BabiesBeautiful

Cutting Board

2009-04-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know their website, but here's the cutting board that really nice couple gave to me at the craft show earlier this month.Pretty, isn't it?

Presser Foot

2009-03-30T11:46:00.001-07:00

I joined a group blog that a couple of my friends started called Presser Foot. It's a blog for everyone to work on the same sewing project and report on their results. Right now the project is a peasant top which a couple people have already finished. Check out Presser Foot for the results so far. I just joined, so I just got my fabric today, but I'm really excited about it. It's pretty and light for the summer with a cute lace finish on the bottom. I also think the style is going to be great for my growing belly this summer. :) I'll let you know how it goes!

NEACA Show Review

2009-03-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

A week ago was the NEACA craft show that I participated in. I think that's going to be the last show I do for a while because between being pregnant, having a closing-in-on-two-year-old, and starting my husband's chiropractic practice, we're a little busy! I'm thinking I'll wait until the Christmas craft shows, although even that may be a little crazy since I'll have a newborn. We'll see. But this was another fun show and well-worth going to. This time my booth was against a wall, which to be honest I wasn't too excited about. It was nice that I had a bunch of space behind my booth so I wasn't so closed in, but I think it looks a little bit too bare and the ends. My booth setup is better suited for a corner booth like I've had in the past, I think. What's you're opinion?

If you missed this show, or even if you didn't, pay attention for the next one. I think it's in August, or atleast around that time. There are just so many created and talented people with all kinds of products! I didn't buy anything, but I did trade for some earrings and a matching pendant that I really like. The seller is on ebay so when I remember I'll take a picture of the jewelry I got and link you to her shop. I've worn the earrings a couple of times and I really like them.

NEACA Craft Show

2009-03-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

If you're in the area come see me at my craft show this weekend in Huntsville! It's Friday to Sunday at the VBC!

Trinity Market Place

2009-03-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had a show with the Trinity Market Place. I didn't really mention it beforehand because my family and I were sick with the flu this past week. I was really just relieved that I felt well enough to set up on Thursday and then participate on Friday and Saturday. This one was a smaller show than the one I did in December and I think that people's buying was also affected by the economy. But I was still able to sell some stuff and have a successful weekend! One of the best parts of the weekend was my neighboring booth. It was the nicest couple who sold these beautiful handmade wood pieces that the husband has been making since he's been retired. Mostly they sold cutting boards, but they also had lazy susans and trivets. They were all really, really beautiful. Not only were they really nice to talk to when things got slow, but they even gave me a free cutting board and fresh corn from their garden when the show was over! I'll have to take a picture of the cutting board to put up on here and I'll find out if they have a website. They were really just the nicest people!

For this show Walter and our friend, Jared, made a stand for me to display my tutus and the hooded towels I've started making. I really liked having it. I think we're going to add one more row of pegs to the top of the shorter stand so that I can hang the knit hats there. The rest of my display was pretty much the same as last time.

In two weeks I have another craft show, the NEACA spring craft show here in Huntsville. I think I'm going to have to take a break from Huntsville craft shows for a while. I don't want to saturate the market and I already had a few people tell me they got a tutu at my craft show in December!

New Items!

2009-02-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

Today I posted two new flowers:

Dramatic Pink and Yellow Flower Clip

Pink Daisy Flower Clip

What do you think? You have probably noticed that I'm trying a new photo angle to show off the flowers. Those are the pictures you see first in each listing and then I do still have pictures of the full flowers. What do you think? Do you like the new flowers? Do you like the new photos?

Also, I've decided to sell the flowers and headbands separately. I've been getting the impression that some people actually just want the flower but end up getting the headband just because it comes as a part of the sale. Don't worry, it won't cost you more though because I've posted a headband listing that is only $1. It's to be purchased only when you are also buying a flower clip. If you just want the headband you still have to pay full price for that!

Giveaway Winner!

2009-01-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to AmandaSue who won the flower clips giveaway! You have an email waiting for you from me! Please respond within 24 hours to claim your prize!

Yummy!

