Why Couldn't I Just Buy Them a Gift Card!

My apologies that it has been a while since I have blogged. To be honest, the holidays pretty much kicked my butt. For one thing I was busy baking. My aunt asked me to make decorated sugar cookies for her to give to her customers, which I was happy to do but it became more of a game of beat the clock to be sure that they were baked, decorated and packed in time to meet the USPS shipping deadlines. Then I went into my normal holiday baking. I always make homemade stromboli or pepperoni bread and am known, along with my mom for my cookie tray. The tray is pictured below and it has chocolate chip cookies, spritz cookies, sugar cookies, devil's food cookies, and cake balls! All of the cookies were delicious and for one that does not have a sweet tooth I have been eating my fair share of them!


In addition to all of the baking I decided to make some of my Christmas gifts. Big shocker there right! I always do this and think it is a way of saving money and showing off a little. My idea for the handmade gift came from a failed project I was working on. I was trying to make a bracelet out of tiny cover buttons. I am going to try again with that project but I was looking at the leftover cover buttons and thought about making tacks out of them and giving them as gifts. then I said, well I would want to put them on something. I was walking around Target and found a 4 pack of cork board so then I needed something to put the cork board in. I ended up finding great frames at Michaels and decided to decoupage scrapbook paper on the frames that coordinated with the buttons. And the finished project is below.


I know a lot of us crafty people prefer the DIY crafty gifts but I have to say, while the reaction to the gift is worth it, forgoing the crafty give and buying the traditional gift card would alleviate some of the holiday stress...but where is the fun in that??? Stay tuned because these little frames will be showing up in my Etsy Shop soon! 'Tis the Season!

What is Wrong with This World???

I honestly don't watch the news at night because I just can't comprehend some of the stories that I hear about. I just don't understand what goes on in people minds and what causes them to hurt innocent people. It is one thing to hear about these stories and it is quite another when you know the person in the story. As I type this, an amazing woman is fighting for her life. This woman belongs to my Sorority chapter from South Carolina. She came into the sorority one year after I graduated but I did have the pleasure of meeting her at a wedding. She was also the president of the chapter for a year and did some amazing things with it. She is in the hospital because her husband attacked her with a hammer while she was sleeping. She is currently stable but still has a big fight ahead of her. A battle that I know she will face head on and like all of the other Tri Sigma's I know, she will fight with all she has to beat this and get better. I know I am praying for her and her family while they are dealing with his during the holiday season. One of our alum was kind enough to start a website in her name and set it up to accept donations to help her family with travel and medical expenses for Erin. On this page you can also find more information about Erin and the story. I know it is the holidays, but if you can, please donate to help Erin and her family get throught this very tragic situation.
http://www.erinprince.com

So I Finally Got to See It

The movie Twilight that is. I woke up early yesterday to get Bella ready for school and began my daily unemployed routine. Drink coffee, eat breakfast, check etsy, log into facebook, and post for jobs. Well unfortunately I didn't have any esty orders to fill. I had christmas cards to do but was just not in the mood. I went to check my myspace and saw an ad for Twilight and said to myself, "That is what I am going to do today". Now I have never in my 31 years been to a movie by myself but I really didn't care. If I didn't take myself I would never go! I did not anticipate also being the ONLY one in the movie theater. But I guess at 12:40 on a Wednesday that could be expected! I will say that some of the previews for other movies were really scary, and I was a bit freaked out being in the theater all alone!

Before I get into my thoughts on the movie, let me talk about my feelings on the Twilight Saga. I was first introduced to the series this summer when my brother's fiance told me about these books. I had no idea what she was talking about but she said she was obsessed with it and that I should read it. She handed me the first book and I read the back of the book, read those three lines, and got goosebumps. It was not long before I was reading Twilight and like everyone else could not put it down. I remember going on my lunch break to Target to buy the next three books because I didn't want to have to wait to continue reading. I absolutely LOVED the series. So much so that I read the entire saga 3 times. What I love about the series is the ultimate love that Edward and Bella have for each other and despite all of the odds their love only stregthens. It is a story of true love perservering against all odds.

As I was sitting in the theater I felt like a teenager I was so excited to see the movie. But perhaps I set my expectations a little too high, I have seen way too many movies based on books that have been a disappointment. I thought the movie was ok. When I left the movie I was not sure what exactly was missing for me. But then in talking with some friends on facebook, I figured it out. The true love romance that is pretty much the basis of the book just wasn't portrayed well in the movie. I think the courtship between Bella and Edward that I LOVED in the book was a bit rushed in the movie. They definitely captured some of the right moments in the end but it was defintiely missing throughout the movie. The movie definitely tells the story of the book but I think a lot of the romance was taken out of it. I could feel this way because I am such a hopeless romantic that perhaps I made the books more about romance then they should have been. But maybe that is why some books should not be made into movies, that way the reader can always remember the story the way they created it in their heads. I am hoping that they take some of the feedback from the first movie and apply it to New Moon but for now, it may be time for me to read the series for a 4th time since after seeing the movie I have clearly caught the Twilight bug again!

On an accessories note! Not sure if you noticed that Bella and Jessica were pretty much always wearing headbands. I want to get a better look at what they were both wearing so I can try and duplicate and sell in my shop! So stay tuned for more on that!

Christmas Cards Made of Gold???

I thought they must have been when I did the math and realized that including postage, I had spent close to $75 on my Christmas Cards this year. I am blessed to be part of a rather large family. Every year it never ceases to amaze me when I look at the latest excel spreadsheet address list and see 77 lines. There was a point in time when I would be especially crafy and make all of my christmas cards myself. Now that I have Bella, trying to manage card making plus taking the right photo and getting all of the prints made became WAY overwhelming. So now I am of the camp that sends the photo card, it is so much easier to create and order them. I am unsure why it took this Christmas for me to realize the expense of it all but perhaps it is a couple of reasons: 1. I am currently unemployed and am cautious of every dollar I spend. 2. Lately, I equate every sum of money I spend to how many headbands it took me to make that money. 3. I noticed that I have not received many Christmas cards yet. Maybe the lack of Christmas cards is a matter of people just not getting around to it, which I can relate to since mine have not been sent yet. Or maybe it has something to do with the economy. I can tell you I would have rather spent that $75 on more gifts for Bella on Christmas. But that is being selfish, I know that every year my family and friends looks forward to the Christmas Card picture of Bella and I guess I can't really put a price tag on that. So if by any chance you are not of the 77 lucky people to receive a Christmas card from me, below is the prize winning Bella 2008 Christmas Card shot. If only everyone on the address list read my blog...it could have saves me a few bucks!!!

