Fabric Gift Bags

These are so cool that people starting pre-ordering them from my youngest. (8 years old @ the time). He turned a very nice (and well earned) profit that Christmas! And we had some great built in math, business and economics lessons.

Here are the details:
We limit ourselves to the $1.00 a yard fabric.
You can get 2 to 4 small to medium size bags from a yard, so that makes these bags more affordable than even the least expensive purchased gift bags!

Ribbon closes the bags. Spools @ Michaels are ~ 3 for $1.00 (on sale) and the spools last a long time!

We have ~ 40 bags that we use year after year @ Christmas .
( 10 per person. Our kids definitely don't get 10 gifts per year, but this allows plenty of different sizes to be used as needed.)
Another bonus of using fabric gift bags for Christmas is that all the gifts can be wrapped in about 30 minutes!

Store these bags flat so that they look like new everytime you use them (or have your trusty iron handy to spruce them up). We like to store them with some fragrant lavender or potpourri so that they smell wonderful.

We also use these for birthdays and gifts for friends. Sometimes friends are more excited about the fabric gift bag than anything else!


Here are the instructions:

• Cut 2 equal size pieces of fabric and place right sides together. (Or, if you want the same design on each side, fold a longer piece of fabric in half - right sides together)

• Cut a piece of ribbon long enough close the bag. (Approximately 24 inches for most bags.)

• Fold the piece of ribbon in half and pin to the inside of the fabric about 3 inches from & parallel to the top. (At this point your ribbon will be on the inside of the bag laying parallel to the top of your bag.)

• Sew all sides together except the top. Sew over the folded end of the ribbon. Be careful not to sew the opposite end of the ribbon into the other side seam.

• Turn right side out.

• Use pinking shears to cut the top so there is no need to hem. Note: Felt and flannel do not fray.

• Easy, easy, easy . . . . So start having fun making bags! Re-use them. Say goodbye to wrapping paper waste (and expense).

cross posted @ A Catholic Notebook

Frugal Creative Organization (FCO)

Frugality and Creative Organization Meet!

I love to find new and creatively innovative ways to use things . . . . old things, odd things, ordinary things, created things, recycled things. I have done this all of my life (as I am sure many people have). Here are a couple of examples.

Pantry Pockets -- This is a fabulous way to get a lot more organizing space out of your pantry. You can find these shoe pockets at any discount store.

They have 4 small hooks that go over the back of your door. I think it helps to tack them to the door about mid-way down, also.

I think they are a perfect gift for a college student or a young person moving into their first apartment or house. You can fill them with all sorts of goodies from necessities to comfort items!
There are clear vinyl and mesh style pockets from which to choose -- all in the same price range.
Total cost ~ $9.00 to $12.00 (empty)
My pockets hold:
lids to the jars I recycle by re-using
rubber bands
rice
Sustain Sports Drink Packets
straws
beans
pectin for jam making
Tough and Tender wipes
Hot chocolate mix
salad dressing, gravy, onion soup, chili & taco mixes
post-it notes and small notepads
cornbread mix
yeast packets
emergency votive candles & matches
mouthwash
Renew hand lotion
Chocolate chips
wildflower seeds to be planted this fall
FiberWise packets


AND . . . . . This is my Organizational Corner.

• I have been using my Birthday Calendar for about 7 years now. I printed it out at Kinkos on over sized card stock, had it spiral bound and viola! Total cost ~ $4.00
  

• I love that I have found a great new use for an "old thing" (aka: an LP holder). It now holds bills, mail and catalogues perfectly.

Total Cost: *free!* (Found in an attic clean-up . They were going to toss it!)

The lamp sheds light on the whole corner and is like the lamps on my parents' bedroom end tables. This lamp is one of my favorite Salvation Army finds.

I do have a Salvation Army rule though -- I give before I buy anything. And I only buy decorative things because there are many who have a greater need than we do for necessities (clothes, shoes, coats, cooking supplies, basic furniture)

Plastic Bag Creations

Recycle! Re-Use! Re-Create!

The first step is to make plarn. Yep, you read that correctly, plarn.

Plarn is the term used to describe the yarn that can be made from recycling plastic bags. The link with the best description and pictures, in my opinion, is Making Plarn with Marlo.

After the light bulb goes off and you are thinking, I get it! Try making one long strand of Plarn -- cool!






Can't crochet? Try Plastic Bag Fusing

a couple more links:

Working w/ Plarn - Hints and Tips!

Want to check out more sites? Try Making Plarn @ a very cool site called GooseFlesh. Helle Jorgensen is an artist down under, in Australia, and one of her mediums? You guessed it ... USED (she stresses it, so I will, too -- USED!) plastic bags. Incredible!

More plarn making: Making Plarn over @ MyRecycledBags.com

Green Tote Bag source: MyRecycledBags.com

Beach Bag Pattern and yet more instructions for making plarn.

Transportation

Since I can't yet afford the deisel that I am going to buy and then convert to a recycled vegetable oil fueled machine I am thinking of alternatives.

Yep, I am thinking something along the lines of this means of transportation if gas prices keep rising . . . . .