iPad 2 Cover with Hand Strap Tutorial

A few days ago my husband surprised me with an iPad 2.  I was completely stressed out over the first week of school and I didn't see it coming.  Yup, he's awesome like that.  

At first I couldn't put it down.  Then I was scared of dropping it.  So I decided to make a padded cover with a hand strap.  Here you can see the finished product.

iPad 2 Cover

I started with fabric scraps and HeatnBond leftover from another project.  A quick trip to Hobby Lobby added ribbon, elastic, and batting.

I used two pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper as a pattern.  If I ever make another cover like this I'll enlarge the pattern a smidge for larger seam allowances.  My seam allowances were about 1/2 inch, which didn't give me much wiggle room.  I'd also add about half an inch of width without cardboard for the fold.  {Did I mention I'm not a professional seamstress?  I've learned a lot from trial and error.  Mostly error.}  

Cut two pieces of fabric for the inside of the cover. 

The bubble fleece worked a lot better in my head than in reality.  

Its just so. stinkin. stretchy.

I used HeatnBond to attach batting to the back of each piece.  I was very careful when ironing the bubble fleece as to not iron out all the bubbles.

I added a ribbon to the left piece for a hand strap.  I attached it using a tight zigzag in four spots (top, bottom, 3.5 inches from top, and 3.5 inches from bottom).  On the right piece I laid out the black elastic to hold the corners of my iPad and pinned.  After removing the iPad I tightened the elastic slightly before securing with another short zigzag.  Next I sewed my right and left piece together.

I pinned my ribbon ties to the edges so I wouldn't forget later.

Now for the outside of my case.  I wanted to use two fabrics so I folded my pattern almost in half horizontally (adding a seam allowance).  A modified "hot dog fold" if you will.  

 I pressed the seam open and added a ruffle ribbon to the right side.

Bonded batting to the back.

Cut two rectangles from a diaper box. They were roughly 7.5 x 9.5 inches.

Sew inside piece (fleece & stripes) to outside piece, right sides together.  Leave top open to insert cardboard.

Turn right side out and press.  Fold top seam in and press.

Sew a straight line down the crease to keep the cardboard in place.  Insert cardboard.

Carefully stitch the top closed.

Ta-da!

Cut Clutter in the Classroom!

Today Feathers & Fingerprints is going back to school!  

Let's think for a minute about all those back to school supplies you just bought for your kids.  Pencils, fat markers, skinny markers, dry erase markers, erasers, crayons, glue bottles, glue sticks, baggies, scissors, folders, notebooks, and tissue. Did I miss anything?

Now imagine you are a teacher.

In a public school classroom with limited space.

And multiply that list times 22.

Are you overwhelmed?  Me too.  That's why my classroom uses "community supplies."  Meaning, all of our supplies are stored together and shared.  A few bottles of glue on the shelf and 15 in the closet.  I've found this cuts back on the clutter around the room.  And there is less waste.  And I ask parents for less supplies.  It is much easier to make sure 5 bottles of glue are closed tight rather than 22!

So how do I get my 6 year olds to share markers?  Easy!  Wood marker holders!  
{I stole this idea from an art teacher!  Its brilliant!} 

Wood Marker Holders

Three years ago I bought a 2x6 and cut it into 8 inch sections.  I used the drill press to drill 10, 1/2" holes in each.  My husband graciously routed the edges and I gave them a good sanding.  Last, I used 5-minute epoxy to glue the marker caps in the holes.

Each table in my classroom has a marker holder.  You can see from the pictures they have been used a lot!  About a week ago I brought them home to pull out the old {worn out and broken} marker caps and decided to add smaller holes for skinny markers.  This time I used a 3/8" bit and drilled 8 holes across.  I also gave them a face-lift by painting the edges different colors.

I'll take my improved marker holders back to school tomorrow to glue the new marker caps.  Trust me, they transport much easier without markers in them!


Reasons why I love these:
*no lost caps
*no markers on the floor
*no fights over "who stole my marker"
*dried up markers can be quickly replaced
*broken caps can be pulled out with pliers




Do you have a genius storage solution for your classroom?  Please share!

Rainy Day Fun

It finally rained in Oklahoma! This week we have had thunderstorms and rain, rain, rain.  Such a relief.

With the rain came cooler temperatures.  We spent a few rainy afternoons on the porch enjoying the fresh air.  To keep the girls entertained (and to keep them from coloring on me with sidewalk chalk) I came up with a little game to play.  Monkey calls it Candy Land on the Porch.

I drew colored circles in a path around the edge of the porch.  Then I rolled a die and the girls moved to the color that went with that number.  Lil' Bean preferred to chase the die than wait on her color.  But Monkey didn't move off her color and was really into the game!

"Candy Land on the Porch" was so much fun!  It was a great opportunity to practice colors with Lil' Bean.  Next time maybe I'll draw the alphabet and give Monkey some practice recognizing letters.  

But the best part for this mom?  No cleanup necessary.  Soon the rain washed away our marks and left a blank canvas for more artwork.  Now that's a fun afternoon activity!

Love these girls.  <3

Tangled in a Good Time

Monkey's Tangled themed birthday party was a success!  Her little friends arrived in princess dresses (or prince attire- we did have a prince in attendance!) and spent about an hour running around the house and playing princess.  I got a little caught up in the craziness and didn't get the best pictures, but you'll get the idea.  :)

The "cake" was actually 4 layers of cake at the base, rice crispy treats, a large blueberry muffin, and a waffle cone.  A dowel rod through the middle kept everything upright.  All I'm going to say is this cake was my husband's idea...

The finished tower.  Sorry it's blurry!

Rapunzel Tower Cake

Rapunzel Party

My sweet little princess!

Rapunzel Tower Birthday Cake

This is the only picture I have with the Rapunzel braid hanging from the shelf!  Like I said, I was a little caught up in the craziness!

Happy Birthday Monkey!

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

Who has the prettiest princess room of them all?

Ok, so I might be a little biased.  If you read about the girls' bedroom make-over you'll remember my intentions for adding a "magic" mirror.  My husband found this beaut on Craigslist.  Isn't it just perfect?

We also applied fireworks decals to the wall over the castle.  We got the decals on Etsy.  {Thanks Grandma Zona!}

Do you see that polka-dot toy box?  I had big plans to paint it pink to match one of the dressers.  But Monkey clung to it for dear life begging me not to paint it.  When I turned around to answer the ringing phone she pushed it back to her bedroom.  So I guess I won't be painting it after all.

We also added Mrs. Pots and Nemo.

The closet is now dress-up headquarters.  Those green bins were $2.50 each at Target!!  Great for purses and dolls!

If I could only find a way to keep this room looking so clean all the time...  Happy children come from messy homes, right?