More Doggie Stuff

I was going to write a tutorial for the cute, comfy bed I made for Abby's crate, but it ended up being more complicated than I thought it would be.  So let it suffice to say that I made a cute, comfy bed for Abby's crate! 

(She seems to like it, though in this picture she couldn't figure out why I was putting her in her crate in the middle of the afternoon.)

It was totally free because I had all the supplies I needed on hand, which was awesome!  I am totally wanting to paint the outside of her crate to match it now, even if it never goes anywhere outside our bedroom!

I also made her a toy out of scrap duck canvas I had laying around!

And tried out a dog biscuit recipe I found on Pinterest! 

 

She liked them, and I didn't feel too bad if the kids decided to try them.  They didn't like them, and I figured that was a great experience in eating pet food for them, so they won't need to do it again!

Abby does like her little bed still.

Sadly, we have to keep her tethered there when we're not interacting with her directly due to some unresolved house-training issues, and her odd urge to take a chomp out of random stuff like FURNITURE when she's loose.  But we're working on that!

A Home-Sewn No-Thumb-Sucking Glove

The No-Thumb-Sucking Glove!

 

 

Fluffy 1 has been a thumb sucker from the time she was a baby.  We tried to stop it by stuffing Nukkies in her mouth every time we saw her doing it, but she wasn't interested in Nukkies and promptly spit them out.  Her sister was the same way about the Nukkies, and sucked her two middle fingers.  Fortunately, she quit that before she turned two.

 

 

Fast forward six years, and in that time we've tried EVERYTHING.  Fluffy 1 is an EXTREME thumb sucker.  She had two adorable little bunny teeth and a huge callous on her thumb to show for it.  But now we're down to one tooth...

 

 

(Oh yes, my sweet little waif!  Haha!)

 

And it's a much bigger priority to get her to stop sucking that little thumb now that her big teeth are on the way in.  I went searching online yet again.  I remember once seeing a plastic device that prevented thumb sucking.  It cost almost $100, but given the cost of orthodontics, I'm sure it's worth the price.  It was a lucky search, though, because I saw an interesting little glove developed by another parent to help their kids conquer thumb sucking.  They were selling it for a very reasonable price, and I was seconds from pulling out the credit card myself.  Then I stopped and really looked at that glove.  And I had a "well DUH!!!" moment!  I could MAKE one pretty much like it.  And I did while my kids ate lunch.

 

 

 

I referred to the picture for the general shape, but I started by tracing my Little Fluffy's thumb on a piece of paper.

 

 

 

I smoothed out the tracing, added tabs off the wrist for a closure, and added about 1/4" seam allowance around all but the knuckle side of the thumb.  Then I folded the paper in half and cut out the pattern.

 

This awesome material is some scrap that my mom gave me from one of the bathing suits she made me when I wasn't much older than my Fluffies!  Still nice and stretchy all these years later!

 

 

I pinned it out and cut two.

 

 

 

I pinned them wrong sides together and sewed the edges using a zigzag stitch, leaving a 3/4" opening for turning.

 

(Yes, you probably COULD do this on a serger with the wrong sides together and completely skip turning your glove while still achieving a nice edge.  I'm still not fantastic at serging curves on my machine, though, so I went this route.)

 

I then turned the glove right side out and held it on Little Fluffy's hand to see where the thumb curve should end. 

 

 

I put a pin there, just until I had it lined up under my needle, then sewed it with a straight stitch toward the end of the thumb.  I used a zipper foot to keep the stitching as close to the edges as possible.  With the thickness of the two seams and four layers, I did have to wrangle it a little bit to keep it straight and the two edges lined up. 

 

 

 

 

I tried it on Little Fluffy once more to make sure the thumb wasn't too long or two short (which it wasn't, but it's good to check these things!), then carefully topstitched with a zigzag around the rest of the glove, starting at the base of the thumb on one side and finishing at the base of the thumb on the other side. 

 

 

Then I added Velcro. 

 

 

And TAH-DAH!!!

