I've always been amazed by the people who participate in these Polar Plunge annual events around the country. I have never had any desire to participate at all, brrrrrrr but I do admire those who do.
When this hop was announced by Joan (thank you, oh creative one) I knew it would be a super creative experiment for one and all.
What I discovered while coming up with an idea for this event is that living for the past few years in Central Florida I wasn't really Feeling One with The Polar Air anymore but I did want to do something Polar vs doing something in winter blues.
One of my favorite sources of ideas is Clip Art. While out there searching I found these adorable models who perfectly depicted the message I wanted to share. The Florida version of Polar Plunging.
Once I had the idea for the design I had to come up with an idea for its use. I have used this idea before but at least it isn't my usual fall back mug rug. This time I'm using the design for a kitchen drying mat.
I have an old friend moving down to Florida this year from the North East and I thought that the mat with a couple of dish towels would be a great welcome to your soon to be new home gift and not to big to add extra boxes to her packing up. Actually she is the one who introduced me to the drying mat concept last year.
But what it did do was give me an idea for another item for this hop, not polar bear but the warm blues. On Monday morning, yes 3 days ago, when we saw the frost we were on our way to the vets. My car has heated seats but not a heated steering wheel and by the time I got home my gloveless hands were frozen. The best way I could warm them up was using a very, very old rice bag.
It did still do it's job and I was grateful but I decided it really was time to make a new one but then I had a better idea.
I decided that maybe making 2 smaller ones, hand size, would be even better.
So on Monday night of this week I whipped out these blue checked ones.
And on Tuesday night I made this set for a friend of ours who has neuropathy issues in his hands and is always complaining of the cold. For the record the set takes less than 30 minutes to make. They are made of 100% cotten, inside pillow, washable outside pillow case and all thread with uncooked rice filling so that it is safe to micro wave. They are about 5 inches square.
So now that I have hopefully warmed you up some, please continue visiting all of the participants of this COOOOOL Hop. Here is a handy dandy list of all of us for your viewing pleasure.
Oh I almost forgot I have a pair of these to give away. If you are in the US I will send them finished including rice. If you are international I will send them without the rice and you will need to fill and add that closing seam. Just leave a note in your comment that you would be interested in being in the draw that I will be doing on Monday.
Monday Jan 24
Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
Tuesday Jan 25
Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel
Wednesday Jan 26
Quilting & Learning - What a Combo!
Thursday Jan 27
Friday Jan 28
Great projects! Your drying mat bears are adorable.
ReplyDeleteYou went overboard with all of your projects. Great ideas. Those Florida polar bears are darling. I really hadn't thought of using quilted mats for drying mats. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteLovely projects, the drying mat is my favourite.
ReplyDeleteOh, my!! Hand warmers are such a clever idea!! Amazing how much easier a polar plunge is when in Florida! Really cute welcome gift.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that whole Polar Bear Plunge thing...maybe in my younger years! LOL!! You have designed my dream plunge. On an island under a palm tree. hahahaha I love my dish drying mat, what a great gift for your friend coupled with those cute towels. I'm sure you girls will find lots of trouble to get into together. How fun to have her move closer to you. Those hand warmers are an awesome idea!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute design, and perfect for your friend who is relocating to Florida. Warm sunshine and palm trees sounds so good right now!
ReplyDeleteYour Florida styled polar plunge and the palm trees are bound to be a huge hit with your friend. I know they are for me. Thanks a bunch
ReplyDeleteI love the drying mat and I could really use the hand warmers! It's been in the single digits here and I have to go to the bus stop 4x a day for the children. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe drying mat is very cute! Love your plunging bears. What a great idea for the rice bags. We use corn bags, and it may be a good idea for me at work when I work in the freezer a lot. I can pop them in the microwave and defrost my hands.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cute spin on a Polar Bear Plunge. Polar Bears on a tropical island! Perfect.
ReplyDeleteSo many creative ideas.
