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Showing posts with label Projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Projects. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

DIY Dog Training Bell

Tifa is now almost 9 months old.. So crazy to think about. These past few months she has been challenging to say the least. Within the first month of us being in our new apartment she had chewed a hole in our carpet, the molding around the bathroom door, countless socks from our laundry basket, and a whole roll of toilet paper. We also discovered she can jump over baby gates! :/ Boo.  

I think it is safe to say she is finally coming out of this rebellion stage (knock on wood). She is turning out to be a great dog though. One thing I absolutely love about her is her willingness to learn new tricks. She is hands down the smartest dog I have ever met! In about 10 minutes Tom taught her how to roll over. Pretty awesome if your ask me, but then again I am a little biased. 

I have always wanted a dog who told me when they needed to "go outside". So after doing some initial research, I decided it was time to make her a bell and get started! If you want to learn how to train your dog to use a bell, {this} was my favorite article I found! 


And now without further interruption, here is how you can make your own dog training bell! 

Supplies:

- Bell 
- Wire Edged Ribbon 
- Scissors
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Directions:

1. First things first, you want to make sure your pooch can reach the bell so she can tell you she has to go outside! Once you have your dog handy, measure the length of ribbon you will need and then cut. 

2. If your ribbon is too wide to fit around the door handle like mine, fold the middle of your ribbon in half "hot dog style". Then take your hot glue gun and glue the halves together so they stay folded and will fit nicely over your handle.


3. Bring the ends of your ribbon together so you can attach your bell. I used a bell from a bird toy I found at the pet store. It was way cheaper than an actual "dog training bell", $6 as opposed to $30. Yay for being cheap! Hot glue the ends together and hook on the bell. 



4. Next you will want to make a pretty bow. Cut an appropriate length of ribbon and tie away. I had to fiddle with the knot for a few minutes so it wasn't twisted up. Then I cut triangles to make the bow a little more fancy. 



5. Hot glue your bow over the bell hook. If you want you can sew in a couple of stitches for extra support. I will say I only used hot glue and after two months of being up it is still very secure! The choice is up to you! Hang your bell over the door and you're done! 


I am super happy with the way my bell turned out! For me, burlap was the perfect choice as it is durable and will go with any decor for any occasion. The best part about this project was after only two short weeks Tifa was ringing the bell to let us know she had to go outside!


This picture was taken a couple weeks before Christmas, so she is a little bigger now and bulked up a little bit. Send me pictures of your finished dog bells with your furbabies, I would love to see them! You can find my email address under the "say hi" section of the blog. Or tag me on Instagram or Twitter using @upstairscrafter :)

Friday, December 13, 2013

DIY Popsicle Stick Snowflakes


Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our apartment! I love putting up our decorations and making the place look like elves live with us, the animals love it too! Our hallway was looking a little bare so I decided to make some popsicle stick snowflakes to hang on two of the doors. I love how they turned out and will definitely be making more for around the house, I'm thinking some will even be red! 

The nice thing about these snowflakes is you can leave them up after Christmas ends so your house doesn't feel so bare and dull. I always get sad when I have to put my Christmas decorations away, so I am all about the "transition" decorations. Want to make some of your own? Read on!

You will Need: 


- Popsicle Sticks (I used 24 for the small snowflake and 36 for the large snowflake)
- Paint or Spray Paint of your color choice
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Ribbon, Nail, and a Hammer to hang

Directions:


1. Paint or spray paint your popsicle sticks the color of your choosing.

2. After your popsicle sticks have dried, begin gluing the sticks together to form your snowflake design.

3. Once completed, cut a piece of ribbon and use it to hang your snowflakes where you want them displayed. You could even just use a nail if you are hanging them on the wall!

And that's all you need to do to create you very own popsicle stick snowflakes! Here are my finished products.



If you need more inspiration for snowflake designs check out these pins from my Pinterest Christmas board.





Be sure to grab my button and link up your own popsicle stick snowflakes below! ;)

The Upstairs Crafter




Monday, November 11, 2013

Something Wonderful - Free Printable

We are slowly creeping up on our move in date for our new apartment! In fact, one month from today will be our move in day, exciting stuff!! As I have mentioned before, I am looking forward to move in to our own place for lots of reasons. One very big reason being WE CAN FINALLY DECORATE as we will not have the fear of moving at a moments notice hanging over our heads. Yay!

I am going to be over the moon happy when I can finally hang pictures up! I love going to friends and families homes and seeing all of their milestones, adventures, and favorite quotes everywhere. To me, it makes the place feel like home. 

The other day I was thinking about what I would hang up in our bathroom. Weird thing to think about right? I guess I am goofy that way. I definitely do not want to see someone else's face staring back at me while I do my hair in the morning. So that was out. Then I thought I would love to see some sort of inspirational quote. So I hopped on Pinterest to check out my Printables board. A few quotes jumped out at me, however none of them went well with my bathroom color scheme. 

That is when I decided to make my own and share it with you! To download, click on the link below. Keep in mind this is for an 8x10 picture frame! 



This is the first time I am sharing a free printable so PLEASE let me know in the comments below if you run into any issues while downloading. Thank you so much, and enjoy!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Good Ideas - 10 Halloween Projects

Halloween is just around the corner! Can you believe it? I love this time of year. Cool mornings, leaves changing colors, boots, scarves, pumpkin spice lattes! ;) It is just a beautiful season.. Plus, it means Christmas is just around the corner!! Go ahead, call me crazy. I can't help loving Christmas, but I am getting ahead of myself.


To get in the Autumn spirit, here are some of my favorite Halloween Pins! 



Burlap Boo Bunting via R & R Workshop



Spray Painted Boo Pumkins via HGTV


 Happy Halloween Bunting via Etsy


Pretty Pumpkins via McKay & Dixie


Mini Pumpkin Dcoration via Ten June


Door Sign via Eleven Magnolia Lane


Creative Use of Pumpkins via Better Homes and Gardens


Boo Sign via Etsy


Paper Pumpkin via Two Paper Divas



Chic Halloween Ribbon Wreath via Bowdabra Blog 

Don't forget you can link up your Halloween creations and tutorials here. Can't wait to see your lovely projects!! :)