What would be a better way to finish my back to school week, but to talk about some great bags by My Mishion?  It is Fashion Friday after all so for back to school week we’ll talk about much needed bags… for mom.  Every mom needs a new bag and what better reason but the kids are going back to school.

I own three My Mishion bags.  That’s how much I love Mishelle’s purses.  I was introduced to her at my son’s fundraiser.  I actually wore one of her bags all over the fundraiser deciding whether to buy it or not.  I opted not to.  Big mistake.  I never stopped thinking about that bag.

I had to go on my trip to New York for the BlogHer conference last month, and realized I needed a chic bag to carry everything while at the conference.  I looked high and low.  Every bag I found just wasn’t it.  Then I remembered the bag that haunts my thoughts.  I went to Mishelle’s site My Mishion and began perusing the vast amount of choices in purses.  Once I realized she had more pictures on Shutterfly I ventured over there only to be even more confused as to which bag to get.

I settled on the Sienna Bag in Mustard.  When it arrived to my house I quickly realized it was too small for my needs, but beautiful nonetheless.  I didn’t want to break up with the bag.  I quickly e-mailed Mishelle, she was so kind and told me how she was at a nearby Artist Market every Saturday.  I  made plans with my mom and we went over there.  She mentioned in her e-mail back to me that the mustard bag I got was the LAST one she had.  Ugh I had to keep it now.  My co-worker offered to buy it from me the next day, but I couldn’t let my new baby go.

When I arrived at the Artist Market I lovingly sifted through her wonderful bags.  She had even brought some I had seen on the site so that I could decide on which one would work best for my trip.  Then my mom found my bag at the end of the rack.  We both saw it and knew it was the one.

inside of the bag

After I settled on My Mishion bag number two I spotted the Layered Bag in Kelly Green.  I had to have that one too.  You see the disease had began.  My obsession with Mishelle’s bags was fierce, and I couldn’t be stopped.

inside the bag

She was so wonderful to work with and so patient with me.  She even took PayPal while I was standing there.  I got on my Droid phone and went to the PayPal site and sent her money while standing next to her.  I mean can it get any better then that?  Then to add more to her fabulousness she told me that she had read my blog and thought I was a fantastic writer.  So she has gorgeous bags and is super sweet.

Now for some unbelievable details…All of the My Mishion bags are made with man made materials.  Mishelle is committed to keeping her bags eco-friendly.

Lastly, and most important: Most of her bags are $50 and under.  No I am not missing any zeros.  I cannot believe the quality of these bags for such a wonderful affordable price.

Now it’s time for you to buy your back to school bag for your new schedule.  It can’t be easy taking those kids to school with an old bag.

You can keep up with all of the latest from My Mishion bags by “like”ing the My Mishion Facebook page.

Want to win the beautiful My Mishion bag seen below?  Well you can by entering this giveaway.

To enter simply leave a comment to this post telling me about your favorite purse on the My Mishion site.

You can get additional entries for doing one or all of the following.  Just be sure to leave a comment for each one you do.

-Follow Fashionably Organized on Twitter

-Follow My Mishion on Twitter

-subscribe to the Fashionably Organized RSS Feed by clicking on the icon in the sidebar on the right

-Follow Fashionably Organized through Google Friend Connect in the sidebar on the right

-Tweet about this giveaway by hitting the retweet button on the upper right hand corner of this post (you may do this as many times as you would like).

I wanted to make some easily accessible containers for my kids to have their various art supplies in.  I went to Home Depot and bought quart size paint cans in order to paint them.  Doesn’t that sound weird?  Buying paint cans to paint them.  Sorry back to my project…I got lime green spray paint and tintable chalkboard paint in deep teal.

It starts with spray paint.  I chose a very vibrant lime green.

After 2 coats of spray paint and 24 hours I used painters tape to make a 1″ band around the paint can in the middle.

Once that was done I opened and stirred my tintable chalkboard paint in deep teal.  (Sorry for my foot in the pics.)

The instructions say that you may need 3 coats of it.  I decided after reading that I would put the 3 coats because the green is quite vibrant and I’ll need to cover it well.  I would say that if I didn’t have such a vibrant color underneath I would have been able to do 2 coats.

