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!
3) Pipe Cleaner in the Hole
4) Glitter Bottles
5) Colored Pom Pom Game

 

 

 

To make this simple little game, you need:

 

  • Colored pipe cleaners (or straws, which I actually think would work better!)
  • Parmesan cheese can

 

To put it together:
  1. Cut your pipe cleaners a standard length (mine are about 6″) and bend over the ends so they aren’t sharp!
  2. Clean out your Parmesan cheese jar, peel off the labels (and scrub with Gu-Gone if necessary), and add a vinyl decal (if desired!).
  3. Load the pipe cleaners in the jar give to baby!

The next toy was the over-all hit of the whole toy box for both my son and my friend’s son…these super easy Glitter Bottles:

To make these fun bottles to shake and look at, you will need:
  • Clear pastic bottles (mine were $1.99 from Michaels)
  • Plastic beads (don’t use painted wooden ones – the paint chips in the water!)
  • Glitter (this packet of four pods was $1 fom Michaels)
  • Water (not pictured)
  • Gorilla Glue (not pictured)
To put them together:

 

  1. Put beads into empty bottle.
  2. Put glitter into bottle along with beads.
  3. Fill bottle with water. (Note – I read on some websites to add baby oil to keep everything suspended! Don’t do it! It made my bottles all clumpy and yuck! I had to re-make mine! The water works just fine!)
  4. Add a drop or two of coordinating food coloring.
  5. Glue tops shut with Gorilla Glue

Last up…the Colored Pom-Pom Game!

This one is super easy too! You will need:

  • A plastic jar with removable plastic lid – just look around your house and see what kind of jars you have on-hand that you can use! I used our couscous jar!
  • Colored pom-poms – I bought mine at Michaels, and then discovered the Dollar Store has them too!

To put them together:

  1. Cut holes in your jar lid. I traced a nickel and cut out the holes with a scissors.
  2. If desire, add coordinating colored vinyl to each hole and a vinyl decal on the front of the jar.
  3. Load the pom poms into the jar and give to baby!
These gifts were very quick and easy to make, and were really a hit with all the kiddos at the party! I really love how all the different pieces were coordinated, safe, and educational! I can’t wait to make a set for my one-year-old!!
Hope you have a great day!
See You Soon!
Megan