Cozy Cat Cushion Craft

I'm amazed at myself for saying this, but it is totally true: I **like** a cat. I really do. Our new (old) cat. So, in this spirit of companionship I decided to make the cat some places to sleep and dream some funky cat dreams. Because he shouldn't have to sleep like this:

 He's not too happy about the blocks carefully stacked around him. The Munchkins goal behind this project was to stop his tail from moving. Hmmm. So, he definitely needs a designated sleep area for comfort and for boundaries....'cause then I can tell the Munchkin that when he's on the sleeping spots, he's off limits (yeah, that'll work). I made Danny a windowsill cushion and a bed.

So, here's what you need:

Thin Styrofoam Board

Lots of a fabric for cushion(depending on the # of projects)

Exacto knife

Sewing Machine and Thread

Velcro pieces

Alternate Fabric for Flower Paws

Glue Gun

Batting/Polyester filling

To Make the Cushions:

~A piece of styrofoam cut to fit for the windowseat (for the bed, you can pick whatever size you want). I don't do math and I don't like to measure so, I eye-balled it:

I just trimmed off the excess. 

~Next, you need to see how much fabric you require. I laid out the fabric, laid my styrofoam board on it, folded it over and gave about 3 inches of extra fabric for hemming and room for stuffing. I trimmed away the rest.

~Take the foam out. 

~Hem one of the short sides. Leave the other alone.

~Reverse the fabric (wrong side out) and stitch the longest sides together.

~Then, line up the fabric like this (picture below) and sew a straight line across the unhemmed, short side. It should look like this:

Hopefully, your stitches will be straighter than mine. **yeesh**

~Turn the whole thing right side out and poke the corners out. 

~Fit the board into it. 

~Fill it with batting/filling.

~Attach velcro to the inside hemmed edges and seal it up. I used adhesive velcro, which is going to get in the way of washing....but, I couldn't find any plain kind at the store I went to. You'd be better off getting the sewn on kind, I'm sure. 

~Add the fabric flowers (the shape of a paw, if you'd like) with the hot glue....I'm not going to give you directions on the flowers, but you can find them HERE at The Domestic Diva. I went with the hand rolled roses. :-) 

Here's a picture of the paw, close-up:

For the windowsill cushion, I attached it so the windowsill with some leftover velcro. That way the cat cat jump on and off without knocking it down all the time. We also put a bird feeder right next to the window, so he'll have some wildlife to scheme about. :-)
 Here they are, all put together:

Danny thinks it's Purr-fect. :-)

Here are the Linky Parties I Joined:

(Check them out and be inspired)

Thrifty Thursday

Frugalicious Friday

A New Friend In Our Midst

This is our new friend, Danny. Not a very appropriate name, but as he has had it for 8 years....I think he'd miss it quite a bit if we tried to change it. :-) If I could, I would name him KaBlooey (after a wool sweater of mine that was mistakenly put in the dryer). He looks remarkably like he's had the same ride as that sweater.  We found him in the local classifieds, looking for a new home because his old one couldn't give him all the attention he seemed to need. He's half traditional persian (which accounts for all the *poof*). He's a great fit for our house....we are giving him all the attention he can handle. The munchkin is overjoyed. :-) He's incredibly friendly and cuddly. And, I imagine he's going to rule our house in no time.

Yup, we've been conquered.

Lemonade Stand Sign

This is a funny lemonade sign I made for a neighbor whose little gal is an entrepreneur. :-) And, only 25 cents for a lemonade?? C'mon, who could pass that up?!?! Goodness, you can't find anything for that price anymore. And, I always tip them.... and it is STILL a good deal.

Pretty simple sign. Plywood painted yellow and then green stripes added. Big different colored yellow oval in the low center and two dark green leaves added to one side. White and pink to make the bendy straw coming out....and then pink lettering. Mod podge it all for a final touch. I did this all by hand....and I have no doubt it would look better if it were done more precisely. BUT, I am a fan of vintage style....and that's what this reminds me of. Nothings perfect, right??

Here are the parties I linked up to.....be INSPIRED!!

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Works For Me Wednesdays

Show Us What You're Working With

Thrifty Thursday