DIY LARGE DOG BED

I had been scouring the internet for weeks trying to find a dog bed that was fairly large, washable, and not expensive.  I had no luck!  Most beds ranged from $50 to over $100 for the large size, some of those not even washable! 

Then one day it dawned on me!  Why can't I just make it myself!?!  So that is just what I did.  I realized after looking I had everything I needed except for a zipper.  So really this project only cost me $1.77 plus tax!!

I started out with two large pieces of fabric I had in my stash.  I picked a dark color for the bottom and found a top piece that matched the colors in our living room. :) 

Next I laid both pieces out and cut them to approximately the same size.  I laid them so that I would be sewing the bed inside out, with the decorative sides against each other.  I used stick pins to keep each of the sides in place.

I pinned my zipper in place on one of the small sides.  I wanted to be able to remove the items inside so that I could wash them along with the bed cover.

Here is what I had after everything was pinned.  It turned out to be bigger than I expected, but works great!  I didn't measure when putting the pieces together.  I just went by how big my pieces were already and shaped them up to be about the same size.  When pinning, I just eye balled it to get the sides straight.  I knew once I turned it inside right and stuffed it you wouldn't be able to tell if I was off a little.

Next came the sewing part.  I have done very little sewing machine work without the help of my mom, so I was pretty proud of this project.  I got everything set up and just went for it!  (I know it doesn't look like it is still inside out here, but it is.  I just had excess fabric I folded over rather than cutting off.)

I used the zigzag pattern setting on the sewing machine for the thread.  I thought this might be a little more durable since it was going to be a dog bed. 

Next came the zipper.  I admit I have not installed a zipper on anything before this!  So I kinda winged this part.  I am sure there are better and more proper ways than my method.  However, all I did was to sew the zipper as close as I could to the edge, attaching it to both fabrics.  I will admit my method left small holes on each side because I sewed the zipper after sewing the fabrics to each other on both sides of the zipper.  If I had to do over I would sew the zipper in first so that I could be sure to have enough room to sew the whole zipper to the fabric.  (Hope this makes sense)

Once I had the zipper attached, I turned the fabric inside right. Here is what I had made!

I stuffed the cover with extra pillows and blankets that could be washed.  Here is the finished product!

 "Please with the camera, I am trying to sleep" :) 

Hope this was helpful.  It was a lot of fun to make and has got me looking into more sewing projects! 

GO BIG BLUE! DIY UK Burlap Wreath

Today was a rainy, crafty mood kinda day.  My mom had asked me to make her an UK wreath for her front door a few weeks ago.  She brought me some supplies and said do your thing.  I used what she brought me and added a little of my own.  Here is what I came up with......

First I painted the letters with some white acrylic paint.  

Next I wrapped a straw wreath with some blue with white polka dot burlap.  I left the plastic on the wreath to keep the straw from poking into the burlap.  I used a hot glue gun to secure the burlap, gluing after a few wraps to hold it still.  It took two rolls of the burlap to cover the wreath. 

Then I decided to add a burlap banner to the wreath to add another element.  I cut several triangles from some light color burlap I had on hand.

 I used a Sharpie to free hand the letters on each triangle to spell "GO CATS". 

After getting the letters on the triangles, I decided I would like for the black to be more saturated.  So, I used some acrylic black paint I had on hand to trace over each letter with a brush.

I used some fishing line to attach each triangle to create the banner.  I used three dots of hot glue at the top of each triangle.

Lastly, I attached the "UK" letters and the banners to the wreath using...you guessed it...hot glue.  Here is the finished product....

Nail Art Creations

Hey!  It's been awhile I know....seems like this summer has been extremely busy!

One thing I have been enjoying this summer is nail art!  I have always been into painting my nails and doing manis, but have gotten a little more creative lately.  I ordered some dotting tools and striping tape awhile back and have been playing with ideas.  Below are just a few I wanted to share.....

I am going to continue practicing and will hopefully be able to do some harder designs soon....just in time for football season!  I already have some ideas to support my teams! :)

I hope you enjoyed these looks!  More to come soon!