In the end when I peeled off of the painters tape it wasn’t perfect, but it has a rustic look to it.

When I showed the boys their new art storage cans they were so excited.  It was so cute watching them scramble to figure out what to put in each of them.  We spent about 15 mins deciding, and in the end not only was I pleased but they were too.  The great thing about the chalkboard stripe is that we can change what is in each can and re-label them easily.

Maybe these will inspire them to keep their supplies where they belong.  A mom can dream right?

Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday” blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy’s Closet!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!

If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:

Follow ALL of the Hostesses

If you’re a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

If you are already a follower let us know so you can be entered in the blog spotlight.

1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)
2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy’s Closet. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.
3. Start to follow as many blogs as you would like. (Make sure you leave a comment so they can follow you back and tell them where you are from!) When you receive a comment from a new follower, return the favor & follow

This week for Buzz on By Thursday we are giving away A HALLOWEEN Printable Party Package from The Two Savvy Sisters and 3 adorable HALLOWEEN hair bows from Emmy’s Closet. The comments from both Fashionably Organized, Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy’s Closet will be tallied and a winner will be picked at random via random.org.

The BUZZ about our Blog Hop doesn’t end there, you can get more entries by doing 1 or all of the following below.  Make sure to leave comments for everything you do:

- Subscribe to the RSS feed of Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters and Emmy’s Closet

- Follow Fashionably Organized (@FashOrganized), The Two Savvy Sisters (@Twosavvysisters) and Emmy’s Closet (@emmyscloset) on Twitter.

- Like Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters and Emmy’s Closet on Facebook.

- Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and make sure to post the button on the left hand side of this blog within your post. When you leave a comment, be sure to add a link to your post.

- Post the Buzz on By Thursday button from Fashionably Organized (in the footer), The Two Savvy Sisters and Emmy’s Closet on your blog.

Would you like to sponsor Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.

Welcome to Wednesday DIY Organization & More back-to-school style.  Here are some great projects that will inspire you to get into the back-to-school spirit.

I remember when I started junior high how excited I was to get a locker.  I couldn’t wait for the assignment of my locker that first day.  I had already bought the magnetic mirror for the inside of the door.  I found this Felt Locker Caddy tutorial by Nikol Lohr on Craft[zine] website and wished I was heading back to junior high.  I was wishing that I could have had something so cool and cute to put up in my locker.  The best part of this little caddy is that it doesn’t have to be for your locker, like Nikol says it can be for the side of a file cabinet too.

I stumbled upon Lunch Mats by Regina of Creative Kismet I was amazed at the cuteness of such a simple idea. Regina gives a wonderful tutorial to make these wonderful mats.  I suddenly had visions of my friends who have toddlers at home using this fabulous mats to serve them their lunches.  Or how about sending your preschooler off to for his/her first day with his/her lunch warapped in this wonderful mat?  It’s so cute I suddenly think I may have to make them for my kids for the dinner table.

When I saw the Paper-Bag Book Cover tutorial I couldn’t help but actually laugh out loud.  Not LOL, but actually out loud.  It was such a blast from my past.  I suddenly wondered if kids are still required to cover their textbooks for school.  I know they sell those fancy shmancy ones, but does anyone actually cover their books with a brown paper bag the way I did?  I had to post this tutorial just in case anyone needed to know about how I used to cover my books.

Are you making any great projects for your kids return to school?  If you are share them with us, or better yet leave a link in the comments.

Thanks to Candice for letting me hang out over here for the day. I promise I put everything back where it went. For more parenting solutions, head over to Domestically Challenged. Have a parenting question you want answered? Email me at questions@dctheblog.com. Thanks!

The Importance of School Routines

By now, you have either shipped your kids off to school or are getting ready to. Despite how they may feel about it, I’m sure you are thrilled. Gone are the lazy days of summer – now it’s time to get back to business.

One of the most important things to consider when your kids go back to school is their daily routine. Establishing routines make life easier. It helps kids know what is expected of them and when and it helps you as the family manager keep everyone on track.

