MY D.I.Y. BARGAIN PUPPY BED

Last weekend we got a new addition to our family - Patches the Blue Heeler pup! Isn't he cute?!

I really wanted him to have a doggy bed, because once he is big enough (and the weather is warm enough) he will be living outside in his awesome kennel with full run of the yard. I thought a nice, comfy spot in the sun  on the deck would be great. But even at The Warehouse, a decent dog bed (with a hard case and pillow) runs you up to about $100! Not really something I could justify. So off to the Recycle Centre I went and came back with the following haul!

Cane Dog Basket: $2

Blue and White check baby blanket: $2

White Sheet: $4

Duvet Inner: $4

TOTAL: $12

Yesterday I set to putting it all together - making the pillow to put inside the cane bed.

There was some cardboard lining the bottom of the bed which came in handy for measuring the fabric.

I laid the baby blanket on top of a single layer of the sheet. I figured that if the cardboard template was the size of the bottom I would allow an extra 12cm for cutting, which should be enough for the seam, and still fill the bed nicely once all the padding is added. I also cut 8 strips of the baby blanket to make ties to hold the pillow in place (as Patches loves chewing and I figure he'll drag it out of the bed otherwise!) 

Once cut, I then peeled back the top layer, placing two strips at a time down on top of each other to make my ties - pointing inwards. I sewed the whole thing up, doing a double row of straight stitching for strength, and then zig-zagging the edges, leaving a 20cm-ish gap to put the stuffing in. Turning it in the right way - I now had the oval shape with the ties sticking out, gap to the back.

Now my preference at this stage was to just stuff the duvet inner inside and sew it up. Done and dusted! But my wise husband came in at the point and made two suggestions/observations.

1. What if the puppy wees all over it - can you wash it?

2. Wouldn't it be better to layer the duvet up then cut it to fit rather than stuff it in?

Both were pretty good observations and that bought about the unexpected second phase of the project - the doggy pillow. This way, I can wash the cover without having to get the filling wet, and if I need to wash the pillow, it will probably dry faster if the filling is laid out nicely.

To make the pillow I laid the inside-out cover out on top of two layers of the white sheet and traced around it with a soft pencil. I then cut it up, and sewed it - leaving about a 15cm gap to put the stuffing through. I then folded it in the right way, laid it on top of the duvet (folded into four layers), and set about cutting around the case.

Once I did that, I stuffed the filling inside then smoothed it all out so it fitted nicely. I figured that seeing as my filling had structure (rather than loose filling), I had better do something to hold it in place, so I put four pin tucks (not sure if that's the correct terminology...) I then hand sewed the hole shut - and viola! One doggy pillow all ready for the case.

For the cover I decided to keep it simple and make a dome fastened opening so that I can remove the pillow when needed. And then it was all done! I put it into the bed, pulled the tabs through the cane and knotted them off, tucking the ends back through to avoid tempting sharp puppy teeth!

So the final test... does it get Patches' seal of approval?

I think so! And he's already trying to pry the pillow of there so those ties were a handy addition.

If you want to make a puppy pillow at home, you will need:

A sewing machine

Polar Fleece Fabric (I would have done both sides in the fleece, but seeing as I was using second hand items went with what I could find)

White fabric (an old sheet is perfect for the pillow case)

Some sort of stuffing - you could empty old pillows or buy it new, or use a second hand duvet inner like me

Some domes (or a zip if you prefer)

A hard bed (if you can find one, however the pillow on its own would still be fine - especially for an inside dog)

About 2-3 hours

If you are not the sewing type - then I also found a great tutorial for a no-sew doggy bed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uVOKTo7iVcU 

Mx

SHOPPING LISTS MADE EASY

Hello! I have been so slack with posting anything lately, things around here have become a bit mundane (work, cook, eat, sleep - you know the drill)  and I haven't been very creative at all!

I went to a friend's house on Tuesday night and she had such a cool shopping list on her fridge! It was a pad with tear off pages that each had a list of all sorts of different grocery items with check boxes beside them - the idea being that when you run out of something you check the box, and then tear that sheet off at the end of the week to do your shopping!

I thought I would create one of my own, a bit more personalised to all the things that I buy - so have a look, and perhaps you could make one for yourself, or you can download mine HERE.

