Cardboard boxes (all sizes, all kinds, at least 5 medium size boxes)
Masking tape
Exacto blade and ruler
Scrap paper, felt, or fabric
Decorative paper or fabric
Instructions:
Choose a height for the pad (mine is 4″)
Measure and cut your cardboard in identical width strips. Cut so that the ridges in the cardboard are going horizontally across the strips.
Start rolling the cardboard in your hands and bending at each corrugation, the cardboard will start to curl naturally.
Tightly wind one strip into a circle and tape closed. This will be the core of your round.
Add a new piece and secure with two pieces of masking tape. Choose which side will be the top and make sure that side is always even. It is less important if the other side is slightly uneven, it will still sit properly and the top will look perfect.
Keep adding! Tape each piece right next to the end of the last piece and keep the coiling tight.
Cut your pretty paper and wrap it around the outside. Tape to close.
Trace onto the scrap fabric or paper and cut out the circle. Tape or glue to the bottom so that if you choose to put catnip in it it won’t spill through.
Put on the ground, sprinkle on catnip, and watch as hilarious cat antics ensue.
Fleece Dog Rope
What You'll Need:
3 1/4 yard pieces of different colored or patterned fleece
Scissors or a rotary cutter
2 rubber bands
Instructions:
Fold each piece of the fleece selvage to selvage to cut long strips.
Cut three 4" strips from the folded edge using scissors or a rotary cutter and a ruler. Note: A 4" strip width will give you a "medium-width" dog toy. If you want it smaller or larger adjust the strip width.
Unfold the fabric strips and stack one strip of each color/pattern together.
Wrap a rubber band around the edge of the fleece, about 5" from the end. Don't worry about cutting off the edges with selvage at this point.
Braid the three strands together. Tip: The easiest way to get a tight braid is to hold the rubber band-wrapped edge between your knees, but you can also tape it or pin it to a solid work surface.
Make sure the braid is nice and tight so it's harder for the dog to get its teeth through. Make the braid about 20-27" long, leaving some unbraided fleece at the end. This gives room to tie knots.
Wrap the second rubber band on the end of the unbraided fleece.
Make a knot that falls in the intersection of the unbraided and braided section (where the rubber band is located). This keeps the braid tighter.
Cut the rubber band and pull the knot very tight. The tighter the knot the longer it will last for your dog.
Trim both unbraided ends of the bone so they're roughly the same length. The length of the ends is up to you. The rope made here is trimmed to 3".
Fringe the edges by cutting each end of the fleece into strips. (If you have a strong chewer you may want to skip this step.)
If you find the rope is too long you can tie a knot or two in the center.
