Craft Projects

I'm feeling ready!

2011-06-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

My cute little baby is going to make his appearance soon, so I whipped out some new blankets and a carseat cover for him. I thought these colors would be fun to try out, and in a quilted style too.

Then of course I had to make a super soft one for him! It's so cute!

I saw this dino fabric and loved the way it looked with the bright blue dots!

I fell in love with the green gray combo and had to make a soft quilt! Every time I sew with minky I remember how much I hate it. I had such a hard time keeping everything straight. Oh well, it's super cuddly, so I don't think he'll mind :)

Ever have one of those moments where the fabric in the store is "so cute" then you get home and say what was I thinking? That may have been the case here. I loved the orange and blue and brown and thought this nursing cover would coordinate so cute with the carseat, but when I laid it all out I realized it looks like an old lady's tablecloth. I sewed it anyway, we'll see if it get's used :)

Living Room Makeover!

2011-05-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

I needed a shelf above my TV and this was the perfect solution! I can't take the credit though. All I did was paint, sand and stain it. There is a guy in our ward that owns a wood store and sells things unfinished and at such a good price! I added the hardware-all by myself I might add. Yah I even used the powerdrill...with no man help. I found the perfect turquoise vases and white flowers to go with it too. I have a different frame that I am putting there, but I haven't painted it yet.

I also wanted a bookshelf thing in the corner to replace some old college-days fake crap (can you tell I had bitter feelings). So I found this beauty on Craigslist, and had the husband bargain a little for a good deal. I painted it the perfect red :) and stained it! I could not love it more!!

Then I got to go shopping for some new decor! I added some yellow, blue, and red to go with the rest of the room. I still want to get some yellow bookends of some sort. I just ran out of energy. Can you imagine me, 8.5 months pregnant out in the garage painting 4 freaking coats of this paint on?! The fumes and hard to reach areas about killed me!

Here is the new look! I had to move around a couple of other wall decorations too, but it all worked out and I feel like I have a new living room!

I know we've already seen this table, but this is the decor I think I have finally settled on. I have changed it so many times.

Blue Entry Table!

2011-04-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

Aaaah! I can't believe I forgot to take a "before" picture! Just use your imagination and pretend it was all black with distressed edges. This is with the first coat of blue paint.

This is with it sanded and stained.

And here we have it upstairs and all decorated. I obviously need to update some decor, but one step at a time. For now this will do!

Then I made this runner (with the same lamp fabric) to put on top of the bright piece of furniture. I thought it would tone it down a little. Maybe not. But I love the color combo!

b&w lamp shade

2011-04-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Remember I said I would be tying in some more black and white?! Well, I was just sick of this old style red lamp and I got a killer deal on this fabric at JoAnn's. Since I was an expert (from doing it one whole time before) :) I went to town with the glue gun and a new shaped shade. I love it!

More blue for the living room.

2011-04-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

I bought these cute little knobs at the craft store and threw some paint on them.

I thought they would be perfect to hang these existing boards on -just to add some color and tie in the blue. I also changed out the ribbon to a black and white paisley. I have some of that to tie in also!

I got this cute family sign from a friend a while back. It was super cute, but i decided to add some color to it while we're at it! I forgot to take a before picture, so yes, this is the back, but it looked the same on the front...sort of.

I Picked out some paint in all the colors I am trying to accent with.

Then I sanded the edged and then stained them darker. Looks cute huh!?

Quiet Books

2011-03-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm a nerd, but I am totally excited about these! In fact I just finished them today and I am already blogging about it! I was craft-blog-surfing yesterday (I love to do that on Sundays for some reason) and I found these free printable flashcard type things. They are all church related and perfect for my kids! I always wanted to make one of those fabric quiet books with all the zippers and buttons and all that...but lets face it, who has time for that??? I think my procrastinating paid off and now my kids are too old... right...two of them at least?

These topics are so basic and they are just right for kids.

Perfect! The kids are all starting to memorize the Articles of Faith!

