NOTICE!

Hey Folks! I started this blog before pinterest came along, or before I found it, at least. A lot of the posts here are merely links to things I wanted to remember. I need space on my account, so if you find something you like, open the link and then pin it quick, as I will be deleting the posts that are not my original ideas.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Upcycled Lap Desks

I have been thinking about lap desks since my mom's last chemo treatment. For the road trip I finally had a reason to put my ideas to work.

These trays were great for eating on the go, doing activity/coloring books, and playing with toys. The frame created a perimeter to keep things from sliding off. No more lost crayons, beads, or chicken nuggets!

I ended up using stuff I already had around the house, so these babies were free! Here are the elements I used:

11x14 picture frame, glass removed, and painted color of choice.
Plastic placemat
Paper backer (because ours were transparent in places)
fabric
1" tall sheet foam (leftover from our princess & the pea halloween costume. I'll have to post that one sometime)
stretch elastic

I cut the placemat to fit the frame and cut cardstock to fit behind.Now you could leave it at this, but I went on.

I cut a piece of foam just larger than the picture frame. Probably 12 x 15
I then used some fabric to sew a pillow cover for the foam. I slipped the foam in, and inserted the cardboard backer from the frame. From there it was as simple as inserting the cardboard into the frame and folding the prongs back down to hold it in place.

After getting it assembled I decided to add some elastic to hold it onto the arms of the seats in the car. No measurements here, I simply field tested the lengths, and stapled them into the wood of the frame.
It also worked out that the elastic held one side in place so the trays swung down to rest between the seats

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