I married a man with severe seasonal allergies. (And by seasonal, I mean EVERY season!) And because of those allergies, this guy goes through a TON of tissues! Add 4 kids to the mix (several of which have allergies and chronic runny noses)……and AGGGHH! So, because of this, we have a box of tissues in almost every room of the house, including the kids’ bedrooms. And when allergy season hits, WATCH OUT…..there are tissues everywhere! :)
Oh, I forgot to mention one more place where we always have a box of tissues……THE CAR!!! I always have a box up front with me while driving but there’s also a box floating around in the back of the car somewhere. However, the box I keep up front is one I try to smash under my seat….but it usually comes free and ends up at my feet while trying to drive. I am constantly kicking that thing back under my seat with my free foot. Grrrrrr. And the one in the back…..is always MIA when the kiddos need it. Double GRRRRR! So, we’ve been needing to fix this headache for a LONG time!
And finally, a solution. (…that takes maybe 10 minutes to make!)
Yep, the easiest solution to one of the most annoying problems (and messes) in my car! The tissue box is now up high…..away from stomping feet and from things being spilled on it. I also got rid of the annoying box under my seat, because I can easily reach this now too. Yay!
Now, the kids can just grab tissues when they need them, without hunting down the smashed box or begging me to find them one because of an EMERGENCY runny nose! (Whoever is sitting here can also help pass single tissues to the back seat too, if needed!)
Okay, Oliver won’t be able to reach it because he’s usually strapped down in that car seat behind my driver’s seat…..but my other helpers were at school, so he stepped in to show you how it’s done! :)
The holder is a partial cover made from sturdy vinyl, that slides right over the box, with some elastic holding it in place, nice and snug. Then, there’s another loop of elastic that slides onto the adjuster poles of the head rest.
When this box runs out, just pull the box out and replace with a new one.
Seriously, the simplest solution to one of my least favorite things to hear while driving…..”I NEED A TISSUE!!!” Agggh…..if I could only tell you how many times I have heard this as I shuttle my kiddos from one thing to another!
Now, I can keep focused on driving, while everyone can grab their own stinkin’ tissue, right when they need it! ;)
Would you like to make one too?
SUPPLIES:
***Check out my Sewing Terms 101 post, for additional help.
Now, vinyl is the easiest material to use for this project because it’s thick and sturdy, plus, it won’t fray. All you need is a little bit and you can save the rest for another project.
Cut a strip of vinyl that is as wide as your tissue box and then wrap it around your box so that it overlaps along the bottom about an inch at both ends.
Cut an oval hole in the top, for the tissues to fit through.
Attach 2 strips of elastic to the back, that will keep the cover in place, snugly around the tissues box. (You don’t want the tissue box to slide out….but you also don’t want to crush the box either.)
Here’s a peak at the two lines of stitches I added at each end of the elastic.
Then, grab another piece of elastic and measure how much elastic you’ll need to fit around your car’s head rest, and then attach to this tissue holder. You want it to fit snugly around the head rest, so keep that in mind while measuring.
To attach the elastic, I just folded under each end of the elastic, to create a circle and sewed in place.
Then I pulled the elastic and slid the cover over my tissue box.
Here’s a view from the back…
And that’s it…..now it’s ready to be hung in your car!
Enjoy!
-Ashley