DIY Hands-free Water Bottle Carrier

Looking for an easy to make, inexpensive, unique but useful gift for the holidays?  How about a hands-free water bottle carrier!  In my job leading school kids through living history museums, I truly rely on this handy carrier. Water is quickly available to get my voice back in action, no fuss with backpacks or fanny packs.  My hands are almost immediately free to get busy with the next part of my presentation!  The open bottom means that even if the straps get wet (condensation), everything dries quickly.  Sometimes I don't even take it out of the carrier to refill it!  Many of my co-workers asked if I could make them one, so I thought I'd go ahead and post how I did it here.  Hopefully someone else will find it useful, too!

Materials

2 yards, 1" webbing

scrap of thick fabric in attractive design for bottle snuggy

1" wide strap adjuster
silver Sharpie (or other utensil for marking on dark fabrics)
measuring tape or ruler
sewing machine or just needle and thread
scissors
dab of tacky glue

 

Tutorial

1) Cut 8 inches of webbing off the 2 yard piece for the bottom cross strap.

2) Use a match to carefully melt the ends of the webbing to prevent them from fraying.

3) Prepare the shoulder strap by sewing a strap adjuster on one end of the long piece of webbing.

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Slide a strap adjuster onto the long piece of 1" webbing.

Sew strap adjuster on tightly.

4) Prepare the snuggy by cutting a length that fits around the kind of water bottle you'll be using and hem the sides (mine are 11" long, 3.25-3.5" wide for a steel water bottle). 
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 Cut into a length that fits around your water bottle and hem sides (back view).

(front view of bottle snuggy)

5) Attach the snuggy to the shoulder strap.

Align the shoulder strap on the snuggy so that the edge of the snuggy meets the edge of the folded-over webbing.  Aim for middle of the snuggy, but it doesn't have to be measured/perfect.  Be careful to get the webbing aligned right (perpendicular to snuggy) or it will be crooked like mine! Eeek!

 6)  Attach cross strap to shoulder strap.

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With your measuring tape at the edge of the snuggy, make slight marks at 3.5" and 4.5" (the 1" middle space for the cross strap to go). Make another mark at 8" (where the other end of the snuggy will attach).

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Fold the 8" cross strap in two.  Mark 0.5" down from fold on each side to identify the 1" section to overlay on the shoulder strap.

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Align the cross strap onto the shoulder strap and sew tightly.

 7) Sew snuggy together.  This is the trickiest step!

Fold shoulder strap over, on top of snuggy and other end of strap until the 8" mark aligns with bottom edge of snuggy.

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Bring one side of the snuggy over and align with 8"mark,

then bring other side over and align with 8" mark, too.  Picture the water bottle fitting into the snuggy at this point and wiggle the overlap of the fabric edges to webbing so that the fabric length is similar on both sides.  I used a little tacky glue to hold the edges in place for sewing. You have to let it dry, of course, but the time cost was well worth the trouble of holding it steady for the tricky sewing part.

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All sewn together, magic!  It is a bit tricky here because the snuggy opening was too narrow to fit around the arm of my sewing machine.  It took a little extra time and patience to maneuver it through the machine.

8) Attach cross strap to snuggy.

Flatten the snuggy together so that the straps overlap, then make a small mark on both sides of the bottom edge of the snuggy.  This is an easy way to identify the midpoint of the snuggy for attaching the cross strap.

Fold the cross strap in half just at the edge, lengthwise, to identify its midpoint. Mark the spot.  Now you can align the mark on the cross strap with the mark on the snuggy under your sewing machine's pressure foot to get a perfectly centered cross strap!

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With one side complete, there's just the other side to go....

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Whala!  Cross strap attached!

9) Turn water carrier right-side-out.
10)  Insert shoulder strap into strap adjuster and try on for a personalized fit!

I've linked here!! Thanks for the fun!

Independence Day Fun: A Collection of Four Great Ideas!

I found some super ideas for celebrating the 4th of July in blog land this year, check these out!  These crafts can also be made with different colors for different celebrations..


Ribbony Goodness Decoration Idea

Courtney over at A Diamond in the Stuff has beautiful photographs of a Patriotic Ribbon Topiary she put together.  It is so fun to just look at the photos... but the skeptic in me thought it was probably way harder than she described.  Well, mine isn't as gorgeous as hers, but easy?  I finished the whole thing THE NIGHT BEFORE 4th of July.  And it looks even better "in person," according to my kindergartner (aww, shucks!).

I looked up a bunch of ribbon topiaries to get a better idea of how to do it, but it is really as easy as it seems. You need a foam ball (mine was large from JoAnn's), a pot (mine was from Goodwill), a styrofoam block to stick inside the pot (stabilize dowel) and moss to cover it, a wooden dowel (mine was 3/8"), bunches of ribbon in various sizes and textures cut up in 4" (10cm) pieces, and straight pins. 

