Happy New Year's Eve!

It's New Year's Eve and we're having a party in 6 1/2 hours! Every year (minus the year we went to Tahoe for my brother's 21st birthday) we have my sisters and brother and friend (and whomever else wants to come) come over and eat, drink, and play games like Rock Band and the Great DalMoodi (that's totally not how you spell it but hey! I never claimed to be able to spell....) It's way fun and kick back.

So as of right now, my baby is not sleeping... just chattering away in her crib... and I have done nothing other than go to the store and peel ten hundred potatoes! Okay, okay... not ten hundred.... just 15.... but still! For someone who hates to peel potatoes (which should be EVERYONE!) it felt like way more than 15...

I could not for the life of me decide what to make for our party this year. In previous years we've done mac&cheese, fondue, quesedillas, spaghetti.... but I didn't want to have to do any elaborate shopping...

sooooooo....

I had a 10lb bag of potatoes that I got a safeway not long ago when they were on sale for $0.99. Yes, you read that right - 10lbs of potatoes for $0.99! And then last week I found bacon for $0.99 so potato soup it is!

We'll see how it turns out... I'll be sure to write down what I put in so if it's good, I can post the recipe :)

Off to clean, cook, and bake and here's to a New Year filled with all kinds of fabulous!!!

Item of the Week - New Year's Special

So I gave myself the week off... how nice of me! .... but I couldn't stay away :)

Just a few things....

1) Happy 23rd Birthday to my baby brother!

2) I made him a lovely iPod Touch Cozy (but in black)

3) We had a length conversation on whether it should be "Cozy" or "Kozy"

(we are accepting outside opinions! let us know!)

4) An iPhone/iPod Cozy is a great way to keep your iPod warm!

5) In honor of my brother's birthday, and New Year's of course, you can get your very own Cozy for 15% off AND free shipping! Let me do the math for you (since I just went through all of the work to do the math in my head!) iPod/iPhone Cozy $15 at a 15% discount comes to the grand total of $12.75! All orders can be emailed to sweet_ps07@yahoo.com. Don't forget to include what color you want!

Happy New Year!

STOP!

3 days 'til Christmas and I can honestly say I have never felt so rushed! Usually I would think, "3 days? No problem!" But we leave tomorrow to stay with out of town family so not only do I have to finish Christmas gifts, wrapping, shopping, laundry, house cleaning, packing, cooking, baking... I have to do it all by tomorrow! I sat down in my chair (formerly my husband's chair that I have taken over as my sewing chair) and expected to just sit and have a good cry. But as I leaned back to breath I looked right at my daughter's little nativity play set. All the little pieces had been removed and lined up in a perfect line on the floor pre-nap and all that was left on my coffee table was the stable with baby Jesus inside. Nothing else. And isn't that how it should be? With all the hustle and bustle and rushing around to find the perfect gifts, how often we lose sight of the one perfect Gift! So forget the stress, the rush, and the worry and remember that we have the perfect Gift which this whole season is about!

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" — which means, "God with us."

Merry Christmas!

Fudge for the Fudge Challenged

I absolutely love baking Christmas goodies! Usually I stick to the Italian cookies that my Noni taught me how to make when I was a little girl - Chocolate Balls, Dead Bones, Biscotti, cannoli.... I'm a big fan of her recipes because, like me, she rarely measured ingredients! A pinch of salt, a sprinkle of cinnamon. Oh, I don't mind measure flour and sugar (kind of....) but other things... not so much... I know I have measuring spoons somewhere but pretty sure the last time we got them out it was so my Izzy would have drum sticks for her pots... not for measuring things like vanilla and salt....

So if you are a baker you can imagine how much trouble fudge making would be for a non-measurer like me! I love fudge and I've tried to make it for the last few years and surprise, surprise... epic fail! I admitted defeat and continued with my normal fare this year. And then I saw it - Nestle Toll House Famous Fudge recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag! No, it's not the same as old fashion fudge made by a someone with measuring talents (like Pam Eves! Her fudge is divine!) but if you are fudge-challenged like I am, this recipe is for you! There is no candy thermometer involved... and the most measuring I had to do was two cups of marshmallows (which I will admit to NOT measuring.... two handfuls for me.... see! you can't mess this thing up!) Super easy and super tasty! Enjoy!

