How to Organize Children's Bookshelves

This was one of our bookshelves just a couple weeks ago. I had the other one on a different wall, but only took this pic, so picture this times two. That was the amount of books that lived in my 3 boys' room. Both were packed to the brim and we had no sense of organization whatsoever. I can't tell you how many times I had straightened the books up just to have them look like this again within days.

So, I was helping out in one of my son's classrooms and I couldn't help but notice how nice and organized her bookshelves were! She had a bunch of labeled bins and they looked so nice! I went right home and started looking up bookshelf organization ideas. It made so much sense!

The key is to make it easier to keep it clean than to mess it up. It's so nice and easy for kids to pull out a bin, flip through until they find the book they'd like, take it, then push the bin back in it's place. It's much better than looking at the spine of the book (kids like to see the fronts, anyway!), then pulling out a whole slew of them until they've decided on the perfect book, leaving a pile of un-wanted books on the floor. Why hadn't I thought of this before??? I've been a mom for 10 years. I've been battling with organizing my kid's bookshelves nearly evey day of those 10 years! What a waste of time; it kills me to know how much easier it could've been for me!

Let me introduce you to our new, organized shelves. I know you're thinking- Where are all the books? There's no way you fit what was crammed in the picture above (times 2) in these shelves. But it's TRUE! I DID! I only threw away a few books that had totally fallen apart and were missing pages. It's amazing how much extra SPACE we have on the shelves now!

Below is a picture I took AFTER a full day of the kids pulling out and reading books. Hardly a mess- and it only took seconds to put back.

I decided to test this new system out and see how well we could keep it up...and here we are two weeks later with perfectly organized bookshelves still!

 Since I knew it was something we could maintain, I decided to make labels for each category. I was out of my laminating sheets, so I used packing tape.

Here they are after labels-

Looks better with the labels, doesn't it?

I categorized them as-

Chapter Books, Early Reader Books, Rhythm & Rhyme books, Abc books, Bedtime Stories, Religious books, Non-fiction, Scriptures, Holiday books, Animal books, Little Golden books, Disney, Seuss, Muppets, and misc. Some of the labels were placed on the edge of the shelf itself.

 I used these wash basins from the dollar store-

 And shoe boxes-

 I found this bin for the books that didn't fit on the shelves-

 Ah, organization! :)

 I was having so much fun, I decided to put new labels on some of our toy bins.

Double yay for a system that finally works for us! I'm so happy, I could just...I don't know...go organize something else!

Now, I'm off to the girl's bookshelves!

Easter Wreath

I've been wanting a new Easter Wreath. Especially after seeing the cutest idea from Pinterest. I had a spare morning today, so I decided to make a new Easter wreath. I was inspired by my daughter's birthday party color scheme from the weekend. I loved her colors so much, I decided I definitely wanted them on my door. ;)
Tutorial-

Step 1

 I gathered old plastic eggs from last year

and ribbon that fit the colors I was going for.

Then I made a wreath using a pool noodle

(Got the idea HERE- it's so smart.)

Step 2

 I grabbed some flannel and tore it into 3" strips.

Starting at an angle, I hot-glued the end and

wrapped it around. I ended up using 4 pieces.

No bigs--you can't tell when you're done.

 Step 3

 Next, I wrapped it with thin ribbon on a diagonal one

way, then did it again the opposite way making sure

they cross on the front. Then I glued ribbon on the eggs. 

Step 4- THE BOW

 Make a loop- pinching between your thumb and pointer finger.

Make another loop toward you, pinching in the center (or base)

of the bow. Add another, making the bow evenly balanced.

*THE SECRET TO A NICE BOW IS KEEPING YOUR

THUMB FIRMLY AT THE BASE THE ENTIRE TIME.*

While keeping your thumb in place, the under-side will be held

alternately by your pointer and middle finger (the strongest fingers).

As you accept a new loop, use the finger you didn't use in the last

and trade off for every other loop. Keep practicing...you'll get it.

Step 5

 Make as many loops as you'd like. I made these ones bigger than

I usually do. If you'd like tails, take the end and coil it onto itself.

I looped it twice here so I could have 4 tails. Secure with wire.

Pipe cleaners or string work, too. Fluff/arrange the loops of bow.

Step 6-ADDING TO THE BOW

 I sometimes like to add loops to my bows using different ribbon.

Make bunny ears, securing in the center with wire, then fold up.

Lift original bow's loops and add new loops to the base w/ wire.

Repeat as many times as you'd like. I added 4 "bunny ear" sets.

Step 7

 Decide where you want the bow, add a dab of glue, and place it.

Wrap around the back with wire. Trim tails and fluff your bow.

I know it looks like a WAY HUGE bow, but it trust me-

It needs to be so we have room to nestle all the cute eggs.

Step 8

 Now you're ready to add the eggs. Really, just glue and place.

If you're placing them on the sides of the bow, it's best to make

sure the egg's secured to the wreath itself, too. Otherwise, just

spread loops apart, and glue close to base. This is the fun part.

 Here it is finished. Look how different the colors look inside my
house as opposed to outside on my door. I prefer the sun-
kissed version--looks more "Easter-y"! I so love these colors!

Have fun with it! If you decide to make this wreath,

send me a link to your blog and show me!

I'd love to see your variation!

I'm linking up to-

Topsy Turvy Tuesday at I'm Topsy Turvy

Get Your Craft On at TCB
Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee
Sew Cute Tuesday at Creative Itch
Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife
Tuesday Tutorials at The Kurtz Corner
Turning the Daunting into Do-Able at The Project Queen

Repurpose baby blankets



I made myself a blankie. Yep, this one's mine. All my kids have their own "snuggle" blankies. I thought it was about time I made one for me! 

