Wordless Wednesday - Whoopie Cushion

Santa brought a whoopie cushion.....

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A Belated Mele Kalikimaka!

Mele Kalikimaka = Merry Christmas!

Gotta love the palm tree next to the Christmas tree!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! This year we were truly blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas as a family. The last couple of years my husband was not with us due to deployments or us moving which made this year that much more special. Now if only my father and sister lived closer!

As I'm sure most of you experienced the week before Christmas was HECTIC! It was GO-GO and MORE GO for days! And just when I thought all the shopping was done my dear husband asks for me to pick up just a few more gifts for some of his office workers. Yeah. Like it's that easy...especially with two kids in tow! But we survived (barely). Now I am enjoying the quiet aftermath of all the craziness!

With all the errands we had to run I didn't have much crafting time but I did manage to make some reindeer dust/food for Kailani's classmates. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about:

Here's the recipe that I used:

1 cup of uncooked oatmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup colored sugar

I had read somewhere to use the colored sugar instead of glitter - as glitter can be harmful to animals (personally - I think the glitter would've looked much better (and been much cheaper!)

I then attached a tag to the bag that said:

"Magic Reindeer Dust"

Sprinkle on the lawn at night

The moon will make it sparkle bright

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam

This will guide them to your home.

Kailani was super excited to take it to school. Some of her classmates asked, "Is this for real?" Kailani had no doubt that it was. Ahhh...the sweet, sweet innocence.

I also managed to whip up a drawstring bag for one of Kailani's friend's. I knew I had seen some Littlest Pet Shop fabric SOMEWHERE but of course when I was ready to buy some I couldn't find it anywhere! Of all places I found it at Walmart (our Walmart still carries fabric). Inside the bag were a couple of Littlest Pet Shop figures. The bag will be a great place to store them!

Currently I am working on a bag for Momo - a drawstring backpack with her all-time favorite character appliqued onto it. Can you guess who that character might be?

Hope your Christmas was merry!

Camera Strap & Doll Diapers

Four days! Four more days till Christmas! That is EXACTLY why I haven't been on here as much. Holiday rush has been in full swing here - but that doesn't just mean shopping. That means some sewing as well.

I made my sister a Hawaiian print patchwork camera strap. Haven't made one since about this time last year. I did learn something new - not all straps are made the same. I bought some straps off of EBay awhile back only to find that the connector pieces were made out of.....what? I'm not even sure but it tore while I was unstitching it. Not good!


I also made some baby doll diapers for Momo and her friend. I found a great tutorial with a downloadable pattern at Skip to My Lou. SUPER easy and takes very little fabric. A quarter yard of fabric makes at least two diapers! I also took the advice from someone who commented on the page and put an entire strip of velcro across the front of the diaper instead of small squares. That makes the diaper adjustable to fit different sized dolls.

Here's a picture of Momo's stash - I've included a front view, back view and open view with the velcro stitched all the way across:

Here is Momo's much loved PomPom modeling one:

Super fast and easy project!

I still have more sewing to get done before Christmas! Will post more pics soon!

Wordless Wednesday: Dear Tooth Fairy....

Enclosed in the envelope is her tooth.

Total count since September: FIVE teeth!

For more Wordless Wednesday click here.

Roll-Up Car Mat

Lake - House - Gas Station - Car Wash

I did it! I finally did it!

You may remember the take-along race track mat/carrier that I made awhile ago. Well, I wasn't too happy with it and really wanted to make the one that was featured on the Fiskars' website. Well, I finally finished it this morning. I am super stoked with the way it turned out - hopefully my sweet little nephew will like it as well!

Here it is all rolled up:

I have to admit - I did shed some tears with this one but it was my own fault. The last thing I had to do was iron out some wrinkles when my iron BURNED through the fabric! I was MORTIFIED. What to do? What to do? I could've left it and just said it was a pot hole. :) Thank my lucky stars I managed to find the perfect iron-on to cover it up! There are still a few little black sticky marks on the fabric that I wasn't able to get out but I'll live with it (it's hard, but I'll manage!) We can just pretend that it's dirt or asphalt. :)

Burn = TOTAL FREAK OUT!

Ahhh....that'll do.

By the way, my girlfriend Amanda made the "original" take along car carrier mat and was successful. I've seen it in person and it looks great! Take a look at hers here.

19 Days Till Christmas! Are You Ready?

Nineteen days. NINETEEN. I am so not ready. Usually by this time I've taken a Christmas photo, printed, addressed and mailed by now. But not this year. Nada! Nothing! I gotta get on it...or just the opposite - not send cards out this year? Bah-humbug!

As you can see it's been about two weeks since I last posted. So much has been going on. I wanted to blog about a lot of it to get some feedback/support but didn't want to bombard the Internet highway with my neurosis. Here's a little recap:

STRESS #1: Taking the girls to the dentist. Enough said? Thing is Momo (2) did FANTASTIC while Kailani (7) had a major freak out.

STRESS #2: I am seriously considering applying for a geographic exception for Kailani to attend a different school next year. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE her teacher and have nothing but good things to say about her. However, there are other things that are going on at the school that I am not so happy about. It's a long story....

STRESS #3: Could be related but l think aliens have abducted my daughter and left me with a mean look-a-like. The clone often makes an appearance when it's homework time and truly tests my patience. I definitely need a light saber or something to zap the evil curse...

STRESS #4: Again, probably related but I caught the look-a-like clone saying some MEAN THINGS to a classmate! MY DAUGHTER? My sweet, sweet, Kailani? Oh no, no, no, no. My daughter is NOT going to be a "mean girl". Where is that light saber? Zapping that one in the bud IMMEDIATELY!

STRESS #5: HOLIDAY SHOPPING with a two year old in tow.

STRESS #6: A HALF GALLON of milk spilled in the back of my van. It STILL smells like vomit.

*Sigh*

But on a good note I have actually been doing some sewing! YEAH!!!

First of all I have to thank my father for helping to make it all happen! He mailed me THREE LARGE boxes of my sewing stuff. Not large as is the largest box you can buy at the post office but large boxes as in MOVING boxes! Almost 150 pounds of sewing supplies and fabric that I had at stored his house. YEAH BABY YEAH! Thanks dad!

So what have I been sewing? I'm embarassed to say that I finally made the keyboard covers for Kailani's classroom. I had already made the monitor covers and quite frankly forgot about the keyboard covers until her teacher kindly reminded me. (Whoops!) The covers are made like a pillowcase pocket so you can easily slide it over the monitor and place the keyboard into it. Not the best picture but at least you have an idea:

I've also decided to ATTEMPT to make a quilt! I've always wanted to but never knew where to start (and fully admit that I do not have the initiative to learn on my own.) About three weeks ago I finally met (live and in person) Amanda from Patchwork in Paradise blog. She is a talented quilter that I have gotten to know via the Honolulu Mommies website while still living on the east coast. She was also a contributor to my Barium Springs project and donated three handmade blankets! It was so great to finally meet her. She kindly offered to help get me started on my first quilt. Here are some of my pieces all laid out on her bed:

Asyou can see I'm going for the girly-Aloha-print look. I think the fabric I picked will help achieve that look. (By the way - can you see the blue batik under my pieces? That's a quilt that Amanda made. It is unbelievably G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! )

So there. It's out there. I am going to make a quilt. Granted it may be my first and last, only time will tell. Meanwhile it has to be put on hold as I finish up some sewing for Christmas projects. Again, NINETEEN DAYS. I'm hoping to finish up two projects today - I hesistate to post them because I'm afraid that the recipient of these gifts might actually look at my blog before Christmas. Oh who am I kidding - I don't believe she has any interest in my blog! We'll see. Let me just get them done first!

Are you making anything for Christmas presents this year? Do tell!

Postcard Exchange Update!

WOW! We are almost half way there! As of today we have a total of 37 postcards from 24 of the 50 states including Washintgon D.C.! (The numbers don't quite add up because we have received multiple postcards from some states.)

