How to make easy, inexpensive cat toys

This is not a product review, but a tutorial on how I make mountains of cat toys for my local animal shelter. I have been volunteering regularly for years, and it seemed like they were always running low on cat toys because they go through them so quickly. They get quickly worn out through washing or rough play with bored kitties. I started out by buying 3 packs from the local dollar store, but when there are 40-60 cats in shelter at the same time, it got a little expensive to keep them stocked. So I decided to start making them myself out of scraps with my sewing machine.

After much trial and error I came up with a toy that is washable, somewhat durable, and harmless; distilled down to fast & easy construction. No googly eyes or tails to get detached and swallowed. If they get wet, they dry out, yet they are pretty much disposable since there is not a lot of investment here. I thought I would share my process.

You will need:

Felt, or some other fabric that doesn't fray. I have have used denim and Ultrasuede in the past, but find felt the easiest to work with.

Catnip. It grows like a weed where I live, so I harvest and dry the leaves during the summer so I have a good supply the rest of the year. Any catnip available at the pet supply will do, however.

Soft foam, as in the packing material sometimes used in computer shipping boxes. I salvage it from my company IT department. It is also available at Joanne fabrics (although I make sure to buy it on sale or with a coupon) or other craft stores. I also managed to find some at a garage sale once.

Sewing Machine & Thread. I make random pairings of colors, because I am not trying to hide the stitching at all and I often buy thread on sale. I've been known to use red and green at Christmas.


Step 1: Cut out some squares of felt. Approximately 4" - 5" square. This is not an exact science, they can be larger or smaller and of different sizes.

Step 2: Fold the square in half, and cut out a reasonable facsimile of a mouse shape. This is a bit like cutting out paper dolls - the base of the mouse is at the fold.

Step 3: Cut some pieces of foam into small triangular shapes. Again, not an exact science. What you're going for is a little stuffing so the toy will be soft, squishy and a little three dimensional.

 

Step 4: Stuff the toy with a bit of catnip and a piece of foam. Fold it in half to enclose the stuffing. You will need to squish the foam up so it is enclosed and away from the stitch line. It will bounce back once the mouse is sewn up.

 

Step 5: Sew the mouse closed around the stuffing. No need to stitch around the ears. It's fun that they stand up as separate appendages!

Step 6: Trim any threads hanging from the mouse. I start sewing at the tail area of the mouse and end up at the face, that way if there is a tiny bit of thread left on it could be considered whiskers. You don't want to leave on anything big enough that a cat could bite off and swallow... 

Voila! You are done. Add it to the pile and make another.

Feel free to test the quality of your mouse with a helper and bag up the rest to deliver to the shelter:

 

I would be so thrilled to learn that anyone used this tutorial; I have been meaning to post it for along while and finally had some time to do it. I know these toys mean a lot to the shelter cats and it's an easy, inexpensive way to brighten a kitty's day. Thanks for looking!

Charles Viancin Hibiscus Silicone Lid

I really love writing about products that have exceeded my expectations. Seems like most new things I try are adequate, but not fantastic. Another thing I love is a good kitchen gadget. These two happy things come together in the Charles Viancin line of botanically themed silicone lids.

I borrowed the following from a retail listing for this product. I'm sure it comes right from the product packaging:

Charles Viancin is a French designer who in many of his products combines elements of nature, like flowers and leaves, to create fun, useful and multi-functional items for the kitchen...Designed in France, Charles Viancin silicone products are made with BPA-free, food-grade silicone that is:

Oven safe to 428F

Locks in moisture while storing or cooking

Freezer safe to -40F

Microwave Safe

Dishwasher Safe

I bought an 9" lid in a lovely pink Hibiscus shape.

The look of this product is so unique and fun, it had me from the start. Then I read the details and realized I needed to try it - BPA free? Love that... Dishwasher safe? Love THAT. 

I got the second largest size thinking that I would most likely be using the lid for covering large salad bowls and the like. It really does seal to the bowl like plastic wrap, without the frustration of the classic plastic wrap box/ serrated blade dispenser and the single use mentality. Using this lid is like making Tupperware out of any bowl in your cabinet. 

The other reason I love this lid is that it's great for covering food heating in the microwave. I stopped using plastic wrap long ago because of the dangers of chemicals from the wrap leaching into the food. I use either glass or wax paper to prevent splattering. The lid is an easy thing to grab and put on for reheating that bowl of soup and again, it's reusable.

Overall, I love this product! I would like to have the whole set - there are different sizes available from 4" wide to 11"w. There are many beautiful botanics to choose from; the bamboo set has a 10x13 rectangular size that would be good for a brownie pan. With so many pretty and fun images to choose from, I might find it hard to pick just one. Pumpkin blossoms, snowflakes and butterfly shapes make wonderful seasonal designs. The only thing stopping me from acquiring every size is the somewhat high price point of these lids. There are plain lids available in silicone that most likely have the same functionality but just aren't as novel or attractive. I'm going to watch for sales...

Available online and in kitchen stores.

Vidal Sassoon Salonist Permanent Hair Color

The Vidal Sassoon name has been around as long as I can remember. It has always represented smart, stylish design, from the man himself to the now readily available drugstore products we can buy at our local chain store. I was asked by Bzz Agent to try and review a new product from VS: Vidal Sassoon Salonist Hair Color. This product is a new style of hair color that is unlike any home coloring brand I have tried. I was impressed that this product looks, acts and is applied like salon hair color.

I chose my color on-line, and I will admit that when the box arrived I thought that the color was going to be too dark. I chose Medium Neutral Brown, and conventional coloring wisdom says that the color usually comes out a bit darker than what is shown. I have been coloring, highlighting, foiling and perming my hair forever, so I am no stranger to changing it up. However, I have using a Medium Blond shade for a while, and the color on the box looked like it would be a really big change. Since my roots were peeking out dark anyway (and showing gray) I decided to forge ahead in spite of the uncertainty. I really wanted to try this product!

I started with  a strand test although I usually skip this step. In fact, the directions don't specifically recommend it, but since the color was new to me and I was inexperienced with the shade I picked, I mixed the colorant and developer together (about 1 tsp of each - at least the math was easy since the product box contained two oz. of each solution.) The packaging of the product is first class - the kit includes an oval bowl with a lid since about 1/3 of the solution is used for the ends and 2/3 on the roots. While the roots are developing, the lid goes on and the product does not dry out. The kit also includes a "serum" which is added to the bowl for the lengths and ends step. The salon style application brush for the roots fits neatly into the lid, and the bowl also contained a beautiful,  4-color glossy page of instructions and black rubber gloves.

I mixed up my test product and brushed it on the root area of a strand of hair that would be somewhat hidden in my hairstyle, just in case things went horribly dark. In thirty minutes, I smoothed on the portion that I saved and gave it another 10 minutes. The instructions recommend applying the solution to the lengths and ends by hand, like a color stylist would do in a salon. When the 10 minutes were done, I rinsed and dried and checked out my color. Let me add at this point that I did not use any "serum" on the test strand. The serum is contained in a mylar packet that is added to the 1/3 part of the solution that will be used to smooth on the lengths and ends. I didn't use it at this point since I thought the correct proportion would be too hard to determine. Anyway, I loved the color!

Most hair coloring turns out as a product of the color you start with and the color you are adding, so it was much lighter than what was shown on the box. Awesome, I thought, and proceeded to mix half the colorant and half of the developer. I still didn't want to go all dark, so my plan was to color my roots and then sweep some low lights through the blond, hopefully resulting in a Jennifer Aniston mix of light brown and golden highlights. My hair was recently cut into a bob, so it is pretty short, and it is also fine. I just don't have a lot of hair, so using the full box seemed like it would be overkill. The thick consistency of the product is great - it doesn't drip or run all over the place like most hair coloring solutions.

It turned out my plan worked perfectly! I was really happy with the result -my  hair has nice shine and feels soft. As with most hair coloring kits, VS provides a deep conditioner to use once a week, which I love. I will note that I nearly forgot to put in the half packet of "serum" to the 1/3 solution that was left after covering my roots. I had already started applying color to sections of hair when I remembered, but the tardy application of the serum didn't seem to hurt the results. I know that most likely my color came out lighter than the color indicated on the box because I didn't do a standard full head application, but to me it's all about customizing the experience. I like creating my own look and I am really pleased with the finished effect. It covered my gray, and there are no sharp lines of demarcation - the various tones in my hair flow nicely. It doesn't look flat.

I think Vidal Sassoon is hitting it out of the park with this latest entry to their product line. I will be interested to know at what price point this product will be sold. It clearly is an upgrade from the simple boxes of inexpensive color lining the shelves and more like a salon experience at home.

RSVP Endurance Grapefruit Double Knife

I recently bought an ingenious product and wanted to share my thoughts on it. It’s a grapefruit knife! Yeah, not very exciting at first glance, but it’s always a pleasure to discover an inexpensive kitchen gadget that actually works. I eat Texas Ruby Reds by the 20 pound bag during the months they are available, so there’s a lot of grapefruit filleting going on at my house this time of year. I saw this product at a local kitchen store and I’m so glad I bought it.

The knife is double sided - one side has a curved knife with big serrations for cutting around the interior perimeter of a grapefruit half. (My only quibble with this knife is that you pretty much need a second, regular knife to actually cut the grapefruit in half to begin with, but I get that it might be difficult to engineer a three side knife unless you get into Swiss Army knife territory.)  Anyway, once the fruit is separated from the pithy rind, the second side of the knife has a double blade to cut the fruit sections away from the membranes.  Ingenious! The two blades are very close together and slip over the membrane to separate the sections so they can be extracted as neat triangle shaped pieces. I find this way of eating grapefruit much less messy and more work friendly than cutting it in half and trying to dig out the sections with a grapefruit spoon, squirting juice in the process.

I see that this product is available on Amazon.com for $5.95 - well worth it!

Secret Outlast® Completely Clean Clear Gel

Just tried the new Secret Outlast Completely Clean clear gel, and it's a winner! Like many people, I have a favorite deodorant/anti-perspirant I buy regularly. It's one product I don't switch up much. I try to find it on sale and stock up - I find that Revlon Lady Mitchum gel works well for me and is completely dependable - I mean, who wants to be surprised by a deodorant failure? It's not something I want to ever worry about, so I usually stick with the tried and true. Failure hasn't been on my radar for quite some time since I discovered Lady Mitch. That being said, I definitely have to wait for it to dry before getting dressed, and I have had the dreaded white marks appear on clothing if not careful. Small prices to pay, for sure, when compared to the effectiveness of my usual product. I am a pretty active person, biking and running all summer long.

That being said, the Secret product I got for free to try from Bzz Agent is a nice alternative. It has effective protection, especially important when exercising. (The disclaimer part of that statement is that it's winter, not summer, so while the exercising continues, it's not ninety degrees and humid too.) I found that the gel goes on as sparingly as you want to apply it, due to the smallish area of the top that has pretty modestly sized holes. This cuts down on the chance of an accidental blob or thick coating which would be unnecessary and wasteful. The lid itself covers and snaps into place, keeping the product sealed. Nice packaging, and mess free. It already lives up to the "Clean" part of it's name.

The Secret is billed as drying extremely fast - I find that it does seem to dry a bit faster than the Lady Mitchum, but perhaps not the instant dry I expected. There is still a bit of waiting, but I have not noticed any white marks after getting dressed. So overall, I am happy with the performance of this product. I will plan on putting it to the test next summer, too.

Cover Girl + Olay

I just LOVE reviewing beauty products! I was the happy recipient of a set of Cover Girl + Olay collaboration: Facelift Effect Firming Make-up and De-Puffer Concealer courtesy of Bzz Agent recently, so I am excited to be asked for my opinion.

