DIY: Flip Flop Basket

It's Do It Yourself Day over at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land. If you enjoy reading about creative projects that YOU can do at home, this is the party for you!

One quick aside: My Decorating Dilemmas Party is still up! If you haven't had a chance to stop by to link up your own challenge or solution, please head over here now. This is a great spot for you to get some feedback on dilemmas you face in and around your home, and there is a giveaway for participants. (Partygoers, PLEASE make sure you are taking the time to visit some of the other links. It's not a party if you just link up and sit there...wink wink)

Regular readers know that my sister got married this past Sunday and I experienced some major humiliation.

I promised Alison weeks ago that I'd put together a box or basket for the wedding reception to hold flip flops. She wanted ladies to be able to take off their heels and enjoy the dance floor, as the reception site forbids bare feet.

I had a nice pile of plastic bagged Old Navy flip flops arrive at my house via UPS. Classy looking, huh?

I couldn't just leave them in the logo-marked bags, could I? I swiped this metal basket from Michaela Byrd's changing table. I normally use it to hold diapers, wipes, and baby lotion. She didn't miss it.

Then I sat and watched free HBO while I unwrapped and cut the tags off of each pair of flip flops.

It was 12:30 in the morning, and I was pretty tired. I get cranky when I'm tired, so I can't say that I put my heart and soul into this project, but it did turn out better than a cardboard box of plastic-wrapped shoes.

I grabbed my seldom-used Cricut machine and spent a half an hour trying to get the letters to cut out right. I had it on the wrong settings at first, which is why it took so long. Don't think I didn't say a few bad words under my breath.

Here's the sign I made for the basket:

It says "Kick Off Your Shoes and DANCE" with two swirly shapes on either side. Not my best work, but that's what I get for finishing a project at 1:30 in the morning.

I had some black and white striped ribbon that I used to hang the sign from the basket. I also used it to tie each pair of flip flops together. I could have sworn I had some dark red ribbon somewhere, but I could not find it. If I had extra time, I would have used the red ribbon mixed with the black. I also would have liked to do little round red tags with the size number in black for each pair.

I guess it turned out okay because every pair was gone when I went to retrieve my basket after the reception.

I'd call that a success!!