Toll House Famous Fudge

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups (9-ounces) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.
2. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.

Makes 49 pieces.

For Milk Chocolate Fudge: Substitute 1 3/4 cups (11.5-ounce package.)NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

For Butterscotch Fudge: Substitute 1 2/3 cups (11-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

For Peanutty Chocolate Fudge: Substitute 1 2/3 cups (11-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for pecans or walnuts.

Sweet P's Last Minute Shopping Open House

Sweet P's Last Minute Christmas Shopping Open House

Thursday, December 16 from 6:00pm-8:00pm

3488 Vistamont Drive

San Jose 95118

Come join us for our 2nd annual Christmas Open House. We'll have lots for you to buy and order for all your last minute Christmas gifts! You'll also be entered in our Sweet P's gift card giveaway.

Hope to see you all there!

Sweet P's on Etsy

So I broke down and reactivated our Etsy shop. I set up our shop last year but just didn't have a very good experience with it.... There are just so many people listing that within an hour, you can't even find our listing... But I decided to give it a second chance. You can check it out here! I only listed three things for now and I'll add more soon!

Ready To Ship Items

We made TONS of things for our holiday boutique and sadly.... no one showed up.... On the up side! That means we have TONS of things available for you!!! Everything is made and ready to be delivered which means if you are looking for a last minute Christmas gift, you've found one. I'm not sure if this album is available if you are not a member of Facebook but I thought I'd give it a try. I will be posting all picture here either tonight or tomorrow. If you see something you like, send your order to sweet_ps07@yahoo.com

Don't wait too long or someone else might get what you want!

I'm in Christmas Card Heaven!

So a former co-teacher of mine posted a blog not long ago that included two of my favorite things... Shutterfly and free! Apparently, to get free photo Christmas cards, all I have to do is blog about it! Shouldn't be too hard considering I LOVE Shutterfly to begin with.

When Isabella was born I switched from the photo site I was using to Shutterfly. I switched over because of a promotion for free prints for new members but I found it to be fabulous! I can upload and store all bazillion pictures of my baby (so not exaggerating about the bazillion part...), I have a share site that my out of town family can use to see my little girl grow up, and they have great perks and promotions. I have loved absolutely everything I have ordered from Shutterfly. Whenever my mom and I take Izzy's portraits, I get these fabulous matte, large prints for my wall.

I got this cute little card for my husband for Father's Day

The photo album turn out surprisingly well AND they are so much easier and less time consuming than scrapbooking (as much as I love scrapbooking....) My mom just ordered the most adorable calendars for Christmas presents!

With that said, I have yet to use Shutterfly for Christmas cards. Mostly because I don't usually send out Christmas cards.... Every year growing up, my mom would buy a special stamp and embossing powder and all of us kids made an assembly line to create our family Christmas card. Once I got married, I just never got back into making special Christmas cards to send.... though every year, I get all these picture cards and every year I vow to make photo cards next year.... well guess what, people??

THIS IS THE YEAR!

Guess my only problem now will be deciding what pictures to use! Wish me luck!

pssst... what to get 50 free Christmas photo cards for yourself? Check it out http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Glitter!

My favorite movie! haha just kidding... I just made myself laugh just thinking about that....

Anyways! I think I'm getting more and more delirious the closer this boutique gets. I started painting glass ornaments today and I had this brilliant idea to put glitter in one. I got the idea from this jar a dear friend sent me when he was deployed to Iraq. It is a little jar filled with brightly colored sand that forms a picture of a camel, our names, and the Polish word for 'smile'. I love that little jar! It sat in my classroom for years when I was a teacher and I have to admit, I have spend a great deal of time marveling at the detail that can be achieved with sand.

So I decided I would use my little sand jar for inspiration but just go simple with my ornament... I was just going for gold and silver stripes.... And I now have glitter EVERYWHERE! I spent four years in art school blowing glass, making paper, sculpting, painting, working in the wood shop... and yet I can't pour stinking glitter into a glass sphere without spilling half the bottle... so silly! Though I have to admit, out of all the ornaments I made today, my husband likes this one the best... so I guess it turned out okay!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree - Special Christmas How To

One of my most favorite things about Christmas time (other than all of the lovely music!) are Christmas trees! Well, REAL Christmas trees. I don't do fake trees! As a kid, I loved going and picking one out... trying to figure out which one is the biggest and fullest and straightest.... going home and watching my mom and dad figure out where the hole is so it can go against the wall.... laughing while my dad struggles with the tangled lights because he just threw them in the box the year before... fighting over who gets to put which ornament on with my sisters... I love it all. And they smell so good!!! There is nothing better than walking into your house and smelling a good old evergreen in your living room.

Unfortunately, our little condo does not have room for a Christmas tree. Even less so now that we have an 18 month old running around. Last year, my husband surprised me on Christmas Eve with a little four foot Charlie Brown tree and we squeezed it in for a week or so.

I have to admit, my first year without a Christmas tree was really hard! I had all of these special ornaments from our first year of marriage and I wanted to hang them. So I went out and bought some huge glittery ribbon and made a ribbon tree on the wall behind our couch. Turned out pretty well! I did that for a couple years until I got sick of vacuuming up glitter in JULY! It's been a few years and I still find glitter in my couch.... So last year I tried something new. Turned out to be much easier to hang than my glitter tree AND it doesn't create a glitter disaster. I just used a strand of Christmas lights.

Here's what you will need:

1) 1 strand of Christmas lights

2) some push pins

3) ornaments (preferably ones that are semi-flat and not too heavy)

4) a topper (I usually use a large, wired Christmas ribbon but you could get some sort of flat star. I think I might make an angel this year)

How to hang your tree:

1) Make sure your lights work

I had a little helper this year

2) Find a wall space that has easy access to an outlet

3) Put one push pin where you would like the top of your tree to be

4) Using the end of the lights that does NOT plug into the wall, put the first light around the push pin

5) Go down about 4-5 inches and out 4-5 inches to the right - you can eyeball it - and put your second push pin

6) String your lights over to the second pin

7) Go down 4-5 inches from the SECOND pin and 4-5 to the LEFT of the TOP - place your pin - string your lights

8) Continue down until you've reached about a foot from the floor - you can use a second string of lights if you run out but you shouldn't need to

9) Decorate!

You could do this with white, colored, little, or big lights. I use little white ones because that's all I have. I think I'm also going to do a wall tree made of picture frames! I'll post pictures when that one is up.

I'd love to see pictures if anyone tries this one!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving a day late! What a great time to dwell on all the blessing in our lives. Something we should be doing everyday....

I know last year was my baby's official "1st Thanksgiving" but this year was so much better because she could enjoy all of the food. And boy did she!

Followed by some Noni time

And a little reading time

The only thing missing was my baby brother. But he'll be home for Christmas!

Back to reality of burlap and yarn. One week until Crossroad's Christmas Boutique!

Oh My Buttons!

So I went button shopping the other day and realized that buttons are EXPENSIVE! The fabric store has single buttons up to $15! One button!!! Granted, they are very cool buttons... but still! So you may be able to grasp my abundant excitement when I found a treasure in, where else? My mom's sewing room! I wasn't even looking for anything but I happened to be sitting on the floor (while my mom fixed her serger that I had accidentally may have temporarily broken while trying to sew burlap....) and I happened to see a cool basket under my mom's sewing table. I took it out thinking we could use it for our Christmas Boutique display (Crossroads Bible Church! December 4! Be there!). When I looked inside, I realized I hit the mother load! I found the most fabulous button collection ever! Turns out my 87 year old great aunt has kept every button she ever bought since the Great Depression (which my mother told me I could go home and blog about since I already blogged about her fabric-savin heart....) And of course, these little gems were kept in an old, glass Skippy peanut butter jar.

Seriously, one should probably not get so excited over buttons, but these buttons are amazing! Really, people... it's the little things.... There are buttons in this little Skippy jar like I have never seen before! Check out these little tweed and wool covered numbers.
Makes me want to run out and get some red wool so I can make myself a red coat... just to put these red buttons on! I can't wait to use some of these puppies! I actually had to make a mustard yellow neckwarmer while my little one played in the bathtub just so I could use this lovely black felt button.
Can't wait to use more of these vintage buttons!

