Blast From the Past: Easter and Spring Projects

Hello everyone!

First of all, I want to apologize for not posting lately. I can't believe it's been 1 1/2 months since my last post! Unfortunately, it will probably go on like this for a while still. I just don't have the time or the energy to think much blogging right now. I'm concentrating my efforts more towards finishing my master's, exercising and losing weight and feeling better and more motivated all around, and general housekeeping duties. I hope you will understand, and really I'm sure you will, we all go through this, right?

That being said, I'm not officially going on hiatus or anything. I might still post from time to time when things slow down and/or I get better at managing my time, and feel more motivated to do so. I could seriously write a 2000+ word post about what is going on with me right now, but I'm not gonna do that at this time; I'm still a little too much hesitant about who may in the future read these types of post (read: future employers). I have written many a post like that in the last 6 months but never was quite able to push the publish button. So maybe short and sweet will have to do.

I am still on Facebook and posting updates there more frequently (make sure you interact with me occasionally to keep seeing me in your newsfeed!! Just a simple Like once in a while will do :) ). I'm also, slowly but surely, working on a new blog design, that I'm making from scratch. I just kinda really love that stuff!

I did want to drop by your newsfeed or email inbox today to share with you some fun Easter and Spring crafts I made last year.

(Click on the links to see the full tutorials. I'd also appreciate it if you pinned directly from the tutorials, for others to find them more easily, thanks!)

First there's my Bunny Family Portrait. I made it so last minute last year, but still got quite a bit of positive feedback for it. So I hope more people will enjoy it this year. It was probably the most out-of-my-own-head craft I've ever done, so I'm particularly proud of it, and even still!



These little Flower Balls were quite popular last year!


And this was my spring "mantle" (which is really just the top of the low bookshelf) last year. I'm not sure what's gonna happen this year because I'm thinking of changing my living room around in the coming weeks. But I will have to find some place for all these lovelies, I so need some spring cheer right now!!!


Until next time!



ETA: Just writing this one post gives me a bit of an itch to share something new! So maybe it won't be so long until next time ;)

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Christmas Gift Ideas of Christmas Past

Are you feeling the pressure of Christmas gift shopping yet? I can't believe there's only 2 weeks left before Christmas already!

This year, I decided to hand make all my Christmas gifts. Anybody else in the same boat?! I really enjoyed making the few I did make last year, and I love how personal they are that way, not to mention cheaper! So I decided to up my game and go all out this year.

I did almost all of my Christmas supplies shopping this past weekend, and just received some fabric I ordered online, so the countdown is on! I have 10 people to make presents for; some are more complicated, some are smaller, some are in double and quadruple, and a few I have to mail out (so they are first on the list to make!). I think I must have 20 individual presents to make, and I'm starting to feel the pressure, a little, but I'm determined to make it!

I'm not sure I'll have the time to blog about it before the holidays, but I will be sharing my progress on Facebook if you are interested in following me. (But if you're family please stay away ;) )

I also want to apologize for my lack of posting the last month without warning, and not finishing the green series (though I will eventually finish it!). I had a really hard time adapting to my boyfriend's new schedule (at a hospital 1 hr bus ride away), and I was more concentrating on keeping house and lab work. To me, that comes first, and I do blog stuff as a side project when and if I have the time and energy, so thanks for being understanding!

So with that, if you're still wondering what to get or make for some loved ones this year, I thought I'd share the gifts I made last year for your inspiration purposes ;)


I made this Magnetic Pin Dish for my grand-ma that sews. I'm happy to say it's held up perfectly so far. I think not spray painting the inside of the top plate (where the pins "stick"), but rather the underside only, meant that no paint could be scratched and hence it looks just as before.




A practical gift I made last year both for my other grand-ma and my mom was this Remote Caddy. It was supper easy to make, is completely functional and looks pretty! That way people will actually want to use it and your remotes will not get lost in the couch cracks (though results are not guaranteed).



Lastly, I made these decorative magnets for my friends and my aunt. Simple, cute, practical, and handmade! Who doesn't need more fridge magnets?!



Are you hand making some, or all, Christmas gifts this year? What are you making?!

Finally, if you actually made it to the end, I'm also working on revamping the blog a little and making it more user friendly. I started making a footer section, and I will reorganize the Project Gallery into more subsections to correspond. I want to declutter the sidebars and possibly just have 1 instead of 2, but I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm not changing the blog design yet, just the layout and organization of it. If you've got any ideas or preferences, I'd love to hear them!!

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Day 9: Reusable Lunch Items

Before I start, just a little reminder that next Tuesday is the first linky party where you can link up your projects made from recycled materials! So start saving your projects and come link up! Also, if you'd like to co-host this party with me, let me know, cuz I'd love to get as many people involved as possible! :)

I think a lot of the stuff we throw out but might not really need to is related to food. Especially for food on the go. Snack bags, prepacked snacks, sandwich bags, juice boxes, etc, all oh so convenient, but make so much waste, especially when you you use them 5 days a week, or more.