It's extra special to me because I made it out of my youngest daughter's crib bedding. I didn't feel the need to keep all that bulky bedding around, but it was still sentimental to me. So I reluctantly cut it allllll up.

I couldn't find a picture of her bedding, so I found this one, which is pretty close.

I got this image from-
http://www.distinctivenurseries.com/Lola-by-Maddie-Boo--4-Piece-Crib-Collection_p_3357.html



 I actually bought her set at Target about 4 years ago. Does anyone remember the cute Lola dots and stripes collection? Loved it.

Still do. :)

I cut it into 10" squares, arranged and sewed them together, backed it with pink Soft & Comfy Bubble Velour (A.K.A. Minky), and tied it with white string. I didn't even use batting. It really didn't need it (I live in a very warm climate, though. If you DO want to add batting for warmth, I suggest Warm & White Cotton).

NOW, you should go & dig up those old blankets and get workin'! :)

Cute, matchy wash cloths/burp rags

 I made these cuties to go with THIS, THIS, and THIS as a baby gift.

They are so EASY and only cost about 30 cents a piece to make!

These are perfect to keep in the pocket of your reversible car seat COVER-IT-ALL.

EASY Bib/Painting smock with pocket

Tada!

 *If you'd like to applique stars on the front, follow THIS tutorial before continuing on (I didn't really applique stars on this bib. I just added them with this editing program to show you what it could look like if you did. I'm a HUGE applique' fan! I just didn't take the time to do it on this bib).

You can buy packages of plain bibs for a bargain.

Start with one and choose a coordinating fabric for pocket.

TO MAKE POCKET, follow step 5 in THIS tutorial.

Not too bad, right? You can also use these as children's painting smocks.

They can keep brushes or other art supplies in their pockets.

5-minute STAR ONESIE applique'

SO EASY!

I bought this plain onesie at the dollar store.

By adding this quick and easy little applique', it's much cuter for VERY LITTLE COST!

Plus, it matches the rest of my baby gift since I used my other project's scraps.

Here's the tutorial- Click on pictures to enlarge.

 You can use this technique for MANY different uses!
I made these below for my kid's Christmas pajamas.

 I made a whoooole bunch of pajama pants (using my Black Friday flannel purchase).

Then I bought a shirt to match each pair (from the dollar store! A BUCK, people! Awesome!)

 Next, I used the above applique' technique,

 Only, I did a straight stitch around the shapes. If you don't atleast do that, they eventually come off in the wash. Though I believe a tight zig-zag (AKA applique' stitch) LOOKS better, a simple straight stitch holds up just fine. Can you imagine how much time this would've taken me to do a tight zig-zag around ALL SEVENTEEN PAIRS?

 They turned out great!

On this one, I appliqued the bottom flower, then I stacked smaller ones on top and attached in the center. A button would've been a perfect finishing touch, except my little girl has a tendency to bite them and tugs until they pop off. No more buttons for her.



Aren't they fun, though? All it takes it trying applique' once, and you'll be looking for all kinds of things to embellish! I absolutely LOVE it!

The Reversible CAR SEAT COVER-IT-ALL

This is a REVERSIBLE Nursing cover, a REVERSIBLE Car seat canopy w/ 2 pockets, and a Toy hanger!

For short, I'm just callin' it the reversible COVER-IT-ALL.

Well, it has so many functions; it pretty much covers it all!

Even the the tabs on the underside of your cover have a function, too!

They can be used to hang rattles & fun things for your baby to look at and play with!

Okay, let's face it. When you have a new baby, life changes (for the better, I MUST add). It takes some time to adjust to the lack of sleep and the constant juggle of things life throws at you. Sometimes it makes us kinda loopy (okay, well maybe that's just me)... and WE NEED OUTINGS. And when it comes to getting ready to head out, 

the less mom has to remember, the better. Right?

By keeping this COVER-IT-ALL attached to your car seat at all times (with the nursing cover strap, the pacifier and the burp cloths tucked in it's outer pocket. Plus, diapers, wipes, and whatever else in the inner pocket, AND toys hanging from the inner tabs), all you have to remember is the baby! Haha!

Hey, it makes mom life a little easier! Want to make one, too?

Let me show you! I've broken it into 8 BASIC STEPS.

Okay, I decided to break it down even further to make it easier to understand.

There are steps within each step; hopefully it all makes sense! Click on the images to enlarge (FYI).

Step 1- *TOP*

Let's start with piecing the green top.

For the reverse side, you could repeat above steps,

use a SOLID back, or just piece it however you'd like...

as long as it ends up 35" x 42"

Step 2- *TABS*

 Now let's make the tabs

 Step 3- *VELCRO*

Let's add the Velcro.

 Step 4- *ATTACH*

Position and attach tabs.

Step 5- *POCKETS*

Now for the pockets

 Step 6- *COVER'S EDGES*

Line up top and bottom of cover, trim, and pin.

Clip, iron, pin.

 Step 7- *FINAL TOUCHES*

Sew around edges, and secure cover's center.

 Step 8- *NURSING COVER STRAP*

This is one of the easiest, most beneficial additions!

You can keep it just inside one of the pockets, too!

 These Suspender/Mitten Clips are what make this work!

You can buy them at most fabric stores!

*YOU'RE DONE!!!

 

Enjoy! I also made THIS, THIS, and THIS to be gifted as a set.

I'm linkin' up HERE, HERE, and HERE