New Web Site!

It's up and running people and I am so nervous!  It was a labor of love and I hope everyone likes it as much as I do.  FrayBabyBibsandMore.com is a place where you can shop, visit my Etsy shop and 1000 Markets shop, read my new blog and find other fantastic bloggers and businesses!  So bookmark the new page and we hope to see you over there soon!

For my grand opening - all my online shoppers can take 10% off their entire order with the coupon code GRANDOPENING10 for the entire month of June!

Coming Soon

I'm moving! Well, planning on moving! In the process of moving? Designing my move? What I am trying to say is this blog is getting a new home and hopefully it's home will be ready and live by June 1st. So please bookmark fraybabybibsandmore.com and I'll let you know when we're up and running. Just please allow us a little time to unpack. ;)

Baby Allergies?

Spring is in the air, and so are allergens.  Since moving to Germany, my husband has been popping Claratin daily and since spring has arrived, I've had to take a Sudafed or two.  And with the May showers came coughs and sneezes for our baby girl.  But with all of the coughing and sneezing that she has been doing, it hasn't effected her mood.  She still has a pleasant disposition, smiles and coos, naps well and her appetite is just fine so I was going with the assumption that this wasn't a cold that is ailing her but rather allergies.  I went to Google to try to find out a little more about allergens, allergies and how they effect babies.  There is a great amount of information out there but the article I found the most helpful is from BabyCenter.com.  Here is their checklist of questions for you to answer if you are wondering if your little one is suffering from allergies:

Because the symptoms of nasal allergies are much like cold symptoms — runny nose, watery eyes, cough, nasal congestion, sneezing — it can be tough to tell the difference. There are some telltale signs of allergies, though.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it seem like your baby always has a cold? Colds usually wind down in a week to ten days; allergies don't.
• Is your baby's nose continually stuffy or running?
• Is she constantly wiggling, wiping, or pushing her nose up in what doctors call the allergic salute?
• Is the mucus that drains from her nose clear and thin (as opposed to yellow or greenish and thick)?
• Does she seem to sneeze a lot?
• Are her eyes itchy, red, and watery?
• Does the skin under her eyes look dark or purple or blue — what doctors call allergic shiners?
• Does she breathe through her mouth?
• Does she have a dry cough?
• Is her skin irritated or broken out in an itchy red rash?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, there's a good chance your baby is allergic to something in her environment. 

(Click here for the entire article)  Since I answered "yes" for almost every question it's time for me to get going on de-allergifying (huh? Did I just invent a word?) her environment. All of her blankets and bedding are going into the wash in hot water, the bathroom attached to our bedroom is getting scrubbed with Soft Scrub with bleach (mold is a huge trigger) and that mountain of clothing on hubby's side of the bed? Well, that needs to be sorted through and put away. In the meantime I'll continue putting saline drops in her little nose (I totally recommend Little Noses Saline drops, you can find them here at Amazon.com) and reclining her head slightly when I lay her down so she can breathe a little easier. 

Plastic facts

This information is taken from reusablebags.com. 

Top Facts - Consumption

• Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
  
• According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year. 
  
• According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion) 
  
• According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year - 900 per person. 
  
• According to Australia's Department of Environment, Australians consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year - 326 per person. An estimated 0.7% or 49,600,000 end up as litter each year.
  

Top Facts - Environmental Impact

• Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
  
• Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
  
• As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected. 
  
• Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC, one group harvests 30,000 per month.
  
• According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone "from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere from Spitsbergen 78 degrees North [latitude] to Falklands 51 degrees South [latitude]." 
  
• Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.
  

All the more reason for you to go green and help protect our environment with reusable sandwich and snack bags, market bags and totes.  To purchase these bags, check out my Etsy shop or contact me at fraybaby@live.com to place an order. 

1000 Markets

What is it? Etsy's new rival?

"The Founder's Fund, a San Francisco venture firm created by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and others, is bankrolling a tiny Seattle Internet startup called 1000 Markets that is trying to transform the way artisan goods are bought and sold online...1000 Markets quietly launched last month and now has about 75 specialized marketplaces where artisans are selling everything fromsteampunk jewelry to to handmade hats to crafts associated withThe Day of The Dead."

Read the rest of this great article at TechFlash.com to learn more! And visit my FrayBaby 1000 Markets shop for some bright, colorful and fun items, made with great designer prints, including Day of the Dead!  And I still have my Etsy shop! I'm not looking at this as competition, I'm looking at it as additional marketspace for FrayBaby products!

See you in a week!

Guests are coming to town and since my sewing room doubles as a guest room, I'm closing up shop, but only for a week!  Since I'm not going anywhere, my Etsy shop and 1000 Markets shop are still open.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with pictures of my latest reusable bags and with the promise of many, many more to choose from in about 10 days. 

Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags

Everyone is going green! Your friends are doing it, your neighbors are doing it, even Oprah is doing it. I was approached by a family member and asked if I could make sandwich wraps for her. I looked at a tutorial she included with her email and I knew I could do a lot better. I couldn't imagine a wrap keeping your sandwich air tight and I couldn't imagine just throwing a wrap in your bag and not worrying about it (what if juice from the tomato on your sandwich leaked everywhere? or mustard? or mayo? ick!). I typically do not like velcro unless it is a product for a child, so I decided that when I made my sandwich bags that I would include some that would close with velcro for the little ones but I wanted a cool bag for the older kids and for adults that would guarantee a protected lunch and a protected bag (or backpack or purse, whatever). The old school baggie popped into my head and I thought that design would be perfect so I headed up to the sewing room and made a few prototypes and indeed, the design works wonderfully. I did a couple days worth of research looking for wipeable, waterproof, washable and most importantly, FOOD SAFE, materials/fabrics and finally found the perfect solution that is all those things along with dryer safe, washable in HOT water (if necessary) and anti-microbial.  And the sewing began.

And now I am offering reusable sandwich bags and snack bags in the old school baggie style for older kids, teens and adults and Velcro close reusable bags for the little kids.

If you want to keep up with pictures of the bags as I make them, head on over to Facebook and become a fan of FrayBabyBibsandMore - http://www.facebook.com/pages/FrayBabyBibsandMore/85829111053

If you would like to place an order, feel free to contact me through my Etsy shop at http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com or my 1000 Markets shop at http://fraybaby.1000markets.com OR just leave a comment here and a place where I can contact you. I have a few orders that I am working on fulfilling right now but yours will be placed next in line. There are a few listed in my Etsy shop but I have many, many more I'm working on. Sandwich bags are $7.50 each, 3 for $20 and snack bags are $5.50 each or 3 for $15. A set of 1 sandwich bag with 1 snack bag (which don't have to match) run $12 each.

A tutorial on how to use baggie style reusable sandwich and snack bags - 

The bag (which by the way is large enough to hold almost ANY size sandwich! Measurements are 7 1/2" by 6 1/2" by 1" deep.)

Put sandwich into bag

Tuck that top flap into the bag, over your sandwich

And take the sewn down flap and flip it up and over the entire bag. See? Snug as a bug! Nothing is getting out of there!

And the snack bag - measures approximately 4" by 6" by 1" deep

The Velcro Reusable Kiddie Snack Bag!

And the Velcro Reusable Kiddie Sandwich Bag, slightly smaller than the Baggie style sandwich bag, this one measures 6 1/2" by 6 1/2" by 1"deep.

I'm ironing, cutting and sewing now through Saturday! Get your order in now so you don't have to wait for my next batch of lining to arrive.  :) 

FrayBabyBibsandMore.com

Can you believe it? I own a domain name. Yup, http://fraybabybibsandmore.com is MINE! Right now I have it forwarded to my 1000 Markets shop in the hopes of bringing more traffic to that store but hopefully soon, typing in that web address will bring you to a comprehensive and cohesive online boutique. I just purchased a plan with a host company and will begin to build and develop my site in the next month or so. I'm excited to have a space that can potentially have Home, About You, Products, Blog, Social Networking and Contact Us sections! So bookmark FrayBabyBibsandMore.com and keep checking back for further updates.

Secret Discount Code for Mother's Day!

My follower base is growing on my FrayBaby Facebook page. Exciting! As promised, that is the place I will be announcing new projects and new promotions! Starting today, April 30th continuing through Monday, May 4th, I will upgrade your entire purchase for Mother's Day to Priority Mail for FREE AND you will receive a discount code to take a percentage (yes, a double digit percentage), off of your ENTIRE purchase! So visit my FrayBaby Facebook page, become a fan and save big!  And don't forget, Grandma is a mother too!  ;) 

CLICK HERE or HERE or HERE for FrayBabyBibsandMore's Facebook page!

Modern Dots Brag Book and Retro Flower purse (above) 

Be a fan!

I have so many beautiful baby bibs, burp cloths, ribbon blankets and blankets already made, as well as numerous purses, tote bags and accessories that I can't (okay, I don't have the TIME to) list them all in my Etsy shop or my 1000 Markets shop and to post pictures of everything on my blog would be way too overwhelming to me and my readers! So I created a Facebook page exclusively for FrayBaby!  My hope is to keep it updated with pictures of all of the items I have on hand, along with pictures of new projects and special orders. I'll post specials and sales to the page as well.  And if you are a customer and a fan, I would love for you to post pictures of your FrayBaby item in action to the site!  Click on the link http://www.facebook.com/pages/FrayBabyBibsandMore/85829111053?ref=nf to get to the FrayBabyBibsandMore Facebook page and become a fan today! 

Fabulous Finds for Baby Girl

I've been hunting for cute baby items for Hannah and there sure is a lot of sweetness in Etsyland!  I think I'm in trouble having a baby girl, they are fun to shop for!  Here are some of my great finds....

Oooo - I want this SO BAD! I'm just afraid of scratching or choking since Hannah likes to have her hands in her face and mouth. 

 Misha BLING Baby Bracelet by ccbabyinc

ButterflyGem has AMAZING items in her shop - from bracelets to bows and all sorts of stuff in between!  Here are 2 of my favorites from her shop.

VerySweetBows has, in fact, very sweet bows!  Check out her fun shop for all sorts of hair decor.

momsblankies has cute blankies but what I really adore are her little sloopers!!  Slipper shoes for baby and they are so stinking cute!  What's even better is that she has an amazing clearance section as well - nice! 

I'm still on the hunt for a great sunhat or two for Hannah. I've found a few but have a hard time coughing up $30 for something that she'll wear for 1 season.  If anyone has a great item for me to check out, leave a link in the comments!

Just Eight Bucks

I make a ridiculous amount of baby items and people seem to really like these items, especially the fabrics that I use.  I had a friend tell me not to be surprised if I see her carrying a comfort lovey around the grocery store with her since she loves the fabric so much but I didn't have a huge variety of grown up items.  :)  She inspired me to make a few fun new items, fabric covered address books, brag book photo albums and more mini wallets.  The address books are hardcover, standard size and pretty cool if I do say so myself.  The small photo albums, or brag books, are softcover and have 12 photo sleeves to hold 24 pics.  Both of these items are just $8  a piece.  The mini wallets are $5 each and are just as fun, made with 2 coordinating fabrics and finished with a pearlized snap in a variety of colors.  Visit my Etsy shop to purchase or contact me if you want a special order.  

Address Books

Brag Books

Mini Wallets

Craft Fair!

I'm almost ready for the craft fair this weekend. I have a bunch of items - gobs of bibs and burp cloths, blankies (from swaddling size to mini ribbon blankies), tote bags and fun new purses and items to go into those purses - address books, photo brag books and mini wallets, oh my! After Saturday I plan on putting more items into my Etsy and 1000 Markets shop but bear with me, it might take awhile. :) Here is your sneak peek at all my craft fair items!

Photo brag books and address books, all in a fun crate that my neighbor painted for Hannah - she is going to do the craft fair with me selling a bunch of adorable hand painted crates like this one - I can't wait!

Messiest room of them all.

I'm getting ready for a craft fair which means TONS of cutting, ironing, sewing, snapping, stitching, pressing, etc, etc, etc....All of which results in a HUGE MESS! But amid the chaos, there is calm - all that mess makes sense to me - i know what is in every pile and where everything is spread out makes sense to me. My husband walks in that room and just shakes his head but he knows that it will all be cleaned up once April 18th, craft fair day, is here. Plus, my parents are coming in town in May and they kind of need a place to sleep. I don't think they'd want to cuddle up in all that mess.

Great additions for the Easter basket!

I'm getting ready for Easter and thinking ahead about what I (or the bunny) will be putting into Luke and Hannah's baskets. I've been searching on Etsy and have found some adorable items. I took the plunge and purchased 1 of the items I had been eyeballing and when it arrived, it was even MORE adorable than in the pictures! What did I purchase? Well, for eight whole dollars (that's IT!), I bought 2 (TWO) adorable stuffed bunnies (softies) from Lori of Kid-N Around Creations on Etsy! She lets you pick from dark brown bunnies, light brown bunnies or white bunnies and she makes them in little boy or girl "clothes". I got 2 little light brown bunnies, 1 boy and 1 girl and I can't wait to see how they look in the Easter basket.  I then made a great trade with her - 4 mini wallets for a large "family" of hand puppet bunnies.  I received a mommy and daddy bunny (hand size) and 4 baby bunnies (finger puppet size) and they, too, are just TOO CUTE!  Click here to see the family of bunnies.  Lori also has adorable Easter crayon rolls what would just be perfect for your kiddo's Easter basket as well penguin puppets, flower softies and soft little baby blocks and burp cloths.  Check out her shop for the perfect additions to your kids' Easter baskets.  And now, if you order from Lori's shop and mention this blog (FrayBabyBibsandMore), you will receive FREE SHIPPING!!!  How awesome is that?!?!  

CutesieClips!

I received a small little package in the mail the other day and opened it up to find the tiniest little cupcake!  Yes, a cupcake.  Not to eat, but to put in Hannah's hair.  Hannah has more hair than Luke did at this age but that's not saying a lot.  Especially because the hair in the front of her head is very thin and whispy so I wasn't sure the cupcake would stay put, at least not for another few months when the girl starts growing some hair!  We tried it out yesterday (mostly because we thought it would look great with her little outfit) and oh my goodness, a cupcake makes my baby girl look sweeter than she already is AND it stayed put.  If you have a daughter (newborn to 20, seriously!), you have to check out CutesieClips on Etsy - she has the most amazing felt hair clips - cupcakes, flowers, footballs, owls, airplanes and more (oh my!) - in ALL sorts of sizes.  You can also request that she NOT put a clip on the back and you can use her creations as scrapbook embellishments or use them to decorate you own items - pin an owl on your backpack, wear a flower for a day...you can have so much fun.  And now she has Easter eggs in her shop - which makes me think that these clips would be excellent additions to an Easter basket!  Visit Cutesie's shop but check out these pictures of Hannah and her cupcake first.  :) 





You can also check out CutesieClips BLOG for more of her clip creations - so many to choose from!

New Items Coming Soon!

I've been hard at work in the sewing room. People think I am crazy since I have a 3 year old little man and a 6 week old newborn, however, sewing is my sanity, my stress release. I love being a mom but being a mommy demands a lot and being in my sewing room demands nothing. :) I've been having fun with a bunch of new fabrics I had coming in and I started some new collections, most of which aren't large enough to start listing in my shop but I'll give you a sneak preview.

Messy Time Smock - this smock is perfect for messy meals or messy craft time.  The smock is reversible - 2 adorable sides to choose from!  I am making these for boys and girls, 3 and under. 

Spring time baby bibs - like always, lined with flannel and backed with chenille but in fun new spring fabrics. 

Lovey blankets!  These blankets are approximately 19" by 19" - the perfect size to snuggle and cuddle with, tote along in the stroller or car seat or use as a blanket for a baby doll.  Each one is backed with super soft minky.  Some loveys are patchwork and some are a solid piece of fabric - fun!

Michael Miller and Anna Griffin fabrics

Meal Time Bibs - these bibs are larger than my original baby bibs - 13" long with an 8" drop from neckline to bottom.  Each bib is backed with terry cloth.  Choose either side to put on your messy eater and throw in the wash when done. 

I also have a new collection of tote bags that I am working on but haven't taken pictures yet.  I hope to have them completed and in my shops by the end of the month.  The Meal Time bibs ARE in my Etsy shop - click here to browse.  And feel free to shop at my 1000 Markets shop as well - click here to visit that store. 

I did make a sweet little Easter bag for a little girl.  It is the perfect size to stuff full of goodies for Easter morning or for your little one to carry to church with her on Easter Sunday.  Click here to see it in my Etsy shop. 

Baby Wraps

When my baby girl was almost 3 weeks old, I realized that she loved being held a whole lot more than her big brother ever did. I was having a hard time getting things done in the 10 minute windows she allowed me to put her down (I mean, can YOU clean a kitchen in 10 minutes?) and really wanted the use of BOTH my arms at once (i.e - it takes a LONG time to peck out an email with 1 hand). I knew that I had stumbled upon some baby wraps on Etsy so I went to check them out and research them a little further. I found a great shop called LoveyDuds and she has fantastic feedback and has made hundred and hundreds of baby wraps. So I purchased this one and 4 days later it arrived in the mail and not only is mommy happy but Hannah is in heaven when she is wrapped up in there. So imagine my delight when I get a package in the mail and open it to find this! My mom sent me another wrap and Hannah and I took it for a test drive yesterday and she loved it and it is so comfortable and easy to wrap and wear. You can only imagine the things I get accomplished with her happy as a clam and with both my arms free. I'm tempted to have Brian take pictures of me at the sewing machine with her wrapped to me. :) Here are the pics of me and my little papoose.





There is a great article at baby zone about the benefits of slings and baby carriers - click here if you would like to check it out!

AND - I just found out that SugarSweetBaby is giving away a FREE Bamboo Baby Wrap! AWESOME!! If you have a little one or know someone who has or is having one, ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY! It is super easy to do - just go to her blog and do any or all of the 5 options to get GOBS of chances to win! Click here for a link to information on her shop site about Bamboo Wraps. Winner will be picked March 17th.

These are a few of my favorite thing...

I adore ALL of these items and they just might ALL be headed to my house soon.  

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade FrayBabyBibsandMore.etsy.com

Changing Mats

I have another new product in my shops! This fantastically handy changing pad mat is made of a 100% cotton snuggle flannel fabric, lined with a layer of thick fleece interfacing and is backed by a soft and snuggly pale green minky dot fabric. It measures about 14" by 19".

I have these mats all over my house! I keep one on my daughter's changing pad so that when she makes a mess, all I have to do is scoop up the mat and throw it in the wash instead of having to remove the entire changing pad cover! I also have one in the master bedroom for middle of the night diaper changes on our bed, and I have one in the family room for diaper changes on the fly. They are also perfect for your diaper bag to use when in public bathrooms (ick!) or outside or in the car diaper changes. They are thick and super absorbent and you can use either side on your little one's back side. :)

I also use a mat when laying the baby on the couch or floor to catch any spit up that may come up!   These mats are sold in my Etsy shop at http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com and my 1000 Markets shop at http://fraybaby.1000markets.com  for only $14.  If you would like a mat specially made for your baby in his or her nursery colors or theme, just contact me and we'll see what we can find!

Meal Time Bibs

I started making a new bib recently. I call it the "Meal Time" bib. It is large enough to cover your toddlers torso and catch all the drips, drops and splashes that take place during meal time. The bibs are 13" long, with 8" being from the neck to the bottom of the bib, and almost 10" wide. They are backed with a wonderfully absorbent terry cloth and are fully reversible so pick your side - a pretty pattern or a terry cloth! They either have a velcro closure or a fun colorful snap close.   am listing these items in my Etsy shop and hopefully soon will list them in my 1000 Markets shop. I have a huge variety of fabrics and tons of new ones that I have yet to play with so if you are looking for something in particular, feel free to contact me and I will see if I can help you out.












 

EllaBearBowtiques

I told you I had some adorable little newborn hairbows for our baby girl to model and here they are!  These sweet little bows come from EllaBearBowtiques on Etsy. I am amazed with how well they stay in her soft little wisps of baby hair.  Stop by EllaBear's shop to see her full selection of hair clips!

Etsy stuff!

I've purchased a bunch of things from Etsy for my little girl - mostly leg warmers/crawler covers (fategoddess and beckaboo) and crocheted hats (twoseasidebabes and theyarnchick). Oh, and a set of adorable newborn hairclips from EllaBearBowtiques. Anyways, our little girl still has to grow into some of the items I've purchased but she does fit into a few of them so here are the pictures -

Legwarmers by Beckaboo

Crawler Covers by FateGoddess

Crawler Covers by FateGoddess AND newborn beanie by TwoSeasideBabes

I'll be sure to post pictures of my other Etsy purchases once she can fit into them and once she has enough hair near the front of her head to hold a clip.  Thanks everyone for your amazing products - they were definitely money well spent.  :) 

My baby - and bibs!

I've been making baby bibs for awhile now, ever since I was pregnant with my son who is now 3 years old. On Wednesday, January 21st, I gave birth to our adorable daughter and in the 11 short days she has been with us, she has worn MANY of my bibs and it just so happens that I have managed to snap up a couple pictures of her wearing them.


To purchase bibs like these, along with many others, please check out my Etsy shop at http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com AND my 1000 Markets shop at http://fraybaby.1000markets.com

A Valentine's Day Giveaway!

This is an amazing giveaway that my mom found and sent to me - a chance to win an Andalucia pendant and a fat quarter bundle of some of the prints! Just in time for Valentine's Day - a giveaway of fabrics in bright and vivid reds and pinks - they are GORGEOUS and at $9.50 a yard, you know that you are getting a great prize if you win this giveaway.  Just click on this link to get to Lanie Jane's awesome blog and once you are done entering the contest and checking out the amazing Andalucia fabrics, check out the rest of Lanie Jane's shop here.  

Sports Fan?

Normally I'm not a huge fan of licensed fabrics, including sports teams, but I do have a few friends that are fanatics about their teams. I have a good friend who is pregnant and due around the same time I am (for those of you keeping track, that would be in about 9 days) and she is a HUGE Tennessee Volunteers fan. While I was home in the states over Thanksgiving, I found some TN fabric that I could deal with (you know, nothing TOO orange!) and I decided I was going to make her something out of it but had no idea what. When I returned home I pulled out my bins of fabric and found a yard of black cordouroy that I had and some black quilting fabric that coordinated. I thought I could alter the measurements of my basic every day tote and make a wider and decent sized diaper bag for her. I know that she has been diaper bag shopping online already and I know that she has a bag or two from when her daughter was a baby but I also know that NO WOMAN can have too many bags and as your baby grows, your diaper bag needs change (i.e. - you don't need one the size of the Grand Canyon anymore to hold baby stuff.) Anyhoo - I created an awesome Tennessee diaper bag - strong, durable, fleece interfacing lined, thick cotton webbing straps, magnetic closure, big pocket and all around pretty neato. Let me know if you need a custom sports fan diaper tote! They are fun to make and even more fun to give - the sports fan FREAKS OUT over these things! ;)

New Product - Boutique Style Burp Cloths

I've always made my burp cloths in fun and whimsical cottons and cotton flannels - some retro, some modern and some bright and fun for baby.  I had a friend come over to shop in my sewing room and she couldn't stop eyeballing the tote bags that I make.  She loves the fabrics and the textures and she asked if I could make burp cloths out of the same fabrics.  I had never thought about it and I wasn't sure if they would make a "good" burp cloth - I mean, who wants to wipe baby's face with a medium weight home decor fabric?  But then I realized that the home decor weight fabric is a perfect backing for a burp cloth - a super absorbent one, that is.  I make all of my burp cloths with a layer of soft white chenille (to wipe), a layer of flannel (to absorb) and the third layer was always eye candy but with the option of being a wiping side as well since it is made of cotton/flannel.  But in this new burp cloth line, the third layer of fabric, home decor fabric, is for eye candy as well as being a thick layer that won't let the mess soak all the way through!  I am still carrying, and will continue to carry, my tradition burp cloths in fun, funky, whimsical cottons but this new line is an exciting addition to the baby products and tote bags that I already make on a regular basis.  You can find the new burp cloths, along with more Fray Baby items at my Etsy shop or my 1000 Markets shop.

