Featured product - Wool Dryer Balls

Honestly, who has time to do laundry all day? I certainly don't.

I have something that will drastically reduce the amount of time you spend doing laundry.

These are my amazing wool dryer balls. Amazing? Why, yes, they are. I use these with every load of laundry and my drying time is noticeably shorter. Just put up to 6 in the dryer with your wet laundry, and watch as your clothes are dried faster. I can dry a heavy quilt in about 35 minutes. Normally it would take over an hour to dry. Not when you add these amazing dryer balls.

What are they made of? These are 100% wool. No fillers, no essential oils, nada. I hand roll every single ball, then felt them 3 times. The end result is a beautiful wool ball that gives you savings with every load of laundry.

How do they work? When placed in a dryer with wet clothes, they bounce around and through your clothes, helping circulate hot air to dry your clothes faster. They are a natural fabric softener, beating against your clothes and "fluffing" them. They are also a great static reducer. If you  have synthetic fibers, you can wet 2 or 3 of the balls with water and toss them in the dryer. 

How will they save me money? Your drying time is shortened. Plain and simple. When your dryer isn't running as long, this translates into savings on your electric bill. Also, you eliminate the need for fabric softener and dryer sheets. Cutting down on your grocery bill. These amazing dryer balls last for years! Imagine how much you will save on your electric bill over the course of years. 

If that doesn't convince you, you will also reduce the amount of harmful chemicals in your house with these dryer balls. Fabric softeners contain harmful chemicals that can be deadly when swallowed by young children. 

Dryer sheets contain the following chemicals:

A-Terpineol - Associated with central nervous system disorders

Benzyl Acetate - A carcinogen linked to pancreatic cancer

Benzyl Alcohol - An upper respiratory tract irritant

Camphor - Listed on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list

Ethyl Acetate - Also listed on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list

How many of us have dogs or cats who chew on anything on the floor? Imagine what these will do to your pets. 

Our skin is the largest organ of our bodies. Our skin absorbs anything we put on it, including these chemicals when we put on freshly dried clothes. Why are we introducing these chemicals to our bodies? Our children's bodies.

My dryer balls are eco-friendly. You will reduce your carbon footprint with a lowered electric bill, and you won't be putting more hazardous waste in our water supply or landfills. 

If your pet or child gets a hold of one of my dryer balls, no problem! There are no chemicals, no oils, no scents on my dryer balls. Your child can chew on these with no repercussions. Of course, always supervise pets and children. While they are too big to fit into a child's mouth, a larger dog could potentially swallow a ball. 

They do make great cat toys! Sprinkle with a bit of cat nip and watch your little meow go crazy batting it across the floor. 

Listen, I'm not going to try and sell you something I haven't tested over and over again myself. I love these dryer balls. My friends love them. My family loves them. You are going to love these dryer balls. 

Don't be fooled by imitators. The plastic dryer balls you can buy in the stores can break down and create sharp edges, snagging on clothing. When the plastic is heated, it releases harmful chemicals in the air and into your lungs.

I do not include essential oil scents with my dryer balls. There are a lot of people out there who are extremely sensitive to scents and oils. That doesn't mean you can't add your favorite scents to your balls. Please do! I have heard they last a long time and are more natural than the scented dryer sheets or pellets. 

Have I sold you on my wonderful dryer balls yet? Stop by my Etsy shop or my website and order yours today! http://www.jenstangledthreads.com or http://jenstangledthreads.etsy.com. I ship worldwide! Most orders will ship next day. 

Perseverance

I want my business to succeed. I am going to do everything in my power to make it succeed. Even when it is hard and the sales aren't coming. I have to believe that my business will succeed.

Perseverance - steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement. (Dictionary.com)

To be a small business owner takes a lot of time, energy and effort. You have to have a product you believe in, that you believe people will buy. You have to have the knowledge to market this product to the public, whether it is in print ads or social media or television. And you need the sheer stubbornness to see it through the end and not give up when things get hard. 

Things are hard right now. I was laid off from my job and I am currently looking for another so I can pay bills. It isn't easy. I have been in one field for over 10 years and I am burned out by it. I don't want to do it again, and so I have to start over in the job market. 

At the same time, I am working on Jen's Tangled Threads. Taking new pictures, updating SEO, promoting on social media. Not giving up on my dream to be able to be my own boss. 

I am so very stubborn. Just ask my mother. When I want something, I do everything I can in order to succeed. I do not like to admit failure, but then, who does? 

If you are passionate about something, like I am about knitting and crocheting, there is no reason you shouldn't try your absolute best to achieve your goals. Yes, there are obstacles, but any successful business owner who tells you the road to success was easy is feeding you a load of manure. It takes hard work, time, failures, small successes and deep reflection. You have to look inside yourself and ask yourself - can I do this? Is this what I want out of life? 

