Wondering Wednesday #8 Dryer Balls?

January 6, 2016mulchandmorecrafts 6 Comments

Have you ever wondered “what are dryer balls?” “why/how are they used?” “how are they made?”

Dryer balls are simply felted wool balls, that you place in your dryer. They help fluff your clothes and absorb moisture to shorten drying time. A natural product with no added scent, they are great for people with fragrance sensitivities. However if you practice aromatherapy, you can easily add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil.

finished dryer balls

The other day, when I was playing with fiber, I weighed some extra top to make into dryer balls.

weighed wool

shaped dryer ball on scales

Once they are shaped, they are wet felted by agitating them in hot soapy water. When finished the soft fibers have joined together to form a firm ball.

I use two or three to a dryer load, but have used the same ones repeatedly for over a year now. (In spite of their attempted escapes, by stowing away in shirt sleeves, they are always returned.)

Before having heard of “dryer balls” a friend had suggested that I make “cat balls” to sell and described how she does it. After some experimenting, I’ve changed her methods a little, adding colored wool to solid colors and making a variety of sizes. After selling some of the regular sized cat balls for use as dryer balls, I added larger natural colored ones to my line.

various sizes of felted balls

cat toys=felted wool balls

Currently I make mini cat balls, regular cat balls, jingle balls, and dryer balls for my craft shows. I’m considering making enough to offer them on-line too. What do you think?

craft show display

mini cat balls

regular sized cat balls

jingle cat balls

finished dryer balls

Disclaimer; No cats or sheep are harmed in the making of these balls 🙂 However these balls should not be used by small children or chewing dogs.

A Fiber Day!

January 4, 2016mulchandmorecrafts 8 Comments

Yesterday I felt like playing with color! I started with my big bump of soft white merino top for the kettle dying.

white Merino top

Actually it’s about half a bump, as you can see from the missing center.

center view of bump of merino top

one pound of merino top

the top placed in a mesh laundry bag

Another batch in the dye kettle

(click these pictures for captions)

I decided to experiment, to see if I could capture a golden tone. The first pound looks more like a tiger, yellow,orange and brown tones.

merino -gold? experiment #1

gold experiment #1 plus first rainbow dyed

The second is shaded, using the same combination of dyes, but I think it came closer to what I’d envisioned. After seeing them dried, I think I will spin a sample (ounce or two) of each and ply them together. (I’ll try to remember to post a follow-up picture)

experiment #2 gold?

some of my dyes

Since I ~~had my dyes out~~ was playing mad chemist, I also rainbow dyed four batches. Two of them utilized the same colors (I’d actually written them down!) that I’d used on some that sold at the fall fiber festival. (I had hoped that it would be left for me to spin this winter.) These came out a little busier than I remember and then my husband commented that it looked pretty, like a tropical snake—eek!

rainbow dyed and experiment # 2 gold

For the second two batches, I chose to over-dye a soft drab olive wool with autumn shades. (I know it’s the wrong season, but I don’t enjoy spinning snow!) And yes I was a little heavy handed with the color application, so even this came out brighter than expected. This is the last of this fiber, which I’ve been hoarding for a while. (Did I mention it’s a very soft wool, but of an unknown sheep breed, so hard to find more of it) I may decide to spin it for my own use.

drab olive top before dyeing

two batches of rainbow dyed drab olive

rainbow dyed drab olive

In conclusion, four pounds of fiber gave me some to spin, some to sell, and dyes left for another day. This equals work accomplished toward one of my sub-goals and more future fun.

Wondering Wednesdays #6 Art or Craft?

December 23, 2015December 24, 2015mulchandmorecrafts 3 Comments

Art or Craft? I have often wondered how to classify the things I make. Are they crafts? Are they art?

I have no problem recognizing the works that my husband and son create as Art! They are each talented artists. However, in my mind, the things I create I consider crafts. Yes I use different color combinations and techniques, and much of what I make is one of a kind or limited editions, BUT that doesn’t mean it’s “art”. After all they are not a painting or a soft sculpture!

Then I ran across this article which I recognized as the writing style of an on-line friend. I contacted Sandi for permission to include her article here;

Metal wheel worker

“In the 1850s, if you needed a new shirt, you made it; if a stirrup on a saddle broke, you crafted a new one; to celebrate a wedding, ladies would gather, bringing all of their scraps to create a quilt for the newly-married couple. Socks and scarves were knit or crocheted by firelight; knives and farm implements were hand-shaped from cast iron. The term “artist” was applied to those involved in traditional art forms – painting, sculpture, the theater.