Thank you to all of you that have participated! If you have sent any postcards in the last two weeks please forgive me as we have gotten a little bit behind in responding. (Minnesota and Alaska - yours are on their way! Thanks for your patience!)

Right now we are still seeking postcards from:

1. Arizona
2. Arkansas
3. Colorado
4. Connecticut
5. Delaware
6. Indiana
7. Iowa
8. Kentucky
9. Maine
10. Maryland
11. Massachussetts
12. Michigan
13. Mississippi
14. Montana
15. Nebraska
16. Nevada
17. New Mexico
18. New York
19. North Carolina
20. North Dakota
21. Ohio
22. Oklahoma
23. Oregon
24. South Carolina
25. South Dakota
26. Utah

Can you help us out? Or know of someone in one of these states that can? Please send them our way! :)

For your viewing pleasure I have created a Photobucket slideshow of the postcards we have received. It is also on my sidebar. Can you find yours in there?

Wordless Wednesday - While Big Sister is Cheering.....

Little sister is doing this:

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Hair Bling! Hair Tinsel! Hair Flair!

Been a bit busy....thanks for checking in if you're here! :)

This past weekend Kailani's school hosted a craft fair and keiki (kid) swap meet. Being right around the corner from us and wanting to show some support for her school we popped in (of course it had NOTHING to do with the fact that I like crafts....ahem....) Right at the entrance into the cafeteria was a table advertising "hair bling". Ever heard of it?

It goes by other names as well - hair flair, hair tinsel, etc. It's basically tying a thin piece of tinsel onto the root of some hairs. It gives the illusion of sparkly highlights. Much like the tinsel you put on your Christmas tree it comes in different colors and is said to last for several weeks (unless you pull them out). You can wash it, blow dry it, even flat iron or curl it!

They were charging three strands for $5.00. Is that a good price? I had no idea but then I overheard someone saying that most salons charge about $5.00 per strand. Kailani REALLY wanted to get it done. Oh why not.

Kailani got in line and picked her colors. Momo did the same. While I had no intention of paying to get my two year old's hair done the nice lady in front of us (who waiting for her daughter's hair bling to get done) told the ladies to keep her change and use it to put some bling in the baby's hair - meaning Momo! How nice was that?

Even more niceness to follow. The ladies actually put extra bling in Kailani's hair at no extra cost. It probably took about 15 minutes for each of the girls. The bling turned out super cute! Check it out:

Have you seen hair bling where you are? I'm really curious! Let me know!

Wordless Wednesday - BFFs Under the Moon

In their costumes...under the full moon.....sharing a snack.

For more Wordless Wednesday click here.

Goodbye to Mama's Empty Pockets....

Just a quick note to thank everyone for checking out, following and supporting "Mama's Empty Pockets" - a blog that my girlfriend Stephanie and I created awhile back. Unfortunately life for the both of us has become a little crazy and we're not able to spend as much time on the blog as we both would like. With that we have decided to discontinue the blog altogether. Thank you to everyone that had a part in it - no matter how large or small.

A note to Stephanie: Thank you for all of your hard work. I can't take any credit for the blog (minus part of the name and idea! lol) I appreciate all the time and creativity you put into it! :)

Halloween Past - Present

Happy Halloween!

In a few shorts hours the girls will begin their trek of going door-to-door for candy. I can't wait! *to pick out all their Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and freeze them for myself!*

While reading over some of my favorite blogs I came across a post by Katie as well as Mama King of Halloween past and present. It inspired me to do the same. Thanks ladies for such a great idea! I enjoyed the trip down memory lane!

2001 - Hawaii (1)

Pebbles. I cut up a dress and made it into a costume. I used the scraps to wrap around her flip flops and put a small raw hide bone in her hair.

2004 - Hawaii (2)

2005 - Hawaii (3)

Another fairy - with Mardi Gras accessories. :)

2006 - Maryland (4)

Tiger jumpsuit (at least one of us can wear it and look good it in!) Was fun to be able to trick-or-treat in cooler weather.

