Mia's recycled jean bag

I get so excited when I have the opportunity to do crafts with my nephews and nieces. On this recent trip to CA, I brought this fun book to use with them:

I bought the Family Fun Crafts book at Borders for just a few dollars--and so far, has been worth every cent! When I arrived at my sister's place, I pulled it out to show Mia. I told her to pick something out for us to do. Her eyes lit up as she and younger brother, Jaden, leafed through the pages. She chose to make a jean bag using an old pair of her jean shorts and a t-shirt from her mom.

The first thing we did was cut the bottom of the jeans to make the bottom even. We turned the shorts inside out then took turns hand-stitching the bottom closed. My mom has been teaching Mia to sew, so this was a fun way for her to practice! 

The book says to use a cloth belt to make handles, but we came up with another way to do this. We cut strips of fabric from her mom's t-shirt, then braided them to make one long handle. Then, I cut small holes on the sides of the bag, placed the ends through them, then knotted them.

Mia enjoyed using craft paint to make fun designs on her bag. 

We had to let each side dry before she could use it. It was very hard for her to wait!

It was Mia's idea to make just one handle long enough for her to wear it this way. As the next couple days passed, she began filling her bag with her favorite things.

Here you can see the handle poking through to the outside of the bag--so cute! I am glad that the pockets were left in tact and are just perfect for those little things Mia wants to tote around.

Next up...more fun with Mia, Jaden and Eli!