 

I've made two so far (this tutorial is the second time around!), though I would definitely recommend more.  With the bathing suit material it's a good idea to hand wash them and let them air dry, and that takes a little time.

 

I can't honestly say, yet, how well this will work.  The reviews on the website I saw were really good and parents with kids who used theirs reported success, so I'm confident in this working!  But I'll update whenever it does.  Certainly worth a shot, am I right, fellow parents of thumb suckers?

 

***UPDATE***

 

It worked!!!  My little Fluff has been a non-thumb sucker for a good month and a half now!  She quit wearing the gloves over a month ago, and we still can't believe that she's actually STOPPED sucking her thumb!  I am so happy for her and for the fact that this little experiment was successful... and cheap!

A Home-Sewn $3 Dog Bed!

The CHEAP, DIY Dog Bed!

Yep, that's right!  THREE DOLLARS!  We're doing this dog ownership thing on a budget, so keeping it cheap is a priority.  While making a cushion is kind of a no-brainer, I did check Pinterest prior to getting started, and I guarantee this is WAY easier than anything you'll see featured there!

I used two old pillows and a $3 thrifted flat sheet. 

So this is what I did:

I hand sewed the two pillows together like this.  No fancy or pretty stitching because nobody is EVER going to see it.

Abby would NOT get off.  I figured that was a good sign that it was suitable!

Here's my double pillow dog cushion.

But it needed a cover that can be removed and washed, right?  To make the cover I simply plopped the pillows in the very center of the BACK SIDE of that sheet, folded up the ends, and pinned one side.

 

 

I then marked one side where the pillows ended on the unpinned side.  There is a lot of excess there.  Then I removed the pillows and sewed the pinned side together.

I laid the one side sewn sheet back on the floor and smoothed it all out, then measured the length from the seam to the mark on the one corner and marked it on the other side and drew a line across.

 

I went ahead and pinned all the layers together on that line,

 

 

then ran it through the sewing machine.  I cut off the excess, turned it right-side out, and that was it!

It also turns into a nifty little dog sofa under the green desk to conserve space!

So this is officially the thriftiest DIY upcycle project I've ever done.  It took less than an hour from start to finish, and Abby actually sleeps on it.  Not that I can get a picture of her sleeping on it.  You know what they say about letting sleeping dogs lie?  Well, that's especially true of this hyper dog who comes rocketing off it if you get anywhere near while she's napping.

 

Oh, and I made a matching poo-bag holder to hang on the door with her leash. 

Of course I still forget the poo bags when I take her out and have to take an extra up n' down on the stairs to retrieve one, but at least they're handy when I need one, right?

So where have I been?

Well, I'll tell you.  Right here.  Same ol', same ol'.  Except we went without an internet connection for a while.  Which isn't actually a bad thing.  With smart phones, you rarely need a laptop for anything... unless you absolutely MUST print something... or write a blog post.  And since that isn't really a need, nothing really lost, right?

We started another school year last Monday.  We had a three week break this summer, which I totally wish could have been WAY longer, but the down-time seems to make the kids' forget anything I've drilled into their poor little heads, so three weeks is probably about the max time I'll ever be scheduling for a break again!

Here they are looking all cute and shiny on our first day!

They all made their own signs. 

 

 

 

 

 

(I absolutely love/hate that my little guy was able to write his own name for his sign this year.  *sniffle*)

 



We don't actually do any school "work" per se on the first day.  Just make our signs, take pictures, get all our new stuff in our school boxes, and fill out the "About Me" booklets - those are my fav thing about the first day of school!  We started them last year, and it's fun to see what's changed in a year!

Here's our little room the night before we started school!  I still have some stuff that needs laminating, so it will go up when that gets done, but I was pretty excited to get the Sock Monkeys this year.  They're really cute!

As if starting school wasn't enough excitement, we decided to delve back into the world of pet ownership last week.  We've gone back and forth on this for a while, but we've spent the last two years in this apartment.  Life goes on, and our kids are getting older no matter what we hope to do "when we get out of here".  And then this irresistible little darling popped up on Craigslist, so this is another small step toward living the life we hope for someday.

Meet Abby! 

She's an 8 month old miniature boxer with more energy than Little Stinky on sugar.  She's smart and strong-willed, but small enough to be man-handled by myself when necessary, so I'm hoping that things work out better with her that it did with our short-term stint as kitten owners.  We hope to try that again in the near future, too, but one pet at a time.  So far Fuzzy has been the main one in charge of walking her and feeding her, and we think that responsibility will be a really great thing for him.

The Hombre is slamming out playhouses right now, which is always exciting.  He'll have three brand new ones installed by the end of this month, but the most amazing thing he's done maybe EVER is actually sitting in our boys' bedroom right now. 

We still stand in their doorway and gape at it.  The kids think it's the greatest thing ever (and I tend to agree!).

We got it installed the weekend that the kids started their break, so they've had some time to adjust to the novelty, but the girls still like to sleep in the boys' room on the weekends.  You don't have to be loaded to have neat stuff for your kids, just have an incredibly talented playhouse designer/builder for a husband!  When the Hombre tells/shows people what he does in addition to building houses, they often say, "Oh, I bet your kids have something absolutely amazing in your backyard!"  Well, this isn't in the backyard, but at least they do have something amazing now!  We figure we'll get to the girls' in another year or two.

In the three weeks we had off I actually had some time to be all crafty and do some painting.  The kids needed dressers, and IKEA has those great little unfinished wood TROFAST chests.  We bought four, and in two days, I had them all painted. 

 

 

Now the kids each have one and there's a lot less confusion over where clothing is supposed to go, what belongs to who, or where a particular item went.  WIN for everyone!  Including myself, because those three things I just mentioned were enough to make me lose my mind some days!

I'll share my latest paint and crafting adventures later!

No Poo is Good Poo!

I could be the last person on the planet to have tried "No Poo", but I'm going into week three and I really like it.  For anyone still unfamiliar with No Poo, it gets your hair and scalp rebalanced to the point of not having to wash it every day and having it NOT be nasty when you don't wash it every day!  Sound crazy?  Yea, I thought so, too.  My bestie is a hair stylist who sort of introduced me to the idea a couple of years ago.  I tried it and it was awful so I quit, but all this time later, I figured out that I was totally doing it wrong.  There is a right and wrong way to No Poo!!!

I'm hair maintenance illiterate.  I don't get it cut or styled or colored or use anything fancy on it ever, so even the particulars about No Poo were something I didn't have a clue to ask about.  But I came across one of those awesome Pins that made me go, "OK, I've got to give this a try."  It answered questions I didn't even know to ask about No Poo!

So what is No Poo?  Baking Soda - yep, the same Arm and Hammer stuff in the orange box that you may use for deodorizing your fridge or baking - and brown or white vinegar.  You mix them both with water prior to using, but it is simple... and did I mention REALLY CHEAP?!!!  (Magic words, those two!  Ha!)

How does it work?  Well, for starters, it doesn't strip away all the natural oils that your hair is producing, causing your hair to go into hyper drive to produce more, which makes you go, "Ew!  My hair is gross!  I need to wash it!" and you go wash it.... and you see why the companies making shampoo are doing good business.  If you DON'T keep stripping your hair, the oil production slows down and you don't have to wash it a whole lot at all.  I'm No-Pooing my hair every three days, which is HUGE considering I've always thought of my scalp as an oil slick I needed to manage.  The vinegar is used for a rinse after washing with baking soda.  You do rinse it out and your hair does not smell like vinegar! 

