I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of stuff I’ve pinned. It’s everything from recipes to crafts to lessons. Most of them sit there unused, especially the crafty stuff, so I spent the first week of July trying out different pins I’d found and getting ready to go out of town. I also used this as the time to clean out some pins that I was never going to do. So this becomes the travel toy edition of Pinned it and Did It!
I will also add, most of my Around the World in 12 Dishes contains recipes I originally pinned while researching.
Here’s my little travel toy tin results:
First, I have a large collection of pins on my Little Metal Tins board, all with different variations of cool looking boxes to hold toys or games or crayons. Now, there are some very involved ideas on there, but I ended up with two simple travel toys made from altoid tins.
First a crayon box inspired by A Girl and a Glue Gun. The kids will use this with a doodle book I picked up, and in random restaurants I’m sure. Making it a great travel toy.
Next my random small things travel toy tin. This wasn’t inspired by a particular pin, just my love of small boxes and the cute pins I have on that board. It’s just scrapbook paper mod-podged on in the each kids’ favorite color.
You can fit a surprisingly large number of legos into an altoid tin. A lot. Also apparently spiders.
Doll backpack, the quintessential travel toy
On my things to make for kids board (which started out as things to sew for kids, but half of the stuff there isn’t sewing), I have a doll backpack pinned. I also have a doll carrier pattern pinned. Well, I had plans to make them, and then one of the craft stores had a dollar sale on patterns, and there was a doll backpack, so I made that version.
Here’s what I learned from making the doll backpack travel toy:
- interface all of the fabric, first it gives a bit more shape to it all, and 2 it helps stop fraying.
- Next, I’d line the whole thing, which would take care of the fraying, but also looks nicer. The instructions gave some really weird way of lining it, that I ended up ignoring completely.
- Make the straps longer, and measure to the doll they’ll be using. The straps in the pattern are way too short.
The kids love their travel toy backpacks and their little travel toy tins. They’re the perfect size for what we want, they can fit a book, a million toys, and some clothes. It’d be great for a weekend at Mimi’s. All in all, this has been a great fit.
Check out some other “pinterest flips and flops” at iHomeschool Network.
My church uses the Altoid tins for crayon boxes during the main worship service. They work great. They lined the inside with felt so they are not so loud when crayons are plunked into them.
That’s a good idea, it’d fit even fewer, but for a church service that’s not as big of a deal.
Yeah for you that you did it. I think we all have that problem.
I have soooooooo many things pinned. I’m much more likely to do the recipes or school stuff than the “extra” things.
I’ve only just discovered pin boards and I’m merrily pinning away to my hearts content yet I know I’ll probably only get 5% of the ideas actually done!
I love your altoid ideas. Might just have to pin that myself….!!
What’s your pinterest address? I’d LOVE to follow you, I bet you pin great stuff.
I think (I’m so, so naff at all this stuff) it is simply angelicscalliwags. It’s up on my computer all the time so I never have to log on, so I’m no sure who I am! (Gary would testify to the truth of that in real life as well!!)
I found you, I think…….. Certainly looked like the types of boards you’d have 🙂
WOW!! I am totally impressed! Those tins are adorable. And the dolls! CUTE!
Cute!
Great projects. I love your backpacks – your kids are very lucky to have a crafty Mom!
Awwww, shucks. They have gotten nonstop use since I made them.
Love the altoid tins idea!
I love them for going to restaurants, it’s the perfect small toy to throw in a purse.
How fun!! I need to start prepping for my trip to Chicago! We are leaving on Thursday and driving for 10 hours! Yikes! I going to need some road toys!
You SOOOOO need to get some Adventures in Odyssey! You’ll love them for car trips. Lots of altoid tins or other small containers for little toys are great for entertainment.
Ooh, those doll backpacks are cute. I can see my girls getting a lot of use out of them! We always have doll “friends” traveling with us!