Homefront Market at 1000 Markets

As you may know, I opened a new online shop at 1000Markets.com.  You may not know that many of the friends I made on Etsy, who are also military spouses, have also opened shops on 1000 Markets.  One of those amazing sellers, SmocksNStuff, took it upon herself to ask for a Homefront Market - a market made up of military family members who create beautiful handmade items - and her wish was granted.   The Homefront Market on 1000 Markets is absolutely gorgeous and we invite everyone to shop on by to take a peek and do a little shopping.  Support our military, support our spouses....We keep the homefires burning.

Taken from Homefront Market's Grand Opening blog post - 

"What is the Homefront? Who we are and what we do is a little bit harder to explain than the average person. From the outside this group might just seem like a group of people that just all love there artisan work and are trying to promote. On the inside it stems much deeper. We are a group that are from all walks of life, but are bonded by something much stronger than most people could ever imagine. We struggle with a life with many daily challenges the average person does not face; Living life with uncertainty and fear, but only showing pride, is our way. We deal with deployments, duty, disaster preparedness, exercises, training, emotional strife and severe traumatic experiences, wills, powers of attorney, and even the worst in the possibility of death. This is the life we have willingly entered. The service to our country and our family and unimaginable strife is what bonds us. Take care and appreciate all the tiny moments in life that make every hard moment worth it! We have gotten to live in amazing places, and see amazing things. There is a also a huge sense of camaraderie to people you've never even met. It is not an easy life, and we have sacrificed many things, but we are a close knit family, and we are proud. There is no sugar coating. We live life the best we can every day at a time!"

And the winner is...

LizzyDear!   LizzyDear has won an "I Can Do It!" little kid's belt in the size and design of her choice!  Just let me know exactly what you want and I'll get it out to you!   :)   For those of you still interested in checking out my children's belts, you can find them in my Etsy shop or in my 1000 Markets shop.  And for those of you interested in who LizzyDear is, check out her amazing blog featuring her life, her beautiful children, product reviews and all around musings about being a pastor's wife and mommy. 

It's almost the New Year! Let's Do a GiveAway!!

To kick off the New Year, I'm going to give away one of my more popular items, an "I Can Do It!" Childs Belt. There are 3 ways to enter and 3 days to do it in! There will be 1 winner for whom I will make a custom "I Can Do It!" belt. You pick your webbing color, your ribbon and give exact measurements.

My design for my "I Can Do It!" little kid belts came from talking with a neighbor about little kids, pants, belts and doing things themselves. She told me her 5 year old son still had a tough time with traditional d-ring belts - especially when he needed to get them on or off in a hurry! I thought that I could come up with a easy on, easy off belt that your little ones can do by themselves with a long enough, and strong enough strap of heavy duty velcro! And now that my son is older, he wears them all the time too!

All of my belts are made from polypro webbing whose ends I heat seal to prevent fraying. A decorative jacquard or grosgrain ribbon is sealed to the webbing and then machine stitched. There is a 3 1/2 inch strap of heavy dury velcro which makes this belt adjustable within 5 inches! The belts themselves measures around 24-25 inches so they will fit an 19 to 24 inch waist (the average 2-4 year old). I can make these belts larger, this size is my most popular as it fits the toddler and preschool sect! And let me tell you how much the day care providers and preschool teachers love these belts. They are easy for the kids to do themselves and there are no accidents from dancing around while waiting for someone to help them with their belt!

To enter this contest -
1) Check out my Etsy shop at http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com and look at the Little Kid Belt section - make sure you check out all the pictures in the listings - there is a pic with ALL the design options. Then, Twitter me at FrayBaby with your favorite belt design and the link to my Etsy shop.

OR
2) Check out my new 1000 Markets shop (http://fraybaby.1000markets.com) that just opened last week and post your favorite item (ANY item, not just belts) in the comment section of this blog - don't forget to link it!
OR
3) Give this giveaway a little shout out on your own blog - don't forget to let me know about it in the comment section and include the link to your blog!

You can do 1 or all 3 of these options - each one you do gives you a chance to win. I entry per option (3 entries max per person). This contest starts immediately and ends on January 2nd at 10am EST. Winners will be listed here AND notified by their desired notification preference (blog, email, shop, etc...)  So check out my 2 shops - FrayBabyBibsandMore and FrayBaby and enter to win! 

A brand new shop!

I've been selling items on Etsy since March of 2008.  I've been pretty successful online and locally but then I put my shop on vacation mode for 4 weeks, right before Christmas because we were traveling.  I have a sneaking suspicion that 4 weeks of vacation mode did not help my shop one bit, in fact, it might have hurt a little.  Sales, and views, came to a screaching halt, as did visits to my shop and having it marked as a favorite.  My shop has been back open since December 8th or so and I've had a small trickle of sales but nothing earth shattering.  

Many of the people I have come to know on Etsy have been searching for shop venues outside of Etsy. One of the many that came to my attention is 1000 Markets.  It is a gorgeous marketplace filled with handmade items created by amazingly talented artists.  The site is beautiful and professional, the shops are well laid out and the pictures are all imported gallery style which is so impressive.  There are many unique features to each shop and there is the ability to blog within your own shop!  I was so impressed that I decided to give it a try and started retaking a bunch of pictures and listing my items.  So far, so good. I've had a couple of great sales but not a ton of traffic.  1000 Markets is still in it's infancy, whereas Etsy is now a preschooler (4 years old), so there obviously won't be as much traffic and I'm not even sure what the ratio of seller to buyer traffic is, but I plan on sticking it out and holding on to see where this new and amazing venue can take Fray Baby.  

My 1000 Markets shop is located at http://fraybaby.1000markets.com  and all my products (sold and unsold) are located at http://1000markets.com/users/fraybaby/products which is a cool feature because my products will always be visible, even if they have been sold!

My current running promotion at 1000 Markets is with any purchase, buy a mini wallet for $1! 

Christmas Sale!

For all my "local" friends and neighbors, I am having a huge Christmas sale on the TONS of baby items and tote bags that I have created. Unfortunately, while traveling around the states, I managed to buy a gazillion more yards of beautiful fabrics, chenilles and minkies so now I have even more of a pressing need to sell, sell, sell! :) Please stop by any time, call, email or facebook me to let me know if you are interested in anything. There are some great stocking stuffers (little kid belts and mini wallets) and wonderful baby gifts and Christmas gifts. Hurry hurry so you can get everything out in the mail in time for Christmas! :)

The online shop - http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com

HOWEVER - I have much, much more inventory at my house!!

Bibs – all bibs are made of 100% cotton fabrics, are lined with an absorbent layer of flannel and are backed with soft and fluffy chenille, which only gets softer as you wash it. All bibs have Velcro closures and decorative top stitch around the edges. All bibs, now $7 each.

Burp cloths – all burp cloths are made of 100% cotton fabrics, are lined with an absorbent layer of flannel and are backed with soft and fluffy chenille, which only gets softer as you wash it. All burp cloths have a decorative top stitch around the edges. All burp cloths, now $7 each and all sets of 2 burp cloths are $14 each.

All bib and burp cloth sets are now reduced to $14 each!

Childrens belts – all belts are made for little one’s whose waist measurement is between 18 and 24 inches. They are ideal for a 20-21 inch waist. All belts are made with a polypro webbing, heavy duty Velcro and decorative Tyrolean ribbon that is heat sealed AND stitched to the webbing. These belts are perfect for little ones to put on and take off themselves. No more wrestling with d-ring or buckle belts. All belts, now $8 each.

Mini wallets – all mini wallets are made of 2 different coordinating fabrics in 100% cotton. All are lined with a lightweight interfacing and have either a pearlized snap or Velcro closure. These mini wallets are a perfect addition to your purse or when you don’t want to have to take your entire purse with you. They also make great stocking stuffers! Just put a gift card to your favorite shop or restaurant in them or small gifts like earrings or necklaces fit nicely as well. All mini wallets/gift card holders, now $5 each.

Tote bags - I make a variety of tote bags – some with extra durable canvas liners, some interfaced with fleece for a plush “quilted” feel and others with light interfacing for a slouchy style tote. All totes are made of the highest quality fabrics are at least double stitched at every seam for durability and all have magnetic snap closures. Use them as your every day purse, small diaper bags, book club bags, craft bags, Bible study totes….the possibilities are endless and let’s face it, you can never have enough cute bags! All tote bags, now only $18-$28 each!

Tag blankies/lovies – babies love bright colors, the contrast of black and white and different textures. That is why all my lovies and taggies are made with bright, fun fabrics and are backed with super soft chenille, minky fabric or are flannel on flannel. Taggies have ribbon loops triple stitched onto 2 of the 4 edges. I purposefully leave 2 edges free of ribbons so baby has a soft and ribbon free area to snuggle his/her head into. You will be amazed with how your baby loves to chew on or touch all the ribbons. All taggies and lovey blankets, now $10 to $20 each!

Lap blankets/multi-purpose mats – All of my smaller lap blankets are made to fit right over baby as he or she sits in a carseat, stroller or bouncy seat. They are all made with fun, colorful fabrics, are lined with an extra layer of flannel for super absorbency and are backed with either soft chenille or fleece. All mats and small blankets, now $12-$20 each!

Swaddling/Receiving blankets – These receiving blankets are made with special TLC by my mother. She has been sewing for over 30 years, has the best (and highest quality) fabric stash I have ever seen, and makes the most amazing items. She made my son’s entire nursery bedding, along with many, many receiving blankets and play blankets for him to use. These swaddling blankets are HUGE – measuring 36” square – they are the perfect size to wrap baby up for months and months. They are made with gorgeous quilt shop flannels and are meticulously pieced together before sewn. Please let me know if you are interested in ordering additional swaddlers – there will be many more available in the future. All swaddlers, now only $28 each!

Additional items: little girl purses, pillows, embellished organic cotton onesies, crocheted scarves

All Fray Baby items are sewn with love in a smoke free and pet free home.

Whew! I'm back!

After a 4 week hiatus (we flew back to the states!), my shop is open again. I made a TON of products for a base bazaar that I wasn't here for - the wonderful ladies of our spouses club sold my items at their Ways N Means fundraiser booth. I have a bunch of items left over and when I was on my adventure in the states I just happened to accidentally go into almost every fabric shop I saw and purchase fun new prints. :) Needless to say, I have a lot of inventory and even more supplies to create more. I am in the process of filling up my shop so please stop by and take a look - http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com

All of my mini wallets/gift card holders have free shipping applied to them. All of my tote bags shipping reflect Priority Mail shipping to ensure you receive it in time for Christmas. If you do not want Priority Mail, please let me know and I'll reduce the shipping cots by $2 for you. Also, tomorrow, the 12th of December is the last day I can safely say that small packages traveling first class mail will arrive to you in time for Christmas. My last day for Priority Mail shipping in time for Christmas is the 17th of December (possible the 18th but I don't want to push it.)