Okay, so I realize there's not a lot of "crafting" going on here, but can I just tell you how much I love simple and cheap projects?! All I did was download these pictures, order them as 4x6 prints at Sam's Club one hour. Then I planned on laminating and binding them...but I got smart and decided it would be cheaper (and a lot less work) to just buy $1.99 brag books and shove them in there. SO easy and I LOVE the results!

We are headed out for a LONG car drive next week, so I decided to make a little learning book for my 2 yr old. I think he might actually look at it because he loves cars so much!

And the final product. I hope my kids will actually look at these in church and maybe learn something??? Maybe we will take these in the car too!

Boring Living Room Re-do

2011-03-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Step One: recover lampshade. It was a beige color and it blended right in with the wall...boring. So I bought a new shade, with a cooler shape, at Target, and some cute fabric at JoAnne's and used a lot of hot glue. I am really digging this turquoise color lately with black or brown...or maybe both! So I am going to try and add a little color slowly to the whole room, starting with this blue.

And I had these tan colored stick thingies in this vase, also blended right in with the wall, so I found super cute new ones at TJMaxx the other day for sooo cheap! I love the colors with the blue!

Then I found this awesome pillow there too. I am so in love with it. I only wish there were two. But that's the sacrifice you make when you shop at those kinds of stores I guess! Take what you can find. Plus I think I will go for lots of different color pillows anyway, not just turquoise. Like yellow and black&white and maybe red. Ooh, sounds fun doesn't it?! Next step is buying some furniture to paint and distress. I am going for a "shabby chic" meets semi-modern look. I am sick of the old red, green, brown...blah blah blah....wish me luck!

Cars blanket for my little buddy

2011-03-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

I wish you could all feel how SOFT this is!!! They have this really expensive material at Madsen's (the polka-dot one) that I have always wanted to use, but not pay the price for! I finally had the perfect project for it. I bought this remnant of Cars fabric like 2 yrs ago for dirt cheap. My oldest was over it, but about 3 months ago my 2 yr old fell in love with all things Cars. I thought the fabric was a little cheesy, and there wasn't enough for a full blanket, so I decided to cool it up with a strip of this (totally affordable if only buying 1/2 yd) and brown minky on the back. I am sooo in love with it, and it is so soft, did I mention that already?!

The real test was if Owen liked it...uh yaahh! He asked me almost every day if I had "worked on it" -he went with me to buy the fabric, so he kinda knew what was going on. He was soooo excited when it was finished.

I love how he points to all the characters and tells me their names.

He has snuggled it to sleep for every nap and at bedtime since he got it. I'm way into this "quilt" pattern and can't wait to splurge on some more ridiculously over priced fabric for the new baby!

$3 Nightstand

2011-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Yah, you read that right....$3.00!!! Wahoo! I never find good deals at DI. I always wonder how people do, but this one time I got lucky!! I found this little beauty there and saw some potential for my little girls room. She's been needing a nightstand for a while now.

Now I will admit, I started this project in September...finished it in October...just posting now!

AFTER!! A little pink pain, some dark stain and sanding!

Oh and a little glass knob. I LOVE how it turned out! It looks so cute in her room.

HALLOWEEN PILLOWS!

2010-10-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the fabric store and let them each pick out fabric for a pillow case. They thought that was pretty cool, and I think they did a really great job!!! I love the way they turned out, we might have to carry on the tradition for each holiday now. I have trick or treat bags too, pictures to come!

2010-09-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

ALRIGHT...just ONE more SKIRT ...i SWEAR!
I really couldn't resist this pink and black TWIRLY skirt!

The layers, all ready to sew together

I love gathering. It takes forever, but cutest results ever!

Throw that elastic in there... so much easier than a zipper!

I had the fun idea of adding black tulle to the bottom tier. I LOVE it!

Looks like a skirt...getting excited to try it on Lucy. Of course I only get a chance to sew at midnight, so I have to wait until she wakes up the next morning to try things on! She usually loves anything I make her so it's worth the wait!

The finished product!
When people tell her it's cute, she always says "it a twirly skirt" and then gives them a little spin!

2010-09-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

A TU-TU for my princess!

Yah, she already has one, and a bunch of dress-up clothes...but what little girl doesn't love another poofy, twirly, girly tutu!?