2009-01-20T20:05:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd start posting other fun crafty-type things I like to do in my spare time. One of my favorite things to do for fun is cook. My husband and I often speculate about what we'd do if we had tons of money and one of our favorite fantasy questions is whether we'd have a cook or a maid. He would rather have a professional cook (Thanks a lot, honey! He assures me it'd be more like a trainer/nutritionist thing) but I would definately prefer a maid. Hello? Someone to clean up after I get to do the fun cooking part? That would be perfect for me! Alas, that will probably forever be but a dream. At any rate, here's one of my favorite treats to bake and especially eat! Before I post it, you should know that I haven't made up this recipe (or probably most others I'll post) but instead got it from one of my best friends. What a great gift to get from your best friend, huh! :) I also didn't make up the idea to make them heart-shaped. That idea is from one of my favorite kid-friendly recipe blogs, Gourmet Mom on the Go.

Without further ado, here are the directions, with pictures:

Mix all the ingredients, knead them, and let me rise for an hour. Cute story: As you'll see in the coming pictures, my daughter was helping me. I left her "alone" for a moment to get something from the refrigerator. By the time I got back she'd already snagged some dough! She must have gotten that trait from me...

Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape like so:
Coat the dough in butter and then cinnamon sugar. Don't try to be healthy and go light on either the butter or cinnamon sugar; it's just not worth it!
To make the heart-shaped cinnamon rolls, roll the dough on one side only to the middle. See what a good helper my daughter is? :)

Now roll the other side in to meet the roll you just did. Be sure to add a little butter and cinnamon sugar to the crease you just made between the two rolls! This is how the rolls should look when you're finished:
Next, use floss to cut each roll. I cut my to be about 1"-2" tall. Sorry, I don't have a picture of this, it was too hard to take one. But, I bet you can figure it out. :) When the cinnamon rolls are on the tray, pinch the bottoms a little bit so they aren't rounded but have a pointed bottom, like a heart. I think next time I'll make them even more pointed because as you'll see, they round out a little when they cook.
Bake them at 350 degrees for 20 min. Here's how we feel around here while we wait for the cinnamon rolls to cook:I guess an apple is a serious letdown when you can smell cinnamon rolls in the oven! :)

Here's how mine turned out when they were finished cooking. You can see the heart/scrolling much better now than when you frost them. So, if you are giving these as a Valentine's Day gift, you might want to give the person the rolls unfrosted so they can see the pretty pattern. Plus, that way they can re-heat the rolls and then frost them hot!
And here they are frosted. I'll post the frosting recipe below, along with the cinnamon roll recipe in its entirety, but here's a frosting tip: Make sure the vanilla extract you use doesn't smell like alcohol. If it does, your frosting will taste like vanilla alcohol!
Cinnamon Rolls

1 egg @ room temperature - add enough warm water to the egg in a measuring cup so the total of the two together is 1 1/2 cups
1/3 c oil
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 c flour
2 tsp (or about one package) yeast

*Mix all the ingredients & then knead.
*Let rise for 1 hour.
*Follow the rolling & cutting instructions above.
*Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frosting

2 tsp frosting
4 capfuls of milk (Capfuls being the cap of a milk jug. Very specific, I know. lol.)
3 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar until frosting consistency

*Mix all ingredients and add powdered sugar until it's the consistency you like.

Enjoy!!!!

ANOTHER Giveaway!

2009-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Not only am I having a giveaway on my own blog, I'm also having a giveaway on the blog, My Charmed Life. This giveaway has a special purpose to it. A new law has been passed that says that all products that are made for children have to be tested for lead. ALL products. That means that all sellers on etsy and anyone else who makes things for children will have to close, including me. Although, to be honest, I'm planning on staying open anyway. At any rate, check out the other blog & giveaway! The blog also has more info on this law and other examples of shops who are going to have to close thanks to this new law.

Giveaway! - CLOSED

2009-01-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

It's giveaway time! For today's givaway you get to choose three, yep three, flower clips of your choice from my shop, Babies Beautiful.

But, before you go, let me tell you a little bit about what you'll be getting. I started making these when my daughter was a baby and didn't have any hair. In fact, she still has barely any hair *sigh*, but I digress. Before having her, I thought I didn't plan on using headbands on my little girls because they always seemed like they were squeezing the poor kid's head! But, since my daughter is a little baldy, people (ok, usually old men) kept thinking she was a little boy! So, when I recieved one of these headbands that are cute, stretchy so they don't leave a mark, and have the option to put any flower, clip, bow, etc. on them, I wanted everyone else to enjoy them, too!

