Sewing with the Grinch

I spent the last few months working on selling off some of my wool stash and was able to clear my studio floor of fleece filled bundles.  :)  As with most of my artistic ventures, I cannot start anything new without an organized work space.  Clutter can stop me in my tracks.  My reward for  all of the hard work in the studio was this nifty quilt kit starring none other than -- the Grinch.  Did you ever watch "Halloween is Grinch Night"?  It was one of my son's favorite Halloween movies.  The Grinch was a real naughty character.  My son loved him.  Kind of scary really!  LOL  I have decided to jump back into quilting with this kit.  Of course a hundred other projects are in the wings, but this one was too darling to pass up!

 

 



Hubby and I went shopping, and this darling "Hello Kitty" mug made its way to our home.  It makes me think of our black cat, Mew.  I would always hold her up to the TV when the "Hello Kitty" balloon was shown on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Funny enough, Mew never seemed interested.  Never the less, I tried every year, and it became a Thanksgiving tradition handed down to the new Fuzzies... with the same lack of interest.  *sigh*

Of course, I nearly flipped at Christmastime when seeing the Janome RED "Hello Kitty" sewing machine.  I know, a plastic machine???  But it was just to darn cute to pass up!  It will not be used on the Grinch quilt, but I will piece a few smaller items on it to test it out.   The machine has received various favorable reviews.  It will be coming out for a test run this month, and I will share my thoughts.  Great to see some products to encourage young people (and adults) to sew.  :)

Kitty Kickerz Cat Toys ~ Etsy Store Review

Such a busy time!  Farmerboy's shearer decided to arrive last Friday to kick off the weekend.  I have been frantically listing last year's fleece in an effort to make some Shetland space.  (Okay, I got rid of some of my hoarded stock purchases as well... only a little!)   Now, I have to get a game plan for this year's haul.  *Yikes!*

Then it occurred to me, Easter is right around the corner.  Luckily, I made a pact with a fellow coworker to give up packaged candy.  No reason to trot down the candy isle for me! ;)  I will eventually pick up something for the kids and something small for Mr. Hollow and myself.  But holy smokes, I almost forgot about the fur babies!   I decided to go to an Etsy store that is very popular with Gabby and Izzie:  Kitty Kickerz Cat Toys.   The shop is operated by a wonderful lady named Tara.  She creates an assortment of fabric cat toy Kickerz filled with organic catnip.  They were a huge hit with the little ladies at Christmas.  :) 

Santa brought each of them and their nephew Elliot a 12 inch kicker.
 

 

 

 

Here are the photos after they were wore out from playing.  I must congratulate Santa on being savvy enough NOT to put them under the tree!  LOL

 



The Kickerz are put up on a shelf in between plays.  The ladies know where they are at and call out their request looking fondly up at them.  These Kickerz have taken a beating and no rips yet!

Tara is currently running a 10% sale off of purchases of $25.00.  I took full advantage of the discount and was surprised to find she had some play mats, too.  Of course, I had to get a few of them to try out.  If your cats are crazy for catnip like mine, these Kickers are a great deal at $7.95 a piece.   I am not going to lie.  I was skeptical about how well they would hold together.  My ladies still have their back claws and can bunny kick up a storm, but they seriously have withstood several play sessions. If you are looking for a last minute gift for your darling little feline, check out Tara's store KittyKickerzCatToys on Etsy.  Tara's creations definitely get a shining review from myself and the ladies, too... Well, once they get done with their afternoon nap anyways!  ;)