When they say you need a lot of ribbon, phew, they mean it.  I used 6 rolls!  It was recommended to choose different widths and textures, which I ended up doing but Courtney's is all one width.  Either way seems great, another advantage of this project!  Then you just pin loops of ribbon into the ball, one at a time, until the ball is covered.  Twist the loops so they overlap in different directions.  Fun!  Ok, it gets a little tedious but my mantra was Courtney's "ribbony goodness" and the fun part was watching it come together.  I am darn sure I'll be doing another ribbon topiary soon!


3D Cardstock Wreath Decoration Idea

Here is another gorgeously photographed project that seemed too simple to come out so fantastic looking... a patriotic star wreath made from cardstock, no kidding!  Brandy at Gluesticks has a great tutorial on making these here.  With different seasonal paper, the wreath could work anytime! The catch was that Brandy used a cricut machine to make it. Oh sure, she said we could do it without a machine, but is that really so?

YES!  And I've put the star shape I used as my template below in case there is someone else who wants to try this without a machine... but do go see Brandy's as hers is a TRUE masterpiece.

This was a last minute project (of course) and I didn't have any navy paper for the blue stars, so  pardon the turquoise!  Here is the free clipart "Happy July 4th."

The stars are fun to make in themselves. I had one of our party guests making them last night (she was 9) just for fun.  We stuck hers on bamboo skewers with a coil of masking tape so she could arrange them in a vase when she got home. 


Tri-Colored Drinks

Here's another way-too-cool idea that is super simple!  The secret to making layered drinks is to 1) put the liquid with heaviest sugar content at the bottom, lightening up as you go, 2) making sure there is enough ice so you can pour the new layer on an ice cube rather than into liquid (minimizes mixing).

This recipe, from Family Fun, uses cranberry juice at the bottom, blue gatorade in the middle, and diet 7-up at top.  There was a run on blue gatorade in Willamsburg this year so the only kind we could find was "light."  It still had enough sugar to work as the middle color though, phew!  We served these with fancy star-spangled straws.


Flag Cake

This one you have to link to, really. Glory over at Glorious treats made a tutorial for this flag cake look so easy, it was another thing I had to try.  You use two cake mixes. Dye both rounds of one mix red and one half blue of the other mix.  Split the red and white layers after they're baked, cut a 4" circle from the blue layer (to make a ring), and fill the hole in the blue layer with 4" circles from the red and white layers.   Glory shows you how!  I found a bowl that had a 4" diameter and traced that onto cardboard to use as my circle template.

I hate to put a picture of mine up because it was, well... maybe I can blame it on the hot and humid Virginia weather?  I was too much in a serving hurry to get a good photo (frosting stuck to knife, you know how it goes). And make sure to thicken my lemon buttercream frosting!  Nonetheless, it was a favorite of our 4th of July guests...and there was NONE left.  :)

Watermelon Shark-Monster

You've probably seen photos of the way-cool watermelon carved sharks floating on the web, but I'm here to tell you, it's one of those projects that looks difficult but is EASY and fun.  I didn't get a photo until after the party, so all the candy fish are gone and his fin fell off.  It would have been better with a pointy melon, but this little guy started a lot of conversations!   I tried to find out who the original artist was but didn't have any luck... found this tutorial though.



3d Star Paper Wreath Template

Our Favorite Playdough Recipe

Summer time means extra time for fun projects.  Homemade play dough is a great one!  Measuring (FRACTIONS!), mixing, cooking, kneading, creating, then CLEAN UP.  Whoa, the lessons are endless!

Our favorite recipe comes from the Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool. 

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of water
• 1 T oil
• 1 T alum
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 T vanilla, ginger, allspice, peppermint, cinnamon, or other scent
• food coloring or liquid paint of your color choice

Directions

1) mix all dry ingredients
2) mix all wet ingredients (oil, water, color)
3) combine dry and wet ingredients, blending well

4) cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes
5) remove from heat
6) when cool enough to touch, transfer to table

7) knead until smooth (it will start out sticky then stiffen to normal play dough consistency)

8) store in ziploc bag

For Budding Authors and Artists: A Must-Make Mini Flip Book

Here is an awesome idea from Family Fun to keep stashed in your brain for those moments when you must find something to entertain the kids... make a mini-flip book!  My kids  and their friends love making "books," but rarely get past more than a few pages before their attention dwindles.  These small books fit the need perfectly, and give them a great feeling of accomplishment.  Their handy size makes for easy transport in those small hands and small bags/belts or wherever they are stashing their gear for the day.


Materials
8.5x11" paper
pens
scissors

(directions also in pdf at end of post)

Step 1 and 2: fold paper as indicated

Step 3: fold paper in half lengthwise

Step 4:  Cut a narrow slit between the fold lines along the edge

Step 5:  pinch ends of paper closed, then push hands towards each other, forcing the paper to open along the folds and slit,

Step 6:  Keep pushing until the slit opens where paper creases

Step 6 continued:  here is another view of the action

Step 7:  Keep pushing the ends together and flatten into a book shape.

Time to write those books...  Get that creative mind going!

We've found book making to be an especially helpful activity on playdates.  Making mini-books is a great way to help them get a rest between their intense games.  Rest=better mood=happy mommy!

