Muffin Tin Monday 2

Well just in case I end up with a few Muffin tin Monday posts. I thought I better start numbering them. So this is officially post #2. But I had done the muffin tin makeover flop, and the fun and funky lunches posts before. The first official post ended up being featured on Muffin Tin Mom! So tonight when I made a muffin tin meal and thought of a new way to serve fruit, I had to share again!

Oh, and I know today is Thursday, not Monday.

So here is my meal, turkey roll up gold fish, carrots, string cheese coins, and fruit in a cone!

Yep fruit in a cone! They will think it is dessert!

But much healthier.

AND... it stands up so nicely in it's little spot!

Linking up a little late, but it was too cool not to share asap.

Well... I think it is a new idea, maybe not.

New to me anyway and probably new to some of you too!

Flip Flop Snap Straps

Spotted this idea on Pinterest and had to try it out and show you!

Of course I dove into it without reading the tutorial which I don't recommend. The tutorial had good ideas on how to make it easier than I ended up doing. One again I tried to do it MY WAY and that is not always the best.

So FIRST head to Make it and Love it and check out Ashley's pics and tutorial.

She really did an awesome job. She even adds bows!

My problem. Flip flops. My daughter couldn't walk in them. I was not sure if it was the fact they didn't have a back strap or that she was bothered by the strap between her toes. (I couldn't stand that when I was little.)

So here I was with some elastic and some fabric, and some snaps from my grandma's sewing stash. I just had to try it out.

So here are the flip flops and the fabric I chose.

The flip flops were clearance at a craft store for 50 cents last summer.

So I went to work, sewed some tubes, turned them put in some elastic, and had my first ever go at attaching snaps.

Here they are finished.

  But I only made one strap!

Why?

Well it turns out it was the front of the flip flop between her toes that bothered her, and these flip flops also had sharp edges on the top that dug into her foot too.

BUT!!!

I still totally think it is an awesome idea for the little flip flop wearing kiddos in your life.

Plus I don't consider it a flop because....

 I learned how to, and was successful at, attaching snaps! 

 I have a bunch from my grandmas sewing stuff she handed down to me.

So that in itself made this a perfect project for me today and I had to share the awesome idea with you.

Two other things I realized.
1. These flip flops are still at least one size too big for her.
2. I need to treat her to a pedi tonight. :)

Hanging Craft Tool Storage Frame

Grandma Bauer let me have a large white plastic frame. I knew I would find something to do with it.

I also got this aqua colored vinyl from my Grandma Gillis. I took both and tossed them in the garage. When I decided to go with a aqua and white theme for my craft room I knew I could find something to do with the vinyl. I also knew I wanted the white frame up there somehow.

While I originally thought I would want some peg board on one wall to hold up tools I wanted out of my kids reach, I started thinking I wouldn't end up using it for long or loosing interest in hanging things back up. Then I would be stuck with pegboard screwed into the wall.

So far for my craft room redecorating project, I have not bought a thing. I just keep thinking outside the box and finding things to re purpose or upcycle. So I started to think outside the box.

This is what I came up with.

I took the chicken wire out of the garage and cut it to the size of the frame. I also cut the vinyl to the same size as the frame. Then I assembled them so that the frame would hold them both. Then I used the drapery hooks I found in with some of the sewing supplies Grandma Gillis gave me, they made perfect hooks to hang my tools on the chicken wire.

Two other frames from grandmas to fill. These I plan on doing some sewing room stencil prints. I will show you when I am done with those, but that is a project for another day.

Moving right along!

Upcycling my way to a new craft/sewing room.

Linking up here:

What to do with 331 Spools of Thread ?!!

Actually it is more than 331 spools of thread because I just got a phone call saying my mother found MORE! Where? In my grandmother's apartment that she moved out of..

I sorted through 331 spools yesterday.. This is what it looked like in process.

My 6 year old daughter helped to sort them by color and I watched as she counted all 331. See the blue boxes?

Yep you guessed it, she had bought some by the box! They were all brand new spools in the boxes.

There is no way I will use this much thread in one lifetime! So I split the new stuff up into Ziplocs and I am sending all the new stuff home with various family members who I know have machines.

This was ALL new in-box!

