Last week I decided to reduce my load by putting my easy shop on a slight break. I deactivate all of my bags and wraps for a short time. You are still able to purchase items I already have complete but for right now I am not taking orders for reusable items.

I was amazed at how freeing this has been. Not only is there the benefit that I don’t have to balance creating bags and wraps during my schedule but the sheer fact of being able to relax when there isn’t anything to do has been amazing. I can actually sit and relax a bit. I even entertained the idea of cracking a book open.

I am sure that once November rolls around I will be bored and not into relaxing anymore and will replace all my reusable items in my shop for orders, but until then I am going to enjoy my break.

Now that school is back in session my kids are taking lunches and snack to school and utilizing their snack bags. With three kids in school and one in preschool that makes for a lot of bags. Most people don’t even realize how many baggies they are wasting a year. In a typical school year there are 180 days, with 3-4 bags used per day for lunches or snacks at school or afterschool activities that is 540 to 720 bags per year. Considering I have 3 kids in school that is 2160 bags saved per year!!

When people tell me they can’t afford reusable snack bags I wonder if they are really doing the math. For my 3 kids who are in school I would need 17 boxes of baggies over the course of the year. With each box costing $5 that makes for $86 for something you throw away each day.

The bags you see in the photo that have tan lining are the first bags I ever made. They are still holding up well 2 years later.

Check out my shop and pick some for yourself!

I am overwhelmed. Like so overwhelmed that I feel like I should take breaks every couple of hours just to cry. I work for hours and get a couple of orders done only to see just as many new ones roll in. Last time in my life I felt this powerless was when I was going through infertility. I don’t like feeling like this but at this point I have to just muster up all my strength and push through.

I am not sure what compelled me to do this. The fact that I don’t need to work or earn one cent is clear and yet I personally feel like I need to be productive. Why can’t I leave well enough alone? What is it in me that makes me unable to just sit back?

I feel so upset at myself for not thinking I would sell all 150 vouchers, each voucher worth at least 4 bags/wraps. Simple calculations tell you that is 600 bags/wraps. Not counting the orders that are 6-8 bags. Plus add in all the regular orders I receive regularly and you have something that was a hobby which now is a serious job!

I am up to my ears in bags, liners, wraps and packing supplies. Part of me wants to work until I pass out so that I can get them done and gone. But the realistic part of me knows that I need to only work on these 5 hours per day at the most. I cannot sacrifice family time to the extent that working until I pass out would require.

For those who missed the sale, I am sorry. I wish everyone could have gotten in on it, for that matter I wish bags/wraps made themselves. I will have a coupon code up in August for back to school purchases. I know everyone will need to stock up then. Until then I will be drowning in orders.

When I created the baggies I intended them to replace the use of plastic bags. I may not be an overly eco-conscious individual but I reuse whenever possible. My bags fit that desire.

However, there seems to be a lot of people who are concerned about PUL. I have had a large number of recent orders requesting rip stop nylon liners instead of PUL. Because of this I have begun making all my snack bags with rip stop nylon. It is water and stain resistant nylon that is not coated in any way. Nylon is food-safe (no PVC, no phthalates, no BPA, no lead).

If you are like me and still like the durability of the PUL liner, make sure to let me know when you order in the notes to seller section. I would be happy to make your bags with the PUL liner.

Head on over to A Stitch of Mine and check things out.

When I was shopping recently I came across these superhero fabrics. I knew I had to have them to create some snack bags. The snack bags are now in the shop sold separately or in the duo!

Head on over to my etsy store and check them all out. I also have a new peace sign bag in stock. Free Shipping on all bag and wrap orders.

If you are still on the fence as to whether to go reusable or not consider the fact that everyday I pack my children’s lunches and snacks using reuasable snack bags. Each child takes 2-3 per day. This is a savings of 1,080 to 1,620 plastic baggies a year!

Madeline wanted a dress. She picked the fabrics and helped sew and press the dress. She even chose the placement of the hearts on the bottom cuff. I probably would not have included those but enjoyed her creative touch.

Annie picked out the fabrics for her skirt and wanted a XOXO design on her t-shirt. She traced the x and o onto fusible web and ironed them onto the fabric. I cut them out and she decided on the placement. I first had them in a row left to right but she wanted them in a diagonal. I love how she placed the hearts in the middle of the x’s.

Kimberly picked out her fabrics and wanted to make a skirt and shirt. She wanted a dove on her shirt and I helped her find an image on the internet. She traced it onto fusible web and we decided to put her white dove on a big red heart. She used our large heart cookie cutter to make the heart. She placed 3 crochet hearts along the neckline.