2007 - Virginia (5, 8 mo.)

Dragons

2008 - Virginia (6, 1)

Snow fairies. I made the skirts using a pattern from You Can Make This (filled tutus). Notice Momo's hair? While I can laugh about it now I still get a stinging pain when I see pictures. Here's the story in case you missed it!

2009 - Hawaii (7,2)

Cleopatra and Ariel. Would have loved to have hand made their costumes this year but it just wasn't happening. Kailani fell in love with the Cleopatra costume as soon as she saw it. I had planned on Momo being a bee but when I saw the Ariel costume for 1/4th the price Ariel won. That's okay. Ariel is Momo's favorite princess!

Have a fun night! :)

All Children's Furniture.com Giveaway Winner.....

Using Random.org the winner of the Melissa & Doug plush dragon is (drum roll please.....)

#13 Gretchen

Congratulations Gretchen! I will be sending you an email with instructions on how to claim your prize. Please be sure to check your spam box just in case it ends up there!

Thanks to all that entered! Everyone (okay, minus one who spammed me) followed the instructions exactly as stated which made it an easy giveaway to host. Thanks for checking out our host's website, choosing to become a new follower (blog or Twitter), and/or Tweeted or blogged about the giveaway! Thank you for taking the time! :)

And thanks again to All Children's Furniture.com and CSN Stores for allowing me to host this giveaway!

Spider Lollipops

Need a last minute idea for your kid's class or Halloween party? Check these out. It took me about an hour to make 30 of them - and that includes having to stop every other minute due to a two year old and 7 year old wanting to play with them! All you need are Tootsie Pops (or any other lollipops), googly eyes, black pipe cleaners and some glue!

You probably don't need instructions on how to make it but just in case you do you can find them on the Family Fun website here. Need more than written instructions? They even have a video demonstration!

Happy early Halloween!

Reversible Little Helper Apron

It's been awhile since I've been able to post about a project I've completed. Wait. It's actually been awhile since I've posted PERIOD! Where has the time gone?

Anyways! Yesterday I made a reversible apron for one of Momo's best friend's who recently turned three. I know that she loves to help her mom with chores with laundry being one of them. Using the reversible crayon apron pattern from You Can Make This I made the apron but instead of inserting crayons into the pockets I put in clothes pins. Had I more time I would've decorated the pins like this.

The pattern was very easy to follow - so all you beginner sewers out there don't be afraid to give it a try! The hardest part I had with it was choosing my fabric! :)

Taking a great risk of Momo claiming the apron to be hers I had her model it for me so I could take some pictures:

Here it is in reverse:

I love how it all turned out!

Breath of Fresh Air Award!

Forgive me as it is taking me a long time to catch up with my posts. It was bad enough before I had my surgery and now it's even worse after the fact! Speaking of which, thanks to those of you that have inquired about how I've been feeling. I'm actually doing pretty good but am not quite back to par yet!

Without further ado I want to thank Neva from Mostly Flummoxed for crowning me with the "Breath of Fresh Air" award! I am sincerely grateful! Thanks for thinking of me!

By the way - Neva does graphic design and created the award herself! Go check out her blog for more info! Thank you, Neva!

Postcard Exchange Update!

(Still need to connect the postcards to the state with some yarn...)

I wanted to take a moment to post about the status of our postcard exchange!

As of today we have received postcards from 12 of the 50 states (well, 49!) We have received multiple from California, Washington and Pennsylvania and that's great! You send us one we will send one to you in return! I have been working on a slide show to show each of the postcards received but have been having problems with it. Hopefully I can get the kinks out soon!

So what do we do with the posctards? After Kailani receives a postcard she:

1) Reads the postcard;

2) Writes a return postcard;

3) Fills out a state worksheet which includes the following info:

• Locate the state on a map;


• What is capital?


• What is the state nickname?


• What is the state bird?


• What is the state flower?


• What is the postal abbreviation?

3) I then have her do a worksheet from a book I purchased from Sam's Club called, "The Complete Book of Maps and Geography". It's chocked full of information but the pages are simple and quick to do.