So where do you start?

The first thing you have to do is think about your situation. Are you getting kids to school then going to work? Do you have a toddler to take into consideration? All of these outside factors influence your routines.

There are three basic routines you need to establish:

• Morning
• After School
• Bedtime

Morning Routine

I don’t know about you, but I am NOT a morning person. This makes my morning routine even more critical. If I am rushed and cranky, my kids will duplicate this behavior times 100. To establish your morning routine, you need to look at your specific situation. Do you leave for work? Get a toddler ready too? Any of these factors will impact how you run your morning.

Here’s a few tips to help you establish a routine:

~Get up earlier. Yes, I did just say that I am not a morning person. However, I have found that if I get up and get ready before my kids, I can then worry about managing them (which usually involves refereeing a fight of some sort) instead of worrying about them and worrying about getting myself ready.

~What can you streamline? To make your morning less chaotic, do *anything* that can be done the night before. Get it out of the way and finished before you even go to bed. Lunches can be made, backpacks can be packed, outfits can be selected – all of this will save you time in the morning. This isn’t just for the kids – get as much done for yourself too.

~Don’t cut it close. If you want to make your morning more stressful, just try to do everything at the last minute. Instead, leave yourself a little wiggle room (anywhere from 5-15 minutes, depending on the disasters you might face) and then don’t rush.

After School

After school is a busy time – there’s homework to be done, dinner to be made, sports practices to go to. Having a routine here will make it easier to get through the afternoon grind with as little damage as possible.

To establish an after school routine:

~Determine when homework will be done. For most kids, right after school is the best option. Reading can be done before bed, but the best plan is to get the homework done first, then get to the play time.

~Plan dinner ahead of time. This will prevent the “What’s for dinner” game, which in my house seems to lead to take out.

~Are the kids doing too much? If you and your child are running around every night after school, you need to take a serious look at their schedule. Remember, kids are supposed to be kids. If you need a planner just for their activities, you may be a little too busy. Minimize the activities and spend the time as a family.

Bedtime

Bed time routines are pretty common for babies, but it seems that we have a tendency to move away from them when kids get older. Older kids need this too!

Here’s a few key points to remember:

~Have an appropriate bedtime. many kids do not get enough sleep. Make sure you are sending kids to bed at a reasonable time.

~Have them read. Reading at night is a great way for kids of all ages to unwind. Sit in their rooms with them or make a special place for the kids to read (my kids LOVE reading in my bed). Establish the ground rules (no talking) and let them calm their brains down a bit before bed.

~Prep for the next day. Make sure backpacks are packed, clothes are picked out and lunches are made. I may have already said this, but it will make your mornings go a lot smoother.

Even though it may take some work to get everyone trained, being that you are a mom you should be used to this. Taking the time to establish a routine will make everyone’s life easier. Take some time every few weeks to assess the routine and determine if any tweaking is necessary. The biggest question is does it work for you and your family? This is all that matters when it’s all said and done.

Thanks again to Candice for letting me park over here for the day. For more solutions for the domestically challenged, head on over to www.DCTheBlog.com. If you have a parenting question you want answered, please email me at questions@dctheblog.com. We now return you to your regularly organized blog host.

My kids go back to school next Tuesday.  I know many of you already have kids in school, but I decided that I would do a Back-To-School week on Fashionably Organized.  Welcome! 

Today’s post will be a list of items you should have on hand to create a homework station.  There are many containers you can use and I’ll give you some suggestions, but in general if your child is elementary school age as mine are, it’s important to make it easy for them to complete their homework by having supplies ready for them to complete their homework easily.

Most of you had to buy school supplies for your child, but I know a lot of schools now make those supplies classrom community.  What happens when your child comes home to do their homework?  Do you want them to be scrambling around looking for supplies they may need?  It’s harder on you and them.  If you have the supplies all in one place or better yet you have them in one container they can grab it and begin their homework.

My suggestions for containers are as follows: a paint bucket (stay tuned tomorrow for a how to make this simple craft work for homework).  My favorite is a Stuff Bucket.  Staples is having a sale on plastic containers in different sizes I got one that is long enough for the ruler.  Another simple one is just to buy an extra pencil case. 

