Abi on the Map

This is another awesome project that I found on Pinterest.com!!!! I know all of you are probably tired of hearing about it, but it is such a cool website! You have to check it out!

The direct link to the project is here. It's called 'Me on the Map' and involves a bit of craftiness...but not too much. A perfect project for Abi! Here goes:

The finished product

 We live on the planet Earth



On the continent of North America

In the United States of America

In the state of Texas

Our city

 

Our street

 Our home

Abi and I were both very happy with the finished product!!!

Make Your Own Fabric Storage Boards Tutorial

Most of you will probably read this and think..."what took this chick so long to get with the program?" But I'm hoping to inspire those of you that have fabric stashes that look like mine did look!!! I have only been sewing for about 9 years now. I learned by watching my mom sew while growing up. I used to also help her pin  quilts. I got up the courage to actually use a machine when my mom passed down one of her older, very basic models. Thanks mom, I owe my desire to sew to you! Since I first started sewing, I have never really been sure about what I should do with left over and unused fabric (unused because sometimes I'll see a print that I fall in love with, but am not quite sure what I should do with it!) So, they all have been thrown into a big storage bin...where it has been collecting ever since!

Storage bin 1

 storage bin 2

Once upon a time, I did go through these and do my best to sort by color of fabrics. And once upon a time, you could actually stack them neatly in the bottom of my sewing room closet. But those days are long since gone. I decided that the closer I could get to a fabric store fabric bolt and the thriftier I could be would be the best option to go with.  This is what I settled on:

Supplies needed

• Foam Poster board ( 1 board makes 3 large bolts and 3 small bolts)
• A rotary mat
• A rotary cutter (I used a blade that was due to be replaced anyway, and just picked up a new one when I picked up my boards)

One board measures 30in x 20in

So, I cut three 10in pieces (giving you three 10in X 20in pieces)

 Set two of the boards aside, and measure 14 in on the remaining board.

 Cut on the 14in mark. Congratulations, you now have a large and small bolt!!

On the large bolt, I measured a 1in crevice so that I could do this after wrapping my fabric:

Use a rubber band to secure the fabric onto the bolt! 

 On the smaller bolt, I cut a crevice on the 2in mark

Again, to secure the fabric with a rubber band

In case you're wondering, YES, it is a lot of work. Yes, after cutting 9 foam boards, I have barely made a dent in my fabric collection. And Yes, Mark is going to have to build me shelves to store these now. But I think it is going to well worth it in the end!!!!

Putting It Together

It is a difficult task to come up with creative ways to teach. So, for all of you teachers out there. KUDOS to you!!!! Luckily, I have a trusty new website that I frequent called Pinterest.com...you may have heard of it! I have already tried 2 recipes that I have found there. And next week I plan to use at least 5 different homeschooling resources/ideas that I've found. One of the ideas that I will be using is linked to this blog. It is a great way to practice contractions! I couldn't find cupcakes so I went with bees:

I introduced these to Abi by telling her that the words on their wings were too heavy. She needed to match it to the contraction, or the shorter way to write the word. Then the bees could fly easier!

Abi was very excited to play this "game" and got them all correct the first try!

One of the recipes that I tried out (from Pinterest) was nothing short of delightful! Here's the link to the official website. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product and by the time I retrieved my dish from the Friday school break room...you guessed it...none were left! But I made sure to snap a pic of recipe number two. Pumpkin cream cheese whoopies, or better known to me as, a little taste of heaven!! Here's the direct link for that website. Just to give an example of how yummy these things are, I made them TWICE this week!!!

Check back next week to see the other fun things I've collected from Pinterest!!!!!!

Finish Line

I am embarrassed to say that my latest sewing project I actually started at the end of July! I had very little motivation when it came to working on the project because I wasn't really a big fan of the fabric that I had to use for it! I made it for a girl that works with my little sister. Even though the fabric was YUCK! I still managed to complete the whole order last week. FINALLY!

I like the fabrics separately, but I don't think they go well together

Lots of pieces