If your little one needs some inspiration for drawing, don't forget about Ed Emberley!  I actually saved my copy from childhood... If you aren't familiar with Ed, you need to take a look. He teaches how to draw in simple step, based on simple shapes like dots, letters, and the alphabet. I'm showing the animal one here but there are other options, including one on on trucks and trains.  Amazon has some of these on a 4 for the price of 3 promotion. What a deal!

 If that still doesn't inspire your little one, be sure to check out the award winning picture book,  "THE DOT" by  Peter H. Reynolds.  A girl who is frustrated with drawing ends up making a dot for her art project.  With gentle encouragement from her teacher, Vashti's dot art grows into her own exhibition.  My favorite part  is the ending, when Vashti extends what she's learned about encouraging others from her teacher and passes it on to another struggling artist-to be. Aww, shucks!

One more favorite story about art and creativity...  In Willow, by Denise Brennan-Nelson, Rosemarie Brennan, and Cyd Moore, it is the art teacher who is frustrated and the student who insprires her.  All little ones need to hear this story as they enter public school with all its rules and conformities (do apples always have to be red?).  Willow's creative heart wins everyone over.  Be true to yourself!

Mini Flip Book

How to make Secret Message Rocks

The fake rocks we used in the Spy Party to hold a carrier pigeon puppet, candy, and secret message were easy to make from things we had around the house.  Start this project 2-3 days before you need them to allow drying time.

Of course, this activity would be fun any time.  No need to limit it to a party game!  Hide some dinosaurs or cars or dolls inside and set up a mission to find them.  Kids love treasure hunts!

Materials

1 cup of flour
1 cup of left over coffee grinds (your local barista can help with this!)
1/2 cup of salt
1/4 cup of sand
3/4 cup of water

large plastic Easter eggs (optional)

Stir together dry ingredients.  Then add water.  Try adding about 1/2 cup of the water first and see if the mixture comes together well with that.

Separate the mixture into balls.  If it the mucky mixture is still crumbly, add more water.  If it is too wet, add more flour.

If your "treasure" is made of plastic or glass, you can make a thumb print into a ball, put the treasure inside, and fold/mold the ball closed.  If your contents might not survive direct contact with wettish muck (paper messages!), then put the contents in a plastic Easter egg first. Mold the mucky mixture around the plastic egg instead.

Once your secret message rocks are filled, you'll need to let them dry for 2 days or so. I put mine on a cookie tray and transferred them to a sunny spot... really only took one day in the sun to dry.  However, the tricky part is that the muck doesn't dry evenly and it shrinks a bit in the process. Be sure to check on balls and rotate them as they dry!  I made them in the middle of the night (of course). Checked on them after breakfast, moved them to the sun for the day, checked/rotated after school, and once more after that.

Our party guests loved finding the rocks and opening them, even at 9 years.  These secret balls are a great game for any time you want to insert a surprise into a child's routine!

Spy Party Game 9: Marshmallow Shooters

Last but not least, our secret agents put a puzzle together to find a bag of treasure hidden outside.

(Marshmallow shooters are great fun any time!  We used our party as an excuse to make them... but we'll be playing with these for a long, long time!  Don't forget to pack them on camping trips!)

The bag contained pieces of PVC pipe that could be connected and reconnected to make a marshmallow shooter.  To encourage the kids to use their creativity, I didn't give them a how-to photo or example. They figured it out all on their own!

To fire, spies just need to drop a marshmallow in the mouthpiece and give it a strong breath of air.  If the spies aren't satisfied with the shooter's performance, they can redesign it anytime!  Needless to say, this game was a big hit with all our special agents...

My inspiration for the shooters originally came from Instructables, but I liked  Roots & Wings Co. take on it for a kid-friendly mass-producible birthday idea. 



Each bag of marshmallows contained a rule sheet.  Use the one from Roots & Wings Co., make your own, or download a printable sheet of directions (6) below.
Marshmallow Shooter Rules

Each of our kits contained 16 pieces of pre-washed (dishwasher) 1/2"  PVC tubing, like Roots & Wings Co.:

•      2 straight connectors (mouth pieces)
•      2 end caps
•       2 Tee connectors
•       2 elbow connectors
•      24" of 1/2" straight tube cut in lengths (one 5", one 4", three 3", three 2" pieces)

The tubing above works out to $1.84 each with supplies from Lowe's. Of course, you may want to experiment and see what works best for your kiddos.

Marshmallow Shooter Design

The straight tubing comes in 5 foot lengths, so you can make 5 shooters with 2 lengths.  When selecting the connectors, be careful to make sure you get the smooth ones... they come in screw-on/threaded forms as well.   

Consider purchasing a pipe cutter ($12.50) to make fast work of the cutting. I had my son help me measure where to cut and I did the cutting. Took less than 30 minutes!?!

(Added bonus... my husband likes to joke about how birthday parties are getting him new tools. He asked if I could design one that would somehow get him a table saw?  :) )