Creating Uncommon Fun with Repurposed Sheepskin Remnants
I am a hopelessly incurable "idea" person. I look at objects and processes in my everyday world and transform them to make them more useful to my purposes. My family knows that they can rely on me to bring home odd bits and pieces of bric-a-brac or hardware and use them in a completely unorthodox - but effective - manner. I am a spendthrift when it comes to supplies to pursue my ideas, but frugal in my inspiration for a design. I like the challenge of making quality things from cast-offs and remnants of quality supplies and saving $ while ending up with a better product, in the long run. I also like the feeling of being a good steward of nature and resources.
This is how my little sheepskin pet toys came to be. I was frustrated by the poor quality and how quickly my dogs destroyed their puppy toys; toys I had invested more $ in than had felt comfortable to do at the time, but which seemed like the only way to keep my pups from destroying house and home. One day I stumbled across some sheepskin remnants at an affordable price, and determined to make my own dog toys. I knew I was on to something the minute I brought that sheepskin in the door. My pups waited impatiently for me to be done playing with it while I was making their toy, and leaped and bounded around when they realized it was finally their turn to play with that interesting and irresistible "thing". I was overjoyed with their joy, and watched closely to see how long it would take them to rip it apart. I was well-pleased with myself when, after a week of steady play, they still hadn't destroyed the thing. Better still, I observed how that crazy toy satisfied their hunting instincts and left them both ecstatically happy and better-relaxed for the rest of their day. I’d have given them a new toy every day to achieve that!
As the long winter of 2020’s weeks passed, my family began making suggestions for new toy ideas. We tried a lot of them out. Others were evaluated and then passed on for concerns of safety or material limitations. As our lock-down days progressed, my kids returned to an old non-t.v. favorite; origami (the Japanese art of paper folding to create 3-D objects). I had my "Eureka!" moment, and the Lambskin Treat Pocket Squirrel was born.
My frugal nature battled with my desire to use natural materials. I was blessed to find the answer in fur coats. I really wanted to make my squirrel based on thrifted and cast-off fur coats in order to keep that beautiful fur appreciated for as long as possible, but there were material limitations. So far, I have been fortunate to find an equally satisfying solution in a professional furrier's remnants and scraps. They still have the frugal/appreciate-and-conserve-natural-resources vibe, and offer the strength of material that my design - and my dog's jaws demanded.
As I opened my Etsy.com shop, and as my toy sales started picking up, I was able to make arrangements to buy my sheepskin remnants wholesale, and in larger quantities. Cooler weather brought a new request from my family. My husband had grown up in Norway and had used wrist warmers (pulsvarmere) to keep his hands warm in the winter as a child. He asked if I would make a pair for him. After doing so, I got to try them out, too. I have always suffered cold fingers in the winter due to an old frostbite, so I usually start wearing gloves in October. Not this year! I am so impressed with this simple and insanely effective concept. We went on to design and test what became the Hunter's Scarf. There's not another one like it - and it works amazingly well, too! It's designed with men in mind (my husband requested it for working on cars in the cold wind), but has a universal, antique, and almost historical artifact appearance that anyone could love. I know I am sold on mine, and wear it regularly. I really hope their benefit will also be realized for those with poor circulation or limited activity as they become a better known product in my shop.
There is much to do and I know I have much to learn, but one thing is certain; as the days go by, old standards will remain and new ideas will be tried. I'm having great fun and thoroughly enjoying my family's active interest and participation in "Mom's little craft business". We're all setting our sights on building a family business with enduring products and happy customers for years to come.
Explore my shop - come and play with me and I'll show you how you can stay warm naturally and have a lot of fun playing with your pet!
