DIY Wool Dryer Balls

Materials Needed:

-100% wool (I found mine at the local thrift store for <$1 for a HUGE ball - win!)

-tapestry needle

-old panty hose (cut off one of the legs)

-washer & dryer

How to:

1. Wind the wool into tight balls roughly the size of tennis balls - I made three.

2. Knot and weave the end into each of the balls using a tapestry needle.

3. Put each ball into the old panty hose, tying a knot between each ball.

4. Wash on HOT HOT HOT. Dry thoroughly in the dryer. Repeat to ensure wool felts.

5. Remove from panty hose (you might need to cut them out).

I use these in the dryer every time I dry our clothes, linens, etc. I add 10-15 drops of essential oils if I am looking for a specific scent (i.e. lavender for our bed linens), but otherwise just use them plain. I have used them several times a week for almost a year now, with very little wear (other than the attempted "pruning" my two-year-old did TO them with some misplaced scissors - but I just weaved those ends back in!) These replaced my Norwex balls which had cracked outside of their warranty period, and prior to that, replaced dryer sheets!  They were SO easy to make!

Homemade Birthday: Rocking Horse

I'm super excited for Chritmas gifts this year! (And also my daughter's third birthday!) My husband and I have been working on some very cool gifts...

This little guy we found at a community rummage sale. He went from this:

To this:

And it was (mostly!) so easy!

See that marker? Yeah - it was the glitch. After four coats of chalk paint, it still bled through. So I had to strip those areas & sand off the marker. Boo. But the painting and mane were super easy!

Chalk paint: I picked up a can of white sample paint from the store. It cost me 5.99, but I was able to use it for another project as well. I used a recipe from In My Own Style, and purchased a huge container of calcium carbonate from my local pharmacy, which cost nearly $20, but will be used for multiple projects. I could have painted him any colour, but I like white.

(The paint I had to strip and sand off after it was already painted was HARD work... I believe that's a good thing for kids' toys!!)

Mane: a Pinterest idea that wasn't totally awful! I love it when they work! I used this tutorial. I had to read the directions carefully, as she was missing a few photos. Don't do what I did I and make the mane so thick your sewing machine can't sew through it. I had to remove some layers before I could finish it.

And TADA!

Of course the balloons we blew up to decorate her room were the initial hit, but once she got over those, she loved her rocking horse. And still does :)