FrayBabyBibsandMore

3000 fan giveaway shops AND coupon codes

2011-07-02T08:43:00.003-05:00

Last night was a BLAST! After watching countless FB sites hold giveaways and comment games for reaching milestones, I decided I was ready to plan one for when FrayBabyBibsandMore hit 3000 likes. I wanted the giveaway to be steady, streamlined and smooth as possible. I also wanted it to be as beneficial as possible for ALL the shops involved. I thought last night was *close* to as good as it gets when it comes to comment games. I asked everyone to like fan pages or heart Etsy shops FIRST and then I posted the item that the shop was giving away. I let people comment as many times as they wanted and next time I might limit the comments to just one per picture. I didn't realize I was going to get 88 comments within 24 seconds! The Facebook limitation on the giveaway was that some comments show up as spam which means only I (as the administrator) can see them until I unmark them as spam. So some people might have though they won when really there were 2 or 3 comments they couldn't see until I unmarked them. Also people, really? commenting 15 additional times AFTER you know that comment #20 wins and there are already 92 comments? That's a little excessive. ;) AND, after I counted to reach the winner, I stopped unmarking spam comments so you might have thought you comments didn't show up but I saw them. ;)
And now for the list of shops that participated!! What an AMAZING bunch of shops, I know I am going shopping with some of them this weekend!

Pacify Me & KBJ Design - adorable pacifier clips
Little Lady Designs - super cute hair candy!!
Abbie's Bow Creations - did you SEE those button center ribbon flower clips!? Just $4 a set! Go grab some, they are uber cute! :)
Graceful Girls - awesome hair bows AND 10% off your entire purchase with coupon code FRAYBABY3000 at her ETSY SHOP!!

BlueSkyDesignCo - her owl clips are ADORABLE and I am seriously tempted by the initial clips as well! TAKE 15% OFF purchases at her Etsy shop with coupon code FRAYBABY3000

BowHead Bowtique - embroidered onesies and tees with matching bows! AND 10% off your entire purchase with coupon code FRAYBABY3000 at her ETSY SHOP. Good through July 31st!
Polka Dots & Pearls - super cute shabby fabric flowers, hodgepodge headbands, baby doll diapers and so much more!
Tastefully Simple - If you haven't tried Tastefully Simple you are missing out! Amazing beer bread, taco dip, Nana's apple cake mix, potato soup mix and drink buckets! YUM! Head over to Melissa's official page to order.
31 Gifts by Stephanie Poeppel - bags galore!! I just bought the organizer bag, the insulated picnic tote and the large tote! There is a great July special going on AND Stephanie is giving you 10% off your entire order as well with code FRAYBABY3000! Contact her on her fan page to place an order with the discount. :) Good through July 5th.
HollyCraft - adorable appliques. Holly has made monkey heads, cupcakes, scottie dogs and so much more for me and they are always amazing and adorable.
AHMaher - the cutest vinyl decorated tumblers you will find! Holly also does custom order gifts - she can personalize almost anything - candles, signs, just ask her! Take 10% off your entire purchase with coupon code FRAYBABY3000. Good through July 5th. Holly just started a Facebook fan page - VINYL DESIGNS - head over and like her.
Gracie's Style - super fluffy fan approved tutus and cute accessories! AND take 15% off with coupon code FRAYBABY3000!!
Made Just 4 You - Brandy has been one of my bow makers for a year now and I am never disappointed. She specializes in made to match bows so if you have a hard to match outfit, she's your lady! Take 10% off your entire purchase at her ETSY SHOP with coupon code FRAYBABY3000.
Renee's Crochet Shop - adorable crochet creations. OWL HATS!! :) Take 10% off with coupon code FRAYBABY3000!
Tiny Tops - another crochet shop full of tiny goodies! Take 10% off your entire purchase at her ETSY SHOP with coupon code FRAYBABY3000!
Lilac Ave - yummy smelling tarts, candles, body butters, lotions, chap sticks and more! Take 20% off with coupon code FRAYBABY3000 at Deb's ETSY SHOP!!
Kenzie's Kreations - awesome necklaces, rings and bracelets! She offered the yellow/green circle necklace last night and she has other colors available as well! She has FREE SHIPPING through July 5th AND 10% off your entire purchase with coupon code FRAYBABY3000. Good through July 2nd (today)
BeBe Chat - unique accessories - flower rings, tiny rosette bobby pins, there is a lot of fun items for mom in this shop! Take 10% off your entire purchase with code FRAYBABY3000 at her ETSY SHOP!
Jewelry by Sebastian Design - BEAUTIFUL custom pieces at amazing prices. Another shop full of amazing items for mom! AND take 10% off your entire purchase at her ETSY SHOP with coupon code FRAYBABY3000

Surprise dress!

2011-06-10T08:15:00.002-05:00

Wha? Surprise dress? Yep, I'm having a Surprise banded pillowcase dress sale. $15 for a SURPRISE dress! What is a banded pillowcase dress you say? I'm attaching pics so you can check 'em out. They are one of my most popular basic dresses and normally retail for $22. If you are dying for a dress but your little one could possible shriek in horror if you try to put the color orange on her, you can can give me a little something to go off of. "We LOVE pink!" or "For the love of all that is holy, please no orange" but no fabric choices, this is a surprise after all. :) Head on over to my Facebook fan page and make sure you comment with your email address and size. Any sizes over a 5T will be a pillowcase TOP, not a dress. All dresses will be finished and shipped out by the end of the month. Go get yours! Sale ends Saturday.

Quicky Links

2011-06-09T12:39:00.001-05:00

2 weeks without a blog post! This have been cray-zay over here, swimming in fabric AND trying to pack for an upcoming family trip to Disney World (woop woop!). Anyhoo - I wanted to get on here quick and give you a quick little list of some of my favorite links. Enjoy!

Nice Girl Notes - get your laugh on
Hawthorne Threads
My Gourmet Connection - can someone make these cupcakes for me please? ;)
Modish BIZ Tips
Craft Gawker
Totsy (I've found crazy good deals here! SO FUN!)

Flickr - FraybabyBibsandMore

2011-05-26T17:02:00.002-05:00

fraybabybibsandmore's photostream on Flickr.

Just wanted to pass along my flickr photostream. I try to keep it fairly updated.

The sewing room

2011-05-23T10:28:00.000-05:00

We're here! We're unpacked! And the sewing room is set up and back open for business. (Head over to the FrayBabyBibsandMore fan page on FB to shop and see all the new items). The set up of our house is fantastic and we have a finished basement with a spare room (complete with closet) that has been transformed into my sewing room. I have already started sewing so ignore the piles of fabric on the floor and already messy stacks of fabric while I take you on a tour of my little space.

The view from the doorway, the white door you see in the pic is a closet door.

The grid wall of fabric, ironing board to the right and a useful ledge shelf that runs along that entire wall.

The closet holds all my scrap fabrics, ribbon bin, holiday fabrics (top shelf), blank onesies and tees & finished items hang on the rod.

Sewing table (1 machine on each side), sparse bow boards (don't worry, bows on the way to fill those up!) and my tall shelf.

View from the closet - window to the backyard so I can peek on the kids when they are playing outside.

How do I do what I do

2011-05-15T19:48:00.002-05:00

"I want to know how you do it?! Like, do you do assembly line, individual, etc. I have two kids too, love to sew, but would never have the time to keep them entertained and get work done. Are you up till all hours, etc."
"I want to know how you get it all done? Does the little one go to daycare/preschool? I'm amazed at how quickly you get things done and shipped out!"

Granola & milk: the newest hair trend

These are some of the questions that I get asked fairly regularly. How do I do it all? Well, for awhile I felt like I didn't. And even now I know that I still don't but have earned a "much improved." I loved the boom in business but it became a 24/7 kind of thing. I think most self employed people feel that way, especially at first, that your business consumes you and you become overworked, stressed and you realize you are neglecting everything else in your life. Clean house? What is that? Reading a book with little man? Oh crap, when was the last time I did that? Teach Destructo her ABCs? Uhhhhh.....Chick-fil-a for dinner anyone? In the beginning, there was chaos. And now, there's a lot more calm.
My kiddos are age 5 (pre-K) and age 2 (no daycare or preschool, she hangs with her momma).

A typical day for me is getting little man to pre-K and letting Destructo have rein of the house. I always have my sewing room in a central location (in our last house it was the dining room turned into sewing room/office and in this house it will be in a room right next to the downstairs den/play room.) so I can see and hear what is going on and so I can stop whenever I want or need. Destructo has a great imagination and gets lost in her own little world so she actually is quite happy eating breakfast and then digging through the toy box, putting together puzzles and flipping through books while I work. In the morning I try to work at least 2 hours and then stop to clean, play, eat lunch and run errands. Nap time is around 1pm and while she naps, I work. I pick up little man from school around 3pm and the kids head out in the (fenced in) backyard to play and I sneak in 1 more hour to work. That is usually the last hour of the day that I sew and I stop to spend time with the family, get dinner ready, throw in some laundry or whatever else needs to be done. In the evening is usually when I get invoices sent, pictures posted, shipping labels printed and emails responded to since I can do all of that from the convenience of my laptop while I'm parked on the couch watching American Idol next to my hubby. When I am slammed with orders, I usually take an hour after the kids go to bed to prep for the next day - cut fabric, pin fabric, iron fabric, etc. I USED to be up all hours, working, working, working but after awhile I decided that I am more productive on a good night's sleep and I don't burn out as quickly when I am not working all day long.
Recap: work 8:30am to 10:30am, 1pm to 3pm and 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Invoice, email, ship and post pics in the evening. Sometimes work 8:30pm to 9:30pm.
Do I assembly line work? Well, when 95% of your business is custom order you can't assembly line in the traditional sense of the word (making multiples of the same item) but I can streamline the process. I can cut out the fabric for all the pillowcase dresses, all the banded pillowcase dresses and all the fit and flair dresses at the same time and prep them the same way (finishing the edges, ironing, making bias tape for armholes), I can cut out all ruffles for all orders at the same time and take a chunk of time finishing their edged, ironing them and gathering them. When I get an order for a snack bag, I don't just cut out 1 bag, I cut out at least 3. I try to always make extra items so I get a nice stock of items for local customers to look at or for a ready to ship sale.
I've been doing this for awhile now so I have a good sense of how quickly I can get things done. I take a break when I need to and communicate with my customers as often as I can so everyone feels like they are in the know. I am easily accessible and I'm pretty normal which is a huge plus (don't underestimate the importance of normalcy, being friendly and just downright decent). ;)
Not all days go so smooth. Sometimes I'm on a time crunch, sometimes I have a bunch of rush orders that come in and sometimes I just don't feel like sewing and I stay away from the sewing machine for a day or so. I have to stop and re-prioritize every once in awhile and make sure my house gets cleaned and the Mt. Vesuvios of laundry actually gets put away. When I start to feel like my sewing is taking away time from my kids I make sure I get on the floor and play with them, dance around to Ralph's World with them and read and extra book or two at bedtime to them. And every once in awhile my husband has to threaten to shred fabrics and vandalize machines for me to STOP. But I'm sure it's like that for any crafter who loves their job. It is easy to get lost in it.

