Boutique Designs for the Ever Adorable

Lets Try This Again!

2009-07-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

So I haven't heard back from Sarah E. So I will draw another number....

And you will have to believe me that the magic number is 7 because I am having the hardest time getting a screen capture of Random.org and saving it to my computer and then uploading it to Photobucket so insert the picture here. So Lucky #7 is:

Alisa said...

Pick Me!!!

July 16, 2009 9:09 AM

Congratulations, Alisa! I will contact you to work out the details. Hope you enjoy the clippies!

Coming Soon!

2009-07-20T09:28:00.001-07:00

My oldest daughter will be starting kindergarten next month. Barely next as its the 31st or 30th, but its coming sooner than I ever thought possible. Wasn't it just a few months ago I brought this bright red squirming bundle who weighed less than a bag of rice home from the hospital?! Now she is big enough for us to be joining in on the back-to-school shopping not just be annoyed by all the pencils and backpacks and notebooks and lunchboxes making it difficult for me to find the dishwasher detergent.

And she is going to a private school which means she is entering the lovely world of uniforms and strict dress codes. That means I am very limited in my bow-making for her school wardrobe. But will I let that hinder the creativity?! No, of course not! I have a few custom orders that I am hoping to have completely finished by the end of next week, some this week. And then I have a whole new line of bows swimming around in my head that are just dying to make their grand debut. Just in time to join the party of back-to-school frenzy!

And the Winner is.......

2009-07-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Comment #5:

Sarah E. said...

I'm also a fan on your facebook!

July 6, 2009 5:45 PM

Congratulations, Sarah E.! Please contact me as by the end of Tuesday to claim your prize! As a bonus you can also take advantage of 20% off anything else in my shop before I ship your clippies to you! Congrats again!

Keep your eyes open for the first Monday in August. My oldest will be turning 5 that month so I am going to let her choose her favorite style of bows to give away!

I am featured!

2009-07-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

At the Unique Women in Business website! So exciting!

Check out the interview and leave a comment if you like!

Farewell PC

2009-07-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

So last night my 4 year old computer started making a random beeping noise. And this morning the beeping has continued and it was finally concluded that the computer has died. There are parts, of course, that can be purchased to revive it. But knowing that I planned on replacing the PC desktop with a MacBook by the end of the summer, it seems silly to buy replacement parts for a computer I don't plan on using after August. But on the otherhand - without my computer, I can't check email. I have an iMac that I can use for internet and keeping up with online orders coming through either my Etsy shop, Diaperswappers, Hyena Cart or Facebook. But I don't have access to my email or Photoshop or Office to create invoices.

Needless to say, Hubby is stepping up to the plate in trying to get me back on-line as soon as possible. Until then I will be able to keep up with stuff - just not as often as before. God-willing, I will have my new laptop by the end of the month.

July Giveaway

2009-07-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Its the First Monday of July and that means GIVEAWAY TIME! This month I am giving away an adorable clippie set - perfect for summer. Its a 4 peice set, 4 clippies made with adorable ribbon. These clippies work great to keep bangs out of eyes, add an accent to a cute hairstyle or be the main feature in their hair. 4 different ribbons to match just about any outfit! Apples and Pears, flowers, sunburst and cupcakes - these are just too cute!

There are several ways to enter. First, leave a comment here on my blog for entry #1. Become a follower and leave a comment saying so for entry #2 (if you are already a follower, say so!). Become a fan on my Facebook Fan page and leave a comment saying so for entry #3 (if you already are a fan, say so!). Blog about my giveaway on your blog and leave a comment letting me know for entry #4! This giveaway will last a little longer than my other ones as I am going to be super busy this week and into early next week. So this giveaway will end on July 17th rather than just the one week like I have done in the past.

Enter now through July 17th for your chance to win these adorable clippies for free!

Going Green

2009-06-27T15:52:00.001-07:00

and red and orange and blue and purple..... The girls crayons have become such a mess. Half of them are broken and the rest are dull. I hated to just toss out perfectly good crayons even though in their current state, they were unusable by a 4 year old and a 3 year old. So I searched through the vast array of knowledge that google provides and came across several how-to's on recycling or up-cycling crayons! Perfect!

This morning I ran to Michaels and bought myself a mini-muffin tin and a $1 pack of 64 crayons, in case I completely mess things up, the girls will have a back-up. When I get home, I enlist the littles to help me rip off all the paper and group the crayons according to color. Set the oven to 200 degrees, fill the muffin tins and wait. And wait and wait and wait. Most of the websites said 10 minutes, apparently at high altitudes that translates to 30 minutes. And 30 minutes to a 3 year old might as well be 5 years. But the wait was worth it. Aren't they pretty?!

