Monkey Buddy in an Altoid tin

I've only got phone pics of this little guy, since I gave him away for Christmas, but I think he's adorable and I had to share.

 

I'm sure we've all seen the hack-an-Altoid-tin ideas. I love them all and finally decided to make a little bed and monkey for a little girl I know.

 

The bed was easy; I just sewed a tiny pillow, and the blankets are fleece on one side and cotton on the other. The monkey is actually cut out of a monkey-printed piece of fabric. I sewed around the edges and put a tiny bit of stuffing inside.

 

I didn't want him to fray, so I used clear nail polish on the outer edges. I tested it first a scrap piece of fabric and found that it didn't dry stiff and crusty but still seemed to secure the edges at least a bit. Probably not the best idea for say, a toddler who might chew on the little guy, but my gift-ee is 9, so I felt safe with the nail polish. I made a little drawstring pouch to drop his tin in, and also gave an empty tin in case she wants to get creative, too.

 

What's your favorite Altoid hack?