Friday Favorites - Mothers Day

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.........

Drama queens mum said...

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

May 7, 2009 7:02 AM

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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?!

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

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

1. Rub salmon with about 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Lightly sprinkle with lemon pepper and garlic powder; rub seasoning into fish.
2. 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.
3. Place fish and marinade into a resealable plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3 hours.
4. Preheat broiler. Place fish in a foil-lined baking pan. Reserve marinade.
5. 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!

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**

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:

Leave a comment and
enter to win!!!

Friday Favorites

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!