The Zoomer

>^..^<

My kitty cats love their Friskies.  In the evening for dinner, they both split a Friskies can.  I usually purchase the boxes of cans, and there's always this puzzle thing on the back of the box.  I've never really looked at it, until yesterday.   Enter: The Zoomer

I figured, why not?  I'm just going to throw it out anyway.  So I grabbed my scizors and I cut The Zoomer out according to the instructions.  I had to use an exacto knife to cut out the windows, but otherwise it was not hard to do.  

Folding the thing was not easy because it wasn't perforated at all.  I made the folds using my countertop to keep it flat and straight. But it's small, so it came together quickly.   The cardboard was stiff enough that it didn't get destroyed while folding and figuring out which tab goes where, but soft enough to maneuver it.

The box suggest to fill the toy with Friskies kibble, but we use very small kibble for Gordo's lack of teeth.  But I did have some treats on hand from their Easter baskets, so I filled it with that.

The verdict?  They loved it!  They liked knocking it around and getting the treats out of it.  Here's a video of Puffin's reaction to the toy

Shortly after Puffin was done with the toy, I found Gordo on top of the china cabinet with the toy next to him keeping a look out for toy thieves.

Enjoy the weekend everybody! 

~The Craftmeister

Kitty siblings & new dining room

It's normal for human siblings to act like one another - but I think it's pretty cool when cat siblings start showing similarities.  I've heard Gordo mimic Puffin's meow, and Puffin mimic Gordo's grunt. The other day I was snapping pictures of the two kitties check out my new dining room set, and I got a picture of Puffin strutting.  Here's the cool thing - I have a picture of Gordo strutting almost the same exact way when I first found him in Rosedale!  

Okay, so there are some differences, but I still thought it was pretty funny.  Here are some more pictures of my dining rom set!  I have a dining room!!  

"Pub height" table and chairs, the table can open to 9 feet! The cabinet in the back matches a piece we have in the kitchen, and it's now full of Mader heirloom china. 

Here's a shot from a different angle

Anybody recognize the centerpiece? ;)   There's a wine server in the back with drawers and matching details. 

I love having a real dining room!  I can't wait to have many awesome meals in there with my family.  Holidays are going to be a lot more comfortable!  <3

Pet Stocking

Growing up, all us kids had personalized stockings.  My parents picked out stocking for us with a cool design or character on it, and my mother wrote our names in glitter.  I always liked that tradition, and I would love to continue that tradition when my husband and I start our own family.  Right now though, our pets are our family.  And like kids, they each have their own personality traits and different looks.  I wanted to make truly unique stockings for my furry kids that captured their spirit.  

All of these stockings were made with felt and lots of love. 

Henrik: The crazy eyed, always excitable Australian Shepherd.   

Gordo: The happy ginger cat.

And Puffin:  The princess kitty.

 After creating these stocking and posting them on facebook, they were so well received!  People loved them!  So here's a few more that I've created...

Vegas: The pampered Mini Schnauzer.

Unfortunately, I don't have a complete picture of this stocking

 

Toby: The playful and doofy lab mix.

                

 

Lucky: The Cutie Yorkie.

               

This stocking was made with a combination of felt and yarn

    

Molly: The Poised Mini Poodle.

                         

 

Kayto: The shy American Eskimo .

              

 

Cosmo: the playful American Eskimo mix (Kayto's brother).

            

Cosmo has light beige spots by his ears, I created that effect by using tea as a dye.  It worked well and it smells yummy!

Callie: The sassy and silly tortoiseshell cat.

So that's what I've been working on for Christmas and why I haven't been posting.  If you'd like one of these personalized stocking for one of your furry kids, let me know!  They are $20 a piece and I do require a week or so to create them, so place your orders for next Christmas now!

Hope everybody is enjoying their holidays!  Here's a bit of holiday cheer I made for my kitchen while making some Broccoli & Cheddar soup - recipe coming soon!   ;-)

Broccoli stem and carrot peels    Ho Ho Ho!

Stay crafty!
~The Craftmeister