On the road (half way there)

2011-05-13T22:31:00.001-05:00

Hangin' in the bed of a pickup truck. Yee-haw!!

Half way there! It's been a crazy past couple of days and NOT because of our move. For those of you who are following, we are in the middle of a move from Lubbock, Texas to Leavenworth, Kansas. Our packers arrived on Tuesday morning. We were exhausted after a long night of our youngest throwing up all night due to what we thought was food poisoning. The packers packed up our house all day long and returned the next day to finish up the job. I woke up Wednesday morning exhausted and by 3pm my son and I were victims of the worst stomach bug I have ever had. And guess who got it 6 hours later? My husband. And guess who was going to be at our house 8am Thursday morning? The movers to load the truck. We made it through the night (barely) and managed to get the house cleared out by Thursday evening. We checked into a local hotel and watched American Idol (what?!? James is out?!? outrage!) and I discovered that although our hotel had 102 other channels, they did not have carry ABC so I did not get to see Grey's Anatomy. On the upside we all passed out at 9:15pm and didn't move a muscle until 6:45am. 9 1/2 hours of sleepy time bliss. I can't remember the last time I've had that kind of sleep! :)
It took quite awhile to clean the house this morning before we cleared out. And the trip to Oklahoma City took about 7 hours with the pit stops along the way. But now we are settled in our hotel, flipping through the channels ("what kind of idiot puts CSPAN on channel 7? who would do that?", says my hubs), the kids are in bed and I am about to go kick the a/c unit because it is rattling and humming OUT OF CONTROL.
We are Kansas-bound tomorrow and I'm excited to check out our new locale! I'll keep everyone updated as to when our stuff shows up and when I get the sewing room up and loaded and am back open for business. I've had some great questions sent to me that I'll try to post answers to on this blog through out the weekend and early next week. Hope you are getting your lists ready because when I open back up, it's game ON and I can't wait! :)

Tutorials for beginner seamstressses

2011-05-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

This is a quick and easy tutorial with LOTS of instructions and steps which may be too informative for people who already know how to sew but if you are just beginning, this is perfect. A ribbon "taggie" blanket is perfect for those of you with a huge ribbon stash as well. Start making them for baby gifts!
Melissa Sews

The Prudent Baby has an excellent tutorial (actually, multiple tutorials) for a simple baby blanket. It is a great project for a beginner and so rewarding to have made your own adorable blankie! One hint: she mentions making your own bias tape for the binding of the blanket (and includes a tutorial link to do it) but if you really don't want to make your own bias tape you can buy it already made at your local sewing store - make sure you get the double fold bias tape. When you make your own bias tape it can be made with any fabric so you have a variety of colors and patterns to choose from which personalizes the blanket. Store bought bias tape isn't nearly as pretty (mostly solid colors) but is easy and quick when you are first starting out.
The Prudent Baby

Another always popular item that is fun to make for beginners and is fun for your kids as well is a crayon roll! The Pleated Poppy has an excellent tutorial that is full of pictures and super easy to follow.
The Pleated Poppy

Packing up and moving out

2011-05-10T16:14:00.001-05:00

It's been a pack-a-thon over here. 4 ladies showed up to our house at 9am this morning and they have ROCKED it. They are the speediest packing crew we've ever had. In less than 7 hours they have packed up both the kids rooms, the bathroom, the family room, the kitchen, my insane sewing room and are starting on the master bedroom right now with 2 more hours left in their work day. Tomorrow they pack up all the bedding that we kept out to sleep on tonight, box up mattresses, do a quick pack of the laundry room and pack up the odds and ends in the garage. On Thursday the muscles of the operation arrive (well, I'm assuming that some big guns will show up. As impressive as these ladies are at packing at warp speed, somehow I don't see them slinging dressers over their head and carrying them out) to load up the moving truck on on Friday we clear out of our house. It's exciting!
I took some pics of the progress. I am liking the stark look of a boxed up house and wondering if Leavenworth will end up being the benefactor of a big Goodwill drop off.

Remember this?

It is now this:

AND, there are 6 more huge boxes in the family room that are marked as "MATERIAL", oh my. Hannah got in on the fun while Luke was at school and tried her hand at hauling around packing paper and boxes.

Wiped out

2011-05-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

I've been cleaning since I woke up this morning. The movers arrive tomorrow morning to start packing us up and I'm in overdrive. Laundry, vacuum, pack suitcases, dust blinds and windowsills, start yet another Goodwill bag, clean bathrooms, more laundry AND....the sewing room. I've been packing up bows, sacking up scraps, gathering up pins, finishing up projects and clearing off surfaces. I think it's almost ready for the movers. The goal is for them to have some sort or order when they pack up the room so they aren't throwing ribbon in with spools of thread and pinned baby bibs and velcro. It went from this

to this

While I was working the kids were playing. I heard them running around, laughing and jumping on the beds. Luke found a calculator and started testing my mad math skills while I cleaned. I finished up some paperwork on my desk and we walked out of the sewing room to this -

if you thought cleaning was hard work, playing is harder. :)

Going back to my roots (bibs and more)

2011-05-09T09:34:00.002-05:00

Way back when I first started sewing, I was making mostly baby items. It was around 2006/2007 when raw edge (frayed) items were in. I had a lot of requests for the frayed edge burp cloths and lovies and in 2008 when I decided to open an Etsy shop, those little frayed items ended up becoming a part of my shop name. (Sidenote: Do you know how hard it is to come up with a shop name? Now that I have been FrayBabyBibsandMore for over 3 years, I finally had a shop name pop into my head that I would love to use but can you really just rename your entire shop? Would there be an uprising? A protest? Would I be known as "you know, that girl who used to be FrayBaby".)
Moving on, NEXT SUNDAY, May 15th, Roo over at NiceGirlNotes is having a Cute Stuff Sale and I am a part of it. AND she asked me to focus on the baby stuff so I did and I've had so much fun going back to my roots and making batches of cute baby items. I will still have a dress or two in her sale but the majority of the items will be revamped baby goodies - handy dandy diaper pouches that clip onto bags or strollers, grab and go sets and matching bib/snack bag sets!

Check out the official post with the shop list (100 items for sale! Eeeee!) so you can check out ALL the goodies and be ready at 8pm EST on Friday because when it's on, it's ON.

It's all about perspective

2011-05-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

Eh-yo. In preparation for this big move of ours, I have been trying to clear out the old by sewing like a mad woman AND selling fabric like crazy. I've been pulling the prints that I no longer enjoy looking at or that I've had for awhile, I've been taking yards, remnants and scraps to goodwill with every household item drop off. And I thought that I was doing a pretty good job clearing fabric out. I mean, my bins and grid wall were OVERFLOWING and fabric was taking over the floor. I was starting to become a little paranoid and thinking that small children might get lost if they happen to wander in so I pulled, sorted, folded and purged and now most of the fabric is contained in those bins and compartments. I was proud of myself. Until I found this picture: And omg. I can see my floor, I can see the top of the grid wall. I can see the nice little fabric piles. and people were all "oooo, look at all the fabric", "I love it, I wish I could come over and pick out my fabrics!", "WOW, THAT IS SO MUCH FABRIC!!" And now I am ashamed and a little scared to post the latest picture of this very same wall. Maybe I should tidy up and retake the picture. Oh man. (do it! do it!) Gah. Okay. Here (gulp) is my fabric collection now. 14 months later. See? Perspective. Now THAT is a lot of fabric. ;) (Did you scream in horror?)

Leaving the Heart (of Texas)

2011-05-07T08:10:00.000-05:00

And we're off! Well, soon anyway. My husband has finished up grad school at Texas Tech University and it is time to get back to Army life. We are headed to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas next week and despite our local friends saying "oh, you're going from worse to worse" and "what?!? from Hawaii to Germany to Lubbock to Kansas? what did you guys do wrong?", we are excited. We had a great time in West Texas. Who wouldn't? Oil derricks, jack rabbits, tumbleweeds and West Texas dirt blowing in the wind. We went to a rodeo, the South Plains fair, drove to San Antonio more than once and took a road trip down to Galveston. Oh and how can I forget the tamales?!? I will surely miss the tamales. And now we look forward to Kansas. Hmmm...flat. farms. tornadoes. AUNTIE EM! AUNTIE EM! I kid, I kid. We are excited about a new city, a new house, professional sports teams, being within driving distance of St. Louis and the direct flight out of Kansas City to Nashville and Atlanta, because let's face it, with 2 kids under the age of 6, non stop flights make air travel 98% better and a helluva lot more likely.