And by the way...you had to know it would be Phillies related! :-)

The Gingerbread House Battle

My first and last attempt to make a gingerbread house was a disaster. I think I bought the kit for a Halloween House and had these great ideas of how it would turn out and how much fun it would be to do it with Bella. I am not exactly sure where I went wrong but for the life of me I could not get the House to adhere to the icing. I remember giving up after about 30 minutes and buying one made of foam! A few weeks ago while I was at Michael's I saw that Rice Krispies was selling these awesome molds to make a holiday house out of Krispie Treats. I was so excited because I know Rice Krispie treats are more durable then gingerbread so I knew I would not be defeated by it! But at the time, it was not on sale and I did not have a Michael's coupon on me so I said, I will come back and get it with a coupon. Fortunately for me the next week they were on sale. So I headed to Michael's armed with my ad ready to buy the kit, I even bought the Krispie Treat supplies when I was at the grocery store. I am sure you know where this is going, they were sold out of the kits. So there I stood staring at about 20 of the Wilton Gingerbread House kits and I felt like I was staring right into the eye of an opponent. I decided to give it another try. My sister suggested that I make my own royal icing and I would have done that but I did not have enough meringue powder (yes I always have this on hand!). Today, I felt ready to give it another shot. I cheated a little and bought a styrofoam board to give the gingerbread a steadier foundation. I also bit the bullet and used the icing mix and worked with it until I thought it was the right consistency. Much to my surprise I was able to put it together without it falling. Adding groves to the styrofoam helped with that! Now trying to decorate the house with a 4 year old that only wants to eat the candy and the icing was challenge but I think we persevered! I pretty much went through all of the leftover Halloween Candy (thanks for the idea Nikki) to decorate the house. We used starbursts as the walkway, m&m's as lights, a tye-die fruit rollup for the windows, and other candies from the kit. As for the roof, Bella decided to put the candies on that way and it worked for me. We were about an hour into the project and I did not have the patience to make a pretty pattern with them! Finally I spread the rest of the icing onto the styrofoam and we sprinkled white glitter over it to look like snow! Next time I will definitely use my own royal icing so that I can decorate it a little better but I am still proud of myself because this one is still standing and doesn't look too bad! It is pretty safe to say that I have now evened the score! Wilton Gingerbread House Kit 1 - Marisa 1!

A CRAFTacular Day!

In case you haven't noticed, one of the things I have been trying to do since I got laid off is build up Purplelicious. In addition to looking for a job, I have made Purplelicious my job since I have been home. Thankfully all of the hard work I have been putting into it has been paying off this holiday season. Compared to last year and previous months, my sales trends are up! YAY! On Wednesday I was taking some time to finish up some ribbon bangle bracelets I was working on.

I had an idea to add these crystals I knew I bought during one of my many trips to Michaels! While I was in my craft room searching for them, I found them and in the same bag I came across this crystal applique of a princess crown. I immediately had an idea to make a headband with it.

I also found an envelope of fabric scraps that my sister sent me and in that contained an adorable Alexander Henry print that I knew would make a cute kids headband.

I went back downstairs to finish the ribbon bangle bracelets. Then I went upstairs where I proceeded to make two kids headbands and 9 new wristlet keychains. Craziness!!! I finally finished listing everything today, I am hoping all of that craftiness pays off! Seeing as though two of my new items have already sold, I think I am off to a good start!

What a Week!

Wow I cannot believe it has been almost a week since I have blogged. I was doing so well too! I am still trying to get caught up after the craziness that was last week. I spent the beginning of the week grieving the loss of my aunt who passed away after a month of medical issues. Even though I knew that her passing was inevitable, I still was not ready to say goodbye. I volunteered to make the photo collage because as only crafters know...there is nothing like a little craft therapy. Her funeral was a rough one, partly because she was the third sibling my father has lost in a little over a year's time and she was the matriarch of the family after her sister died last year. I know that she is with me now all of the time and I will always keep her in my heart and memories. Thankfully I had something to look forward to at the end of the week which made getting through the funeral a little easier. I made plans with my great friend and sorority sister (aka my wingman) to head to NYC and be cheesy tourists Christmas Style. I cashed in the last of my Hilton points to get us a room in the city. The night before I was completely exhausted from the funeral events during the previous days and I had 4 Purplelicious orders to finish but I took a break to plan out what we were going to do in NYC. We had a list of things we wanted to do, it was my job to make them happen. So I was little inspired by the movie Serendipity and thought both Laura and I could use a "fortunate accident" these days! After we dropped our bags off at the hotel, we headed straight to Central Park (via subway I might add) and went to the Wollman Rink. This place was awesome and not crowded at all. It took us a few laps to figure out how to ice skate but we made it an hour and didn't fall!


After we finished ice skating we headed straight to FAO Schwartz. That place is so much fun! We even got a chance to try out the Big Piano that was in the movie Big!

By this point we were pretty much starving and headed to Serendipity for lunch! They had a wait there so we killed time at Dylan's Candy Bar, which was pretty much the coolest candy store I have ever been in. We headed back to Serendipity and got seated right away. What an adorable little place and it was decorated so cute for Christmas. The food was awesome and the dessert was even better. We did not get the frozen hot chocolate but instead got this ice cream, chocolate cake, and hot fudge dessert that was sinful. My hope is that since we ate at Serendipity a little luck will come our way!


From there we walked down 5th Avenue and stopped into some stores here and there until we got to Rockefeller center and saw the big tree. So amazing, that tree is simply breathtaking.


Exhausted from all of the walking we hit the hotel for a quick nap before we went out for a late night of bar hopping. On our way to the train station we decided to hit Macy's again and check out Santaland on the 8th floor. We did not realize that this would entail a visit with Santa so we decided to make the most of it. Let me just tell you when I saw this Santa, I got goosebumps, he was the real deal. Laura and I sit on his lap to prepare for our picture and Santa's turns to me and says, "What do you want for Christmas?" I about fell off of his lap. The rest of the exchange was quite comical but I will keep that to myself and just hope that Santa gets me what I asked for!


I ended the week with a tribute to one of my high school classmates that was killed in the line of duty in Iraq this summer. I ran in a 5K that was organized in his name. It was an emotional run for me mostly because in all of the runs I have done, I have never had such a personal connection to the cause. There were so many people there, it was such a tribute to him. It was also amazing to catch up with some friends from high school I have not seen in ages. Later that evening, I attended a dinner for him and had the opportunity to toast him. After the party a group of us from high school just hung out and caught up. It was a great day in all, Greg was definitely smiling down on all of us that day.

So as you can see I have had quite a week and I have been keeping busy creating new items for Purplelicious for the holidays! In case you have missed my entertaining blogs I hope to be back on a posting routine this week!

A Day of Thanks

It is kind of a shame to me that as a country we need a holiday remind us to reflect on the things that we are thankful for. While some things in my life right now aren't going quite the way i want them to, I am still grateful for many things. I have an amazing family who has been so supportive of me my entire life. I have a beautiful daughter who's carefree attitude and smile could make you smile on even your worst day. I have the most amazing friends who have been in my life for many years and are always there for me no matter what. Last but not least...I have Purplelicious! My little business that allows me to do exactly what I want to do...be creative and make a little money doing it. I need to head out to grandmom's for dinner so I wish all of you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and encourage you to think about what you are thankful for everyday not just when the holidays force you too!

Change is Good!

A few months ago I had a customer that requested a custom order for two headbands for her daughter. She requested that they be wide at the top and then taper down the sides. When I finished the order I was really impressed with how they came out and thought that it made the finished product look more professional and more like the traditional plastic headband but of course without the headache! I thought about changing my design but was in the midst of craft shows and could not afford production delays due to a new style. Recently I bought some slightly fancier fabrics and thought that they would look better with the new design. Before experimenting with the satin, I picked up some great new fabrics (see them in my shop) and gave it a try. The final product is still 2" wide at the top by gradually tapers down the side to 1" at the bottom. The picture below demonstrates the difference.


I think that the new design will help the headband fit better. Lately for some of my customers the 2" wide all around was a bit too wide for their head. I have decided to use the new design from this point forward. I will continue to sell through my current inventory but if the old style is not available, all new orders will get this new design. I will also begin the process of updating all of the pictures on my site as the new style are created! If you prefer the old look, just ask me and I can still make it for you that way! I am usually not a big fan of change but I think in this case it works! You are still getting the same quality headband made with awesome fabrics, the design is just a little more fabulous!

Pizza Night!!!

When I was growing up, Friday night was always pizza night. I am not exactly sure why but I think it dates way back to when my parents were kids and some Italian Catholic tradition of not eating meat on Fridays. Occasionally we would actually make our own pizza's which was always my favorite. My mom would make the dough in a big sauce pot and I would stand across from her at the counter and watch her make the pizzas. As we got older, I would always ask for my own dough to make my own pizza, not sure why, I vaguely remember it being something with the sauce. My best memories are when my brother would make the pizza too and we would listen to Friday with Frank (Sinatra that is) and make pizza all night. Good times! It has been so cold here I thought it would be fun to make homemade pizza with Bella. I do not make my dough in a sauce pot, I use my kitchen aid...I just love making dough in that thing, it always comes out so good! I did not involve Bella in the dough making process because it takes a little while and you have to let it rise. But when it was time she was so ready to get started! Here is a pic of her placing the pepperoni on her pizza. She did not want sauce, I don't know why. Also please excuse my mail pile and she was also munching on some bologna while we were cooking!



This is what her pizza looked like before it went into the oven, not bad for a 4 year old. I pretty much shaped the dough but she kept it pretty good while she was rolling it out.


I decided to cook the pizza's on my pizza stone. Ideally I like to put the pizza stone on the grill and cook the pizzas in there. They come out awesome because the grill gets so hot. I tried to mock the grill atmosphere in my oven, by letting the pizza stone preheat while the dough was rising. Here is Bella's pizza cooking, for some reason when you use the stone, the dough just rises perfect!


Here is the final product. Her pizza came out delicious, I didn't even miss not having the sauce. I have also included a picture of what mine looked like, of course a much healthier version. The joys of watching what you eat. Mine was still delicious but it would have been nice to not have the measure the cheese, say no to pepperoni, and spread the dough out to make it as big as possible!


In all it was a really fun night and something I am going to try and do more often. I want Bella to have the same memories making pizza with me, like I did making pizza with my family!

New Shop at 1000 Markets!

I was recently alerted to a new marketplace for handmade items called 1000 Markets. I checked out a few shops on there and recognized some Etsy Sellers. It seems that this marketplace really focuses on the artist themselves, I found that most of the profile pictures are of the actual artist as opposed to their work. I really like the interface and your shop page is a combination of Etsy, Myspace, Facebook, and Blogger! In addition to your profile picture, your banner, and shop items, there is a wall for other sellers to write notes about your shop and there is also a blog section. Pretty much one stop shopping! The site processes payments using amazon payments so we will see how all of that works out! I am pretty sure 1000 Markets is still pretty new but I am happy to be a part of this new online marketplace! As if I need another website to maintain but when you are trying to develop a business it can't hurt and I have been kind enough to organize all of my web locations on the right hand side of my blog! So if you get a chance, check out my new shop at 1000 Markets!
purplelicious.1000markets.com

VIX Emporium

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I began consigning with VIX Emporium. I remember browsing the forums on Etsy and saw a post from them looking for artists. When I read further I saw that they were in West Philly and knew I had to contact them. I was reading the consignment contract on the train headed to an interview and made the decision to go for it! I think a lot of people get weary about consigning their items but I think of it as a great way to get your product out there. Just make sure the terms still enable you to make a profit. What I love about consigning is at the beginning of some months I get an e-mail telling me that money is coming my way! I forget that VIX has a stash of my headbands, so it is nice to get that paypal bump every now and then! I have since sold roughly about 20 headbands at VIX Emporium and recently sent another 11 (see photo) so that they arrive in time for their 1 year anniversary party. What I absolutely LOVE about VIX Emporium is that it is a market for all handmade items. They carry items from over 140 artists from across the country. For someone who creates handmade items, it is amazing for me to think that someone would have an awesome store that showcases such items! And the owner, Emily, is simply fantastic to work with! Starting Purplelicious has not only been an opportunity for me to make a few extra bucks, I have also met some really amazing people along this journey! So if you are reading this and are in the Philly area, check out the VIX Emporium Anniversary party, there will be live music and refreshments! You can get more information about the party and the shop in general by going to their website: http://vixemporium.wordpress.com

Welcome to Miami!!!

Last Friday I could not wait to get on the plane because I knew I was headed south for some sun and warm weather. Here in Jersey it seriously had been raining for two weeks. I was hoping to make sure that the sun still exists! I was en route to Miami with my mom and grandmom for a quick trip so we could attend my brother's fiance's bridal shower and bachelorette party. While the three of us were sitting on the plane I realized that right there was three generations of women, it was pretty cool! While on the plane my mom taught me how to knit, which is something I have been wanting to learn FOREVER! So we will see what kind of creative accessories I can come up with in the future, once I learn some more stitches! We had a pretty action packed day. The shower was in the afternoon and it was really awesome meeting the other girls in the bridal party and the rest of Jen's family. It really started to get me excited about the wedding. Later that night we had the bachelorette party and I can honestly say I have not had that much fun in a while! Not that I had any doubt that the wedding would be fun, but after a night out with those girls...it is going to be awesome! When I woke up Sunday morning at 6am for my flight back after only 3 hours of sleep, I felt like a walking zombie. But for a quick trip it was a complete blast! We are actually having another bridal shower for Jen here in January and some of the bridal party is coming up from Miami. I am pretty much planning the bridal shower and the bachelorette party. I forgot how much fun it is for me to plan these things and create all of the invites, favors, cakes, etc! So stay tuned for posts about all of that madness! I wish I could find a way to do this for a living. I guess it is good that I am not working so that I have time to focus on making Jen's Philly Shower Awesome! Thanks again to all those in Miami that made us feel so welcome...see you in Jersey!

300 Sales...WOW!!!

Tonight I was having a conversation with my brother about everything that has been going on in my life right now and he said some pretty inspiring words, "Say some prayers - be thankful for what you have - stay positive - it is way beyond your control" As I let that advice sink in, I checked my e-mail and saw that I had an etsy sale! This sale was from a previous customer who happens to be an Eagles fan in Arizona and bought a Philadelphia Eagles headband from me. Then it clicked...that was my 300th sale!!! I glanced over my blog history before I wrote this and noticed that exactly 3 months ago I hit 200 sales! So taking my brother's advice I am going to be thankful that I have a fairly successful online business and fabulous customers who like my headbands so much, they keep coming back for more! I am also going to stay positive and hope to achieve many more sales milestones in the months to come!!!

Santa's At The Mall???

I happened to be in the mall over the weekend and I could not believe my eyes when I saw kids lined up in their Holiday attire waiting for their turn for a picture with Santa. My heart immediately started to race and my palms got sweaty as all of the holiday anxiety started to hit me WAY too early! I give props to the mom's that are on the ball this early in the game. Bella of course wanted to get her picture taken but I told her we would come back when I had her outfit. It's a good thing I am not working so I have time to get on that task! I know it is November but does it seem a little early to be thinking about Christmas already??? I guess I should not be surprised, behind all of the Halloween stuff I saw some Christmas items on the shelves, retailers just chomping at the bit waiting for the increased holiday sales trends. It is all too much too soon for me, perhaps I am in the denial that Christmas is approaching and fast! I need to ease into the holiday season mostly because it is typically a crazy time of the year for me. Thankfully my sister is a little more aware of these things than I and asked me the other night if I had a Holiday Collection for Purplelicious. To which I replied...of course I do! Clearly I was not ahead of the 8 ball this season! Last year I made these accessories and am proud to bring them back this year! The collection includes two adult headbands made with festive fabric that is still trendy! There are also two children's headbands that are made with black and red velvet and are the perfect accent to your little ones holiday dress! And finally I have two ribbon bows that were an experiment that I think turned out adorable, but I am slightly biased! I truly don't think I will ever be ready for the holidays but at least while I am procrastinating and frazzled, my daughter and I can look fabulous in these great accessories!

Let me catch you up!

Wow I can't believe it has been almost two weeks since my last post. Time really goes by fast! So let me take you back a little. The night of Game 5 of the World Series I received a phone call from my father at 5:20 informing me that my aunt was in the hospital and that he would be unable to attend Game 5 and was giving me the tickets. I was filled with such a mixture of emotion, while I was excited to get to go the game, I did not like the reason why I was going to the game. On top of all of that, earlier that day I found out I got laid off and my last day was Friday of that week. So with mixed emotions I tried to put it all behind me and enjoy the game. That night I was joined at the game by two of my cousins who also got a last minute call from my uncle. The three of us all shared a mutual feeling of excitement to be at the game, but sadness as to the reason. The game was AWESOME, until the rain really started to come down. In my rush to change some of plans and get out the door, the last thing I thought to do was check the weather forecast. I was prepared for cold weather but not rain. So we sat in the rain and waited for them to call it. It was actually really miserable, because the rain seemed to be coming at you from every angle. We actually quoted the scene from Forrest Gump where he talks all the different kinds of rain! When they finally put the cover on the field I was relieved to finally get some warmth. We didn't want to leave our seats in case we missed anything!! We had a feeling that the game was going to get called since the weather forecast showed rain for the rest of the night. There was a part of me that was relieved when it was called because I thought that my dad would have the chance to see the Phil's win! But when Wednesday rolled around, he was still unable to leave the hospital so I got to go to World Series Game 5 - Part 2. So this time around it was still me and my cousin but his daughter and my other cousin joined us! I was happy to be there with my family, it felt right. It was such a strange experience to be there since the game picked right up where it left off and was only 3 innings. I didn't realize what was happening until someone said...one more out and we win the World Series. Then it hit me! I was going to part of history! It sort of felt anti-climatic in a way because usually you have 9 innings to build up your suspense, making that last out even more memorable. But it was still amazing. Being in the building for that win was unreal, I don't even know how to describe it really. Underneath all of the excitement I wished my dad had been there. My dad has been a season ticket holder since before I was even born and has been waiting just as long as everyone else to see the Phil's win a championship. But I know that if he couldn't be there, he would want one of his kids to be. As I was leaving the stadium, I was freaking out a bit. I was by myself and the people were just going crazy. There were cars just parked near the stadium and they were blasting music and drinking, running up to people's cars, and I just kept saying to myself..."There is no place like Jersey!" Had I not been by myself I probably would not have been so scared! I made sure to buy my dad some World Series gear and called him from the stadium so he could hear some of the excitement! I did not go the parade since it was unfortunately my last day at work and I had a lot things to transition and had to turn in my computer. I heard that parade was amazing and the total number of people completely exceeded expectations. You think?? Philly sports fans are crazy!

So now that I am unemployed, what am I doing? Well not working is definitely interesting. I have spent the last week catching up on stuff with the house that I have been putting off. I am surprised that I have been more busy since I have been home than I was when I was working! I, of course, have been looking for jobs but the job market is not looking to promising these days. I have severance until the end of January but that really does not leave too much time to find a job. I definitely have been brainstorming about some new ideas for Purplelicious so keep checking the shop or here to see what is new!! I will most likely blog about all of the new stuff since I have some extra time on my hands these days! So keep checking the shop and here for the latest and greatest! I am exhausted just writing this post!!! I am off to try and enjoy the rest of my Sunday before my 2nd super busy non work week begins!

World Series 2008 Game 3

When I woke up on Saturday morning I felt like a kid on Christmas Day! I was so exciited that I was actually attending another World Series Game! We had all been monitoring the weather all day because it was supposed to rain. Before we left for the game, it looked the rain was supposed to stop around 6 or 7 which would have been perfect! We arrived at Citizens Bank Park as soon as the gates opened at 5:30pm. We immediately started checking out some of the World Series merchadise. When we got out of the tent after buying our official World Series Gear, the skies opened up and the wind was crazy. So at that point there was nothing left for us to do but stand around, drink beer, and eat! For some that may seem like an ideal situation but I am here to tell you...it got old after 3 hours of it! At one point all of us pretty much ran out of things to talk about! My dad kept checking the radar on his phone and all we could see was rain. We were beginning to think that they may cancel the game, but I had hoped that they wouldn't. Then out of the blue, the rain stopped and the sky was clear. Everyone was hurrying to their seats because the game was starting. The feeling in the stadium was over-powering. When Taylor Swift was singing the national anthem I was full of emotions and covered in goosebumps. For starters I was grateful to have such amazing parents that gave me the chance to be there, happy to have spent the evening with my family, including aunts and uncles and most importantly, happy that my Phillies were in the World Series!!! I will say this, the way Taylor Swift sang that national anthem was just awesome. Check it out here.



The game itself was full of ups and downs. Back to Back homers from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were amazing! When it came down to the final innings I was starting to feel pretty tired since I had been at the park for about 7 hours. I know I was not alone, and when that stupid error tied the game, I was praying that the Phils would come back for the win. One, because I wanted them to win the game and two, I just did not think I had it in me for extra innings! The last couple of plays on the inning were amazing and when the 3rd baseman overthrew home and we won, I was freaking out! Hugging my family, slapping high fives to random fans, and just screaming! This morning I woke up exhausted from going to bed at 4am and without a voice, but it was all totally worth it! What an experience! Go Phillies!!!

Bring on the World Series!!!!

I remember that night in 1993 so vividly even though it was so long ago! But I was fortunate enough to be at the game when the Phillies won the game that brought them to the World Series! It was so amazing to be a part of. The crowd was going wild, the fans were all hugging. It was the first time I saw Philadelphia sports fans actually be nice to each other! I was also fortunate enough to attend a World Series game. I still get goosebumps remembering the feeling of walking into the stadium, hearing music from the Natural, and feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation in the crowd. Unfortunately 1993 was not the year for the Phillies...BUT I couldn't be happier that they are going for it again in 2008!!! Again I am fortunate enough to be attending Game 3, the first game of the Series in Philly and I can only imagine what the energy is going to be like. It has been 28 years since this ball club has tasted this sweet victory and I know that will fight to achieve that title this year! Given this love for baseball, you had to know that I would get my hands on Philadelphia Phillies fabric. At first I was searching on the web for it and came up empty with the exception of one listing on ebay. They wanted $12.50 for a fat quarter...WHAT!!!! I found out that they haven't made cotton Phillies fabric since the year 2000. Once I had that knowledge there was only one other source I could go to. My mother...and low and behold in her fabric stash she had about 7 yards of this fabric from the year 2000. If I ever make fun of her massive fabric collection again, please stop me! She was kind enough to spare a 1/2 yard so I made a few headbands with it! I know I will be sporting mine at the game on Saturday! Check out my website if you want to get your hands on one! GO PHILLIES!!!!

They Say Its My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me! I started celebrating my weekend a little early on Saturday night with one of my really good friends from high school! We had a fabulous night in Philly, drinking some beers and going through the Terror Behind the Walls. If you live near Philly, check it out. This place is awesome. Incredibly scary and is even better at 12:30am, which is when we went! We had so much fun, we are still laughing about it today. I would share why but I don't know if anyone else would find it as funny as we do! On Sunday I had to put on the soccer mom hat and Bella scored her first goal in three games! So we were beyond excited! After her soccer game I had a nice dinner with my parents, Bella, and my grandmom! I expected today to actually be low key but it turned out to be such an awesome day. I received so many birthday wishes everywhere and from everyone! I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life! Bella got me a singing Hannah Montana birthday card and a slice of my favorite Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Then I came home and had flowers waiting for me from my fabulous friend and wingman Laura! So overall an amazing day. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday completely fabulous! Bring on 31!

Weekend of Fall Fun!

Given the fact that I have so much going on with my life, it is rare that I can spend any time during the weekend for fun. But since I had Bella all weekend and all the poor kid ever does with me on the weekends is run errands with me, I thought it would be cool to change it up a bit. After we left my regular Sat AM Weight Watchers class we were off to the mall to pick up our copy of Sleeping Beauty. While we were there she asked if she could Build A Bear. I said why not! I pretty much always say no, but thought that today could just be all about her. It was still pretty early in the day and I was trying to think of something else that we could do. The weather was gorgeous, in the low 70s, so I thought it would be cool if we went to a local farm and went pumpkin picking. I have not been to Duffields, since I was a kid. Since it is in the town where I grew up, I was always there for field trips and my mom would take us there to go strawberry picking in the summer. She would also take us there for the occasional cider donut! When we arrived at the farm I was in shock. It was PACKED. There were cars everywhere and they even had parking attendants showing you where to park. CRAZY! There was also a lot of activities to take part in. I bought Bella a wristband that included a hayride to the pumpkin patch, one pumpkin, a walk through the corn maze, a turn in the moon bounce, and a ride on the Barnyard express (a little tractor ride for kids). All for $15..what a steal! We had a blast, it was so much fun just living in the moment with her and watching her have fun. On Sunday, we had a day off from soccer so we lounged around the house for the day. Then after dinner we painted our pumpkins to put on the front step to go along with the other Halloween decorations we put up. She was so proud of her creation! In all, it was a really fun weekend and it was nice to forget about the routine stuff for a little while and let the kid in you come out. One other thing...those cider donuts taste just as good as they did when I was a kid!

Fallin' For Fall

As someone who would love nothing more than to be able to wear flip flops all year round, the end of summer is pretty traumatizing for me. I still defy the cool weather by wearing jeans, sweatshirts, and flip flops as long as my feet can bear it! That approach seems silly as i have absolutely no control of the seasons changing. So now is when I try to think about the things that I love about fall. This is the only way for me to actually accept the fact that it is here. For one, I do love watching the leaves change color. I do not however love raking them in my yard but at least they are pretty before they fall! Being in the garden state i love that the pumpkin patches are ready and there are hayrides a plenty. I also LOVE Halloween which is my favorite holiday of the year! As for sports, well now I am LOVING baseball playoffs since my Philllies are kicking some butt! But i also love football season! And I have to say as much as I don't like the cold weather it is nice to snuggle up under a warm blanket on those cold nights. Hmm, I think it is possible that I have convinced myself that I...gasp...like maybe even love FAll. Ok let's not get carried away!

Enough about my indecision regarding fall and on to something I do love without a doubt...accessories! While walking around the fabric store, I found some awesome fall fabrics to make headbands with! For the first time ever I have worked with Corduroy and I think these headbands just came out awesome and would look perfect with your favorite fall sweater and jeans...flip flops optional!



Another great part of fall is a chance to show your team spirit! I do have some team fabrics in my collection but can always get different teams. Although my dad may disown me if I make anything with Cowboys or Giants fabric! But if that is what you would like I could make exceptions! Below is my tribute to my hometown team, The Philadelphia Eagles Fan Collection! Go Birds!



So I guess at the end of this blog one could say that I am fallin' for fall, which is true, there is much to love about fall. But my heart still belongs to summer and as each day gets colder, I will be counting down the days til we can be together again!

I Made it Through!

Another craft show that is! This past Saturday I was a vendor at the Fall Pitman Craft Show. I did this show with my mom who brought some adorable hand-knitted children's ponchos and adult and children's aprons. My mom and I have done craft shows together in the past and have failed miserably! She was beginning to think that she was a jinx. I assured her that before we just never did the right shows. So the night before both of us were cramming to finish up some last minute items to bring with us to the show. We were like dueling sewing machines at her kitchen table to the point where my daughter was getting annoyed because she could not hear the tv! Overall, I did ok at this show. I have done better and I have done worse. I did not make more ponytail holders because at the Haddonfield show they did not sell well. But I should have because they were my biggest seller at this show. It just proves that you will never be completely prepared with the right mix of items. I think the ponytail holders went because they were inexpensive and quite simply times are hard for most people...myself included! But my mom did AWESOME! She sold many of her things and had the best show she has ever had. So another successful show under my belt and my mom has been given renewed confidence that she does make adorable items that people do want to buy! Thanks to all of the fabulous new customers we met on Saturday! I hope you are enjoying your accessories!

I Have Lost my Mind

Everytime I finish a craft show I say to myself, "Yeah I am not going to do these anymore, it takes so much time to prepare and then you spend the whole day sitting at the booth, when my accessories could sell online while I do other things." Even though I was very successful at the Haddonfield Show I really did try to keep this thought with me. Until I was looking through the bin with my leftover inventory from that show and thought...the Pitman Show is coming up and you already have a tent. So having temporary amnesia regarding my no more craft show positions and a fond memory of the money I made doing both the Spring and Fall Pitman Show last year, I sent off the application and check to the lovely town of Pitman, NJ. I sent the check Aug 20 and got my confirmation this past Monday. Which gives me 10 days to prepare for this show...AWESOME! Looks like some sleepless nights are in my future. Secretly I am excited about this show. I bought a lot of supplies to make fun accessories with for the Haddonfield show but ran out of time to make some of them. So I am looking forward to working with those supplies as well as those that are arriving tomorrow. It should be fun. Oh and you have permission to tell me, "I told you so" if I complain about anything regarding this show!

Back to Business

I decided to take some time this week and distract myself from all of the stress that I have been under these days. I typically would turn to eating something I enjoy but I decided to also refocus on weight watchers this week. Then I thought I would go for a run (something else I am trying to get back into) and it helped but for only a little bit. So then it hit me! SEW! Not only do I love making headbands, it is the perfect distraction, it keeps my hands busy (so I won't want to snack) and since I have to concentrate on what I am making, it keeps my head from drifting into the craziness. And the benefits of having fabulous new products to list can only help in the long run, right?? So a couple of nights ago that is what I did. I was working on my 200th sale which happened to be a custom order and then I just kept going. 2 hours later, I had 5 new headband styles sewn and took pictures of some other items left over from the craft show. So I bet you are wondering if it was worth the effort. Well it was! Ever since I have been back to building up Purplicious I have had a sale everyday since and am already half-way towards my August sales goals! So all of you fellow Etsians out there...listen to what they say. If you take the time to work on your items and shop, it will pay off not only financially but for me it really helped me mentally get through the week! So everyone...get going! I know I have a new stack of fabric just begging to made into fabulous accessories so off I go! Happy Crafting Everyone!

200 Sales WooHoo!!!!

I think it is pretty safe to say that I always have a case of the Mondays! You think I would be used to overcoming that Sunday night feeling of dread that the work week is about to start again! Oh well, it was a nice weekend. A change of plans on Friday night left me to have an amazing dinner with my family which included my grandmom's homemade pizza. It was that night that I realized my need for perfection did not come from my father's side after all. My 80-something grandmother was simply pissed that her pizza did not come out the way it usually does. She vowed to never cook it outside of her house again! Now we did not seem to mind because the pizza was absolutely delicious, but I could totally relate to her disappointment. I get that way when something well doesn't come out perfect! Yesterday I pretty much thought the world was ending since it rained and stormed ALL day. It was impossible to even set foot outside, so Bella and I had a lazy Sunday. It was fantastic. I spent the whole day reading a book that I stayed up until 2am last night so I could finish. Thankfully I took that nap yesterday! I know I should have been sewing up a storm and adding new accessories to my etsy shop but getting engrossed in a novel, in comfy clothes, under a blanket in my favorite chair seemed like a better idea. Ok, I have drifted a little..ok alot! Fortunately there were people that spent their rainy Sunday shopping! Last night I got 2 additional sales leaving me needing one more to hit that next milestone. Seeing that final sale this morning was not that big of a surprise since I knew it would be the custom listing I created, but nonetheless, it was my 200th SALE!!! I could not think of a better way to start a Monday and a new work week. I am so grateful to have this business as my distraction from my real job! Not that my real job is all that bad but I definitely can tell you I would much rather spend my days fabric shopping, sewing, and marketing Purplelicious as opposed to staring at spreadsheets all day! Thankfully business has been good to me and now I can ponder how I am going to get to 300 sales to break up the monotony of my work day! Thanks to all of my fabulous friends, family, and customers, without you this would not be possible!

Wanna Get Away???

I cannot believe it is August already. Where did the summer go??? The good news is that there is still a month of summer left and for some people it is vacation time! There is nothing like going on vacation. The excitement, the relaxation, and most importantly the time away from the office! I am a firm believer that you need to be well accessorized while on vacation. After all, you just spent all of that money on those fabulous new vacation clothes and bathing suits why not make them look even better! Hence the motivation behind my Summer Inspired Headbands. I have created a collection of fabulous headbands perfect for a Caribbean cruise, beach vacation, or a week in your own backyard! My headbands are perfect for the beach as they keep your hair looking great despite the elements! I have put a few of the styles in a picture for you below but have many more in my shop. I hope you all enjoy these last few days of summer, I know I will be making every minute of them count!

A Fabulous Summer!

Clearly I have been having a fairly busy summer since I have been barely blogging. Well I guess that goes with the territory of having just too much going on in one's life. I recently had someone tell me I need to relax more, I am not really sure what that word means but I am hoping this person teaches me a little more about it! In the meantime I will catch you up! The Haddonfield Craft Show was a huge success!!! I met so many fabulous women that loved their shopping experience in my booth! I shared the booth with my sister who just created her Etsy shop called Nicolina Designs. She makes fabulous kids clothing and she did amazing at the show. We received a lot of great compliments about our booth setup and our stuff. So for both of us that was worth the price of admission! We made a pretty decent amount of sales too. We both hope everyone is enjoying their handmade items and don't worry we did our fair share of promoting Etsy too! I definitely over prepared for this show and have a decent amount of inventory left over. What does this mean? Well for you, stay tuned for lots of new accessories to get listed at my Esty Shop and for me, maybe I will get to relax a little since I have rebuilt my shop inventory! Enjoy the pics below and don't forget to check out mine and my sister's Etsy Shops!

Miles To Go Before I Sleep

Ok I think I may have had temporary amnesia when I decided to sign up for this craft show in Haddonfield which so happens to be THIS WEEKEND! I forgot all of the time, money, and effort that goes into craft show preparation. About 6 weeks ago I had set up a production schedule that I followed for all of 1 week! So now here I am, crunch time, with loads of supplies that need to be turned into fabulous accessories. I utilized this long weekend to sew about 70 headbands. My sewing room is a disaster as is the rest of my house that has been neglected due to the massive amounts of sewing commencing upstairs! I have set up a schedule for the rest of this week which I know I will follow because I pretty much have no other choice if I want to break even after all of the costs! I am however excited to do this particular show as I have been to it many years as a buyer and the turnout is awesome! I am a little bummed that my location is not on the main street but oh well, I am a new kid on the block and this show so I guess it goes with the territory! I have been taking pics of the fruits of my labors and will be sure to post them here so you can all drool over the awesome accessories I will be selling this weekend! Don't worry though...any leftovers will get posted at my etsy shop, but I am hoping I don't have too many leftovers! Ok back to the real job where I can spend all day dreaming about being home sewing!

I GOT IN!!!!

Around October of last year I went to my mom's favorite quilt shop in Haddonfield called the Little Shop. My mom is an avid quilter and wanted to take me there so I could look through the fabrics. This place has amazing fabrics! So of course my mom knows the owner so I start talking to her about my headband business. She is impressed and tells me that I should apply for the Haddonfield Craft Show. To be honest, this show intimidates the heck out of me. Haddonfield NJ is a really nice area and I have heard that the show is REALLY hard to get into. Plus the booth fee is really high and I would have to sell a lot of headbands to break even. But she assured me that I would get in because there are few people who sell items made with fabric, she said most of the applicants she gets are jewelry artists...no surprise there!!! So I talked to my mom and my sister and we decided that if the three of us split the fee and all made stuff then we could make it work. So I decide to go for it. I download the application, put together a PowerPoint presentation of my work (can you tell I love marketing!), and sent it in along with my check. So on Tuesday I was checking my bank account and saw that the booth fee check cleared...and I wanted to jump for joy, but didn't want to celebrate until I got my acceptance letter. Which came today!!! So it is official!! I am in! I am so excited because this craft show attracts my target market completely, plus it will be fun to collaborate with my mom and sister on items. They are going to make kids clothes. There is no time to delay though, this is a two day show with a lot of foot traffic, I need to hit the sewing machine hard and start making more fabulous accessories so I am ready for July 12-13!!!

Click on this link for more information about the show!
http://www.haddonfieldnj.org/eventscrafts.php

Shout out to my Esty Jersey Girls!

Yesterday I had the most amazing time hanging out with some other Etsy Artists. Since I am part of the Etsy NJ Street Team, there was a meetup organized at the Panera in Hoboken, NJ. Out of my comfort zone again and traveling north towards NYC I go! Thankfully I had Danielle (CreationsbyDanielle) as my wingman to get me from Newark to Hoboken! Maybe someday I will discover why the universe keeps bringing me north to that area! Although I must say I think I have found a new love...Hoboken. That town is really cool and I definitely need to plan a trip back to experience the nightlife! Anyway it was so awesome meeting some of the members of our fabulous street team! We pretty much took over the entire back area of the Panera and talked about Etsy, life, creating, and gave each other some marketing and advertising tips. So to honor the fabulous ladies I met on Saturday I have put together this picture of some of their amazing items!!! If you are reading this, show their shops some love. Their shops are as amazing as they are! Jersey Girls Rock!



Here are their shop links in the order they are shown above!
http://nicerakc.etsy.com
http://trashedclothing.etsy.com
http://lollibomb.etsy.com
http://catrocks.etsy.com
http://creationsbydanielle.etsy.com
http://madebymelissa.etsy.com
http://mysparkletree.etsy.com
http://collectiveelements.etsy.com
http://time4coffee.etsy.com
http://lizarti.etsy.com

Luck of the Irish!

I remember a pin I had while I was in high school that I would always break out on St Patrick's Day that said, "Kiss me even though I am not Irish!". I am not even a 1/4 of a percent Irish as I am 100% Italian but that doesn't mean that I don't sport some green on St Patrick's Day and give the holiday some love! Since I know that many fabulous women will be headed to their local watering hole or pub crawl to celebrate the day, I thought I would create some fun hair accessories for them to wear! If you are just staying in and celebrating at home or at work...these are perfect for you too! I can also make these in smaller sizes for the little leprecahns in your life! I even made a shamrock ponytail holder if headbands aren't your thing! So enjoy your St Patricks Day responsibly and do it while looking fabulous in your Purplelicious St Patricks Day hair accessory!

Birthdays, Friends, Fun, and Memories

This past weekend one of my great friends and sorority sister came up from MD to visit me for the weekend for her 30th birthday. When she first told me she was coming she said she didn't want to make any big plans and just wanted to get out of dodge and spend time with me! Well I don't think she realized who she was dealing with, when I have the option to plan something I am going to plan something! Plus I decided to re-live my 30th birthday through her since I spent mine at a funeral last Oct. So I go through our options and decide to cash in some of my hotel points for a night in Philly and then thought we would go out to a nice dinner and then party til the bars closed...just like old times!

Well the view from our hotel was awesome! When you stepped out on the balcony you had the best view of Logan Circle and the Art Museum, since it was an Embassy Suites hotel the room was huge and had two separate rooms. So we made ourselves pretty and went out for an awesome night! Since college we have affectionately called each other wingman since throughout the college years that is what we always were for each other. Well this night was no exception as she took her wingman status to an entirely different level.

The thing that I loved the most about this weekend besides the great night in Philly was the fact that I have had this fabulous woman in my life for almost 11 years. And I think that is one of the beauties of being in a sorority. I still keep in touch with at least 10 of the girls and when we get together even if years have passed it is just like old times. I love looking back on the crazy things we got ourselves into and the funny stories, I can hear them 100 times and they just don't get old for me. But the best part of it all is even as most of us are getting older, we still get together and create NEW stories and memories to laugh about in the future! I know the events from this past Saturday will keep me and my wingman laughing until our next crazy get together!

So Happy 30th to my Wingman, fellow Tri Sigma, and amazing friend!!! I am truly blessed to have someone like you in my life! And here's to another 30 years of crazy memories and nights of randomness!

Networking, Networking, Networking

Anyone in the business world (whether it is having your own business or having a job in corporate america) is well aware of the importance of networking. Last night I was invited to attend a Meet and Greet with some reps from my college alma mater and some other alum in New York City. Since I saw it as a huge networking opportunity I set out to the train station and got ready for my 1hr 20min train ride into NYC. I was slightly freaking out because I have only been to NYC a handful of times and I NEVER went there by myself. I didn't even know anyone that I was meeting but for some reason knew I needed to be there. So I stepped way out of my comfort zone and did it. I am so glad that I did. Turns out they are looking to start some local alumni chapters in Philadelphia and/or NYC. Since I was the only one at the meet and greet who lives close to Philly it looks like I will be the one trying to get it all together. Because let's be honest...I am bored and have nothing else to do! YEAH RIGHT! But what I do know is that re-connecting with higher level reps and other alum from my alma mater could bring nothing but positive things. So for me, adding this to my already over-flowing plate will be a short term time investment with the possibility of long term gains! The moral of the story is when you see an opportunity to network and get yourself out there...TAKE IT...even if it freaks you out a little and takes you out of your comfort zone. You never know what could happen when you throw caution to the wind and go for it!

Happy 100 Sales to Me!

I am so excited I cannot believe it!!! I hit 100 etsy sales today and I could not be happier. Not bad for someone who learned how to sew a little over a year ago! AND...not only did I hit 100 sales in under a year with my etsy shop but this last order has not put me 1 headband away from reaching my monthly sales goal of 30!!! I am so grateful that my sales have been picking up and everyone is enjoying their fabulous accessories made by me! I hope that the sales trend continues as I am always looking for fun new items to add to my shop!

Below is a picture of the order that contained my 100th sale. The customer ordered 3 headbands which was the number of headbands I needed to sell to hit the milestone. I had a special offer in my shop that the last 3 headbands sales would receive a free ponytail holder and the 100th sale would receive a free headband. Since this fabulous customer bought 3 headbands, she got a lot of awesome Purplelicious goodies!



Thanks again to all of my customers and Etsy friends! Here's to hitting the next milestone and many sales!

I love Patchwork!!!

Oh no I think I might have found a new love. Don't get too excited it is not a man but I a new way to sew! For Christmas gifts I gave a lot of my accessories as presents since funds were a little tight. Since my mom does not wear headbands I decided to make her a patchwork scarf...using fabric from her own collection. She has SO much fabric, she had no idea what I even took! Since I had some of the squares leftover I decided to try and make a patchwork belt with it. And here it is:



I am so excited about how cute this came out. I think on the next one I will cut the fabrics into smaller pieces. I am already eyeing up my fabric to see if I can make some more belts like these! I might even make a matching headband for this belt. Stay tuned...I have some other great accessories ideas up my sleeve. Hmmm what fabulous accessory will I create next!

Love...Love...Love

I find it interesting that I am able to create many fabulous Valentine's items that are all about love when I am in fact not in love. :-( Sad I know, but an aspect of my life I am working on. As an avid believer in The Secret my hope is that if I embrace the Valentine's season I will send out to the universe that I am not a hater of love but a congratulator. So bring on the love universe...I'm waiting! In the meantime check out some of these great headbands I crafted up in honor of this day of love! And you thought I would stop at the cute t-shirts! The three headbands here are for your little one! I know my mom always got me a little gift on Valentine's Day so do the same for the fabulous little lady in your life!





And who says that fabulous ladies can't wear a "cool" Valentine headband too! I think the fabric used in these headbands is simply stated and beautiful!




So who knows, maybe Cupid's arrow will strike me and I will have a Valentine this year but for me sometimes it is a lot more fun to share the love which I think I have done with this great Valentine's accessories! Enjoy!

I am Branching out...only a little!

As I was wondering around JoAnn fabrics last weekend looking for fun valentine fabrics to make headbands with I got inspired. I was looking at the conversation heart fabric and said to myself..."I wonder if I could make a t-shirt with a conversation heart on it" Then in my head I went through what I would need to do. I reverted back to the sorority days when we would make our own letter shirts. I figured it was a similar concept except I needed something for the letters. Then I walked past the felt. After a couple of consults with my mom and sister and a quick review of my sewing machine manual to learn a zig zag stitch, I was ready to go. I found it interesting how much of my college experiences came back to me while I was making these shirts. In addition to being in a sorority, I also was an RA and made a ton of bulletin boards which got me pretty good at making block letters! So I can thank my college activities for the creation I am about to unveil to you. My favorite part about these awesome shirts is that they can be customized to include your favorite conversation heart saying! I really enjoyed making these and hope to make one for you soon! For more details, check out my etsy shop!






So I realize that the above are shirts and not accessories but what I am finding is that now that I have learned how to sew (I only learned 1 year ago), my mind goes crazy with ideas. And I sometimes surprise myself that I am able to actual create what I am thinking...so who knows what other fun non-accessories I will come up with!

Happy New Blog Year!

Ok as part of my new business goals for 2008 my blog is born (Check!). My hope is that it ultimately brings me many sales to my Etsy shop but I also would be just as happy to make people smile and laugh about life and crafting adventures that I plan to share with you!

So as the first post is happening on the 1st day of 2008 I thought it would be fun to share how I spent my last day of 2007! One of the things I like about my current job is that my company shuts down from Christmas Eve to New Years Day. This time allows me to be a stay-at-home mom for a week or so. Let me just say, I don't know how you (stay-at-home) mom's do it. Going to work everyday is way easier! My daughter Bella spent most of this time with her Dad so when I got her back I wanted to have a day of fun. Oh and a day of fun we had!

First we went to get some lunch and the pizza place and ate INSIDE. Now to my kid this is better than going to Disney World. I typically do not possess the luxury of 30-60 minutes to sit and watch my kid take forever to eat her food, but when I do have the time, I think it makes her year! The night before we were reading one of the books she got from Santa called Pinkalicious...hmm wonder why Santa got her that book! (He also got her Purplelicious too from the same authors. Anywho, the book is about a little girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. So my daughter decides she wants to make pink cupcakes. So after pizza we went to the grocery store for cupcake supplies. So she put on her brand new Princess apron that my mom made and we got to work! How do you make pink cupcakes, well Bella did not want strawberry cake, so I bought a white cake mix and added food coloring to the batter. Then we bought white icing and did the same and added pink sugar sprinkles. She had so much fun making these cupcakes but I think her favorite part was at the end when she was putting the remaining icing on her finger, then sprinkling her finger with sprinkles then licking it off. She told me that she doesn't like the bread of the cupcake (I am assuming she meant the cake, who knew my kid was on Atkins!)








After a nice dinner with my parents and grandmom we came home and relaxed. I was working on some fun Valentine's shirts for my Etsy site (to be discussed in another post) and Bella was playing with her Christmas presents. I decided to let her stay up for New Years because I wanted someone to ring in the new year with! I introduced her to the practice of banging pots and pans which at first she was a little hesistant but came around after she saw a crazy neighbor setting off fireworks. She wanted to do this again tonight but I told her that kind of fun can only happen once per year!




Overall I was very happy to kiss 2007 goodbye and could not have thought of a better way to do it then to hang out with my daughter and have a fun filled day! I think it made her year...shame it was the last day of the year! But for me, it taught me that sometimes you have to take a break from your crazy life and just live in the moment with a toddler. Try it, you will be so glad you did.


Tomorrow I am back to the daily grind as a working mom, I will say that I will miss being home with my angel, but I am ready to get back to the normal routine.