Once again, went with the pink and black!
I saw a photographer that had a little girl with only a pink and black tutu, and matching pink and black headband/flower on. It looked sooo cute!

This one was really easy. I just got a thick piece of black elastic and tied strips of dark pink, light pink, white and black around it. Sewed it together (after measuring her waist of course) attached some pink flowers from my stock pile and done!

2010-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

STAMPING METAL
How fun! I saw this on someone's blog and thought it would be fun to do with my activity days girls. But for now I practiced on my kids!

I went to the hardware store by myself (lol) and found this metal stamp set and some flat washers. It was pretty comical to see me at Harbor Freight. Luckily I ran into a fellow crafter there, so we laughed together!

I stamped the letters, then colored them in with a black sharpie. I wiped the excess off very quickly, and voila! (my kids love to say that)

If I were cooler, I would put this on a real chain and make it look more professional. But for now, the ribbon and bead will have to do.

KEYCHAIN
I have seen these (well, similar) for sell at craft boutiques and almost bought one. Then I found a tutorial online to make my own!

You just sew two coordinating pieces together, with some interfacing in between. Then you add a keychain loopy thing.

Sew it together and add some decorative ribbon!

The stitching is not perfect, so don't look too close! But from far away it is way cute. I love how easy it is to find my keys in my purse!

2010-08-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

More sewing projects...

It seems like that's all I've done lately. I think it's so fun to buy fabric!

I always tend to make things pink and brown for girls, so I thought I'd give pink and black a try! I really like the combo! And who doesn't LOVE this minky on the back!? So I made this for someone and haven't given it to her yet...hope she's not looking at my craft blog ;)

SKIRTS
I decided to make a skirt for my Lucy! I found this adorable fabric at JoAnn's and free tutorials online!

I just added a little ruffle at the bottom. Don't mind the spill on her shirt...it looked really cute before lunchtime :)

This one is a bubble skirt! I think these are so cute. I thought this corduroy fabric would be perfect, but it's actually a little too heavy. Knit or cotton would be way better!

I can't believe how cheap and EASY it is to make skirts. I think I might have an addiction problem. I keep wanting to get back to the store for more fabric for the next skirt!! Does anyone know, did the baby boutique on 17th get rid of their fabric section?!

2010-08-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

Aaaahhh! Was it really February the last time I posted! That's pretty funny. I guess crafting takes a back seat to mothering and fun summer activities!

Well, here are a few of the things I've managed to squeeze in lately!

Retro Apron

I'm not kidding, I bought this pattern and fabric about 6 months ago. I just got around to making it finally! I love it. All except for the blue ribbon. I just had it laying around and used it because there is a little of blue on there. Well, it looks pretty dumb. I think I'll unstitch that part!
The real reason I waited so long was because I was afraid to use a pattern! It was my first time and I wanted my mom to help me :) Turns out it wasn't that scary at all and I finished most of it with no help!

CAR SEAT COVER-Rag Quilt Style!

Okay, great story here! One day this lady calls me out of the blue and asks me if I make car seat covers. She needed it in two days for a baby shower. She got my number from my friend that she met at JoAnn's. I say sure and we agree on a price. We went with the green, pink and brown theme (which I LOVE). I put green straps on it and some pink flowers.
Anyway, I get a call a couple of days later and the lady's sister tells me that the girl I made it for is actually a girl I knew from Logan way back in the ol' college days! (She lives in this area now though and we have a mutual friend in my ward and I've run into her a couple of times at Target and stuff). I was so excited! I'm glad I made it for someone who I know will love and appreciate it! It's a small world!

CAMERA STRAP

I know, this is kind of a boring one :) and a not so sexy pic of me... BUT look at that cute fabric I found for my strap. So much prettier than the black with bright red CANON written across it!

2010-02-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

Flower Headbands

My girlfriends and I got together and made some very cute, trendy flower clips! We did some for our daughters, but the fabric ones are going to look hot in our hair too! I LOVE these organza and tulle ones that you burn the edges of! I admit, I am a little compulsive and get a LOT carried away. I made one to go with every color outfit I could think of. Apparently we don't wear a lot of orange or yellow around here. My husband asked me what I was planning on doing with them all....um wearing them!

