Travel Bag Tips

Do you ever feel like every time your kids open their suitcase there's an explosion?

{This Little Project} solves that problem!

We just got back from a great family getaway. Little Ellie slept the whole airplane ride there and back.  If you've had a squirmy one-year-old on an airplane you know there is only one word for that: BLESSING!

We got to see cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and soak in the sun and Sea World too.  Now we're back to real life and the cold!  But I want to share a {Little Project} that made our trip great.  

And it's not just me that enjoyed {This Little Project}-my husband is a BIG fan!

Want to know my secret?

Travel bags that you can SEE into!

I've mentioned before that I love how versatile tulle is.  It's the fabric I chose to make my travel bags from because the fabric is quite strong, but you can also see through it.

To make {This Little Project} you need:

tulle in the color of your choice.  I used a different color for each person.

yarn or crochet string

needle

beads

First, use your sewing machine to sew the tulle into a bag (size is your choice ;) 


{Little Project Tip:}  I use two layers of tulle for the front and 2 for the back to have a sturdier bag. 

Each person in our family had their own color of bag.  

This made it VERY easy for them to find THEIR clothes.  

AND since they could also SEE what was in the bag they could find just what they were looking for.  

No more pulling everything out to find the socks or swim suit!

2- I used a needle to weave a string through the tulle so make a pull string.  You could also sew a casing and thread your yarn/string through the tunnel.

3- Put a bead on the end and tie it through so the thread doesn't pull through.  My kids loved choosing their beads!

Now just pack everything right in your little bags and your suitcase will be so organized EVERY time you open it!

And there you go: something to make your life easier!  

And just in time for summer vacations-may they be even better!

The Loot Bag (courtesy of the Junk Box!)

So what can you really get out of a "Junk Box"? Lots of FUN! (Oh, by the way, to make sense of this post you will probably want to read the one posted right before it first ;)

Here's what came out of ours yesterday:

Remember those little handies I mentioned were good for organizing the junk box? Remember how they came in a pack of four bags? And what was holding the bags? A container that went into our Junk Box. These little see-through bags also come with bedding and other things. I love them because you can see what is inside. Most bags aren't like that.

Kay has both bags on-Jay's is mailbag-style and hers is purse-style.

All I did was sew a strap on from our Fibers bag (scraps from a sewing project and a piece of Dad's old jeans)...

And...

So easy. So fun. So fast.

Look how much FUN came right out of the Junk Box (for free!)

I hope I have made a believer out of you. The Junk Box is a beautiful thing {now that it's organized!}

Bags of Fun!

Bags are like shoes, it's hard to have too many. So I set about making some new tote bags for my little kiddos. These happen to match their costumes (am I obsessive or something?) My turtle got the turtle bag and my little lady bug got the red bag with spots. Kids love putting things in and out of bags so I am sure they will be well-loved. They were perfect for putting their hoard of treats in!

Want to make your own?
I bought 1/4 yard of red fleece and 1/3 yard of green fleece. Why fleece: no hemming needed!
I used green felt for the turtle and black felt for the spirals, along with black buttons sewn onto the red for spots.

1-Decide on the size of your bag. Cut 2 strips for handles. Cut a rectangle that when folded in half is the size of bag you want.


2-Pin on any decorations and sew them on. Fabric glue can also help hold them in place. I would recommend sewing the decor on if you want the bags to hold up.

3-Pin the handles to the top inside of the bag (make sure they are the same place on both sides.) Then sew across the whole top edge to sew them in place.

4-Fold your rectangle of fleece in half and sew around the two raw edges with right sides together (leaving the top open.)
5-Then turn it right-side out and smile because you are done!

Wasn't that a fun little project!