Yes, on Monday, it did get very frosty in our part of Florida, Inverness. The frost was so thick it did look like snow. This weekend will be even colder and probably a good layer of frost, again.
The Rice bags are a quick, easy and helpful project that I have made in various sizes. Have you ever used this idea with home made ice packs? I sometimes use a strip of Velcro as a closure so that the covers can be interchangeable with rice or ice.
Have a great week.
D. Weeks (aka Momma Llama)
You always have the best ideas! Your friend is going to love the gifts. Will she be moving close to you?
ReplyDeleteI was at a cross stitch retreat in Ocala last weekend. I used my heated seats and steering wheel for the drive back home on Sunday. We are supposed to be in the 30s this weekend...I don't want to move much further south LOL.
What cute summer polar bears sunbathing on their little island! They would be right at home here in Wisconsin. It’s been bitter cold but also bright sunshine. The rice bag hand warmers are a great idea also.
ReplyDeleteSuch nice and useful projects. We had a few snow flurries yesterday morning, but not enough to stick or even wet the ground.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea making a cover for the rice bag warmers. I have some flannel that I can use for the covers. Was afraid to put that into the microwave. Hope you have warmer weather right around the corner. I live in the desert and cold days are few and far apart. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteThe drying mat and towels are lovely. I love the idea of the hand warmers. I would love to be in the drawing! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSuch great projects, Selina! I would love to be in the hand warmer drawing! It's cold here in AL too! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteVery nice polar bears! I’d love a set of hand warmers; I showed 0 degrees when I pulled in at work today!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a drying mat. That's so adorable. I also think it is the perfect gift for a friend with a new home. It's always nice to have fresh things for a new kitchen! Thanks for sharing your adorable creativity.
ReplyDeleteYour polar bears are so cute. Yes, I would like to be in your drawing. I live in Minnesota and could use warm hands!
ReplyDeleteCute polar bears and the hand warmers so needful when its cold outside.
ReplyDeleteLove your rice bags! What a fantastic idea!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas. I thought your mug rug was the cutest and with those towels your friend is sure to feel 'at home'. Warming rice bags for hands is a perfect idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gift set for your friend! And now I know what I will make with that box of rice that my son brought home from college; my feet are always cold, and a bag to warm them would be just the ticket. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely, thoughtful gifts! I live in BC in he mountains so your hand warmer rice pads would be wonderfu! My hands are always cold in the fall and winter 😄
ReplyDeleteGreat adaptation for you warm winter Florida.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see how you're continuing to create and make! (Miss you at BC.) Those beachy polar bears are so cute, and I especially like the palm with them, and in the set. What a nice gift! As for hand-warmers... ah. Aren't they nice?! I still have mine from Iowa, filled with field corn. I've never made one with rice, but I guess they work just as well. Time to pull them out again, right? We're having one of the few cold snaps, tonight, when it would be nice to have a fireplace in Florida!
ReplyDeleteThe drying mat is adorable. Great idea to make hand warmers.
ReplyDeleteI love your Floridian Polar Bear drying mat! It is so adorable and yes, those hand warmers sound perfect!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to make those polar bears fit in Florida. I also love the idea for small warming pads.
ReplyDeleteYour polar bears are so Cute! I live in MO and it has been in the teens here this last week, my truck also has the heated seats but no heated steering wheel, your hand warmers would really come in handy. Thank you for offering a pair to one of us.
ReplyDeleteI love your polar bears. I would love to be 8n the draw for the hand warmers. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour polar bears are sooo cute! What a great gift they will make! xx
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your bears on the beach. I'm in Tampa so we may be neighbors and yes, there was frost on my car. My heat isn't working and it was 56 degrees inside. I have a couple of little plug-in heaters just to warm up where we are, mostly snuggled in bed to stay warm. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for your ideas. Love the Palm Tree towels,(I live 2hr west on I-4 from you). I've made the pocket handwarmers before and they really work.
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