DIY: Raised Dog Bowls from Vintage Suitcase

Raised bowls from suitcase

Cool upcycling! Do you remember this really popular post on making pet beds out of vintage suitcases.  Here’s a project that transforms a vintage suitcase into a raised food & water bowl station.

Redditor, reallifedog, made this for his girlfriend and very kindly posted a good tutorial.  I just love clever people!  He points out he used standard hand tools except for a welder for the legs.  Don’t have a welder?  No worries—you can buy furniture legs at hardware stores and online.

(I’m assuming reallifedog is male.  I did some snooping and found pics of his that show a guy’s hands.  Yes, I’m that thorough obsessive compulsive about researching posts.)

Have an itch to make something?  Here are a TON of posts on DIY projects and tips!

DIY: Interactive Toy For Dogs

This is so simple, yet so clever!  Saffron LOVES interactive, food dispensing toys.  I think she’d prefer that all her food required some work to get to it, given how excited she gets when she sees me filling her Tricky Treat Ball or hiding a chew treat in a box.

This DIY interactive toy just requires a muffin tin and 6 smallish balls.

DIY: 6 Dog Coats & Sweaters Round-Up

Last week’s post on the DIY Dog Rain Coat got me to thinking about all the other DIY dog coats & sweaters I’ve written about.  Here are a bunch of tutorials on how to make your dog her own coat—everything from upcycling to sewing to knitting to even weaving.

Cardigan Coat

 


 

Dog Raincoat from Old Jacket (for people) with pattern

 


 

Woven Coat with pattern

 


 

Oil Cloth Coat with 2 patterns

 


 

Sock Sweater

 


 

2 Different Sweaters to Knit

 


 

Though it’s not a tutorial, this is a great idea! Check out these super cool coats made out of broken umbrellas created by Taryn Zychal.

DIY: Over 30 Different Cat Toys To Sew, Knit, Crochet, or Assemble

Here are a ton of DIY cat toys!  One of my pet peeves (groan!) is ugly pet toys .  I like them to be colorful, cute, and/or funny, and the easiest way to achieve that is to make your own.  The great thing about DIY cat toys is they take very little fabric, yarn, etc. and they’re usually quick to make.  All of the toys below will make nice gifts for kitties and their people.  Have fun!

Adorable hearts, cupcakes, strawberries, roses, & chocolates.



Kitty fortune cookies.


 

No-sew feathers and fish.


 

 

Suede mouse.


 

 

Beautiful birdies.


 

 

Easy to sew mouse, fish, & sausage.


 

 

Supper fuzzy mouse.


 

Adorable sushi—nigiri & futomaki.


 

 

Feather spinner toy & wand.


 

 

Felt bird, mouse, & fish.


 

Cute mice, olives, & owls.


 

Are You Prepared For An Emergency?

  

Life has been a bit hectic here lately—car problems, washing machine in pieces, replacing a porch, & food poisoning.  Despite the craziness, our thoughts are with everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy—the East Coast and the Caribbean, in particular.  Every disaster reminds me of how important it is to be prepared.  We live in an earthquake-prone area and we don’t have the advantage of getting any warning before something happens, but I would want to be prepared no matter where we lived.

Here are a number of posts on how you can prepare to take care of your pets in the event of an emergency.  It doesn’t have to be done all at once and it doesn’t have to be expensive, so don’t feel overwhelmed.  There is a wealth of information here and it’s the result of many hours of research consulting AVMA, FEMA, ASPCA, HSUS, CDC, Petfinder, & more.  Please share these posts with anyone who has pets, but please also give credit to Pet Project and link to my blog.

  1. What you need for a comprehensive Animal First Aid Kit, including a printable list.
  2. Guide for Emergency Preparedness for Cats & Dogs, with information on everything from documents you should have to dealing with evacuation gridlock to what should be included in your kit.
  3. Guide to Emergency Preparedness for Birds, includes a prioritized list of tasks , what you need in an Avian First Aid Kit, & much more.
  4. Guide for Emergency Preparedness for Reptiles & Amphibians, includes how to make a Herp First Aid Kit, how to keep your herps the proper temperature, plus a lot more.
  5. 10 Emergency Preparedness Tips you may not have considered.
  6. Animals In Emergencies, a video produced by the U.S. Army & the U.S. Department of Homeland Security