Hello all, Mary Ellen here.

If you have had middle school aged boys around you for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with paper footballs. The boys can be entertained for hours with a paper football and a willing opponent. I must admit there were times when monitoring a study hall before the holidays, when I would relent on my harsh study hall teacher persona and allow the boys to play paper football quietly. Who knew that it could solve a storage dilemma that many of us face? …the dilemma of storing all of those plastic bags that seem to multiply like loaves and fishes. In this link you will find how a quilter/crafter solved her dilemma by folding her bags football style and keeping them in a lovely “clothespin” bag. I think this could be a genius gift idea. Particularly if you would do the folding of the bags for the recipient. If you have a middle schooler around, enlist his help doing all of the folding. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they can make a “football”.  In addition in her sidebar this crafter has some free patterns for other possible holiday gifts. I like her faux boxwood wreath too.  Click here for the tutorial.