Monogram Tote Bag

I loved this project the instant I pinned it on Pinterest.  I made some, and then we had family in town, so we stocked up on bags and supplies for 9 people (including 2 middle schoolers who did their own bags and turned out great) and gathered around my craft table and all made these a few weeks ago.

Here are a couple good tutorials - here and here (this one gave me the courage to try colors)

Here's where I found some of the supplies for the adult bag:
Totes - 13.25"x13.25" (single @ Michael's) or a 3-pack at Wal-Mart or Michaels (it's cheaper at Wal-Mart, but if you have a coupon, it's cheaper at Michael's).  JoAnns has some, but I didn't like the shapes/sizes and most all have colors on them.
Doily - 10" - the design I liked was at Michael's.  They have some at JoAnns, but I didn't like the design as much

Then there's fabric paint, freezer paper, a brush and spray adhesive, but those should all be easier to find.  My spray adhesive is permanent and temporary - to make it temporary, you have to spray the doily and let it sit for 3-5 minutes before adhering it to the bag.

I found smaller bags at Michael's (only found one random pack floating around on the wrong shelf and couldn't find a spot for them, so I'm not sure if every store has them).  Anyway, this size is perfect for toddlers.  We were going to the birthday party for a 4 year old and after making the bag with her initial, I used it as the gift bag and wrapped the rest of her present in it.

Insulated Casserole Carrier & Etched Dish

My cousin got married earlier this month, so for her bridal shower, I made a casserole carrier.  I used a contrasting fabric as the lengthwise wrap to add some fun detail.

I also etched the Pyrex dish with her new last name.  That way she'll always know which dish is her's at a potluck.

A few tips -
**I used the tutorial from here, but made the alterations from here (rounded corners and belting instead of straps)
**My Pyrex dish was longer but narrower than the dish used in the tutorial, so if you make one of these, make sure to measure your dish and adjust the dimensions (with seam allowances and overlapping for the velcro).
**frustratingly, the new Pyrex is longer than my Pyrex - they made the handles/lid different, so when I make one for myself, I'll need to start over and measure again :(

I'm happy with how this turned out, but it was so frustrating to make - mostly because I had to figure out my own dimensions.  The first go-round, one of my pieces wasn't long enough to velcro closed - not sure how that happened since I measured and gave extra room, so I had to get out the seam riper and cut out more fabric on one piece.  Glad I started this project a couple weeks early cause it went in my "sewing time-out" for a week (i put it away for a while where I can't see it if I'm really mad/frustrated with it.  Then after a while, I'm refreshed and ready to start over). 

Chore Sticks

I found these cute chore sticks.  You print out the files from her blog, cut and glue them to jumbo craft sticks.  I made these with some friends, so that helps to have people to talk to while cutting, and cutting, and cutting.  I found the clear jar at Wal-Mart in the kitchen area.  Then I just made a label out of vinyl.

I didn't end up wanting/needing all the chores, so I would suggest that you print out the files (I didn't want to cut and glue the blank ones for the back of the sticks, so I didn't print those pages) and mark off to the side which ones you want and count them up.  That will let you know how many craft sticks to buy.  For example, the files have chores for 3 different bathrooms (master, guest, and kids).  I only have 2 bathrooms in my house, so we didn't need the 3rd set. 

My kids are 2 and 4, so they can't do the majority of these.  But to get them excited, I have them each pick a stick or two and either I do it alone, or they help me - depending on the task.  Or I say "it says to clean up your room" when it really said to "wash windows" so that I can have them clean or keep busy...they can't read yet, so I can get away with a little fib for now.   :)  For some reason, they are happy about cleaning their rooms if the chore stick told them to.