Crafty Weekend!

We're finally starting to feel like we have our act together again!  Hooray!  Not only did we manage to have a successful family outing to the grocery store AND home depot with minimal crying, but we made headway on several projects and even some yard maintenance.  Who knew we had it in us? haha.

Our house is a constant organizational challenge - organization is not my strong suit.  I'm one of those people with piles of stuff everywhere.  I know where things are in the piles (as long as no one else moves them), but I just can't seem to get rid of them.  I keep trying though!  Add 2 kids, a husband, and a mother-in-law to the mix and we have stuff EVERYWHERE.

Lately I've been trying to tackle the toys.  They're all over the place!  I tried getting rid of a few... but I barely made a dent.  I've tried rearranging to see if they take up less usable space if I put this giant thing over there and this pile here... but it hasn't helped much.  One of the biggest obsticles is a giant cardboard box that has been one of my little girls favorite toys for over a year now.  When I saw this idea for a collapsible cardboard playhouse on Pinterest, I had to try it!  My triceps are a little sore from pulling and ripping off all that duct tape, but success!  I made a few alterations since my box was bigger than the one in the tutorial, and our playhouse has front doors :)

I also managed to make serious headway on this clever idea for making a bean bag type chair stuffed with stuffed animals, and was able to finish it up during naptime yesterday.  There is a detailed tutorial by GoogieMomma for the S.A.C. (Stuffed Animal Chair), and Sherri at Little Thread Riding Hood made up some printable patterns and added some extra tips.  I made the larger size from the printable pattern, though I didn't use batting so I made the lining a little shorter and added some stuffing like GoogieMomma had recommended.   I think it turned out pretty well, but when my mother-in-law saw it she laughed and said (in Spanish), "It looks like a giant pumpkin!"  Little girl liked it though, and a serious jumping/play session took place on it yesterday evening.

Here it is - the giant pumpkin

Ignore the disaster that is our playroom

My first semi-applique!

Surprise!  A zipper in the bottom lets you add or remove stuffed toys, as demonstrated by Peppa Pig. 

I was very proud of myself for completing this project for several reasons:

1. I finished!
2. I found a mistake in the instructions BEFORE I did it, so no mistake for me ☺ (when sewing on the inner lining shell, both the outer and inner shells should be inside out, so that when you turn it all right-side-out the wrong sides touch - the diagram shows the outer-shell-right side out but the inner shell in-side-out)
3. I figured out how to finish it with NO HAND SEWING, HOORAY!
4. I learned a few things, like an easier way to do a zipper than I'd been doing.
5. I did my first (sort of) applique (a little pentagon on top to make it look nicer).
6. I only jammed my machine once.
7. I used up a whole bunch of fabric that I'd bought for curtains but the husband didn't like.  Waste not!
8. I finally sewed in my new crafting space in the back entry foyer - which means I cleaned off enough of the random clutter we accumulate to actually use the table! 

Now the stuffed animals are corralled and there's a new place to lounge on the floor for my/with my children :)  Now if only I could get rid of some of the other clutter... Which is why I made my very first Craigslist posting yesterday!  Another reason I feel accomplished!

Up next: open shelves in the mudroom/craft room/entry way, and possibly a new bench?