Hamster Mania!!!!

Hamsters, Hamsters, Hamsters!

Zhu Zhu pets have made the little guys awesomely popular these days. I looked everywhere for a pattern for a hamster to sell in my shop, and I finally found a how to and a pattern written in Japanese on the internet. I had to make the pattern pieces bigger and I didn't even know which pattern pieces went where. But with time and experimenting, I came up with Jeffrey. He's made from fleece, and has the sweetest little face that looks up at you. I love little Jeffrey.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36715901

Tiny, Tinies, and more tinies

I'm about 4 weeks away from my 1 year anniversary with Etsy. One of the big favorites in my shop has been my tiny felt stuffed animals either made from felt or the little fingers cut off of the gloves I use for my gloves dogs.

Now who doesn't love a tiny stuffie? I get messages from my customers telling me how their child walks around with their tiny little treasure and they come quite attached to them.

There was one little girl who received one of my tiny turtles. Her mom told me that she made a little bed and blanket for it and took it to bed with her every night. Now the turtle is only a little over an inch long so hopefully she's a careful sleeper :o

I've heard lots of stories just like that one. One of my returning customers asked me if I would make her a ladybug for her daughter. I thought "How am I going to make a ladybug stuffed animal? I already get wicked eye strain as it is." Well I started off with a tiny red hart and I took it from there. It came out Awesome. I think it's about the smallest stuffed animal you'll ever find. I actually figured it out. My customer and her daughter were thrilled. I even decided to make a little leaf for it to live on and sent her to her for free. It was one of the coolest things I ever made.

I must admit I was exactly the same way when I was little. I would have a tiny little doll or animal and I would make sure it was covered with a tiny blanket at night and I would make tiny things like little carriers out of little scraps of cloth. I guess that's why I make the tiny little toys in my shop today. I love making them and I love to get the awesome feedback to hear how the children treasure my little whimsies. :D

What if you can't find a zhu zhu pet?

I know it's not a real Zhu Zhu. It can't run around and make noises. It doesn't have a neat tubing system to run around in. Nobody got clubbed over the head for it in the local toy store.

It's just my version of a little pet hamster in his little hamster home, with a warm and cuddly place to sleep, eat, drink and play.

I remembered what it was like trying to get that one impossible thing for my kids. So that's why I came up with my version of the Zhu Zhu hamster.

I even got contacted by a reporter from the business and retail Associated Press, for a interview on how and why I came up with this alternative.

Yes I'm partially famous! lol The only thing is, they didn't put the name of my shop or even Etsy when they mentioned me. O well I guess fame is fleeting. At least they spelled my name right :D ( Just so you know, I do not use anything from old gloves. I told her that I used the cast off thumbs from the glove dogs I make in my shop) :o

Anyway, here's the article if you would like to take a look. Someone else's Etsy shop was mentioned so any advertisement for Etsy helps us all. My bit is towards the bottom of the article (Kathie Tinkham)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/03/ap/business/main5880464.shtml

Tiny felt Christmas tree with guinea pigs living inside

This is one of my tiny specialty items from my shop. I usually make them only for custom orders, but I'm offering this one to the public. It's all hand sewn, and was fun to create. It's available in my Etsy shop or just have a look and let it bring on a little smile. Thanks, and Merry Christmas

Christmas can be fun on a budget :D

I know financially, most of us are in the same boat. Christmas gifts cut down to the bare minimum. (By the way that's my dog waiting for Santa Claus) lol :D

Well here's a couple ways to save some money this Christmas without taking the fun out of it. For one thing, take advantage of your local dollar store.

My nieces started a new tradition with my brother. He takes them to the local dollar store, and they buy 1 gift for each of their family members. They take a list with all of the names on it and pick out something that would be just right for each one of them. It was really funny to see what they came up with last year. We had like 6 of my male family members sitting there in cowboy hats opening up presents. (so funny) :D The kids really look forward to it.

In my immediate family alone we're up to about 27 members now so this year we're trying something new. All the little kids get gifts from all of their aunts and uncles etc, but everyone over 18 picks a name of a family member and buys them a $10 gift. Yes, $10. At first they said "What can you get for $10" ? Well I don't know about you, but I'm a bargain hunter so I told them relax and just be creative. The're really having fun with the idea now. It will be fun just seeing what everyone comes up with.

Don't forget to read my blogging about 3 cheap and easy crafts to make for Christmas presents too!

