Not Nothing {Monday is Mom-day}

What have I been up to lately?  Well, at first brush my answer would be "nothing much".  Mostly trying to keep up as a pregnant mother of 4 children.  Preparing for Gwen's visit and the adventure of SNAP- the creative blogging conference coming up this week! (I am dying I'm so excited!!)  Trying to build up inventory for Oh Sweet Sadie the first week of May.

Feeling like I'm not really doing what I want or should be doing most of the time.  Wishing I had much more energy and time for pretty much everything, and really trying to keep my priorities straight.

The kids had spring break last week.  It was nice to have no schedule and no homework.  We didn't do much, but I tried to make it a little interesting. ;)  A trip to my mom's and the park near her house, lunch out, treats from the gas station and renting a movie, playing with cousins and a sleepover (which I'm really regretting, my kids don't do no sleep well ;) ).  No big vacation, no great adventures, but we did what we could with the time and means that we had.

 It doesn't sound like much, but it's my life right now.  Not a lot that I think might be interesting to put on the blog.  No amazing projects, or tutorials.  Just everyday normal, raising kids life.

But now that I think about it a bit more, perhaps there is something to this life that I'm living.   I'm grateful for small everyday things that make life full and wonderful, and perhaps, by glossing over them, or failing to record them, I'm missing the whole point of this life. 

So, I've not be doing Nothing.  I've been doing a million little somethings all day every day.  Enjoying them, struggling with them. Living them.  And I couldn't be happier.

I will be back this week with an update on progress for the boutique, a tutorial for a Gorgeous new pillow (yes another one), and the final version of this new purse that I'm making for my little vacation to SNAP (even though it's in my neck of the woods, I'll be staying at the hotel and away from my family, so it's a vacation for sure.)

I hope you're having a wonderful life full of great little somethings that make your life amazing!  We'll see you soon!

xoxo,
Amy

Personal Progress Packet tutorial

I promised this tutorial over a year ago.  And well, better late than never, right?  This is really a pretty simple project and requires only 1 1/2 fat quarters so if you catch them on sale, you can make them for pretty cheap too.

The packet holds all the booklets needed for Personal Progress, plus True to the Faith and For the Strength of Youth.  There's even room for a pen!  Pretty handy, right?
Let's get started then.  Forgive all the pictures, but sometimes I think they do a better job explaining the steps than I do.

Supplies:

Ribbon not shown

Fabrics- 3 pieces cut to 9" X 19" (outside, inside and pocket) They can be all the same or all different.  For this example I did two of the paisley and one of the medallion
Felt- 1 piece cut 8"X 18" (you can cut this slightly larger,  it's a bit easier, but will have a little more bulk in the seams
Ribbon- 2 pieces cut approx. 13"
Any embellishments for the front

Assembly: 

Take the piece for your pocket and press in half, wrong sides together on the 9" length.  Your finished piece should be 4 1/2" X 19"

Add any embellishments to the front of the packet.  In this example I used velvet ric rac from American Crafts- yummy stuff!

Now we're going to build our sandwich.  First lay down the inside lining of the packet, right side up.  Line up the raw edges of the pocket piece with the bottom of the lining.

Place the exterior of the packet, right side down on top of the pocket piece.  Pay attention to where the embellishments are- they should be on the left side of the packet.  Finally, lay the felt piece on top of everything.  Pin around the edges.

The final step before we get ready to sew, is to place one of our ribbons between the layers.  Line it up with the top of the pocket, make sure it's tucked inside and won't get caught in any of the seams.

Sew around the entire packet, using a 1/2" seam allowance.  Try to catch the felt along at least one short side and one long side to help hold it in place (it will be a scant amount that gets caught, but it makes turning easier.)  Leave an opening along the bottom for turning (marked by the arrows).  Clip all the corners and turn.

Press all the seams flat, turn under the opening so the edges are even and top stitch around the entire packet, closing the hole.

Now we're going to stitch in the pockets.  From the left side measure over 5 1/2" and again 1".  Sew down these seams, backstitching at the top, 2-3 times to reinforce the pocket so it doesn't pull out with use.  From the right side measure 5 1/2", this will leave an opening in the middle just shy of 5 1/2".  Sew down this seam, again reinforcing the top of the pocket.

The last step is to add the final ribbon piece.  Turn the packet over.  Take the ribbon and fold it over twice so no raw edges are exposed.  Line it up with the pocket seam on the opposite side of the already placed ribbon.  Lining up your seam with the existing pocket seam, sew down the ribbon 2-3 times to reinforce it.

Now fill it, fold it and enjoy!

The top corner may pull up a bit at first, but it will relax shortly and lay flat.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can help in any way.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful Wednesday. :)

XOXO,

Amy

Linked up to Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up party.

POV Pinterest Features

I have to say- as much as I love Pinterest- this link party has been so much fun and I have been even more inspired to look at my boards and create the great ideas you can find on Pinterest.

These candy coated pretzels are right up my alley.  My kids love chocolate pretzels and these are WAY easier than melting and dipping them.  You can find the link to this great idea here at The Messy Roost. 

And the other project I really wanted to feature is this lovely scripture block by Cherished Bliss.  I really like that the block is just a simple scrap of a 2X6 board and it makes it much more accessible, especially for those of us who don't YET have a Silhouette. :)  You can find the link for this gorgeous block here.

So keep on creating- and inspiring.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up next month- remember that the theme for April is going to be End of School/ Teacher Appreciation. 
Have a great week.
xoxo,
Amy