Kindergarten Week - Make an Insulated Lunch Tote

Do-It-Yourself Kit by cascadelemonade

Continuing with Kindergarten week....up today is a fabulous DIY lunch tote.

Make your own lunch tote! Grab one of these kits from cascadelemonade. Each kit includes all the supplies needed already cut to size to make one insulated lunch tote. - that's right, I said insulated! You can pick your own fabric too. I purchased one of these kits yesterday and can't wait for it to arrive so I can make my daughter a lunch tote to go with her new little backpack!

How to Make a Gift Box

As promised...here is a paper box tutorial comin' at ya!

O.k, so here is how I make the boxes that my little soft shoes come in. This tutorial is a slight variation of one that I found online. The difference: this one gives you a CLEAN box top with no creases. Other tutorials produce a box that has fold creases running from corner to corner. (a visible "x" on the top of your box. ewww!) The perfectionist in me can not cope with that! So here it goes...

You'll need:
Ruler
Pencil
12" x 12" square of paper (box top)
11.75" x 11.75" square of paper (box bottom)

Finished box will measure: 4" x 4"

1. Place your paper wrong side up. Start by using a simple trick learned in middle school geometry. (and you thought you'd never use that stuff!) Place your ruler diagonally from corner to corner and mark a pencil line in what seems to be the middle of the ruler. (eyeball it) Do this again from the other corners. Where the two pencil marks form an "x" is the middle of your piece of paper. TIP: If you mark the "x" lightly, you can erase it later so as not to be seen.


2. Fold each corner of your paper up so that the point meets the center of the "x". After you've folded up all four corners, you can erase the "x" mark if you wish for it not to be seen.

3. Fold the bottom edge up to the center. Repeat with the top edge as shown above.

4. Fold the Right edge in to the center. Repeat with the Left edge as shown above.



5. Now unfold the last couple of steps until your paper looks like that above. Fold botom edge up as shown. Place index finger where shown. Keep it here.

With your other hand fold the left crease inward so that the two edges meet as shown below.


I hope the picture is worth a thousand words for this step since it's not easy to describe.


6. Once you fold in the sections on both sides they will look as shown in the top picture above.
Now fold the vertical section down into the box top. This forms one side of the box.

Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the other side.


7. Wipe the sweat from your brow, 'cuz your box top is complete baby! Pinch your sides in so that they stay down. Pinch at the inner corners to conquer any flaps that will not lay flat.

8. Repeat with the smaller square paper for your box bottom. You are a box-making machine!

DIY Bird Mobile

Someone pointed out this bird mobile to me and I just have to pass it on. I can't wait to have a second bundle of joy so I can make one of these! Modern and fabulous...LOVE it! You'll just need some scraps of fabric and a few clean twigs. I've seen some fabric shops offering fabric scrap packs on Etsy - perfect for this project! Get the bird pattern at spool.

Make your own Boutique Bow

Make your own boutique bow!
check out the Ribbon Retreat's free tutorial

Like most crafters, I have a large stockpile of ribbon. I just can't seem to resist the gravitational pull of the $1 ribbon bin at the craft store. So what to do with all this ribbon? I decided to try my hand at making a boutique hair bow. What do you think?

I used this great tutorial in PDF format from Ribbon Retreat. It's quick and easy to do...and it's FREE! You'll need a blank silver hair clip which you can find at any craft store or at Wal-Mart. So get out your glue guns and bust out some super unique birthday gifts for the little girl in your life!

My daughter (a total girly-girl) instantly fell in love with this bow and would have slept in it had I let her!