Lunch box note - Dinosaur/Crocodile

Yesterday I saw a Hallmark product called Lunchbox Notes. I didn't really look at the cards themselves but the package they came in was part of a decorated brown paper bag. This give me a great idea for creating a cute note out of the bag itself. My sons are really into dinosaurs and crocodiles so I thought a note that looked like one of those would be a hit.

Here's what I did:

First I cut down the bag so just the flap and the back section of the bag were left. I then cut the length of the bag so that about 2 inches were left below the flap:

I then cut a head that was slightly longer then the flap so that it hung over on each side. I used a glue stick to attach it (make sure not to glue the flap shut!):

Time to give this guy a face. First I did the teeth which I glued underneath the face so they would be hanging out of his mouth:

The eyes and nostrils were easy, I just used "circle"ish shapes from black and white:

This guy is really starting to come together! Now for the inside of the bag. I added a green strip that would cover up the brown bag showing when the card was closed. The remainder of the brown bag became the mouth which I made all black:

Last it was time for a tongue. I measured a strip of red that would fit inside the mouth with a flap at the end to glue it on. I wanted the tongue to stick up when he opened it so I only glued the flap. Finally, I wrote a note right on the tongue:

And there you have it!! A cute and easy lunch box card sure to make any boy (or dinosaur loving girl!) excited to eat lunch at school. I am looking forward to my son's reaction when he sees this on his first day of Kindergarten this week:)

I am thinking about doing this once a week and sharing what I make so I would love to hear feedback on whether or not this would be of interest to you as an ongoing post. I would also love to hear theme ideas or specific materials you want to see used. Thanks!

Using the scraps

It's another bamboo project! Are you ready? So far we have used bamboo place mats to create a wall hanging and a utensil holder. I still have 2 more place mats to go but I wanted to first use the scraps from the last project. Remember how I cut off part of the mat to make it fit the tin?

I knew that this scrap could be put to use so insert Idea #2 1/2: a headband.

Materials are simple: Scrap from the bamboo mat, scissors, ribbon, hot glue gun, buttons.

First I trimmed down the scrap to make a narrower strip of bamboo:

Then I cut two equal sized pieces of ribbon and thread them through each end of the bamboo strip:

I used hot glue to secure the ribbon to the bamboo (do this on each side of the ribbon):

Finally I created a flower out of buttons and secured them to the bamboo using hot glue:

And there you have it, a headband! Cute, huh? Only one problem, it was too wide and stiff to sit comfortably. But no fear, I found another use. I tied it around a plain glass canister to jazz it up a bit:

Wouldn't that make for a cute candy jar? Or something to hold a little girl's hair bows in. You could also put a candle in it and make it a centerpiece. The possibilities are endless!

Now that I have fully used the green mat I can start brainstorming ideas for the last two place mats. In the meantime, my wall hanging is being featured on another blog today so come check it out:

My new favorite crocheting project:

I am loving these cute little headbands! They only take about 2 hours to churn out which means on my lazy nights I can put in a movie and most likely be complete by the end. I started this one last year with the intention of giving it to my niece for her birthday, but being hugely pregnant and therefore somewhat unmotivated, I didn't finish. The original plan was to have a full head band but when I was finishing this project the other day I decided to make it adjustable with a tie. This not only shortened my crocheting time but made this more versatile to different head sizes. I think I would like to try adding some cute ribbon instead of the yarn for a nicer touch. Since finishing this one I have made 2 more for other cute little girls in my life. I am thinking about making some smaller versions for my second niece who is still cooking so she can match her big sister.

Here is how I did it:
* Crocheted the headband to desired length (about 24 rows) and then added some yarn at the end to tie with:

This was a pretty basic, repetitive pattern. I will add it to this post if anyone is interested in making their own.

* I then sewed a button about a third of the way onto the headband:

* I had some leftover flowers from a diaper cake someone made for one of my showers so I just cut the stem off and hot glued it to the button:

* Seeing as I only have boys, they are coerced lucky to be my models:

These quick little projects are right up my alley as I love something that I can start and finish in one night. I like the idea of a big project but often lose interest midway through, so I usually stick to something simple.  If you have a little girl and I know where you live don't be surprised if one of these show up on your doorstop or in your mailbox!