In Joy Emporium: catnip

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Part 2 ~ Cat & Mouse

Today the tale of the EcoNip Cat toy. It started with a box of string as any good kitty story should. Well, it is not exactly string but nylon cord. Many years ago I was a member of a craft coop on the coast of Maine. It is where I tried to sell handwoven items and when they won't sell I started making puppets! (selling handwoven is tough if you want to get USA wages with so many items being made where the labor cost are unfairly low... Anyways, I digress.) One day it was my turn to be cashier at the coop and one of our older members pulled up in her car as I was about to go inside. She had 2 big trash bags with her. One bag was full of wool scraps, she was a rug braider. The other was full of nylon cord, her husband made wooden lobster traps and the cord was used to "knit the trap door into the kitchen". Well, this lady told me she thought I was a very handy girl and was sure I would find a use for these scraps. As the old saying goes "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or do without!"

So up to that attic they went, out of sight but NOT out of mind. The 2 big bags sort of haunted me. I needed to come up with an idea. One day while gardening my cat at the time...the amazing Wally...who lived to be 23 years old...was rolling all over a catnip plant. Ah-ha! a light bulb moment! This was before "upcycling" was a word but being eco has always been hip to me! So the EcoNip was born! I have made 100's since then and they have been enjoyed by cats from coast to coast!

I recently re-designed the EcoNip to rat size for longer cat huggable fun! Here is my product description... EcoNips ---> HERE

Each Econip is handmade from upcycled wool. The nylon tails are scraps from the making of Maine lobster traps. The nylon would have just ended up in the waste stream if I hadn't nabbed them. This Rat size Econip is approximately 11 inches long with a 18+ inch tail. The long tail allows you to play with your cat at a safe distance from claws! Contrasting colored ears are fun for cats to chew.

Each toys contains 1 CUP of my own HOMEGROWN Catnip, carefully cultivated using organic practices in Freedom, Maine. I store the catnip in leaf form and only crush it a bit to stuff each Econip. This method seems to leave the catnip more potent. After the catnip is added I stuff the rest of the body with Maine Sheep's Wool. The wool is washed waste wool from my handspinning ... see my yarn works here:::https://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyEmporium

Vern LOVES EcoNipS I have to store my shop stock on a sealed box on the highest shelf I can find! Some of my EcoNip customers store them in the freezer so their cats won't find them!

Puppets

~~~~~~~~~~~My Lively Life~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fiber Art, Weaving, Hand Spun

http://www.etsy.com/shop/injoyemporium

Hand Made Eco and Upcycled Cutie Buntings, Clothes, & Toys

http://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyEcoCutie

Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/injoytreasures

Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered

http://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyGatherings

My Blog~~Makings, Musings, & Lifestyle on the Land:

http://injoyemporium.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/injoyemporium

http://instagram.com/injoyemporium

http://www.pinterest.com/injoyemporium

"Be Joyful because it is humanly possible"~~~Wendell Berry

Friday, December 19, 2014

Simplified & Sustainable Christmas

I decided this year not to have a holiday tree. This will be the first time in 20 years without the tree. (can you guess how old my son is?!) I have never purchased a tree, they have always been wild trees from our land. I am usually scoping out trees several weeks ahead of time during my daily walks. This year I didn't find a tree that I wanted to cut down. So I thought why not just skip it...

For the last several years the tree tradition has been my baby. DH & Son don't really care one way or the other. I go out and cut the tree and drag it back to the house. I need to clear a space in our small home for the tree which involves packing up my little loom and putting my spinning wheel away for the duration. I do all the decorating, watering, and then take it down when the time comes. So no tree has been something I have been considering for a number of years. When my son was young he used to help and enjoy it very much. In those days we would put an electric train around the tree...it was a lot of fun. And that is what it is supposed to be about, Fun! So when my son didn't enjoy it anymore I did it because I wanted too, but not this year.

But the house wasn't feeling that festive, at least not for me.

It just so happened that I had made plans with a couple of gal pals to come over and make wreaths. I went out tipping in our woods for balsam fir boughs. Well, when they came over we got to gabbing, took a snow shoe, then a sauna...time got away from us. I was left with a big pile of tips. The an aha moment happened! Why not make a big garland and decorate it with some cherished ornaments!

Here is how I did it!

First a little explanation on tipping. It is pretty simple. If you have balsam fir it is the nicest smelling and the needles are soft. Spruce is pretty prickly. Any evergreen will work. Be sure it is your land or you have permission to tip. In Maine it is against the law to tip on other folks land without permission. We have a pretty big wreath industry in this state. Tipping is sustainable and enjoyable. You just snap off a few tips from many trees to get your boughs. The boughs are about 10 to 15 inches long. You can use pruners but on a cold day they will just snap off.

All you need is some wire on a paddle or spool. Some pliers to cut the wire and something to wrap the boughs around. I used a long piece of bailing twine. Also, I put an old sheet down to catch the needles and keep my table pitch free. Next just grab a bundle of tips and start wrapping the wire around the tips and twine.

Make several wraps of wire around each bundle of boughs.

I end with a few half hitches around the final bundle with the twine.

Leave some twine for hang your garland.

I have sturdy beams for hanging. It is a bit heavy. Fewer tips would make it lighter.

Then decorate it with some ornaments!

It has been up for over a week and is shedding very few needles. The few that do fall are easy to sweep up. It smells great!! I love going up and putting my face into it and soaking up the aroma. When I am finished enjoying it I will be able to wrap it up in an old sheet and dry the needles for balsam fir sachets! Love a multi tasking task!

I new tradition has been born! I love this garland!