It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a toothbrush cozie! [Update: April Fool's!!!]

Are you tired of waking up to a cold toothbrush handle, or just want to do something special for your overnight guests? Decorative wool toothbrush cozies are the way to go! Check out this easy tutorial, so you can make one yourself in just 17 easy steps!






Ok, c'mon people... did you really think i'm that nuts?

Happy Aprils Fools Day!!!!

Spring into spring projects sale!

 

Spring has sprung! To jump start your spring projects, how about a sale? Take $1 off all individually listed sweaters in my shop, $5 off of blankets, and $5 off of mystery lots! Stock up now, because I won't be having a sale like this again for a long time!

To take advantage of my sale, just check out as usual and I will refund you the difference, or let me know which ones you want, and I will send you an invoice for the correct amount. Please understand that if you choose to email me with your options, the sweaters can still be purchased by someone else, until I get the email and remove them from my shop.

Sale ends Wednesday, March 19th, 2014, at 4pm CST.

It's What I've Been Working On Wednesday - Fleece guinea pig accessories

With new pets come new sewing projects! As much as i'd love to make everything out of wool for our new guinea pigs, it is just not practical for all the washing these things will need to endure, so I made a bunch of fleece accessories. Fleece at the fabric store can get expensive, but the thrift stores are full of fleece, just waiting to be upcycled! I found 2 different big double layer (twice the fabric!) fleece blankets, each under $1, and set to work.

I made cage liners first. Why not just use small animal bedding? Bedding is expensive, and not eco-friendly, since you have to use so much of it and throw it out often. I found that my piggies use their "litter box" for most of their pottying, and use so much less litter than filling the cage. The fleece is soft on their paws, more attractive, and for the stray "tiny Italian sausages" (what my son calls their poops, lol), it is easy and fast to just scoop them off the fleece.

 


I saw this idea for a "fleece forest" online, and my piggies LOVE it! They spend most of their day in there, and they think they are invisible when they are in there, lol. I see you Scruffy!



This is another idea I got online. I just made a triangle of fleece with a fringe of fleece hanging down on one end. We don't have to look at the... um... litter box contents, and they like feeling like they are hidden. Win-win!
 

Since whatever doesn't end up in the litter box is usually done in the corners, I made poo-pads, so I can just lift out the litter squares and shake them off into the garbage. Easy Peasy cleanup!



The little bed I did make out of wool, but tucked a piece of fleece in the bottom, so I can switch that out when it gets dirty

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Just like the wool hidey bags I made for them,  but this one is fleece, so I can wash it with the rest of their fleece stuff.




Scruffy loves to lounge in there :).


Since I love to sew, and my guinea pigs seem to love everything I make them, i''m sure there will be more guinea pig sewing in my future! :)

It's What I've Been Working On Wednesday! Wool pet supplies!

We just adopted 2 new family member, Spotty and Scruffy (guinea pigs)! 

At first I used regular bedding in their cage, but my sweaters looked like this every time I picked them up.... and that's after brushing off what I can... and it ends up all over the floor. Ugh!
 

After reading around online, I found that a lot of guinea pig enthusiasts use fleece liners in the cages, instead of bedding. Less messy, way less expensive, more comfy for the piggies... brilliant! Instead of fleece, for my first attempt, I of course used wool :).

 

Guinea pigs love having stuff to hide in, especially since they are new to us and scared of everything! The cardboard box hideaway was fine while we weren't interacting with them, but when I would go to pick them up, they would go racing around the cage in a panic. I decided to make little sacks for them, like I had seen online made of fleece, but out of some wool blanket scraps I had. With these little tunnel/sack things, I can just pick them up, sack and all, so handling time is a lot less scary and panicked. On the open end, I just folded the edge over twice and sewed, so the opening would be stiffer and stay open.




They seem to really like them! At least they are less scared for now.





I wonder what else I can make for them from wool? :)

I'm weather proofing with wool!

We have the coldest temperatures ever recorded in history coming our way. It is supposed to be a high of -10 degrees!

Monday

HIGH/LOW

-10°/-18°

I have an old house, and just about nothing is insulated. My dining/family room has a sliding glass door, and you can feel the cold pouring in over there. I just hung a wool blanket up for now, but I plan to make something more permanent later. It is amazing the difference that made! Even the floor is warmer.


In the same room I have a few little octagon windows. They are not insulated (or at least not well), and if I put plastic over them, they will fill with mold from trapped moisture. Wool will insulate, while remaining breathable and moisture wicking. I made little covers to go over them from pieces of a pale yellow blanket. I used a lighter color on purpose, so light could still filter through, and as you can see it is :).

 

Everyone stay warm & safe!!!

The last craft show!

My last craft show went well. I didn't sell nearly as much as I was hoping for, but I did well, considering the low turnout. It was snowing during the whole show, and I think people were just not willing to venture out. Oh, well! I still had a lot of fun :). My craft show neighbors were all so fun to talk to, and a friend brought me lunch and hung out with me for a while (thanks, Brooke!)

 One of my craft show neighbors, Cara (the one on the right), of 23 Bins, makes and sells these wonderful recycled wool tunics, and tops. She is so fun and cool!

She doesn't sell them online, but if you are local, and want to contact her about her next show/shows, you can email her. I don't want to post her email here, so she doesn't get spam, but contact me if you want her email.

My son's cowl

 I finally am willing to admit that winter is here, and dug out the rest of our winter accessories. I pulled out the neck cowl I made for my son when he was 4 (now 8), and he exclaimed "I love that thing! Thank you so much for making that for me, Mama!", and immediately put it on. It doesn't get much better than that! :)

He won't model for me anymore, so these pics of it will have to do ;)! The outside is pieced together from lambswool scraps, and the inside is lined with cashmere.