Some new, crafty doings!

Ok, it's not a card but it IS crafty and a lot of fun for me and anyone else that wants to try. I am talking about felted wool! I just saw this cute little set of kitty toys that are basically balls made out of felted wool, with catnip rolled up in them. I thought to myself, "Self...I bet we could make those!" and she answered, "I believe you are correct!" LOL So, I trotted myself off to Joann to find some wool yarn. I had kind of a hard time finding what I wanted, partly because the selection left something to be desired, and also because I am a tightwad and wool yarn is EXPENSIVE!!!! I ended up finding a brand called Stitch Nation.
It comes in super-cool colors and I just loved the logo, so I ended up forking over $4.99 each for two 3oz skeins of yarn. Of course, this morning in my in box is a Joann ad for...you guessed it, 30% off Yarn!!!!! AAACCCCKKKK!!!!!

******ENABLER ALERT*******
Anyway, they are web coupons, so I am going to pass them along here. Just use the codes off the pictures when you order online!
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So, back to the balls....(hmm, that does NOT sound at ALL right! LOL) What you need is basically either some combed and carded wool roving(for all you earthy types out there!) or (for the rest of us regular chicks) 100% wool yarn. It cannot be "washing machine safe" or any type of blend of wool and sythetic, or it will not "felt" and your ball will fall apart.

With the yarn, you just start rolling a ball, make sure to wrap it tightly, and make it about 30% larger than you want the finished size to be. Cut the yarn and use a crochet hook to pull the loose end back into the ball of yarn. There is a great tutorial for this on Good Mama's Blog. Once you are done, you put the ball into an old knee-hi stocking or leg from an old pair of panty-hose, tie a knot to hold the ball in and toss it into your washer with whatever else you are washing. Make sure that it is color fast or wash it with darks if you choose bright colors like I did. Then toss in the dryer. Remove it from the stocking and it will be slightly felted, meaning that the fibers start to stick together, and it will continue to get tighter and harder each time it is used.

With the carded wool roving, you pull off strips and, with damp hands, start rolling it into a ball. If you wanna get fancy, this is the way to go! Check out this post on Crunchyparent.com There is a video tutorial that shows exactly how to do it.

These little balls are so darn cute! It makes me want to run right out a shear one of my neighbor's sheep! Except, I haven't the faintest clue how to go about doing that and my neighbors, really nice people, would probably think I had lost my remaining few marbles! LOL

Anyway, so I tried my hand at using the wool yarn to make a small ball for the cat, and a larger ball for the dryer. My only issue with them so far is that, after I washed and dried them, the balls smell EXACTLY like permanent wave solution. Having been an '80s baby, I KNOW what that smell is! Hmm, hoping that it will dissipate soon, or I won't be able to stand them. Maybe it is just the brand of wool that I used, but I will keep you posted! As Forrest Gump would say, that is all I have to say about that!

Have a "Wooly" good day! LOL

Shannon

Time to get crackin!

I have been cruisin' blogs lately, getting back into the swing of things and I can finally say that I am well and truly ready to start crafting again! I have a couple of problems, though:

Issue #1: Time...I need more and cannot seem to find any extra! I know that all you busy ladies out there can empathize with me. I find lately that I have a stash of colored images sitting around that have yet to be made into anything useful. Coloring is SOOOO much more fun for me than making cards, even though I enjoy making cards too!

Issue #2: My digital camera bit the dust and so even IF I did do something crafty, I can't take any pictures of it! AAACCCKKK!!! We need a new one but Hubby wants a really nice, professional one and, if you remember the car shopping issue, he has to look at all the available cameras, check the Consumer Reports, compare prices, wait an interminably long time while I pull my hair out, and THEN make a decision. Of course, by then it will be discontinued and we will have to start all over....AAACCCKKK! I tell you, it strains my ADD to the limit! LOL

Issue #3: (not so much an issue as it is an irritation) I cannot find my SD card. It had a lot of images and pictures on it and now it is missing! I have NO IDEA where it went! I remember seeing it laying on the table (I know, I know.... I should have put it back in the camera RIGHT THEN!) but have not been able to find it since. It is really making me crazy!