2009-11-25T00:02:00.000-08:00

Faux-canvas Temples
Sorry for those of you who look at my family blog too, (you get to see it twice) but here is my latest project. I took some great shots of the Temple, messed around with them in Photoshop to make it look "vintage" and mounted them. They look really great on an easel! I have the Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Salt Lake and Logan. I did one craft fair, and hope to do another one soon. If you want to check out some photos and prices, I made a simple blog to show a sample of each. It is canvastemples.blogspot.com and my e-mail for these is canvastemple@gmail.com They make awesome wedding and Christmas gifts (especially with a personalized title)!

2009-11-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

CLOCKS
So I had some old clocks lying around, and I had a great idea one day to re-do them with some scrapbook paper. I'm not sure if it was a great idea, they could be a little cheesy, BUT at least they are different and I like a change. (and free)

This one is in our bathroom.

Lucy has been wanting one for her room, and the budget doesn't allow for a new, cute clock right now, so I found this old one in the basement. Apparently at one time our kitchen was done in "fruit" theme (niiiice).

So I took it apart, painted the frame white and found some paper and flowers that match her room.

Glued it all together, put it back together 5 times, and this is the final result. I think it's pretty cute. She loves it anyway!!!!

2009-10-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

Airplane decor
We picked these airplane prints up at the HAFB museum LAST summer! They have been sitting on the floor in the boys bedroom because I had no idea what to do with them. 4 frames this size would be too much money, and my husbands idea was great...but I wasn't going to wait around for him to do a project, he's too busy!

So this is what I came up with. I got a tip from an overly friendly lady at a craft store one day that canvases were cheap at Big Lots. I can never find anything there, but I gave it a shot. Sure enough they were a great price! (only if you're not looking for high quality though)

Anyway, easy and painless, I painted them brown first, then mod-podged them on to the canvas.

Hung them up in a sqaure and they look great on the blue and brown walls! My next project is this same idea with the canvas and the mod-podge, but with the IF temple.

2009-10-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY learned how to make a blanket like this!

You know, the ones with the perfect corners and a 2 inch border around the whole thing. Well, our local fabric store had an example hanging on the wall and some instructions (thank you Ben Franklin). I could not wait to try it. I fell in LOVE with this fabric and made it for my daughter Lucy (who does not need any more blankets)! Anyway, when I needed a little help I just googled self binding blanket and so many tutorials popped up! I'm so excited, I wish someone else would have a baby so I can make you a blanket!

2009-07-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

I'm lovin' these beaded watches!!!
I kind of made this one! I picked out the watch face, and the color palette. Then I was handed the beads and all the hardware. I did put them on and created my own design though :)

2009-07-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

HEADBAND
...but I can't take all the credit. My friend Kelly made one and I thought it was so super cute, I had to copy her!!!! Just remember, imitation is the highest form of flattery!!! ;)

I just used some scraps I had laying around. I made one for me and a matching one for my daughter...

2009-06-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

EASY project!
I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to "craft" anything. I was craving it the other day so I just did something really SiMpLe to ease my way back into it...

I just added a little of this...

To this...

with these...

and some of this...

voila...

fridge magnets that are actually cute!

2009-04-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Tag Blankets
I'm so excited to finally show these!! One of my friends made me one when I had Owen. I loved it so much, I had to make one and add my own twist.
I made them like a rag quilt with a solid brown on the back. The different fabrics will provide different textures for baby to feel, and the ribbons are of course, for the "tag" effect.

The "boy" one I made for my sister.

The "girl" one for one of my husbands friends baby.

I decided last minute to make them more personal with a monogram letter of their first name. I've never done this before...it was interesting. I need my mom's nice machine that does the blanket stitch around the applique.
I love how they turned out and their babies will be thanking me when they are sucking away in about 4 or 5 months!!!

2009-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

My little princess wanted a cape too. At least I made it purple right?!
When she put it on she asked me if it reached her feet or not!!!! She must have been around during the incident...

2009-04-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's don't focus our attention on the 5 year old picture of me, this is about the ROCKING CHAIR I'm sitting on!!