I might have to go back and find some fun shaped molds. As while these are super easy to grip for any age toddler, M got a bit frustrated at not being able to hold them "correctly" and she wasn't able to color within the lines with as much precision as she is used to. But she did like the swirly/rainbow effect of the new crayons.

Even more Progress!

2009-06-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

By last Wednesday I was 2 days behind schedule with making the cheer bows. I had 2 migraines and had caught a cold between Friday and last Monday which knocked me completely flat for 2 days. How does one catch back up?! Besides finally making an appointment to get the proper medicine to fight migraines (though my insurance doesn't deem them necessary so I got to pay full price, woohoo!) one needs to have a bow-making party! Invite your friends! Make it a fun evening of ironing and heat-bonding as well as fellowship and emotional-bonding.

Thats what we did. Our dear friends, D & P, had already been invited to have dinner with us on Wednesday and with their permission, we turned our board-game plans into bow-making. After a great dinner of BBQ'd burgers and putting the littles down to bed; we rented a movie on AppleTV and made bows. D and Hubby ironed the layers together - the manly strength was needed to get all 4 layers to bond nicely. P and I marked and pinned the bows to be sewn.

Layers of sequin fabric (already bonded on silver ribbon) and navy ribbon ready to be bonded onto the white ribbon - these are the large Competition Bows.

Hubby ironing with all his strength while laughing at Jim Gaffigan

D & P helpin' out

Both the large Competition Bows and Game Day Bows ready for the machine stitch

Because we got so much done on Wednesday night, that brought me almost back up to speed in my schedule. I was able to get the rest of the bows marked and pinned and all of them are machine stitched and ready for hand-sewing. I have given myself until July 5th to do all the hand-sewing. Then all I have left is adding the center knot and attaching the pony-o!

Progress

2009-06-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

The ribbon for the cheer bows arrived last Thursday. Since then, Hubby and I have cut over 20 yards of Heat-n-Bond into about 325 strips of varying widths and lengths; we have cut 550 yards of ribbon into about 400 strips of varying lengths; and we have cut 10 yards or so of sequined fabric into over 100 strips of varying lengths and widths. I am spending my day ironing the Heat-n-Bond onto the ribbon and am hoping to be back on track with my schedule (I am about a day behind currently due to a migraine on Friday). Here are some pictures of our progress:

What 550 yards of ribbon look like!

Sequin fabric all cut!

Hubby helping me - he's such a good sport.

And just for fun - this is a rainbow (if you can see it!) we saw on Saturday night. It was raining in the distance and the rainbow was just a burst of light on the horizon. This was taken at 9pm - it stays light late here in the summer!

Less than 2 days left on Capris Set auction!

2009-06-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have a beautiful capri set up for auction! It started at just $5 for a flower appliqued top and matching ruffle capris. The auction ends on Monday at noon - less than 2 days left! Grab it at a great price - this set would normally sell for $40 or more in my shop!

Click on the picture to be taken to the auction. The auction is for the appliqued flower top in size 3T and for the mint-green, up-cycled, cordoroy ruffle capris. The fabric is Vintage Dots in Breeze and Blush by Sandi Henderson. Super cute fabric, one of my favorites.

Look whats coming my way!

2009-06-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

I bought a set similar to this one (minus the number fabric, but including a food print fabric) tonight. I won't be able to sew anything for a while as I am currently super busy with my Cheer Bows and will be until July 14th. But its on its way and have several outfits in mind to make with it. Who wouldn't love an outfit for their little one made with The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric! Its so cute - I can't wait to get it!!!!!

Grand Opening TODAY!

2009-06-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

At 5pm PST, the Avant-Garde Congo is having our Grand Opening! There is a ton of stuff in this little "mini-mall". Slings, Mei Tai carriers, fitted cloth diapers, pockets diapers, soft-soled shoes (think Robeez), my hairbows, nursing covers, fleece soakers, hand-made soaps, jewelry and more!

There are penny auctions, lotteries and giveaways! There is a newborn boy gift set that is listed as a lottery for less than half-price! Its a collaboration between 4 different shops - there is an apppliqued onesie, a clutch ball, embellished burp cloths, soft-soled shoes, an embroidered cover and a soft sherpa fitted diaper. All coordinated in a sports theme. Its adorable!

All the designers and artisans are living right here in the Pacific Northwest and all are great ladies to be working with. Check out the shop and anyone who purchases something in this first week is automatically entered into a drawing for a set of brand-new dryer balls. If you don't know what a dryer ball is - its a ball created out of yarn that you put in the dryer. It cuts down on static without you having to use dryer sheets. Good for the environment and good for your wallet.

Click the blinkie to be taken right to our shop!

I just ordered 550 yards....

