trucks that came every week. I was in charge of going through and sorting all of the items (plastic, cans, etc.). I felt pretty important knowing I was in charge of "saving the planet"...But when my family moved down south we didnt have recycling trucks that came by...or even a recycling center to take our stuff to! So if your family is in the same situation and you would like to get your kids involved in recycling here are some fun ideas for you to try.

We all have shoe boxes of old, broken, and worn down crayons. Melt them down in a double boiler and make new ones! Find some cool candy molds for fun crayon shapes. Check out this example by Lil Boo & Co.

Can someone say " free party favors"!? How fun!

Bottle caps have sooo many uses. Flatten them out, add some fun paper and embelishments and voila!...art! They can be used strung together as a garland, added to a charm bracelet or necklace, or made into magnets like these by panAsh.

Soda tabs have never looked so funky! With parents help using wire cutters or tough scissors to cut slits in the side of the tabs, they can be painted or left as is and strung together to make these absolutely adorable bracelets!

bracelets made by A New Twist

I hope these ideas have inspired you to get crafting and turn your trash into treasure while inspiring your kids to look at the everyday things around them in a whole new creative light!

Fantastic Fall Finds!

Ahhh, the colors of fall... it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it, right? well if you're like me I have got some FABULOUS finds for you!

Check out this beautiful one of a kind handcrafted taffeta rose ring by Vivid Colors.

TOO CUTE! This adorable knitted hat is perfect for any lil punkin. I "fall" in love with it every time I shop on Etsy. Check out AvaLoo's shop for more styles. She has an acorn and candy corn version too!

Out of all the fall home decor I've been looking at online, this pillow cover by Warm-n-Fuzzies beats them all! i absolutely love the water color look of the diamonds. FANTASTIC fall colors, sure to bring an autumn glow wherever you toss it!

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!

And of course what fabulous fall finds report would be complete without a fabulous little owl!?

With awesome prints and big happy eyes this owl pillow would fit in perfectly to any autumn decor (or mine, at least). And what a bargain! ...check it out yourself.

pillow by Fong Studios