And now for the breakdown. I know not everyone sees every post on Facebook and some customers don't even have a clue that I am moving and will be temporarily closed for a couple of week. I want to post the schedule for your reference. Feel free to pass along the info.

MAY 10-12 - movers come and pack up everything we own. I'll have to act fast to make sure they don't load up the suitcases full of clothes we need for our hotel living for the following week.

MAY 13th - we clear our house and have one last night in Lubbock.

MAY 14th - on the road to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the night.

MAY 15th - on the road to Leavenworth, Kansas to get the keys to our new house

MAY 16-23rd - sit in empty house and wait for movers to arrive.

Sometime after May 23rd I will reopen from my fabulous new sewing room in the fabulous city of Leavenworth, Kansas. And I hope to see you then. :)

It's Gonna be a Throwdown! (Shoppers Gonna Shop)

2011-05-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

A little over a month ago I was introduced to NiceGirlNotes on Facebook. Roo is the mastermind and comedian behind NiceGirlNotes. Through the Etsy Homefront Team (military spouses), I heard there was a Cute Stuff Sale going on at Roo's page so I went over to check it out. Cute Stuff Sale? A sale put on by Roo with multiple Etsy shops, all items $20 or less (shipping included) and then? A coupon to use at ALL the shops that were part of the sale, just in case you missed out on an item or two that you were after. The pace - FAST. The item - AMAZING. You have to get there quick, stake out a spot overnight (okay, okay, just start stalking the page 5 minutes before it's go time), copy your email address or choice phrase so all you have to do is CTRL+V to do a quick heart racing paste and cross your fingers that you are the chosen one. Seriously, it's bananas over there! (Don't believe me? Check out the aftermath for yourself ) SO SO SO....WHO, you ask, will be participating in the next Cute Stuff Sale? Well, I dunno about the other shops but I AM!! Mark your calenders for May 15th and stalk NiceGirlNotes on Facebook and even better, follow her blog because she is a fantastic writer, hilarious, a baller and she's crafty! (Check out those tutes on making a dollhouse out of old drawers and quiet time activity bins - genius.) Now, wanna see my cute stuff?

I still have to decide what items I want to put in the sale. I have a few ideas including some baby accessories! Hope to see you there!

Starting Anew

2011-05-06T22:19:00.001-05:00

A few years ago I had a business blog that I posted to fairly regularly. It wasn't spectacular but it was decent. Then I got a dot com, switched to wordpress and had my site host my blog. I was pregnant, living overseas and wanted SOMETHING, ANYTHING to help my business take off. So I had my dot com designed and built. It was pretty. It was nice. It was a little cumbersome. My business took off (and by took off, I mean went THROUGH THE ROOF) in February/March of 2010 and since then my dot com has died. I am not technologically savvy enough to understand hosting, databases and the like. I don't think I did a very good job keeping it new and fresh or even user friendly. It was a learning experience and thankfully, not too expensive. My new cool blog that came with my dot com is lost forever in cyber space. I don't know how to get it back and I don't think I care all that much. So here we are! New blog! Woot! Let's get this party started. And please be patient with me as I try to make this place pretty. If anyone has any cool decorating tips, hook a sista up.

Redirecting Traffic! New Blog web address

2010-01-18T17:16:00.003-06:00

It seems that my old FrayBabyBibsandMore blog (this one) is popping up higher in search engine results than my new and improved WordPress blog (which is SUPPOSED to have a great SEO plugin which HAS been installed for 6 months now....) so I came over to redirect you all to my new site and my new blog! I'd love to have you subscribe in your reader or bookmark my blog so you can visit any time.

THE SITE - http://fraybabybibsandmore.com
THE BLOG - http://fraybabybibsandmore.com/blog (which you can access from my main .com as well)

It's a new year and FrayBabyBibsandMore's blog has a new feel. 2010 is the year of favorites! I'm going to share my favorite shops, pictures, web sites, recipes, you name it, if I love it, you know about it!

And what's new in FrayBabyBibsandMore's Etsy shop? Well, LOTS! Nursing pads, bib clips with minky bib squares, baby doll diapers, dresses (adorable!!), diaper covers and shirts for the little guys! Come on over and pay us a visit!

Baby Allergies?

2009-05-24T01:45:00.005-05:00

Spring is in the air, and so are allergens. Since moving to Germany, my husband has been popping Claratin daily and since spring has arrived, I've had to take a Sudafed or two. And with the May showers came coughs and sneezes for our baby girl. But with all of the coughing and sneezing that she has been doing, it hasn't effected her mood. She still has a pleasant disposition, smiles and coos, naps well and her appetite is just fine so I was going with the assumption that this wasn't a cold that is ailing her but rather allergies. I went to Google to try to find out a little more about allergens, allergies and how they effect babies. There is a great amount of information out there but the article I found the most helpful is from BabyCenter.com. Here is their checklist of questions for you to answer if you are wondering if your little one is suffering from allergies:

Because the symptoms of nasal allergies are much like cold symptoms — runny nose, watery eyes, cough, nasal congestion, sneezing — it can be tough to tell the difference. There are some telltale signs of allergies, though.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it seem like your baby always has a cold? Colds usually wind down in a week to ten days; allergies don't.
• Is your baby's nose continually stuffy or running?
• Is she constantly wiggling, wiping, or pushing her nose up in what doctors call the allergic salute?
• Is the mucus that drains from her nose clear and thin (as opposed to yellow or greenish and thick)?
• Does she seem to sneeze a lot?
• Are her eyes itchy, red, and watery?
• Does the skin under her eyes look dark or purple or blue — what doctors call allergic shiners?
• Does she breathe through her mouth?
• Does she have a dry cough?
• Is her skin irritated or broken out in an itchy red rash?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, there's a good chance your baby is allergic to something in her environment.

(Click here for the entire article) Since I answered "yes" for almost every question it's time for me to get going on de-allergifying (huh? Did I just invent a word?) her environment. All of her blankets and bedding are going into the wash in hot water, the bathroom attached to our bedroom is getting scrubbed with Soft Scrub with bleach (mold is a huge trigger) and that mountain of clothing on hubby's side of the bed? Well, that needs to be sorted through and put away. In the meantime I'll continue putting saline drops in her little nose (I totally recommend Little Noses Saline drops, you can find them here at Amazon.com) and reclining her head slightly when I lay her down so she can breathe a little easier.

Plastic facts

2009-05-17T01:44:00.006-05:00

This information is taken from reusablebags.com.

Top Facts - Consumption

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)
According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year - 900 per person.
According to Australia's Department of Environment, Australians consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year - 326 per person. An estimated 0.7% or 49,600,000 end up as litter each year.

Top Facts - Environmental Impact

Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected.
Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC, one group harvests 30,000 per month.
According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone "from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere from Spitsbergen 78 degrees North [latitude] to Falklands 51 degrees South [latitude]."
Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.

All the more reason for you to go green and help protect our environment with reusable sandwich and snack bags, market bags and totes. To purchase these bags, check out my Etsy shop or contact me at fraybaby@live.com to place an order.

Fabulous Finds for Baby Girl

2009-04-24T02:06:00.004-05:00

I've been hunting for cute baby items for Hannah and there sure is a lot of sweetness in Etsyland! I think I'm in trouble having a baby girl, they are fun to shop for! Here are some of my great finds....

Oooo - I want this SO BAD! I'm just afraid of scratching or choking since Hannah likes to have her hands in her face and mouth.

Misha BLING Baby Bracelet by ccbabyinc

ButterflyGem has AMAZING items in her shop - from bracelets to bows and all sorts of stuff in between! Here are 2 of my favorites from her shop.

VerySweetBows has, in fact, very sweet bows! Check out her fun shop for all sorts of hair decor.

momsblankies has cute blankies but what I really adore are her little sloopers!! Slipper shoes for baby and they are so stinking cute! What's even better is that she has an amazing clearance section as well - nice!

I'm still on the hunt for a great sunhat or two for Hannah. I've found a few but have a hard time coughing up $30 for something that she'll wear for 1 season. If anyone has a great item for me to check out, leave a link in the comments!

Craft Fair!

2009-04-15T13:03:00.005-05:00

I'm almost ready for the craft fair this weekend. I have a bunch of items - gobs of bibs and burp cloths, blankies (from swaddling size to mini ribbon blankies), tote bags and fun new purses and items to go into those purses - address books, photo brag books and mini wallets, oh my! After Saturday I plan on putting more items into my Etsy and 1000 Markets shop but bear with me, it might take awhile. :) Here is your sneak peek at all my craft fair items!

Photo brag books and address books, all in a fun crate that my neighbor painted for Hannah - she is going to do the craft fair with me selling a bunch of adorable hand painted crates like this one - I can't wait!

Messiest room of them all.

2009-03-20T09:27:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready for a craft fair which means TONS of cutting, ironing, sewing, snapping, stitching, pressing, etc, etc, etc....All of which results in a HUGE MESS! But amid the chaos, there is calm - all that mess makes sense to me - i know what is in every pile and where everything is spread out makes sense to me. My husband walks in that room and just shakes his head but he knows that it will all be cleaned up once April 18th, craft fair day, is here. Plus, my parents are coming in town in May and they kind of need a place to sleep. I don't think they'd want to cuddle up in all that mess.

Great additions for the Easter basket!

2009-03-14T08:42:00.006-05:00

I'm getting ready for Easter and thinking ahead about what I (or the bunny) will be putting into Luke and Hannah's baskets. I've been searching on Etsy and have found some adorable items. I took the plunge and purchased 1 of the items I had been eyeballing and when it arrived, it was even MORE adorable than in the pictures! What did I purchase? Well, for eight whole dollars (that's IT!), I bought 2 (TWO) adorable stuffed bunnies (softies) from Lori of Kid-N Around Creations on Etsy! She lets you pick from dark brown bunnies, light brown bunnies or white bunnies and she makes them in little boy or girl "clothes". I got 2 little light brown bunnies, 1 boy and 1 girl and I can't wait to see how they look in the Easter basket. I then made a great trade with her - 4 mini wallets for a large "family" of hand puppet bunnies. I received a mommy and daddy bunny (hand size) and 4 baby bunnies (finger puppet size) and they, too, are just TOO CUTE! Click here to see the family of bunnies. Lori also has adorable Easter crayon rolls what would just be perfect for your kiddo's Easter basket as well penguin puppets, flower softies and soft little baby blocks and burp cloths. Check out her shop for the perfect additions to your kids' Easter baskets. And now, if you order from Lori's shop and mention this blog (FrayBabyBibsandMore), you will receive FREE SHIPPING!!! How awesome is that?!?!

Baby Wraps

2009-03-04T05:43:00.008-06:00

When my baby girl was almost 3 weeks old, I realized that she loved being held a whole lot more than her big brother ever did. I was having a hard time getting things done in the 10 minute windows she allowed me to put her down (I mean, can YOU clean a kitchen in 10 minutes?) and really wanted the use of BOTH my arms at once (i.e - it takes a LONG time to peck out an email with 1 hand). I knew that I had stumbled upon some baby wraps on Etsy so I went to check them out and research them a little further. I found a great shop called LoveyDuds and she has fantastic feedback and has made hundred and hundreds of baby wraps. So I purchased this one and 4 days later it arrived in the mail and not only is mommy happy but Hannah is in heaven when she is wrapped up in there. So imagine my delight when I get a package in the mail and open it to find this! My mom sent me another wrap and Hannah and I took it for a test drive yesterday and she loved it and it is so comfortable and easy to wrap and wear. You can only imagine the things I get accomplished with her happy as a clam and with both my arms free. I'm tempted to have Brian take pictures of me at the sewing machine with her wrapped to me. :) Here are the pics of me and my little papoose.

There is a great article at baby zone about the benefits of slings and baby carriers - click here if you would like to check it out!

AND - I just found out that SugarSweetBaby is giving away a FREE Bamboo Baby Wrap! AWESOME!! If you have a little one or know someone who has or is having one, ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY! It is super easy to do - just go to her blog and do any or all of the 5 options to get GOBS of chances to win! Click here for a link to information on her shop site about Bamboo Wraps. Winner will be picked March 17th.

Homefront Market at 1000 Markets

2009-01-11T03:32:00.003-06:00

As you may know, I opened a new online shop at 1000Markets.com. You may not know that many of the friends I made on Etsy, who are also military spouses, have also opened shops on 1000 Markets. One of those amazing sellers, SmocksNStuff, took it upon herself to ask for a Homefront Market - a market made up of military family members who create beautiful handmade items - and her wish was granted. The Homefront Market on 1000 Markets is absolutely gorgeous and we invite everyone to shop on by to take a peek and do a little shopping. Support our military, support our spouses....We keep the homefires burning.

Taken from Homefront Market's Grand Opening blog post -

"What is the Homefront? Who we are and what we do is a little bit harder to explain than the average person. From the outside this group might just seem like a group of people that just all love there artisan work and are trying to promote. On the inside it stems much deeper. We are a group that are from all walks of life, but are bonded by something much stronger than most people could ever imagine. We struggle with a life with many daily challenges the average person does not face; Living life with uncertainty and fear, but only showing pride, is our way. We deal with deployments, duty, disaster preparedness, exercises, training, emotional strife and severe traumatic experiences, wills, powers of attorney, and even the worst in the possibility of death. This is the life we have willingly entered. The service to our country and our family and unimaginable strife is what bonds us. Take care and appreciate all the tiny moments in life that make every hard moment worth it! We have gotten to live in amazing places, and see amazing things. There is a also a huge sense of camaraderie to people you've never even met. It is not an easy life, and we have sacrificed many things, but we are a close knit family, and we are proud. There is no sugar coating. We live life the best we can every day at a time!"

Bazaar!

2008-11-11T02:16:00.007-06:00

Yoohoo! I have been MIA AGAIN! I was asked to have a booth at our fall bazaar on base but unfortunately we are going to be out of town that weekend. But then I was notified that if I "donate" all my items to the Spouses Club Ways N Means table that they would sell for me - 3 days straight - and I don't have to pay a booth fee, I don't have to be there to help sell everything and they keep a small percentage of the profits. What an opportunity! I only had a few weeks to sew like crazy and get everything organized but I did it! I made bibs, burp cloths, tote bags, mini wallets, children's belts, blankets, taggies and more! Unfortunately JoAnns has taken a ridiculous amount of time to get an order to me - I desperately need more white Velcro and pearlized snaps and I ordered them over a month ago. If they don't arrive tomorrow, then I have 6 bib sets that won't get finished and over 20 mini wallets that won't be ready. Oh well - I am pretty pleased with the quantity of items I have and I hope everything is well received and successfully sold. I have to hand over everything tomorrow so today I am tying up loose ends and hoping to crank out a couple more tote bags. Here's your preview!

Just for fun - A little bit of Italy

2008-10-07T15:21:00.004-05:00

Hubby, little man and I went on a trip to northern Italy this weekend. We traveled to Trieste, to Venice and to Nove, the ceramics capital of Italy (of Europe? of the world?). Nove was amazing - ceramic store after ceramic store and I stopped to browse through a lot of them. The colors and designs were so beautiful and so captivating. I was drawn to everything full of color (although they had much, much more as well) and ended up leaving with some new bowls and a couple fun decor items. Enjoy a taste of Nove!

My rooster bowls (and Chianti) that we brought home with us. :)
And a rooster pitcher (to protect and defend our home), a mosaic trivet and a small container

The blankie is done! The blankie is done!

2008-09-25T10:33:00.004-05:00

I finished it! Okay, well the order of events is...I taught myself a new crochet stitch (the mesh stitch, which results in a trellis pattern), I crocheted like crazy, I got carpal tunnel in my pinkie, I crocheted some more, and more, after 4 days the blanket finally was a decent size for a baby so I ended my stitch and decided to add tassel fringe to finish it up. And you know what? I like it! It turned out really cute and ended up being about 22" by 28". I used 2 yarns at once so it is a heavier blanket and the effect looks great. I think it is the perfect sized blanket to lay over a little one while they are sleeping. I'm working on a new blanket for my son, who has been in love with crocheted blankets since he was an infant and I have some of the same yarn in lavender so I'll try a lavender and white one after that and make it a little larger than the green one, and who knows, maybe I'll use a different stitch.

Trick or Treat!

2008-09-05T04:22:00.004-05:00

I have started my trick or treat bags and have begun listing them in my Etsy shop. I have 2 sizes available. One for kids 5 and older - it measures approximately 15 1/2" tall by 10" wide (at the base) and 3" deep. It has 2 straps that are approximately 15" long apiece. The smaller size is for children under 5 and is approximately 12" tall by 10" wide by 3" deep. It also has 2 straps and it's straps are approximately 13" long. The bags are being listed in my shop and range in price from $10 to $15.

These bags are $15 a piece - they are both size large. The top one is made of gorgeous Alexander Henry fabrics in Trick or Treat and Pumpkin Dots. The second bag is made of Michael Miller fabric - turquoise skulls and is lined with a Sis Boom geometric fabric.

This bag is $12 - it is a size small

These bags are $10 a piece - they are both size small and are lined with flannel fabrics

Check my shop (http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com/) throughout the coming weeks. I'll be making more of these bags in BOTH sizes and I have Aleander Henry Trick or Treat kids (see picture of the first bag) in cream as well as the black pictured. If you would like to place a custom order, please contact me through my Etsy shop or email me at fraybaby@live.com.

A Guest Appearance...

2008-07-27T08:09:00.005-05:00

My mom is making a guest appearance in my Etsy shop! She is talented and creative enough to have her own Etsy store but right now she is working full time at her doggie food job and she sews in her free time to de-stress and try to downsize her fabric stash. She sent me 2 receiving blankets with matching burp cloths and 2 sets of matching burp cloths - all are adorable and I want to keep all of them for myself! But alas, I told her I would list them and as of today, there is 1 receiving blanket/burp cloth combo in pink and 1 burp cloth set in greens and yellows for sale in my shop. The other 2 will be listed this week. Well, maybe...I can't seem to let myself part with this awesome and crazy turquoise, orange, green, pink, red, happy flower set but I'll post a picture here so you can see how cool it is and maybe covet it for yourself. My mom "claims" to have another one of these blankets cut out but I can't be sure it is an exact replica. You know how these crafty types are, never want to make the same thing twice. :) Anyways - here are a few pictures of the new items and make sure you stop by my shop to check out not only the cool pieces that my mom has made but the new things that I have been listing. Isn't now a good as time as any to start thinking about Christmas or about all those pregnant and new mommies that you know that you need to get gifts for? Hope you enjoy looking at everything and check back often!

The flower set I just don't want to give up:

The pink blankie/burp cloth set - they are GORGEOUS:

The raw edge green and yellow burp cloth set:

My latest obsession

2008-07-22T23:27:00.001-05:00

Crocheted hats!! No, not for me, well, maybe for me, but honestly my focus has been on little baby #2. And it all started when my fellow Homefronter's starting crocheting their hearts out and coming up with amazing and adorable hats. Little beanie hats, brimmed hats, ear flap hats...the list goes on and on and each and every one is gorgeous. I want to buy them all (okay, not all, but at least 90% of them!) but I am waiting to find out the sex of this sweet little baby and then game on! I not only plan on buying for baby #2 but for my 2 1/2 year old son and shoot, now that I thought of it, for me too! And the places to buy from? Well, the options are endless. Looking for furry and ear flapped? TwoSeasideBabes has you covered. Looking for cotton and classic? bethjt (remember her?)is all over it. Whimsical and themed? MooseThreads can make a firetruck hat, butterfly hat or even a helicopter hat. Knitted with a pom pom or tail? MayRaeCrochetnKnit is the expert. And those are just the Homefront shops I have to choose from! One of my favorite crocheted hats that I have stumbled upon outside of my Homefront search is the mini monkey hat flap by CiteFuzz. You better believe that I am going to get my little monkey one of these hats - they are too adorable to pass up and let's not forget my baby is due in January, in Germany so I'm thinking I'll need a nice little stock or warms hats for his or her head. I'm off to keep on searching for more and more hats and I think I'll even look for one for my 2 1/2 year old and maybe even one (or two) for me! Make sure you check out these great shops. I leave you with pictures from each of these shops - listed in order featured. Happy shopping!

Two Seaside Babes newborn ear flap hat

bethjt's 3-6 month brimmed hat

MooseThread's airplane appliqued beanie

MayRae's Knitted Curly Tail Hat

CiteFuzz's Mini Monkey Ear Flap Hat

Delicious Banana Bread Recipe

2008-05-30T03:27:00.007-05:00

What you need:

3 medium ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs (if you do not want to use eggs, substitute 3 TBSP milk - it won't rise as high but tastes just as good)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

What you do:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas, add softened butter, sugar and eggs, beat just until mixed. Add all dry ingredients (except nuts) - beat for 2 minutes on medium speed OR 300 strokes by hand. Stir in walnuts by hand. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan (5 1/4 by 9 1/2). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. I put a foil "tent" over my banana bread after 35 minutes of baking. I then removed it when there were 10 minutes left on the bake time. I didn't want the top to get too dark.

Let bread cool, slice and ENJOY!

Vodka, Peroxide and WD40?

2008-05-27T03:10:00.003-05:00

While browsing MSN.com this morning I stumbled upon 10 crazy "green" uses for vokda! Which made me think about all those emails I receive about old fashioned ways to use hydrogen peroxide or other uses for WD-40 so I went on a hunt through my inbox and found those crazy tips and I thought I'd share my favorites with you.

Vodka?
-Touch poison ivy or get a jelly fish sting? For those of you who take vodka in hikes through the forest or to the beach, pour some on your sting or where you touched the ivy! The vodka just might wash away those ivy oils that make you break out in an awful rash or take away some of that awful jelly fish sting. (Some say it has to be 100 proof to work and it's a lot better than being pee-ed on, a la Chandler and Monica)
-Shine your chrome, porcelain or glass fixtures with vodka and elbow grease!
-A few drops along with a teaspoon of sugar can help your cut flowers last longer.
-It's a bug repellent! Just put some vodka in a spray bottle and spritz your arms and legs while outside, or spray directly at bugs - and it's DEET free!
-It can get rid of pesky harmful mold. Just spray vodka on mold, let sit 15 minutes and scrub

Hydrogen Peroxide?
-Soak your toothbrush in it to kill germs!
-Rinse your wooden cutting boards with it to get rid of salmonella and other bacteria.
-Fill a spray bottle 50/50 water and hydrogen peroxide to use as a disinfectant spray in your bathroom and shower stall!
-If you have a cold or plugged sinuses, use that same 50/50 mixture to pour in your nostrils, let bubble, blow nose - it should help you breathe easier (just don't use the exact same mixture as your bathroom cleaner - I don't want you spraying it up your nose!)
-Use peroxide to clean mirrors with no smudging or smearing!

WD40?
-Have a spotty shower door that nothing will clean? Try using WD-40!
-It protects silver from tarnishing.
-Keeps flies off cows (what??? okay - for those of you who have cows who hate those pesky flies, spray away!)
-Untangles jewelry chains (oooo, handy!)
-Removes stubborn dirt and grime from your BBQ grill.
-Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
-Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
-It takes away the sting from fire ant burns!
-Removed crayon marks from the wall (did you know that mommies out there?)

Hope you found these tips handy, helpful or at least a little bit funny. Have any other uses or fun tips for basic household products? Happy cleaning, breathing, untangling and de-flying everyone!

Chicken Parmesan with a kick

2008-05-14T05:35:00.006-05:00

I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight. (That was from some commercial a long time ago - for the life of me I can't remember whose commercial it was).

The other night I made Chicken Parmesan and I'm going to share the recipe!

Grocery list -

1 -2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (depending on how many mouths you are feeding)

breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)

eggs

milk

flour

Parmesan cheese

2 large cans crushed tomatoes (see picture)

garlic

olive oil

crushed red pepper (ooo - the kick!)

salt

spaghetti noodles (or whatever type you prefer)

mozzarella cheese

Got everything? Let's begin!

First let's make the chicken. Clean off your chicken breasts and pound the heck out of them with a mallet. (This makes them so tender!). Heat a couple TBSP of olive oil in large skillet. Put 1/4 cup of flour in a gallon sized bag and add chicken breasts, shake to coat. Now we need an egg wash bowl and a breadcrumb bowl. Beat 2 eggs in bowl (add a little splash of milk) for your egg wash bowl. And add 1 cup breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in other bowl. Take chicken breast out of flour bag - dip in egg mixture, coat with breadcrumb mixture, and throw in heated skillet. Brown both sides, turn heat off and cover with lid to keep warm and tender.

In the meantime, let's make the sauce. Heat saucepan (at least 2 quart saucepan) on medium high. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this gives the sauce a nice kick - for a bigger and yummier kick, make it 2 tsp but only if you like spice!). Let that garlic mix sizzle for 1 minute. Add 2 cans crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer.

Time to assemble! Preheat your oven to 350. Put chicken breasts in 9x13 glass pan, put a mound of shredded mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast. Add the tomato sauce (I scoop it out with a large spoon so it doesn't splash everywhere).

Then add more mozzarella to the top of each chicken breast (I do that so I know where to find them - and who doesn't like extra cheese?) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until edges are bubbling and cheese is browning.

While chicken is baking, boil some water and make your noodles. When everything is finished - put a scoop of noodles on your plate and add a chicken breast with a heaping scoop of sauce. Yum! Enjoy! :)

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

2008-05-10T09:56:00.001-05:00

It is Friday again and I decided to give you a few more of my favorite things. Maybe this will become a weekly installment!

LittlePinkPosies - this adorable shop is run by a mom with 2 kiddos. Her shop's name was a play off her daughter's nickname, Little Pink Princess, since as she says "the child was born to wear pink!" The shop carried gorgeous hair clips, for both big and little girls, but what caught my attention were the posy girl(TM) pendants. Each pendant is 2 inches tall, hand painted and finished with varnish. You can even customize your own posy girl and choose her hair color, color of her dress and the letter on her little necklace! Adorable for those little girls on your gift list - check out LittlePinkPosies and happy shopping!

Ulljas - COOKIES! Need I say more? Well, how about we let the picture speak for itself? These are Ulljas personal trademark shortbread cookies that are shaped like ice cream scoops. They taste thick and almost fudgey.

Ulljas is run by a professional pastry chef who has a European Pastry and Bakery Shop in central Texas. There were so many requests for online orders, Ulljas.etsy.com was born! I ordered the Raspberry Margarita package for my mom for Mother's Day - 4 delicious raspberry chocolate chip shortbread cookies and 4 key lime cooler shortbread cookies. Mmmmm....Now wipe up that drool and visit Ulljas!

SheerWhimsy - I entered a giveaway contest on the Downtown Boutique's blog and I won!! How great is that? And this is what I won - the mushroom gadget garb! These tiny little pouches are just big enough for your cell phone, ipod, or small digital camera. They are made with the utmost attention to detail - there is a layer of ultra thick batting to protect your little tiny technology, beautiful coordinating material, a vintage inspired button on the flap, a hand appliqued mushroom (or blow dryer, tree, cupcake, paw print, etc...) AND a tiny little sheerwhimsy label on the inside. I am in love with my gadget garb - it holds my cell phone, keeps it safe, makes it easy to find at the bottom of my purse and it is just so cute!! Check out SheerWhimsy's shop and you'll agree, the shop name fits.

Did Ya Know?

2008-05-07T06:49:00.006-05:00

I just learned 2 new things today and both surprised me. One - that most of the flowers that we send out moms on Mother's Day are imported from Columbia, Ecuador and the Netherlands. And two - charging your cell phone battery overnight is bad for your battery! I know these are two totally separate and random facts and you are probably wondering where I got them. I signed up for The Green Guide to Go, a newsletter from National Geographic's magazine, The Green Guide, and I received a link to The Tip of the Week.
Did you know that the flowers from the countries I mentioned above can spray their crops with pesticides that are banned in the United States? These pesticides are banned here because of links to respiratory illness and cancer. The pesticides not only effect the workers who harvest the crops but residue can linger on the petals and leaves. A much safer, healthier and locally supportive option is to go to your local farmer's market to pick up an arrangement or you can order from an organic delivery service like Diamond Organics.
My second tidbit of knowledge came from reading a blurb written where the author was woefully talking about her dying cell phone battery and how she has been toting her charger along with her wherever she goes and asking to plug it in at shoe stores and restaurants. She wondered why the battery wasn't holding a charge very long and she did some research. And one of the surprising recommendations it to not charge your battery over night! The longer a battery is subjected to a heat source, the quicker it can wear down. And than includes leaving your cell phone in a hot car or sitting in the sun next to you while you are at the pool! There are a few other common sense recommendations (power saving feature, turn off phone at night or while at a movie) but I was surprised when I read the charging recommendations. Who knew?
Now maybe you can say that you learned two new things today. Unless you already are full of wisdom and knew these factoids and in that case, I urge you to go to The Green Guide and learn something new. Now unplug those cell phones and go get your mom some pesticide free flowers! Oh, and sign up for The Green Guide's newsletter, The Green Guide to Go - just go to the website and send in your email address.

These are a few of my favorite things....

2008-05-05T06:14:00.008-05:00

I've had bloggers block and haven't been sure what to write about lately. Today while browsing through my favorites on Etsy I realized my favorite shops and items are so colorful and so fun that I wanted to share them. You'll probably get a little glimpse of my personality through these shops. I hope you like them as well. And if you have any colorful and funky favorites, send them my way!

TheFlashBulb - this shop is SO COOL! The artist behind this shop lives in Austin Texas and has her items in a couple of stores. She specializes in sewn art! Her shop is full of some of her originals along with prints and notecards of her originals. What a fun and funky shop! If I ever have another little one I might have to get some sewn art for the nursery.

Gracie Designs - the shop owner behind this store is married to an etsy artist and her sister is on etsy too. She makes the neatest mini wallets, check book covers, business card holders, coffee cup cuddlers and ice cream cuddlers as well! She also makes aprons and headbands and hair clips but my favorites are the "organizers" like the business card holder, mini wallet and checkbook cover, Plus they make your purse insides really pretty. :)

CurlyQCuties - okay, how cool is a shop filled with fun and funky plush toys and monsters? These cuties are made by a mom in central Texas who started making cuties for her kids and has branched out and started offering them on Etsy! She has all sorts of monsters and cuties AND tooth fairy pillows that you hang on the bedroom door at night with the tooth in the pillow's back pocket and the tooth fairy can easily access the tooth and put a couple quarters in it's place.

I'll leave you with these 3 shops to check out. There are so many wonderful shops on Etsy and such talented artists. I am always browsing to see what new shops I stumble upon. It's wonderful being an Etsy artist but sometimes it is even more fun being an Etsy shopper. :)

5 Minutes for Mom

2008-05-02T09:14:00.005-05:00

I stumbled upon yet another new site out there in the wide WIDE world of web sites. 5 minutes for mom is a site for moms (go figure!) and its purpose is to bring the best of the internet to you in 1 spot by promoting, supporting and encouraging mom-run sites, stores and blogs . The site is run by twin sisters who happen to be mommies AND internet junkies. The site has directories for blogs, stores and sites that are run by mothers as well as contests to enter, feature articles to read and faith lifts for inspiration. Right now on their home page there is a contest to win a trailer bike, a sampler post from one of their favorite blogs, a Mother's Day photo contest and tons of great giveaways (personalized note cards from Come Together Cards, the SAK Dakota Shopper and a Cuddoozle Nursing Pillow). You could easily spend hours on this site and not even crack the surface. One of my favorite features is "Tackle it Tuesdays" where each week a new household chore (or nagging task they have neglected) is tackled They even show before and after photos and encourage YOU to blog about something you tackled this week and post a link. They have tackled Christmas shopping, clothes sorting, thank you card sending, kitchen organizing and even cutting your kids hair (how successful that actually was is up for review. LOL. And I can say that because I have a son and I have cut his hair before - hey! 2 year olds can get away with jacked up hair!) :) Another feature I really enjoy is the Mom Sites where I found Print N Learn Preschool PrintOuts and printed out a potty training chart and some coloring pages. They also have flashcard printouts and reward certificate print outs. There is an organizing section in the Mom Sites and oh my gosh! ListPlanIt has has over 250 lists and planning pages such as grocery lists, to do lists, calendars, meal planning and cleaning lists - and for those of you who know me - I LOVE LISTS. I am seriously considering signing up for this site.
Anyways - 5 Minutes For Mom is a great site to find all things mommy and it's a fun place to poke around. Check them out!

A delicate balance

2008-04-29T02:39:00.004-05:00

As a budding entrepreneur and as a mom to a 2 year old son, I am constantly trying to find balance between working on my business and being an attentive mother. I love my son and we do keep busy - playing outside, walking to the park, coloring, playing (eating?) with playdoh and building kugelbahns (marble tracks!) but I also take time for myself throughout the day - time to blog, time to sew, time to list, time to promote. And sometimes this time spent is at my son's expense. He gets restless and comes and tugs on my hand, asking me to build yet another kugelbahn or make a tower of blocks. I know his playing by himself helps build his imagination and independence so it's not like I feel guilty about typing this post as he sits in my laundry basket, hording all the pillows and blankets in the room, while watching Little Einsteins. I feel guilty when I look at the clock and half the day is done and our only interaction has been at breakfast and we've been lost in our own worlds since.

This morning I stumbled upon an amazing blog post - 94 Ways to Keep Kids Busy for the Work at Home Parent. There are home business productivity tips (for parents and kids), - like making chore charts and planning play dates- summer activity tips, links to find local kid activities but my favorite section is the craft project links. Craftforkids.com - AMAZING! I am now going to add making Plastic Cup Bug Lanterns to my list of things to do with my son. And I think I'll take on another suggestion from the article and make a "craft corner" for him so while I sew, he can create his own masterpieces and I don't have to worry about feeling that I am neglecting him. And when he gets a little older I'm breaking out a chore chart!

I've been featured -

2008-04-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

in a great blog! Check it out -
http://gettingtoknow.wordpress.com/
And don't forget to use your discount code when shopping at my store! :)

Featured New Etsy Artist - bethjt

2008-04-25T02:40:00.007-05:00

Once again, I have found another military spouse to feature on Fray Baby! Beth Thompson, the amazingly talented artist behind the Etsy shop bethjt, is an Army spouse of 12 years. She, along with her husband, have a son who is 4 years and a daughter who is 16 months. Besides art, Beth loves to read, travel, photograph anything and everything, and she's a shopaholic. She also loves hunting sea glass and said,"I think its fascinating how nature has taken our careless litter and turned them into beautiful gems of every shape and color." Here is our interview:

Wow! I noticed that you do commissioned portraits and paintings, that is incredible! How long have you been drawing and painting?

I have been drawing since I was 2 and was able to draw recognizable things right away, so my dad really encouraged me to keep it up. I started drawing portraits for people when I decided to stay home with my first child. My children are a great inspiration to me and I have drawn each of them countless times. Although I have drawn every type of person and pet, my favorites are dogs and babies. Something about drawing softness is very calming. (The picture to the right is called "April Blossoms, it is a limited edition giclee print 18"x24" from Beth's graphite and watercolor original. Limited edition of 200 worldwide.)

And what about jewelry making? I notice you have some very delicate and artistic pieces in your shop.

Creating jewelry is also something I've done since I was in grade school, but didn't get really serious about it until my daughter was born. Now it's a downright obsession and I want to learn and try everything I can about it. Of course I don't have time to do that, but I get creative time in when I can late at night and my one day a week (really a half day) off from being mommy.

I see in your profile that Breast Cancer is an important issue for you and that you are donating 25% of the proceeds from any of your items that are pink, or any items that you make with awareness ribbons, to breast cancer awareness and research centers. Can you tell me more about that?

Discovering Etsy has really pushed me to start creating pieces that aren't just for me.The Breast Cancer interest has really come to a peak this past year when my best friend got it at age 29. She really has gone through hell and it seems so unfair. Then another good friend's mom got it and is also fighting it. Now it seems every time I turn around someone else I love or they love has been affected. So the donations I am putting together are just something small a little person like me can do to feel a little less helpless.

And finally, what is your favorite item in your shop?

My favorite item in my shop right now is "Look what I got, Mama" because my son was the model for it, and he and his sister mean more to me than anything.

Thank you for the wonderful interview Beth! Bethjt is an Etsy shop full of talent and grace and I encourage you all to stop by and take a look. You really need to see her shop to get a full appreciation of her talents.

The following are 2 more items from Beth's shop - dandelion miniature art magnets and a pineapple giclee on canvas.

Seeing Red

2008-04-24T09:30:00.004-05:00

Another one of my items made it in a Treasury! Wow - it sure looks pretty with all those other red items! Take a look! My item is the red polka dot pouch in the middle. Check out my shop it you want it for yourself! :)

What's for dinner?

2008-04-23T04:44:00.005-05:00

Here is one of my favorite recipes ever. I've made it so many times and for so many different people and they always end up asking for the recipe. It's sure to become one of your favorites as well!

Chicken (or Beef) Enchilada Casserole

1 pound chicken breast OR ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (you will only use 1/2 packet)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 jar of salsa or taco sauce - hot, medium or mild, it's your choice!
12 small corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mexican blend, again, it's your choice!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook chicken (or beef) on stovetop. Shred cooked chicken or cut into chunks and put back into the pan. Add chopped onion to pan and saute. Add 1/2 of the taco seasoning packet along with the recommended amount of water. Cook for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
Cut corn tortillas into chunks (I use the pizza slicer and slice, slice, slice!).
In seperate bowl, mix cream of chicken, sour cream and 1 1/2 cups of salsa (or taco sauce).
Now get ready to layer!
In a large casserole dish (I use a round 2.5 liter corning ware dish), pour 1/2 cup salsa, add 1/2 tortilla pieces, 1/2 the meat mixture, 1/2 the soup mixture and 1 cup of cheese followed by the rest of the tortilla pieces, meat, soup mixture and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubble all around the edges.

For a spicier dish, add jalapenos on top of each cheese layer. I add a can of fiesta corn to my meat mixture to sneak in an extra vegetable.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips (if desired).

Now you know what's for dinner! Enjoy!

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY!

2008-04-21T17:44:00.004-05:00

Happy Earth Day everyone! In celebration of Earth Day, I am encouraging you to stop using those plastic bags at the grocery store and use one of my totes! Once you get in the habit of using a market tote, it becomes second nature and you start to feel a little guilty bringing home all those plastic bags that take a bazillion years to break down in our landfills.

If you aren't yet ready for a market tote, use it for your book club books, your bible studies, trips to the library, daycare bag, carry-all, everyday tote...any way you want!

Buy any tote in my store and get 1/2 price shipping! Just enter 1/2 SHIP when you check out and wait for the updated invoice before you pay.

Happy Earth Day everyone! Now go plant a tree, or something.

YAY! I'm in a Treasury!

2008-04-20T04:34:00.006-05:00

My adorable (and recently blogged about) "I've Got Sunshine!" bib and burp set is featured in the Spotlight on Homefront treasury! Check out all the other great Homefront shop and sellers.

Fun with fabrics

2008-04-20T01:47:00.009-05:00

I took a small break from working on my totes to hunt through my fabric bin and found some fun flannels for baby bibs and burp cloth sets. I think the sunshines are adorable, and a perfect gender neutral baby gift. And the apples and cherries fabric is so soft and sweet for a little girl. I have just enough of the fruity fabric left to make 1 more set and possibly a tag blanket. I have a list a mile long of all the sets, blankets and bags I have planned, I just need to start measuring and cutting. But the set I'm going to make next is a "Whale of a Tale" bib and burp set for little boys - it is adorable and bright - blues and greens - with fun whales all over a super soft flannel fabric. I can't wait to see how it is going to turn out.

The Apples & Cherries and I've Got Sunshine sets are listed in my Etsy store.

Oh to be a Hooker

2008-04-19T07:53:00.015-05:00

This morning I attended a beginner's crochet (hook, crochet, hooker, get it?) class. I was so excited and pumped to start making magnificent creations, starting with the granny square dish cloth we were going to make. Wow, crocheting is an art and sadly, in 1 morning, I did not master it. I learned how to make a chain, how to turn, how to single crochet and how to double crochet and I caught some of the lingo. After struggling with my soft acrylic baby yarn, the instructor gave me a ball of cotton yarn and I certainly saw a difference in how my chains and loops were forming. My technique isn't the best and I kept trying to "thread" my yarn through my fingers like the instructor showed me, and not move my hands and hook so much, but my fingers kept wanting to do things their way. I finally got in the groove and the end result? An approximate 1 1/2" by 3" sample piece with not-so-even rows or chains but counting was too difficult of a task to take on while I was busy trying to figure out which loop my hook should go through and how much tension to allow. Anyway, my little scrap is not too bad if I do say so myself, but it certainly is not a dishcloth (or a wash cloth, or much of a cloth at all actually). My 3 hour long lesson was a lot of fun but in that 3 hours I learned that the crochet world is HUGE and slightly overwhelming. I am going to keep on practicing and eventually, hopefully, make something I can be really proud of. But in the meantime I think I'll stick to my fabrics and sewing machine to create actual usable items. Crochet will be my escape for those times the sewing machine is acting up and I'd rather scrub a toilet than press and cut more fabric. :) To all you crocheters out there, what an amazing craft you have. Please leave a comment below so I can admire your work. And I am keeping my scrap and hopefully one day in the future, when I'm admiring an amazing blanket I crocheted, I remember my first little scrap and marvel at how far I have come.

The following pictures are creations of Etsy hookers and are what I hope to create someday. :)

Adorable flower pal - from HomeMadeZen

Dennis the Dinosaur - by WigglySee

Keep on Truckin' - by Moosethreads

Cute, no?

Featured Etsians - CrazyTimesCandles

2008-04-18T01:01:00.012-05:00

While browsing on Etsy yesterday I stumbled upon CrazyTimesCandles, a wonderful shop out of my home state of Wisconsin!

CrazyTimesCandles is a husband and wife team out of Appleton, Wisconsin, who enjoy working together and creating together. They started their business in 2002 with candle making and in December of 2006 they turned their little business into a full time job and expanded their product line to include soaps, lotions, scrubs, sprays, lip balms and wax melts (tarts). Some of their scents include: butterscotch, blueberry, grandma's kitchen, holiday wish, island fresh, sweet pea and very vanilla. Their candle selections are insane! You can order votives, chunk pillar candles, rustic pillar candles, candles in wine glasses, candles in honeypots and pie candles - yes, candles shaped, and scented, like pies! Mmmm, an apple pie candle, wouldn't that make your house smell amazing?

Along with their great selection of products, and candles, they offer a soap of the month club. You can sign up for 3 to 12 months and they pick the soap selection based on the season - spring you get light and floral or fruity and in fall you'll get a spicier scented soap. If you are adverse to certain scents you can put in that request and they will pick accordingly. All the soaps are packaged in clear packaging, to showcase the colors, and a label on the back, to let you know what you are sudsing up with!

So many amazing products and so many yummy scents. And what did I end up ordering from CrazyTimes? Well, I ordered cupcakes!

Yes, that yummy looking cupcake is actually a bath bomb and will fizz up in your tub. I got a nice little assortment (descriptions taken from CrazyTimesCandles store): "Butt Naked" - A fun fruity blend of bananas and berries. Perfect for spring and summer, "Love Spell (VS Type)" - A Victoria's Secret Type Favorite. An absolutely tantalizing fragrance composed of sweet bouquet of mandarin orange, bergamot, and tangerine enhanced by hints of fresh peaches, strawberries, and raspberries on an undertone of white musk, "Strawberries ‘n Cream" - A sweet and light blend of strawberry and creamy vanilla with a nice scent throw, "Lick Me All Over" - A truly delicious scent - smells good enough to eat. A wonderful exotic fragrance with base notes of raspberry, cantaloupe, and watermelon, middle notes of jasmine and violet, and fresh top notes of grapefruit and kumquat, and "Very Vanilla" – Very warm, sweet, high powered vanilla. A definite must try.

And how do they smell? Well, I don't know but they sound delicious! I ordered them for one of my best friends for Mother's Day so once she gets them and plop, plop, fizz, fizzes, I'll be sure to get her opinion. But in the meantime you'll have to take a look at CrazyTimes feedback and high sales numbers. They've been selling their products on Etsy since January 11, 2008, a mere 3 months, and already have close to 400 sales and 100% positive feedback!

So what to get mom for Mother's Day? Well, if you didn't find anything in my store for her, then take a look at CrazyTimesCandles and I'm sure you'll find something delicious for mom, and no calories!

For a complete list of scents click here. And for my next purchase, I'm seriously considering the breakaway melts and a warmer to go along with it. (P.S. There's a breakaway melt of the month club as well.)

The Giving Tree

2008-04-17T16:27:00.005-05:00

For the past few days I have been searching for fun and unique items for a Treasury. I've never made one before and wasn't quite sure what it entailed. After deciding on a theme (I think the Treasuries with a commom theme look so sharp compared to haphazard Treasuries), and completing the hunt for items, the rest of the process consists of waiting! Waiting and watching, and hoping and praying (okay, slight exaggeration, but man those Treasuries stay full!). The Treasury has to drop below 333 or 222 (Treasury West) before you can snag a spot. I waited, I watched, I snagged! I got a spot and featured a Treasury that I am really proud of. Not that any of the items on the list are mine, but they represent my taste and what I like and I'm getting really great comments on it. With Earth Day right around the corner, I present to you my "The Giving Tree" Treasury (in Treasury West) -

Check it out here and feel free to click and leave a comment. It will be displayed for the next 2 days.

Featured Etsian - ReannaLily Designs

2008-04-17T06:36:00.007-05:00

Jen, the creative mind behind ReannaLily Designs, is another military spouse just like me! She has a degree in Apparel Design from LSU and she currently lives in South Korea. She is a designer and a seamstress and has the best variety of apparel, for women and little girls (check out one of my favorites, the Wild Apron Pants Outfit - to the right - for girls), purses, aprons and blankets. I wanted to know more about Jen, her products and how where she lives inspires her.

You have such a great variety of items in your shop - what is one of your favorites? The best sellers are the Army Cube Purses made from recycled uniforms. Many of my clients provide me with their husband's uniforms for the project. Some clients choose a bag ready-made and opt to customize the name-tape portion with crazy words or hot pink embroidery thread. I do really like the purses.

Do you remember the first quilt you ever made and what was it? I made my first quilt when I was 17. It was a horrible disaster of yellow gingham and purple plaid triangles; set on point no less. I gave it as a gift to my, ahem, boyfriend who was headed off to LSU. (That turned out well, we've been married for 12 years now.) I had no concept of a seam allowance and the quilt unraveled into shreds within a couple years. He did, later duct tape that mangled up mess over his dorm-room window for room darkening... so it wasn't a total loss. Quilts are truly the gift that keeps on giving, right?

Where do you live now and does it bring inspiration to what you create? I currently live in South Korea. My town is the 3rd largest in the country, with 4 million people. Its absolutely wonderful here. We have seasons, culture, holidays and we're treated like celebrities when we're out in town. I know Korea gets a bad rap, but I've found it to be great. Korea is the leader in textile production- meaning truckloads of fabric is printed here- so its a virtual heaven for me. It has been quite an experience here and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to spread their wings.As far as my inspiration for creation- I've had the opportunity to live on an Army post for the first time and most of my clients are also my neighbors. They encouraged me to start selling my Army Cube purse as well as many other of my items. As many military spouses know, "Its not the town/assignment; its the people."

Thanks for a great interview Jen! You can find out more info about ReannaLily Designs at http://reannalilydesigns.com/. I leave you with pictures of 2 more of my favorite items in Jen's shop- aprons! and this announcement - ReannaLily is having a special Earth Day sales promotion at her store - free shipping! Click on the link to get there.

What? Free Shipping?

2008-04-16T08:34:00.001-05:00

If you want free shipping at my Etsy shop, you have to visit this blog to see what my special promo code is. :) TODAY ONLY!!

Knitting Totes!

2008-04-16T01:54:00.004-05:00

I had a fellow Etsian tell me that she loved my shop, especially my totes, and asked me if I could make a knitting tote. I had ordered some tall canvas bags awhile ago and was wondering how I was going to use them in my shop. I wanted to make something fun and funky and with her question, my canvas bags had a purpose! So I began cutting and measuring some of my new home decor fabrics and made different size pockets, had the fun task of sewing those into interior of the canvas bags and then I made beautiful and perfectly fitted sleeves for the tote to fit the exterior of the tote. Slide tote in, line it up, seam up the edges and it's finished! It was a little time consuming but after I figured out all the measurements and pocket placement the rest fell into place.
I lined the pockets with fusible interfacing for added strength and durability. I made the knitting needle pocket in a way that there is no bottom seam on the pocket so your needles, or anything else, can never poke through the bottom. And of course these totes can be used in other ways besides as knitting totes - use it as your market tote, bible study tote, book club tote, diaper tote...you get the idea.
The measurements are 16" tall, 13 1/2" wide at the opening (10" wide at the base) and 3 1/2" deep. The tall pocket is 4" wide by 13 1/2" tall and the smaller pocket is 6" by 7".