Many of the skills needed to maintain a homestead in the 1850s are considered art forms today. Beginning in 2014, Frontier Homestead will endeavor to bring artists working in these various fields together, to present living exhibits of the historical past.”

After reading this, I am beginning to change my viewpoint. Maybe my husband is right and I can be considered an artist too?

What hobbies or crafts or arts do you pursue? In what category do you consider the items that you make? Everyone has a talent, I wonder what is yours?

And as Christmas is fast approaching, I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Craft Show

November 29, 2015November 29, 2015mulchandmorecrafts Leave a comment

Saturday was Small Business Saturday and my son and I departed in the dark hours of the morning to drive just over 50 miles to set up for a craft show.

Attending a craft show, you never know quite what to expect. Since this was a one day show, I tried to cut back a little on how much I displayed, while still covering a range of items. You never know exactly what people might be looking for, so if I make it, I try to display at least a token of it. For instance, I set up all 116 scents that I make in soy candles, but only brought a small amount of my hand spun yarn. (People don’t have the time to knit for a gift this close to Christmas.) I also brought a sample of my husband’s canvases, along with some prints made from his originals.

craft show booth overview

end of wooden shelf

wooden shelf

My son, on the other hand, set up his complete inventory of needle felting and wire wrapping. I think it looked very nice and it did draw people in for a closer look.

necklaces and needle felting

needle feltings

needle felted ornaments and art dolls

The organizer does a nice job, she had advertised, but the number of potential customers seemed down from previous years, as were our sales. She had the vendor next to us slide her tables down a bit, to insure that customers would be able to walk into our corner space. I appreciated that as when we arrived to set up things were looking a little crowded in our corner.

However, as a business, we will have to consider if this will be a show worth our time and effort to do in the future. With the size of our display, it is more time efficient to set up for two-four day shows, then to do too many one day events. By the time we returned home from a seven hour show we’d been gone for twelve hours! A very long day!

On the personal side, a friend stopped by to say hi, I was able to visit with another friend/vendor, had an interesting conversation about knitting with a lady looking at my yarn, and our son made a lady very happy when he custom made a bracelet to hold a charm the lady had gotten for her granddaughter.

One more show to look forward to (along with the aching back from hauling candles) and our craft show season will end until we start up in the spring!

Day 14- Extend Your Brand

November 19, 2015November 21, 2015mulchandmorecrafts 5 Comments

I established what I think represents my business brand when I first used my “spinning lady” as my avatar and as a logo on our business cards. It not only represents the yarn I spin, but also the fact that all our products are hand made by us, with special attention to details.

The spinning lady was made by hand on a scroll saw, by my step-dad, as a special present for my mom. I later received one, and it is a photo of this handcrafted picture that represents family and not-forgotten craft skills to me, and I hope to those I meet.

Daily Prompt

QuoteNovember 15, 2015November 21, 2015mulchandmorecrafts 1 Comment

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Waiting Room.”

“Good things come to those who wait.” This is my take on the statement.

The things in our “waiting room” have been waiting patiently, watching dust settle, sometimes for years.

These “things” are craft supplies:

unopened paint- waiting to be “the right” color,

un-spun,un-dyed fiber- waiting to take color and be spun into yarn for someone’s special project,

blank plaques- waiting a final sanding and the “perfect sized picture” to make it complete.

Each of these things were chosen during our working years for their potential to become the perfect, one of a kind (or limited edition), craft creation when transformed into something new.

During this time of waiting, they have developed patience (instead of yelling “pick me, pick me!) when we walk into their room. Some of their imagined transformations may have changed over time, but all will eventually become useful. Some are a forgotten treasure, finding them is like a new discovery.

Now that we are concentrating on our own business, instead of working for others, these items and dreams are beginning to resurface.

angels came out of hiding

But it’s a good thing they developed patience in the “waiting room”. They will need it after their transformation because they will again be waiting!

Waiting to have their picture taken, and description written, waiting to be loaded into a tote to be displayed at a craft show. Waiting for that one person, who recognizing their uniqueness, wants to give them that special space of their own in a new home!

