Fun with felt!

I bought a huge pack of felt at a discount store earlier this month and have been having a lot of fun!

The first thing I made was this adorable scotty dog from Allsorts. This pattern has been sitting on my back burner for awhile and I think he came out so cute!


Then I found a website that had several toy patterns to make out of felt. The instructions were easy to follow and I made up several animals within a few days.


I also tried to make some dolls. I love Runo dollmaker's website. His patterns are fun. I also follow his blog. Unfortunaly even with Runo's great patterns I am just not great at making doll clothes so my dollies are still naked- EEKKK! I'll keep you updated when I finally make them some decent clothes!


Anyway felt it fun. Try some of the patterns I showed you or make up your own! Now that I have made several of these guys I feel more confident in designing my own pattern! Hopefully I'll have something new and original to show you soon!

My first toy drops!

A few weeks ago I mentioned The Toy Society and I did my first two drops today!

The first drop I did was at the library on McGuire Air Force Base. There are a lot of windows in the front but I was lucky that a delivery truck was parked outside. I think it blocked anyone from watching what I was doing! I stuck the corner of the plastic bag into the drop off box. It felt a little funny leaving a bag with toys inside of it just hanging outside. I snapped a few pictures before I ran away!


The second drop was much easier! I went to Wacky World playground on McGuire Air Force Base. It was a Friday afternoon so all the neighborhood kids were still at school. I just drove up and hung my second drop from part of the playground. We've been having unusually warm weather this winter so I am sure she will be found soon!I have another two drops ready to go. Hopefully tomorrow I will go for a walk and do some drops around downtown Mount Holly!

This is really a lot of fun and so easy to do. If you have older children who can help make toys I think it would be a good teaching tool about sharing and selflessness. I encourage everyone to give it a try :)

Operation Christmas Child

Yes, I am already planning for NEXT Christmas! If you haven't heard of Operation Christmas Child I recommend you go to their website and check it out. The program asks volunteers to fill shoe boxes with items for children in need. The shoe boxes are sent around the world, the two I did last year went to the Ukraine!
Anyway it can be a little expensive to fill a shoe box if you aren't planning ahead. Even if you buy everything from the dollar store it will cost at least $10 a box plus the donation they ask to cover the cost of shipping. This year I promised myself I would fill AT LEAST 10 boxes. To do this and not break the bank I have already started looking for deals.
I recommend shopping in the clearance aisle at regular department stores rather than going to cheap places like The Dollar Tree. This way you are only spending a fraction of the price for a quality item that you know will last longer. Also I like to go to discount stores that buy department stores overstock. Again quality items that will last longer but cost less.
I was on vacation last week and indulged myself in a little bargain hunting at a local discount store. I spent about $20 and I bought:

10 coloring books
6 picture books
6 sticker books
10 toothbrushes
10 tubes of toothpaste
4 small puzzles
8 action figures
6 tins of hard candy
2 blankets

This isn't enough to fill my 10 boxes so I will continue to look for deals in the months to come. I am especially looking forward to later in the year when I can find seasonal themed clothes on clearance. (think spring/easter t shirts on clearance this summer and flip flop on sale this fall!)

Toy Society

I just heard of this great thing called Toy Society. I can't wait to participate!
It is a street art project where people make handmade toys and leave them somewhere to be found. The finder gets to keep the toy forever and ever to enjoy and love. All the Toy Society asks is that the finder send and email to let the member know that one of toy drops had been found. The Toy Society provides templates for tags and a little informative letter to be included with the toy.

I am so excited to join because I have a few dozen toys that I discontinued in my etsy shop and I didn't know what to do with them except donate to a local thrift store. Toy Society sounds like a lot more fun!

You can follow Toy Society on their blog, click here!

I'll keep everyone updated on my participation with this wonderful project!