Eco-friendly Flannel Toner Pads

A new year calls for some new projects! Some I want to share and make are eco-friendly in nature. I want to have less wasteful items that I use daily in the home and even my beauty routine. Enter: re-useable toner pads.

What I used for these are flannel pieces, three layers total. This gives some thickness and any toner absorbed won't simply drip out of the fabric. You could also add a layer of another fabric if you want this to be thick and absorbent.

I decided to make my toner pads round, so I found a suitable circle shaped object and simply traced it. You can pin your layers together, with a traced shape, then cut! This will save you time and makes sure the shapes are all matching.

I made three rounds total, so see how I liked the size. You can make as many as you please or simply start with one and decide from there. Once you have the pieces cut, you should pin them together. You want any printed side facing IN, as after sewing, you TURN your shape inside out. 

As an added pretty detail I put a small ribbon loop. If you decide on something similar, be sure the loop end is facing inside, as shown above. This loop is also handy for later on: you can easily hang the toner pad up to dry! When you sew your toner pad be sure to leave about 1 inch that you do not sew, you need an area to turn this inside out. 

Once you turn the toner pad inside out, you can hand sew that small opening. I decided to add some decorative stitching on the edges of mine. If you machine has this feature be sure to test it on a scrap piece of fabric beforehand. That way you can decide how close to the edge a design will stitch.

my finished, re-useable toner pads

edge design and ribbon detailing

This is a nice DIY project for those wanting to try the fancy stitching on your machine. It's also a nice project if you want to introduce more washable, less wasteful, home and beauty items. Cotton pads and makeup wipes end up in landfills. If you want to aim to reduce waste you can easily introduce these into your home and routine. They offer a nice product that is less wasteful, washable, lasts years and you can customize them how you please. If you enjoy what I share and make be sure to visit my Etsy shop and Instagram. 

Etsy Shop Winter SALE!

It's a new year and winter has arrived. So to make way for new products in my Etsy shop I'm having a Winter SALE! It is from 1/10 - to 1/31 and is 20% off orders of $16 or more (not including shipping).

online only from 1/10 to 1/31

seasonal and holiday gifts

Consider browsing and buying from my online shop and supporting handmade. Buying handmade is supporting skilled trades, small business and women entrepreneurs. My shop opened in 2008 and continues to offer wonderful, quality handmade gifts.

bags, purses and clutches

pet bandannas!

Handmade means sweatshop-free. Made by hand, often by only one artist or seamstress. Which means what you buy has been in the hands of one talented person! In my case I've been the sole artisan and seamstress of my Etsy shop. I have learned my skills from 3 generations of family since I was about 6 years of age. It's my passion and joy to make and create gifts for people who value handmade.

felt charms and mascots

This sale is going on from January 10th to the 31st. No special discount code is needed for this sale, simply add items to your shopping cart totaling $16.00 or more (not including shipping costs). Thank you for visiting my shop and I hope your find something you'd love to own!

End of Summer, foster kittens, Home repairs!

Hello August! I swear, this month gets warmer each and every year now. But soon, those autumn temperatures will be joining us shortly. The trees foliage has not started yet but the leaves are beginning to fall.
I had some short staying visitors ~ foster kittens! They arrived at my home as orphans and just 5 weeks old. They were sisters and it was unknown what happened to their mother (or any other litter mates). The runt of the two had some special needs that I was informed of. She seemingly was much smaller then her sister and had a underdeveloped jaw. She may have other issues yet unknown, since she was quite small.

the littlest one, named Felicia

her sister, Freida

Needless to say some fosters have more challenges then others. These two were not litter trained at all. Despite my best efforts they returned back to the shelter about 9 days earlier then expected. I tried my best, had two littler boxes, they had their own room - but as a volunteer I could only do so much. Also a concern about Felicia not growing as fast as her sibling was something the shelter wants to address. I volunteer for a no-kill shelter which never turns away special needs or special medical care pets. I can pop in whenever I want to check on their progress!

In the meanwhile, I had been doing small home repairs and redecorating! If you ever have a house you will know how daunting even the smallest of tasks can be. I wanted to re-paint the closet shelving along with re-paint the closet door in our bathroom. My husband kindly stripped the old paint off the door - turns out, it was solid wood. I picked a pale blue shade since the walls are a pale grey colour. I've been posting with updates of my project on my Instagram page for my crafting. It did come out nicely and I'm happy we did this ourselves!

the before and after of the closet shelving

before the finished project

I decided to add something to hang my many hair decorations up on. I decided on cork board and floral pins! It was very affordable and an easy project for any novice to try. This way my barrettes, clips and other hair decorations are easily visible. And the floral pins have a pearl faux end to them, so you can hang elastics easily. It made for a simple way to display things without needing any nails or tape to keep the cork board in place.

square cork board and large floral pins

the finished project

easily find hair items and can move the pins as needed

I hope you have been enjoying the end of summer where you live. We have had some record breaking hot days here and I'm happy they are behind us. It won't be long now and we will all be bundling up in layers and the foliage will be here! Com on autumn, I am looking forward to you arriving!

Summer projects

It's hot... it's humid... I'm melting away! So what does one do when it's hot, humid and every time you step outside you sweat away 3 pounds?! Why, indoor projects!

I'm working on some little things here and there. I do have a large sewing project I want to tackle but haven't had the room or time for it yet. You want to know why?

Izzy the dog

The reason I can't pull out my huge table to cut fabric on is because - I'm pet sitting! Above is a picture of Izzy, a terrier mix. I am also watching a big ole boy named Willie, along with my own dog (and two cats). My cats out weigh the smaller dog, and they aren't afraid to let her know this (with various forms of hissing). So basically I can't do much with a full house here. 

But I have done a few little projects I'd been wanting to do. I love to put a decoration on our front door each season or holiday. So for summer, I wanted something rustic and a little farm-ish in style. I found these lovely chicken wire, metal letters at JoAnn Fabrics on sale two weeks ago. I picked one out, picked some ribbon and faux flowers and went to town. It made for a nice afternoon project while stuck indoors avoiding the heat outside. 

Don't be intimidated by the above finished piece! You honestly can pick up supplies for under $15 and play around to get something you love. I sometimes use reference photos I see online, otherwise I just let my creativity flow. To hold everything on the wired letter, I used old bread twist ties (since I have a surplus of them). 

I'm also making things for my shop on Etsy. Check it out for what I have up for sale, because these will be listed shortly. I figured with extra doggies around, I could make dog bandannas! Here is the small sized, which I have 2 finished now (different fabrics). The bandanna slips onto the dogs own collar, so no need to tie it on. I use dog bandannas on my own dog all the time. I use it for visibility, since he is medium sized and almost complete tan in color. I also use it for spraying bug spray onto the fabric, instead of the dogs skin. 

my model Izzy, in the fashionable heart print bandanna 

So for summer, it's little things and projects. I'm also already playing with yarn for future winter things. Because... reasons. Because we are all secretly longing for a break from the heat (am I right?!)