Retirement or Just Plain Tired

November 5, 2015November 21, 2015mulchandmorecrafts 4 Comments

This last Spring I gave a month’s notice that I had decided to retire! After more than five years as a part-time waitress at a local restaurant I knew I would miss the regulars who had become friends over the years. But after having my craft business on the back burner for over twenty years, we decided it was time to bring it to a boil.

Inspiration to follow our dream

I don’t know how I ever had time to work! We displayed and sold at about 20 shows this year. For most 2-day shows we were gone 3 days, for 4-day shows we always set up the day before. That left 2-4 days between shows for drying tents, making more of low inventory items, washing dusty table cloths, etc. I repeat, I don’t know how I had time to work even a day or two between shows.

Son’s corner

Hand painted scarves and wood burning.

Needle felted ornaments

Soy Candles

Husband had his own tent.

My boss called in September, to see if my shows were over and if I might want to work a day or two each week during the off-season…… I “nicely” turned him down while wanting to shout “I’m retired, I don’t have time!” This while thinking of the shows I had left, including the 3 hour workshop I taught at one on processing flax into linen. Still have two 1 day shows to do and a blog to learn how to run, as well as two on-line shops to stock!

Last week I finished spinning and plying these yarns

two ply hand spun merino wool

Now the 18 skeins are waiting to be labeled and listed or added to show inventory.

I also made a few batches of soy candles. I carry over 100 different scents.

Free smells of Soy Candles

Need to dye more roving, unique colors done in small batches, that I can replicate but not duplicate:)

Rainbow dyed roving and top.

If you are a knitter, crocheter, or weaver, you will understand my reference to the slight differences in dye lots. You may also notice that my skeins vary in yardage. This is because I wind all of my skeins with no knots, but may have several skeins of the same colorway or of coordinating colors. This gives you better quantity choices depending on the size of your project. I love playing with colors and seeing the differences made by combining various colors, in dyeing, in spinning and in plying.

In the future you will see many of our craft show products pictured in sections of the gallery. This way you can browse and if you can’t make it to our shows, I can list it for your purchase on my Handmade Artists shop, if it’s still available. My on-line shop listings aren’t taken to the shows with me to avoid selling the same unique item twice at the same time.

I’ve only mentioned a few details of the fiber and craft show part of our business and already feel this post is way too long. In the future look for more information about my husband’s art

Husband’s Art

my son’s needle felting and wire wrapping,

Art Doll and wire wrapping

and my wood burning and other endeavors. When creating a business, it’s hard to know where it will lead.

We welcome questions and suggestions of what you would like to hear/see more about, so please leave a comment.

Hello, Glad to meet you!

November 2, 2015November 21, 2015mulchandmorecrafts 2 Comments

I signed up for Blogging101 to learn more about making a blog.

For those of you who may have read my first writing of this post and you realize it sounds different, that’s because it is! MY COMPUTER ATE my homework! Yes I forgot to push that all important button that says “Save Draft” Lesson learned as I struggle to remember some of what I said the first time!

Hi, I’m Bev. I actually opened my blog earlier this spring to showcase and help the growth of our craft business. Yes I am technically challenged! (See above paragraph for example) Thanks to the response for my post for help I think I have things straightened out and hope not to make the same mistakes again…I know there’s many other mistakes I can find to make:)

The purpose of my blog is to find other people interested in hand made crafts, share information about the craft shows that we attend and about some of the methods used in creating things. I also hope to learn more by exploring some crafts that I haven’t done (yet) while feeding my computer better to prevent random snacks! I’m also interested in organic gardening, healthier eating, better business practices,organizing inventory, etc.

If you would like to learn more about our family business, please check out our Home and About pages too. I welcome feedback and constructive criticism and meeting new people.

Welcome to Mulch and More Crafts

March 1, 2015November 21, 2015mulchandmorecrafts 2 Comments

Hand Spun Yarn and a Spinning Lady

Mulch and More originated over two decades ago, when I started business by growing an organic herb garden at a local restaurant for the chef at that time. As we started doing more craft shows, the More expanded and in 2008 I finally opened a small on-line shop on Etsy, followed in a few years by my shop on HandmadeArtists.com, a truly handmade only site. Meanwhile our craft show business has been steadily growing, so we decided to expand our name to the web site of MulchandMoreCrafts.com and truly have our own site to share the various aspects of our business and eventually offer a place where one-stop-shopping will be available.

Meanwhile I’m asking for your patience as I slowly learn how to set this up, yes I’m attempting to be a do-it-yourself person here as well.