The mistakes I made with No Poo the first time around could kind of happen to anyone.  Not that it's complicated, but I had only an idea of how to No Poo and NO CLUE what I was actually doing!  These are things you need to know BEFORE you start:

• Wait four or five days after washing your hair before you start No Poo.  As I mentioned, my scalp was very trained to produce a lot of oil to make up for daily shampooing, so this was a scary first step for me.  To make it less awful, I rinsed my hair really well every time I showered for those five days, and it wasn't so bad.
• Your hair may not be fantastic right away after you start No Poo.  It may feel like straw for a little while because it could still be adjusting.  Mine adjusted pretty quickly (probably sighing with relief!), but I've heard some people say it could take a couple weeks before your hair starts feeling nice.
• Don't No Poo every day!!!  This is where I went so wrong a couple years ago!  Oh my gosh, my hair was like a straw stack!  It was dry and unmanageable and I thought everyone who raved about how great No Poo was must be stark raving nuts, and had never tried the Suave Professionals shampoo and conditioner that even a hair maintenance illiterate can pick up at Walmart!

Here is the Pin that really got me started.  This lady does an EXELLENT job of explaining what to do and how and why it works!  If you can bring yourself to try it, you will be very pleasantly suprised.  :)

Five Years of Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt Dough Ornament

 

Last year was the very last year we made salt dough ornaments.  We have enough now to substantially cover our tree and several hefty garlands.  Little Stinky was finally old enough to add several original pieces of his own last year, so we're retiring that tradition.  However, we've had so much fun with it over the years that I thought I'd share a little bit about it.

Salt dough ornaments are such a great Christmas craft for young kids, and with a little extra love, they can look beautiful on your tree and last for many years.  They make sweet home made gifts for your children to give, too! 

I've seen many varieties of salt dough ornaments, from the "cookie" with a pom-pom mouse that hung on our tree when I was a child to some very posh-looking, stamped, natural finish ornaments that I've pinned on Pinterest.  The version hanging on our tree now is the product of my own brainstorm on how to make an ornament that a 2 year old could paint that would actually look nice.

 

The salt dough itself is actually the easy part, and I recommend it over some of the other doughs suggested for ornaments.  We tried the baking soda and cornstarch dough once, but I was disappointed to discover that it breaks very easily and is water soluble!  That shouldn't be a problem on a Christmas tree, but with kids, you never really know! 

Once you've cut, pierced, and baked your ornaments, it's time to get serious.

I've found that the best way to get really NICE looking ornaments is to give them a "primer" coat of white acrylic paint prior to letting the kids at them. 

This gives them a smoother surface for painting and makes your paint colors appear brighter because they're not being absorbed into the baked ornaments, and even where you can see through them or the kids miss a spot, they look "finished".

Obviously kids LOVE the painting part.  This is one project I allow them to use acrylic paint on.  I just make sure they all put on one of their Daddy's "paint shirts" before they get started because they will invariably end up wearing at least a little of it, and acrylic paint is a nightmare to remove when wet.  You can totally forget it if it's allowed to dry.

It's messy and some of it takes a while to dry, but it manages to come out looking really neat.

 

(Here are some flash-back pics from three years ago!)

The 2 to 4 year old crowd really makes the best ornaments because they aren't trying too hard yet.  I usually give the kids three related colors on a plate and let them at it.  We change out the colors every second ornament or so, so they don't get bored and you can have a variety of colors. 

Once the kids are burned out on painting, you get to pick up and finish off these one-of-a-kind little masterpieces.  It's really a good idea to wait until they're in bed!

Most kids only manage to get the very front of the ornament covered, which is OK.  Grab their paintbrush and use their leftover paint to paint the edges and the back.  I tried to leave their original artwork completely alone.  You'll probably be surprised at how pretty the random paint swirls actually look.  I still wonder at and adore how unique each one is!

When they're dry, I paint the child's name and the year on the back (because I'm sentimental like that!).  Then coat the front with an iridescent or gold glitter paint.  Gold is my fav of the two.  It seems to add a more polished (if such a word can be used to describe a children's craft!) look.

When all the paint has dried completely, take the little beauties outside and give them several coats of clear, high-gloss sealer. 

Then you should have some pretty fantastic, cheap ornaments that will actually last really well.  I store ours in large cookie tins with plenty of padding.  Our oldest ones have survived five years and still look great!  Happy Family Christmas Crafting!