thredUP and a few updates

I recently learned of an online kid's clothing swap called thredUP and had to check it out right away. This is where the shopaholic in me sometimes escapes. I try to keep her locked up, and I'm convinced this is why God gave me boys. He knows I am weak to retail pleasures. Girl stuff is just too fun to shop for. Anyway. Resale and consignment are my friends. So, naturally I was intrigued by this site.
Basically, you sign up (for free), then view all the super fun boxes listed by other moms. These 'boxes' are medium flat rate priority mail boxes from USPS, that other users stuff full of clothes! You can search by size and gender, among other things. Each box has anywhere from 10-15 items in it, and you can view a list and descriptions of what's inside. ThredUP also has a rating system to ensure people are sending out quality clothes! No photos, to keep things simple and quick for listing... and also because the element of surprise is super fun.
So you pick your box, pay $5 plus shipping ($10.95 flat rate), and get a ton of new stuff in the mail! Then, when you get around to it, you list your own box of stuff your kids have outgrown! And when someone chooses it, you ship it for free! So we can pass cute clothes to someone who can use them, and get some new stuff for super cheap. Love this idea.
For years I've done the big semi-annual consignment sales when they come to town... which I love and will continue to do. But it's a lot of work! Sorting, typing info, printing and cutting tags, tagging items, putting them on hangers, driving them to and from the sale. ThredUP is so much easier and I can use it anytime I want!
I ordered my first box yesterday. 12 items. For around $16. $1.33 per item. I'll let you know when it comes and show you what's inside! I'm way excited. Getting stuff in the mail is just plain fun.
So check it out. Click one of the links above, or this one. If you sign up using my link, you get $5 credit! So your first box is only $10.95! You should know I also get $5 for each person I refer who buys a box. So it's a win-win. :)

On a side note, here are a couple updates:
Our new kitties were supposed to be spayed and brought home last week... but at the last minute there was a viral outbreak at the shelter where their surgeries were to take place. So the shelter closed down temporarily to protect the other cats, and the surgeries were postponed until March 30th. We are so glad our kitties were still safely in their foster home when the virus was discovered, but sad to have to wait a few more weeks!

And I finally got around to listing a few new coffee cozies in my etsy shop! Check 'em out if you get a chance. I've been keeping busy with lots of little side projects (and, I'll admit it, more sewing for the kittens), but I have a few fun things in the works to hopefully add to my shop soon!

And the winner is....

Holly!!!
Congrats! A super cute, one of a kind coffee cozy heading your way!

I wrote names on paper slips and had Ty draw one out of a bowl. I know I could have used one of those online number generators but that seemed so anticlimactic! This was way more fun. :)

Thanks to everyone who entered and my new followers! I can't wait to do this again. Check back later today for a special project in honor of my first cake decorating class tonight!!! I am beyond excited.

changes

Lots of exciting stuff going on around here!

Perhaps you've noticed the new look... three columns, new background, new owl. :) Plus the 'popular posts' section on my sidebar, which links to my most read posts. Fun, right? 

And check out sleepless in Sandy from your smartphone... I have a new mobile version which is more user friendly from your phone! About 90% of my internet time is from my iPhone or hubby's iPad, so this is handy for me!

Now here's what I'm most excited about.... 

I've finally launched the sleepless in Sandy etsy store!!!! This had been a work in progress for months. But really, a dream for way longer than that! Ever since I discovered etsy a few years ago, I've wanted to join the community of amazing artists and crafty folks there. But boy is it intimidating. I think having my coffee cozies selling at the shops here in Sandy has given me a bit more confidence to just go for it. 

So... check out the shop. I've posted a few coffee cozies and plan to post more, plus maybe some other things as I get to it! And if you're new to etsy, you must browse around. It's one of my favorite time-wasters. :) And a fabulous place for one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts! Also vintage fabric.... but that's another story.

To celebrate this exciting new venture, I've decided to do a giveaway!!! I was experimenting with a new style for my cozies, which turned out pretty cute... but it's a bit too labor intensive to sell for $5. 

Sooo, I'm giving it to one of you!

Isn't it pretty? It's the same Amy Butler fabrics I used for my Cosmo bag, but I gathered it! So it's all ruffly and girly. 

