Recycled Leapster or DVD Case

This year, my son needed to complete a recycled project.  I didn't want to just make a piggy bank from an old container or some other thing I would just throw away later.  So thanks to wonderful Pinterest, I found this great solution.  She used a DVD case.  I used a Leapster case because it was a little wider and could fit more colored pencils.

This project wasn't as fast as I thought it would be but part of that is because I probably took some unnecessary steps.  Here is the tutorial of how I did it!

 Take out the cover and save it.

 Remove anything from inside.

 Cut out anything that isn't flat.

 

 Be careful not to cut the outer sleeve. 

Pick out two coordinating fabrics and cut them out.

 Find a piece of something hard and flat.  This was a thick clear sheet.  You could use chip board, cardboard, etc.  Cut it down to fit inside the case.

This is where I could've made this simpler.  I tacked it down with tape.

 I did it with the other fabric as well.

Then I sewed around the edges.

To make the front a little more taught, I sewed a dividing line.  You may not need to do this if you make your fabric tight enough, but I left enough room to do it because it would keep the colored pencils from moving around so much.

 Then I super clued the back down.  BAD IDEA.  It didn't work very well.  Use hot glue!

Then I weighed it down so that it would adhere properly.

Then we took the leftover case and drew on the back of it. 

 

We slip it back in and this was the end result.

Place in the colored pencils and paper on the opposite side.

Let the kids color!

I loved this project because now I have something that is portable and fun for the kids to do.  I want to make one for all my kids now.  It's perfect for church, for the doctors office, road trips, etc.  You could also make one as gifts.  It would be great for Christmas, for Easter baskets, etc.

This one is a lot of fun.  Hope you enjoyed!