Mx

EASY PEASY, MINIMUM SEW CUSHION COVER TUTORIAL

So last week we moved into our AMAZING new home. We are very blessed to have been able to find this house, and it is now all unpacked and lovely and I have almost finished setting up :) 

I was however, a little disappointed when I went to make the bed in our spare room because I had forgotten that my white waffle knit duvet cover was only a double, and did not fit the queen sized bed! We had recently purchased this granite duvet cover as a spare so it went on instead. (You can see we do not have an iron... I am sure once a few guests sleep in it the cover will soften up!) I still have put my favourite green, white and beige quilt on top, and thought that a nice wee cushion would help to tie it all together.

 A little while ago I picked up some fabric from the Recycle Centre in a green and white check so I used that. I did not have a spare cushion, but did have a very thin old pillow, so folded that in half to get my inner.

Lay your pillow or cushion inner onto your fabric and cut around. I did an inch, but to get a snug fitting cover, only do a centimetre or so.

Once you have cut it, visualise it in thirds, that is where you want your back pieces to go to on each side once you have folded the edge back. 

To cut the two back pieces, get another piece of your fabric and double it over. Line up the first piece you cut with one edge to guide you - Measure out about an inch or so (however much you want to fold under) from where you want the finished folded edge to sit and cut. Then cut down the fold to separate your two back pieces.

Take each back piece and fold the edge over. If you have an iron, iron it now to hold it in place (if you want to be really thorough, sew this fold as well).

Lay them out on your first piece, with the folded edge side towards you, one piece with the gap at the top, then overlay the second piece so the gap is at the bottom. Pin it all around where you want to sew, and sew it up. (Of course when I went to do this my machine broke, so thankfully my neighbour let me use hers!)

Once it is sewn, turn it inside out and you have the finished product ready to use. 

Stuff your pillow or cushion inside...and voila! The simplest cushion cover you could EVER make (well I reckon :)

Now - this cover is VERY quick and rough. If you want to make something more long lasting, make sure you zig zag all the edges (I didn't bother as I was borrowing someone else's machine so wanted to be quick), sew down the edge of the folds, and you can even add button holes and buttons to the fold at the back!

If anything doesn't make sense, just ask :) Hope you like it!

Mx

HORSEY

I've been wanting to photograph this lovely horse for ages. He (or she, I didn't check) often stands by the road early in the morning watching the cars drive by, and finally this week I had my camera with me and stopped to snap a few pictures.

See how cold it is? He has ice on his whiskers!

Mx

GARAGE SALE BARGAINS & KELLY HOPPEN

Last week I went garage-saleing again and found these little treasures:

BOOK: $2

BOOK ENDS: $5

WOODEN APPLES: $3

I was so stoked to see KELLY HOPPEN: HOME. I asked Nathan to buy me this for a birthday or Christmas present months and months ago - and had completely forgotten about it. As I was searching through the table of goods, I unearthed this and couldn't believe she only wanted $2 for it - it retails for $70 on Amazon last time I looked!

Dubbed 'The Queen Of Taupe', Kelly Hoppen has a very distinct style. You can read an article by Kelly about her 'title' HERE, along with some tips.

Love the dark wooden coffee table, this is Kelly's own apartment

I adore the wooden shutters

Mx

WINTER GARDEN STROLL

Today it started raining (which it hardly ever does here) and as I peeked out the window I saw the wheelbarrow with a few dainty drops on it and I had to get out there and take some pictures. The light was lovely too.

We are also leaving this house in a couple of weeks so this is a nice way to remember it. I enjoyed my stroll, even though my fingers were nearly numb at the end!

Mx

MY OFFICE/DESK MAKEOVER

Remember this?

Well after $13.50 plus a little bit of painting and craft, I have finished my mini office/desk makeover and I am now loving my de-cluttered and tidy workspace.

PURCHASED:

(All second-hand from The Recycle Centre)

$5 -      Holder for my printer (painted)

$1.50 - Fabric for the bunting (mainly bought to make cushion covers at a later date)

$7 -      Under desk storage container

            Jar for pencils

            Tin bucket for other bits and pieces

            Wine bottle box for folders

            Grey in-tray

            Ring-Binder

I am really pleased at how the painted corkboard looks against my wooden pallet lid, and the wooden pegs make a cute way to hang the bunting. 

I painted the ends of the wine bottle box because they had the winery logo burnt in. Although you can still see the logo, it is much more subtle and adds a nice vintage feel, without being clearly branded (see above).

Mx