jump up and down

in the shop

Earrings!

And here's how earrings ended up in this seamstresses' shop...I usually wear a pair of studs in my ears and I wanted a new pair for my birthday.  I searched on Etsy for a bit and then remembered that the last pairs I bought had bothered my fairly sensitive ears.  So, I decided I would make some,  thus insuring the quality of the post (I used sterling silver plated and they are great - I can wear them all day and even forget to take them out at night and no irritation).  Then it turned into making a few pairs because of the quantity discount on the posts and backs and all of the cabochons I bought were sold in sets of at least four and some had as many as a dozen.  I didn't even realize what a cabochon was until I was shopping for them.  

I've never made jewelry before, but I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last time - they were so fun to make.  Simple and rewarding...this might be what happens every time I want a new pair of earrings.  Priced at $6 per pair or 3 for $15. 

silly boy

 I walked out of my room after getting dressed a few days ago to find Ned like this.  I asked him if he knew there was marker on his face and how it happened.  He looked at me and somewhat nervously spit out that he had given himself a mustache.  Then he waited, with obvious anticipation and a bit of trepidation, to see how I would react.  And I laughed, out loud.  And he laughed backed and said, "Is that funny?"  Yes, definitely funny!

not too late for calendars

I recently purchased this vintage fabrics calendar from Sparkle Power.  I have or have had a fair number of the fabrics she used to make this which just makes me love it.  I'm slowly trying to make my work space more business friendly and I'll be hanging this calendar by my computer so I can quickly look at it and give people a finish date for custom orders.  

I decided that I also need a monthly calendar with squares to write on too and went on a little internet search to find one.  I found a few with squares and a few more of other styles that are worth mention.  So, if you're a little behind, like me, and haven't found you're 2010 calendar yet, here's some help.

-An adorable matryoshka doll monthly that will work for any year.

-Another monthly with some pretty cool graphic birds.  I almost used this one, but decided I had to have this next one.

-Bright, colorful, and fabulous - I had to have this one.  It's available up to June, with the rest of it coming later.  Cottage Industrialist also has a lot of other great printables.  I'm definitely subscribing to this blog.

-There are some sweet watercolor illustrations on this wall calendar.

-If you know French, or just want to feel international, the prints on this calendar are just lovely.

-This pocket calendar is just cool.

-And with this set of year-at-glances, you're bound to fall in love with at least one.  

HAPPY 2010!!

trickling in...

I'm finally putting some new banners in the shop...they should be trickling into the shop during the next week or so.  I'm so excited to be working with some of the fabrics and sheets that have been sitting in my piles.

 I've struggled with where to take the photos for these now that it is winter - the map wall will have to do.  I go back and forth between thinking that it looks cool to thinking that it looks too busy.  What do you think?  
 I've got something totally new that I'm working on for the shop too...stay tuned.

happy valentine's day

XOXO - hugs and kisses!

Here's my contribution to the Heart to Heart Swap.  I had lots of fun choosing vintage buttons.  I don't have many, but I was happy to use them for these.  Happy Valentine's Day!

 

sweet potato muffins

 

It's been a long time since I've shared a recipe on my blog - I'm glad to be back at it with one of my favorites!  I've been making these for a couple of years and loving them every time.  The kids love them too.  I took a recipe from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Simmons and modified it a bit by cutting sugar, substituting some of the oil for applesauce, adding some wheat flour and generally making it a little more healthy.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Muffins

3/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c canola oil

1/4 c applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 c white flour

1 c wheat flour

2 tsp baking poswder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp salt

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and finely grated, to make 4 cups    (I usually do this with my food processor - they are pretty tough, making it difficult to grate by hand unless you have arms of steel.)

1/2 c raisins (optional)

1 c chopped nuts (optional, but oh so delicious)

1) Preheat the oven to 350.  Insert 12 muffin liners into muffin cups.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs.

3)  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt, and grated sweet potatoes.  Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir the egg mixture, gradually incorporating it with the flour mixture.  Stir in the raisins and nuts.  Spoon the batter into the tins, filling each to the rim.  Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

the weekly burst

It's seems that I'm a weekly burst blogger now - one week on and one week off.  I can live with that.  There should be a few more posts this week - a yummy recipe or two and the final reveal of my Heart to Heart Swap Valentine.  Until then, here's what's been keeping me away the last week...

-loving my birthday present.  It was my first international purchase through Etsy and I am thoroughly pleased.

- after a small break, starting again with occupational therapy for Peter.  This time, he's working with a couple of enthusiastic students at the local university advised by Peter's regular OT.

-excited for my new calling at church to work with the 16 and 17 year old girls and excited that I still get to keep playing the organ too.

-working on gathering props for our community play.  I was a little overwhelmed at first, but I'm feeling a little better about it now.  I've never done anything like this before, but sometimes when you live in a small town and you know people in charge of things, you get asked to do things you've never done before.  We're doing You Can't Take It With You.  If you have Netflix, you can watch the movie version online - it's a fun show.

-trying to keep up with my shop.  Custom and regular orders have kept me pretty busy since I reopened after my Christmas break.  I think I'm down to 15 items in the store which is lower than it's been in a long time.  I want to get some new banners in the shop, but every time I think I'm about caught up with custom orders, I get another one.  It's nice that things are steady - this is sort of how I've always wanted the shop to be - busy enough to be profitable and fun, but not so busy that I felt overwhelmed or that it cut too much into the rest of life.