I’ll admit I’m using all of the above, but that’s because I love the office products so I’m a little bit much.  Do not feel you must follow my lead.

Here’s my list of homework essentials:

crayons

pencils

ruler

erasers

markers

scissors

glue

tape

pens – for the older children, I do suggest 1 for the younger kids in case you need to sign any paperwork to go back to school

Paper – I have 2 kinds: plain computer paper for drawings and the special lined paper for the early years, but if the kids are older using notebook paper I would have that available.  I put the loose paper not in a pad in a folder.

What was I missing?  What would you add to help make doing homework easy?

TGIF everyone!  Every Friday I will be doing a review of a beauty or accessory item.  Accessory being: jewelry, purse or of course shoes.  Fashionable items are something I love just as much as organizing, so I thought hey why not share that too, so here we go…

I am a huge eye cream skeptic.  I use them and then get over them within a week.  I don’t ever see much of a difference so I “forget” to keep applying them.

I started using Elizabeth Grant’s The Socializer figuring I’d get over it soon too.  There are two tubes: one for the day and one for the night.  They go on like a lip gloss with a brush.  One tube is for day and one is for night.

The AM tube of The Socializer Bright Lights reduces puffiness, hydrates and reduces dark circles.  The reduction of dark circles got my attention right away.  Unfortunately, I was blessed with genetically enhanced dark under eye circles.  My favorite line on the PM tube is The Socializer Late Nights “It’s your too-much-fun-too-little-sleep remedy.”  Come on who doesn’t want to own an eye cream that promises that?

I was actually told recently by a very good make-up expert that dark circles are lack of moisture.  It is at this point that I realize I have to start using eye cream.   Enter The Socializer

For the first time in the world of eye cream I actually continue to put it on everyday for longer then a week or two.  The other day I realized it quickly became part of my beauty regime with no conscious effort.  My dark circles have really lightened up and I love the way it feels.  I may be delusional but I think my little crow’s feet lines are a bit smaller.  It has to be the Ulva Lactuca an algae that helps improve elasticity.

Although, my already cumbersome beauty routine has an added step I’m really happy that The Socializer feels likes it’s been a part of my routine for ages.

If you were a X-Files watcher (yes I’m outing myself) you’ll remember that at the end a little kids voice said “I Made This”.  It was for the production company like “sit Uboo sit” after Family Ties.  Again, aging myself.  If you have no idea what the Family Ties reference is you are very young.  Now you know why I named this “I Made This” and will be doing that with all of my own craft projects.  Sorry to have bored you.  Now for the regularly scheduled program…

A friend of mine had a baby boy and I decided I wanted to embroider her a onesie.  There are a lot of patterns for girls but fun patterns for boys are hard to come by.  I didn’t want the typical sports etc.  I went to the hand embroidery guru Sublime Stitching and of course found a great pattern.  I chose Monkey Love and went from there.

My stitches were: back stitch, stem stitch, split stitch, satin stitch and knot stitch

My latest article:  Second Generation Working Mom on SmartlyLA

Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday” blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized and The The Two Savvy Sisters!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!

If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:

Follow ALL of the Hostesses

If you’re a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

If you are already a follower let us know so you can be entered in the blog spotlight.

1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)
2. Follow Fashionably Organized and The Two Savvy Sisters. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.
3. Start to follow as many blogs as you would like. (Make sure you leave a comment so they can follow you back and tell them where you are from!) When you receive a comment from a new follower, return the favor & follow

The BUZZ about our Blog Hop:

- Subscribe to the RSS feed of Fashionably Organized and The Two Savvy Sisters

- Follow Fashionably Organized (@FashOrganized) and The Two Savvy Sisters (@Twosavvysisters) on Twitter.

- Like Fashionably Organized and The Two Savvy Sisters on Facebook.

- Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and make sure to post the button on the left hand side of this blog within your post. When you leave a comment, be sure to add a link to your post.

- Post the button from Fashionably Organized and The Two Savvy Sisters on your blog.

Would you like to sponsor Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.