tartocstreasures winner!

Pam Hoffman is the lucky winner for last week's giveaway from tartocstreasures, she will be contacted today :D Thanks for entering Pam!

Interview and Giveaway with Seababe!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, I know I did, and I wish it didn't have to end. But alas, it does. To make this week back a tad more bearable, we are hosting another giveaway! This week's giveaway is sponsored by seababe, creators of fine, casual, beachy jewelry :)

Kristin and David run both Seababe and Seababejewelry on Etsy and the two shops, although both offering jewelry, offer very different styles and price ranges. Between the two shops, you are sure to find something that fits your needs.

Read on to learn more about the amazing couple behind this fantastic shop:

What prompted you to start a second shop? How is this new one different than the other?

We were prompted to start a new shop when Kristin started working with new materials like leather and glass. The new style was a little more casual than our Sea Babe Jewelry shop, so we thought it was a good time to expand. The second shop has turned into a more casual and inexpensive shop, while the original shop has all our gold pieces, and some items that have a higher ticket price.

Who started the jewelry making, Kristen or David? How did it begin?

We started making jewelry together. It all began as a hobby and escalated to more.

Where do you find your inspiration for your pieces?

We are inspired for our pieces by the ocean, surf culture, history, traveling, current fashion trends, and even our customers! We get our inspiration from many different sources.

What is the most valuable advice you have ever been given? About the shop, life, whatever?

One piece of advice that sticks out in our minds is to "mind your business." Meaning that we need to be aware of what's going in in all aspects of your business.


Seababe has offered one of my lucky readers a chance to win a pair of their Pink Posie Earrings:

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit seababe and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, December 6, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 7th. What are you waiting for? Get started!

Recipe for Pumpkin Pie from Scratch!

Matt and I got a pumpkin with the hopes of carving it for Halloween. Well, that didn't happen, but we decided that we couldn't let it go to waste and made a pie out of it. Here's the recipe we used as well as helpful photos of the process :D If you make you own, please share your results, recipe, photos, or whatever in the comments!

Ingredients:

· For Filling:

o -Pumpkin (some recipes specify a pie pumpkin, but we used a normal carving pumpkin)

o -12 oz can evaporated milk

o -1 cup sugar

o -1 tsp ground cinnamon

o -1 tsp ground ginger

o -1 tsp ground cloves

o -1/2 tsp salt

o -2 large eggs

· For Pie Shell:

o -1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

o -1 cup firm unsalted butter

o -1/3 cup ice water

For your pie shell:

Step 1:

Cut the butter into the flour

Step 2:

Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients. Pour in the ice water a little at a time (on low speed) until your mixture begins to clump and hold together.

Step 3:

Remove the formed dough from the mixer and sprinkle a bit of flour before wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating for an hour.

Step 4:

Remove the dough after it has set in the refrigerator and roll out the dough using a pie crust bag or placing it in between wax paper. Place the dough in your pie pan.

For Filling:

Step 1:

Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and extra string.

Step 2:

Place both halves on a foil lined baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake your pumpkin at 350˚ for about 1.5 hours or until tender.

Step 3:

Scoop out the flesh, which should be quite soft and puree the pumpkin using a hand or regular blender (we had whole cloves instead of ground cloves and actually combined them with the pumpkin in the blender in this step) (also, see how the pumpkin is still steaming? and the steam above the blender? I don't have anything to say about that that adds to the recipe, but I think its cool :))

Step 4:

After pureeing, combine together the sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger and salt in a separate bowl.

Step 5:

In a separate bowl beat eggs and stir in your dry ingredients as well as your pumpkin. Mix well and slowly add in the evaporated milk while you stir. Make sure the filling is blended and smooth. Preheat your oven to 375˚

Step 6:

Pour your pumpkin mixture into your pie shell.

Step 7:

With your oven already pre-heated, bake pie in the middle of the oven for 50 to 65 minutes.

Cool and serve with whipped cream and cinnamon or whatever you prefer J

Last Week's Winner

By random number generator, last week's winner was chosen today and it happened to be number 1! The winner will be contacted today :)

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a chance to win a colorful bracelet from tartocstreasures!!

Interview and Giveaway from tartocstreasures

There is a new giveaway this week! This week's giveaway is from tartocstreasures, the maker of unique and colorful jewelry in between her nursing and her life :)

Read on to learn more about her design process, and where she finds her inspiration!

How would you describe your aesthetic? What kind of person do you see wearing your jewelry when you create it?

As far as aesthetic: I prefer to use natural stones and arrange them in color combination that is both eye catching and unique.

I see people wearing my items as someone who enjoys having a unique handmade item of their own to wear, either free spirits or more conservative of any age

Where do you find most of your inspiration for your pieces?

Whenever I get inspired and picture what I want to make in my head, I find time. If I dont it just ticks away at me and I can't wait to see how the finished product looks.

I get inspiration in many different ways, from a color combo someone is wearing to inspiration from the great outdoors, to inspiration from my love of animals and the sea. Every time I sell a piece it is like I am giving away a piece of myself as I put my heart and sole into each item I make.

tartocstreasure's is offering up her Patriotic at Heart Memory Wire Bracelet (shown above) to one of my lucky readers!

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit tartocstreasures and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, November 29, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 30th. Don't delay, go visit her shop now!

Puppy Sweater

I knit this up real quick a while back while Lisa was still a small pup, she's grown since then and now fits into it rather nicely.

Very simple knit, designed it as I went along and it is my first dog sweater, what do you think? I like the hood, gives it a different attitude :)

I just have to brag, little miss Lisa is only oh...not even 6 months old yet and can sit, lay down, stay, come, shake and now roll over! All on command! I am so proud of her, she is so smart :D Its ok to be jealous, I know you are hehe.

Color and Inspiration

What inspires you? Is it the way you feel at a given time? Something somebody says? Music? A picture? For me, its color. I love color. Yes I think those grey backgrounds and muted tones are chic and sophisticated a lot of the time, but I couldn't live like that, I need color! Color in my house, color in my clothes, color in my food.

stephaniecorfee might be able to help me out with the color in the house part. I absolutely love her shop and want to put it up in the house we're moving in to in a few weeks. I want to carry it around with me and show everyone so they can be inspired too. But I guess posting some of my faves here will suffice for now, won't it?

As always, clicking on the pictures will take you to the listings in her shop :) And please feel free to share your inspirations in the comments!

Yellow Order

Let me show you a recent custom order I created.

I love them. I didn't want to let them go! I hand dyed the yarn myself and we all know how much I love the color yellow. Sad to see them leave, but so happy they'll be keeping someone else's hands toasty warm :D

I knit them out of this yarn, that I mentioned back in this post.

They were knit in a nice ribbed pattern to ensure that they fit a range of arm sizes and the mitten flap open up to allow the fingers to move freely to unlock the door, turn on the car, answer the phone, and reach into your wallet all without having to sacrifice the warmth of your hand!

Interview and Giveaway from hotpinkchick

Ready for this week’s giveaway?! I am :D Although I can’t win, I am excited to send off another great item from another fantabulous Etsy seller.

This week’s giveaway is sponsored by hotpinkchick. Bonnie, the woman behind the magic, is mother to both human and fur babies. While she loves bold color, she also favors clean lines and understated elegance. Read our interview to learn more about this amazingly talented woman:

Where did you first learn how to design jewelry?

At my dining room table with my daughter and her friends. I'm only half kidding there. I've always been creative and grew up in an artistic family, but jewelry making was a happy accident. My daughter loved to bead when she was very young and we had a beading party for her birthday one year. I liked it so much I eventually started making 'big girl' pieces for myself. Then friends, coworkers and ladies at the grocery store (seriously) wanted to buy them, so I began selling. Over time I continue to learn, grow and develop my own style and realized I had truly found my passion.
What motivates you most to continue with your craft when you are just having a down-day?

Creating is like therapy for me, so motivation is never a problem. I'm new to Etsy though, so it's easy to have down days when you're trying to find your footing in a new venue. It's alot of work getting your name out there, but instead of getting discouraged, I just get to work. Making new pieces that I'm proud of is my biggest motivator.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you regarding your craft, your business or your life?

Love what you do and never give up. The two really go hand in hand for me. If you love what you do, you'll stick with it and the longer you stick with it, the more likely you are to succeed.

Don't forget to visit Bonnie at her Facebook page, or on Twitter!

And now for the Giveaway!

Bonnie is offering one of my readers their choice of color in these wonderful Christmas earrings! Frosted beads, antiqued brass, long dangles, what’s not to love?

Interested in learning how you can win a pair for yourself?

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit hotpinkchick and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, November 22, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 23rd. So what are you waiting for? Get started!

Its Time to Bundle Up

Its looking grey outside again today and that means its time to throw on your heavy coat (I don't care that this is southern New Mexico and what I just typed translates to "throw on your windbreaker" most of the time, it does get cold occasionally).

Anyway, I know I do coat posts all the time, but its been a while, I promise.

Here is just one delectable coat I ran across yesterday. It looks so chic, so warm and so awesome! I definitely need this one in my wardrobe.

1960s Military Style Coat from allencompanyinc

Winner!

No, not the winner for this week's giveaway, he or she will be announced next Monday, but I was the winner of a giveaway a while back! MusicalKitten held a giveaway on her blog and I was lucky enough to be the winner :)

My guitar pick earrings came in the mail last week and I've worn them so many times already since them, I even have them in my ears right now! They are so light, so funky and get so many compliments (not to mention, my boyfriend likes them because he plays the guitar ;)).

Hop on over to her shop and get yourself some!

I Will Be Famous Someday

And when I am famous, this will be my first red carpet dress:

Shake Dreams From Your Hair from clairelafaye

What's Been Happenin' Lately

I know I haven't been posting like I should, and to be honest, I don't get time to post till the evening these days and I figure that people don't read them if I post so late. Like its not worth it to post if you aren't going to post before noon. Is this true? Do you still read my posts even when they come later? Please tell me :)

But in the mean time, I really should tell you what I've been up to! I have SO many custom orders for the holidays, I've been doing loads of knitting and some dyeing too!

Here are some of the yarns I dyed this past weekend for custom orders:

This yellow one is my favorite (granted, I'm partial to yellow...) It is so gorgeous, so soft, subtle but happy :) It is being knit into a pair of custom elbow-length knucks as we speak. (Knucks are my word for fingerless mittens with a mitten flap)

This purpley-blueish-greenish yarn goes with a bright light green that I have yet to photograph, but they will be made into a pair of little girl's fingerless mitts and matching flower hat.

What have you been up to lately? Feel free to post links to blogs and photos :)

Oh! and don't forget our giveaway, it ends on Sunday night! The button is up there in the left hand corner, be on the look out for more, I would like to do them every Monday (and if you are interested, feel free to give me a note :))

Picnic with Ducks

Recently a friend of mine and I decided that for lunch, we wanted to go for a picnic.

There is a really cool duck pond on campus and it seemed natural that we go there. The ducks thought we were just the coolest thing since sliced bread (probably because they thought they were getting some hehe) and literally swarmed around our feet.

Swarmed.

The geese are mean, they bully not only the other ducks, but us too! We were lucky we didn't get bit and can stomp loud enough to scare them away.

Interview and Giveaway from Designerfavors

Dawn is the artist behind the shop designerfavors on Etsy. After having difficulties trying to find the right favors for her wedding 5 years ago, Dawn decided to make her own and after making some for her sister’s wedding a few years later, she chose to sell them! Allowing her brides to customize their favors lets them pick and choose something that works for them, that fits perfectly with their wedding aesthetic.

Her shop has blossomed into more than just wedding favors, she now offers favors for baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays and, of course, the holidays!

Read on to learn more about this amazing artist and see what you can win from her shop :)

Are you a self-taught artist?

Pretty much. I've never been to any creative classes or scrapbooking parties but I have seen a lot of other people's work. I usually do trial and error to mimick a look I like or a style I come up with all my own. I also get a lot of inspiration at craft store. They have really wonderful items on display and I always think "I can do that".

What is your favorite way to learn new techniques, books, YouTube videos, having someone else teach you first?

I mostly like to learn by trial and error again. I just figure out how to do something in my own unique way.

Where do you tend to find most of your inspiration?

Actually, just browsing through craft stores or down the scrapbooking isle. I tend to see items I like and just put them together. Whether it's coordinating papers or new items on display I just find something I like and try to do it myself.

What is one piece of advice you think is essential everyone know?

Do what makes you happy! I think that's true in life and in the life of etsy. If you build a business around something you don't like doing you will get burned out and frustrated. As long as you enjoy what you do you will always be motivated.

You can keep up with designerfavors by her blog, facebook fanpage, or on Twitter.

Now for the Giveaway:

Just in time for the upcoming Christmas season, Dawn is offering one of my readers a set of 24 personalized tags (8 of each design). These tags are about 2 ½ inches in diameter and come with ribbons for attaching to gifts! After the winner is chosen, Dawn will create a set just for them, personalized using their specifications :)

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit designerfavors and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, November 15, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 16th. So what are you waiting for? Get started!

And tune in next Monday when we announce the winner of this one and host another giveaway! (Hint: next week will be a set of earrings ;))

Holiday Advertising

Are you still looking for affordable holiday advertising on blogs that cater to the handmade/indie universe?

SillyLittleLady's Spot on the Web is offering advertising space to my fellow artists at an affordable rate.

Your space can be secured for $5/month or $8 for two months!

They will be shown on the left sidebar (<------------over there) below any giveaway announcements but above the Project Wonderful space.

You don't have to provide your own ad either, I will make one for you to make sure that it fits with the theme (if you can call it that hehe) of my blog and my aesthetic preferences.

Sponsors will also receive a free post! It will direct people to your shop and show them exactly how awesome you are :)

There are only 10 spots available so reserve yours now! You can contact me at: sillylittlelady(at)gmail(dot)com