Take a look at the pictures in my previous post about the bazaar to see what kind of items I have - I still have many of the sets, taggies, blankets and totes. If there is one that you are dying to have, let me know and I'll set up a listing on Etsy for you AND give you 10% off for finding it through my blog.

Take care and happy shopping everyone!

Bazaar!

Yoohoo! I have been MIA AGAIN! I was asked to have a booth at our fall bazaar on base but unfortunately we are going to be out of town that weekend. But then I was notified that if I "donate" all my items to the Spouses Club Ways N Means table that they would sell for me - 3 days straight - and I don't have to pay a booth fee, I don't have to be there to help sell everything and they keep a small percentage of the profits. What an opportunity! I only had a few weeks to sew like crazy and get everything organized but I did it! I made bibs, burp cloths, tote bags, mini wallets, children's belts, blankets, taggies and more! Unfortunately JoAnns has taken a ridiculous amount of time to get an order to me - I desperately need more white Velcro and pearlized snaps and I ordered them over a month ago. If they don't arrive tomorrow, then I have 6 bib sets that won't get finished and over 20 mini wallets that won't be ready. Oh well - I am pretty pleased with the quantity of items I have and I hope everything is well received and successfully sold. I have to hand over everything tomorrow so today I am tying up loose ends and hoping to crank out a couple more tote bags. Here's your preview!

Just for fun - A little bit of Italy

Hubby, little man and I went on a trip to northern Italy this weekend. We traveled to Trieste, to Venice and to Nove, the ceramics capital of Italy (of Europe? of the world?). Nove was amazing - ceramic store after ceramic store and I stopped to browse through a lot of them. The colors and designs were so beautiful and so captivating. I was drawn to everything full of color (although they had much, much more as well) and ended up leaving with some new bowls and a couple fun decor items. Enjoy a taste of Nove!

My rooster bowls (and Chianti) that we brought home with us. :)
And a rooster pitcher (to protect and defend our home), a mosaic trivet and a small container

The latest!

It might seem that I have been neglecting my sewing but I assure you, that is not the case. Check out my Etsy shop to see a bunch of newly listed items. I am in the process of putting together a couple more bags, trick or treat totes and little kid belts. I have burp cloths up the wazoo that need to be pieced together and even more bibs to list. It just takes time and that is something I just don't have enough of lately. Between all the activities I have thrown myself into lately and taking up yet another new crafty hobby (crocheting), all my time is spent and before I know it, it is midnight and I have to wake up in 7 hours.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new hobby and have finished a couple more projects. I have been working on scarves and they are a lot of fun and turn out beautifully! One of my finished scarves is made of a bulky acrylic yarn in turquoise and lime green. It is bright and gorgeous! It measures about 4 inches wide and 68 inches long. The other is made of a rich brick red chenille yarn which feels amazing. I have to take better pictures, these just don't do it justice since the flash washes out the richness of the red and the plushness of the piece. I have to wait for some quality natural light before I can retake the pictures. This scarf measures about 7 inches wide and is 64 inches long. I am wondering if I should open a new category in my Etsy shop for crocheted pieces. Hmmm...I think I'll work on honing my skill and see how much inventory I actually accumulate. I'm having fun in the meantime, working on yet another blanket and trying my hand at a new stitch with a cotton yarn. I am hoping it ends up being a dishcloth but we'll see!

The blankie is done! The blankie is done!

I finished it! Okay, well the order of events is...I taught myself a new crochet stitch (the mesh stitch, which results in a trellis pattern), I crocheted like crazy, I got carpal tunnel in my pinkie, I crocheted some more, and more, after 4 days the blanket finally was a decent size for a baby so I ended my stitch and decided to add tassel fringe to finish it up. And you know what? I like it! It turned out really cute and ended up being about 22" by 28". I used 2 yarns at once so it is a heavier blanket and the effect looks great. I think it is the perfect sized blanket to lay over a little one while they are sleeping. I'm working on a new blanket for my son, who has been in love with crocheted blankets since he was an infant and I have some of the same yarn in lavender so I'll try a lavender and white one after that and make it a little larger than the green one, and who knows, maybe I'll use a different stitch.

Adorable baby set for adorable baby girl - SOLD!

This sweet little set I put together has sold and is on it's way to Lubbock, Texas where it will join a few more baby items and head to Arizona. I hope baby girl (or at least mommy) enjoys her new items. They are a few of my favorites and the taggie lovey is one of a kind - I only had fat quarters of that fabric and it has all been used. And that Halloween burp cloth? It is my gift to the new mommy and baby. Anyone who makes a purchase in my Etsy shop from now through the 15th of October will receive a free Halloween burp cloth!

ALSO - I finished my crocheted baby blanket! I am very proud of it and I think it looks great. I hope MY baby girl loves this one. I am adding tassel fringe to the corners and then I'll take pictures and post it.

A finished scarf and the beginnings of a blankie

I finished the red scarf I was working on. I know it isn't perfect but it is the first piece I have made. It is for our Prayer Shawl ministry on base so when I take it in on Wednesday, I am going to ask the instructor to help me finish it off - maybe with some fringe on the edges to make it complete. The picture doesn't really do it justice - it looks really cute on. It isn't a thick scarf meant to be worn in the dead of winter but it would looks great with a pea coat or just a turtleneck on a nice fall day. I hope whoever receives it, loves it.


I also started a new project. I taught myself how to make a mesh, or trellis, stitch and I love how it stitches up. It seems very durable and it is decorative at the same time. I was drawn to this stitch because my son loves his crocheted blankies (granny square style) that have holes that he can poke his fingers through and manipulate the yarn. The trellis stitch results in a "holey" blanket as well. After I completes about 4 rows of the blanket I took a break and put the yarn down on the couch. Luke saw it and exclaimed "It's a blankie!" so I have a feeling that the very first blanket I make will be his. I am using baby yarn and I am using 2 colors at once to give it a heathered look (pale green and white) and to make it a little thicker. So far so good. I'll post pictures once it is complete. I think I have found a new addiction. Time to start cleaning up the sewing room because I think he sewing project will be fewer and further between with my new hobby picking up. :)

By George, I've Done It!

I can crochet!!! For those of you who have been following my blog or have been privy to my general lamenting of my lack of crochet skills, you know how excited I am to have finally figured out this darn skill. :) I started attending a Prayer Shawl ministry on base which knits and/or crochets shawls for families of wounded or fallen soldiers as a way to show our love and support of these families. Every time a shawl is completed, it is prayed over and then packaged up to be sent to the grieving family member(s). We hope these shawls bring comfort to those that receive them.

I went last week to my first "meeting" and was taught (once again) how to crochet. This time I learned a different stitch, one that didn't turn out so tight as my other stitching attempts and after practicing for a week straight, I finally got the hang of it! I started out with red yarn which was great to work with but my "shawl" was all wonky - edges were insane, stitches were skipped, but I finally was getting the hang of the motion and the technique. I started crocheting some wonderfully soft, thick and fluffy yarn and decided to make myself a scarf (I really could not give this away - it is mis-shapen and weird but it is just a scarf after all and I am still practicing and learning.) As you can see from the pictures, the edges are all out of whack - I think with this thicker yarn it is more difficult to see all my stitches, including those on the edges, so I ended up missing stitches and not realizing it until I was a few rows up and noticed that my scarf edges were slanting inward. But I love the colors, I love the crocheting and I hope when I am finished with it and it is draped or tied around my neck to keep the bitter cold out, no one will notice the crazy shape it took. :)

After working on this scarf and becoming more comfortable, I decided to "frog" (rip apart) my first attempt with the red yarn and start anew. This time I had in mind a simple, thin scarf, more of an accessory, something you can wear with your outfit, instead of something that you wear to keep warm. And look! So far, so good!

Today at the Prayer Shawl ministry I hope to get a new skein of yarn and start working on a piece for a shawl. I think I am finally capable of making something that can be given away. :)

Trick or Treat!

I have started my trick or treat bags and have begun listing them in my Etsy shop. I have 2 sizes available. One for kids 5 and older - it measures approximately 15 1/2" tall by 10" wide (at the base) and 3" deep. It has 2 straps that are approximately 15" long apiece. The smaller size is for children under 5 and is approximately 12" tall by 10" wide by 3" deep. It also has 2 straps and it's straps are approximately 13" long. The bags are being listed in my shop and range in price from $10 to $15.

These bags are $15 a piece - they are both size large. The top one is made of gorgeous Alexander Henry fabrics in Trick or Treat and Pumpkin Dots. The second bag is made of Michael Miller fabric - turquoise skulls and is lined with a Sis Boom geometric fabric.

This bag is $12 - it is a size small

These bags are $10 a piece - they are both size small and are lined with flannel fabrics

Check my shop (http://fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com/) throughout the coming weeks. I'll be making more of these bags in BOTH sizes and I have Aleander Henry Trick or Treat kids (see picture of the first bag) in cream as well as the black pictured. If you would like to place a custom order, please contact me through my Etsy shop or email me at fraybaby@live.com.

FrayBabyBibsandMore Super Sale!

The last month or so I have been busy creating new bibs, burp cloths and trick or treat bags! I was invited to sell my items at a spouses event in September and that jump started my madness. However, I was recently informed that instead of September, I will be able to sell my items at our base bazaar in November. As exciting as that sounds, well, we won't be in town during the bazaar! :( So I am having a super sale on everything in my shop as well as everything in my sewing room! There are MANY items that I have not yet listed on Etsy. So....my loss (?)...no...the change of plans, is your gain! If there is anything that catches your eye, let me know and I'll reserve it for you. I am in the process of changing all the prices in my shop to reflect the sale. Our next little bundle of joy is due in Janaury and I want everything cleared out before then so shop away! :)

All bibs are $7 each and all burp cloths are $6 each

The three boutique burp cloth sets I have are $15 each (GORGEOUS!)

Tote bags are on sale between $17.50 and $27.50 each

Taggies are on sale for $12.50 each

The gorgeous pink quilted receiving blanket designed by my seamstress mother is on sale for $22.50!

Little kid belts are on sale for $7.50

Any pouch in stock is $5 each!

Visit my shop at FrayBabyBibsandMore.etsy.com AND be sure to check out my Flickr photostream for many, many pictures of additional items not in shop. If you would like to purchase something that is not in my shop, let me know and I will make a custom listing for you. Shoot me an email at fraybaby@live.com OR just contact me from my Etsy shop.

Check back SOON for Trick or Treat bags in 2 different sizes for big and little kids. Priced $10-$15 each and just adorable! I'm using some great kids prints as well as Michael Miller, Alexander Henry and other designer fabrics.

Alchemy Bid

Alchemy is the place on Etsy where people put their requests in. "I am looking for______ and I want to spend this much ____" sometimes with lots of specifics and sometimes not. I was browsing on there and found someone in search of children's belts for her daughters. I put in a bid for the belts - 2 belts for $18 (she was willing to pay $30) and gave her information and pictures as to what my belts looks like and what they are made of. She loved the look and the idea and then asked me to make 4 of them! Her daughters have to wear uniforms to school so the dress code is red, white, navy and khaki so the belts had to stay in those color families. Here they are! I think they turned out great and I hope she does too! If you are interested in purchasing a little kids belt, stop buy my Etsy shop and put in a request if you can't find what you are looking for.

Fun purchases

I did it. I gave into my desire for cute crocheted hats and over the past week and a half they have slowly been trickling in. I bought a cute pink one from bethjt.etsy.com for our baby before we knew if she was a boy or a girl (but it was SO CUTE and at a great price!). From TwoSeasideBabes.etsy.com I bought a hat for myself which is awesome and I can't wait for the crisp German autumn to come in so I can wear it all the time and as a 1 time promotion Jessi, the owner of this shop, was offering newborn beanies for $1 with purchase so I bought a beautiful cream beanie for our little one (for ONE dollar!!) And then I asked Beth (of bethjt) to make a hat for Luke to wear this fall. It came in the mail on Wednesday and Luke had a great time putting it on and looking at himself in the mirror. And then yesterday, while playing outside he came running in the house and grabbed his sippy cup and his hat! He asked me to put it on him and he wore it around outside - so proud of his new hat. He received lots of compliments - and a few from the little girls in the neighborhood!
If you visit TwoSeasideBabes.etsy.com or bethjt.etsy.com on Monday Nights, they run huge promotions as part of the Homefront Street Team on Etsy. You can get great discounts and sometimes free shipping! (Most Homefront Street Team members participate in this Monday Night Madness so if you are interested in other Homefront shops, search on Etsy with the phrase "homefront team" to pull up Homefront items and be sure to read their shop announcements for promotions.)
Here are a few pictures of Luke trying on his new hat - we were in the car on the way to go bowling with daddy so he threw it on himself so he doesn't have it on quite right but you can see how cute it is and can picture how adorable he looks wearing it around. :)

A Guest Appearance...

My mom is making a guest appearance in my Etsy shop! She is talented and creative enough to have her own Etsy store but right now she is working full time at her doggie food job and she sews in her free time to de-stress and try to downsize her fabric stash. She sent me 2 receiving blankets with matching burp cloths and 2 sets of matching burp cloths - all are adorable and I want to keep all of them for myself! But alas, I told her I would list them and as of today, there is 1 receiving blanket/burp cloth combo in pink and 1 burp cloth set in greens and yellows for sale in my shop. The other 2 will be listed this week. Well, maybe...I can't seem to let myself part with this awesome and crazy turquoise, orange, green, pink, red, happy flower set but I'll post a picture here so you can see how cool it is and maybe covet it for yourself. My mom "claims" to have another one of these blankets cut out but I can't be sure it is an exact replica. You know how these crafty types are, never want to make the same thing twice. :) Anyways - here are a few pictures of the new items and make sure you stop by my shop to check out not only the cool pieces that my mom has made but the new things that I have been listing. Isn't now a good as time as any to start thinking about Christmas or about all those pregnant and new mommies that you know that you need to get gifts for? Hope you enjoy looking at everything and check back often!

The flower set I just don't want to give up:

The pink blankie/burp cloth set - they are GORGEOUS:

The raw edge green and yellow burp cloth set:

My latest obsession

Crocheted hats!! No, not for me, well, maybe for me, but honestly my focus has been on little baby #2. And it all started when my fellow Homefronter's starting crocheting their hearts out and coming up with amazing and adorable hats. Little beanie hats, brimmed hats, ear flap hats...the list goes on and on and each and every one is gorgeous. I want to buy them all (okay, not all, but at least 90% of them!) but I am waiting to find out the sex of this sweet little baby and then game on! I not only plan on buying for baby #2 but for my 2 1/2 year old son and shoot, now that I thought of it, for me too! And the places to buy from? Well, the options are endless. Looking for furry and ear flapped? TwoSeasideBabes has you covered. Looking for cotton and classic? bethjt (remember her?)is all over it. Whimsical and themed? MooseThreads can make a firetruck hat, butterfly hat or even a helicopter hat. Knitted with a pom pom or tail? MayRaeCrochetnKnit is the expert. And those are just the Homefront shops I have to choose from! One of my favorite crocheted hats that I have stumbled upon outside of my Homefront search is the mini monkey hat flap by CiteFuzz. You better believe that I am going to get my little monkey one of these hats - they are too adorable to pass up and let's not forget my baby is due in January, in Germany so I'm thinking I'll need a nice little stock or warms hats for his or her head. I'm off to keep on searching for more and more hats and I think I'll even look for one for my 2 1/2 year old and maybe even one (or two) for me! Make sure you check out these great shops. I leave you with pictures from each of these shops - listed in order featured. Happy shopping!

Two Seaside Babes newborn ear flap hat

bethjt's 3-6 month brimmed hat

MooseThread's airplane appliqued beanie

MayRae's Knitted Curly Tail Hat

CiteFuzz's Mini Monkey Ear Flap Hat

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

Oh my goodness, May 30th? Really? That is the last time I updated my Fray Baby blog? Ack! Let me apologize...You have my endless and sincere apologies for leaving you hanging, for disappearing, for seeming to have completely and irresponsibly neglected my blog. Where have I been? Well, I have been on a nausea and fatigue induced hiatus due to a little baby that is brewing in my tummy. As of this past week I have officially entered the second trimester and miraculously 98% of the nausea and 90% of the fatigue have vanished. I now feel like a new woman and I have even started sewing again after 7 weeks of not touching the sewing machine. (Yes I felt that lousy). I started out creating 3 new totes and 1 new baby girl lap blankie (which could also be used as a changing pad, a very cute and adorable changing pad, but a changing pad none the less). I am glad to be back in the sewing room and am having fun making new creations. I hope you accept my humble apologies and I promise to bring you more recipes, more Etsy features and more Fray Baby tidbits along the way. Who knows, maybe I'll throw in some baby info every once in awhile and I would love to do some Etsy shopping for fun baby gear so if you have any suggestions for shops I need to visit, I'm all ears. Until then, here are pictures of my latest creations - totes AND baby (awwwww....)






For more tote (and other fun item) pictures - visit my shop! Click HERE!

Delicious Banana Bread Recipe

What you need:

3 medium ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs (if you do not want to use eggs, substitute 3 TBSP milk - it won't rise as high but tastes just as good)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

What you do:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas, add softened butter, sugar and eggs, beat just until mixed. Add all dry ingredients (except nuts) - beat for 2 minutes on medium speed OR 300 strokes by hand. Stir in walnuts by hand. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan (5 1/4 by 9 1/2). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. I put a foil "tent" over my banana bread after 35 minutes of baking. I then removed it when there were 10 minutes left on the bake time. I didn't want the top to get too dark.

Let bread cool, slice and ENJOY!

Vodka, Peroxide and WD40?

While browsing MSN.com this morning I stumbled upon 10 crazy "green" uses for vokda! Which made me think about all those emails I receive about old fashioned ways to use hydrogen peroxide or other uses for WD-40 so I went on a hunt through my inbox and found those crazy tips and I thought I'd share my favorites with you.

Vodka?
-Touch poison ivy or get a jelly fish sting? For those of you who take vodka in hikes through the forest or to the beach, pour some on your sting or where you touched the ivy! The vodka just might wash away those ivy oils that make you break out in an awful rash or take away some of that awful jelly fish sting. (Some say it has to be 100 proof to work and it's a lot better than being pee-ed on, a la Chandler and Monica)
-Shine your chrome, porcelain or glass fixtures with vodka and elbow grease!
-A few drops along with a teaspoon of sugar can help your cut flowers last longer.
-It's a bug repellent! Just put some vodka in a spray bottle and spritz your arms and legs while outside, or spray directly at bugs - and it's DEET free!
-It can get rid of pesky harmful mold. Just spray vodka on mold, let sit 15 minutes and scrub

Hydrogen Peroxide?
-Soak your toothbrush in it to kill germs!
-Rinse your wooden cutting boards with it to get rid of salmonella and other bacteria.
-Fill a spray bottle 50/50 water and hydrogen peroxide to use as a disinfectant spray in your bathroom and shower stall!
-If you have a cold or plugged sinuses, use that same 50/50 mixture to pour in your nostrils, let bubble, blow nose - it should help you breathe easier (just don't use the exact same mixture as your bathroom cleaner - I don't want you spraying it up your nose!)
-Use peroxide to clean mirrors with no smudging or smearing!

WD40?
-Have a spotty shower door that nothing will clean? Try using WD-40!
-It protects silver from tarnishing.
-Keeps flies off cows (what??? okay - for those of you who have cows who hate those pesky flies, spray away!)
-Untangles jewelry chains (oooo, handy!)
-Removes stubborn dirt and grime from your BBQ grill.
-Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
-Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
-It takes away the sting from fire ant burns!
-Removed crayon marks from the wall (did you know that mommies out there?)

Hope you found these tips handy, helpful or at least a little bit funny. Have any other uses or fun tips for basic household products? Happy cleaning, breathing, untangling and de-flying everyone!

A few of my favorite sites

I thought I'd make a short list of some of the web sites I've recently found - maybe you'll find a new favorite or two - enjoy!

Mommy Greenest Blog (from National Geographic's Green Guide)

The German Cooking Glossary (on About.com) - this page is a lifesaver! I was able to figure out what EL meant (Tablespoon) and what a Backofen is (an oven - now that I tell you it seems kind of obvious, right?)

5 Minutes for Mom - a site filled with samples from the best mommy blogs, shopping links and tons of giveaways!

Inca Kids, A Fair Trade Store - I just discovered this site yesterday and I love all the products and the whole concept of this store. Here is the link to their FAQ page that tells you all about Fair Trade. All proceeds go to help impoverished families in Peru (and Peruvians are the artisans who make these products)

Craftzine.com - One of the coolest craft sites I have ever seen with links to recipes, craft processes (silk screening for example), craft ideas (what to do with all those plastic bags) and just all around cool information.


And in honor of Spring, I leave you with pictures of blossoms from my neighborhood. Happy Spring everyone and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. (To read a wonderful Memorial Day post from a military spouse, click HERE)

Where have I been?

It's been a hectic, crazy and busy week and I have been creating more and more new things! I

realized that I have 4 bibs, 5 bib and burp cloth sets, 1 pouch and 2 totes that I don't even have listed in my store, much less pictures of yet! This past week I was thrilled to get the Tyrolean ribbons that I ordered - they remind me of when I was little - and I used them to embellish the organic onesies that I purchased over a month ago. The onesies are so soft and thick, very high quality, and have nice cuffed sleeves, not like the shirred ones made out of thinner fabric. I am very impressed with them and now that they have beautiful ribbon appliqued to them, they are perfect! They are available in 0-3 and 3-6 month sizes. I've had a couple requests for tshirts so those might be next!

Chicken Parmesan with a kick

I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight. (That was from some commercial a long time ago - for the life of me I can't remember whose commercial it was).

The other night I made Chicken Parmesan and I'm going to share the recipe!

Grocery list -

1 -2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (depending on how many mouths you are feeding)

breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)

eggs

milk

flour

Parmesan cheese

2 large cans crushed tomatoes (see picture)

garlic

olive oil

crushed red pepper (ooo - the kick!)

salt

spaghetti noodles (or whatever type you prefer)

mozzarella cheese

Got everything? Let's begin!

First let's make the chicken. Clean off your chicken breasts and pound the heck out of them with a mallet. (This makes them so tender!). Heat a couple TBSP of olive oil in large skillet. Put 1/4 cup of flour in a gallon sized bag and add chicken breasts, shake to coat. Now we need an egg wash bowl and a breadcrumb bowl. Beat 2 eggs in bowl (add a little splash of milk) for your egg wash bowl. And add 1 cup breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in other bowl. Take chicken breast out of flour bag - dip in egg mixture, coat with breadcrumb mixture, and throw in heated skillet. Brown both sides, turn heat off and cover with lid to keep warm and tender.

In the meantime, let's make the sauce. Heat saucepan (at least 2 quart saucepan) on medium high. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this gives the sauce a nice kick - for a bigger and yummier kick, make it 2 tsp but only if you like spice!). Let that garlic mix sizzle for 1 minute. Add 2 cans crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer.

Time to assemble! Preheat your oven to 350. Put chicken breasts in 9x13 glass pan, put a mound of shredded mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast. Add the tomato sauce (I scoop it out with a large spoon so it doesn't splash everywhere).

Then add more mozzarella to the top of each chicken breast (I do that so I know where to find them - and who doesn't like extra cheese?) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until edges are bubbling and cheese is browning.

While chicken is baking, boil some water and make your noodles. When everything is finished - put a scoop of noodles on your plate and add a chicken breast with a heaping scoop of sauce. Yum! Enjoy! :)

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

It is Friday again and I decided to give you a few more of my favorite things. Maybe this will become a weekly installment!

LittlePinkPosies - this adorable shop is run by a mom with 2 kiddos. Her shop's name was a play off her daughter's nickname, Little Pink Princess, since as she says "the child was born to wear pink!" The shop carried gorgeous hair clips, for both big and little girls, but what caught my attention were the posy girl(TM) pendants. Each pendant is 2 inches tall, hand painted and finished with varnish. You can even customize your own posy girl and choose her hair color, color of her dress and the letter on her little necklace! Adorable for those little girls on your gift list - check out LittlePinkPosies and happy shopping!

Ulljas - COOKIES! Need I say more? Well, how about we let the picture speak for itself? These are Ulljas personal trademark shortbread cookies that are shaped like ice cream scoops. They taste thick and almost fudgey.

Ulljas is run by a professional pastry chef who has a European Pastry and Bakery Shop in central Texas. There were so many requests for online orders, Ulljas.etsy.com was born! I ordered the Raspberry Margarita package for my mom for Mother's Day - 4 delicious raspberry chocolate chip shortbread cookies and 4 key lime cooler shortbread cookies. Mmmmm....Now wipe up that drool and visit Ulljas!

SheerWhimsy - I entered a giveaway contest on the Downtown Boutique's blog and I won!! How great is that? And this is what I won - the mushroom gadget garb! These tiny little pouches are just big enough for your cell phone, ipod, or small digital camera. They are made with the utmost attention to detail - there is a layer of ultra thick batting to protect your little tiny technology, beautiful coordinating material, a vintage inspired button on the flap, a hand appliqued mushroom (or blow dryer, tree, cupcake, paw print, etc...) AND a tiny little sheerwhimsy label on the inside. I am in love with my gadget garb - it holds my cell phone, keeps it safe, makes it easy to find at the bottom of my purse and it is just so cute!! Check out SheerWhimsy's shop and you'll agree, the shop name fits.

Time for a little bit of me

I just wanted to post a quick blurb about my newest Fray Baby items - taggies! Taggies are little miniature blankets with ribbon loops on the edges. Little ones love playing with the silky ribbon between their fingers and love chewing on them as well. I finally received the supplies to finish the fun quilted tops I made for taggies (tag blankets). I line the taggie with flannel and I back it with minky which is so soft and snuggly. I love the way my pink and green quilted tag blanket turned out and my whimsical patchwork taggie is a lot of fun and a miniature"I SPY" where baby can search for animals, flowers and polka dots! I'm working on a few more taggies. I am always jumping from project to project and never stay with 1 item long - in the last few days I have finished 3 bib and burp cloth sets, 4 taggies, 1 diaper tote, 1 market bag and a small pouch!

Here are my newest creations. Tomorrow I will bring you another round of my favorite things.

Did Ya Know?

I just learned 2 new things today and both surprised me. One - that most of the flowers that we send out moms on Mother's Day are imported from Columbia, Ecuador and the Netherlands. And two - charging your cell phone battery overnight is bad for your battery! I know these are two totally separate and random facts and you are probably wondering where I got them. I signed up for The Green Guide to Go, a newsletter from National Geographic's magazine, The Green Guide, and I received a link to The Tip of the Week.
Did you know that the flowers from the countries I mentioned above can spray their crops with pesticides that are banned in the United States? These pesticides are banned here because of links to respiratory illness and cancer. The pesticides not only effect the workers who harvest the crops but residue can linger on the petals and leaves. A much safer, healthier and locally supportive option is to go to your local farmer's market to pick up an arrangement or you can order from an organic delivery service like Diamond Organics.
My second tidbit of knowledge came from reading a blurb written where the author was woefully talking about her dying cell phone battery and how she has been toting her charger along with her wherever she goes and asking to plug it in at shoe stores and restaurants. She wondered why the battery wasn't holding a charge very long and she did some research. And one of the surprising recommendations it to not charge your battery over night! The longer a battery is subjected to a heat source, the quicker it can wear down. And than includes leaving your cell phone in a hot car or sitting in the sun next to you while you are at the pool! There are a few other common sense recommendations (power saving feature, turn off phone at night or while at a movie) but I was surprised when I read the charging recommendations. Who knew?
Now maybe you can say that you learned two new things today. Unless you already are full of wisdom and knew these factoids and in that case, I urge you to go to The Green Guide and learn something new. Now unplug those cell phones and go get your mom some pesticide free flowers! Oh, and sign up for The Green Guide's newsletter, The Green Guide to Go - just go to the website and send in your email address.

These are a few of my favorite things....

I've had bloggers block and haven't been sure what to write about lately. Today while browsing through my favorites on Etsy I realized my favorite shops and items are so colorful and so fun that I wanted to share them. You'll probably get a little glimpse of my personality through these shops. I hope you like them as well. And if you have any colorful and funky favorites, send them my way!

TheFlashBulb - this shop is SO COOL! The artist behind this shop lives in Austin Texas and has her items in a couple of stores. She specializes in sewn art! Her shop is full of some of her originals along with prints and notecards of her originals. What a fun and funky shop! If I ever have another little one I might have to get some sewn art for the nursery.

Gracie Designs - the shop owner behind this store is married to an etsy artist and her sister is on etsy too. She makes the neatest mini wallets, check book covers, business card holders, coffee cup cuddlers and ice cream cuddlers as well! She also makes aprons and headbands and hair clips but my favorites are the "organizers" like the business card holder, mini wallet and checkbook cover, Plus they make your purse insides really pretty. :)

CurlyQCuties - okay, how cool is a shop filled with fun and funky plush toys and monsters? These cuties are made by a mom in central Texas who started making cuties for her kids and has branched out and started offering them on Etsy! She has all sorts of monsters and cuties AND tooth fairy pillows that you hang on the bedroom door at night with the tooth in the pillow's back pocket and the tooth fairy can easily access the tooth and put a couple quarters in it's place.

I'll leave you with these 3 shops to check out. There are so many wonderful shops on Etsy and such talented artists. I am always browsing to see what new shops I stumble upon. It's wonderful being an Etsy artist but sometimes it is even more fun being an Etsy shopper. :)

5 Minutes for Mom

I stumbled upon yet another new site out there in the wide WIDE world of web sites. 5 minutes for mom is a site for moms (go figure!) and its purpose is to bring the best of the internet to you in 1 spot by promoting, supporting and encouraging mom-run sites, stores and blogs . The site is run by twin sisters who happen to be mommies AND internet junkies. The site has directories for blogs, stores and sites that are run by mothers as well as contests to enter, feature articles to read and faith lifts for inspiration. Right now on their home page there is a contest to win a trailer bike, a sampler post from one of their favorite blogs, a Mother's Day photo contest and tons of great giveaways (personalized note cards from Come Together Cards, the SAK Dakota Shopper and a Cuddoozle Nursing Pillow). You could easily spend hours on this site and not even crack the surface. One of my favorite features is "Tackle it Tuesdays" where each week a new household chore (or nagging task they have neglected) is tackled They even show before and after photos and encourage YOU to blog about something you tackled this week and post a link. They have tackled Christmas shopping, clothes sorting, thank you card sending, kitchen organizing and even cutting your kids hair (how successful that actually was is up for review. LOL. And I can say that because I have a son and I have cut his hair before - hey! 2 year olds can get away with jacked up hair!) :) Another feature I really enjoy is the Mom Sites where I found Print N Learn Preschool PrintOuts and printed out a potty training chart and some coloring pages. They also have flashcard printouts and reward certificate print outs. There is an organizing section in the Mom Sites and oh my gosh! ListPlanIt has has over 250 lists and planning pages such as grocery lists, to do lists, calendars, meal planning and cleaning lists - and for those of you who know me - I LOVE LISTS. I am seriously considering signing up for this site.
Anyways - 5 Minutes For Mom is a great site to find all things mommy and it's a fun place to poke around. Check them out!

Enter the HUGE May Day Giveaway!!

I'm a member of the Etsy Homefront Street Team and this month we are running a huge giveaway to promote our great shops! The Homefront Street Team is comprised of military spouses (and some proud military moms) and we encourage, support and promote each other in all our endeavors. Our one common thread is that we are personally involved in supporting our countries on a day-in, day-out basis. Without prejudice, or regard for religion, race, nationality or political views, we keep the homefires burning and our families together, no matter how far apart we are.The giveaway starts today, May 1st and runs through May 15th. It is completely free to enter - just check out the list of shops AND pictures of the giveaway items at the Homefront Street Team blog! You can enter as few or as many of the shop giveaways but please only enter each giveaway one time. Repeat entries will be deleted. Details on how to enter are on the blog - it's extremely easy! So come on over, check us out, visit our shops and enter to win some amazing items. I mean, come on! It's free stuff! :)

And what am I giving away? This adorable 50s style retro kitchen bib! It is made of 100% cotton light pink fabric with little girls busily baking pies and reading cookbooks! The bib is lined with absorbent flannel and is backed with soft white chenille. It is 9" wide by 11 1/2" long and the bib apron is 6 1/2" long. This fabric is one of my top sellers - everyone has been snagging up the bibs, burp cloths and lovies that are made with it. Click on the Homefront Blog link and enter now!

A delicate balance

As a budding entrepreneur and as a mom to a 2 year old son, I am constantly trying to find balance between working on my business and being an attentive mother. I love my son and we do keep busy - playing outside, walking to the park, coloring, playing (eating?) with playdoh and building kugelbahns (marble tracks!) but I also take time for myself throughout the day - time to blog, time to sew, time to list, time to promote. And sometimes this time spent is at my son's expense. He gets restless and comes and tugs on my hand, asking me to build yet another kugelbahn or make a tower of blocks. I know his playing by himself helps build his imagination and independence so it's not like I feel guilty about typing this post as he sits in my laundry basket, hording all the pillows and blankets in the room, while watching Little Einsteins. I feel guilty when I look at the clock and half the day is done and our only interaction has been at breakfast and we've been lost in our own worlds since.

This morning I stumbled upon an amazing blog post - 94 Ways to Keep Kids Busy for the Work at Home Parent. There are home business productivity tips (for parents and kids), - like making chore charts and planning play dates- summer activity tips, links to find local kid activities but my favorite section is the craft project links. Craftforkids.com - AMAZING! I am now going to add making Plastic Cup Bug Lanterns to my list of things to do with my son. And I think I'll take on another suggestion from the article and make a "craft corner" for him so while I sew, he can create his own masterpieces and I don't have to worry about feeling that I am neglecting him. And when he gets a little older I'm breaking out a chore chart!

I've been featured -

in a great blog! Check it out -
http://gettingtoknow.wordpress.com/
And don't forget to use your discount code when shopping at my store! :)

Featured New Etsy Artist - bethjt

Once again, I have found another military spouse to feature on Fray Baby! Beth Thompson, the amazingly talented artist behind the Etsy shop bethjt, is an Army spouse of 12 years. She, along with her husband, have a son who is 4 years and a daughter who is 16 months. Besides art, Beth loves to read, travel, photograph anything and everything, and she's a shopaholic. She also loves hunting sea glass and said,"I think its fascinating how nature has taken our careless litter and turned them into beautiful gems of every shape and color." Here is our interview:

Wow! I noticed that you do commissioned portraits and paintings, that is incredible! How long have you been drawing and painting?

I have been drawing since I was 2 and was able to draw recognizable things right away, so my dad really encouraged me to keep it up. I started drawing portraits for people when I decided to stay home with my first child. My children are a great inspiration to me and I have drawn each of them countless times. Although I have drawn every type of person and pet, my favorites are dogs and babies. Something about drawing softness is very calming. (The picture to the right is called "April Blossoms, it is a limited edition giclee print 18"x24" from Beth's graphite and watercolor original. Limited edition of 200 worldwide.)

And what about jewelry making? I notice you have some very delicate and artistic pieces in your shop.

Creating jewelry is also something I've done since I was in grade school, but didn't get really serious about it until my daughter was born. Now it's a downright obsession and I want to learn and try everything I can about it. Of course I don't have time to do that, but I get creative time in when I can late at night and my one day a week (really a half day) off from being mommy.

I see in your profile that Breast Cancer is an important issue for you and that you are donating 25% of the proceeds from any of your items that are pink, or any items that you make with awareness ribbons, to breast cancer awareness and research centers. Can you tell me more about that?

Discovering Etsy has really pushed me to start creating pieces that aren't just for me.The Breast Cancer interest has really come to a peak this past year when my best friend got it at age 29. She really has gone through hell and it seems so unfair. Then another good friend's mom got it and is also fighting it. Now it seems every time I turn around someone else I love or they love has been affected. So the donations I am putting together are just something small a little person like me can do to feel a little less helpless.

And finally, what is your favorite item in your shop?

My favorite item in my shop right now is "Look what I got, Mama" because my son was the model for it, and he and his sister mean more to me than anything.

Thank you for the wonderful interview Beth! Bethjt is an Etsy shop full of talent and grace and I encourage you all to stop by and take a look. You really need to see her shop to get a full appreciation of her talents.

The following are 2 more items from Beth's shop - dandelion miniature art magnets and a pineapple giclee on canvas.

Seeing Red

Another one of my items made it in a Treasury! Wow - it sure looks pretty with all those other red items! Take a look! My item is the red polka dot pouch in the middle. Check out my shop it you want it for yourself! :)

What's for dinner?

Here is one of my favorite recipes ever. I've made it so many times and for so many different people and they always end up asking for the recipe. It's sure to become one of your favorites as well!

Chicken (or Beef) Enchilada Casserole

1 pound chicken breast OR ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (you will only use 1/2 packet)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 jar of salsa or taco sauce - hot, medium or mild, it's your choice!
12 small corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mexican blend, again, it's your choice!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook chicken (or beef) on stovetop. Shred cooked chicken or cut into chunks and put back into the pan. Add chopped onion to pan and saute. Add 1/2 of the taco seasoning packet along with the recommended amount of water. Cook for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
Cut corn tortillas into chunks (I use the pizza slicer and slice, slice, slice!).
In seperate bowl, mix cream of chicken, sour cream and 1 1/2 cups of salsa (or taco sauce).
Now get ready to layer!
In a large casserole dish (I use a round 2.5 liter corning ware dish), pour 1/2 cup salsa, add 1/2 tortilla pieces, 1/2 the meat mixture, 1/2 the soup mixture and 1 cup of cheese followed by the rest of the tortilla pieces, meat, soup mixture and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubble all around the edges.

For a spicier dish, add jalapenos on top of each cheese layer. I add a can of fiesta corn to my meat mixture to sneak in an extra vegetable.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips (if desired).

Now you know what's for dinner! Enjoy!

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY!

Happy Earth Day everyone! In celebration of Earth Day, I am encouraging you to stop using those plastic bags at the grocery store and use one of my totes! Once you get in the habit of using a market tote, it becomes second nature and you start to feel a little guilty bringing home all those plastic bags that take a bazillion years to break down in our landfills.

If you aren't yet ready for a market tote, use it for your book club books, your bible studies, trips to the library, daycare bag, carry-all, everyday tote...any way you want!

Buy any tote in my store and get 1/2 price shipping! Just enter 1/2 SHIP when you check out and wait for the updated invoice before you pay.

Happy Earth Day everyone! Now go plant a tree, or something.

YAY! I'm in a Treasury!

My adorable (and recently blogged about) "I've Got Sunshine!" bib and burp set is featured in the Spotlight on Homefront treasury! Check out all the other great Homefront shop and sellers.

Fun with fabrics

I took a small break from working on my totes to hunt through my fabric bin and found some fun flannels for baby bibs and burp cloth sets. I think the sunshines are adorable, and a perfect gender neutral baby gift. And the apples and cherries fabric is so soft and sweet for a little girl. I have just enough of the fruity fabric left to make 1 more set and possibly a tag blanket. I have a list a mile long of all the sets, blankets and bags I have planned, I just need to start measuring and cutting. But the set I'm going to make next is a "Whale of a Tale" bib and burp set for little boys - it is adorable and bright - blues and greens - with fun whales all over a super soft flannel fabric. I can't wait to see how it is going to turn out.

The Apples & Cherries and I've Got Sunshine sets are listed in my Etsy store.

Oh to be a Hooker

This morning I attended a beginner's crochet (hook, crochet, hooker, get it?) class. I was so excited and pumped to start making magnificent creations, starting with the granny square dish cloth we were going to make. Wow, crocheting is an art and sadly, in 1 morning, I did not master it. I learned how to make a chain, how to turn, how to single crochet and how to double crochet and I caught some of the lingo. After struggling with my soft acrylic baby yarn, the instructor gave me a ball of cotton yarn and I certainly saw a difference in how my chains and loops were forming. My technique isn't the best and I kept trying to "thread" my yarn through my fingers like the instructor showed me, and not move my hands and hook so much, but my fingers kept wanting to do things their way. I finally got in the groove and the end result? An approximate 1 1/2" by 3" sample piece with not-so-even rows or chains but counting was too difficult of a task to take on while I was busy trying to figure out which loop my hook should go through and how much tension to allow. Anyway, my little scrap is not too bad if I do say so myself, but it certainly is not a dishcloth (or a wash cloth, or much of a cloth at all actually). My 3 hour long lesson was a lot of fun but in that 3 hours I learned that the crochet world is HUGE and slightly overwhelming. I am going to keep on practicing and eventually, hopefully, make something I can be really proud of. But in the meantime I think I'll stick to my fabrics and sewing machine to create actual usable items. Crochet will be my escape for those times the sewing machine is acting up and I'd rather scrub a toilet than press and cut more fabric. :) To all you crocheters out there, what an amazing craft you have. Please leave a comment below so I can admire your work. And I am keeping my scrap and hopefully one day in the future, when I'm admiring an amazing blanket I crocheted, I remember my first little scrap and marvel at how far I have come.

The following pictures are creations of Etsy hookers and are what I hope to create someday. :)

Adorable flower pal - from HomeMadeZen

Dennis the Dinosaur - by WigglySee

Keep on Truckin' - by Moosethreads

Cute, no?

Featured Etsians - CrazyTimesCandles

While browsing on Etsy yesterday I stumbled upon CrazyTimesCandles, a wonderful shop out of my home state of Wisconsin!

CrazyTimesCandles is a husband and wife team out of Appleton, Wisconsin, who enjoy working together and creating together. They started their business in 2002 with candle making and in December of 2006 they turned their little business into a full time job and expanded their product line to include soaps, lotions, scrubs, sprays, lip balms and wax melts (tarts). Some of their scents include: butterscotch, blueberry, grandma's kitchen, holiday wish, island fresh, sweet pea and very vanilla. Their candle selections are insane! You can order votives, chunk pillar candles, rustic pillar candles, candles in wine glasses, candles in honeypots and pie candles - yes, candles shaped, and scented, like pies! Mmmm, an apple pie candle, wouldn't that make your house smell amazing?

Along with their great selection of products, and candles, they offer a soap of the month club. You can sign up for 3 to 12 months and they pick the soap selection based on the season - spring you get light and floral or fruity and in fall you'll get a spicier scented soap. If you are adverse to certain scents you can put in that request and they will pick accordingly. All the soaps are packaged in clear packaging, to showcase the colors, and a label on the back, to let you know what you are sudsing up with!

So many amazing products and so many yummy scents. And what did I end up ordering from CrazyTimes? Well, I ordered cupcakes!


Yes, that yummy looking cupcake is actually a bath bomb and will fizz up in your tub. I got a nice little assortment (descriptions taken from CrazyTimesCandles store): "Butt Naked" - A fun fruity blend of bananas and berries. Perfect for spring and summer, "Love Spell (VS Type)" - A Victoria's Secret Type Favorite. An absolutely tantalizing fragrance composed of sweet bouquet of mandarin orange, bergamot, and tangerine enhanced by hints of fresh peaches, strawberries, and raspberries on an undertone of white musk, "Strawberries ‘n Cream" - A sweet and light blend of strawberry and creamy vanilla with a nice scent throw, "Lick Me All Over" - A truly delicious scent - smells good enough to eat. A wonderful exotic fragrance with base notes of raspberry, cantaloupe, and watermelon, middle notes of jasmine and violet, and fresh top notes of grapefruit and kumquat, and "Very Vanilla" – Very warm, sweet, high powered vanilla. A definite must try.

And how do they smell? Well, I don't know but they sound delicious! I ordered them for one of my best friends for Mother's Day so once she gets them and plop, plop, fizz, fizzes, I'll be sure to get her opinion. But in the meantime you'll have to take a look at CrazyTimes feedback and high sales numbers. They've been selling their products on Etsy since January 11, 2008, a mere 3 months, and already have close to 400 sales and 100% positive feedback!

So what to get mom for Mother's Day? Well, if you didn't find anything in my store for her, then take a look at CrazyTimesCandles and I'm sure you'll find something delicious for mom, and no calories!

For a complete list of scents click here. And for my next purchase, I'm seriously considering the breakaway melts and a warmer to go along with it. (P.S. There's a breakaway melt of the month club as well.)

The Giving Tree

For the past few days I have been searching for fun and unique items for a Treasury. I've never made one before and wasn't quite sure what it entailed. After deciding on a theme (I think the Treasuries with a commom theme look so sharp compared to haphazard Treasuries), and completing the hunt for items, the rest of the process consists of waiting! Waiting and watching, and hoping and praying (okay, slight exaggeration, but man those Treasuries stay full!). The Treasury has to drop below 333 or 222 (Treasury West) before you can snag a spot. I waited, I watched, I snagged! I got a spot and featured a Treasury that I am really proud of. Not that any of the items on the list are mine, but they represent my taste and what I like and I'm getting really great comments on it. With Earth Day right around the corner, I present to you my "The Giving Tree" Treasury (in Treasury West) -


Check it out here and feel free to click and leave a comment. It will be displayed for the next 2 days.

Featured Etsian - ReannaLily Designs

Jen, the creative mind behind ReannaLily Designs, is another military spouse just like me! She has a degree in Apparel Design from LSU and she currently lives in South Korea. She is a designer and a seamstress and has the best variety of apparel, for women and little girls (check out one of my favorites, the Wild Apron Pants Outfit - to the right - for girls), purses, aprons and blankets. I wanted to know more about Jen, her products and how where she lives inspires her.

You have such a great variety of items in your shop - what is one of your favorites? The best sellers are the Army Cube Purses made from recycled uniforms. Many of my clients provide me with their husband's uniforms for the project. Some clients choose a bag ready-made and opt to customize the name-tape portion with crazy words or hot pink embroidery thread. I do really like the purses.

Do you remember the first quilt you ever made and what was it? I made my first quilt when I was 17. It was a horrible disaster of yellow gingham and purple plaid triangles; set on point no less. I gave it as a gift to my, ahem, boyfriend who was headed off to LSU. (That turned out well, we've been married for 12 years now.) I had no concept of a seam allowance and the quilt unraveled into shreds within a couple years. He did, later duct tape that mangled up mess over his dorm-room window for room darkening... so it wasn't a total loss. Quilts are truly the gift that keeps on giving, right?

Where do you live now and does it bring inspiration to what you create? I currently live in South Korea. My town is the 3rd largest in the country, with 4 million people. Its absolutely wonderful here. We have seasons, culture, holidays and we're treated like celebrities when we're out in town. I know Korea gets a bad rap, but I've found it to be great. Korea is the leader in textile production- meaning truckloads of fabric is printed here- so its a virtual heaven for me. It has been quite an experience here and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to spread their wings.As far as my inspiration for creation- I've had the opportunity to live on an Army post for the first time and most of my clients are also my neighbors. They encouraged me to start selling my Army Cube purse as well as many other of my items. As many military spouses know, "Its not the town/assignment; its the people."

Thanks for a great interview Jen! You can find out more info about ReannaLily Designs at http://reannalilydesigns.com/. I leave you with pictures of 2 more of my favorite items in Jen's shop- aprons! and this announcement - ReannaLily is having a special Earth Day sales promotion at her store - free shipping! Click on the link to get there.

What? Free Shipping?

If you want free shipping at my Etsy shop, you have to visit this blog to see what my special promo code is. :) TODAY ONLY!!

Knitting Totes!

I had a fellow Etsian tell me that she loved my shop, especially my totes, and asked me if I could make a knitting tote. I had ordered some tall canvas bags awhile ago and was wondering how I was going to use them in my shop. I wanted to make something fun and funky and with her question, my canvas bags had a purpose! So I began cutting and measuring some of my new home decor fabrics and made different size pockets, had the fun task of sewing those into interior of the canvas bags and then I made beautiful and perfectly fitted sleeves for the tote to fit the exterior of the tote. Slide tote in, line it up, seam up the edges and it's finished! It was a little time consuming but after I figured out all the measurements and pocket placement the rest fell into place.
I lined the pockets with fusible interfacing for added strength and durability. I made the knitting needle pocket in a way that there is no bottom seam on the pocket so your needles, or anything else, can never poke through the bottom. And of course these totes can be used in other ways besides as knitting totes - use it as your market tote, bible study tote, book club tote, diaper tote...you get the idea.
The measurements are 16" tall, 13 1/2" wide at the opening (10" wide at the base) and 3 1/2" deep. The tall pocket is 4" wide by 13 1/2" tall and the smaller pocket is 6" by 7".

Find these knitting totes, along with other totes and cute baby accessories at my Etsy shop - FrayBabyBibsandMore!

Ribbons Zoo Knitting Tote

FREDRIKA meterware (from IKEA Regensnerg) Knitting Tote

Trying to get more green, perhaps a nice shade of lime

Earth Day is April 22, 8 short days way. Earth Day is meant to bring awareness of and appreciation to the Earth's environment. For a detailed history lesson on Earth Day, head over to wikipedia.com. In the meantime, keep reading and get inspired to do something "green" for yourself, your home or your neighborhood.

Living in Germany definitely made me more "green", or at least more "green aware". We try to be green and are taking baby steps - buying natural cleaners, drinking organic milk and eating organic or all natural foods when we can, and recycling. In Germany, it is required by law to recycle - and it is amazing how many items we (or maybe just Americans?) go through in a day, a week, a month, that are recyclable. Our gray refuse container is picked up only twice a month. Garbage, picked up only TWO TIMES A MONTH! Could you imagine? Well now I can and would you believe that our garbage container is rarely more than half full? We have a blue container for paper products, which get picked up once a month and that is always overflowing with broken down cereal boxes and toilet paper rolls. And twice a month the huge yellow bags that hold all things plastic or aluminum is picked up. We typically have 6-8 bags full at each pick up. My point is, I thought I was an environmentally conscious person while we were in living Hawaii because I put out all my allowed recyclable items every week to get picked up. Small peanuts comparatively.

And the sky!! I noticed it yesterday - a slightly chilly and partly sunny day - but looking up in the sky everything was so bright and crisp and clear. No smog, no haze, no dingy gray or yellow, clear blue sky. It was almost shocking. I always thought that Hawaii had the brightest, bluest skies compared to anywhere I had every been and I chalked that up to being an island, surrounded by the endless blue ocean and the sun that is almost always shining. Well Germany is no island and certainly not a tropical paradise but that bright blue paints our sky here and I'm chalking that up to the envirmentally friendly habits of the people living here.

Everywhere you go in Bavaria (and perhaps all of Germany), you see people walking. Daily walks to the market, walks to the cafe, or walks just for the sake of walking. Young and old alike and many times ,older couples holding hands and chatting. Nordic walkers are everywhere with their walking sticks, cruising the streets in groups while chatting at the same time. Many just have little gas efficient scooters that go no more than 30kpm. On holidays you see huge groups of people walking along sidewalks and bike trails. It is family time and enjoyable for them, and it works off some of that huge holiday feast! Why don't we have traditions like that in America? Afternoon walks after eating all the ham and potatoes we can stomach? It is really neat to witness and a little inspiring.

This Earth Day, I plan on bringing a little green into my life, literally. I am going to buy some houseplants to clean up the air indoors and I am going to search for some plants and flowers to spruce things up outside. I'll post pictures of new additions and you can be the judge to see how much of a "green" thumb I actually have. I encourage you to make a change in your life in honor of Earth Day and try to make it stick. Start recycling - baby steps if you have to - start with the coke cans or the daily newspapers and build up from there. Plant that tree in your yard you've always wanted or go to PATT Foundation to plant a tree anywhere in the world. Make the next set of sheets or towels you purchase organic. Participate in a local clean up, or clean up your own yard. Decide to walk to the store or ride your bike. Whatever it is, make the change, and you, and the environment, just might be better off. And your planet will love you for it. If you need a little help thinking of something "green" to do, or just want more information and guidance on environmentally friendly products or how to live a more "green" life, check out National Geographics "The Green Guide" - it is an amazing web site chock full of great articles, tips, tools, blogs and even buying guides

While looking at all the fabric scraps on my sewing room floor, I got inspired. In honor of Earth Day I decided to do something crafty with something I would normally recycle and scraps I would normally throw away. I introduce to you my decoupage container! It is just a plastic wipes container that I cleaned out and decoupaged strips of scrap fabric onto. It turned out so cool and I'm either going to use it to hold my paintbrushes or my scissors, I haven't decided yet. I'll put some pebbles in the bottom it doesn't make it tip over, and viola! An adorably decorated recycled container!

Featured New Etsian - CojoCreations!

April, the creative mind behind CojoCreations, is a military spouse just like me! Her husband is currently stationed in Hawai and that is where she shares her home with him , their 2 children and their springler spaniel, Jack. She creates beautiful and one of a kind necklaces, earring, laynards, eyeglass chains and wine charms. I especially like her Mother of Pearl necklaces - they are gorgeous and I wanted to know what inspired her creations.

What brought you to designing jewelry? I have always loved being creative. One day about 4 years ago I had a day off from work so I decided to give jewelry a go and that is when it all began. :) I LOVE IT!! For me it is very relaxing to sit and create new items. I can do it for HOURS.

What are your inspirations? Nature has alot to do with inspiring me. I love the colors and smells of the world. Right now I live in Hawaii so the beautiful blues and teal colors of the ocean, the awesome sunsets, the bright greens and the different colors and texture of the sands, the georgeous brightly colored flowers....this is what inspires me.

(Photographs from Hawaii courtesy of April)

Where do you do your creating? As for ideas, they pop up all the time. I try to write them down if I am not home so that I will not forget. I don't have a craft room so my creations are made in the dining room. One day I hope to have a wonderful room that is all mine.

What is your favorite piece in your shop? Right now my favorite piece is SUNSET ON THE BEACH. I love working with shells.

April's favorite piece from CojoCreations - the Sunset on the Beach Mother of Pearl Pendant Necklace - just click on the pictures to go directly to the listings in her shop!

My favorite piece from CojoCreations - the Abalone Mother of Pearl Pendant Necklace

Stop by CojoCreations on Etsy for wonderful pieces of jewelry for yourself and gorgeous gifts for all occasions. Give someone a little piece of Hawaii - Mother's Day is just around the corner. Happy shopping and thanks April for a great interview.

Why I love other Etsy sellers

The Etsy community is full of supportive sellers - I just had a seller list 2, no make that 3! of my items in his shop. He was running a promo to match other's sellers items to items in his shop as suggested gift ideas. He creates beautiful hand made cards (both of these cards come from his shop) and tags and he gets a good amount of views on his items.

Here are the links to these 3 gorgeous cards - look for my item in the listing!


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10130595

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9939810

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8606293

And here is the direct link to his Etsy shop - UniqueGrabs - so you can check it out and do some shopping.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=50400

My new favorite fabric!

I ventured out to IKEA the other day with Luke. I went prepared with a pouch bag full of snacks for him to hunt through so I could attempt to browse in peace. It worked for the most part, a few little snaffus with trying to open snacks himself but nothing we couldn't handle. I headed directly to the fabric section and started my search. There were a lot of new fabrics by the IKEA designers and as I tried to convert euros to dollars in my head, translate the signs and figure out how to get my fabric cut, Luke happily munched on some mini M&Ms. I left with 4 meters of fabric and managed to create a tote out of 2 of my new finds that very day. Here is my new pride and joy.

It's priced a little higher than my other totes because the fabric is a heavier weight and a little more expensive. But wow - it sure has been looked at a lot in my store - it is my highest viewed item!

And here is a picture of what will become a future tote or two. (It's the fabric on top - don't mind the mess.) Exciting, no? I can't wait to see what it will look like as a tote bag.

Lots of New Stuff on Etsy!

Hey everyone - I have been a sewing fool lately and have made a bunch of fun new Fray Baby items. Go check out my Etsy page at http://www.fraybabybibsandmore.etsy.com/ to see the KP Kids Blast Off! Rocket blankie, the fun and funky Minnie Mouse polka dot bib and burp sets, and the extra plush and very retro Funky Flower Power and 50s Vintage Kitchen burp cloths. I've started making small pouches to carry in your purse or diaper bag - I actually carry one around with me all the time in my purse - it holds 3 diapers and a pack of travel wipes. Since Luke is older, it is really all I need. Soon I will be making pouches out of some of the fabrics I have created baby items with so matching sets can be purchased.

I'll leave you with some pictures of some new items. In the meantime, check out my site and take advantage of the big APRIL FOOLS SALE that is going through the week and has been extended, ending on Saturday.

Now I Know My ABCs

Another lap blankie/lovey. This one is a little larger than the previous ones. It measures almost 22" square. It is made of beautiful nursery flannel in a blue and white check with embroidered ABCs and is backed by soft and fluffy white chenille. The blanket is lined with a light interfacing for extra durability and is double stitched and top stitched for extra strength. It is a sweet blanket for a little one.

Now I Know My ABCs Lap Blanket/Lovey $16

50s style Retro Kitchen Chenille Backed Lovey Security Blanket

This lovey is so cute. I absolutely LOVE the fabric and the light pink chenille back complements it perfectly. This small lap blanket/lovey is 17 1/2" by 17 1/2". I used a lighter weight interfacing which is even better than my original lightweight that I was using. My original interfacing would crease the fabric when folded. This interfacing is so light that it adds a durability to the fabric without resulting in the slight stiffness that would cause it to crease.
This Retro Kitchen lovey is perfectly suited for a sweet little girl. It is double seamed and top stitched for extra durability. It costs $14. SOLD - if you would like this lovey, please let me know, I have enough fabric to make another