Wool Ball Tutorial

Hello and Happy New Year everyone! I have a friend that has been requesting for quite some time that I do a few posts about wool and felting; so for the next few weeks I will be making  a few different felting posts. Today I am going to show you how to make a wool ball. These are great for toys or to use as dryer balls. This is one of my longer videos, but I hope you like it. Have fun and Be Well!

Update: OK, so I was asked what the benefits are of using wool dryer balls. Face Palm! I can't believe that I forgot to put that in here, soooo. they soften your fabrics without chemicals, and separate your clothes in the dryer allowing more hot air to flow between the fabrics which makes them dry faster. Faster drying time  cuts the energy output needed to dry laundry, is cheaper for you, and better for the environment. You can also put a few drops of your favorite essential oils onto them to lightly scent your laundry. Mmmm lavender lovey naptime blankets and cinnamon bedsheets and towels in our home. mmmmm cinnamon....

Baby Sensory Beanbags

 Panda loved the Scented Thanksgiving pillows I made the other day. They were a new texture, a yummy smell, and just the right size for his tiny hands. That gave me an idea; so yesterday I made him several bean bags filled with different sensory items. 

First I picked out several different fabrics from my scrap bin and cut them into 4" squares. I tried to choose different textures and patterns as well as colors. Next I sewed them into little pillows (leaving the bottom open for stuffing). Then I stuffed them with scrap fabric and an added a sensory item:

Red upholstery fabric + Dog toy squeaker

Green mushroom print flannel + Dried lavender buds

Thick tan striped trouser cotton + Homemade egg shaker (described in next step)

Yellow felt + Crinkly cellophane

Cranberry velor with gold embroidery + Jingle bells

Burlap + Cinnamon twigs (because Panda loved the Thanksgiving ones so much)

Red starry fleece + Fiberfill (because things don't always have to "do" something)

Denim + Rattle

 To make the egg shaker bean bag I put some rice in a small tin and sealed it shut with some duct tape (left over zebra duct tape from Ehlers Danlos awareness projects). Yup, that simple. After they were stuffed I sewed the pillows closed and placed them in a basket for Panda to find.

I was able to make these all with things I already had on hand. Panda loves them and has played with them pretty much constantly since he got them yesterday. I want to make a knitted square and possibly a vinyl square for a total of 10. Then we can use them for counting games when he is older. This would make such a great gift  that I had to post it. Sight, scent, touch, taste, and sound, all covered by these little bean bags. I hope this inspires you. Be well and Have fun!

Hair Journey: First Step

Our amazing family photo by Ri Photography. Thank you!

Today I start my hair journey. All my life I have had extraordinarily thin breakable hair. 6 months after having my son it is now worse than ever. Clumps are falling out leaving quarter sized bald spots all over my head Starting at my temples and working around to the back it has all broken off leaving a two inch long pathetic mane around my head. After spending a few weeks looking like a cat with mange I decided to cut my hair up to chin length. I loved my long hair but something had to be done before someone called animal control.

Today I went no poo. In place of shampoo I am using a mixture of 1 tsp Raw Honey, 3 tbsp filtered water, 2 drops ginger oil, and 1 drop tea tree oil. 

I plan on experimenting with apple cider vinegar rinses, carrot seed oil, ginger hair treatments and coco butter along with an assortment of other things on this journey towards healthier hair. It is my plan (child allowing) to check in every week and write about what I have tried and how things are going. 

With that let the hair journey begin. Advice, recipes, tips,and encouragements are more than welcome. Be well and have fun!

Nova Natural Give Away

This lovely Waldorf mama Doting on Deirdre is giving away a gift card to Nova Natural this Saturday. She has a fun blog with great photos so even if you miss the give away please still stop by her blog to say hello. 

Cloth Diapers & Wet Wipe Spray Recipe.

We love our cloth diapers! We are back. Panda and I are doing fine. I still have to limit my activities but we are at last finding our rhythm.

Bear and I chose to cloth diaper Panda for many reasons; cost, health, looks, ease, environmentally friendly, to name a few. There is nothing cuter than a baby in a cloth diaper.. I'm pretty sure that's a fact ;)

Our Panda was only in disposable diapers for a short while. The hospital sent us home with a stash and I was on bed rest so I was not able to keep up with the CD's. He got a horrible diaper rash from the hospital disposables, it cleared up overnight (literally) when we put him in his first CD and we have had no problems since.

We also use cloth wet wipes. Here is the recipe we use..

2 cups warm water

2 TBSP Witch-Hazel

2 Tsp Lemongrass oil

5 drops Tea Tree oil

add everything together, shake well, and store in a spray bottle. Shake before each use. This does not stain cloth diapers, wet wipes, and most importantly it does not irritate our Panda's bum.

Here is our CD set up. Not shown is the diaper pail. We use a normal trash can with a cloth liner. It is in the closet . We attached a few baking soda deodorizers in the lid of the can. Everything has been working out well so far and we have no odor problems. Hope this can help someone. Have a blessed day and have fun!