![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisishappystuff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/IMGP9266.jpg\" "\\"locks")
<\/a>this week’s page isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s a nice quick page that involves some practical skill practice for the kids.<\/p>\nthe design for the lock page was inspired by this post on little hands, big work<\/a> (discovered via pinterest), but i couldn’t figure out how she secured the lock onto that rope (hot glue?) and she doesn’t really go into detail.\u00c2\u00a0 plus, the packaging for those luggage locks said that the plastic casings were known to the state of california to be [deadly dangerous–can’t remember the exact phrasing, but you get the idea] and that you should wash your hands after touching it.\u00c2\u00a0 right.\u00c2\u00a0 let’s just cover that up with felt and not take our busy books to california, mm-kay?<\/p>\n here’s a mini-tutorial about how i covered the lock with felt:<\/p>\n 8.\u00c2\u00a0 then, sew it all down, tucking the ends of the ribbon behind a smaller square of felt and stitching back and forth over where they connect to make sure they’re attached well.<\/p>\n for the latches\/buckles page (inspired by mousehouse<\/a> via pinterest), i recommend visiting the pet supply area (target had dog collars on clearance!), the jewelry findings department (joann had those big lobster claw clasps on clearance!), your junk drawer (the maroon strap and the metal on it was from an old lanyard) and if all else fails, just go buy yourself a few latches and ribbon.<\/p>\n how much does this page actually appeal to an active 2 and almost a half year old?\u00c2\u00a0 meh.\u00c2\u00a0 he’s interested in the locks and buckles, but he can’t work them by himself quite yet and it frustrates him, so he’s quick to say he’s “done” with this page.\u00c2\u00a0 but i think that eventually this may be one he enjoys quite a bit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" this week’s page isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s a nice quick page that involves some practical skill practice for the kids. the first lock page i made used a lock we had lying around the house.\u00c2\u00a0 it was e-nor-mous … Continue reading <\/a>the first lock page i made used a lock we had lying around the house.\u00c2\u00a0 it was e-nor-mous and very heavy.\u00c2\u00a0 it was so big that when i showed it to the happy toddler on our recent car trip, he started pretending it was a paint brush and painted my arm with it.\u00c2\u00a0 my mother expressed concern that he would someday get frustrated with something and would chuck the whole page at the head of whoever was driving and disaster would surely ensue.\u00c2\u00a0 while that’s possibly just a teensy bit far-fetched (it could happen!), i was tired of the lock being so awkwardly heavy as a page, so i broke my “just use what we have on hand” rule of thumb and purchased two luggage locks.\u00c2\u00a0 i like these way better.\u00c2\u00a0 first of all, they’re a more sensible size and secondly, the key works both directions, so there’s a better chance they’ll at least get the key into the lock.<\/p>\n<\/a>1.\u00c2\u00a0 cut a piece of felt about 3 times as tall as your lock and about one and a half times as wide (you can see above that this piece was 5″ long and a little under 2″ wide).<\/p>\n<\/a>2.\u00c2\u00a0 sew your ribbon onto the back side of your felt (again, note the measurements above).\u00c2\u00a0 don’t be like me and sew your ribbon with the patterned side up (if you have a patterned side).\u00c2\u00a0 you will discover later, as i did, that this will eventually look backwards, but by then it will be too late and irritating to change it.<\/p>\n<\/a>3.\u00c2\u00a0 fold the felt up to form a pocket and sew the sides.\u00c2\u00a0 the sewn portion of the ribbon should be on the back side of your new little pocket.\u00c2\u00a0 the depth of the pocket should be the height of the body of your lock and the pocket should fit your lock relatively snugly (no wiggling!).\u00c2\u00a0 as you can see above, it took me a few tries to get it just right.\u00c2\u00a0 when i was satisfied with the fit, i just trimmed those excess edges off.<\/p>\n<\/a>3b.\u00c2\u00a0 test your fit and adjust until you like it.<\/p>\n<\/a>4.\u00c2\u00a0 cut a teeny, tiny semi-circle out of the bottom edge of your pocket.\u00c2\u00a0 this will become a hole that the keyhole will peek out of.<\/a><\/a>5.\u00c2\u00a0 trim the top of the felt so that it’s a strip narrow enough to rest between the two legs of the latch part of the lock.\u00c2\u00a0 you might also want to trim the length down.<\/p>\n<\/a>6.\u00c2\u00a0 sew that last little flap of felt down with a few hand-stitches.<\/p>\n<\/a>7.\u00c2\u00a0 also sew a ribbon onto the key.<\/p>\n<\/a>if you want to add a metal ring, sew a ribbon onto that too.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n