Getting crafty on the cheap

Posted on March 25, 2010 by

12 Comments

Thursday, March 25, 2010
29 weeks, 4 days pregnant
All of my crafting lately has centered around Baby Boy, so it’s no surprise that I chose a boy-inspired craft for my entry in Living with Lindsay’s $5 Challenge.
I saw something similar on another blog recently, but can’t remember where for the life of me. The idea is that when you take your toddler to someone’s house — specifically someone who does not have little children of their own — you don’t want them using/breaking/smashing their nice “big-people” dishes. I know if a toddler came to my house right now, I would have nothing to offer them except my real dishes and full-sized cutlery. Oops!
So my entry is a travel (i.e. fold-up and velcro) placemat with kid-appropriate cutlery and a custom plastic dish.
The supplies?
  • Plastic placemat: $1
  • Kid-sized cutlery: $1.25
  • Plastic dish: $1
Grand total: $3.25 (plus tax)
First I tackled the customize-your-own dish. I removed the plastic backing, traced the template onto a piece of bright blue cardstock, and cut out letters that spelled out “Yum yum.”

For the placemat, I simply flipped it over, folded the bottom up to form pockets, and stitched down the front to form slots for the dish and cutlery. I added a little Dollar Store velcro (leftover from another project) so the placemat can be folded up and secured for easy travel.


Tada! Take the dish and cutlery out of the pockets, flip it over, and you’ve got a child-sized placemat to use during the meal.


Now if only Baby Boy was big enough to use cutlery. Or, you know, at least born.

Category: Craftiness, Third trimester

12 Comments on “Getting crafty on the cheap”

  4. this is such a great and useful craft!! now if a toddler came to your house right now, you would have something for them!

    Reply

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I’m Heather Laura Clarke. I’m writer living in beautiful Nova Scotia, I have a 11-year-old son and a nine-year-old daughter, I married my high school sweetheart, and this is the story of my handmade life.

I have depression and anxiety, and I fight like hell every day to keep it from taking over my life. Making things isn’t just a hobby — it’s part of what keeps me alive.

Whether I’m writing novels, decorating a room, busting out my power tools to build furniture, getting muddy in the pottery studio, sewing clothes for my kids, or cross-stitching a swear word, I’m all about using my creativity to craft a life I love.

I’ve been writing this blog since 2009, so if you dig deep into the archives, you’ll meet a bright-eyed 25-year-old newlywed who was basically obsessed with having kids, buying a cozy house, and supporting herself full-time as a writer. (Spoiler alert: she got exactly what she wanted.)

Pizza Bites (425F for 10-15 min).
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My Top Posts
DIY dog crate cover
Easy DIY sofa tables
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Cozy bathroom makeover with a painted light fixture
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