Goodbye Summer!

I hope that you are all enjoying a Labor Day weekend filled with family, friends, and fun!

Saturday Giveaway - Onkie Bazoobie

Congratulations to Deb!
She is the lucky winner of the pendant from the fabulous Etsy shop, The Pretty Peacock. Thank you so much to Ana for participating in this giveaway and for such a lovely prize! You can visit Ana's shop by clicking on any of the pictures in her Etsy mini on my right sidebar. You can also view the shops of previous participants and preview upcoming shops that will be offering more fabulous giveaways!

This week from the talented artist, Danielle, we have a gorgeous hand distressed picture frame. Just take a look at this...

Here is some more information from Danielle about how she created this beautiful one of a kind frame:

My papering technique makes the paper look like it is seamlessly merged onto the frame and is really quite a beautiful process. I have done quite a bit of hand distressing on each and every corner to give it an aged look and make it feel like a piece that has been handed down throughout the years. I handstamped the word "believe" in a copper bookplate set with copper tacks. The picture opening is 4x6 and the entire frame measures 9x7.

How can this be yours you ask?

* Click HERE to visit Danielle's shop, then return to this post to let us know your favorite item.

* Make sure you leave your email address so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

* Only one entry per person

The fine print... This giveaway will be held from Saturday, August 30th - Friday, September 5th. The drawing will close at 10pm EST. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in next Saturday's Giveaway thread. This drawing is open to anyone, Danielle is willing to ship worldwide.

Good Luck!

And please check out the rest of my blog - there is much to see!

Buy Something New Today - Cancer Awareness

Today's selections have been chosen in honor of my husband. Just 3 months ago he was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL). He spent another tough day at the hospital in preparation for his bone marrow transplant next week. He has shown so much courage and strength throughout this ordeal. So from Alayna and I - we love you!

C A N C E R A W A R E N E S S

This pendant from Gems by Em can be custom created to your specifics - but I love the simple message. Hope.

30% of the proceeds from Etsy shop Mirrorific will be donated towards Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in San Diego.

And this sterling silver with swarovski charm bracelet from Rosebud Boutique is shown in colors to show your support for Leukemia.

An apple a day...

We went to the Farmer's Market today and scored all kinds of goodies. We picked up a nice baguette because my husband is dying to make some cheesy garlic bread. I bought a bag of apples and I am figuring out what to try and make with them. You can see Alayna sampling the merchandise. Some local wine, a bunch of sunflowers, and some nice yellow tomatos!

What a perfect day...

Alayna is wearing my Pretty Paisley Flower shirt, available now.

Witch City...

I am being overrun by witches!

I am so glad that my little witch shirt is so popular! Better order yours today before they all fly away!

Something new to love...

Today Alayna and I went to welcome our newest neighbor. They opened a brand new Michael's in a plaza fairly near our home. I had my trusty 40% off coupon with me and I was ready to shop. They had alot of great deals to celebrate their grand opening week and was able to take advantage of a few of them. I had thrown a rotary cutter into my cart and thought I would use my coupon towards that. But as I wheeled my way through the aisles I found this...

It is perfect for my ribbon and other little things. My ribbon had been in plastic containers on a nearby shelf but it was kind of a pain having to open each container seeing which was the best match. Like my thread, I can now just glance up and see everything at once. My handy hubby hung it up for me lickety split.

Can you tell I love organization! In my studio anyways!

Hello - old friend...

Today I decided to venture up into our attic and find something to dust off and bring into the furniture rotation. I found an old friend. She hasn't really found a permanent place in our house so she had been residing up in dustville for the last couple of years.

I bought her in the Fall of 2004 after we first moved here. There was an antique sale at a local church and I snagged her up for a song! She has a beautiful antique white finish with lovely little crackles.

I thought I could find her a home in my studio. I tried several places and I don't think it's going to work. I am already busting at the seams and need a bigger place to create. Maybe I can move her out into our hallway?

I referred to this desk as "her" 4 times.

Saturday Giveaway - The Pretty Peacock

Congratulations to Diane!

She is the lucky winner of the set of earrings from the fabulous Etsy shop, Lily in the Garden. Thank you so much to Lily for participating in this giveaway and for such a lovely prize! You can visit Lily's shop by clicking on any of the pictures in her Etsy mini on my right sidebar. You can also view the shops of previous participants and preview upcoming shops that will be offering more fabulous giveaways!

This week we have a gorgeous Etsy shop called The Pretty Peacock. Ana specializes in heirloom quality Indian influenced jewelry. She creates custom pendants and bracelets using sterling silver and Swarovski crystals. She has been so generous to offer this beautiful eco friendly silver pendant and ball chain to my blog readers.

Here are some details from Ana's shop:

This is a beautifully unique, eco-friendly sterling silver teardrop pendant ( I try to purchase all my metals from companies who use Earth friendly means of refining).

I hand stamped the Sanskrit word "Abhaya", which means "Fearlessness". I oxidized the characters slightly so they would stand out against the shiny metal. I wire wrapped a gorgeous, 6mm bicone Swarovski crystal in garnet and used a sterling silver Bali spacer and headpin to set off the exotic theme of the necklace. The pendant set is hung from an 18" ball chain

How can this be yours you ask?

* Click HERE to visit Ana's shop, then return to this post to let us know your favorite item.

* Make sure you leave your email address so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

* Only one entry per person

The fine print... This giveaway will be held from Saturday, August 23rd - Friday, August 29th. The drawing will close at 10pm EST. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in next Saturday's Giveaway thread. This drawing is open to anyone, Ana is willing to ship worldwide.

Good Luck!

And please check out the rest of my blog - there is much to see!

Try Something New Today - Green Chile

Today I am longing for family and home.

I'm from New Mexico and my parents and most of my family still live there. When I think of NM I think of the food. I grew up with green and red chile. While I didn't particularly enjoy eating it when I was younger I have come to appreciate it more and more. Living in New Mexico you find chile everywhere. You eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The common question when you go out to eat is - red or green? If you like them both - it's Christmas. You can even find a green chile hamburger at McDonald's and other fast food restaurants. During Fall you can smell the chile roasting in the air. The local Smith's grocery store sells them by the burlap bag full and they have giant roaster's out front with flames lapping away.

Unfortunately New Hampshire isn't known for it's overabundance of chile. When my parents make a trip out this way they pack a large cooler full of dried red chile, frozen roasted green chile, and tamales. (Thanks Mom!) But if we run out 3 or 4 months later then we just have to wait and salivate until they come again.

So I decided to buy some green chiles at my supermarket and roast them at home. There is a process to follow.

I was in the mood for green chile meatloaf and canned wasn't going to cut it. Sadly the chile greatly lacked in the heat and flavor department.

Green Chile Meatloaf


1 pound ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Hatch green chiles roasted, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce (I used v8)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 eggs
1 cups bread crumbs1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ground beef, onions, garlic, chile, cheese, thyme, eggs, bread crumbs and season liberally with salt and pepper. Mix by hand until mixture is combined. Form into loaf on lightly oiled shallow baking pan. Brush outside of loaf with ketchup and brown sugar. Bake in oven until just cooked through (about 40 minutes). Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

I served this with some roasted garlic and onion potato wedges. Dinner was good - but could've been better with some flavorful New Mexican green chile.
If you are like me, and don't live near NM - order some of your own up here.

Buy Something New Today - Pottery

I am truly in awe of crafts other than mine. Actually I think of some more like art. Today the spotlight is shining on hand crafted pottery. I love the texture, the uneven color palette, the sturdiness, just the pure gorgeousness. I only have a couple of pieces in my collection - but after today's post I would love to have alot more!

P O T T E R Y

First is this perfect little bloom vase from La Pella Pottery. I love the shape of this as it reminds me of a beehive (another thing I love!). The colors are beautiful and earthy. This is a great starter piece that would show beautifully on a window sill or a bookcase.

Next is this simple but perfect bowl from Clay Slinging Mama. It has a generous size that makes it great for a variety of uses. I love how the finish drips towards the bottom - it gives it so much character. The colors are so warm and so lovely and would work in a variety of decor.

And lastly, from Montezuma Mudd is this most beautiful berry bowl/colander and plate. This artist is actually located in Mancos, Colorado - not too far away from where I grew up. I love supporting people and places that mean something to me. This set is so amazing and functional and would work for all of the fresh fruit in season now.

All three of these pieces would be perfect and thoughtful gifts for anyone on your list (ME!) and are all priced below $30. So if you have someone to buy for check out these functional works of art and browse the shops. You will probably see me there too.

What a difference...

I can't believe it has taken me so long to move my thread rack right next to my ironing board. It has only been there for one day and already it makes such a difference! It had been on a shelf on the other side of my room. Now it's not like I have an olympic sized swimming pool for a room - but still. When I am ready to stitch and looking for thread I just glance up and there they all are.

Shiny Happy Thread!

I'm Cuteable!

Well atleast my boy's dinosaur shirt is anyways!

I received an email this morning from Lynsey at Cuteable that she picked my boys dino tee to be featured on her blog. He is one of my favorites so I was really happy to see him there. And Cuteable is a really fantastic blog to be seen at so I am thrilled at the chance!

The timing is actually really good. Just last night I finished my darling dino tee for girls. What do you think?

I finally made it to the front page!

Doing the happy dance!! I really didn't think it was a very big deal until it actually happened to me! My wonderful Etsy friend Lisa sent me a message this morning that one of my shirts was in a treasury on the front page.

Thank you to Lisa for sending me this screen shot and to Etsy seller StaceyDawn for picking my Pretty Paisley Flower shirt. : )

The witch has been picked...Again!

I was so happy to open up a message from Sarah of Cool Midwest Mom. She wanted to let me know that she was featuring my witch tutu shirt in her blog.

Thank you Sarah! : )

Alayna's Closet Giveaway

I just want to let you all know that the girls over at Raechele's blog are holding a giveaway for one of my shirts! The drawing starts today and ends on 8/24. Click on the picture to visit their blog and enter for your chance to win this shirt!

Merci, Gracias, Danke, Thank you!

I had spotted this award given out to a fellow Etsian and blogger earlier this week - she then passed it along to Sydnei of Simply Sentimental. Who I am delighted to say passed it on to me!

Thank you so much Sydnei! I love reading your blog and browsing your shop and am thrilled that you also enjoy mine.

My time with my blogging crown has been short - but I must part with it. I have decided to pass it along to Kari of Spring Chick. She has been an inspiration to me in many ways and I love reading her blog. She always has a fun mix of posts and beautiful pictures to share. And of course you know she also has a wonderful Esty shop that you have to check out!

What the Hail!?

I almost lost you guys!

A big bright bolt of lightening followed by a huge window rattling crackle of thunder. Shortly after came the onslaught of rain and hail. It looked really cool until I tried to get online. Our powerstrip is fried - but luckily she took the brunt of it and saved the rest! Thanks powerstrip! : )

Saturday Giveaway - Lily In the Garden!

Congratulations to KY Girl!

She is the lucky winner of 2 set of address labels from the fabulous Etsy shop, Bohtieque. Thank you so much to Julie for participating in this giveaway and for such a lovely prize! You can visit Julie's shop by clicking on any of the pictures on her Etsy mini on my right sidebar. You can also view the shops of previous participants and preview upcoming shops that will be offering more fabulous giveaways!

This week from the terrific mother and daughter shop, A Lily in the Garden, we have some very stylish, earth friendly Sunny Flower earrings!

What a pretty way to show your love for the planet! These sweet flower earrings are made from recycled aluminum soda cans. Don't worry, they've been hand filed for smoothness and any scraps have been returned to the recycling bin. This pair features soft yellow and orange on silver. On elongated silver palted earwires, they measure 2" (5cm) long and 1" (2.5cm) at the widest. Super lightweight, they're as easy on your ears as they are on the environment!

How can these be yours you ask?

* Click HERE to visit Lily's shop, then return to this post to let us know your favorite item.

* Make sure you leave your email address so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

* Only one entry per person

The fine print... This giveaway will be held from Saturday, August 16th - Friday, August 22nd. The drawing will close at 10pm EST. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in next Saturday's Giveaway thread. This drawing is open to anyone, Lily is willing to ship worldwide.

Good Luck!

And please check out the rest of my blog - there is much to see!

Warm fuzzy feeling...

I just wanted to remind all my wonderful, lovely, and smart readers that the current giveaway is closing in less than 23 hours! Click here to enter for your chance to win!

And I really have to gush about how much I love Julie's shop - Bohtieque. I had already told you that I ordered some custom designed products from her along with the adorable Mr. Pumpkinhead labels. She was so wonderful to work with and when my labels arrived I fell in love with them... Can you love stickers? YES!

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I am so glad to have discovered Bohtieque for my own personal shopping. That is really what Etsy is about. Finding "gems".

Buy Something New Today - Boys!

My good friend Linda's son, Giovanni, just celebrated a birthday. So today's theme is great gifts for boys - in honor of him! Let's hear it for the boys...

B O Y S !

I have been eyeing this first shop for awhile as there are so many cute things. But these army men soap are so clever I just had to include them. These are single use soaps - you receive 15 of them. Use one each time your little guy takes a bath - he gets clean and has a new toy at the end of tub time! Check out Annie's Powder Room and guaranteed you find something you love.

Next is this adorable pirate pillow. Such a popular theme brought to life in this generously sized pillow. I love the original design and style. He even has a peg leg and a hook for a hand! I know several boys that would love this for a gift. You can get your very own by visiting Wonder and Whimsy.

And I saved this little goodie for last. From the Etsy shop, Cookie Dough, a brightly colored box has been painted and glued shut. But inside the monsters mouth your little one can search for over 40 mini treasures hidden amongst the beads. You can even play I Spy as there is a contents list included on the bottom of the box. What a smart idea!

Christmas presents?

I think I could make these for many of my friends and family and they would love them! What else am I going to do with the remaining 22 feet of this paper?! But I am so excited to say that I found the exact same shelf paper they used in the Family Fun article. You gotta love Target!

So without further adieu ---

I went with a round pizza pan because I thought that would be a more interesting shape than the traditional rectangle cookie sheet. It made it a little bit more difficult in trying to cut out the circle - but what I did was use the little paper that was taped on the inside of the pan and traced that. Of course it was smaller than I needed so I cut about an inch larger than what I traced. And in my haste to put this together I didn't completely peel off the price sticker and you can sorta see the little bumps of the sticker residue. Inside the bottle caps I had the perfect size button so I glued them in. The little can was from sliced mushrooms and that was easy to cover. I just added some ribbon trim around it to jazz it up a bit. The magnets I bought are crazy strong - next time I will look for something a little less powerful. :P And I finished off my little beauty with a brown ribbon tied in a bow to cover the nail.

I can't wait to do some more!

My handy helper...

Now that I have changed my packaging and colors to be more inclusive of boys and girls - I have alot more raffia to deal with.

I had a wooden dowel left over from some other project and was trying to think of a way to use it as a dispenser. I couldn't think of a good way to attach it to the wall though. As I was digging through another closet I found a pair of curtain rods that had been taken out of another room after redecorating. These of course came with brackets for the wall and it was the perfect size to hold all of my raffia. My hubby hung it up for me and I am loving it! It keeps everything orderly and out of my way.





I was thinking either above my shipping table for the cookie sheet message center or maybe one sideways above my raffia bar? We'll have to see...

The Mummy has been spotted!

I am so happy to share that my mummy was picked as a "Fabulous Fall Find" on Raechele's blog - for Spunky Little People!

Check it out!

I'm on a mission!

I am off to buy some cookie sheets, shelf paper, and magnets.

I was reading one of my favorite magazines and saw this and thought it was so pretty! They will be perfect to hang on the wall above my shipping table. I only hope I can find paper as nice looking as the one they show.

Message Center

Get the message across with a repurposed cookie sheet.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Non-aluminum cookie sheet
Ruler
Scissors
Self-adhesive shelf liner
Scrap of wood
Hammer
Large nail
Empty can
Glue (we used Crafter's Pick The Ultimate)
Supermagnets
Bottle caps
Card stock
Markers

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. Measure the back of your cookie sheet and cut a piece of shelf liner that's an inch wider and an inch taller. Stick the shelf liner to the back of the cookie sheet by peeling off one corner of the liner and laying it down on a corner of the cookie sheet. Slowly pull the backing away as you smooth the liner onto the sheet. Cut off the excess shelf liner. 2. To make a hole for hanging, place the cookie sheet over a piece of scrap wood and use a hammer to punch a nail through the center of the rim. 3. For the pencil holder, cut a piece of shelf liner that's about an inch taller than the can. Wrap the liner around the can so that the ends overlap a bit, then cut off the excess liner. Glue two magnets to the side of the can. 4. For the bottle-cap magnets, glue a magnet inside of each cap. Cut a piece of card stock to fit the cap, write a name on it, and glue it on top of the magnet.

Hopefully I will have some nice photos of my project that I will add soon!

Alayna's Closet Cuties!

Want one of these?

Here is where you can find all of the information and benefits of joining the official Alayna's Closet Cuties Club.

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Perks

• Show off your cutie on my blog
  
• Free personalized wooden hanger
  
• Exclusive discounts in Alayna's Closet

How to Join

Simply submit a picture of your cutie wearing their Alayna's Closet shirt or sporting their one of a kind tote bag. It will be displayed in the slideshow at the bottom of my blog.

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For more information or to become an Alayna's Closet Cutie Clubmember - contact me at AlaynasCloset@gmail.com

To see current ACCC's look for them in the slideshow at the bottom of my blog.

Mummy's Home!

Now available in Alayna's Closet!

What is it...

New fabric has arrived in Alayna's Closet

Isn't it lovely?!

A big gorgeous pile of fabric fresh out of the dryer and ready to be ironed, folded, and put away.

No what to make with it is the question...

Saturday Giveaway - Bohtieque!

Congratulations to Jodi!

She is the lucky winner of the Quick Trip Organizer in her choice of pink or blue from Zwei Baby. Thank you so much to Heather for providing such a fun prize! You can visit Heather's shop by clicking on any of the pictures on her Etsy mini on my right sidebar. You can also view the shops of previous participants and preview upcoming shops that will be offering more fabulous giveaways!

I have had the pleasure of working with our next artist for my own personal and business needs. Bohtieque is an amazing shop full of original designs for address labels, note cards, and picture greeting cards. I think very highly of Julie and her work - and if you aren't lucky enough to win this weeks prize - I would recommend shopping with her for any of your correspondence needs.

But for one lucky person - up for grabs are 2 sets of these beautifully classic address labels called I Take Beauty. The winner will receive a total of 60 round 1.5 inch glossy labels.

How can these be yours you ask?

* Click HERE to visit Julie's shop, then return to this post to let us know your favorite item.

* Make sure you leave your email address so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

* Only one entry per person

The fine print... This giveaway will be held from Saturday, August 9th - Friday, August 15th. The drawing will close at 10pm EST. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in next Saturday's Giveaway thread. This drawing is open to anyone, Julie is willing to ship worldwide.

Good Luck!

And please check out the rest of my blog - there is much to see!