Find these knitting totes, along with other totes and cute baby accessories at my Etsy shop - FrayBabyBibsandMore!

Ribbons Zoo Knitting Tote

FREDRIKA meterware (from IKEA Regensnerg) Knitting Tote

Trying to get more green, perhaps a nice shade of lime

2008-04-14T05:26:00.017-05:00

Earth Day is April 22, 8 short days way. Earth Day is meant to bring awareness of and appreciation to the Earth's environment. For a detailed history lesson on Earth Day, head over to wikipedia.com. In the meantime, keep reading and get inspired to do something "green" for yourself, your home or your neighborhood.

Living in Germany definitely made me more "green", or at least more "green aware". We try to be green and are taking baby steps - buying natural cleaners, drinking organic milk and eating organic or all natural foods when we can, and recycling. In Germany, it is required by law to recycle - and it is amazing how many items we (or maybe just Americans?) go through in a day, a week, a month, that are recyclable. Our gray refuse container is picked up only twice a month. Garbage, picked up only TWO TIMES A MONTH! Could you imagine? Well now I can and would you believe that our garbage container is rarely more than half full? We have a blue container for paper products, which get picked up once a month and that is always overflowing with broken down cereal boxes and toilet paper rolls. And twice a month the huge yellow bags that hold all things plastic or aluminum is picked up. We typically have 6-8 bags full at each pick up. My point is, I thought I was an environmentally conscious person while we were in living Hawaii because I put out all my allowed recyclable items every week to get picked up. Small peanuts comparatively.

And the sky!! I noticed it yesterday - a slightly chilly and partly sunny day - but looking up in the sky everything was so bright and crisp and clear. No smog, no haze, no dingy gray or yellow, clear blue sky. It was almost shocking. I always thought that Hawaii had the brightest, bluest skies compared to anywhere I had every been and I chalked that up to being an island, surrounded by the endless blue ocean and the sun that is almost always shining. Well Germany is no island and certainly not a tropical paradise but that bright blue paints our sky here and I'm chalking that up to the envirmentally friendly habits of the people living here.

Everywhere you go in Bavaria (and perhaps all of Germany), you see people walking. Daily walks to the market, walks to the cafe, or walks just for the sake of walking. Young and old alike and many times ,older couples holding hands and chatting. Nordic walkers are everywhere with their walking sticks, cruising the streets in groups while chatting at the same time. Many just have little gas efficient scooters that go no more than 30kpm. On holidays you see huge groups of people walking along sidewalks and bike trails. It is family time and enjoyable for them, and it works off some of that huge holiday feast! Why don't we have traditions like that in America? Afternoon walks after eating all the ham and potatoes we can stomach? It is really neat to witness and a little inspiring.

This Earth Day, I plan on bringing a little green into my life, literally. I am going to buy some houseplants to clean up the air indoors and I am going to search for some plants and flowers to spruce things up outside. I'll post pictures of new additions and you can be the judge to see how much of a "green" thumb I actually have. I encourage you to make a change in your life in honor of Earth Day and try to make it stick. Start recycling - baby steps if you have to - start with the coke cans or the daily newspapers and build up from there. Plant that tree in your yard you've always wanted or go to PATT Foundation to plant a tree anywhere in the world. Make the next set of sheets or towels you purchase organic. Participate in a local clean up, or clean up your own yard. Decide to walk to the store or ride your bike. Whatever it is, make the change, and you, and the environment, just might be better off. And your planet will love you for it. If you need a little help thinking of something "green" to do, or just want more information and guidance on environmentally friendly products or how to live a more "green" life, check out National Geographics "The Green Guide" - it is an amazing web site chock full of great articles, tips, tools, blogs and even buying guides

While looking at all the fabric scraps on my sewing room floor, I got inspired. In honor of Earth Day I decided to do something crafty with something I would normally recycle and scraps I would normally throw away. I introduce to you my decoupage container! It is just a plastic wipes container that I cleaned out and decoupaged strips of scrap fabric onto. It turned out so cool and I'm either going to use it to hold my paintbrushes or my scissors, I haven't decided yet. I'll put some pebbles in the bottom it doesn't make it tip over, and viola! An adorably decorated recycled container!

Featured New Etsian - CojoCreations!

2008-04-13T16:14:00.011-05:00

April, the creative mind behind CojoCreations, is a military spouse just like me! Her husband is currently stationed in Hawai and that is where she shares her home with him , their 2 children and their springler spaniel, Jack. She creates beautiful and one of a kind necklaces, earring, laynards, eyeglass chains and wine charms. I especially like her Mother of Pearl necklaces - they are gorgeous and I wanted to know what inspired her creations.

What brought you to designing jewelry? I have always loved being creative. One day about 4 years ago I had a day off from work so I decided to give jewelry a go and that is when it all began. :) I LOVE IT!! For me it is very relaxing to sit and create new items. I can do it for HOURS.

What are your inspirations? Nature has alot to do with inspiring me. I love the colors and smells of the world. Right now I live in Hawaii so the beautiful blues and teal colors of the ocean, the awesome sunsets, the bright greens and the different colors and texture of the sands, the georgeous brightly colored flowers....this is what inspires me.

(Photographs from Hawaii courtesy of April)

Where do you do your creating? As for ideas, they pop up all the time. I try to write them down if I am not home so that I will not forget. I don't have a craft room so my creations are made in the dining room. One day I hope to have a wonderful room that is all mine.

What is your favorite piece in your shop? Right now my favorite piece is SUNSET ON THE BEACH. I love working with shells.

April's favorite piece from CojoCreations - the Sunset on the Beach Mother of Pearl Pendant Necklace - just click on the pictures to go directly to the listings in her shop!

My favorite piece from CojoCreations - the Abalone Mother of Pearl Pendant Necklace

Stop by CojoCreations on Etsy for wonderful pieces of jewelry for yourself and gorgeous gifts for all occasions. Give someone a little piece of Hawaii - Mother's Day is just around the corner. Happy shopping and thanks April for a great interview.

Why I love other Etsy sellers

2008-04-13T05:49:00.010-05:00

The Etsy community is full of supportive sellers - I just had a seller list 2, no make that 3! of my items in his shop. He was running a promo to match other's sellers items to items in his shop as suggested gift ideas. He creates beautiful hand made cards (both of these cards come from his shop) and tags and he gets a good amount of views on his items.

Here are the links to these 3 gorgeous cards - look for my item in the listing!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10130595

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9939810

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8606293

And here is the direct link to his Etsy shop - UniqueGrabs - so you can check it out and do some shopping.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=50400

My new favorite fabric!

2008-04-13T02:28:00.004-05:00

I ventured out to IKEA the other day with Luke. I went prepared with a pouch bag full of snacks for him to hunt through so I could attempt to browse in peace. It worked for the most part, a few little snaffus with trying to open snacks himself but nothing we couldn't handle. I headed directly to the fabric section and started my search. There were a lot of new fabrics by the IKEA designers and as I tried to convert euros to dollars in my head, translate the signs and figure out how to get my fabric cut, Luke happily munched on some mini M&Ms. I left with 4 meters of fabric and managed to create a tote out of 2 of my new finds that very day. Here is my new pride and joy.

It's priced a little higher than my other totes because the fabric is a heavier weight and a little more expensive. But wow - it sure has been looked at a lot in my store - it is my highest viewed item!

And here is a picture of what will become a future tote or two. (It's the fabric on top - don't mind the mess.) Exciting, no? I can't wait to see what it will look like as a tote bag.

Lots of New Stuff on Etsy!

2008-04-02T08:43:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone - I have been a sewing fool lately and have made a bunch of fun new Fray Baby items. Go check out my Etsy page at http://www.fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com/ to see the KP Kids Blast Off! Rocket blankie, the fun and funky Minnie Mouse polka dot bib and burp sets, and the extra plush and very retro Funky Flower Power and 50s Vintage Kitchen burp cloths. I've started making small pouches to carry in your purse or diaper bag - I actually carry one around with me all the time in my purse - it holds 3 diapers and a pack of travel wipes. Since Luke is older, it is really all I need. Soon I will be making pouches out of some of the fabrics I have created baby items with so matching sets can be purchased.

I'll leave you with some pictures of some new items. In the meantime, check out my site and take advantage of the big APRIL FOOLS SALE that is going through the week and has been extended, ending on Saturday.

Now I Know My ABCs

2008-03-25T17:34:00.002-05:00

Another lap blankie/lovey. This one is a little larger than the previous ones. It measures almost 22" square. It is made of beautiful nursery flannel in a blue and white check with embroidered ABCs and is backed by soft and fluffy white chenille. The blanket is lined with a light interfacing for extra durability and is double stitched and top stitched for extra strength. It is a sweet blanket for a little one.

Now I Know My ABCs Lap Blanket/Lovey $16

50s style Retro Kitchen Chenille Backed Lovey Security Blanket

2008-03-25T08:21:00.005-05:00

This lovey is so cute. I absolutely LOVE the fabric and the light pink chenille back complements it perfectly. This small lap blanket/lovey is 17 1/2" by 17 1/2". I used a lighter weight interfacing which is even better than my original lightweight that I was using. My original interfacing would crease the fabric when folded. This interfacing is so light that it adds a durability to the fabric without resulting in the slight stiffness that would cause it to crease.
This Retro Kitchen lovey is perfectly suited for a sweet little girl. It is double seamed and top stitched for extra durability. It costs $14. SOLD - if you would like this lovey, please let me know, I have enough fabric to make another