Repurposing a sweatshirt into a dog hoodie

One trip to Salvation Army, and 90 minutes later, Brooke has a new sweatshirt!

$4.99 GAP sweatshirt

 I started with a Medium sweatshirt from the Salvation Army. You could use an old sweatshirt in your closet from your college days, or whatever suits your fancy. You just need to make sure the neck opening is large enough to fit your dog's head through without being too tight. I took Brooke's measurements before we went to Salvo, and I measured sweatshirts while I was shopping :)

First, I took off the hoodie kangaroo pocket because dogs wear hoodies with the back showing, not the front. You can see in the "before" picture that I took it off and set it aside to reattach on the backside later. Then, I cut up the side seams of the hoodie because I was going to tailor it to fit Brooke's chest.

Cut up the side seams. You can also use a seam ripper, but I'm too lazy ;)

Next, I put the hoodie on Brooke, and using safety pins, I pinned the sweatshirt along the sides to fit Brooke. She has a very large chest and a very skinny waist, like most hounds. I also tailored the sleeve opening to fit Brooke's skinny legs.

Doesn't fit quite yet!

Use safety pins instead of regular pins--your dog and fingers will thank you!

During this fitting process, you're going to be taking the sweatshirt on and off your dog a LOT. Brooke let me do it without too much hassle, but you may need to bribe your dog to stand still with some peanut butter and a Kong.

After getting all the pins situated, I cut the sleeves to the length I wanted, and cut the cuff to sew back on later.

Make sure your hoodie is flipped right sides together so you have nice edges when you flip it back the right way. I also replaced the safety pins at this point with straight pins to make it easier to follow while I sewed.

Brooke's after I sewed the sides back together, following my trail of straight pins

Flip your hoodie back the right way and trim the excess fabric. You may want to do a zigzag or blanket stitch to reinforce the stitching if your dog is rough on clothes.

This part is tricky. Make sure you have everything facing the right way for turning.

Now you're going to put the cuff back on the sleeve. The only way I can think to explain how to do this (and I usually mess it up at least once and have to rip the seams to redo it...) is make sure the hoodie itself is the right side out, and flip the cuff so it's inside out, and slip it (cuff-first) over the sleeve. Then you will sew all the way around the outer ring.

Ta-da!

Lining up the lines of this hoodie was a bit hard, but it looks okay.

So after the sides are sewn back up and the sleeves altered, it's time to put the kangaroo pocket back on. This is optional, but looks really cute if you add it back on. Just follow the lines, and make sure to NOT sew the pockets shut ;)

The moment of truth: trying the final product on your dog. Be sure to put her head in first, and then her front legs.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my first tutorial--I hope it inspires you to repurpose items in your home or Salvo for your pups :)

DIY Headboard

Something we haven't had since we upgraded to a King mattress 3 years ago is a headboard. Doesn't a headboard just instantly jazz up your bed a little? Complete the look?

My stepdad is completely rebuilding his back deck, and he offered the old wood to us. Free lumber? Yes, please!! We can build a headboard out of reclaimed wood, and it'll be 'green', not to mention FREE. That's a big thing for my husband--he's Dutch, so he's cheap ;)

I looked around on the internet, checking out blogs and pinning things to my Pinterest boards (if you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, DO IT NOW). Here are some pictures that I got inspiration from.

Reclaimed wood headboard from AKA Design

 

Create and Delegate, using Ana White's plans.

Songbird

House*Tweaking

I loved the one from Ana White, but to buy the lumber new (you needed 1x3, 1x4, 1x6, etc., and the lumber we got from my stepdad was 2x10) would be between $80-$100. So that was a no go. I would like to stain the wood to match our floors, but the builder/seller didn't leave us any stain. Sidenote: they left tons of used paint and other stains in the garage, which I have been happy to use. I really liked all of them, but there were little things that bugged me--the banner was too girly, the boards didn't line up with the bed, they were too long/too short, etc.

Nic and I were just gonna have to wing it and hope that, along the way, we'd come up with a design we could agree on and like enough to fasten to our bedframe.

Nic's dad's table saw and the pile of lumber we got from my stepdad.

