Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! I got to spend some good times with some good family and friends…and even squeezed in a few craft projects and blog work. I have some exciting stuff going on this week, so be sure to stay tuned!
Last week, I told you that I had recently made some homemade birthday gifts for the children of a good friend. For the 3-year-old big sister, I made a super cute Coloring Apron. For the 1-year old little brother, I made a “pumped-up” DIY toy box full of fun, easy, and super entertaining toddler toys!
Let’s take a look inside at all the goodies!!

 

What’s all in there, you ask?
1) Fabric Wipes
2) I-Spy Pouch
3) Pipe Cleaner-in-the-Hole
4) Glitter Bottles
5) Colored Pom-Pom Game
I have full tutorials for how I did each gift! Today, I am going to show you the 1) Fabric Wipes and 2) I-Spy Pouch. Check back on Wednesday, because I’ll give you the how-to’s for the other 3 projects!
Here we go!

What baby/toddler doesn’t LOVE to empty the wipes case?!? Mine sure does! When I saw this idea for Fabric Wipes on Pinterest, I knew it had to be included in my toy box. This project was super simple and done in 3 steps!
1) Find a bunch of fabric scraps and cut them into somewhat uniform squares using a pinking sheers.
2) Find a baby wipes case. (Remove real wipes, if there are any in it!) Peel off the label, and clean all gunk and goop off with Gu-Gone. If desired, add a vinyl letter or picture. (I used vinyl and the Mini Monograms Cricut cartridge to make my monograms!).
3) Load fabric wipes into case and shut! Give to baby!
Next up, the I-Spy Pouch! I found this idea here…and loved it so much that I had to give it a try, of course putting my own spin on it as I went!

 

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own!
(upper left) 20 gauge clear vinyl. (I bought a 1/2 yard – I had enough to make 3 pouches and still had lots leftover for other projects!)
(upper right and bottom left) fun beads, trinkets, and small identifiable items. Notice my beads are colored animals, so the child can be asked “do you see the pink whale”??
(bottom right) large package of rice
Here’s how you put it together!

 

1) Cut your clear plastic vinyl into a large rectangle. Since I started with a 1/2 yard, I simply cut 12″ widths, so my rectangles measured ~18X12″
2) Cut the rectangle into 2 even pieces, each measuring 9X12″
3) Place one rectangle on top of the other and sew around the edges, leaving a 4-5″ opening at the top. (I used a heavy duty needle to ensure no damage to my machine and an effective sewing job!)

 

4) Assemble your “I-Spy” items and ensure you have a good variety! If you need more items, walk around your house and dig through your craft stuff!
5) Place all items in your pouch.
In the end, I used:
Letter magnets
Animal beads
Googly eyes
Paper clips
Erasers in the shapes of food
Beads
Buttons
Rubber band
Mini toy airplanes

 

6) Fill the pouch most of the way full with rice and then sew the opening shut.
7) Finish off rough edges using colored duct tape or fun packing tape. My red tape was purchased years ago in Okinawa and had the alphabet on it!
I can tell you that both of these gifts, especially the I-Spy Pouch, were a huge hit not only with the one-year old recipient, but ALSO his 3-year-old big sister! The I-Spy Pouches can be made in big batches to keep on hand for up-coming birthdays or other fun occasions!
On Wednesday, I will have the other 3 projects contained within this super fun Toddler Toy Box! See you then!!
See You Soon!
Megan