Sneak Peek - Christmas Stockings

I had a tons of fleece my mom had left over from who knows what. I was going to make some scarfs but really? Kinda boring... so I thought I'd try my hand at Christmas stockings!

Lessons learned -

1. Fast food napkins make excellent sketch pads

2. Cutting stockings freehand is more difficult than once thought

3. A Serger is a must when using fleece!

4. Who wouldn't want a cowboy boot Christmas stocking?!?

This is a very rough version since I don't have time today to put on all the finishing touches... that and I don't own a serger so all seams will have to wait until Monday when I go to my parents house.....

I'm in love! With plaid!

And my husband (I have to say that or he'll get jealous!!!)

Long ago, in a land far away.... okay, okay... Not so long ago (like a week and a half...), in a land not so far away (my parent's house...) I raided a treasure trove (my mother's fabric box!) and found glorious things! Plaids! Not just any plaids... heavy, flannel plaids my sisters and I used to make jumpers a good 15+ years ago! My mom, bless her fabric-saving heart, was kind enough to let me scrounge around and take whatever I wanted. Heck, it's been there for 15+ years... she obviously wasn't going to use it....

These plaids bring mixed feelings. On one hand, I hate thinking back to that horrible plaid jumper that I thought was so cool at the time (Hey! It was the 90's!)... on the other hand, it is some pretty incredible fabric...

So I made myself forget the image of three sisters in nearly matching outfits (I can't remember due to repressed fashion memory but it's pretty safe to say there were matching hats involved...) and tried to come up with wonderful ways to use my loot.

I decided to go with clutches because, well... I ran out of the burlap I was using to make clutches and it's too late to run to the fabric store....

After cutting and sewing a few plaid clutches, I realized that putting my usual taffeta and organza flower on the front was just not going to do! Even I can't make taffeta work with a heavy plaid flannel! (do you like how well I think through an idea before starting to sew???) So I started experimenting with flowers made out of the flannel and I'm am now in love with my new plaid flower!!!!
I have a feeling you will soon see this flower on a good many things... headbands, clips, pins, handbags, clutches (of course), hats, my daughter's clothing.... yeah, I think I'm going to run with this one 'cuz I like'em. I was going to add a couple more layers of petals but this one is already so big that I don't think it needs anymore... maybe on some smaller ones.... we'll see. I have plenty more plaids to work with!

yarn, yarn... and more yarn

I went shopping today... uh-oh! and bought 11 new kinds of yarn! And Christmas ribbon.... And glass ornaments to paint.... Now I'm slightly overwhelmed...

You may be thinking, "11? That's not that much..." But you have to understand! I'm sitting here with my yarn freshly rolled into balls.... surrounded by all these fabulous new colors and textures and I want to make 345892698236 different things at once! I've already tested all my colors by making a flower of each... I felt like I was blowing glass again... getting ready for my blow slot buy pulling glass flowers...

Anyways... Michael's was having a phenomenal sale this week. Almost all yarn was 50% PLUS I had a coupon for an extra 20% off of all sale items!!! Seriously, the amount I spent for what I bought is just unheard of.... I was so excited that I could stick to my budget and still get the "really good" yarn. And it only took me an hour of putting yarn in my basket... and changing my mind and putting it back... and then getting it again.... back and forth! I just couldn't part with the lime green with metallic thread! <---- it's fabulous! I swear! My poor daughter was a little angel through it all....

I actually went against my cardinal because of this sale.... I bought textured yarn! Oh my! And not just one textured yarn... I bought two! See I have this aversion to boucle yarn.... It's hard to work with, it breaks really easily, and to be frank, I just don't like the look... But that's just my opinion and I know most people disagree with me. It does, however, have a few pluses... it's really soft! I had some brown boucle yarn left over from some neckwarmers from last season so I used it to make my little cousin a teddy bear hat for her baby boy she is having in January. And I actually liked how it turned out so much that I bought more of that same yarn. And the other textured yarn was such a gorgeous color that I couldn't turn it down. I tried to take a picture but my camera phone really doesn't do it justice :( It is seriously the most gorgeous blend of warm light to dark browns and a rusty orange... beautiful! Now to figure out what it's going to become.... I'm thinking it's going to make a great accent flower for a burlap clutch! We shall see!

Through A Forest of Plaid Christmas Trees

So I've had this idea for Christmas trees for awhile and I finally started to create the picture that's in my head. I raided my mom's old fabric boxes to see what kind of Christmas fabric I could find (and in the process, had one of the large rubbermade boxes full of fabric fall on my head... luckily it didn't knock the idea out of my brain! yeah, yeah... cheesy joke... whatever... :) ) I picked my favorite plaid and made myself a few sample 8-12 inch trees. I'm still playing around with decorations so stay tuned!!! I also have a few burlap and lace ones cut out! you know you want to see'em! If all goes well with the decorating, I will have tons of these for you to pick up for yourself at the CBC Holiday Boutique! <---- yeah... I figure if I plug it enough you'll all come out and see all the hard work we've been putting in!!! :)

bad picture, I know... but I'll do a real picture once I have them complete!

Holiday Hats

The first batch of holiday hats is here!

Introducing the Poinsettia Hat $20

And the Bow Hat $18

available in almost any color hat and bow

And the Harvest Slouchy Hat $25

Perfect colors for Thanksgiving! Made of super soft, taupe yarn and orange plaid (or Harvest Dots) fabric.

And I know the bow looks GIGANTIC! but if you wear it in the back or to the side, it's really cute! I wear mine all the time!

Also popular for holiday photos....

The Ribbon Hat $15-$18

available in almost any color hat and ribbon

New Holiday Flower Clips and Headbands pictures are coming this week!

Crushing

I have a crush! Don't worry... it's not a people crush... it's a blog crush! I've been a facebook fan of BellaLu Photography for a few months now and I'm seriously in love with their work! It's amazing!!! I wish I had known about them when I got married because their wedding work is beautiful (not that I don't love my wedding photos... I just really like the BellaLu style...) I started saving my pennies from sales (literally just the pennies :) the rest has to go to the budget! :)) so one day I can book a session for Izzy! Want to check out BellaLu Photography? Now's the time! Once they hit 2,000 fans on facebook, they are giving away 5 randomly selected photo-shoots.

Okay I'm done with my gushing.... Off to calm down my sugar crazed one year old (mistake to give a toddler who has had very little exposer to sugar halloween candy the day after giving yourself a slight concussion by dropping a very heavy box of fabric on your head....) and see if I can get a few more things made for the CBC Holiday Boutique (coming December 4th! yes... that was a shameless plug...) before my husband gets home!

Kid in a Candy Store

Today I was a kid in a candy store! Only it wasn't a candy store... it was my favorite fabric store Fabrics R Us! It was a quick, in and out trip because I had my not-so-fabric-store-friendly toddler with me but it was still glorious! Let me paint this heaven for you... This fabric store has so much fabric that they have to have 3 separate stores all in the same shopping center. The fabrics are so packed in that you can barely walk through the aisles. I literally walk aisle by aisle running my hand over all of the different textured materials! My favorite of the three stores is filled with any fabric you could ever need to make a prom dress mixed with embroidered Indian silks and burlap. AND all the fabric is cheap! Well, cheap in comparison to Joann's.... though I do love Joann's.... If you pay cash, they give you another 4% off :)

But despite all of the exquisite fabrics, there is another reason I love this fabric store... When I walk in, it is like walking straight into a Russell Peters routine! I am so not kidding! Here is a typical conversation I have with the sales woman...

"Um, can you help me with this, please?"

"What you want, honey?"

"How much is this fabric?"

"Two dowlla!"

"Two dollars a yard?"

"Yes! Two dowlla!"

"Can I get a quarter yard?"

"Nooooooooo"

"No?!"

"Nooooooo! Haf yar!!"

"Oh okay... I'll take half a yard..."

"Why only haf yar??"

"Well I only need a quarter...."

"Why not yar??"

"I only needed a quarter...."

"Haf yar! What else you need?"

"That's all I need"

"No more? Why you not need more fabric?"

And so on... even though it takes awhile to get my half yard of fabric it is so worth it just to have the hysterical conversation with the little Asian woman... and to hear the Indian man buying fabric for his daughter's 16 birthday party negotiate prices with the store owner! I no longer need the Comedy channel!

Item of the week Wednesday - Neckwarmers

Item of the Week

November 3-9

15% off of all neckwarmers

Gear up for chilly weather! Neckwarmers are a fabulous way to keep warm without the hassle or bulkiness of a scarf. We have 3 great styles to choose from:

3 Button Classic Neckwarmer - $20

(also available in Boulce yarn)

Chunky Lambswool Neckwarmer - $40

Turkey Time!

Can I just say... I love summer! I love the hot weather, the sun, the beach! Everything! But the holiday season comes in a very close second! And I have to admit, with all the crappy weather we had this summer, I am really very excited for fall and the holidays. I was actually kind of disappointed this morning when my husband told me it was supposed to get up to 80 this week... I was looking forward to getting out my cuddly sweaters, lighting my pumpkin spice candle, and making stew in my crock pot...

Oh my goodness! I'm getting so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas just trying to write this thing!

I love everything about Thanksgiving! I mean really... what's not to love? You get to hang out with family, eating the best food ever, watching the parade and football! I love it! I can't wait to eat sage & sausage stuffing and canollis! As if I'm not already in the holiday spirit, I decided to dress up my house a bit more for Thanksgiving. I already have pumpkins and autumn colors all over but what I really need is turkeys! And burlap of course....

Here is the first version of my new turkey and burlap wreath.

I have quite a bit to add to this little puppy but it will have to wait until tomorrow because I have things to make for Crossroads upcoming Holiday Boutique (December 4th... don't forget!). So check back tomorrow for the finished version!

VOTE!

I'm back after a crazy week and weekend and here to give you a friendly reminder... VOTE!!! It will take you less time than it takes to check your facebook and email... and really, there are very few good reasons not to!

New Hat

We have a few new hat designs perfect for the upcoming season! Here is just a preview.... It's not quite finished yet. I plan on putting a bow, though it, of course, can be requested without the bow. 

In honor of my niece who is studying abroad in Paris this semester 

~ The Vanessa Beret ~

Please ignore the expression of my child eating a sour plum....

More new hats to come! As well as the finished version of this hat!

Item of the Week Wednesday - Flowers

Item of the Week

October 20-26

Buy any 2 flower hair clips or headbands and get 1 free

My computer has decided not to let me upload photos right now....

To see all flowers to choose from, view our catalog here

How To Tuesday - Bat-O'-Lanterns

My How To of the day is cancelled due to a very cranky baby who is cutting molars! Back next week.... :)

Instead, here is a craft I have wanted to try. I got it in a email... I think it might be Disney... Enjoy!

SUPPLIES

BAT-O’-LANTERNS Black acrylic paint Ornamental (miniature) pumpkins Black and white craft foam Wings,ears & eyes Hole punch Glue dots Black duct tape Toothpicks Wooden skewers

Cover your work surface with a drop cloth or newspaper, then paint the pumpkins. Allow them to dry completely.

For each bat, choose a style of wings and eyes from Family Fun’s downloadable template.  Then, trace and cut out two identical eyes from the white craft foam and use the hole punch to make pupils. Adhere the eyes to the pumpkin with glue dots.

Cut a matching pairs of ears and wings from the black craft foam (our wings are about 6 inches long). Attach the ears by taping a toothpick to the back of each one, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of the toothpick exposed, then inserting it into the top of the pumpkin.

Finally, tape a skewer to the back of each wing, leaving a 2-inch point exposed, and push it in place.

Give Away Time!

Time for our first official contest/give away!

Enter your Autumn Cutie in our Little Pumpkin Contest and win a Cutest Little Pumpkin Hat! ($20 value)

Here's how...

1) Email a photo of your little cutie having fall fun to sweet_ps07@yahoo.com OR post photo to our Facebook fan page

2) Your photo entry will be posted to Little Pumpkin Contest photo album on our Facebook fan page (please be aware that this is a public page. First names only will be used and photos will be removed after the contest is completed)

3) Vote for your cutie by liking the photo on Facebook

4) Don't forget to have your friends vote (like) for your entry!

