In Joy Emporium

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

Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE!

Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered

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

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

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

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

Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE!

Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered

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

Valentine Heart ~ Raven NOT included!

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

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Which came first--- the Cat or the Mouse? (Part 1)

Cats & Mice

I have been hemming & hawing over how to tell this story. Maybe it is a bit of cabin fever or just that the story is a rather long and drawn out tale. We are still very much in the grips of winter. There are signs of spring, though. The sun is a little higher on the horizon, my onions have sprouted on the window sill, and our cat, Vern, is going a bit nuts! (...notice the cat chew marks in the wood...those shims are there to prevent Vern from using my onions as a cat bed!)

I have made strides to alleviate his cabin fever. I found this nice big piece of wool fabric at the thrift shop. I took time away from Etsy sewing to hem it and create a cat tunnel behind the couch for Vernie.

I also sewed up a batch of catnip mice toys I call EcoNips for my Etsy shop. Not sure that helped with Vern's craziness?!? The tale continues to wind...I thought my EcoNip photos needed a something to jazz them up a bit. With cats on my mind I decide to revisit an old puppet pattern. This puppet was inspired by our wonderful old cat, Zippy, and my son's love for the nursery rhyme The Owl & the Pussycat.

Zippy lived to the ripe old age of 16. He was still with us when Vern came to us 3 years ago. He was a wonderful mellow cat. My DH & he had a very special bond the Vern has not quite fulfilled. We still miss him!

This a photo of my son's fun with our mellow boys!

Here are the original Owl and PussyCat (Zippy) Puppets as they look today! They have held up pretty well considering they are around 16 years old. They were my son's toys but, I, also, used them for 5 years of elementary school substitute teaching! They got some real use then!

My son's 4th birthday party with me doing The Owl & the Pussycat Puppet show!

Red-Wing Blackbird & my Boyo!

So here are the new puppet that are now in my shop...Inspired by Zippy & Vern!

Ok...I am * NOW * a mom of a college man ...but once upon a time....

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

BY EDWARD LEAR

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are,

You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-Tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose,

With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

So they took it away, and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

It is PC to Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!

Today was another great day to enjoy the sunshine through the window! Below ZERO again!! Did my chores and spent the rest of the day working on my NEW computer... and getting used to it...

I have been using PCs since that late 1980's... pre Mouse! I had no experience with Apple until I got an Ipad in 2011. When Windows 8 became my PC choice for upgrading from my 2007 HP Vista I decide if I have to learn something new it might as well be a Mac. It is a bit like teaching an old dog new tricks. For instance, to go to the end of a sentence I keep hitting the "end" key "ending" up at the bottom of the page and making a sort of expletive sound... instead of doing Command - >. I have this great book By David Pogue and I have Apple Care on speed dial to help me but, it is my nature to try and figure things out on my own first. This all takes time. So I am behind in my self appointed goals...like blogging more frequently.

I wouldn't say I am super computery. I probably could be if I had more interested in becoming so. I am more inclined to sew or weave or spin or walk or read... you get the picture. But the life of an Etsian requires a good amount of time computing. So I have made a few improvements to my office. Besides the Mac Mini I got my self a stool for my standing desk so I can sit sometimes....especially while I am reading the manual! I do like my new computer and I am sure it is good for my brain to be learning the differences. I think it was a pretty good value. I am still using my HP VGA monitor which saved me a few bucks. I traded in the magic mouse for a regular Logitech optical mouse. I found the magic mouse a bit harder to click and sometime some of its features needed to turned off so I wouldn't go nuts slip sliding through pages!

Also, I was gifted a new Etsy office mascot... this big beautiful Monroe Salt Works Pottery Raven. If you follow my blog you know I have a special place in my heart for these fine feathered friends! I give her a pat on the head as I enter and leave this room! She is starting to show up in some of my listing photos...

I have been getting used to importing photos and editing them on the Mac and have recently added some fun things to my Vintage Shop ~ InJoyTreasures

Like this Goofy Frog

Time to get ready for Chinese New Year with this nice Lantern

Or how about a Doll Bench ~ Raven NOT included

Wish me luck and patience (I just did it again with the "end" key...glad you can't hear my swearing!). I think Thursday I will take more time to sew! Heading to the loom for awhile after this...Thanks for stopping by!

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

Fiber Art, Weaving, Hand Spun

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

Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE!

Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered

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

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

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Deep Freeze

Brrrrrr is the word of the day! Morning chores required an extra bit of bundling up! Today's fashion is the Michelin Man look! I found this great, big coat at a thrift shop last summer for $2.50...it may not be beautiful but it is warm! Neoprene face mask is much better than a scarf in these conditions. Handmade (by me) hat from an old wool coat...custom fit for my needs! It was 0-F in my breezeway...colder outside. I had an Etsy order going to sunny CA! The first leg of it's journey is up my frigid driveway.

350+ feet in squeaky cold snow seems a bit further today...but not as far as it feels during bug season!

Next, on to the duck chores. I am running a heat lamp so they can choose to get under it for a warm up. Fresh water, food, hay each morning. Keeping them locked up today with such risky weather.

The ducks keep a strict 10 feet away from me rule. While doing the chores they run back and forth between the yard and house in order to maintain their space tolerances. Wacky Quacky fun!

EVEN in this cold they are giving me 4 eggs a day!

Poor Runa, she wants to go for a walk so bad. I am bundled up enough that I could tolerate the cold but, not my pup! So we play a game throughout the day called "get the squirrel". Utter these words and she is off like lightening to let these rodents know they are not welcomed here! As soon as she is out of sight I call her back and she gets a treat. This game takes the edge off her cabin fever. Now, Vern, the cat, he is hiding for fear I will put him outside. He's a cat, he won't take chances!

One last chore...empty the "beast" stove of its ash. Today is a 2 wood stoves, Monitor K-1 heater, + electric heater in the bathroom running day!

Stay Warm & Safe!

Happy Winter!

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

Fiber Art, Weaving, Hand Spun

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

Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE!

Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered

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