Those Greathouse Women *** Michigan

How well I remember the many long car trips with my three children when they were small. My son, born in 1964, was only 22 months older than my first daughter and daughter number three came along 16 months later. Needless to say, I had to be very innovative, finding ways to keep them occupied and reasonably quiet so my (then) husband could drive without distraction. Like many parents, we made the empty threats; “If you don’t settle down right now I’m going to pull this car over!” and “Stop it this minute or we will turn around and go home!” Those trips came lovingly to mind when I was browsing Etsy shops and saw these cute and clever I Spy Bags made by Jaime Greathouse. (Click on the photos to enlarge)

Each bag is filled with 45 different tiny treasures. A complete list of the items is printed on fabric and securely sewn on the back of the bag so the kids will keep searching until they find every one. That would have kept my little darlings occupied for awhile!

Jaime started making I Spy Bags about 5 months ago, after seeing one at a friends house. She needed something to keep her 3 kids (all under age 4) occupied during long car rides to visit family (some things never change, do they?). She was sure the bags were something she could not only make but improve upon, and she knew her children would love them.

The bags are made with fleece, because it doesn't fray, unravel or snag, and the windows are cut from heavy, 20 gauge clear plastic. Seams are double (and sometimes triple) stitched and glued with fabric glue. Loose threads are knotted and spotted with fray check. The treasures are hidden in plastic pellets. (For complete details, visit Jaime's Etsy shop.)

As it turned out, Jaime didn’t stop at designing and creating I Spy Bags just for her kids…in addition to selling them in her Etsy shop, she has several wholesale accounts.

Jaime writes a blog, which she updates regularly, and is working on a website which she hopes to have open by the end of July because (can you believe this, after only 5 months?) her I Spy Bags will be featured in an upcoming issue of “Real Simple” magazine in mid- August! Impressive, to say the least.

Not wanting to limit herself, Jaime is constantly changing and creating new things. She told me she has “many passions to explore” including jewelry making, paper art, textile art and photography.

Jaime’s Etsy shop, The Greathouse Women, was named for her and her mother who has recently opened her own Etsy shop called GreathouseHardware. There is no holding back those Greathouse women !!