Next came the flower clips. I make them for you the same way I make them for my own daughter. I've tried different adhiesives because after my daughter wearing them and then tearing them off, I realized I needed the strongest I could find! I also line the clips so they look nice, but leave the bottom of the clip un-lined so you can use them on beanies, the headband, in hair, or even as a decoration on a tutu from my shop! Lastly, I put no-slip grip on the clip so it will even stay in my daughter's barely-there, baby-fine hair! By the way, if you are interested in a beanie like in the picture, it's from Noggins Beanies. She has all kinds of cute designs!

Here are the rules for entering:
*Visit my shop, babiesbeautiful, and choose which three flower clips you'll choose if you win and then come back here and leave a comment telling me!
*For an extra entry, tell me which of the other items in my shop is your favorite.
*For two extra entries, buy something from my shop (maybe a tutu to go with your flowers?) and them come back and leave two comments telling me what you got to get your entries.

This contest closes January 27th at midnight CST. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Coming Soon...

2009-01-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

My first giveaway on this blog!!!! I've got to get the word out first, though, so check back!

T-Shirt Quilt

2009-01-03T19:28:00.001-08:00

A couple of months ago, Lori contacted me on etsy about making a t-shirt quilt for her hubby for Christmas. After sending me the fabric and t-shirts she wanted on the quilt, here's what she got back!I may be biased, but I LOVE how it turned out! Does this quilt make you think of that pile of t-shirts in your hubby's closet, or even your own that you LOVE but never wear? Isn't this the perfect solution?!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, my shop is down for the holidays. I'm in California for my hubby's graduation from chiropractic school (way to go!!!) and then to visit family for Christmas. I'll be back the 27th. In the mean time, have a Merry Christmas!!!

New tutus and headbands

2008-12-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

Like I posted yesterday, I'm going to be adding new tutus to my shop. But first, a preview of what's to come!

Here are a few tutus that are made and ready to be shipped. It also gives you an idea of some of the colors I have available.

And not to gloat, especially on the day Auburn lost their head coach (which I think is NUTS, by the way!) but here's a cute picture of my little cheerleader. Don't mind the drool stains, she's at the end of a LONG period of teething. Molars, ug! On a better note, Roll Tide!

Finally, here are the two newest colors for headbands I'll be adding in my shop, light pink and dark pink, which look really cute with tons of flowers. But you'll have to wait on pictures of possible flower/headband combos.

Craft Fair

2008-12-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

I know the craft fair was a week and a half ago, but we've been busy around here, thus the belated post.

Here's my booth all set up! I had it different the first day, but I think this way allowed people easier access to all the products.

Here are all the flower clips on display. My hubby made this great display board for me!

I owe a big thanks to my hubby, mom, and friends for helping before and during the craft show. I sold a ton more tutus that I thought I would so I had to restock after the first day! I never would have made it without them! I'd all but stopped selling tutus in my etsy shop, but after the success at the craft fair I'm adding more options! Very popular were the college team colors tutus! Being in the South, I sold Alabama, Auburn, and even a Florida St. tutu, but I can do any color/university you like! Variations of pinks and purples were also very popular! I'll have several listings in my shop, including the option to create your own tutu color combos. Just convo. me for a custom order. Some ideas I had are:
*Pink and green or purple and green, it reminds me of a garden fairy!
*Your favorite team's colors, your little girl will be the cutest cheerleader!
*Light blue, dark blue, and purple, it reminds me of a mermaid!
*Light green and dark green, with or without blue, think tinkerbell!
*Pink and orange, yummy sherbet!

Craft Fair!

2008-11-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Huntsville area, don't forget to come to the Delta Zeta Craft Fair this weekend! I'll be there Friday and Saturday from 9-6!!!!

Pictures to come...

Winner!

2008-11-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

This is a little belated, but congrats to Nikki who was my 100th <3! She picked the Mini-Firecracker White Flower Clip AND Interchangeable Headband!

Enjoy!

97, 98, 99 <3s

2008-11-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

My shop has 99 people who "heart" it! If you are the 100th person to heart my shop, you'll get a FREE flower clip AND interchangeable headband set of your choice! So, if you don't already heart my shop, go add it right now!

Newborn Set

2008-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

I just put this new Newborn Set up on etsy. It's a set of mini flowers that I think would be so cute on newborns! It also comes with a headband just in case the newborn has as much hair as my newborn had! :)

Giveaway Winnings!

2008-10-21T17:21:00.001-07:00

Here are the flowers Melinda got as the winner of the Pink Potpourri Giveaway:Mini-Firecracker White Flower Clip

Soft Pink Hydrangea Flower Clips

Yellow Daisy Flower Clip

What good choices! I hope you enjoy them Melinda!

More Poinsettias

2008-10-21T17:08:00.001-07:00

Here are the other poinsettia flowers that I couldn't get to download last time!

This one is a velvety white trimmed in gold glitter. This one may be my favorite, although it's hard to choose! I'll tell you that I didn't intend to have this many options, but I like them all!

This one is a velvety red with a sprinkle of glitter all over.

This one is a clasic poinsettia.

This one is a red velvety flower with gold glitter trim.

This one is a little bit sheer, which I think is a pretty quality on this flower.

Finally, this flower is petite for smaller babies, or just people who prefer smaller clips. I think the small clips are great for pigtails!

Christmas is Coming!

2008-10-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

I always hated this, but now that I'm in the retail world I have to start thinking about Christmas before Halloween is here. So, keeping that in mind, here is one of my new Christmas Poinsettia flower clips!
I'll post more later, they didn't download correctly for some reason...

Delta Zeta Marketplace

2008-10-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars! Yesterday I got my acceptance letter to the Delta Zeta Marketplace! It's a craft fair going on in Huntsville at the VBC Nov. 21-23, although I'll only be there Friday and Saturday. This is my first foray into the physical world of selling my things so it makes me a little nervous. Not only am I going to be face to face with people shopping, but I have to figure out how to present my goods! The theme for decorating the booth this year is "Black and Pink and Chic All Over". Any ideas for me?

Winner!

2008-10-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Melinda who won the giveaway on The Pink Potpourri! Here's her comment:

I like the hydrangea flower clips. What a great giveaway for moms who love accessories for their little ones!

I'll post the flowers she chooses before I send them out. What fun!

Free Giveaway!

2008-10-10T08:38:00.001-07:00

Today and through the weekend I'm being featured on Pink Potpourri where you have the chance to win three flower clips of your choice and one headband to go with them! I'm excited to see who wins, so get your name in before Monday at 8 am to qualify! If you don't have your own little girl to use a few clips on, with Christmas coming up, baby showers, and births, I bet you could find someone to give them to since, hey, they're FREE! :)

Fancy Noggins

2008-10-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

I just had a fun photo shoot outside in the rain with my daughter with my beanie from Noggins Beanies. She was having so much fun running around that it was hard to get good, in focus pictures where you could still see the beanies and clips, but I got a few good ones.Don't the flowers look so cute on that great beanie!? I really like the color beanie I have, too, because it's cute by itself but it's a pseudo-neutral (Stacy and Clinton, anyone?) so it looks good with tons of different colors, clothes or flowers! This has gotten me excited for cold, winter weather so I can use this beanie more often!

Oh, and as a teaser, come back on Friday and I'll tell you how you can have the opportunity to win 3 flower clips and one headband for free! Oh, and if you'd like a good deal on your first beanie, head over to Noggins Beanies' blog and look at the side bar to find out how to get 25% off!

Great Fall Find!

2008-10-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love doing with my flower clips is attaching one to my daughter's beanies. First of all, she still barely in the "Is that a boy or a girl?" stage. Sticking a flower on her beanie is a great way to clarify that she is a girl! :) Plus, it's just cute. My friend over at Noggins Beanies makes all kinds of darling crocheted beanies that would go so well with a flower clip! Hmm, it seems I don't have any pictures of my daughter in her beanie with a flower? I guess it's only just lately gotten cool enough for that. I think I see a photo shoot coming on... I'll be back with pictures! In the mean time, go check out the cute beanies for adults AND kids at Noggins!

