Homemade AND Useful
I make a lot of homemade things. I upcycle. I recycle. I create stuff out of other stuff. My family and friends are the recipients of these wonderful creations and I can usually tell by the look on their faces if they like it or not.
I love to knit. I love to buy yarn. My yarn eyes are bigger than my project stomach. So I have ended up with way too much yarn but luckily I buy really nice yarn, on sale, that is wool.
A friend mentioned that she was going to buy felted yarn balls for the dryer to cut down on drying time and be a natural fabric softener–I was intrigued and had to do the research for myself.
I took my electric bill and figured out how much energy my dryer takes to run for an hour, multiplied it by the number of hours that I run it to find out my cost per week. Then I made the dryer balls and used them. The claim to cut down drying time by 25% was a bit high but I did find that my clothes were “fluffier” and dried in a shorter time.
Unexpectedly, I found that the dryer balls were a toy for the kids. A colorful, natural, soft ball that flies through the air, slides extremely far on a gym floor (perfect while we are waiting for indoor soccer practice to end). They are also pretty to look at in this funky basket that I saved from a thrift shop.
Dryer balls. Why write about dryer balls? They won’t change the world or have much of an impact on much of anything–but they are pretty and fun. When I catch a glimpse of this basket of whimsy it makes me smile. So these bits of yarn wrapped tight and washed again and again until the fibers embrace and never let go of one another–won’t change global warming or solve some big problem but they make me happy. In my world. On my journey.
Thank you God for giving us the ability to create. I am constantly in awe of how you have put so many creative, inspiring, and thought provoking people in my life.
Linking up with these other frugal minded ladies!
Frugal Tuesday Tip, Frugal Ways, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Fridays, Thrifty Thursday @ Feminine Adventures, Transformation Thursday, Live/Love/Laugh, A merry meaningful Christmas, all things Christmas The Green Resource
These are fantastic and I LOVE that basket!
I love that basket too! I was at Pier One–I never shop there but it is the only game in town for bar height bar stools–I digress–I saw it and fell in love with it! I didn’t have a purpose for it but when I came home I knew exactly what it would be perfect for.
Thanks for noticing the details.
Be Blessed.
I love our dryer balls! They have been such a great, green addition to our home. Please feel free to link up any of your upcycling or recycling projects with my Tuesday Greens linky at http://www.craftygardenmama.com. I’d love to have you share your ideas.
Thanks–I love the colors of the dryer balls!
Thanks for the invitation–I’ll make sure that I stop by.
Be Blessed.