CHEAP BUT AWESOME DO IT YOURSELF GIFTS

So many people have been hit hard with this terrible economy and my family has been hit hard. So this year is the year to be creative with Christmas gift giving. Here are just a few ideas that I've actually tried.

( Pictured are a pillow I made from my daughter's favorite outgrown guitar T-shirt.

A no sew fleece scarf because she loves anything zebra print, the stretchy bracelet my daughter made for me for my birthday and a bracelet I made from beads I found in my grandmother's button box. (there over 50 years old).

HERE'S THE HOW TO'S:

T- SHIRT PILLOW - Get a favorite outgrown T shirt and cut 12" square or so from the front of the shirt. Put the right sides together and sew the sides leaving an opening for stuffing. Turn it inside out and stuff with polyester fiberfill. Sew up the hole and there you have it. A pillow made from a favorite T shirt.

NO SEW FLEECE SCARF - The selection of printed fleece material in JoAnns is so awesome. All you need to get is 1/4 of a yard. ( I wait for the $5 per yard sale)

You just cut the desired length and width. The scarf I made is 60" long by about 8 1/2" wide (Be careful when cutting so you have a straight cutting line). Sometimes I tell whoever is cutting the material to make sure the fabric is straight because I need the full 9" in width. Then most of the time they add on a 1/2" or so.

Snip up about 4" on each end at about 1/2" apart to make the fringe and there you have it. An awesome fleece scarf in just the right print.

BEADED STRETCHY BRACELET - Beads can be so inexpensive. You may even have some old beads around the house from old forgotten jewelery.

Just get some stretchy beading elastic, (It's about $2.00 for like 80 feet). I like stretchy because it takes some of the guess work out of wrist size. I also like them because there comfortable.

Just cut about a 10" piece of elastic, knot one end and add your beads. Figure how big you need your bracelet to be, and knot the two ends together. (Bring the 2 ends together, make a loop, and bring the 2 ends through the loop). Make at least 2 knots and pull kind of tight, but being careful not to knock off your beads, which I always seem to end up doing at least once.

Well there's 3 ideas for now, I'll try to come up with more as the holiday approaches :) Good Luck!

Tiny Christmas guinea pigs

Here's my latest guinea pig friends.

I have Tiny Santa guinea pig and the Tiny Christmas elf guinea pig. Sold with or without a little Christmas guinea pig basket.

Did you ever try making a hat for a one inch stuffed guinea pig? Not too easy. Especially since I almost always resist the dreaded glue. Hand stitching is what adds value to the craftsmanship of all my creations.

So I got past the hats. Not too bad until I decided I needed to put some elf shoes on my ONE INCH tiny guinea pig. Well that's where I drew the line. Even though I really wanted to put shoes on the little guy, it just didn't happen. O well I think they turned out very cute even without the little turned up points shoes. LOL

My little Christmas Elf finger-ling baby

I've added a new little addition to my finger-ling collection. This little elf comes with a little blankie drawstring bag with a little felt baby bottle. Great for a stocking stuffer :)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34365081

We can do it :D

I took a short vacation from creating and now it's time to get on the" Oh my god it's almost Christmas" band wagon.

Today I'm working on a tiny guinea pig candy shop. Which means I need to come up with very tiny pieces of candy to decorate the walls. And yes I will accomplish this and yes I will post it when it's done.

So far I just have 3 really Christmas items in my shop. A finger-ling snowman, A Christmas Wish fairy hanging from a gold tone stand and 2 tiny Wish fairy ornaments in Christmas sparkling red and green.

Now here's what's in my head hopefully posting next week. If your not familiar with my famous glove dogs, there dogs made from 2 cotton garden or utility gloves. I want to make an elf dog with bells on his little elf shoes, and a dog dressed in a snowman costume. Ambitious yes! but I can do it :o

Then in between my business, of course with the terrible economy, and my husband being an ex mortgage broker, still looking for a job, I'm making lots of Christmas gifts myself.

Yes! you too can be this ambitious. The secret is to take a deep breath, take lots of mini breaks, (Hot chocolate breaks are particularly relaxing ) and most of all be organized. Collect everything you need for whatever project you have in mind. Just put them in little piles and just relax and get started when you find the time. I know it sounds easy, but we have to do what we have to do.

