repurposing an old trash can as a hamper

Awhile ago we replaced our kitchen trash can because the step thingy wouldn't open the lid anymore, but I felt bad about just throwing the old trash can away. It's springtime so that means lots of rain and that means our dog gets muddy paws, so we use a nice cheap ($1.50 for two!) towel to wipe them off before she really comes inside. We also switched to using flour sack towels in the kitchen recently and those add bulk to the regular laundry, so my husband had the brilliant idea to use the old trash can as a hamper for that sort of thing.

You will need 1 1/4 yard of fabric and 20 inches of ribbon/string. (I actually used 1 yd of plain white flannel and 1/4 yd of decorative cotton) 

The first thing you need to do is figure out your measurements. My trash can was 24" tall on the inside with a diameter of 11". Also the back piece that the string will be tied around is 5" wide. 

(well the real first thing I did was air out the trash can, spray it down with the hose, let it air out some more, spray it with some lysol, and then let it air out even more)

You'll need a circle that is one inch wider than the diameter (12" for me). And either one or two rectangular pieces, depending on whether or not it's all the same fabric. The white rectangle is 21" (20" + 1" seam allowance) x 35.5" (34.5" (π x diameter) + 1" seam allowance) and the green rectangle is 9" x 35.5". If you're using the same fabric, it should be the circumference +1" x the height + 4-5". I would've done 35.5" x 28". 

Cut small incisions every few inches along one of the 35.5" sides of the rectangle and pin it to the circle, making sure there's about a 1/2" overlap of the 21" sides.

If you're not using the same fabric, pin the green fabric to the other 35.5" end of the white fabric. Then cut out a small rectangle on each end so you can fold it over the top and tie it around the back. Since my trash can was 5" long back there, I cut it 3.5" inside and that extra 4-5" down. Also add a small cut at the diagonal so you can hem it back. 

Then sew it all together. I chose to first attach the green and white fabric and  then do the hems for the cut outs on either end of the green fabric. After that I sewed down the long vertical seam along the back. Then I finally sewed it all to the circular bottom. Before you sew along the top seam, make sure you cut two 10" lengths of the ribbon/string you'll be using to tie the liner in place. Pin one in place, fold the fabric over, and sew across the ribbon. It'll only take a few stitches and then carefully turn the fabric and sew the top hem. 

Pin one in place, fold the fabric over, and sew across the ribbon. It'll only take a few stitches and then carefully turn the fabric 90* clockwise and sew the top hem. 

Make sure you the other string is pinned to the other end before you finish. Then turn the fabric 90* counter-clockwise to secure the string/ribbon. 

Make sure you trim down all the extra threads sticking out and leave it inside out. 

Place it down in the trash can, fold the top over, and tie it in the back. 

So much prettier! :) 

homemade dog bed

Up until recently my dog was stuck with a tiny bed. We bought it for her when she was a puppy and she promptly started to destroy it. Fortunately I had the brilliant idea to slip it inside a pillowcase which seemed to make her uninterested in chewing it up. Now she's "grown up" (or at least as grown up as labs can get) and out of her chewing phase, so I felt bad about her tiny bed. I started looking online and dog beds big enough for an 80lb dog are expensive! so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make one. I didn't have any of this stuff around so I just decided to buy it all in one go, and it was less than $30.

I bought a twin mattress pad, a twin mattress protector, and 2 yards of flannel. 

The first thing I did was decide to make a 24"x24" bed. It fits well in her crate and the numbers work out nicely with the mattress pad. Then I cut out two 26"x"26" pieces of the vinyl. If I had to do it over, I'd probably do 27"x27" though because it was a bit of a tight fit. 

Now I sewed three of the four sides and left the bottom open to insert the mattress pad. 

Like I said earlier, 24" was a good length because that was the same width as the mattress pad folded in thirds. I also had to cut several inches off the side because I didn't want it to take up the whole length of the crate. 

