Thursday, March 25, 2010

DIY Wednesday: Travel Wipes Case

Hi There,

I have another baby related project for you expecting mothers out there. I jazzed up a plastic wipes case with a bit of scrap fabric and ribbon. This is a no sew project, so all you need is a hot glue gun. Click here for a printable PDF tutorial of the project.



Supplies:



  • Fabric (I grabbed some scrap fabric I had sitting around and just eyeballed it when cutting it to fit the plastic wipes container I found) You can either cut the fabric so you have two pieces (top and a bottom piece) or cut the fabric so you have on piece for the entire case. I would suggest cutting one piece if you have enough fabric. The results are much cleaner and process is easier.

  • Ribbon or Braided Edging (This is to finish the edges and keep the fabric from fraying. The braided edging adds a more finished edge, but I didn't want to buy more supplies)

  • Plastic Travel Wipes Case (I got a Huggies one from the diaper section for 2$)

  • Hot Glue Gun & Sticks (around 5$ at your local retailer)

Directions:

Step One: Hot Glue Case



If you get the same case as me, the top has a pop top to pull out wipes. Since you're covering that part up, you don't want it to pop open under the fabric once you've finished covering the case. I simply took hot glue and sealed up the top.

Step Two: Stretch the Fabric Over the Plastic



I did two travel cases two different ways. With this pink fabric, I had two pieces of fabric: one for the top and one for the bottom. I did it this way because I barely had any fabric to use for the project.

The second case with the dots, I did one piece of fabric for the entire case. I would suggest this. Regardless of the method you choose, you need to stretch the fabric over the plastic case and attach with hot glue.

When stretching fabric for something like this or even if you decide to recover a chair cushion, the method is the same. You need to start in the middle and work your way out. So, first attach the fabric in the middle on each of the four sides. Then slowly work your way out. The corners will be the last part. I just folded them over neatly and secured with hot glue. Be careful with the hot glue...it's such a little space for you to stretch, you can burn yourself easily. (I had a nice blister on my finger to prove that!)

I would also make sure that none of your fabric (or ribbon) goes over the lip of the case. Otherwise, you're going to have difficulty closing the case, and might have fabric that fringes. If it does go over the lip, take some small scissors and cut away the excess fabric before moving on to the next step.



Step Three: Attach the Ribbon



To attach ribbon, you will want to start at the place the case folds. Get as far into the crevice as you can to avoid fringing and showing the unfinished edge. I started out with this aqua ribbon, but it turned out to be too wide. You'll want a ribbon that is narrow enough to fit under the lip of the case, but isn't sticking out too far from the bottom. I moved to a small ribbon that was about a 1/4 of an inch wide. Slowly attach the ribbon to the case using hot glue. Work your way around the case.

Step Four: You're done!



You have a nice reusable wipes case for your diaper bag! The project took me about two hours total (but goes much quicker when you know what you're doing).



Back of dots case. As you can see, if you use one piece of fabric, you get a more finished back.




Share:

Thursday, March 18, 2010

DIY Wednesday: Travel Changing Pad

Hello There,

Time for another baby related project. I'll try to find a fun project that isn't baby related for next week's DIY Wednesday!

I made a couple of travel changing pads to throw in a diaper bag or to keep downstairs away from the changing table. Click here for a printable PDF tutorial.



Supplies:

Fabric (Outside fabric should be a fun fabric; Inside fabric should be something soft and/or easily cleaned)

Ribbon (For tie)

Optional: Binding, Pretty Edging, Piping (If you want to jazz up the edges, be creative!)

Directions:

Step One: Cut Your Fabric

Cut your two pieces of fabric with these dimensions: 10.5 x 8.5 (My traveling pad is not cut to these dimensions for the simple fact I was using scrap fabric. These are the ‘proper’ dimensions allowing a ¼ inch seam allowance)

If you use a soft fabric like I did with my changing pad, keep in mind it’s slippery. You might want to pin the two layers together (right sides together) and then cut with your rotary cutter & cutting mat.

Step Two: Pin Those Suckers Together



If you haven’t already, pin the two fabrics together with right sides together.

You will also want to pin the ribbon in at this point. Take a piece of ribbon about 12 inches long, fold it in half and place it between the two layers. You’ll want to place it at about the middle. Leave an inch or so sticking out and pin it into place to keep it from slipping.



Step Three: Ladies, Start Your Sewing Machine

Start sewing around the fabric a ¼ of an inch from the edge. Leave a 2 inch opening on the opposite side of the edge that has the ribbon attached (this is where you’ll be pulling the fabric through). Back stitch over the ribbon a couple of times to make sure it’s nice and secure.

Step Four: Topsy-Turvy (Turn the Fabric Inside Out)

Now you need to pull the right sides through the opening you left. Use something to poke the edges to make sure they are pushed all the way out (I like to use a pencil personally). Iron the entire changing pad to make sure the edges are pushed all the way out. Also, make sure you have enough fabric folding in at your opening in order to close up the hole in the next step.

Step Five: Finish Those Edges

The final step is to sew a pretty stitch (meaning you can either use a straight stitch or maybe get creative and use something more decorative) at about ¼ of an inch from the edge. If you want a more “polished” look, you could also add binding to the outside edge of the changing pad.

And ta-da, a hip new changing pad!







Share:

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Idea Thief: Fab Dining Room

Hello There,

I actually know where I'm going to live come August. I am pretty excited to actually have found a home to rent while my husband is working on his veterinary degree. The house is a older home that has been restored by the current owners (and looks fab!). They are very pet friendly, so we don't have to worry about the pups. (and finally, a fenced in backyard! I'm so excited to not have to sit there and watch the dogs when we let them out!)

Anyways, the new home is larger than our current home. (yippeeeee) Which means my focus has changed from "What can I do to improve this house" to "Is this going to fit into the decor of the new house?" I've already started plotting how to decorate the new home. The owners seemed okay with us repainting (we'll have to double check before we purchase paint) We currently have a gray living room and I'm IN love with the color. So I have to use it in the new house!

So, I'm thinking that our new dining room is going to have the gray treatment. I haven't had a dining room in our current home, so now I get to decorate a room with new table and chairs. I'm going to have to wait to find something when we move there (no point finding something now, storing it and moving it)...but I think I need to still figure out what I want. The room has white trim (which I love), but is currently quite red. I don't mind red but it's just not my style (however, the brown living room is quite my style and I love it! I won't be changing that and it's going to match my current chair and couch perfectly).

So, I was thinking something along these lines...a dark wood is a new thing for me. I'm usually either about painted white wood or light wood. So it would be a change to venture into the dark wood world. However, against light walls, it usually looks modern and mature. So, maybe it's about that time. I am having a kid so it's probably time to grow up.

I found this picture at Decorpad. I think it works...gray, white trim and modern. My favorite things!



Or something like this from House & Home.



So excited to get into the house and get some stuff done!

Share:

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Idea Thief: Spring Garland

Hi There!

Here is another fun project I might try if I was going to throw a party. It's a fun spring garland that can be hung around the house.

Visit Feels Like Home for a tutorial!




Share:

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Idea Thief: Slide Curtains

Hello!

So those of you who know me, know I love photography. Loves it! These curtains are absolutely fantastic! I'm officially on the hunt for slides after seeing this!

Visit Craftster for Tutorial!




Share:

Idea Thief: Butterfly Mobile

Hello There,

I ran across this project while going through One Pretty Thing. This project looks freakin' fantastic; however, it might be too much work for me to attempt. But then again I kinda just want to do it for my own room it's that fabulous.

Visit Missie Krissie for the Tutorial!






Share:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig