Big rug in the kitchen

I have been on the hunt for a new kitchen rug. The one we had before (a $4 Lowes clearance find) was fine, but I wanted something a bit larger than the standard 2'x3' in front of the sink.

After shopping around online, I took a trip to Home Goods. I didn't have a lot of hope of finding anything because I've walked out of Home Goods empty-handed more times than not. But luck must have been on my side; I went in for a rug and I found a rug! And for $50 (!), which is a pretty good price for a 4'x6' wool rug. Everything else I saw online was at least twice as much for the same size.

I know decorating details such as this are better saved for the end of the project when all the pieces are in place, but there are enough colors in the stripes that I don't think it will be a problem.

Plus it has a grippy rubber backing like a bathmat so I'm not straightening it multiple times a day like the old one after it gets kicked or after this happens:

She had an undying love for the old rug. I hope she'll forgive me for replacing it.

Coin purses: Cute gift card packaging

Sometimes giving gift cards can seem a little empty, but there are certain situations where they really are the best option. I wanted to give Elise's teachers gift cards for Christmas, so I decided to personalize the gift a bit by making some coin purses (similar to those I made for Elise's birthday party).

I used the same black and white striped fabric I used on my recent baby quilt and some pink cross-hatch fabric for the lining.

I had zippers on hand from my last go-around with coin purses and all the fabric as well, so these cost nothing to make. I think they'd price out between $1 and $2 each if you had to buy all the materials.

These really are so simple to make. I made them assembly-line style, but they probably only took around 20 minutes a piece. (Same as last time, I generally followed this tutorial at Noodlehead.) I even made an extra for myself!