#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Create a Chair Organizer from a Towel

Check it Out!  Summer is here!  Whohoo!  I love summertime and I love spending time outdoors.  I am praying we get to go to the beach this year, but it is one day at a time for us right now, so we will see. 

Being a reader, I always have a book with me when I am lounging outside so last year I started thinking about a way to keep my book, water, lotions and other things organized and at my fingertips while outside.  I found some towels clearanced out for $1.00 each and thought they would be perfect to experiment with.  So I decided to make myself a chair organizer out of my towel.

Since I don't have a sewing machine, I used my glue gun and fabric glue sticks.  Using a sewing machine for this project would make it look much better but I work with what I have!  My other supplies included the towel and ribbon.  

The first thing I did was plug in the glue gun and get it warmed up and then I laid my towel out flat and folded the end up about 4 to 5 inches.  This fold depends on how large your towel is and how deep you want your pockets.  It also helps to place the towel over a chair and make sure your pockets are past the seat.  It wouldn't help at all to sit on your pockets! lol  I made sure my edges lined up and ran a bead of glue between them to seal them together.  Then I did the same thing for the other edge and then the other side edges.

Once I had all my edges glued, I then decided how far apart I wanted my pockets and ran another bead of glue down from the bottom to top to create the pockets.  Last I added ribbon to the top edge of the fold.  You could add more ribbon and decorations but I just kept mine simple.  I wanted it to be easy to wash.

This organizer works great inside too!  I can put it over my craft chair and put my water and phone in it and it keeps it off my work space.  

#CatchyClips Review & #Giveaway

*Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.  All opinions are my own.

Check it Out! I am forever losing my keys in my pocket book!  In the past it wasn't that big of a deal, because I have keyless entry and ignition in my van.  But since the fire, my key remotes no longer work.  They got wet and after drying out, the battery ports inside were left corroded, so they have to be replaced.  I don't know if you have ever had to replace a keyless remote, but they are way expensive!  Like $250 each!  Well there is a way that I can crank my van without having to replace them and I can lock and unlock my doors with the key that is inside, so for the time being, I have to find my keys every time I go somewhere. Having something that will help me keep my keys where I can find them in my purse is awesome!  

CatchyClips are designed to stop the fumbling and searching, by putting your keys right at your fingertips.  The Gem top clips right to the inside of your purse or where ever you want it and allows for easy access. 

It's so easy to use and so functional, you just attach the magnet clip via the alligator clip it comes on onto your purse and attach your keys to the gem top and key ring.  You can pull the key ring and the magnet clip stays in place.  When you want to put them back on, just place the gem top near the clip and the magnetic pull helps it click right back into place.  The alligator clip is sturdy and stays where you put it and the magnet is strong as well.  What is really cool is that these CatchyClips are not just for keys.  You can organize your store cards on a CatchyClip too!  Simply punch a hole in the corners and string them on.  There are little felt flowers included that you can use to separate the cards too.  Because the clip is so strong you can attach your CatchyClip to backpacks or briefcases as well.  

I use this everyday and love the convenience of knowing exactly where my keys are at all times.  And knowing they are there is easy, I just look to make sure the gem top is there and I know my keys are attached and where they should be. 

You can get more info at http://www.catchyclips.com/.  Check it Out! with Dawn readers can snag Free Shipping when you order from their site and use the coupon code:  verycool at checkout. I am super excited that I get to give 1 lucky reader their very own CatchClip for Free!  Enter via the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win.  Be sure and check them out on Facebook as well.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Jeweled Hangers & Dog Supply Organizer

Check it Out!  I have a dog named Ellie, who is my baby girl.  If you don't like dogs, I know you may be cringing a little, but this little girl has gotten me through so much and since I see her as a sign from God, she is super special to me!  You see about 7 months before the fire, we had bought a little Malztu puppy, Champ, from a breeder and my husband and I had gotten very attached to him.  He along with our 2 cats, did not make it out of the fire and we were devastated.  About a month after the fire, we found out my husband has stage 4 colon cancer, so that added to our devastation.  But right after his surgery, I got a message from a dear friend that her mama's dog was having puppies and if I wanted one, I could have one for free.  We had paid $400 for Champ but insurance doesn't cover pets, so we couldn't claim him.   At first I didn't think I wanted another dog, but something made me say YES immediately!  So we waited, not really knowing what she would look like, and when she was 8 weeks old, we were finally able to get her.  

She was so small and sweet and cuddly and she and I instantly bonded.  Why you may be wondering do I consider her a sign from God?  Well Ellie is a Shitese, which is ShiZu and Maltese mix and Champ was a Maltzu, which is Maltese, ShiZu mix, so they look very much alike.

So you get the picture right??  Well, the reason I am giving you all this info on my dog is because my craft this week is inspired by her!  I love to dress her up and of course like any dog, she has a supply of stuff, toys, treats, collars, and such.  I wanted a place to keep all her stuff in one place, so I created an area just for her with a place to hang her little dresses, but I needed somplace for the stuff!  

I found this great wooden crate drawer at JoAnn's, of course I waited for a good deal and the day I bought it, I also found these great wooden hangers.  They were designed for doll or baby clothes I believe because they are smaller than normal hangers so I knew instantly what I wanted to do with them!  

Okay so let's start with the Dog Supply Organizer.  You could also make this using plastic drawers or an old dresser, whatever you want, you could also have the drawers labeled however you want.  I thought about the three main areas of abundance and that was Grooming, Health Care and Treats.

I only used paint and some wooden letters to make mine, I would have loved to burn the words on and then stain, but I have no wood burner so I just painted my words on.

First I stained my whole crate and the drawers and allowed plenty of time for them to dry.  I also left them outside for a couple of sunny days to let the stain set in and decrease the smell.  Then I just free-handed my letters on the wood with pink paint.  I have plans to add some bling to this later but for now my goal is to get this done!!  I painted my wooden letters and glued them to the top of the crate and using a piece of the fleece blanket that she came home with us in, I lined the three drawers so the items wouldn't fall through and as a crumb catcher for that treat drawer!  It's simple, but effective and it's just her size so now I wanted to bling up those hangers! 

First I painted my hangers the same pink that I used on the Dog Organizer and allowed it to dry well.  I used clear gem stones and a mini glue gun to add my bling!  Just decide on a pattern and glue and stick.  I recommend using tweezers of some sort, if using hot glue and using the mini gun gives you a smaller bead of glue so there is less ooze of glue.  I used the smaller sized stones for the small hangers and as I am a gluing away, I thought about those bigger stones and a big hanger and then I remembered the wooden hangers that I had in the laundry room, you know the kind that are in hotels? 

I have saved them with ideas of decoupage, and after making up one with just stones, I now have plans to decoupage and bling!!!!   You may have to wait a bit for that though!  It's the same technique though, just glue and stick. Possibilities are endless!