Doy toy

Make it Monday! DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy!

So being Monday and all I thought, “lets be creative!” Today is the first of my Make it Monday series. Here is a re-share of my first dog DIY project,  the T-shirt dog toy. I know a lot of people enjoyed this one and I know a lot of people missed it so I thought I would repost. I hope you like it and going forward on Mondays I’ll be posting new dog friendly recipes I’ve tried, other DIY toys, crafts for the home, and a ton more!

DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Hello all! In our house Basil loves new toys and my husband loves new t-shirts so I came up with a way that I can make both of those things happen much faster. By using an old, stretched out, too large t-shirt of my husbands and a pair of scissors I can make a rope toy, and I can show you how.

What you will need:

1 clean, old T-shirt

Pair of good scissorsDIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step one: Cut off both sleeves of the T-shirt.DIY T-Shirt Dog ToyDIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step two: Cut the seams off both the sleevesDIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step three: Cut down the seams on both sides of the body of the T-shirt.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step four: Cut long, wide strips “hot dog” wise. (One T-shirt can make two or more toys)DIY T-Shirt Dog ToyStep five: Over lap the ends of 3 to 5 of the strips. (I used only 4 this time but do whatever you are comfortable with braiding!)DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step six: Use one of the seams that you cut of the sleeves to tie and knot the overlapped strips.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step seven: Braid! Make it as tight as you can for the best toy.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step eight: Use the 2nd seam from the sleeves to tie off the other end of your braid.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step nine: To finish the toy off, I hand knotted the middle to add more interest for my boy. I also added a few stitches to the knots on each end to insure that they stayed put!

All that was left was to leave the new toy in the toy bin and wait! It wasn’t long before he found it and brought it to me. We played tug-a-war for a while and I tried to get a good picture of him enjoying my handmade toy but that was much harder than expected!Dog enjoys DIY T-Shirt Dog ToyLet me know if you want me to Make it and I’ll give it a try!

Have a happy, creative Monday and we’ll see you tomorrow for Travel Tuesday!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

Super Snuggle Bros.

Sometimes I walk into my living room and everything is normal. Sometimes I walk into my living room and its cuteness overload! Sebastian decided he wanted to snuggle with his brother and Basil was not complaining! They were even so comfortable they let me move the arm chair they were cuddled on, to get better lighting, of course. I’m so glad I was able to capture this moment on camera. I think this gives me an amazing Halloween 2014 costume idea. Yes… Yes… Everything is coming together!

Super Snuggle Bros.Super Snuggle Bros.Brotherly love at its finest! The black & whites return!

Travel well, nap well, live well!

-Abbey & Basil

Basil’s party was a hoot! – Dog Bar, Charlotte

Yesterday was Basil’s 4th birthday party at his favorite place in Charlotte, The Dog Bar! On the many drag in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte you will find the coolest off-leash dog park that also serves alcohol!

Basil is always happy to hit up the Dog Bar and just meet some new friends but tonight it was about the new friends and the old. We invited our friends from Boston Terriers of Charlotte and a few fellow Seattle Seahawks fan and their pups. The weather was great! No rain and temps in the high 50’s. Basil couldn’t of had a better time and even got a few rocking gifts.

Thanks to all of our friends that stopped by and all the new friends that wished Basil a very happy birthday. Year number 4 is going to rock!

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil

Happy Happy 4th Birthday Basil!

Today my little Boston travel hound is the big 04! We are celebrating with a new rope toy, tons of treats, and peanut butter & carrot pup-cakes! A DIY how-to making these dog friendly cupcakes will be posted later today.

So make sure to wish Basil a very happy birthday day so this cute face doesn’t feel like his is getting old!

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Birthday Boy Basil

Basil meets Santa!

Last night was pet photos with Santa at the local mall. We got dressed up and fought the wind, rain and traffic so we could have our first family photo with jolly one himself.

Basil loves places like malls and really any shop that allows dogs, so he was beyond excited. Not only did he get to see Santa but he also got to say “hello” to other dogs and a few adorable babies while in line. Once it was our turn Basil pulled me to Santa, he was ready to go. We adjusted our hair and Basil’s brand new Chilly Dog sweater and took a seat. After that is was just a few squeaks of a dog toy and clicks of the camera and we were done.

All the photos came out great and the one below was the chosen one! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and if you are in the Carolina’s and still need your own photo with Santa make sure to check out Santa Max at the Carolina Place mall. Also, makes sure to head over to his Facebook and like him there as well! 

Happy 15th day until Christmas!

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil

Ps. I will be sending these out as Christmas cards. If you would like one just leave a comment using your correct email and I’ll email you for an address. Or just email me at abbey@Basilstravels.com

DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Hello all! In our house Basil loves new toys and my husband loves new t-shirts so I came up with a way that I can make both of those things happen much faster. By using an old, stretched out, too large t-shirt of my husbands and a pair of scissors I can make a rope toy, and I can show you how.

What you will need:

1 clean, old T-shirt

Pair of good scissors

Step one: Cut off both sleeves of the T-shirt.

Step two: Cut the seams off both the sleeves

Step three: Cut down the seams on both sides of the body of the T-shirt.

Step four: Cut long, wide strips “hot dog” wise. (One T-shirt can make two or more toys)

Step five: Over lap the ends of 3 to 5 of the strips. (I used only 4 this time but do whatever you are comfortable with braiding!)

Step six: Use one of the seams that you cut of the sleeves to tie and knot the overlapped strips.

Step seven: Braid! Make it as tight as you can for the best toy.

Step eight: Use the 2nd seam from the sleeves to tie off the other end of your braid.

Step nine: To finish the toy off, I hand knotted the middle to add more interest for my boy. I also added a few stitches to the knots on each end to insure that they stayed put!

All that was left was to leave the new toy in the toy bin and wait! It wasn’t long before he found it and brought it to me. We played tug-a-war for a while and I tried to get a good picture of him enjoying my handmade toy but that was much harder than expected!

Let me know if you try this home-made toy and what your dog thinks! Also, don’t forget to send me a photo of your dogs toy bin to be featured in Whats in your toy bin?! The first dog to score a feature will win a special prize!

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil