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!  ;)

Sources for Dyed Wool ~ Etsy and Ebay Business Review

It has never been a secret from all of you that I absolutely LOVE wool.  What is it about this wonderful renewable resource that calls to me in its various forms?  I will never know. It has me under its spell, and I really do not care. :)   I mourn the days gone by... Does anyone remember the days of thick plush felt made from 100% wool, the norm in those days, that was easily found and not an expensive oddity?  My Mom made us all Christmas stockings from a current pattern (which at the time was the 1960's) and used felt to construct them.  She still has those stockings.  They of course would be considered vintage now! LOL  But the felt of the day was thick dense 100% wool.  It stood up through many Christmases that saw pounds of fruits and candies 'come and go'.  (Although one of my sister's still has a piece of candy melted in the toe of hers! ;) ) 

 

Where is the quality of yesteryear?  As I stated earlier, wool IS a renewable resource.  Why is it such a rarity?  Why does it cost over $22 dollars a yard to find quality wool by the yard to dye?  Let's not even discuss felt again... I mean the current quality of wool felt... you know that usually has 35% wool content, IF you are lucky.  I made myself and two of my sister's sets of stockings fashioned from the same pattern that my Mom used back in the 60's.  I searched high and low for 100% wool felt in the appropriate colors.  The finished products paled in comparison to the 1960's group.  They are thin, only trusted for display in my house and have felt embellishments that colors could not be found in 100% pure wool... :(   It really bugs me.  Sorry about the rant, but I just needed to throw a few questions out into the blogosphere.  It relieves my mind a little.  Now, onward to my post...

 

Penny rugs are one of the most creative and unique forms of hand stitched decorations.   Spanning back to pioneering days, it was a great way to protect tables that were not sealed from candles that could run.  Plus, they were just simple decorations that played in well to having pieces of fabric that were not big enough for any one item.  With circles being a primary motif,  the tiniest pieces could be cut into circles drawn from using coins as templates... Pennies included... Hence the name. ;)   I especially love it, because it is a kind of "anything goes" craft, involving artistic imagination and hand needle crafting.  How can you top that?  The little rugs feed well into my love of salvaging wool from thrift store items as well.  :) 

 

There has been a Halloween drawing in my sketch book that begs to be turned into a modern day penny rug.  After much thought, I decided the main piece of wool should be dyed.  (A hobby I have not tried... yet. ;) )  This is where Etsy and EBay come in.   Thanks to some very talented fiber artists, I have the beginnings of a gorgeous dyed stash, created with Dorr wool.  The first two colors are courtesy of Gina from Across Generations.  (Click on her name to visit her Etsy store.)  I marvel over the various colors that emerge in such a copacetic way on her fabric... breathtaking!  Then the next two pieces are from Frances at Sun and Wind Farm.  (Click on her name to visit her website.  She also has an Etsy store.)  The depth in this ladies colors is nothing short of spectacular.  The range of her colors is extraordinary.  I hope that I live to see her full span of colors folded in stacks inside one of my hutches.  *sigh*   The last four colors are from Petit Violet.   (Click on her name to visit her EBay item page.)  The colors literally spring from the wool.  They are based on a more basic one color application, so they are "jump off the wool" vibrant.

 



 

 

 

Each store packaged their wool attractively and shipped in a timely matter.  I was very impressed.  Their shipping was fair, as well as pricing.  One must keep in mind the size of the wool that is being purchased.   It seems that their main customers are rug hookers, but the sizes are equally as friendly to penny rug creators.  As far as appearance, it is simply a matter of design.  Pricing might give some new wool purchasers an enlightening moment; but when you consider that Dorr wool can sell upwards to $22.00 a yard retail and these are hand dyed "ready to use for that special project", I think their prices are more than fair.  Plus keep an eye out,  I hesitated and missed a wonderful sale at Sun and Wind Farm.  I am hoping to catch it the next time around! :)

Microwave Potato Bag ~ Gift for Under $10 & Pattern Links

For a quick lunch or a last minute side dish, the microwave potato bag makes the most moist delicious potatoes in 9 minutes or less...

 

Back in August, I happened upon a crafter at the Baraboo Steam and Engine show that was selling handcrafted sewn items. An assortment of bags in varying fabrics on her table caught my eye.  The vender and fellow customers told me that these bags were the best for making microwave potatoes. Right then, I new that I would have to buy one (or in my case 2!).   The table was filled with all kinds of farm themed fabrics, but the potato design was my favorite and would be the most easily recognizable in my kitchen cupboard.  ;)

 

How do you use one of these bags?  It is so easy.  Just wash and dry 1-4 medium potatoes.  Do not prick them!  Wrap them in a paper towel and place them in the bag.   While using a microwave with a turntable to prevent scorching or hot spots, microwave potatoes approximately 6 to 8 minutes.  If this is your first attempt, check the potatoes periodically by pressing on the bag for firmness.   (The instructions caution to never leave the potatoes unattended and do not keep reusing the same hot bag for additional batches.)  After cooking is complete, let the potatoes sit in the bag for 5 minutes. 

 



Viola, the perfect baked potato! 

They were so moist...  the skins, too.  Mr. Hollow even commented on how great they were.  THAT was a monumental moment since he is not big on spuds.  I LOVE them.  Back in my College days, I had baked potatoes with butter and a little cheddar cheese about every day for lunch.  Unfortunately, there were  many days then and since that the potato turned out dry.  This will NOT be the case anymore!  :)

Can you believe that I purchased my two bags in Baraboo for $6.00 a piece.  I mean really?  Why would I even think about going through the crafting trouble to create these for that much.  Plus, this is one sure way to buy a true quality made product and support my fellow artisans at the same time.  Talk about a great gift idea for under 10 bucks! 

Since most of my blogging friends will not be at Baraboo this August, I suggest checking your local craft shows.  If you don't get out much, pop over to the Etsy website and type in potato bag to search.  You can get your own bag for $5.95 and up, plus shipping.  Or if you have some left over fabric, create some bags of your own.  (Remember to use all cotton fabric and thread!  Polyester will cause a meltdown!)  Lyn Brown has a free pattern in her Craftsy store here.   (Her bag has an open top that folds over for easy loading.)  Or if you want to create a bag similar to mine, pop over to the Stitchin' Tree  for a free PDF here.   Whatever you choose to do, this bag will not disappoint.  I am even thinking about creating some gifts of my own... Or maybe, I will just wait and pick some up in August!! ;) 

Handmade Cupcake Candles

Can you smell the delicious scents from these eye catching cupcake candles that I purchased from the CandleConfectionery on Etsy?  (You can check out their store by clicking here.)   I wish you could!   I ordered five of these scrumptious cupcake candles in the scents and decorations of:  Strawberry Shortcake (photo below), Gingerbread (w/ tiny gingerbread man), Sugar Cookie (w/ candy sprinkles), Pumpkin Spice (w/ tiny pumpkins), and Caramel Apple (w/ caramels and apple slice).  My free gift (that comes with each order) was two Lemon Ice tarts, whose scent I have fallen in love with!! :)

The cupcakes came wrapped in a clear bag labeled with the scent and tied with a ribbon or piece of cloth.  All ready to be given as a gift!  The Candle Confectionery also has large jar, mug, glass bowl, and scoop candles that are made to resemble your favorite desserts.  If you are looking for scent filled tart melts, they have those too.  I can honestly tell you that my front room, where they are kept, smells like a wonderful bakery!!  Mmmmmm.   I would gladly unwrap them and arrange them on one of my footed dessert plates, but this batch is for a special gift.  The lucky birthday girl will not have to worry about me doing the wrapping! ;)



The Candle Confectionery is currently running 25% off, when a customer enters "deathbychocolate" in the coupon code box.   Please keep in mind, the Confectionery takes 7 to 10 days to create an order (specified in the listing).  (Mine shipped at 11 days but was well worth the wait!)  This "made to order" creating will push me to get my gifts ordered early . 

I look forward to sharing more of my Etsy purchases and favorite shops in the future.  It is a wonderful community of true crafts people.  Nothing compares to handmade! :)