Tennis brings back a lot of great memories for me. It was a real bonding sport for my family. I still remember going out to the courts as a kid watching my mom and dad play with their wooden rackets. It wasn’t until middle school that my dad put a racket in my (and my sisters) hands. Thinking about it now I bet it was because we were bored out of our skulls over summer break and he wanted to give us something to do!

That summer and every summer after that for the next 5-6 years we played. He rounded up friends and friends of friends and we played until the sun went down and we couldn’t see anymore. We also gathered around the TV during the big 4 tournaments and watched Sampras, Agassi, Courier, Seles and Graph duke it out for the championship.

As the Wimbledon finals approach this weekend I was inspired by the green grass and white attire, but this week instead of choosing my favorites I took the plunge and made my very own treasury. I hope you enjoy!

Every time I go to the store (Target, Marshalls, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ikea etc) I look at the plethora of storage boxes. Canvas, leather, paper, wicker, plastic… the options are endless. The problem? None of them fit the spaces I want to put them in (10×10 and 10×14) or were the wrong color. Then a few months ago I discovered Make It and Love It and her tutorial on making storage boxes from recycled cardboard.

I immediately started saving diaper boxes so that I could make my own. It was slow going because I only got two pieces from each box (5 are needed for one box) but just last week we upgraded the Little Peanut from her portable crib to a full size. When I saw the box it came in- storage boxes started popping up in my head! I finally would have some more storage that I so desired (so I could cram even more crafting materials into the house!)

Ta da!

The first box (above) was slow going but turned out pretty nice. I used a box cutter and got some crooked edges. For the rest of the boxes I got a little smarter and used a small hand saw that we have. It worked so much better- the crooked edges were gone!

Instead of using fabric for the fronts I used scrapbook paper. The paper tore a little around the handle area so what better way to cover up the tears then with some bias tape? I did a mitered corner to give it a more finished look. It was just Mod Podged on so there are a few gaps where the tape meets up at the corners.

Next time I would sew the tape up into the square first before attaching it to the box and also use less Mod Podge because it made it pretty stiff. I would have liked a softer handle. The sides, inside and bottom were left raw. The second and third boxes I was able to get the paper around the handle without tearing so I skipped the bias tape.

Currently I’ve got three boxes but have plans for more once my arms are done being sore. The dilemma now has become where do I put them?! They look pretty nice lined up in the closet (second pic), but then I could use them in the bookshelf in the living room (first pic) for toys. One works well under the sink for storing toilet paper too (third pic).

Eventually I would love to make some with covers (and a tie ribbon) for our media stand to house our Wii accessories and games. The ribbon would be to keep the Little Peanut out of the box because she loves to dig through stuff!

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wow where did the week go?! Wednesday came and passed in a blink of an eye. Time sure does pass quickly when you’re not paying attention. Which is the perfect segway into this awesome treasury by fellow HandmadeMN team member SacredSuds. She’s a treasury curator extrodinare, always creating such wonderful collections.

Summer has just arrived but Autumn will be here before you know it! This treasury is dreaming of autumn in MN.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

This weeks edition is for the men! (I know it’s a day late… ) Initially I began looking for items for my hubby but as I added items I realized it was more akin to my TV crush Neal Caffrey then my husband. I admit it,  I got a thing for White Collars Neal Caffrey and my husband doesn’t mind. Matt Bomer himself is easy on the eyes but I just love how he portrays Neal – charming, sexy and sophisticated and not to mention uber smart.

So Neal, these are for you. I imagine you have a gamer side hidden in there somewhere hence the Pac-Man napkin holder which you would probably use for mail because really, with all your riches you’re not going to get your own napkin.

Enjoy and tell me about your own TV crush!

First row: Soft laptop bag, The Henley- denim fedora, SHIMMER – silver/black leather watch

Second row: Sterling silver money clip, LEGO ghost napkin holder, Hand stitched leather wallet

It’s all about babies at i heart faces this week.

I’m so excited to see all the entries because who can resist little baby, (especially newborn) photos? There are already tons of amazing photos that had me swooning. Go now if you haven’t checked them out yet!

This is one of my all time favorites of our Little Peanut. She was only a few hours old and hadn’t even had her first bath yet!

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Ok 4 words, she loves this thing!

Wait, what? The Children’s Museum is free? Not every day but it is on every third Sunday of the month thanks to Target Corp.

There are 4 levels to the museum and many different play areas.  The Little Peanut had so much fun that we’re planning on heading back whenever we can. We had to drag her away from World Works, the water filled “action-packed, hands-on environment that encourages investigating, experimenting, problem-solving, and observing.” She also had so much fun grocery shopping and cooking in Our World, the “unique neighborhood experiences encourage kids to connect, cooperate and communicate.”

An added bonus for us: she took about a 2 hour nap when we got home! If you know our girl then you know that on a good day her naps are just about an hour long.

Some tips:

• Get there early. It can get a little crowded in some areas by lunch time.
• Speaking of lunch time. If you park in the ramp you’ll probably have to make a stop at McDonalds once the kiddo’s get a glimpse of it! It’s going to be crowded there at lunch time too. So either pack some lunch or plan to eat earlier/later then normal to avoid the lunch rush.
• Parking in the ramp is only $3 with validation. Or if you’re lucky enough to get street parking it’s free.
• The museum suggests leaving strollers in the car. It really is a good idea if your kids are able to walk. You’ll be busy chasing them around!

The rainy weather we’ve been getting inspired this weeks theme!

First row: Rainy day gift card, Rainy day umbrella tee, Bad day journal

Second row: Rainy day necklace, i heart rainy days earrings, Rainy day digital illustration