So, as you can see, there are a few obstacles in the path to craftopia. But, as my blog friend Ellyn from Profoundly Seth & Co. would say, I just need to "Cowboy Up" and get on with it! If you have not been to her blog, you should check it out. She is a newly single mom of 5 kids (one in Heaven) and her newest addition to the family is just adorable! She is also quite a miracle, as she was only 32 weeks when she was born. In fact, she just celebrated her Happy Due Date! I warn you, you will probably want to go back and read the older posts so get some coffee before you go and be prepared to stay a while!

Blessings!

Wow! Has it really been two months?......

I cannot believe that much time has gone by without my having posted even once! I would have thought that to be a virtual impossibility! LOL



LOTS has gone on in the last couple of months, so let me take the time to bring you all up to speed. (Warning: Long Post!) So get a cup o' joe, make yourself comfy and...we're off!

1: My parent's anniversary party was a huge success! They were absolutely surprised and overjoyed. Even my brother and his family came, which really made it all the sweeter because we hardly ever get to see them. This is a picture of them when they were newly married in the 60's. Aren't they cute? hehehe

2: Thanksgiving was great, less work than I thought and we enjoyed the time with family. It was our first time to put our turky in the Nuwave Oven, and I have to say it was DELICIOUS! If you don't know what this is...google it! It will be worth your while! You can put a whole frozen chicken in there and in about an hour, presto! the yummiest, moistest baked chicken you have ever laid your lips on!

3: The Car Saga: Well, seems like Hubby knew what he was doin' when we passed on that other car. We have a friend that has a car lot and he got us a really good deal on a 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan. It is fabulous! I LOVE THIS CAR! Especially that the two boys now sit WAAAYYY in the back! hehehe It is such a blessing and I am so thankful to God for providing it and for giving us friends that care enough to help us out.

4: I ended up with Bronchitis AGAIN!!!! I am just getting over it. Funny story....I started taking this Tylenol Multi Symptom Cold medicine, which is wonderful. Stops the cough really well. I had been taking the Day formula and decided to try the Nightime formula. So last night I took it at about 9PM.....I woke up at about 5PM THE NEXT DAY!!!! I kid you not! It knocked me OUT for like 20 hours! I would have slept longer exept Hubby peeled me out of the bed and put me in the shower. I know he tried to wake me up several times, but I literally could not keep my eyes open. Note to self: No meds with Doxylamine Succinate for you! I looked up this "antihistamine" and found out that it has a "profound" sedative effect (no kidding!) and that some studies show it sedates better than phenobarbitol (a barbiturate). Me being the "extra-strength Tylenol kinda gal that I am (I cannot do prescription pain killers AT ALL!) no wonder it knocked me for a loop!

5: The weekend of Thanksgiving our kitty, Leo, got out of the house and has not come home...**sniff** I would like to think that he is living it up at someone elses house and that he is happy. I was so heart broken that Hubby let me get a new kitty. I looked all over for another Bengal kitty that needed a home and found just the guy at a breeder in Corpus Christi, Texas. His name is Jag, short for "Baby Jaguar", and he is just under 2 years old. He had been an expensive cat that was dumped back at the breeder because the owners were moving. We got him for a small adoption fee and he has fit right in to our family. He is like Leo in some ways, and very different in others. He has all his claws, which has not been the problem I thought it would be, and he actually does not shed....at all! So, we will keep an eye our for our Leo, and if he comes home he will have a friend to play with.

Well, that is as much as I have time for today! Sorry to be so absent, and I will post some craft doings very soon!
I am on the DT for CopicJunkies now and would love for you all to join us for our weekly challenges as we learn to use and enjoy our favorite addiction! Copic Markers! There is also a blog that we are getting started for this group. See the links below to join in!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/copicjunkies/
http://www.copicjunkies.blogspot.com/

Blessings!