Back to School {Snack Sacks}

We are in full Back to School mode around here.

Our daughter is heading off to 1st grade!

And now that she is all grown up...

and will be eating lunch at school

all. by. herself.

We had to address the issue of: 

what is she going to eat 

and what will we put it all in?

Now, I know the Snack Sack is not a new idea...

But I put together a little tutorial to show you just how easy

they are to make yourself.

An let's face it, 

your kid is going to look pretty cool 

pulling one of these out of their lunch bag 

when their neighbor has, dare I say it, a ziplock baggie!

Seriously though,

what a genius idea!

Who doesn't need these?

Supply List:

Fat Quarter of fabric

Some type of washable vinyl

Velcro

How to make the tabs:

First cut two pieces of fabric 3" long

I experimented with the width and made one 1", 1.5" & 2" wide

( I think I prefer the 1.5" myself)

Fold in half and iron.

Open up and fold to the center and iron again.

Fold over again and iron.

Cut your vinyl 6.5" square

Cut your fabric 6.5" square

Face the right sides of the fabric together.

Stitch around three sides leaving the top open.

Inside out the vinyl.

Slide the vinyl inside the fabric cover.

Like so.

Insert your tabs upside down and in between the two layers.

Be sure to pin the tabs into place.

Stitch 1/4" from the top all the way around the top of the sack.

Be sure to leave a few inches open.

About this much.

So you can inside out the whole sack.

This is the tricky, hard-to-explain, part.

It works best if you reach in through the hole 

and pull the out side fabric through.

It will look like this.

Stuff the vinyl back inside the sack.

Ta da!

It's like magic.

Stitch all the way around the top of the bag to close up the hole.

This also gives the sack a finished look.

In side out the whole bag.

So that the vinyl is on the outside.

Cut a section of velcro appox 6" wide.

Stitch in a rectangle (through both fabrics).

In other words across the top down the side and back.

Sew the other section of velcro.

Tip: I lined up my velcro with my top stitch.

That way, my Velcro matched up with each other, when I closed the sack.

Here it is inside out and finished.

Last step:

Turn it right side out.

It really is that easy!

You can wipe out the inside of your sack or you can throw it in the wash.

Either way, you have a reusable sack, 

that actually works better than the ziplock you have in your drawer.

Not to mention:

your kid will be the coolest kid in the cafeteria.

Or you will be the coolest mom at your next play date.

No more spilled fish crackers in the bottom of your purse.

Happy Sewing!


Be sure to visit my blog:
Living a Radical Life

I would love for you to follow me!

The Birthday Balloon Wreath

Happy Wednesday everyone! This is Camille from Six Sister's Stuff. Today we are going to be sharing with you how to make a Birthday Balloon Wreath. I originally saw this idea over on How Does She? and I fell in love with it! I knew that I had to make one for myself! It was really easy and pretty inexpensive! And look how cute it is!



Here is what you need to make one:
-Balloons (I used 320 7" balloons- they come in packs of 40 balloons for 97 cents at Wal-Mart)

-Floral Pins (I also got them at Wal-Mart. A pack of 100 is $1.00)

-A straw wreath (I purchased an 18" wreath at Michael's for $4.99. Use a 40% off coupon to get it for super cheap!!). Keep the plastic wrap on it.

Now comes the fun part . . . take a floral pin and slide it over the middle of the balloon. Poke it into the wreath so that it is nice and tight . . . and repeat . . . and repeat . . . and repeat . . .

If you happen to have your sisters in town (like I do!! Yey for sister time!!), put them to work!! :)


Just keep poking those balloons in until the entire wreath is full.

And there you go! Ready to put on the door for the next birthday! I am always looking for ways to make birthdays more special and I think that this will make my kids even more excited for when their birthday rolls around. It is a super fun and super easy birthday tradition.
Have a great day!

Shabby Chic Tutu {It's tu cute!}

Hello! I'm Amy from Living A Radical Life!

I am a wife of 13 years and I am the mother of two, Rori age 6 and Trent age 4.

 In January we began the amazing journey of adoption! 

Our third child, a baby girl, from Ethiopia.

I LOVE to craft, sew and be creative!

I am so excited to be here, as a contributor, to Women Who Do It All!

Today, I am going to share with you:

How to Make a Shabby Chic Tutu

a Shabby Flower & necklace!

Tutu Supplies

1 Bolt of Tulle {Ivory} (I used 25 yards)

Muslin (I had a scrap on hand. It measured 32 x34)

Woven, Non-Roll Elastic (this type of elastic, just works the best)

{Tutu How To}

Cut your tulle into equal lengths.

I cut mine 38” long. (I had 23 pieces)
Cut your elastic

I cut mine to 19” (my daughter is 6)

Sew the elastic together.

You can hand stitch it together or use your machine.
Tear the muslin into 1.5” strips. 
Mine were 34” long. (I had 24 pieces)

Step One:
I tied all of the tulle on first. 

I left the knot’s a little loose. 

That way,  I could adjust the tulle, as I added the muslin.

Step Two:

Step Three:

*TIP* It is helpful to place your finger on the elastic 

and hold it down as you pull on the tulle or fabric. 

This helps keep the elastic flat.

 And there is your knot!

 Next I tied on the muslin. (go in between the tulle pieces) 

I used the same knotting technic that I used with the tulle.

And here is how it should look when you are done!

{Flower How To}

Three graduated strips of fabric (apx 1", 2", 3").

Torn - not cut. So the edges have the "frayed" look.

Gather stitch, either by hand or on your sewing machine, to create a ruffle.

Three graduated (one lg, med & sm) satin pieces cut into a flower shape.

Melt the edges with a tea light to they curl up.

Layer to create the flower and glue each layer together. 

Add a giant button :) Cut a piece of felt into an hour glass shape. 

Place glue on one side and glue the felt in between a tulle and muslin piece.

{Necklace How To}

You will need:

Tulle (1" wide)

Muslin (1/2" wide)

Acrylic Beads (with a large hole)

Thread the tulle and muslin through the eye of a "Chenille" needle.

Thread the needle through the beads and tie a knot in between each bead.

Tie the ends together.

And you're done!

 A Happy little Princess.

Not too Shabby!

So Chic!

I hope you enjoyed today's post!

I'll be contributing twice a month!

See you next time!