Insert the foam pad in the vinyl cover and sew that end shut. 

Now we get to start measuring and cutting the fabric! 

With the fabric folded in half width-wise (so it's one yard wide) measure out a 26"28" rectangle for the top and bottom of the case, a 4"x14" rectangle ALONG the fold (so it'll actually be 28" long) for the back, and a 4"x29" rectangle for the sides. 

Then I began to assemble the pillowcase. First I made a 1/2" double hem along the 26" bottom of one of the big pieces. Then I sewed the 4"x"28" piece to the other 26" side.

 Do the same with the other big piece.

Now hem the 29" long side pieces.

Line up one of them along the 28" side of the main pillowcase.

Sew along the edge until you get to the end of the first piece and the back piece is sticking out.

 Lift the presser foot and turn the side piece so that it's now lined up with the back piece and sew those 4".

 When you get to the end, lift the presser foot and turn the fabric again.

Make sure the hemlines line up and pin it. 

Sew along that edge now.

Do the same with the other side and then you're done! Slip the bed into the case and let your dog enjoy it.

MUCH BETTER! :)

decorating outlet/light switch covers

We're in the process of painting a room in our house and when we started taking the covers off the outlets and light switch, we noticed that the previous owners knew nothing about painting. They left them on when they painted (and didn't even tape them!) so we knew we had to do something about the light switch and outlet covers.
Flat out replacing them would be cheap but booooooring and buying fancy ones is expensive (relatively speaking: $6.54 is 18 times more than $0.35!), so I went off the internet in search of ideas.

What I found was the idea to glue scrapbook paper to the basic cover and it looks great!

Ugh! If you look closely at the bottom outlet, you can see some paint on it. I told you the previous owners did a really bad paint job. And the reason the wall isn't painted yet in the after picture is because they were also really bad at patching holes in the wall. We've spent a few hours sanding them...

Start off by removing all the covers from the wall.

Then was all the dirt off and leave them to dry for a few minutes. (notice the old toothbrush I wound up needing for the tight corners)

While they were drying, I assembled everything else I'd need for the job: scrapbook paper, pencil, scissors, Mod Podge, sponge brush, a knife, and some heavy books. And a piece of plywood that came with our elliptical that I use for a work surface. 

As it turns out, a piece of scrapbook paper is 12x12 in. and you need about 4x6 in. to cover each plate. That means you can cover 6 of them with one piece of paper. Financially speaking, we could either spend $32.70 on those fancy rubbed bronze ones from Lowe's or we could spend $0.30 on some scrapbook paper (it was 50% off at Hobby Lobby!). And if we had to buy new covers*, that still would have only been $2.05. Not bad at all! :) 

*And even if you also had to buy a pencil, scissors, Mod Podge, a brush, and a knife, you would've spent less than $32.70.

Cut the paper and brush the cover with a light layer of Mod Podge. Be sure not to leave it too thick in some areas! If you do, the paper will bunch like it did with my "after" example. 

Place the cover upside down on the paper and hold it for a few seconds to smooth out the wrinkles. 

Now make diagonal cuts from the corner of the paper towards the cover. I also went ahead and trimmed the corners so there would be less bulk. 

Now glue the back of one section of the paper and press it against the side. Then, once it's securely glued, fold it over and press it again. 

Repeat for the other 3 sections. 

This is where things like Elementary Differential Equations and Advanced Engineering Mathematics really come in handy! Place the covers paper-side down and put the books on them. There are three under the first book and two under the second. Let them dry for 20-30 minutes. 

Once they're dry, flip them over and make 4 diagonal cuts (or 8 radial cuts) in each outlet hole and 2 diagonal (4 radial) in the light switch hole. Apply Mod Podge to the paper and fold it back.

Now carefully brush a light layer of Mod Podge over the paper and let it dry. I did a second layer just because.

Finally, hold the cover up to the light to poke the screws where they belong. Then screw them into the walls and enjoy!