Functional Sewing!!

Functional Sewing is the best kind, but is great when the pieces are decorative as well

#1 Problem: MAIL EVERYWHERE!! Solution: Pocket Organizer

We have had a mail problem ever since we were married; but, in this house, which has no dining room, our unsorted mail has taken over our kitchen table time and again. So I finally just took a couple hours while munchkin slept and hubby watched basketball (BORING...) and made a mail organizer once and for all! For the mail itself, I probably only needed 3-4 pockets, but now I have pockets for magazines, bills, coupons, items "to be filed," items that "belong out in my car," and misc junk. I had never used bias tape so that was quite exciting, and EASY!! It made the project look so "finished" and store bought. I used leftover fabric from my window treatmenst in the living room. And since it's on the back of the front door (and I didn't want to do anything permanent like drilling holes, heehee) I used velcro.

#2 Problem: TOYS EVERYWHERE!!!! Solution: Toy Totes

And these "beauties" were an idea from the frugal mama inside me. But they were a bit of a flop due to haste! They could've been quite nice, but I couldn't find a good tutorial online and didn't want to ducktape ALL the seams, so I only used packing tape on some of the sides, skippin the corners. And well, I'll admit they're a bit flimsy. Yes, they were inexpensive to make, but if the fabric wasn't a steal, and had I actually bought the few rolls of ducktape, these wouldn't have been cost-effective to make. Oh well. they're done, and most of his toys fit in them which is really all the matters. What baffles me is how the mail sorter is nicer in person than the pic shows, but these boxes appear much nicer in their pic than they actually are in real life! Haha! His books will be moved eventually (they're too heavy for these flimsy totes), into a bookshelf similar to THIS ONE or THIS ONE (made by me of course)! But we'll leave that project "on the shelf" for now ;P

**Update 5/16/2010 : just found this little tutorial online for anyone who wants to try to make these. It's pretty much how I did them except I sewed them. I would suggest taping the entire way up and over the corners though.