A Pinterst Summer: T-shirt Bags

Confession:  I have the hardest time blogging in the summer errr . . . anytime the kids are home.

It's true.  I also am not accomplishing anything on MY summer to-do list.  That probably sounds so selfish of me.  But, it's true.  I had big plans to finish some things, catch up on some things, and start a few things.  Oh, at the beginning of the summer, my hopes were high.

Obviously, that didn't happen.  And, you know what? It's not really a bad thing.  I have spent some wonderful time with my boys, gone on an amazing adventure, swam, made Popsicles,  read some books, and consumed crazy amounts of coffee.  I wouldn't trade any of it for a thing.  I am actually kind of sad that the summer will be ending soon.  I really enjoy the slower pace that summer brings (minus triple digit temps, summer is wonderful!).

In one week, these boys head back to school as third and first graders.  Soccer will start and our life will soon become busier.  So, I have embraced our summer.  I may only be blogging our Pinterest Summer Challenge this summer, but it has inspired us in so many ways!  I can't wait to share what else we have done as the summer continues (just because the kids are back in school, doesn't mean the posts will end. . . I plan on posting through the end of the month!).

So, today, I have hidden myself in my messy office that has been taken over by summer fun, and school supplies and am sitting here drinking my coffee and writing about a new Pinterst Challenge Activity.  This one, has been on our list for awhile.  I have been hoarding some old t-shirts of Jon's and the kids thought it was way cool to take scissors to daddy's shirts!

This week's Summer Pinterest Challenge is T-shirt bags.  You can find so many tutorials on the world wide web for this activity. There are even videos that come across your Facebook feed every now and then for t-shirt bags!  This was a fun activity, but we learned a few things as went.  So, here's our experience.

We followed the directions and trimmed our shirts by cutting off the sleeves, neck, and hem line on the bottom.  Then, we flipped it inside out and cut slits a few inches up on the bottom.  Easy Peasy.

From there, we started to tie the slits in knots.  We started this project in the afternoon one day, and within 5 minutes of knotting, both boys were done.  I realized that this project would be better in the morning when these early birds are at their best.  So, we stopped for the day and tried again the next morning.  Much better!

We looked at several different blog post tutorials to find out the best method, and most were the same.  But, we went with the ones that had us do two rows of knots.  We liked the extra security that came with the more knots.  

Ethan did a great job with this one but Weston, who hasn't quite mastered the art of tying his shoes had a really hard time doing the knots, so I ended up doing his for him.  So, this project is probably better for your older kids. . . not the littlest ones. 

Ta-da.  T-shirt bags!  Aren't they the coolest! 

 Weston loves his Batman bag!  We thought that these would be great library book bags, but when I put books in them, they hung funny and heavy.  They were also awkward to carry with a bunch of picture books inside.

We didn't want them to go to waste, so we experimented on ways we could use these bags and found they were perfect for summer gear!  They look great with a beach towel, sun screen, beach toys, etc.  I definitely think these will be used for water fun days for the rest of the summer!

This was a really fun activity that doesn't take a lot of supplies and a great way to recycle an old shirt.  It was definitely more suited for your older kids. . . I would say 8 and up.  Weston loves his bag, but I basically did it all, he sat and watched.  

What are you working on this week?

Also, have you made a bag or done your own Pinterest challenge?  Post to instagram and use the hashtag. . .