Mommy Doesn't Want Cake On Her Pretty White Dress: Part 1

My 3 year old has gotten pretty good at getting food into her mouth instead of everywhere else. There are still moments when she can make a complete hot-mess of herself. I've written to Mars to let them know that M&M's absolutely DO melt in your hands, and then get all over everything. I am still waiting for a response from them. Even though hugs and kisses from Miss Morgan are my favorite things in the entire world, I don't really want to have little finger prints of ketchup & butter all over my white dress. Here are just a few examples of just how messy my little monkey can get.

First Birthday, Cake

18 moths, Oreo cookie

3, Blue Cake

 I need to have wipes at the table but I don't want a big, bulky, plastic container sitting in the way. Instead I started brain-storming;  how can I make the wipes blend in with the table decorations? I came up with two ideas and  I wanted to do a mock up of them to see how it would look, and if it would even work. I had 2 different containers with different opening mechanisms and textures. I decided to paint container #1.

Since the colors are all wrong, (it's pale-purple with grey), I went ahead and painted it black with acrylic paint. I didn't put a sealant on here either since it is just a dress rehearsal before I do the real deal. The part I like most about this box, it's SO easy to open, you push the button, the top pops open and voilà, you have your wipes. It's also nice and small and won't get in anyone's way.

I grabbed 2 different sizes of ribbon to decorate the outside of the box. I used the thicker ribbon along the side. I used really thin glue dots to attach it so that it wouldn't show a dark spot on the ribbon, and there wouldn't be a noticeable lump. I also stuck a bow on the front of it with the smaller ribbon. I know the seam is showing, but it's just a practice and I can work on hiding that better later..

I'm glad I did do a run through with this because it gave me a chance to see what will and will not work.  The ribbon around the font and sides is just too thick. The bow on the front is also completely washed out. I could keep the thick ribbon on there and put maybe a strip of black ribbon down the middle. If I do go with this one, I will most likely use a thinner ribbon and maybe a black bow. Next I wanted to put our initials on the top and I used the old school method that Mrs. Gloss of Weddingbee broke down for us here.

And after I transferred our letters I painted them in white.

I have to admit, if I didn't have a messy little eater of my own, I probably wouldn't have thought of doing something like this. My Aunt and Uncle will have Morgan and my 1 year old nephew at their table. I also plan on putting a cute pink & black bag together for my Aunt to use in place of the bag I normally tote around with all of her necessities. My normal bring-a-long bag is pretty bulky and it's another reason to add another project to my list. :) I really like the way this turned out. I know I would change the ribbon and put some kind of sealer on it to give it a nice shine. I also have considered using crystals for our letters on top instead of white paint. Next up, box #2 where I try it again using fabric.

Are you doing anything for your messiest little guests?