What to do with an empty can:

I was cleaning up after lunch today and went to put away the can of Gatorade my husband had used but found that it was empty.  I rinsed it out and got ready to recycle it when I thought, "Hm, maybe I can recycle it into something useful!" 

If you have young girls at home, you know how messy the "hair" drawer can get.  It spews barrettes, bows and ribbons every time I open it.  It's so overwhelming that I hardly use any of the accessories because I just don't want to take the time to organize them all.

I had a bright idea!  Let's use this old can to make an organizer for our bows!

This would also work for any other organizing need and the great thing about it is that it's free!  You just use the leftover fabric scraps and ribbons you have around your house.

Here's what you need:

1.  Cleaned coffee/Gatorade/large can

2.  Remnant piece of fabric large enough to cover the can

3.  Ribbons/trim to beautify!

4.  Hot glue gun

Step 1:  Cut your fabric with enough leftover to tuck under the bottom and into the top of the can.  I left about 3/4in for the bottom and about 2in for the top (just so I didn't see the can looking right at it).

Step 2:  Wrap and glue the fabric around the can.  It's nice to have a fabric that has a bit of stretch/give so you don't have to be perfectly lined up each time you glue.  I used a light linen I had leftover from this project.  I only glued the beginning edge along the whole height of the can and then the very end the same way.  I didn't glue anything around the top or bottom edges since it will be tucked under/over later.

Step 3:  Pull the bottom edges of fabric over the bottom edge of the can and glue.  Don't worry about trimming all the strings.  You can if you want to, but I like the homemade/rustic look of leaving them.

 
Step 4:  Turn the can over and tuck the top edges of the fabric inside the can and glue.  This can be a little difficult depending on how much fabric you left to tuck in.  Go ahead and trim some off if it's too hard to reach your glue gun inside the can.

Step 5:  Add ribbon and trim however you want!  Since it's almost Springtime, I wanted to use some organic and Springy colors.

Final Product:

 

I clipped some flower clips I made around the top for easy access.  I glued a bit of ric rac around the middle and left portions unglued and away from the can's surface so I can clip barrettes and bobby pins to those instead of digging around inside the can to find them.  I'll probably store combs and bigger things inside the can.

Car Seat Canopies: Done!

I finally dug our infant car seat out of storage so I could make sure I made the canopies to fit.  My kids were very curious about this new car seat, especially my 2 year old since she was the last to be in it and can't remember.

I bought this beautiful fabric at The Village Quilt Shop in Gardener's Village.  They have the most wonderful selection of fabrics but are unfortunately way over my budget (at about $9/yard).  Luckily for me, they have a few clearance bolts and I was able to find all 4 coordinating fabrics for about $4.50/yard.  I bought the accessories (buttons and trims) at Joann's.

I made these so that they're reversible.  The side I have pictured is the main side and just in case it gets dirty and I want to flip it before I have time to wash it, I've sewed straps onto the opposite side.

I used a few different sites to guide me along but mostly eye-balled it.  It's pretty basic so it was nice to not use a pattern.  I used a big glass bowl to round the edges of my fabric so they'd all be even.  Every car seat is different so it's better to use your own as a guide for where to put the straps.

Here's what you need (for just one canopy):

2 1/2 yards coordinating fabric (1 1/4 of each print)
Accent Thread
Buttons, Ric Rac, and ruffle are optional

For Twin A

For Twin B