I bought the crochet hearts from a great etsian. I got lots of flowers too. Can’t wait to work them into my other items.

My Mother came over this weekend and made a shirt for Paul so he wouldn’t be left out. She also made the Girls some scrunchies. The kids looked so cute this morning for the holiday.

It is now listed in my etsy store.

I have also created a facebook page for A Stitch of Mine. Click on this link to “like it” and see what I am up to creatively.

I started with 8 pieces of acrylic felt and some spray on starch.

I sprayed the sheet on one side and ironed it in. Then I flipped the sheet over and sprayed the back. I wanted to make sure the hearts would hold shape once cut. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very warm day and I tend to be impatient when I want to make a craft so I used my hair dryer to dry the sheets of felt fully.

If the sheet wasn’t to my liking I would repeat the process until the sheets were stiff enough for cutting.

I cut two different size heart patterns out of paper and pinned it to the felt.

I cut around each shape with my pinking sheers until all sheets were cut. (I only did up to 3 sheets of felt at once. When I tried 4 the hearts were not perfect shape.)

Once I had all the hearts I got to the fun part. I put one heart under the presser foot at the middle and sewed straight down. Instead of cutting the heart off I continued sewing and put another heart under the presser foot, making a chain.

Once there were 5 or 6 in the chain I removed the heart chain from the machine and started again. I hung some from the chandelier.

Then I tied some to some pink ribbon and hung them up.

They looks so festive. They were so easy to make and fun too.

Supplies Needed:
8 pieces of felt
sewing machine
thread
starch
ribbon

This year I wanted to do something special for the kids. I made papers with their names on them and I plan to attach a new heart each day. The hearts have things I love about them, one thing for each day. I can’t wait for the kids to come home from school to see the decorations and read the hearts.

Check out the new bag designs. Of course you want to receive 15% off those bags, and more. Become a fan on facebook and get a coupon code.

Head over to etsy and get one for yourself.

Aww, Madeline is so sweet. The teacher on the other hand is just funny. I don’t think I am nearly as crafty or nuts as Martha is.

I have always struggled with being a stay at home mom. There are parts of it I adore and parts that make me feel inadequate. I have always enjoyed a sense of purpose and my little etsy store does that for me. I make things. Create beautiful things that I love and adore and spread them around the world. To many this may seem lame but to me it is theraputic.

Bill often reminds me that we don’t need the money and while that is true, the money allows me to purchase things for our family that would otherwise be seen as not necessary. I bought a beautiful 30 X 45 inch canvas of the family picture from Huntington Beach. This picture brings me such joy.

Also the money allows me to purchase decadent fabrics to make my Girls outfits from and to create my quilts. Without any guilt that the money could be better used on something else.

(Sorry the pic of Annie is cropped so much. She was making odd faces in the pictures and wearing her bright blue Daisy Girl Scout socks in the photo.)

The sense of purpose I get from creating things and selling them is so good for my soul. It is my therapy. It keeps me sane.

I will get more pics up of the dresses later. For now I have to run!

She wanted to make it out of three different fabrics. We talked about what she wanted it to look like and started cutting fabrics. Nothing gets your heart pumping like a child using a rotary cutter inches away from your and her hands.

She started sewing the pieces together. I am so thankful for my machine because it allows you to adjust the stitch to a very slow pace. Even if she had the pedal all the way down it was still at a snails pace.

She had to iron her seams and continue piecing the pieces.

Once she was finished she revealed the pillow top.

She decided on a minky for the back of the pillow and we measured, cut and pinned it to the top.

Then she sewed around the edge, making sure to leave an opening to turn and stuff.

Once she turned it she was excited to stuff it.

Paul was watching her sew and was happy when she said he could help stuff the pillow.

I helped her sew the hole closed on the machine. I was planning to have her hand sew it but when Paul was helping her stuff they tore the fabric a little so I needed to help mend it.

She was so proud of herself and her pillow.

It was a nice time teaching her. She was very meticulous and will one day make a great quilter, if she continues to have interest.

As expected moments after her lesson was finished Annie was downstairs wondering if it was her turn. I certainly wasn’t ready yet. Kimberly was a good student but it still has a way of wearing you out when your 6 year old is driving the sewing machine and your fingers are in front of the needle!!! I can only imagine how nerve wracking it will be when they learn to drive, and on that day just like today Annie will be asking just moments after Kimmie! Eeep!

I will take on teaching Annie next week.

Stop by A Stich of Mine and check out the other cute designs.