See? And it has a pearly white button. It'll fit pretty much any size cup just like my other cozies. And it's one of a kind! I'm not making any more like it. 

So there ya go: a girly, one of a kind cozy, in pretty spring colors. Just for you!

Want it? 

Just comment on this post before Monday, January 31st at 11:59pm.

I'll randomly choose a winner on February 1st and post it here. 

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment so I can contact you!

For an extra entry, become a sleepless in Sandy follower and leave another comment telling me you did!

Catching up

Wow.

I really didn't intend to take a month-long break from blogging! Is Christmastime crazy or what?

We tried to keep Christmas simple this year... Cut back a bit, keep it low stress, enjoy some unrushed family time. Somehow the simple never really happens though.

I did have a lot of fun sewing up a few gifts, however! I made a (Portland) Trail Blazers themed quilt for my brother, who's a huge fan.

I found the idea for this quilt design from a link on the make happy facebook page. You can find a free pattern pdf over at Made By Rae.

Beckham had to check it out, see if Uncle would like it.

I cut up a Blazer jersey for some of the accent pieces. Hubby's idea. Love it.

This is an insulated lunch bag I made for my mom. Forgot to take a pic before I gave it to her, but this is one she sent me of it in use!

And a cute little messenger bag for my sweet little cousin. For this one I used a free tutorial from mmmcrafts, click here.

Cute lining fabric! This was really fun to make!

This is Ty's new art apron:

I am loving this Dr. Seuss fabric. I made lots of different sized pockets for different little crafty things.

A couple girlfriends asked if I could make some doll carriers for their daughters, so here is what I came up for them. This was a challenge! But I enjoyed it!

Finally got to try my hand at some little rag quilts!

All these projects kept me busy! Plus I made a sort of crazy, last-minute decision to do a couple holiday bazaars this season. Literally had 3 weeks to prepare. But after one I was hooked! Did another one a couple weeks later. Stuff sold! This was very exciting and humbling for me! And something way cool happened at the second bazaar.... The owner of a local coffee shop stopped by my booth and asked if I would like to sell my coffee cozies in her shop!

This is one of the Christmas ones I made.

Fuzzy zebra...

...and of course, Oregon Ducks!

I brought 15 in to her the first day, and by the following day all but 4 had sold! So I brought 12 more, which sold in a day or two. All of a sudden I could barely keep up with demand! All my spare time was spent sewing these silly things! I knew the Christmas rush was a lot of it, and luckily sales have slowed a bit now that it's over. But I have another shop in town interested in selling them now (thanks Becky!), so I'm really excited about the potential. 

So that's what I've been up to! I've missed you all, and hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I know we did. Very busy but super fun. I'm looking forward to the new year ahead and all the promise it holds. 

Check back soon, I want to show you some of my cool new Christmas toys!

Teapot and pinwheels

Oh, I am so excited!

Why?

1. While at Edgefield for dinner with some friends, I was browsing the gift shop and look what I found!

Looks familiar, right? If not, click here.

2. My sweet husband bought it for me!!!! Even though I don't really need it, and of course it was a bit overpriced.

But oh, is it gorgeous! And look at my set now!

Makes me smile.

I've also been having some fun with paper lately, working on decor for Beckham's big birthday bash. Today I made 12 pinwheels. They were pretty easy, and look how cute they are!

Can't wait to share all the other elements of his party. I may post some this week, and if not I'll do a big post afterward. Check back soon!

Ten Tasks Challenge: day 10!

Well, here it is... the 10th day of this challenge. 

I did pretty good! Completed nine of my ten tasks... That darn sign was my problem. It's an overwhelming project. And I really need hubby's help with it, which pretty much means the weekend. But I will try to get on it, really soon! And I promise to post a photo of one so you can see what I'm talking about.

Here's the rundown:

1. Sign (see lame excuse above)

2. Plant lettuce- did that last week, it's looking great! And still slug-free!

3. Paint $1 garage sale bookshelf

This was coming apart in the back, dusty, and a very unattractive oak-like laminate. I nailed it back together, cleaned it off and did a somewhat lazy job painting it, then spraying with varnish.