2009-06-10T22:02:00.001-07:00

of ribbon. This is my biggest order yet and I have to be fast! I am making 215 bows for a cheerleading squad in San Ramon. 2 different styles (Game Day and Competition) and in 2 different sizes (small and large!) equals lots and lots of work. And they want the bows in hand by July 17th. That gives me 5 weeks to make 215 bows. I need to make 43 bows each week, 7 bows a day, just to make it on time. Thats if I start tomorrow - but I just got the final numbers tonight which means I just ordered the ribbon tonight. If all goes well, I might get the ribbon in hand by Monday, which means I actually only have 4 weeks to get the bows in the mail. 215 bows in 4 weeks means I need to make 54 bows each week or 8 bows a day. And these are complicated bows. The competition bows are especially complicated. See that sparkle ribbon?! I have to hand-make that ribbon! Its sequined fabric, cut into ribbon widths, then heat-bonded onto other ribbon.

They are beautiful bows though. And this will fund my new MacBook so its well worth it. I can't wait to see pictures of the girls during a game or a competition!

Competition Bows

Game Day Bows

Giveaway at UWIB!

2009-06-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is the second giveaway and its open to anyone! This time the prize is this gorgeous necklace by JMJ Creations. You can check out so many other lovely items at her Etsy shop here.

You can enter the contest at the UWIB website. Just leave a comment to be entered. Good luck!

Twirl Dresses are a girls best friend

2009-06-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Little girls at least. My girls love to twirl and twirl with dresses on. The bigger the twirl, the better, in their mind. I have made a few dresses that they love and now feel good enough about the pattern to be able to offer custom slots for the dresses.

The Apples & Pears dress is available in my Etsy shop right now and I will be creating a listing as a custom slot soon.

To whet the appetite here are a few pictures of the dresses I have completed. My girls are in love with this style.

And the Winner Is.........

2009-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

We had a much bigger turn out this time! I hope you all come back next month on the first Monday for July's giveaway!

This months winner is.......

Comment #22:

GapGirl said...
Oh and Im now a faithful follower....
June 4, 2009 4:50 PM

Congratulations GapGirl! Send me your address and I will get your bows to you as fast as I can make them! Happy Friday Everyone!

Stay tuned as I hope to have new photos of some finished twirl dresses up by tonight!

June Giveaway!

2009-06-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Its the first Monday in June - its also the first DAY in June. So its time for another Ellie-Jayne Giveaway! This month I am offering up to the lucky winner a pair of Double-Layer Patriotic Toddler Bows. These have been flying off the shelf in my Etsy shop for the last month, along with the Firecracker Clippie. And since next month is the 4th of July, it seemed an appropriate giveaway.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment. Want to have two entries? Become a follower of the blog and add a second comment saying so (or if you already are a follower, make a second comment stating that) Want three entries? Sign my guestbook at the bottom of the blog and right a third comment saying that you did!

I will use random.org to choose the lucky winner from the list of comments on Friday, June 5th. Please make sure in the comments you give me a way to contact you - either through your own blog, blogger profile or valid email address.

Happy Entering and Good luck!

Avant-Garde Grand Opening

2009-05-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

I joined a congo on Hyena Cart and we are having our Grand Opening on June 15th. Lots of great stuff to see at the Avant-Garde Congo. If you have never been to Hyena Cart - I highly recommend checking out some of the shop. Of course, save your purchasing for June 15th. *wink*wink*

I will be posting sneak-peeks as to what I will be listing as the time gets closer. But you can also check out our blog to find out all kinds of info on the Congo and if you live in the Pacific Northwest and would like to join - you are more than welcome!

New Recipe Wednesday

2009-05-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

My youngest spiked a fever last night - all the way up to 103.4. Praise God for motrin which finally sent the fever packin'. She is mostly fine this morning, the only residual symptom is her voice is gone. Have no idea what she was exposed to that would cause this.

But anyway, when kiddos are sick you are supposed to stick to the B.R.A.T. diet of bread, rice, applesauce and toast (is that right? did I get the acronym right?) Not all of us where sick and I really hate making two different meals. I decided to make a meal surrounding rice - plain white rice and it had to be gluten-free so we could all eat it. What goes good with rice? Chicken! And I happened to have a whole chicken in my fridge, all thawed out and ready to eat.

Here is my favorite recipe for a whole chicken!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
2 lemons
Fresh rosemary (or dried if thats all you have
Pepper
Salt

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse off whole chicken and discard anything that grosses you out from inside the cavity of said chicken - save and use for later if it doesn't gross you out! Place whole chicken inside a Reynolds Oven Bag (love these things!). Sprinkle with pepper and salt (I don't normally use the salt but some people use it, Lemon Pepper Seasoning also works well). Cut one lemon in half and squeeze juice over chicken, rub all over chicken and place lemon halves inside chicken cavity. Cut second lemon into quarters and place inside bag next to chicken - one in each corner. Snip fresh rosemary and sprinkle tips around chicken, place a few sprigs inside chicken. If you are using dried rosemary, sprinkle on outside and place about 1 tsp inside chicken.

