TuTu Cute

I love tutus. They are tutu cute!! The problem is that they are sooooo expensive. I mean just for some tulle and elastic they are anywhere from $25-$60!!

So while I was on my weekly trip to my least favorite place...WalMart (see my post I Hate Wal-Mart) and trying to prolong my trip so that I could have at least 30 minutes to myself even if it was at Wal-Mart, I decided that I could make my girls one. And if I do say so myself, it turned out TUTU cute!!

Plus I can use it on Friday nights for our high school football team or for Saturday afternoon to yell ROLL TIDE ROLL or to celebrate the cheering on our first division 1 recruit who is currently starting at South Carolina!!! Do it T.J. Gurley!



You need:
1. 3/4 elastic 1 yd (you will only use 1/2 of it)=$1.50
2. 3 rolls of tulle (whatever color you would like)=$4.50 each


First, measure the elastic to the length of her waste. You can even cut it a little shorter because it will stretch as you add the tulle.

Cut the ribbon twice the length you want it because you will fold it in half. 

Here is a short video on how to loop the ribbon. Excuse the videography skills...my 8 year old took the helm. Also, I can't figure out how to turn right side up! But you will still see how easy this is!

I attached the elastic together at first but it made it twisted the and turned and made it difficult to do, so I finally just cut it apart. I tied it together after I was about 3/4 of the way around. 

I continued the tulle all the way around until it covered up the knot. Make sure that before you tie it you squish the the toile together otherwise the elastic will show through once she stretches it to put it on. 

I hope you found this helpful and are on the way to making your own tutu!

Under Sink Organizing

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on wanting to get organized. Well, I have finally started. It was a small project, but it made a world of difference.

This is what the cabinet under my sink looked like. This picture does not even do justice to how absolutely disgusting it was. I mean, I am a mom of three little girls and a full time teacher. There are many other things that require my time other than the cabinet under my kitchen sink.

I decided the best way to organize it was to group like things together. So I pulled everything out of the cabinet and grouped them into categories: cleaning, dishes, and pesticides. I could have made more categories but I honestly didn't have any more containers. 

To make the containers, I used a diaper box, a trash bag box, an old bucket, and a shoe box. Then I made my on Mod Podge with 50/50 Elmer's Glue and water. I used it to add a new and much more attractive look to the boxes using wrapping paper. I made labels and then I sprayed it with an acrylic clear coat to protect it. 

Check out how much better it looks:

The cost of this project? $1.00 for the bottle of glue. That's it! I have a feeling this is just the beginning of my Mod Podge projects! 

First Pinterest Project

Finally getting around to truly enjoying the benefits of Pinterest. In the last week, I have cooked 2 delicious recipes and created my first craft. My craft was a menu board for my family. I usually have a sheet of paper that I create it on, but this was so much more attractive and kid friendly.

Here is the inspiration:

At the time I started the project, I didn't really realize that I was starting it. THE Wal-Mart had bulletin boards on sale for, like, $5 and I suddenly remembered the menu board.

I cruised through the fabric isle and picked some corresponding fabric. Then I got some iron on letters. I covered the wood part of the board with the corresponding fabric using hot glue. Next I attached the main fabric using a staple gun. I ran ribbon around the edge to cover the staples. I covered index cards with fabric to create the pockets and then ironed on the letters. Finally I attached the index cards using hot glue. I used a peel and stick hook on the side of our cabinets and some ribbon to hang it up.

The girls and I had a great time writing down our favorite recipes, and I had a great time writing down some of the Pinterest recipes that I have been dying to try.

So without further ado, here is the finished product!

Cute Valentine's

I know this is a little late, but I just wanted to share some cute Valentine's that came through my classroom this year. You could definitely tell the moms who have recently became obsessed with Pinterest. They didn't pass out the regular old Valentines from Wal-Mart!

I loved this one which used chewy hearts and pretzels:

This next one definitely took some planning. I don't think I could think this far in advance, or if I did I don't think I would remember it when the time came around for Valentine's Day!

Even I got creative with my own munchkins' Valentines this year. 

For my 4 year old, I bought 4 packs of bubbles and attached notes to them saying "You 'Blow' me away!". For my 10 month old, I had left over Play Dough from a party and I attached notes to them saying "I love to 'play' with you"! Parents loved them because it was one last piece of paper to "file away" (a.k.a. throw away) and they gave the kids something to do when they got home.






My 7 year old wouldn't let me do something Pinteresty for her and opted for the boring Wal-Mart cards. Of course, once she saw how cool these turned out she wanted to change her mind. Alas, it was too late. Just another example of how her mother will always be right! It would serve her well to learn this lesson now!