BEFORE:
In it's glory days, not so beautiful forest green and light oak......

(sorry, this is the best shot of the chair I have)

AFTER:
We thought we'd update a little and make it match the living room decor, since there's no room for it in the baby's room.
This was my first time reupholstering anything. It was fun...

...and so much cuter!

There was enough fabric left over to make a coordinating pillow for the couch (also something that needs to be majorly updated, pillows).

2009-04-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Minor meltdown...

Yes, we had an intense moment here. But don't worry, it's been resolved after a few adjustments!! I got Ethan all excited about this cape I was going to make him. He is REALLY into superhero's right now.

I got all finished sewing, and was so excited to show him. So I tied it around his neck and...low and behold, he started crying! Spoiled? well maybe just a little ;)

Through the tears, I finally got it out of him: apparently it was not long enough!!! I had made it to his waist, and thought it was just perfect! Batman's cape is to his ankles though, hmmm. I didn't want to start all over so I just sewed another piece the same size and attached velcro to both ends and now then convinced my superhero that he has two capes now: a short one and a long one!
He was down with that, and now we have a happy (still a little spoiled) kid who wears his cape (long version) almost everyday! I even let him wear it to the mall one day :)

2009-04-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

For when he loses that next tooth...

Ethan has a second loose tooth! We used a very sophisticated Zip-lock baggie to put the tooth in and under his pillow last time. I thought I'd class it up a little and sew this pouch so he can have a designated spot for his tooth and money from the tooth fairy!
It was way easy. I used fabric scraps I already had (recognize it from the wipes?) and just put in ribbon as a drawstring to close it up tight. I really didn't know what a tooth looked like, so don't laugh, I just guessed! :)

2009-04-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

BOW HOLDER
Alright, I'll admit the fabric is ADORABLE, but a little too busy for this project! Something I didn't realize until I was all done.

It's just a canvas, covered with fabric and batting, with some ribbons hotglued on and fastened down with some brads.

Greg commented today that he couldn't see any of the bows on it...camouflaged perhaps? Next time we'll go with a solid background, or smaller pattern.

I really do LOVE having the clips all organized though, and it was a fun project!

2009-04-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

The good, the BAD and the UGLY

I saw these rings on another girls blog and thought, oh what a great way to use up some old fabric scraps! Plus, how fun for little Owen to hold onto and suck on. Should be a breeze....
***
Let me just tell you, this was the WORST project ever!
****
The cutting and the sewing were easy. Then came the stuffing....next to impossible, and I consider myself somewhat patient. THEN just try, just TRY to stuff one end into the other and sew it up!!! I was so MAD and frustrated. I think she used a machine, but mine were too stuffed, so I had to resort to hand sewing...not something I claim to be good at! I even had my dear husband hand stitching with me to try and ease the tension (he showed me up by the way, surprisingly good at hand sewing :) )

You want to know what I ended up doing at 12:45 at night (after fighting with these little rings for 2 hours)?! I used a HOT GLUE GUN! They look awful, absolutely horrid, but they're DONE.

To top it off, Owen can barely hold onto them and he really has no desire to suck on them.
I guess not all ideas are great.

2009-03-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

I've never been so excited to change a diaper!!!

Seriously, I couldn't wait until Owen crapped so I could change him in public with my cute new wipe case and diaper carrier!!

You've probably all seen these, I have to admit the first time I heard of this I thought it was a little strange, they are wipes you know. But when I got to pick out my own fabric and customize it for my little tyke and green purse, I had fun!!

This is so simple. The wipes need no sewing at all. You just cut out fabric, hot glue it over some batting and cover with a cute decorative rope or ribbon. Then you can decorate the top however you want-ribbon, bows, flowers, buttons etc.

The diaper case is EASY sewing. I have the coordinating stripe fabric on the inside of this, so I decided to put it on the back of the wipe case as well. You can add a little ribbon or bow on this too. There's velcro on the top flap. The only thing I would do different next time is use a little heavier fabric. This seems to get all bent up in my purse. Not that it really matters...they're diapers!