First, let me just admit that my fantasy ideal make-up product is indeed something that would reduce eye puffiness. I make an effort to avoid excess sodium and sleep on my back, but I still have the occasional eye puffiness. It would be great to have an effective treatment that produces visible results in say, the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.

The Covergirl + Olay De-Puffer applicator has a metal tip, presumably for it's cooling effect. I have used other eye product applicators with a similar tip... it may contribute something to the overall de-puffing effect of the product, but on it's own, I don't think this feature would make a lot of difference. It's a nice cool feeling though, as it's gliding around the eye area.

The product that is dispensed goes on pretty thin and with a natural look. That is a good thing as far as I am concerned - I would rather have buildable coverage rather than a thick coating under my eyes that winds up looking cakey. The cool metal tip is not enough of a blender, however. A finger or make-up sponge is needed to smooth out the product and blend it into the skin. I liked this product a lot, even though I can't necessarily say it is the miracle I was looking for. It does help cool and cover, but I don't think it's going to hide the fact you watched a tear-jerker last night with a big bowl of salty popcorn.

I also tried the Covergirl + Olay Facelift Effect Firming Make-up. On its own, the make -up has great coverage and goes on with a mousse-like consistency. Not to say that it has a bubbly texture like mousse, but more like it has a thick consistency but light, not heavy feeling. I really liked the coverage results I got from this product and not a lot is needed for full coverage.

I will admit that had I seen this product on the shelf at the store I would not have tried it. I tend to dislike "pot" forms of products for the face. Whether it is make-up or moisturizer, I am always worried about introducing bacteria into the product container. Plus, this form of dispensing is always a little messy, and it is more difficult for me to control the amount of product used. Overall, though, the coverage is really nice and I felt like I was ready for a photo finish. Great products, both.

*A last note - being an animal lover, I tend to prefer to purchase products that are not tested on animals, but I have some confusion about which category these products are in. I belive Olay does test, but CoverGirl does not. I will update if/when I have a definitive answer.
 
#GotItFree #GetALift

L'Oreal Superior Preference Mousse Absolue

Anyone who colors their own hair most like yearns for a re-usable system of hair color delivery. Who hasn't colored their hair and then after the fact - sometimes the next day - noticed a spot of gray still peeking out, or a root that was missed? Oh, if only I had been able to save a little of the hair color solution to touch it up! I have never been brave enough to defy the package warning which admonishes you to throw out any unused mixture lest the container burst. The bottom line is if you miss a spot, you have to open a new package and mix a little color to fix it. But who buys multiple packages at a time? It's always been a bit of an issue.

Well, at last the dream of reusable hair color is a reality!

I was really excited to try this new product for the above reasons. I don't often have a missed spot, but it does happen occasionally. The product container design looks like the color and developer are housed in separate areas within, and mixed when the sprayer is activated. It comes out of the can in mousse form, which is then massaged into the roots and hair with gloved fingers. It is an ingenious method of delivery, partly because it sidesteps the whole drip problem of some hair colors. The canister is shipped with a regular cap which is swapped out for the spray nozzle for dispensing and can be replaced for storage. It is nice since if you just want to touch up one area or roots, you can dispense only what you need and keep the rest on hand for later.

So how about the color performance? The store where I purchased my Mousse Absolue did not have as deep a color selection as other L'Oreal products, but I was able to find a shade a little darker than what I usually use. The color delivered the usual L'Oreal quality, and comes with a large tube of after color conditioner. There's a reason that L'Oreal dominates the world of hair color, and innovations like this one are one reason. The only complaint I have with this wonderful product is that it  retailed around $15 - pricey compared to the sale price you can find for my other long time standby - Revlon Colorsilk, which can be had for a s little as 2 for $6. I could always open two boxes for the price of one Mousse, but this new hair color has a lot of glamour and slick new appeal.