Accepting entries until Wednesday 10/20/2010

Voting open until Thursday 10/21/2010

Entries will be narrowed to the top 3

Top 3 voting open until Saturday 10/23/2010

Winners Cutest Little Pumpkin Hat will be shipped Monday 10/25/2010

Good Luck!

If Your Email is Comcast.net...

I was pretty disappointed to get so many bounce back emails when I sent out our new Sweet P's catalogue. I thought everyone changed their email address on me! Not so... apparently, comcast.net does not allow such large files... I am currently working on the problem. I think I found a site to upload the .pdf but it's still a bit buggy.... 

For now, if you have another email address (not comcast...) and would like a catalogue sent there, please email me your address. Sweet_ps07@yahoo.com

<3

How To Thursday?

I so missed How To Tuesday so I thought I'd make it up with a How To Thursday! Trust me... you're going to want to do this one! 

I was looking at my friend's pumpkin patch pictures yesterday and she seriously had the cutest ghost shirt on. It looked like a ghost had been standing... well, floating... in front of her shirt and got in the way of paint being airbrushed on. It looked easy enough to duplicate but I didn't want to be a total copy cat... so I just copied the style! I decided to go with a pumpkin instead of a ghost for my baby (I'll do a ghost for myself) and sticking with my recent Disney theme, I put Mickey ears on it.

Here's what you will need:

*a shirt or onesie

*a crayon

*thick paper (I used a paper grocery bag)

*a piece of cardboard or the remaining side of the grocery bag to put inside the shirt so the paint won't bleed to the other side

*fabric paint in the color of your choice (I used Orange Glow... it totally glows in the dark!)

*you can use a paint brush if you want but you'll get a better look if you use your finger

How To:

1) Lay your shirt or onesie on a flat work space

2) put cardboard inside and make sure the shirt lays flat and even

3) Using a crayon, draw desired shape on your paper. I use a crayon because the thickness helps when sketching shapes. If you are not confident in your drawing skills, use a bowl or cup to achieve the shape of the body and ears. If you are using a bowl to create the shape of the pumpkin body, you will need to go back and draw in the uneven bottom and top shape of the pumpkin. 

4) Cut out shape

5) Lay template flat on your shirt

Here's the tricky part....

6) You need to make sure that you hold your shape down without moving it while you are painting. Otherwise you will not get a very good shape....

7) Using your finger, carefully spread paint from slightly over the shape outward until you have the desired amount of paint showing. Always spread paint OUT from shape. If you spread inward, you may get paint under your template which will not give you a hard line. 

8) Remove your template

9) Add a face or leave your pumpkin as is 

10) Let dry for a least 24 hours

Here's my finished shirt...

I added a bow to make it Minnie.
I'm still debating whether or not to add a stem....

If you don't have time or just don't want to try on your own, email me at Sweet_ps07@yahoo.com

Have fun! I'm going to go make myself one!

Item of the Week Wednesday - Ribbon Hat

Item of the Week Wednesday

October 13-October 19

10% off of all Ribbon Hats

Available in any size and color. Choose fall combinations like black/orange and taupe/tweed or get a head start on Christmas with off-white/red (pictured). Ribbon Hats are the perfect photo prop for Christmas portraits!

Can't Take A Break....

I realized tonight that I don't have it in me to take a break! I finally finished my long list of things to do and I sat down to watch tv but I just couldn't keep myself from making something! I've spent every evening for months working on our catalogue (email me if you want a copy!), filling orders, making birthday and baby shower gifts... I just couldn't sit in a chair without picking up some yarn! 

Only problem was I didn't know what to make.... 

When I reached into my bag, I happened to grab a ball of black yarn so I just went from there. I started a hat, figuring I would just make an earflap hat for our upcoming booth at Crossroad Bible Church Holiday Boutique (December 4th! Mark your calendars! Don't worry... I'll remind you as it gets closer...) About half way through, I changed direction and decided that Isabella needed a warm hat for our upcoming Disney trip! And here is what my no-direction beginning turn out to be....

Minnie Mouse Earflap Hat!

Not going to lie... I'm pretty excited for her to try it on in the morning!

And now on to the dishes (what I should have been doing instead of watching tv!!!)

