Wipes Containter Make-Over

Have a toddler? Ever leave them alone with a container of wipes or a box of tissues? For me it was the tissues. And the giggling. And then the "uh oh". In the 3.2 seconds that I had my back turned, Grant had emptied the tissue box and was standing in the living room amid a mess of Kleenex. And since then he's been drawn to the box that is always on one of the end tables - because this child keeps a runny nose.

Thanks, once again, to Pinterest I found a semi-solution. I say "semi" because I doubt this will keep my little guy from ever again tearing apart a tissue box (and I really hope it doesn't encourage it). This came from the blog A Spotted Pony and as soon as I saw it I wanted to make it. I absolutely love crafty things (remember the t-shirt I made for Grant's 1st birthday?). It turns an empty wipes container into something that will occupy your toddler for at least as long as it takes you to dry your hair (I found that out yesterday morning). And isn't drying your hair easier without a 25 pound tiny human clinging to your leg? I think it is.

Here is what you need:


Empty wipes container, fabric pieces, and iron-on letters/numbers (really those are optional)

I bought a "charm pack" of fabric from the Bumbleberries Boutique shop on Etsy (click on "charm packs, turnovers" on the left side of the screen). It has 42 pieces of pre-cut fabric in all sorts of patterns and the edges of the fabric are trimmed so you don't need to hem them before using them in this project. The name of the charm pack I bought is called Lollipop and the patterns, I think, are very boy or girl friendly. This is what it all looks like:

So many fun patterns!

If you want to do the iron-on letters and numbers then do that according to the directions on which ever letters/numbers you buy. I bought a package of letters and numbers together a Michael's craft store. I did one letter (or number) per square of fabric. I ended up with a few left over pieces, but not many.

Then you put them all in the wipes container and let the fun begin. Easy peasy.

I actually finished this late Sunday night. After Grant had gone to bed so I didn't get to give it to him until yesterday morning. Which turned out to be a good thing because he didn't have a good night Sunday and woke up a little pissy. And I had to ready for work. So I sat him down and I showed him that he could reach his hand in and pull out the pieces. And his face LIT UP.

He loved it and it kept him occupied when I needed it to. Here's the best part, though. After I showed him what to do (and took a couple of pictures) I went back over to dry my hair. Grant emptied the container, put all all the pieces back in the container, then carried it over to me and said "tant too!" which is Grant-speak for thank you. It was, quite possibly, the sweetest thing. Ever.

*If you're someone who sews a hell of a lot more than I do and you have fabric scraps lying around your house waiting for a purpose in life then you can obviously use those. Or even old t-shirts you're getting rid of. I just love the convenience of the charm pack I bought. I didn't have to do any cutting or sewing or anything (except iron on the letters and numbers). It's like a craft project for the crafty AND the un-crafty!