But for $1 it looks great! And gives us more shelf space for toys and books in Beckham's closet.

4. Reorganize boy's books

Now that I have another shelf in Beckham's closet, I was finally able to sort through some of Ty's books and pull out all the baby ones that are just to young for him. 

So now Beckham has a few more books to "read", and Ty has a tiny bit more room in his shelves. 

Oh, gosh. Never mind. That still looks terrible. But it's actually better than it was! I'll keep working on it...

5. Get fabric to finish Ty's quilt

YES! Got it! And actually finished the whole thing!! I'm so happy to have that project done. 

We had a set of orange sheets for our queen bed that we never used (funny how orange seemed practical once), so I cut them up and turned them into a twin set for Ty's bed. There was enough fabric left over to use as squares in the quilt and for the little throw pillow. 

I love the guitar fabric. Perfect for my little music lover.

6. Sew coffee cozy

I love how these turned out!! And especially how easy they are!

7. Make a few batches of baby food

Done... at the last second. Just finished this up about an hour ago! And it was actually only one big batch of brown rice and veggies. But Becks is eating a lot more grown-up food these days, so we aren't needing as much puree'd food. 

8. Update Beckham's baby book/ work on scrapbook

SO relieved to have this done/started! I have the baby book completely up to date, which I have been putting off for way too long. And I finished ten (yes TEN!) pages in his scrapbook!! That's a ton! It occurred to me the other day that I had Ty's entire first year documented in two scrapbooks by his first birthday party. We brought them to display. So... I was having a lot of guilt that I'd barely started Beckham's and his first birthday party is in a month and a half! I still have a long way to go on this, but just having started makes it easier to keep progressing. 

9. Clean cushions on patio furniture

Yeah... this didn't go so well. We tried a borax/dish detergent/water mixture on them, and I don't really think it made much difference. Thanks to some great comments on my last post, I now have a few other options to try!

10. Come up with a system for Ty's chores

I'm so excited about this! I put it off until literally this morning! And look how cute it turned out!

It's an old cookie sheet! I just cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit and decorated it a bit, then added Ty's daily and weekly chores. We are going to hang it somewhere, then he can use the magnets (which I need to make cuter) to mark off his chores as they are completed. 

Thanks to The Shabby Chic Cottage for hosting this challenge that really helped motivate me! 

Coffee Cozy

Super excited that I finally got around to this project! It turned out so cute, and was incredibly easy. I made one for myself and loved it so much that I made a couple more as gifts.

Mmmm, that coffee looks good...


They are really made for hot coffee, but work just as well for cold. No more freezing hands!

Aren't they cute?
I just carry mine around in my diaper bag, that way I never have to waste a cardboard sleeve.

Ten Tasks

Ok, here it is:
My List

1. Work on sign (this is hard to describe... but as I work on it I will post pics. It's such a cool thing, can't wait to share it!)
2. Plant new lettuce in garden (to replace my 'slug lettuce')
3. Paint bookshelf that I got at a garage sale for $1
4. Reorganize books in boys' closets (using "new" bookshelf)
5. Get fabric to finish Ty's quilt (and make some progress on it)
6. Sew coffee cozy (I had the cutest one from an Etsy seller but lost it! I'm sure I could make one...)
7. Make a whole bunch of baby food to restock our freezer
8. Update Beckham's baby book/ make some progress on his scrapbook that I've barely started
9. Clean cushions on patio furniture using a homemade cleaning solution recipe I found
10. Create a system for summer chores for Ty (and be consistent!)

I sure hope this is a reasonable list. I really want to accomplish all of it, but it's kind of a lot!

I'll update with posts over the next ten days so keep checking back! And be sure to check out the other bloggers participating at The Shabby Chic Cottage!

Gorgeous Mommy Stuff from Etsy

I've seen these initial pendants on everyone's neck and have been pining after my own set (well, pair)... but I LOVE how chunky and unique these particular ones are.

Cute, right? Click here to check 'em out.

And look at these reusable snack bags... what a great way to save! Plus adorable; and personalized!

Here is a pretty wipes case I ordered and love.

Save the cardboard cozy and get one of these! I stash mine in my diaper bag and use it all the time!