I wish you all could have seen my husbands face when I told him what my friends and I were getting together to make! Priceless. But even he admits now that they are very cute. Well, maybe he didn't use the word cute...

2009-03-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hooter Hider

I can't take all the credit for this one, we did it as an enrichment sewing class. But I did all the hard labor (okay, it was really easy) and I'm proud of it. My hooters stay very hidden when I nurse now!

2009-03-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone knows, this is an open, public blog, so YOU ARE ALL WELCOME to visit! Don't be afraid to leave comments even if I don't know you. I love making new blogger buddies. :)

2009-03-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T STOP!!

I think I'm a little addicted to making hairbows for my little girl! I don't even fix her hair that often, but I just can't stop! One of my friends showed me some fun ways to tie, and now I'm having fun putting different colors and patterns together. I seriously had to put away the ribbons and glue the other night at 1:00 in the morning so that I would be forced to stop! Now I need to make a bow holder...next project!

2009-03-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Getting a little organized...and hungry

For an enrichment activity we covered tin boxes to put cards in. I didn't have one, but really wanted to go to craft night, so I took my old recipe box to cover! I just used stuff I already had from my scrapbook supplies, some mod-podge and ribbons I had.

I even covered up the old dividers with all coordinating papers.
The hard part came later when I actually had to go through old recipes and rewrite some and throw some away. I can't believe the difference it made. I am LOVING my newly organized recipe box! Maybe I'll even cook more now :)
I still need to print off my labels for each "category" of food and then probably mod-podge the whole divider. I just ran out of printer ink!

2009-03-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Families Are Forever

Another project with the same idea from enrichment activity. I made this one to coordinate with our living room decor (red and brown paint with green ribbon and paper). There is a vinyl, Logan Temple at the top, you can't see very well because of the glare. Each metal square is covered in scrapbook paper, distressed. It says: Belnap, est. 2002 and families are forever. There's room for a picture of each kid and 2 family ones. This picture doesn't do it justice, the boards are cuter in real life.

2009-03-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

For each child in the house...

the first letter in their name to put above their bed.

I made the E for an enrichment activity, came home and made a matching O for the other one.

Then of course Lucy wanted a girly one for her room too!

2009-03-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Enrichment Activity Left-overs

I was in charge of this project for our super activity. I had some supplies left over so I bought what I needed to finish off some more boards for us to enjoy at home!

2009-03-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Kids Bedrooms
The whole room is filled with handmade projects
(there's a lot more on the other walls that you can't see in the picture)

We did the bed, shelves, dressers, wall decor and of course wall paint.

This wall deserves some hard core recognition. The whole room is done in those stripes and finished off with some chair rail molding. It was very labor intensive...and totally worth it!! Pretty much everything in her room is homemade too (except the curtains).

2009-03-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Aaahh yes, the cutest rag quilt ever.
(I can say that right?)

For my little princess, Lucy. It matches her bedroom perfectly.

It's the first one I've ever made. I did different textures of fabric (even though some don't fray) and a solid brown on the back and around the border.

Now if only I had the time and motivation, I would make one for my other kids....

2009-03-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

Do you have the time?

This is an older project, but I still get asked all the time if we made it. We needed something LARGE to fill up this empty wall when we first moved in. So Greg and I made this out of plywood, crackle paint and a clock mechanism from Roberts. I finished it off with some hand painted roman numerals and voila...a very large clock!

2009-03-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

Oldies but goodies...

Mostly baby blankets I've made. I like to keep pictures of them so I can refer back when I need a gift idea.

For sweet little Sadie

matching burp cloth and of course the card that went with it.

I think my all time favorite. I LOVE the soft fabric on the back. Not the easiest to sew though!

Another one for Owen

For Leann's baby, Luke

My carseat cover for Owen! So easy to make and it works SO wonderfully! You just lay the blanket over the top (under the handle) and tie those ribbons around the handle and the blanket can flip up over the top when you need to get in there to get the sweet (or screaming one) out!

I can't take all the credit for this one. My sweet little boy wanted to make a blanket for his new baby brother. He picked out the fleece by himself. I helped him cut some of the strips and taught him how to tie a knot. He did 2 of the sides and they look great! Nothing like brotherly love.