Sexy look :) I had welding gloves on too.

Brooke checking out the lumber. We decided to sand the wood inside because it was too darn hot out!

After assembly, 'love' written with our bedroom paint color, and a coat of satin polyurethane.

After it dried, it was the 'moment of truth'. We had to get it back in the house without destroying our walls or knocking things off the counter. Nic had a tough time getting it screwed to the bed frame--the screws kept stripping--but he got it done! Excuse the bad picture and my husband's flat-as-a-pancake pillow that makes the headboard look unlevel, but here it is.

Ta-da!

Next: I just need to sew up some more pillows and get started on some artwork for above the headboard.

Color-matching Peg Dolls

I saw this great idea at Crafts for Lily and just *had* to do it too. It is too cute, and what a great idea for Lilia to match her colors.

I ordered my wood from Casey's Wood out of Maine. You could also find the unfinished wood at JoAnn's or Michael's, which is what I plan to do for the next set, if I make another one (I hope so!). Then I borrowed my mother-in-law's bucket of acrylic paint and got to work.

First, I painted the skin color on the heads, and then started the body painting and the pot painting. After several coats of paint (the wood really sucked up the paint) I started on the hair and hair accessories. Those tiny bows just kill me; they're so cute! I also added some buttons and lapels to some of the girls, and pearl necklaces to the rest. One of the girls got freckles, but they kinda turned out a little large. Lastly, I added facial features with a fine-tip Sharpie. If I do this again, I will leave the Sharpie details for last because the high-gloss spray paint I put on to finish the project kinda smeared a couple of the girls' eyes. Oh well. Live and learn, right?

 

 All in all, it probably took me 3 hours to complete them all, including time for the paint to dry and the gloss spray as well. Not too long for a cute little game for Lilia to play. Now I can't wait for her to wake up from her nap to play with them!

Happy Valentine's!

 

Give your pets big hugs and kisses today! I'm sure they'll be more than happy to give you a few kisses back!

Fix the ones you love

This great video is from Best Friends Animal Society. Check 'em out and see how you can help. And don't forget to spay or neuter your pets!

We need a bigger couch

From L-R: My daughter, Lilia;  3yo Hound/Pointer mix, Brooke; 8yo GSP, Mona; foster Boxer mix, Jake.

I think it's time for us to upgrade to a bigger couch. The loveseat isn't cutting it anymore!

How can you say "no" to this face?

Our 8-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, Mona-Litze. Just seeing this face makes you want to give her a cookie :)

New logo

Slow Saturday = new logo!
Thoughts?

We've begun a new adventure...

...fostering!

Jake, a 5-year-old Boxer Mix. Available for adoption!

Where does a dog or cat live before getting adopted? With a foster mom or dad. So we are now starting our adventure into the world of fostering.

We work with Last Day Dog Rescue, providing a home for a dog in need, and taking him to adoption events. The Rescue provides everything the dog needs (vetting, food, supplies) through donations, and the foster home provides a home, training, playmates, etc.

Our first foster is Jake, a 5-year-old Boxer mix. He is an absolute sweetheart, just loves to love you. He's great with other dogs, doesn't bother cats, and is really good with my 15-month-old daughter. He likes to curl up at your feet while you're watching TV, and snuggle with you in bed. He does sleep on a dog bed, but likes to snuggle with me before the hubby gets into bed. He's just waiting for his forever home! Will it be yours?

$10 Collar Blitz!

Mon Ami, pink paisley. Size medium (12"-16"). $10

Pink Stealth. Size medium (12"-16") and size large (15"-19").

Pink Racer. Size medium (12"-16" and size large (15"-19").

All collars feature a curved buckle for comfort, cast steel D-ring, and triple-stitched at all stress points. These 3 collars are available for a limited time for only $10 (+$3 S&H).

New Year's Special

Check out the newest design, available for a special holiday price--$10 + $3 shipping. Good Dog features a cast steel D-ring, curved brown buckle and matching adjuster. Check out the phrases on the collar: sit, stay, roll over, fetch, etc.

Good Dog is available in size Medium, fits neck size 12"-16". Get it while you can--only one left!