I think it's time we reinvent lunches, make them a little less pre-packaged and a little more homemade. What? I haven't convinced you? Let me state my case, then.

Here is an example I came across this weekend. It was on a post from Allison of House of Hepworth's about Organizing her kids' lunches. Do you see what I see?


Everything is prepackaged! Except 1 of the 2 sandwiches which is in its own reusable container. Snacks, juice bags, water bottle, 1 of 2 sandwhiches in a disposable baggy (I was wondering why she didn't just get a second reusable container), individual portions of carrots and dips. It just doesn't end!

Now, I think it's really great that she does pack lunches and they are full of healthy stuff and not complete junk. BUT, this is the 31 Days to Greener Sustainable Living, and this just made my heart break a little. All that waste, it's so unnecessary!

So, have I convinced you now? Or still not sure how exactly to do it? Cuz I'm here to help!!

Also, let's ditch those plastic baggies! After I'm done the boxes I have now, I'm not buying new ones. If you don't have them, you'll find an alternative. Who's with me?!

If you do want to keep a few, just reuse the ones you have now. I know they are a pain to wash, really, I do, I wash every single last one that comes back home. And that's the problem! Not the washing, the getting back home to me part; that's why I can't trust plastic baggies anymore.

I found this useful trick for drying baggies from Whole Living. I need to get me one of these!!


So here are a few alternatives to ziplock baggies.

Reusable snack containers

Jen at iHeart Organizing wrote about implementing snack containers in her routine, instead of baggies, and I had a little head desk moment when I saw it.


They might take up a bit more space, but are way easier to wash than baggies.

I already got myself a couple from the dollar store for 75cents each. We're not super big on snacks, so we don't need a ton, but I do like to pack some cut veggies for our lunches, like carrots, cucumbers, and peppers, and they fit nicely in these containers, as long as I'm careful to cut them the right size, though!



Or if you want to reuse what you may already have, I love cream cheese containers for snacks! I've got 2 sizes and they are perfect for bringing granola, fruits, and even yogourt! Yup, they are leak-proof, which is great for yogourt. This way you can buy the bigger tubs and aliquot however much you like.



Reusable dip and sauce containers

Just like Allison's kids, we like dip with our veggies. But here's an alternative to the individually packaged dips she uses. Just pour your own favorite dip in small reusable containers. My mom gave me some really good Tupperware ones for Christmas a couple of years ago. They are great for sauces! I just wish I had more, cuz I already lost one :( (only had 4 to begin with) And bonus, they are orange! lol (orange is my favorite color...)



But back to snacks. I've seen and pinned quite a few tutorials for making your own reusable baggies in the last few months.

Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags

Water proof Snack Bags from Destination:Craft

Reusable Sandwich Bags from The Gilded Hare

Reusable Lined Snack Baggie from Happy Hour Projeects

Or if you're not the type to make it, here are a few cute ones I found on Amazon:

LunchSkins 3 pack 25$

Bumkins Reusable Snack Bags, 2 pack 7$ (Sandwich 5$ each)

ChicoBag rePET Baggies, 3 pack 16$

You may also want to skip the baggy idea and go for some lunch boxes/containers that have compartments, a la bento box:

Bento LunchBox Containers, 4 for 14$

Stay-Fit Lunch 2 Go Container, 10.24$ each

Bento Box 2 Tier, 14.62 each

For older kids, or for yourself or your spouse, it seems like a lot of the time we bring leftovers to school or work, and not so much sandwiches. In those cases, it's a good idea to use glass containers, as they don't leech any chemicals into your food. These are the ones we use:


They are GlassLock, but I can't find the exact same set anywhere. I really like them. I have even dropped them (not from too high) and they didn't shatter, I can remove the plastic seal to wash it when I need to.

But sometimes, we may still opt for cafeteria food. If this is a common occurence, may I suggest keeping your own plate at work, and bringing it to the cafeteria so they can give you food on that instead of the styrofoam containers.

Oh, one last thing. We usually need utensils to eat with, right? Opt for these cute reusable and compact choices instead of disposable plastic utensils. Or you can also just wash the plastic ones :)

Light MY Fire Spork 4 pack 8.15$

Wenzel Chow Utensil Kit 5$ (seen them at dollar store for 2$)

Did I give you enough choices? If not, you can always do a google search, or amazon search, or pinterest search. I saw a lot of great other options, but I only have so much space.

Do you use reusable baggies or containers for your lunches? What are your favorites?!

PS None of these links are affiliates








I party at these parties.

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