But not all of it was. Some spools were very old. We are talking wooden spools of thread old. The thread is not good for machine sewing when that old. Breaks too easily, and jams up machines, so... I had to think of a way to use those up. Lucky for me someone already had an idea. A spool wreath that they sold it on etsy. So I just copied her version and made one of my own for the craft room.

Love it? I do!

Here is where it is for now on the sewing/craft room wall.

And the bird picture?

Made by my grandma! MEG there by the leaf, Mildred Ethel Gillis.

Just knew it would go great in my craft and sewing area as well.

I love knowing that she did all those stitches herself with her own two hands.

But back to the thread... What next? Well I was not left completely empty handed to deal with the thread. I ended up with 3 organizers total from both grandmas.

So first step, make sure I have some of each color.

This clear holder only fit small spools but I love the fact you can see all the colors through the box!

This one has extra storage for pins, and scissors, and whatever else you want in the bottom tray. It rotates like a Lazy Susan. But I might pass this one on to John's cousin if she wants it because it came from her grandma's house.

I really don't NEED it too much because I have this one.

It is a Rubbermaid one. When did Rubbermaid stop making things this cool. It folds up and has compartments for buttons and such that snap closed.

  I really like it and it fits nicely on my shelf.

Still working on revamping my whole craft room, you are getting sneak peeks, more coming soon. I am glad I decided to start to tackle the craft/sewing room project right before the stuff from the grandmas started to pour in my direction. Without that pre-organization, I would be WAY overwhelmed right now.

But I still have a TON of thread leftover.. Where do I store that?

Well I had these just laying in the closet.

Genius??!! I think so!

That works on this wall nicely.

See the curtains?

They were once pillow cases from Grandma Bauer's, I just cut them up the sides and slid them on the curtain rod. I just love them and they match some of the other things that I will show you in another post.

The framed pictures were pictures my husband did in art class when he was in elementary school. I trimmed them down and framed them a few years back for our toy room and kept them there now that our toy room is my shared sewing space too.

I STILL HAVE MORE THREAD in a box I don't know what I am going to do with yet. Some not great for sewing because of it's age. Add that to the stuff my mom said she found today in the apartment.

You are more than welcome to send ideas my way for what to do with all the spools of thread.

HELP!!!

Linking up here:

This Basket Rules! Yard Stick Basket

Another Grandmas Treasures Post Today!

Where I take old things from Grandmas house since we have two Grandmas who are moving, and upcycle them into something new.

Today's object!

Yard Sticks!

We brought home 3 or 4 of these from Grandma Bauer's Garage.

I am so excited about this one. I am in the middle of reorganizing my craft/sewing room many many projects to show you on that soon.

I wanted interesting storage for things. I love upcycled things, I love objects that mean something or have history and that work for organization. I want my craft and sewing supplies to be visible and accessible in my craft room.

I spotted this project on Pinterest and fell in love and knew I wanted my son to help out.

So we cut the yard sticks, and used some wood from the scrap pile in the basement. Pre-drilled some holes to make hammering easier and my 4 year old helped make me this.

This awesome storage basket.
Look at how proud he is.

We put the date on the bottom with a little note that he and mommy made it. What is even cooler is the on the back of one of the yard sticks on the inside of the basket, one that happened to be broken before this project, is the name of my husband's grandfather who passed away many years ago. We are keeping a part of him and hopefully it might last to pass on once more.

What will I use it for??

Well to be honest I just went with the wood that was downstairs so I only made two cuts to one board, and then went upstairs to search for something interesting to keep in it I didn't have anything in mind before hand.

 I was so excited to discover that the shoebox of bias tape and rickrack I just brought home from the other Grandma's house fit perfectly in two little rows, and I can see the fun colors from the side and easily get out what I am looking for.

I am just in love with this project for so many reasons right now.

I can think of both grandmas when I see this basket, and a grandpa I never met, and my little pumpkin who used his own two hands to hammer in the crooked little nails.

It really is a work of art, and a work of heart.

A true Grandma's Treasure.

I also put this under a back to school label because I think it would make a great teacher gift. Use 6, 12 in rulers insetad and she could easily use it to store the student's folders in.
I might just have to make another one like that soon! :)

If you LOVE this project please leave a comment saying so.

I love hearing what you think and I read them all!

Linking up here: