DIY Wool Dryer Balls & Projects in the making

First off, there is a new burp cloth set in my Etsy shop Here.  I also had a custom order for a boyish crinkle square this past week :-) Here is a picture.

Recently I have a lot of projects in the works and a gigantic list planned. The Ones I am working on right now are a Wool soaker pants(aka longies) for my almost 19 month old, so that I can cloth diaper him at night without any fears of leaks. Wool is supposed to be amazing for absorption, keeps the babies feeling dry, and breathable. It has been a lot of work and this was my second go around(with a different pattern the second time), long drawn out single crochet(boring) but I appreciated the boring over- is this going to turn out?:-) sorry no pictures till its done:-).

My second project in the works is a big one as well -two identical Dr. Suess quilts for my little boys for christmas (which will be appliqued with their names in a square on the back). I am so excited to have it all cut out and started :-), cutting it out was a huge project in itself- I am enjoying finally sewing something!

My third project( on the side, something I do while the kids are watching a show or I have a few min) winding wool dryer balls, another great use for wool- dryer balls, they dry your cloth diapers quicker- and work as a natural fabric softener (since dryer sheets and fabric softener are a no- no with cloth diapers. they also help the diapers/inserts to separate and not stick to each other making them more musty if they dont get thrown in for a second dry cycle right away. What is allowed is tea tree oil- so i put a few drops of that on each ball. I had 3 dryer balls before and noticed an improvement bust still needed quite a bit of drying and I was uncertain. Then i read you really should have 6-8 to really notice a difference- so I made (with the help of my sister in law, several more- now I will have 8 :-).. it also worked out that I used my yarn from that first soaker that did not turn out and the yarn was cut in a ton of pieces cuz I had to yank it out(i could have cried,pregnancy hormones and crafts don't always mix :-D).

Make sure the wool yarn you choose says 100% wool on back (and good for felting) 2 of this size will give you 3 large dryer balls(or 6 smaller)

First I wound it until it was HALF the size of what I desired(left one)

Then put it in a large sock with ties of yarn in between(make it snug), throw it in for HOT wash cycle and dry cycle (kept in sock)

Cutt the yarn off the outside

Add on winding the ball until desired size or just slightly bigger(since it will felt)

It helps to tie the yarn under other layers of yarn for when you throw it in the sock

After your done winding, repeat the process of putting it in a sock (ties in between the different balls) and  HOT wash, dry

Add a few drops of tea tree oil if preferred and keep them in your dryer.

Please note, if you decide to use regular fabric sheets or fabric softener on your clothing-take your dryer balls out of the dryer as to keep them free of fabric softener for your cloth diapers. Also, tea tree oil is safe for cloth diapers because of what it is - all scents are not equal or compatible with cloth diapers.
Disclamer: This is not at all something new, there are many different methods to making these and with other types of wool, I originally made my first ones nearly a year ago I believe but cannot find the original tutorial- I prefer a wash dry, add on wash dry method, but some only do the process once and make smaller wool balls. Let me know which ones are your favorite:-)- i still love my colorful ones  best I think but they didn't have them in stock when I got my new yarn:-(.
Other wool dryer tutorials/methods:
http://www.earthycrunchymama.com/2012/04/how-to-make-and-use-wool-dryer-balls/
http://goodmama.typepad.com/goodmama/2008/05/make-your-own-wool-dryer-balls.html

DIY Kids Wall Decor/ Dr. Suess Room

For my sons 3rd birthday my mom gave him a gift card to Amazon. We bought him a few Dr. Seuss books to read and two books we bought the same of for wall decor ideas ( The are you my mother book we were able to find used on amazon so I did not feel bad "ruining" a book) I had found online/decided on. I admit not a original idea, but planning the boys Dr. Suess room I had looked online for all things Dr. Suess and wall decor. I couldn't afford to buy most (or would not spend the money;-) ) of it and many was not exactly what I wanted anyways. So I folded and rolled the pages, scotch tape where needed and hot glued each page into the seam of the book-I am very happy with how it turned out and my son loves it. It is hot glued on to a canvas I bought at Michael s, they had a special where you buy 7 for $14 bucks I believe, which was cheaper than buying 2 by themselves!

The next one I just finished last night, it really takes maybe a hour?! However, I have been rather distracted with life;-), getting my home under control after HG and spending time with the kids. It is 3 canvases with pages from "Are You My Mother" it was Isaac's favorite book when he was 18 months, and now it is one of  Levi's favorites(although Hop on Pop definitely tops it- I may make one with that for Levi) The boy's will be sharing the Dr. Seuss room when we move.

This one is my favorite, I love the little bit of red color, it was actually quite fun to make!

For this one, you need :
A paper back(used for cheaper) book
Scissors
Modge Podge (can be found at walmart) or watered down Elmer's glue may do the trick
Paper towel, or paint brush brush (don't use sponge)

You want to pick the phrases from the book and pictures that your child will recognize/loves the most, we always read from the beginners book so it does not have the plane and boat and car in it like in the regular Are You My Mother. I mainly focused on what the kids like and would notice. Try to cut out the paper in different ways, circles,squares, snip the corners etc. to make everything fit the best. I decided what I wanted on each canvas, I wanted it to go in the general story line of the book. Then I cut everything out so it would fit in a way that looks best( try to cut in different ways, squares, circles, snip ends etc),and then put just a little Modge Podge on top where the pictures that were going on top would be, the great thing about Modge Podge is its thin- so often times people will put it over top of fabric a paper and it will not leave that glossy glue look and it will be clear( as long as you don't use too much), I would do that as well for tough edges-it helped :-). I let it dry and then put sticky tack on the back of the canvases.
Tip: Do whatever you can to not move any of the paper after it is placed, a little sliding might be ok but only if you have just the right amount of glue as to not have the paper tear or be ripply (my first canvas you can see a bit of bubbling)

Enjoy:-)

If you are looking to buy something like the first one, there is a someone on Etsy who has one with Cat in the Hat and may take custom orders( I can't find it now but I am sure if you type in the right words you could:-) ).

The Power of Laughter

If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.  ~Proverb

My husband has had quite the run this week a nasty cold/sore throat turned into a ear infection and tonsillitis, fever etc. He has been sleeping most of the last few days and is doing much better today. Last night we got to spend some quality time together just sitting together watching comedy videos on you tube. Not something we would normally do but after a hard week for all of us, we both needed to just laugh- how often do you get to really laugh? I think most of our answers would probably be, not enough. So, if you need to just have some fun and you don't have much money- you tube is a great alternative to a night out. Make yourself some pop corn or dessert, maybe some hot chocolate and try not to take life so serious all the time.It can really make a difficult week so much better. I can be a pretty serious person so this is a good reminder for me.

 Here were some of our favorites:


Brad Stine- Airbags are for babies -LOL
"Babies" Tim, Bob and John 
Teenagers- Tim, Bob and John 
Marriage- Tim,Bob and John 
Bob Smiley on Childcare 
Tim hawkins on Dangerous Toys <3
 Tim Hawkins on Bad Candy 
Tim Hawkins on Hand Sanitizer 
Tim Hawkins on favorite Bible verse 
Tim Hawkins- Products 
Tim Hawkins- Imagine 
Tim Hawkins- The wife song 
Tim Hawkins-Chick Fil A 
Tim Hawkins on food choices 
Tim Hawkins on raising kids 
Brad Stine- Barney vs Captain Kangaroo 
Brad Stine- Pardon Me 
 Brad Stine-Chopsticks




So consider a stay in date night with some good comedy:-D! 

Next week I should have a few new creations to show off,but until then check out my new shop banner my friend Carolyn made for me here. Currently 20% of profits go to help care for orphans as well as helping christian families adopt with Show Hope.

Veggie Tales Magnet Friends

Next week I am very excited to show some before and after pictures of my new craft room, but for now I will just show one of the gifts I made for my 2yr old for Christmas.

My son loves Bob and Larry so when I saw this from Make It-Love it I knew Veggie Tales magnet friends would be an awesome homemade gift for my little guy and cost me very little.

I only had a few days before Christmas so even if I did find cut outs of Bob and Larry- i would not have time to get them or want to pay for shipping, so I printed out coloring pictures from the internet, colored more than I ever have in my life( I am not the coloring type), and then cut it out, used contact paper to cover, cut it out of that,cut magnet tape instead of magnet sheets because our Walmart did not have them. It turned out just as I had hoped:-) He loves them, and I decided to stick with my cheap small dollar store cookie sheet because I figured he can carry it around  if we go out, and at home he can play with them on our fridge- I am not a crazy fridge magnet/picture person so there is plenty of room. Hopefully this inspires someone to think outside the box when you see tutorials that you do not quite have the items for or alter to your liking!