4) While I haven't implemented it yet I found a great website called "Kidzone" that has coloring pages of each of the 50 states that includes the state bird and the state flower (as well as other things) that you can download and print. EdHelper also has activity sheets for each of the 50 states.

So what are my thoughts so far about the exchange?

LOADS OF FUN! Kailani gets so excited when a postcard comes in the mail and I swear she studies everything about it! Not only is she learning about the other states but she is also learning more about her home state of Hawaii as well. For each postcard she sends out I have asked her to write one fact about Hawaii.

I think the pros of doing this exchange outweigh the cons but there have been a few disappointments. The biggest con I have found is sending out a postcard and not getting one in return. The solution? For anyone planning on doing an exchange like this one I would encourage you to not send a postcard until one is received. I realize that people get busy and some just plain forget but it's disappointing if you're already sent one and am expecting one in return.

Also - while this is not a "con" I thought I would mention it - some people do not provide a return address when sending their postcard. It could be for several different reasons - simply forgetting; not enough room on the postcard; or some people just want to participate in the exchange by sending a postcard but want nothing in return. Like I said, not necessarily a "con" but I thought I was worth mentioning.

Anyways! We are still looking for postcards from 38 more states! I also want to welcome you to participate if you live outside of the United States! We will happily send you one in return! Let me know if you're interested! Thanks!

All Children's Furniture.com Giveaway!!!

How would you like to win THIS?!?

Melissa & Doug's Large Dragon Plush Animal
(17" tall x 34"long x 9.5" wide = that's pretty big! )

All Children's Furniture.com is giving one lucky reader of "Mama's a Mess!" one of these FABULOUS dragons! If you are like me and have a dragon/dinosaur loving kid at home you will be definitely be of ROCKSTAR status if you brought this home! And it's just in time for the holidays! (Do YOU know how many shopping days are left till Christmas?)

So let's cut the chit-chat and get to the point! How do you win?

MANDATORY Entry - you must do this before entering extra entries. If this step is not completed then all other entries will be void:

Check out All ChildrensFurniture.com - they carry a lot of your favorite brands such as Roadmaster, KidKraft, Little Tykes and more! Go to the website, browse around, come back and tell me something your kiddo would go absolutely ga-ga over! That's it! Please be sure to include your email address if it is not easily found on your Blogger profile.

Extra Entries: Once you have completed the mandatory entry you can earn more chances to win! Please leave a seperate comment for each:

1) Become a follower of my blog. Already a follower? Just let me know!

2) Follow me on Twitter AND Tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day. Leave me a link to your Tweet!

You can copy and paste the following (or create your own):

Mama's a Mess is hosting a giveaway! Win a Melissa & Doug large plush dragon! Enter at www.mamasamess.blogspot.com . Contest ends 10/30.

3) Earn FIVE extra entries by blogging about this giveaway! Post about it on your blog and link back to this thread. Let me know where to find it on your blog! Be sure to comment five extra times for five extra chances to win!

Contest is open to US residents only (sorry International friends!) One winner will be chosen at midnight E.S.T. on Friday, October 30th via Random.org. Winner will be announced here on this blog as well as be sent an email notification. Response is required within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected.

Thank you to All ChildrensFurniture.com and CSN Stores for allowing me to host this great giveaway!

GOOD LUCK!

Missing in Action....

It's been quiet around here - not that I haven't had much to say! It's been nearly two weeks since I last posted but for good reason. I've been MIA due to health reasons. Without boring you with all the details I had surgery this week and spent a few days in the hospital. I was finally able to return home yesterday.

A full recovery is expected to take between 4-6 weeks but I am doing everything I can to heal as quickly as possible. I'm already feeling better but I am definitely sore - getting up and sitting down is tough. I dropped my cell phone yesterday and it took 15 minutes to pick it up off the floor!


Lucky for us my father extended his stay to help take care of the girls. Some friends from The MOM'S Club have also volunteered to bring us some meals. I can't thank everyone enough for their generosity!


