Felted Dryer Balls

While on crafters stalking the "frugal living swap", Felted dryer balls kept popping up. So I went researching them. They sell plastic or Rubber ones but, every were I read about them they crack after 3 months of use.
The other thing I saw was that people just use wool yarn and make a ball of yarn and felt it in 3 different layers as they add more and more yarn to them.
I used a raw wool fleece that I hand washed with baby shampoo and removed the vegetable matter from the fleece and while it was wet I wrapped it with some blue wool roving that I have a pound of. In all the directions for making them they put them into stockings and washed them in the washer then put them through the dryer. I don't have any stockings on hand but I do have Nylon tulle so I used that and some cotton butcher twine to wrap them up before putting them in to the machines with the dirty clothes.
Now supposedly they help your clothes dry faster and they reduce static and make your clothes feel like you used fabric softener with out the chemicals. I made these for my sister Joanie because I love her :) I will be mailing them to her. I do need to make some for me. However my dryer decided to stop heating so I might have a delay on this. Lucky I live across the street from a laundromat. Any one now a good Dry repairman?

The whole package Spa swap

Here is the whole package of finished stuff going to my swap partner in the Spa Swap.
*Eye masks for sleeping For her DD (made)
*A day of the dead sugar skull wall decoration
* A candle and bath sponges
* Hair ties
*Bath Crayons, Hello Kitty hair ties and a denim bag for the beach for collecting shells with a denim Bracelet
* A beach bag for collecting shells mom or her son with a shell bracelet for mom.
* Lotion Barb that I made & a loofah face scrubbie
* 4 wash clothes, 15 round face pads, & 3 sm. square face clothes.
* 3 sleep masks for mom
* A make up bag and a coin purse key chain
I hope she likes it.

Bath crayons, kid face masks & kids stuff

These Items are for inside another swap. I know that the kids like getting stuff when there parents do. so I made a few things for my swap partners kids. Here are some child size sleep masks, Bath crayons, Hair stuff a bracelet, and small bag perfect size for collecting shells at the beach.

Day of the Dead Make up bag W/ Air Matress lining

This is for a swap also My partner likes sugar skulls and Day of the dead stuff. For her I made this bag. It is lined with more air mattress material. I made a matching coin purse that can go on a key chain.

Spa swap ='s Lotion Bars

I am doing a spa swap but the Stuff I receive is for Amber. She is into facials and girly stuff. But It does bring me back to a time when I liked taking better care of my self. back when I traveled the country and lived out of a tent and a truck.
These bars are extremely easy to make.
Ingredients
1 part-ish bea's wax (a half cup ish)
1 part-ish Joba oil (I used less of this because the small bottle was 1.5 oz
1 Part-ish shea butter (3.5 oz)
5 to 10 drops of oil (I used tea tree for its healing properties)

I don't have a double boiler so I used a can and one of my stainless steel pots. I have an awesome one from when we first got married (15 yrs ago) that has a aluminum bottom. I wouldn't dare use the Teflon coated ones. You have to melt every thing really well or they say that the shea butter will get grainy. It is best to pour into cool molds because the oil can separate if they bars cool too slow. I used silocon cup cake molds that U use in my DD's Bento Box. I got 6 cakes I am sending 3 out with a swap. I will use at least one for me. My DD won't touch them because she hates tea tree oil. I may make another batch in the future with eucalyptus which she loves.
you can just hold one in your hands for a min and it will melt some off. I look around the internet and found a recipe then adapted it with what I know of oils and plants to make it a little less expensive and also smell the way I wanted, but still be a great lotion.

Cloth salvaged from a house fire.

I have not suffered the effects of a house fire myself. I have however seen what it is like thought a friend. and even thought only one room burned really bad, the smoke damage and water damage thought out the whole house is tremendous. most every thing was garbage, and you never get the smoke smell out with out removing the walls. and the water in her basement from the fire house causes more damage and mold if not treated right away. This material is from a case like that. It has permanent marks but you can also have this happen to material if you leave it on folded for years with out unfolding it and folding it differently.
I had cut out material to use as a lining for the Mattress bag you see next to the cloth bag. but decided I didn't want a lining because I would use the Blue bag for refrigerated goods. so I took the material and mag a smaller cloth bag by using what would have been the sides and bottoms as a handle and just sewing back and front together then squaring off the bottom corners. I braided the handles for comfort as well as strength. I won't be putting canned goods into this bag but it should hold up okay under normal use. I have a strange like of the pattern it reminds me of Holly Hobby, or Little House on the Prairie. Both child hood loves of mine. Which I am finding that most tom boys didn't hate things that were girlie as mush as we like things that weren't considered girlie. And Laura Ingalls had a tom boy streak in her, which was my favorite thing about her.

"Tired of Shopping inflation" Air mattress Shopping Bag

For a challenge on the Website http://www.craftster.org/ I have made a reusable shopping bag from an item that would normally go to the land fill. This was an air mattress. It would not hold air any more the holes in it were on the seam line so a patch would not stay. (thank you children) I refuse to throw it out because I just knew I could use it for something. I made and extra large grocery bag from it. I didn't want bottom corner seams so the sides and bottom are all one piece. I will be making other things and some more slightly smaller bags from the remaining plastic of the mattress. I will more then likely be lining some of the smaller ones. I choose not to line this one because I will be using it for for cold stuff and the sweat and moister will get on a cloth lining. I thought of this as I neared completion. However I had already cut out a lining from material that had been recovered from a fire so it was damaged and stained. so I made a cloth bag from the pieces I had already cut out. I will be adding a link to the contest page voting is between Feb 8 - Feb 15 2010. so please register log in and vote for my project.
http://www.craftster.org/blog/?p=7312