<3

New Catalogue

Sweet P's new catalogue is finished and has been sent out! FINALLY!!! We have tons of new things to look at. Unfortunately, the file is too large to attach to this little blog.... Email me your email address and I will get a copy to you. 

Sweet_ps07@yahoo.com

Back Next Week...

I'll be taking the week off of blogging so I can give my full attention to our new catalogue! See you next week with a brand new catalogue of tons of new things!

Pink October

Just a reminder that it's October - Breast Cancer Awareness month! Just made myself a special pink ribbon to wear for the month.

One flower is in memory of my grandmother who died of breast cancer in 1988 and the other flower is for my grandmother's sister who is a breast cancer surviver (she's now cancer-free and in her late 80's!)

All orders for the month of October will include a breast cancer awareness pin in honor of my grandmother and aunt and all others who have been a victim of this horrible disease. 

<3

Boots!

Cold weather is coming! Time for boots for your little one! We have two new styles to choose from...

Greyson Boots 

(shown in Tweed & Taupe)

&

Isabella Boots 

(Shown in Taupe)

I just finished this one tonight... can't wait for my Izzy to try them on tomorrow!

Check out our other shoe styles here!

How To Tuesday - Chocolate!

I fully intended on sharing a pattern today but with orders pending, my sewing area (aka my kitchen table...) was not in any shape for me to start another project. So this How To Tuesday is going to be a baking day!

A friend posted this fabulous looking recipe on her blog a while back and I have been dying to try it! But I didn't have any M&Ms.... or yellow cake mix.... or the desire to go to the store... 

So I improvised - which happens to be my favorite thing while cooking or baking! I get it from my dad... only I don't substitute frozen fruit punch concentrate for butter in chocolate chip cookies or left over macaroni salad (with pickles) on pizza....

As I said, I didn't have any yellow cake mix or M&M but I did have Devil's Food Cake and peanut butter. Umm yummmm! 

1 box of Devil's Food Cake (I'm a big fan of the Moist Supreme... and not just because it was on sale for $0.99... must be the cup of pudding in every box...)

1/2 melted butter (I used margarine because I only keep butter in the house during Christmas cookie baking season)

2 eggs

peanut butter (or hersey's kisses or peanut butter cups or what ever you want)

powdered sugar (optional)

*mix cake mix, butter, and eggs

*roll into 1 inch balls

*roll ball in powdered sugar (optional) and place on baking sheet

*using the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb, create space for peanut butter (or candy of choice)

*add peanut butter

*bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes (don't over cook!)

Yummy, easy, cheap, and chocolate! What more could you ask for??? Unless you are my daughter... apparently she doesn't care for chocolate cookies.... 

Custom Baby Shower Bundles

And we're back after a weekend of migraines....

Friday I posted a sneak peek of a baby shower bundle.... soooo here's the rest! 

This bundle was for a good friend of mine who happens to have a mild obsession with burlap.... which she has passed on to me.... She had me make her a burlap tote bag once and I've been hooked ever since! So I obviously had to use burlap somewhere in her gift. I went with the bag. The bag is burlap and camo (what little boy doesn't need a little camo in his life??) and can be used for just about anything. 

Inside was the following:

Camo Lovey Bear

(he does not photograph well, unfortunately)

Monkey Earflap Hat in Tweed & Taupe

Tweed & Taupe Boots

(We're going to call these the "Greyson" boots in our catalogue in honor of little Greyson Michael)

Little Man Onesie in Brown Floral

What your own custom baby shower bundle? Email sweet_ps07@yahoo.com for a consultation! 

Happy Monday!

<3

Sneak Peek

Sneak peek of my new favorite booties to make...

Really?? Does it get any cuter than that?!? And they're not even finished! Check back Saturday for a look at the finished product along with all the other goodies in this baby boy bundle!

Item of the Week Wednesday - Pumpkins

Item of the Week - September 22-29

Free Pumpkin 

value $8

with the purchase of any of the following:

* 3 Pumpkins - $20 - measures between 4-5 inches in diameter

* Pumpkin Trick or Treat Basket - $22 - measures 10-12 inches in diameter and is reenforced with wire.

* Cutest Little Pumpkin Hat - $20 - available in baby to adult sizes

Email orders to sweet_ps07@yahoo.com