I'll soon be working on a post with some great inexpensive Christmas gift ideas for those with a limited to just about nothing budget. Stay tuned :)

Santa's Workshop guinea pig style :D

I have a very special customer in France who I make tiny guinea pig hutches for. Some of my favorites are the novelty themed hutches. I've made a pink castle, a fire house, a train, and my absolute favorite. Santa's Workshop. This one was fun to make and create. It even has a little guinea pig with a Santa hat inside. Putting my little hutches together are like putting a puzzle together. First I use graph paper and measure out pattern pieces. Then I cut stiff felt fabric to the size of the patterns, and I end up with a little bit of Awesomeness when it's finished. Last night I was playing with my graph paper and thought about maybe making a bakery and a candy store. I never know what's coming up next :D

Didn't think October could get any scariar

Yup! October got scarier once again.
About a week and a half ago I started my journey through: (Here comes a kidney stone ville. ) No fun! Lots of pain, Lots and Lots of medication, no eating, hardly drinking and not remembering days at a time.

Ironically I finally passed the stone 16 years almost to the hour that I gave birth to my daughter. Weird huh. Well that was last Thursday and I'm recovering just fine. I just need to gain some of the weight back that I lost.

Yes, I'm one of those people. Struggling to keep weight on skinny mini. I've been like this all my life. Underweight, but normal for me. This afternoon my husband made me an apple pancake the size of my head. No one should eat anything the size of their head :o But I did finish it.

He said he has a plan to fatten me back up. Utttt Ohhhh. He's like 40 pounds overweight and I'm like 25 pounds underweight. This should be interesting.

Okay that's my catching up for now. I hope to add something fun very soon. :D

Just checking in (scary October)

Hey everybody out there in blog land! Sorry I've been slipping but I've been busy working on things for my shop. I even had some top secret prototypes to work on. So here we are approaching mid October. My daughter is turning 16 on the 15th. Hey now there's something scary for Halloween. I just can't picture her behind the wheel of my red Town and Country van. Another scary thing about October, is just as the air seems to get chillier and chillier your reminded of whats to come. About 11 more weeks till Christmas in Etsy land. This is my first Etsy Christmas to prepare for. I already have things in mind for my own family that I have to make. I'm just afraid I'll get all kinds of orders like a week before Christmas or something. I have so many different things in my shop that I really can't get started on much. And hey, "I'm only one woman! ". Anyway, Happy October and have a happy Halloween season. I just picked up my costume today. 1 tiger tail, 1 tiger ear headband, and 1 tiger bow tie. Yup going all out. "NOT". Well maybe next year. lol Hope to check in again within the next few days................. :)

Peanut Elves, too funny :D

Here are some of the cutest elves I've ever seen. There from the Lindasgift etsy shop. She's got some awesome funny pics of them in her shop. Take a peek! :D

My latest creations

Things are starting to pick up at the Wishwithme etsy shop. I just hope I don't get overwhelmed too soon. I have 3 things to show you. My tiny guinea pig train hutch, my cozy 9 1/2" tall bedtime friend version of my tiny puppy in a basket, and my Super little Wish monster, all ready for Halloween.

One of my many birthday creations :D

Made this cake for my son and my nephews combination birthday. They're all grown up but still appreciate Awesomeness. LOL

I just had to have it!

So I planned a trip to JoAnns for a few odds and ends I needed for some of my little creations. My budget has been limited so I was there only to buy the few things I needed.

Well did you ever come across something that you really wanted but it wasn't in the budget? You just have to have it because it's so AWESOME? Well it's not like it was a million dollars or something. But I had my business budget and I wanted to stick to it.

So what I just had to have was the softest fur material I've ever felt. Like the kind of soft that you just can't stop touching. Like the little stuffed cat I had when I was a little girl. I used to rub it on the side of my cheek to fall asleep.

I mean this was soft. So I tried to find a way to add this furry element to my wishwithme etsy shop. At about $14.00 a yard how could I share it with the masses and still somewhat stick to my budget? It took me a while to come up with the answer but I did. (thats why I never take anyone with me. It takes time to come up with something awesome in a hurry LOL)

So what I did was buy one quarter of a yard. Which was enough to make 3 of these little stuffed characters I had in mind. So that was $3.50 for fabric and enough to make 3 of these little creations I had in mind. Sounded good to me. Until I got home and saw how difficult it was to work with. Well it took a few more days and it came to me. Make a little guy who's soft and cuddly and still has this awesome fur on it.

Talked to some of my family members and came up with my newest creation...... FUZZY TUMMY WUMMY. (Named by my 22 year old nephew) :D He's awesome, he's still soft all over but his tummy (Just a coolwhip cover size circle on his belly) has a softness like no other. I loved making him and I'm happy to have just posted him. I'm even thinking of offering different prints if it sells. I'll have to wait for the next budgeted shopping trip :0

My new tiny wish fairies :)

On a warm summer night just listen by the light of the moon. You will hear the ever so quiet gathering of the WISH FAIRIES.

Fairies love to fly by day but the night brings a time to rest. They stop by the sleepy flowers after spending their day in the warm sun.

My three tiny wish fairies measure 1 1/2" tall. Their faces hand painted with dark eyes and an adorable heart shaped mouth. Their bodies are hand crafted using twists and turns of chenille stems. Their dresses are made from silk like flowers , and their hair styled with embroidery floss. Silvery wings give that little tiny fairy sparkle :).............................................

ALSO AVAILABLE are larger wish fairies holding amber wish lanterns, and on the side a hand painted floral decorated fairy drinking shell to attract fairies to your garden. Also included with the large fairy is a gold tone stand.

Please stop by my shop by the wishwithme shop for a visit :)

Awesome laundry secret for those who hate to iron

Yes, I call it awesome!
Here's a little something I do that to me was like common sense but to others it's like "Wow, that's s a great idea"!

So I've always had a thing about laundry. No I'm not one of those people who say "I love to do laundry and ironing, it calms me" OH, Pha-leese! Anyway I just like to get it done quickly and efficiently. I remember going to my sister's house and she would have baskets of clean laundry waiting to be put away. Kids calling, "Hey mom! where's my whatever shirt and such, and they would dig it out of the compressed wrinkled pile and she would have to quickly iron it and off they would go. OH NO, not in my house. I rarely iron and you would never know it.

One reason is because lucky for me my husband only likes freshly ironed crisp shirts. So he would take out his own shirt and iron it in the morning before work. My daughter throws her school uniform on the ironing board and he takes care of her. Me, I'm a t shirt and jeans type of girl. Except when I need dress clothes for whatever then I too can throw something on the magic ironing board and "Whaaa-Laaaaa" It magically ends up on a hanger all pretty :D.

Okay so no my husband is not my laundry secret. Well we are a family of four. My daughter nearing 16 my son 21, and my husband and I. There are an awful lot of Ts and Polos, shorts, pants and jeans. Here's what I do:

I separate clothes . Whites, Darks, gentle darks, gentle lights and the usual sox,underware, pajamas, towels, etc.( Don't wash towels with your regular clothes because it really does a job on them causing wear and fuzz balls) YUCK! It's amazing how long you can keep your clothes looking great just by washing them inside out in the gentle cycle. That I mainly do for my daughter and I.

So I basically wash all of the separated tops and bottoms first (EVERYTHING except pants INSIDE OUT)
When the wash cycle is finished I take out the wet clothes and shake them out a little as I transfer them to the dryer. (Shaking them out is just to help them move a little easier while drying, so there not so stuck together).

I set the dryer timer for 15 minutes. That's all the time you need. After the 15 minutes, I take out the shirts 1 at a time, put my arms in through the bottom of the shirt, give it a little bit of a stretch and flip it right side out and put it on a hanger. ( ALWAYS USE THE HANGERS WITH THE ROUNDED ENDS TO KEEP YOUR SHIRTS FROM SPROUTING WINGS) :O

The clothes on hangers collect on a nearby doorknob until I get everything out of the dryer. Next I hang them all on an entryway between by living and dining room. ( You can use any entry way or just hang them from your kitchen chairs). Sometimes I do the laundry in the morning and before I go to bed everything is dry and ready to be put away. Always hung, never folded in a draw.

When it comes to pants, after they come out of the wash cycle I just straighten them out a little , fold them as you would if you were to put them in a drawer, and throw them in the dryer. When I take the pants out I straighten them out a little, put them on a pants hanger ( the one with the 2 clips on it like you get when you buy pants on a hanger at the store) Just clip them and again hang them up to dry. Presto! Once they dry they look like they've been ironed :D After a while I finally got my sister to use this method and she does it all the time. It feels great to just hang the laundry in your closet at the end of the day instead of digging through laundry baskets :)

(Pictured is yesterdays laundry or should I say most of yesterdays laundry. My daughter likes to wear many MANY outfits, so her laundry continues on to the neighboring entryway.
The hanger pictured is the best kind of hanger to use when drying wet clothes on a hanger.)

A quick visit

As my arrived home he called me on his cell phone and told me to look out the front window. Sounded like I should grab my camera so I did and look what I found. A birdie splash party!
Right now it's about 85 in the shade so I'm sure their happy to have found my little oasis :)