So....now that I'm back home and my activity is limited hopefully I can get caught up on some posting. Don't be surprised if I go into posting-overload! I've got a lot of catching up to do! We're received postcards for our postcard exchange; stickers for our sticker exchange; I've won TWO giveaways and am hosting my own in the next day or so! Be sure to come back for all the details! Can't wait to catch up on what you all have been doing!

Softies for Mirabel

I am so inspired.

While catching up on some of my favorite blogs I came across a post on Ric Rac about the "Softies for Mirabel" campaign. Much like Craft Hope the Softies for Mirabel campaign combines the art of crafting with the spirit of giving to a much needed charity. They just kicked off their third year and there is still time to participate!

This particular charity, The Mirabel Foundation "assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use and are now in the care of extended family (kinship care). Mirabel believes that every child deserves a childhood and its mission is to break the destructive cycle of addiction and disadvantage."

This project is simply asking for you to donate a handmade softie (plush or soft toy) by December 10th. Just an FYI - this project is based out of Australia. Please consider that for shipping times/cost.

You can see pictures of some softies that have already been made here. On the same page there is a "Discussion" thread with links to FREE softie tutorials! I'll include some here:

Soldier & Nurse by Ric Rac
Bug tutorial by Blinking Flights
Whip Up - scroll down for "Softies"
Ruby Doll by One Red Robin
Chibi Kitty & Rabbit by My Little Mochi
Itty Bitty Oddity by CraftStylish

For more information on this project including deadlines, materials to use, shipping info, past campaigns, etc. check out "Meet Me at Mike's" blog. Hope you can help! Now...what to make?

Wordless Wednesday: Momo Does Tricks

She even moves her bangs out of the way for you to see!

Time for the Tooth Fairy!

Good Morning Waikiki!

We had a WONDERFUL weekend. Our family spent the night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village to celebrate Kailani's birthday. We opted to do this versus having an actual party and it was the best idea ever! Kailani loved it, it was WAY less stress for me and the entire family ended up having a really good time! Kailani was allowed to invite one friend to spend the day with her. It was a blast!

Waiting on the lanai for their friends to show up.

We spent some time walking around the property, swimming in the pool and then swimming in the lagoon. Oh....the lagoon.

Funny thing that happened while at the lagoon - the girls and our friends were in the water while my husband sat on the beach watching our stuff (gotta give him a break - he's been sick!) Meanwhile a group of young, beautiful Chinese women plopped their stuff right in front of my husband and starting posing quite provocatively while taking pictures of each other. It made my husband a bit uncomfortable and he got up and walked away. (Or he was afraid he was going to be in "B.T." (BIG TROUBLE) had he stayed!)

Kailani in the foreground - girls posing in the water.

Momo have a snack while the ladies were getting into position. What the?!?

At first I was a bit annoyed that these women would set up shop right in front of a family with young kids. Maybe I was being set up and was going to be featured on "Candid Camera" or some hidden video show! While some of their poses were of the norm others were quite promiscuous. Even the Victoria's Secret models wouldn't pose in some of the ways these ladies were posing! But after a few minutes just for kicks I decided to offer to help. I asked if they wanted me to take a group picture.

Yeah, I did.

And yes, they wanted me to.

So I did. They handed me their cameras and I clicked away. They even wanted Momo and her friend to get into the picture. And guess what? They were so appreciative and super nice (and kept THIS photo super clean!) While I still question the intentions of their photos (not that it's any of my business!) they ended up being very polite. Who knows their story! But I managed to change an uncomfortable/awkward situation into a comical one. :)

After the lagoon we cleaned up and headed to Lappert's for some ice cream. Oh my. I hadn't had Lappert's in probably five or six years. Lappert's is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S and worth every single calorie!

After eating in (sooooo exciting for a 7 year old!) and then sleeping in the next morning our mini birthday vacation was over. Everyone was happy until about an hour before we checked out of the hotel. A little drama ensued. No. I take that back. A LOT of drama!