I read a saying somewhere that entrepreneurs work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours for someone else. This is so true. Every minute I have I am thinking about my business. What do I have to do to make it better? Is there a better product I could make? Which craft shows will be better for me to attend? Where can I find cheaper yarn? Most of my Facebook posts are about yarn or my cats or my son. What can I say? I love yarn. I do not apologize for it. 

The point of this post is to encourage you to persevere. In the face of obstacles and hardships, you must persevere. You must be stubborn and say, No! I'm not going to throw in the towel! This is too important to me. 

I'm not just talking about small business owners. I'm talking about any goal that you may have. I am determined to quit smoking. I am determined to lose weight. I am determined to run a marathon. I am determined to get my law degree at the age of 47. 

If you are determined to do something, do it. Persevere. Don't give up. 

DIY Sunday: Making Newspaper Yarn

Came across this fun YouTube video while searching for content for my Instagram page. I've heard of making yarn from plastic bags, but never newspaper. May have to try it if I get bored.

Happy Independence Day!

To all my American readers, Happy Independence Day! May you have gorgeous weather for fireworks and barbecues with friends and family.

Found a picture of this flag on FB and had to share it. This was the original flag flown at Iwo Jima. 

Looking ahead

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

How many times have you heard this? Graduation speeches, motivational seminars. You hear it whenever you are about to start a new phase of your life. Adulthood, parenthood, starting a new job.

It has never been more true for me than today. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I have to admit, it is a little frightening.

Yesterday I was laid off from my paralegal job. The first thoughts through my head - Yes!!!! I get to concentrate on my Etsy shop and website. Give them the attention they deserve. No more driving in traffic to work. No more dealing with a job I didn't like.

I decided to give myself 1 day. One day to decompress. Let the stress of that job just drain from my body. All the little tasks that I did every day. Gone!

Yesterday, I crocheted and let the thoughts run through my mind. I need to sign up for health insurance by the end of the month. I need to apply for unemployment while I search for a job. I need to budget my money so I don't run into problems. I wrote it all down. I started planning.

Today, I started doing. Taking the things on my list and started doing them. I applied for unemployment this morning.

I am not going to take this lying down and being depressed. That won't serve me or anyone. I need to take action.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. What kind of life do I want?

What kind of life do you want?

Life is uncertain. We can never guarantee that we are going to have a job tomorrow, or that my Etsy shop will be open tomorrow. There is always a chance that life will throw you a curve ball. Are you prepared for that curve ball? Are you prepared for that moment in your life when everything changes? Most of us aren't, and that is okay. What matters is what you do afterwards. How do you bounce back? Do you start planning?

Take control of your life.

My first day of unemployment didn't go as planned. I spent an hour and a half taking pictures this morning. None of them are viable. I need to retake them all tomorrow. That's okay. Tomorrow is another day. I won't let it get me down.

Featured Blogger - Moogly

One of my favorite blogs to read is mooglyblog.com. It has a fun feel to it and you can tell that Tamara both knows her stuff when it comes to crochet and that she is passionate about it. She has a ton of free patterns on her blog, asks her readers how they hold their hooks and yarn, does giveaways. This woman is all over the place when it comes to her blog posts, but it is all centered around crochet.

The woman is a goddess. She has a YouTube channel where she posts how-to's on many different stitches you may come across in your crocheting journey. With her permission, I included her How-to on crocodile stitches in my Mermaid Tail Blanket pattern. Left handed crocheter? No problem. She has tutorials for you as well.

There are some people in this world that I look up to professionally. Tamara is one of them. She is the real deal when it comes to teaching people how to crochet. She has CALs (Crochet A Longs) - where you get to work a pattern one step at a time with hundreds of other people. She showcases other designers on her blog. Tamara even has a Hookin' on Hump Day Blog party. I might have to join in on the fun!

Yes, I have a girl crush, but not the crazy stalker type. (Kidding, Tamara!).

I dare you to check out her crocheted numbers and letters patterns. I printed them all out and love them!

Seriously - is there anything this woman can't do?

So, fellow hookers, I encourage you to bookmark Mooglyblog.com and her YouTube channel and visit them whenever you get stuck!

A peek into my workspace

I'd like to give you guys a peek into my workspace. This is my beautiful craft room.

I built the shelves myself and they hold everything! I have yarn, finished projects, half finished projects...really anything I will need in my life for my yarning. My next plan for this room is to build myself a desk. I have one right now in the corner to the right, but it doesn't have everything I need to be functional and organized. One day, though. 

I spent all day today working on the craft room and getting it ready for this year's craft show season. 

What does your workspace look like?