Seal up bag, cutting a few holes to vent. Stick in the meat thermometer and place bag in a roasting pan and then inside a 350 degree oven. Heat until chicken is 160 degrees then remove from oven, let stand until 165 degrees. Remove from bag (keeps the pan nice and clean!) and carve as desired.

Roasting the chicken in the bag keeps it nice and moist and traps all the flavors in. My kiddos devour this chicken, served with white rice and green beans. Even as sick as she was, my youngest managed a few bites.

Enjoy and Happy Wednesday!

Monday Market

2009-05-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Its a beautiful day here and my garden is starting to grow! Though my pumpkins aren't taking well to the current heat wave - I hope the nights are cool enough for them to survive. The girls are loving being able to see the strawberry flowers, watching the carrots and onions start to peek out of the dirt. Hopefully in the next few weeks, we will have a full-blown vegetable garden growing! If anything will be edible is a whole other issue. :-)

I have had several projects going on at once and of course there is never enough time in the day. Even though we have been home for nearly two months now - somehow there are still boxes left to be unpacked. 6 months gone somehow created so much extra stuff that doesn't fit in the house anymore. Unpacked 2 more boxes today - yea for me! Now if I could find someone who was willing to clean my house and cook for me so I could just work on sewing and bows, my life would be so much easier. But as it is, house-cleaning and meal-making and kiddo-wrangling tend to prevent me from getting as much sewing done as I would like. So I don't have much to show for the past few weeks of work.

My sister has some friends who are expecting their first little one in a few weeks. They know its a boy, name yet undecided or at least a secret (always a good idea in my opinion) and the hubby is really into sports. So I have created a cute little appliqued onesie and matching burp cloth. Its made with a super soft and yet fairly thin flannel. I have enough fabric left that I plan on making a similar set to list in my Etsy shop hopefully soon. My sister-in-law is also having a baby boy later this summer - her set will involve frogs. Fabric is on its way!

I also finished a lovely twirl dress that I had intended to sell in my Etsy shop - but my youngest loved it so much that I have decided to keep this one and will make a few more for my shop, later. Its on the to-do list, the very, very long to-do list. The ruffled capri pants don't fit her though, my poor girl has such a buddah belly that we can't get them snapped! So I plan on making an appliqued shirt to match the ruffled capri pants (they are upcycled from a pair of soft cordoroy pants) and those will be listed - another thing to add to the list!

I did finish up a gorgeous fabric flower bow to match this dress. This bow is listed in my Etsy shop and I think it turned out lovely. It will match any other dress or top I make using the Ginger Blossom line of fabric, including the twirl dress and the coming soon appliqued top and ruffled capri. They can even be worn by adults!

Thanks for looking and I hope you all have a great day! Enjoy the sunshine those of you who have it! :-)

Friday Favorites

2009-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Another Friday! Yippee! We have Family Date Nights on Fridays which my girls look forward to immensely - it means spending Friday evenings snuggling on the couch after a dinner of comfort-food watching a light-hearted movie. It also means two whole days of "daddy stays" which is also a wonderful thing to look forward too.

Since my girls are the biggest focus of my life lately - we are going back to little girl items for my Friday Favorites. This group of items comes from the EtsyMom Team - to see more items from EtsyMom, feel free to click on the box to the right!

I love doing my girls hair. When I was a little girl, I would spend hours brushing and styling my dolls hair - I even have a book on how to style doll hair. A nice chunk of the blogs to the right are hair-do blogs - I read those every morning to see what to do to my "live dolls" hair. Its because I love doing my girls hair, that I started making hairbows to begin with! This post will be all about hair, more specifically wool-felt hair clips. These are clips that I don't know how to do but boy are they adorable!

First is a lovely Matroyshka hair clip from Neskat. How cute are these?! They come is several colors and the little doll print is just adorable. The hand-stitching around the edges really finish the clip off. Check out the whole shop for so many choices in hair clips, pacifier clips, bracelets and more!

Second is a perfect pair of Minnie Mouse ears felt clips from PammyDawn's Shop. Maybe its because we are hoping to have a family vacation at Disneyland in July, maybe its because I have loved Disney all my life, maybe its because I still have mouse ears from when I was a kid and am feeling nostalgic - either way, I have to have these clips for my girls! They are just too cute for words! This shop is also filled with all kinds of goodies, the felt butterflies are just exquisite!

These wool felt flowers from Maya Papaya's Shop are perfect for spring and summer. The color options she has are fabulous! And she has just about any felt clip you ever possibly think of! Bumblebees, owls, kitty cats, apples, gold fish - you name it, chances are you could find it at Maya Papaya to put in your hair!

This pair of needle felted bobby pins from Julie Persons shop could be for my little ones or for me! Needle-felted wool is just amazing and this shop is filled with so many lovely items from hair accessories to necklaces to even sculptures and dolls! I had a hard time picking just one favorite! You have to see them to believe them.

And just for kicks - here is a sneak peek at a twirly dress I just finished and will be listing shortly much to my daughters chagrin.

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend!

New Recipe Wednesday

2009-05-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know, some of you may not. My 4 year old was diagnosed just after her second birthday with Celiac Disease. At first the thought of completely having to change her diet (and my own to some extent) just terrified me! So much of our diet contains wheat or gluten that I couldn't imagine doing without and then when I would go shopping and would find gluten in the strangest places (watch out for Modified Food Starch and Malted Barley Extract or Malt Flavoring!) that I thought it couldn't be done.

But lo and behold! over the past two years the food industry has really caught up finding ways to appeal to this particular niche market. Even as recently as last month, General Mills finally switched from using Malted Barley Extract to using Molasses so they could market their Rice Chex as Gluten-free. My mother found the greatest cookbook called The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg and we have used it extensively. So far there hasn't been a recipe in it that I haven't liked and because I don't want to feed my girl anything I wouldn't eat myself - I make sure to eat everything she does at least once.

Todays recipe for Biscuits comes from the Gluten-Free Kitchen. These biscuits are as light and fluffy as you can expect gluten-free breads can be. They are excellent with butter and honey on top or to use to dip into a soup - not a whole lot of flavor to eat by themselves.

Ingrediants
1/3 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Potato Starch
3/4 cup Corn Starch
1 3/4 teaspoonz xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar *I used a smidge more*
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend all ingrediants. Mix well to remove lumps. Dough will be very soft and sticky.

Roll out dough on a mediumly floured surface - be sure to use corn starch NOT flour! Roll dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. (I used just a decent sized cup turned upside down). Place biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper).

Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm! Serves not as many as the recipe says which is 6.

I served this last night with some leftover soup. We had 8 normal sized biscuits and 2 shrunken ones that the girls made themselves. Every single biscuit was eaten! It was a hit!

Memorial Day Special!

2009-05-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have a special going on in my shop from now through Memorial Day!

I will be listing a few Patriotic Hairbows over the next few days (you can see the first one is listed in the Etsy Mini to the left). Each bow will ship for FREE with the purchase of any other item in my shop. AND if you spend $25 or more (including a Patriotic Bow) you will get 25% off the entire order!

Get ready for Memorial Day weekend or get a headstart on the 4th of July!

Friday Favorites - Mothers Day

2009-05-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Todays favorites are all going to be geared towards what I would love to get for Mothers Day - hint, hint Hubby, this post if for you! I know its too late to get any of these in time for Sunday, but keep the ideas in mind for next year or actually presents are always welcome, even a few days late for said holiday. Again all my favorites today are from Etsy shops. This group of Etsy shops are new to me and have really caught my eye this week!

Beacuase I can never have too many purses - the first item is a lovely every day purse from Bayan Hippo. The fabric is great and would work in so many ways! It can be dressed up or down depending on what the outfit is. I actually had another bag favorited for this entry - but it has sold already! So if this bag appeals to you - get it while you can as these bags are HOT! Hop to it Hubby!

Next on my must-have list is this fabulous daisy necklace from Kathryn Cole Jewelry. I am normally not a jewelry person - mostly because I am allergic to most of it (cry along with me here please!). But this necklace is so pretty! I could wear it with anything and I love the little swirl in the middle - so artisitc. Tons of compliments would be coming my way if I had this around my neck. Her whole shop is filled with great jewelry.

Third on my list is a trendy knitted scarf from Babbidge Patch. Its such an interesting scarf and I think thats quite an accomplishment to take an ordinary item and make it unique. And to put the cherry on top - ITS ON SALE!!!!! While you are scoping out the other items in her shop - be sure to take a gander on the knitted beanies for kiddos - she has some great designs!

And last, but certainly not least is the tasties item in my list. Frosted cookies! These almost-too-cute-to-eat (I said amost!) cookies are from Cake Box Cookies. Beautifully made and the frosting is perfect. There are ton of edible goodies in her shop - from Mom's day specials to wedding favors to birthdays. There are even cookies shaped like tea-cups - how cute is that?! Snatch up a dozen before I take them all!

Thanks for checking out todays favorites! And another congrats to Drama Queens Mum for winning the giveaway. Have a great weekend everyone and come back soon to see more items from Ellie-Jayne Designs!

And the Winner Is.........

2009-05-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Drama queens mum said...

Those are so cute. My daughter would love them. dramaqueensmum@gmail.com

May 7, 2009 7:02 AM

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The winner is Drama Queens Mum! Congratulations! I will email you with details later this morning.

Thanks to all who entered! Come back again the first Monday for next month for another great giveaway.

Like my new button?!

2009-05-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Isn't it pretty?! You have no idea how much trouble a tiny button can cause - I learned just how much this week!

I entered a giveaway on I Heart Bowheads (a woman after my own heart - who doesn't love bowheads?!?!) Her mom, of Computer Savvy Seniors, offered to make new buttons/banners for the winner. And then offered to make new buttons for all the entrants - little did she know what she was getting into. I think my button aged her twenty years, poor lady. But after much trial and error and frustration on all three ends - the sun shines brightly with my lovely new button that will be used as my avatar on all the websites I belong too now. She is so pretty!

Thank you so much ladies - I am forever in your debt!

Don't forget to enter my May Giveaway for a pair of double-layer toddler bows!!!

New Recipe Wednesday

2009-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe last week and loved it so much that we are having it again for dinner tonight! We are having company over and I hope its as big a hit with them as it was for my family last week.

Soy Ginger Salmon - found at allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pound salmon fillets
1/3 cup brown sugar, divided
2 teaspoons lemon pepper, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, minced
1/3 cup orange juice

**I actually replaced the orange juice with equal parts Dry Sherry and Honey**

DIRECTIONS

Rub salmon with about 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Lightly sprinkle with lemon pepper and garlic powder; rub seasoning into fish.
Into a small saucepan set over medium heat, pour soy sauce and olive oil. Stir in ginger and remaining brown sugar, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in orange juice.
Place fish and marinade into a resealable plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3 hours.
Preheat broiler. Place fish in a foil-lined baking pan. Reserve marinade.
Broil fish skin-side up, 2 minutes. Remove from oven, pull skin off with tongs. Baste with marinade, return to oven, and broil 2 minutes more. Turn fish, and broil until fish flakes easily, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

And since I can never seem to follow recipes correctly - instead of broiling the fish, I pan-seared it. This way I could use the marinade to create a thicker saucer to pour over the fish when it was finished. I served the salmon over rice, poured the sauce over the top and also served with steamed broccoli. Tonight we will be having asparagus as thats what was on sale!

Tastes great with a bottle of Chardonay! Enjoy!

I was featured!

2009-05-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

There is a great new blog being started for those of us mommy's who have started their own businesses! She features a new person just about every day. Its very interesting to see just how many opportunities there are for moms to start up their own little company's - so much variety! We don't have to only look into Avon or Mary Kay or Party Lites.

Check her out!

Whats-your-mommy-biz

May Giveaway! now closed

2009-05-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Once a month I will be offering a fabulous GIVEAWAY!!!!

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment. At the end of the week, Friday, May 8th I will reveal the winner.

The prize this month will be 1 (one) free pair of double-layer toddler bows in any color combination which will be shipped for free. A listing will be created in my Etsy shop for the winner which will have pictures of the colors available. The winner will also be given a 20% discount on any other item in my shop. The color possibilities are endless! Pick colors to match your favorite outfit!

Some examples of double layer toddler bows:

Friday Favorites

2009-05-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today I am spotlighting some lovely bags that I have fallen in love with. I really have grown to love having fun and new bags to carry my gobs and gobs of stuff in. Though I really have always love to have things to put stuff in. I buy those lamps with tiny drawers - you know the ones with drawers too small to really put stuff in - I find stuff that fits in those drawers. There isn't a cubby or drawer in my house that doesn't have something in it. Because of this fondness, I have been drawn more and more to buying new bags on a regular basis. It has grown from loving backpacks in college, to snatching up cute clutches when I was first married, to buying the latest and greatest diaper bag when my girls were little, to now loving bigger bags. My girls are out of diapers now but I still need a good-sized bag to not only carry to usual grown-up stuff - lipstick, chapstick, checkbook, pens, wallet, keys, emergency make-up, etc - but I also need to have space for the occasional sippy cup, snack, extra shirt, random dolls and toys.

These bags all come from a fabulous group of ladies from UWIB. Don't know what UWIB is? Click on the sexy lady to the right and find out! You can find all kinds of stuff you didn't know excisted but find you can't live without! Are you a crafter with fabulous items to sell? Join the group and tell them that Amy from Ellie-Jayne Designs sent you!

The first bag is from simplynotesandtotes and is made with the Love A Tree fabric that I have been pining after - where did you get it, Sherry? Do you have any yardage to spare?! :-) The bag is not only stylish, is a nice size, but it lets people know that you are on the Go Green bandwagon. Her shop is full of such lovely bags, I have spent some time fawning over her items. It was hard to pick my favorite. But here it is - the Lazy Daze Summer Tote.

The second bag is a new style that I have not seen in a single shop until I came across PepperAndFarley. I am not always a big fan on knitting - that might be more of a jealousy issue because I have had such a hard time learning how to do it! *blush* This knit and felted purse is just too cute for words! It isn't big enough for an outing with my kids - but its too cute to risk getting kiddo cooties on it. Its perfect for those cherished moments of a girls night out or lunch with a girlfriend or even *gasp* an actual date with the hubby! There are a ton of adorable items in her shop - check them out! Here is your teaser photo to draw you in!

The third bag is from DestinationHandmade whom I just bought the most adorable business card holder from - can't wait to get it! While it isn't something I personally can use right now - its too cute to pass up and would make the most perfect gift for a HS student who is graduating next month and heading off to college. Picture this adorable zipper pouch (with a nice stash of quarters already inside) packaged with a small box of your favorite laundry detergent, a box of dryer sheets and a pull-string laundry bag. What dormie wouldn't love this! I know I would have! Check out the rest of her shop for more amazing ideas for organizing your life.

The last bag is probably my favorite from Designs By Jamie. I have bought several of her scrap fabrics to make some outfits for my shop - she has the best taste in fabric! The colors are so fun and its a big bag to hold all the stuff a mom of preschooler tends to carry arround. She has a ton of great bags to choose from in her shop and is even able to do customs. I just love the fabric in this bag. I'd feel less like a frumpy mom and more like a hip chic having this over my shoulder, even if I had peanut-buttery hand-prints on my shirt and a sticky-faced 3 year old clinging to my leg.

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend! Check back soon for new items from Ellie-Jayne Designs!

A Sister Set

2009-04-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

Though the onesie dress might already be reserved for a fellow UWIB member - I am very pleased with this sister set. It isn't finished yet. I plan to take a pair of jeans and turn them into ruffled capris to match the pinafore and need to make a pair of bows to match. The onesie dress and matching headband (a new style!) will have a pair of burp cloths and a clutch ball made to match. And I think that will use up all of this fabric that I have! I might have enough left to make one more pinafore (small one though and possibly not reversible) and I might be able to pull together some bloomers - but we will see.

I love this fabric and think its just perfect for spring. I also tried the pinafore on a 17 month old (who is small for her age) at my Moms Group this morning and while it was a smidgen big in the shoulders, it fit great everywhere else! I think it would have fit a 2 year old just fine and it fits my 4 year old beautifully, so it truly is a top that will last several seasons!

Onesie dress and the first side of the pinafore

Onesie dress and the reverse side of the pinafore

Close-up of the onesie dress and the headband

Back side of the pinafore on Little H

Its not easy taking a picture of a 17 month old!

Come back tomorrow for my Friday Favorites - this time its something for us ladies! :-)

Tuesday Treats

2009-04-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Somedays you just need to snuggle under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn. Today happens to be one of those days. It will be May in like 3 days, and today its snowing. Of course, its snowing! Why wouldn't it snow - its only April 28th. Only crazy people expect to have springtime weather before July! And yet, I bet there are people are planting gardens and watching their flowers bloom. The two plants I was brave (stupid?!) enough to stick in my garden have wilted beyond recognition because its too darn cold. The flowers that were dumb (brave?!)enough to stick their heads out of the warm dirt have also fizzled into oblivion.

Before I shrivel up too, I might need to spend the afternoon under a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate (maybe with a drop of Peppermint Schnapps, hmmmmmm) and some pop corn. Snuggle with my girls and watch a movie.

Sewing can wait, laundry can wait, vacuuming can wait, yard work has not choice but to wait, and grocery shopping will happen tomorrow. Unless its snowing then too.

For the Hot Mom (or Aunt)

2009-04-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

So my sister has been bugging me for several weeks to make her a cute top - the little girls can't have all the fun. After much thought and mulling it over, I ended up desigingd a top specifically for her that I based on a top that Padma Lakshmi wore on season 5 of Top Chef.

Super cute top that I thought would be incredibly flattering to my sister's figure. While I was making that one, she sent me pictures of tops that she thought would be cute so I made another one based on those pictures and somewhat from a Vogue pattern I found. I finished them up this past week and my sister came to visit this weekend so I got to take pictures of her in her new "Hot Aunt" tops. I think they turned out pretty good!

Top #1 - based on the above picture of Padma.

And the back of the top

Top #2 - based on an assortment of photos and patterns

And the back of Top #2

And you can't be a Hot Aunt (or Hot Mom) without a cute kid to hold!

I used some fabulous interlock cotton for both tops - found it on clearance at JoAnns last summer - bought out everything they had and I haven't seen this exact fabric anywhere since then. Its super soft and super stretchy in one direction. Its been a very versatile fabric to have!

Friday Favorites

2009-04-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

I think on Fridays I will be exhibiting some of the items from my Favorites list on my Etsy shop.

I felt it would be appropriate to start with girls dresses - since I have 2 little girls and am always looking for cute ways to dress them, this is what I look through the most. The 4 dress I am showing are my current favorites.

First is the Ice Cream Dot Party dress from Lil Miss Muffin. I love the colors -so summery and cute! It looks very twirly - my daughters would love this dress. And so many bow options come to my mind when I see it! Her entire shop is full of adorable dresses, so girly and adorable. And her prices are incredibly reasonable. For the beauty of the styles, they are more than worth the price!

The second is the Golden Girl twirl tunic dress from CourtneyCourtney. I have admired her work for a while now - its so simple in the the design but they must be so much work! All the items in her shop are "up-cycled" or recycled clothing. She pulls apart several pieces to create a whole new piece. And each dress is just too cute for words!

Third is the Apples and Pears Pinafore from Aliyah's Hope Chest. This fabric has been a favorite of mine for a long time. And this particular pinafore is just adorable. The ruffled jeans just add that extra touch of cuteness. There are so many cute items in this shop I hardly know where to start. The fabrics chosen and the patterns used are just fun!

Last, but certainly not least, is the Sweetheart Garden Girls Dress by Onlyu. And she is right when she says the print is just begging to be a swirly, twirly dress! I love the fabric and the sweetness of the pattern. Its something every girl should have for a tea party. This shop is also full of adorable styles just perfect for young girls.

More styles to come - I have some adult tops that I finished this week just waiting for a model to be photographed in them. Hopefully this weekend if the weather complies!

Belle and a Ball!

2009-04-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I got the girls these gorgeous Disney Princess gowns for Christmas this year - they got the Fab 4, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. They were made by Jodi at Tinkerella Creations - she is amazing! Today I finally got around to making a "Belle-ish" hair bow to match the Belle dress. Allison has a cold so she wasn't up much for picture taking - hence the presence of Lambie. I am not terribly happy how it turned out - my first attempt at fabric roses. I might fiddle with it some more and see if I can make it better.

When I finished the Belle Bow, I had some of the fabric left over (I actually have a lot of this fabric now - its so pretty!) and decided to make another fabric flower bow. I used the yellow fabric and some pink with white dots fabric and made a Pink Lemonade Fabric Flower. Maddy was gracious enough to model for me. This set matches the Gymboree Happy Rainbow line - Maddy's outfit is from this line. It also works with the Lemoney Fresh line and the Sunflower Fields line - for those of you who love Gymboree.

And lastly the project I finished a while ago but finally got around to take some pictures is a new baby toy. A clutch ball! I found a tutorial online that was really fun. I have altered the pattern a bit from what was written and I plan to alter it a little more for the next one I make. I have some great fabrics to use with this pattern and I plan on making this a part of the infant gift sets from now on! I have found it hard to make stuff for baby boys and this is definitely something a baby boy would love.

A few pictures of my most recent projects

2009-04-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Posies and Pinstripes Reversible Pinafore with matching fabric flower bows

Daisies and Dots Peasant Dress with matching Fabric Flower bows

Close-up of the Fabric Flower Bows

Jitterbug Swing top with matching Boutique Toddler Bows

Dressing-Up Jeans and T-shirts boutique bows

A New Blog!

2009-04-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am starting a blog mainly to showcase my creative outlets. And to also highlight some items on Etsy that I particularly like.

I am new to Blogger so it might take me some time to figure out the ins and outs. But hopefully soon these pages will be chock full of pictures!

Boutique Designs for the Ever Adorable

Lets Try This Again!

Coming Soon!

And the Winner is.......

I am featured!

Farewell PC

July Giveaway

Going Green

Even more Progress!

Progress

Less than 2 days left on Capris Set auction!

Look whats coming my way!

Grand Opening TODAY!

I just ordered 550 yards....

Giveaway at UWIB!

Twirl Dresses are a girls best friend

And the Winner Is.........

June Giveaway!

Avant-Garde Grand Opening

New Recipe Wednesday

Monday Market

Friday Favorites

New Recipe Wednesday

Memorial Day Special!

Friday Favorites - Mothers Day

And the Winner Is.........

Like my new button?!

New Recipe Wednesday

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

I was featured!

May Giveaway! **now closed**

Friday Favorites

A Sister Set

Tuesday Treats

For the Hot Mom (or Aunt)

Friday Favorites

Belle and a Ball!

A few pictures of my most recent projects

A New Blog!

May Giveaway! now closed