I was packing, my husband was in the shower and Kailani was laying on the bed watching tv when Momo started jumping on the bed. Momo fell backwards landing on top of her sister and hit her on the mouth. Kailani rolled out of the bed, jumped up and pulled her tooth out of her mouth and held it up (think football player just scoring a touchdown and holding up the ball for all to see.)

While she looked a little stunned all was fine. That is until she looked in the mirror and saw the BLOOD. Oh why oh why did it have to bleed?

Poor kiddo. As you can tell she was terribly upset. And yes, the tooth fairy did come.

This morning I made it a point to send a note in to her teacher explaining what had happened because Kailani has another tooth that is hanging on by a thread. I will be totally surprised if it doesn't fall out before the end of the school day! Good luck teacher. Hopefully there will be no blood!

Note: Please don't hate on me because I recorded the aftermath. ;) A few of my girlfriends have sent me some "hate" mail telling me how WRONG I am to have taken the video clip. But it was a BIG moment! She will laugh about it one day. I promise!

Take Along Car Carrier/Mat

For awhile now I've had this project bookmarked and on my "to do" list. Since we're heading to a birthday party this weekend I thought it would be worth a shot to make and take it as a present.

The verdict? It was easy to make but the instructions definitely need some tweaking. I am a visual learner so more pictures would've been helpful as well. Due to the fact that I had some difficulties making sense of some of the instructions it took me a bit longer (due to having to unstitch/restitch, etc.) to make. It is a simple project but if you are a beginner sewer you definitely need more clarification on the how-tos. I think it's a cute little gift so I am seriously considering rewriting the tutorial for my own sake. I'll let you know when/if that happens.

Here's how it turned out. You may or may not (depending on how much of a perfectionist you are!) be able to see some cosmetic blemishes. *Sigh* Live and learn!



Instead of going with the traditional race track or Disney "Cars" theme I opted for the "Woodie" look since we are back in the islands. It's got the total surfer appeal! The pocket holds three cars. At the time I thought using a constrast fabric for the pocket was a good idea. I think I should've stuck with the same red woodie fabric instead. Again, live and learn.


A couple of cosmetic issues - fraying of the ribbon for one. The instructions recommended using grosgrain ribbon - of course I couldn't find any yellow so I settled for yellow twill. Next time I will try something completely different - just not sure what yet.

I actually managed to find a "Woodie" car to include with the bag! :)

Regardless of the headaches I encountered I think it turned out pretty cute. I'm looking forward to making another one. Next time I will probably include some velcro to keep the bag shut when not in use.

On that same note - have you seen THIS one?

Click on the photo and it will take you to the tutorial. If you make it please let me know! :)

12/11/09: Update! I finally made the above car mat! Here's my version of it. Click on the picture and it will take you to the post!

Call to Tech Support

Folks, I am a college-educated woman. Granted I was on the 10 year plan but I eventually graduated and went on to get my Master's degree. Yet even with some smarts yesterday I became a statistic. You know - the ones you hear about and roll your eyes.

"Not the brightest crayon in the box."

"Not the sharpest knife in the drawer."

Or to put it quite bluntly, a dumba$$.

Yesterday I was without an Internet connection for about five hours (blasphemous!!!) After trying on my own to figure out what was wrong I finally called tech support. It took them, oh, about ONE minute to figure out what was wrong:

Can you say mortified?

50 States Postcard Exchange

Anyone interested in doing a postcard exchange? Our goal is to receive a postcard from each of the 50 states. International is okay too! This would be a great opportunity for Kailani to learn about the different states and where they are located.

I'd like to keep it simple. Just send us a postcard with one fact about your state and we will do the same in return. It could be your state's nickname, state tree or anything of interest about the state you are located in. That's it!

I have listed on my side bar a list of all 50 states. If your state is missing then someone from your state has already signed up. I will post when we have received a postcard from each state!

Leave me a comment and what state you are from if you're interested! You can also send me an email at SHARKritzler@aol.com with your mailing address.

Should be fun! I did this with my 7th grade class and the kids loved it!

Can't wait to get started! Thanks!