ANOTHER New Line - Boutique Quality Flowers

2008-09-26T17:39:00.001-07:00

I decided to start a new "Boutique" Line of flower clips. The construction is the same as my other flower clips, but the flowers I'm using are a very high quality. Here are three of the clips I've made. I'm excited about these because as you can see with the second flower, there are more unique options with this line. Just so you know, the second flower shown is actually on a headband like the other two. The difference is this one is so huge it covers the headband!

New Line

2008-09-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of my new line of flower clippies I'm going to be selling. I want to do flowers for different Universities and possibly sports teams. This one is for the Alabama Crimson Tide. I'm planning on adding flowers for Auburn, BYU, and Duke. Any requests or ideas?

Awesome Giveaway!!!

2008-09-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is the best giveaway I've come across! It's a crafting cabinet worth $800! So, if you like crafting you really ought to check it out. It's free and easy to enter. This site not only does giveaways, but also has post about topics like family fun, kids face painting, obaji skin care, creative date ideas, discipline for children, and take surveys for money. So, if you are interested in any of these topics, click on the individual link for more.

Fall Blooming Flowers?

2008-09-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday someone bought my last Dramatic PINK Peony Clip. Good thing I just decided to post a Dramatic White and Pink Peony Clip!In fact, I have several new clips coming soon to my shop. I'll post one or two new ones a day, but here's a sneak preview of a couple of the other flowers you can buy soon!
I think the orange flower looks a little Hawaiian, which I'm excited about! Plus, they're both good fall colors, which I'd like to do a little more of since fall is my absolute favorite season. Which of these are your favorite?

Great Giveaway!

2008-09-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Hurry over the the Pink Potpourri for her great Free Giveaway Friday! The necklace she's giving away today is one of my favorite things she's given away so far. She does giveaways every single Friday. In fact, keep an eye out because BabiesBeautiful is scheduled for a Friday in October!

For the Tomboy in Your Life

2008-09-06T07:45:00.001-07:00

I just added these cute bow clippies to my shop. I love them because they are a little girly since they're bows, but not too froo-froo, since they're brown, blue, and green! Plus, I decided that if you want to mix-and-match these clippies with any of the other sets-of-six clippie sets in my shop, you can!

Coming soon: What do you think I should call this set? I was thinking something like "Black and White and Pink All Over", but do you have a better idea? If you think up a name for these that I end up using, I'll send you a FREE small flower clip from my shop!

What a find!

2008-09-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

So I was just looking at one of the showcases on etsy (a good place to browse if you're feeling bored) and I found a shop I really like. It's Hawaii Titanium Rings. They make all kinds of titanium rings with different inlays. My favorite ring is this one. I would totally buy it if I could think of a good excuse to! Too bad my hubby and I both have the rings we need! Maybe sometime down the road...

You Snooze, You Lose, But Not Here!

2008-09-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, someone just purchased the listing for the BOGO sale in my etsy shop. BUT, as a Grand Opening Sale of sorts for this blog, I'll Keep the BOGO offer going to blog readers. Here's what to do:

1. Look through my shop and find two flower clips you like.
2. Purchase the least expensive one.
3. In the "Message to Seller" box when you check out, mention my blog and then tell me which other flower clip you'd like! You'll get the two flower clips and one headband.

This offer is only good to the first person to take advantage of it, so hurry! I'll do another post letting you know if the offer has been taken and if by some chance two people use this BOGO offer before I have time to check and post, you both get it! So hurry!!!! Here are the two flowers I'm mailing out tomorrow from the BOGO sale in my shop.

BOGO SALE!!!!!

2008-09-05T08:28:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the new BabiesBeautiful Blog! Here, I'm planning on updating what's offered in my etsy shop, giving exclusive previews, showing custom orders I get to make, and offering great deals for blog readers only! I also plan on giving suggestions for other great etsy shops you might want to check out. First up is my current sale going on, and it's hard to beat! In my shop today is a Buy One Get One Sale!!!!! You can choose any two flower clips in my shop for only $4! You don't have to just choose one of the flowers in this blog or in the listing, it's ANY flower in my shop. Wow!