Thursday, March 31, 2011

Busy Busy Hiatus

So I've been off of "school" for my master's degree the past week and a half. I thought I would have so much time to "work" but the down time has been filled with miscellaneous tasks around the house and spending lots of time with my husband and girls. I will start back with the blog line up on Saturday with a fantastic feature about another great Etsy shop! Stay tuned and hope you east coasters are staying warm and west coasters are staying cool (at least in Arizona, we hit 90 today!)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

That's How I see it, well what am I seeing today?

Happy Thursday. So happy its almost the weekend. I'm having some fun today planning some new creations. Had a successful trip to JoAnn's where I found some more yarn. I'm thinking of providing a very simple tutorial on how to make some items for my readers. Maybe creating a day of the week around a tutorial. Something as simple as how to make the simple heart applique that is featured on this hat below.



Do you want to learn how to crochet, like the basics? I could even start out with a basic tutorial regarding stitches, etc. Please leave a comment and tell me what think.

Here is what was new for Wednesday (totally didn't get time to post yesterday).
Available on Etsy now!

Monday, March 21, 2011

New Listing on Etsy!

Check out my latest Etsy listing for the Safari Sun Hat


There is one open deal of the day on the Facebook Fan Page for the first fan to comment 
2/$20 (Saving's of $8.00)

Working on some more of these tonight! Super excited to drop them off at my local consignment shop this weekend!

Military Shop Feature Monday

Today's shop feature is one of a fellow military spouse and a fellow team member of the Etsy Military Wives Team! I hope that you share in my sentiment of supporting our troops by supporting those trying to make it at home!

January's June is run by Ashley, an Air Force wife. Her Etsy shop is a combination of digital and paper creations. Her first idea was to create greeting cards but as she has expanded her ideas, her creations have grown into products more geared towards moms who are super busy and would like some organizing tools to help them out... with STYLE! In her shop you can find what she thinks are pretty cool printables and some handmade notebooks that are sure to come in handy. Please find some of my favorites below!

Take the edge off of bill paying and budget planning with this great Finance Notebook  that includes all you will need to keep your records and accounts straight. Hand bound, hand typed and hand decorated, the book is split into 4 sections, Plan, Budget, Track and Know.

What Mom Doesn't need this? 

Another favorite of mine are the Etsy Success Printouts This set of 5 printouts is for those who would like a to organize and keep track of their personal on-goings as well as their Etsy shop on paper.This is a great system to track sales, daily to-do lists and more!


Such a great shop owner, shop, and idea! If you'd like to follow along as Ashley trecks down this new road of creativity, and continues on her path as a military spouse, you can stay up to date with any of her websites:
 www.januarysjune.etsy.com
www.januarysjune.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Januarys-June/192113064154050

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Sensational Shop Feature Saturday

Good morning everyone. I hope you are having a fabulous weekend!

This weekend's shop feature is all about Millie Fern Originals. Adie, creator of Millie Fern Originals, started to learn to crochet 5 years ago when she was looking for a new winter hobby. She taught herself how to crochet starting with the basics and has grown into an excellent crochet craftsman! She especially loves to crochet amigurumi creatures. She decided to start an etsy shop and slowly introduced the crocheted creatures, which seemed to be very popular. The name of her shop was inspired by her great-grandmother, Millie Fern. She feels that she has found her niche. She loves creating these creatures, sending them all over the world, and recieving feedback from her customers!

You can find several of these cute little creatures within Millie Fern Originals. Some of my personal favorites include:


This is a boy version of the Tooth Fairy Plushie! There's a pocket in the back lined with a cute lime/blue polka dot where you can place the tooth, and the tooth fairy can place the coins!

And Last but not least:


Please check out Millie Fern Orignals Etsy Shop to see all of the other cute little creatures and items she has to offer! You can also find her on facebook. 

Have a fantastic weekend!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

That's How I See It Thursday

This week is flying by. We have had a super crazy week here. I've been learning about Blog Hop's this week. More specifically blog swaps. This is where you and another blog author write about each other. What a super great idea huh? Look for the First Blog Hop Entry coming soon. Also, if you would like to blog hop or swap with me please comment and I'll consider you for a future entry!

Something else for this Thursday is my new found love for crock pot cooking! If you follow my personal facebook page you may have already seen what I cooked up for dinner on Tuesday. Here is the recipe for an awesome crock pot loaded potato soup!



Ingredients:

8 oz of Bacon (about 8 slices)
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of minced thyme
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 6 medium) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
3 scallions, sliced thin

1. Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and refrigerate until dinner time. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat in skillet.

2. Add onion, garlic, and thyme to fat in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until onion is softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 1 cup broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.

3. Stir remaining 3 cups broth and potatoes into slow cooker. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

4. Transfer 2 cups cooked potatoes to bowl and mash smooth with potato masher. Stir cheddar into soup until evenly melted, then stir in mashed potatoes and cream. Let soup sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.

5. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve with scallions, bacon and additional cheddar sprinkled on top.

Okay, well that's how I see things this Thursday. Happy St. Patrick's day.

What's New Wednesday (A bit late)

Without further delay..

What's new is something I am so excited! For those of you that use Etsy you may be familiar with the Etsy Team feature. For those not familiar with Etsy, the team section allows fellow creators to team up, share wisdom, easily network, and so much more. I came across the Etsy Military Wives Team. This is a team of creators who have some direct tie to the military. Such a great way to network with other spouses like myself. This past week I was asked to become a team leader for the Etsy Military Wives Team. I am so excited to help out this great group of military spouses and family members!

I will be working on "Twitter Tuesday" posts where I will be tweeting sales and other fun stuff from our team members. Please follow the Etsy Military Wives Team Twitter page if you would like to keep up on this info on Tuesdays and through out the week.

I will be also be helping with the "Facebook Friday" event where we promote our shops, sales and more. Please "like" our Facebook Page if you would like as well.

Finally, I have been given the task to promote our daily blog posts as well. So I'm super happy about that! :)

If you like to support military spouses please give some love to the great members of this awesome group. I'm so honored to have been chosen!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Treasury Tuesday

This week's treasury features everything Lady Bug. My youngest Lainey is our little "Lainey-bug" and I've been searching Etsy for neat lady bug memorabilia to redo her room when she is ready to transition out of the crib. I'm also planning a lady bug themed first birthday. Creating this treasury may end up being hard on my wallet! Enjoy, and please show these shops some love!


'Lucky Lady Bug' by LittleSnuggliesbyVal

My youngest daughter's name is Lainey. We affectionately call her Lainey-bug. This week I am creating a treasury of items that I LOVE in Lady Bug! Enjoy!


Ladybug Wooden Wall Let...
$14.95

Toddler Backpack Person...
$25.00

Lady Bug Body Hat
$37.00

Black, Red and White Mi...
$18.00

LADYBUG Bow Band
$5.99

Pillowcase Dress Lady B...
$44.00

Ladybug Tutu W/ Matchin...
$25.00

Ladybug Step Stool
$40.00

12 Lovely Red and Black...
$5.50

NEW Boutique Red Lady B...
$16.99

Lucky Lucky Ladybug - ...
$14.00

Ladybug Name Banner
$8.00

Fondant Cake Topper - R...
$17.95

Miss Ladybug Applique o...
$12.50

LITTLE LADY Ladybug Inv...
$15.00

1 in.Quick Release Coll...
$16.50

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Monday, March 14, 2011

The New Line Up!

Hi Everone! I've been working over the weekend trying to get my weekly blog line up ready to go. Here it is.

Monday: Military Shop Feature of the Week, Giving some love to a fellow military spouse's shop.
Tuesday: Treasury of the Week showcasing items that I think you should see.
Wednesday: What's New Wednesday. What's new in My Etsy Shop/Facebook page/Etc.
Thursday: That's How I see it Thursday... a free day for me to just blog about what is going on in my life.
Friday: The Friday 5, 5 things going on in the craft community I think you should know about.
Saturday: Sensational Weekend Shop Feature- Giving Some love to a fellow Etsian and their shop.
Sunday: This a day to not blog and to reflect. Being a mommy of 3 and a wife takes top priorities this day.

What do you think? Are these themes going to keep you coming back for more? Anything you aren't so sure about? Thanks for your input! Stay tuned! :)

Friday, March 11, 2011

TGIF

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I'm featuring a new item on my Facebook fan page, and in my Etsy shop. I have been looking for a design for a sun hat for summer to keep that harsh sun off of our sweet kiddo's faces. I found one and I am so excited about it! Please check out my Safari Sun hat!


I have been working on a calendar of weekly blog features so that you as readers know whats coming next and what is coming up for the week. I will be doing one or two Etsy Shop Features each week showcasing some fabulous Etsy Shop Owners and their Shops. The Treasury of the week will continue bringing you a chance to view some items you might otherwise miss out on. I am thinking of including a post each week about contests and freebies that are going on around Etsy and the Blog community to help out some of my fellow bloggers as well. One more brainstorm is the "Friday Five" where I feature 5 things around the Etsy/Blog/Internet world that you might want to check out. Do you have anything that you would like to read about on a regular basis?

Have a Fantastic Weekend!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Treasury of the Week

This week I have been searching Etsy for various items centered around cows. My 2 year old LOVES cows. I guess you could say she was my inspiration for this Treasury. Please show the featured shops some love and share this treasury with others!

'Moo Cow Love!' by LittleSnuggliesbyVal

Cow Inspired Items for the moo cow lovers on Etsy!This Treasury is featured in my "Treasury of the Week feature" on my blog. Please visit my blog and follow to see more treasuries and special features about Etsy Shops and Shop Owners!


Rodeo Princess Monogram...
$6.50

PROMOTION-------LOVE AN...
$75.00

Moo-Cow Pillowcase Band...
$12.00

Daisy the Cow with sati...
$25.99

cow (pink) embroydered ...
$27.50

Cow Earflap Drawstring ...
$25.00

PDF Pattern - Moonique,...
$5.50

JESSIE Toy Story inspir...
$58.00

My moo moo - Whimsical ...
$9.00

Personalized Girls Brow...
$16.00

Cow A Saurus Doggie Jac...
$24.00

Goodnight Mooooon, Cott...
$16.00

Cow Boot-ys
$20.00

cow print,bandanas,and ...
$25.00

20 Purple Cow Folded No...
$20.00

Cow Hand Puppet
$18.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.