Etsy Seller Features (3)

I decided that I wanted to feature an Etsy seller here once again and so I went to the forums and gave directions to come here and take a look to see if they would like me to feature them and to make a comment as well on a post. Some people just used the forum to promote themselves and waste space for those who were genuinely interested which is sad and rude. What was once a real place to chit chat has become a place for promotion "whores" - they post their shop link and items in practically every thread not even paying attention to what it is about or what it says :(

So I chose three sellers who posted in the thread that have excellent shops - I couldn't choose just one! I appreciate their participation, interest, and skill that they share to anyone interested in purchasing their work or to just take a look at what they have to offer.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtofAmy
Amy sells cards, prints, postcards (which is what this photo is), and note cards of whimsical art from her imagination and fairy-tales. Her work is simple and cute, I like the neatness of the image and colors she uses. Her female characters are so delicate and pretty you will want to look at every single one :)


http://www.etsy.com/shop/thecuriouscupcake
Curiouscupcake's shop is all jewelry. There are some unique pendants and other pieces in there though that are worth it to look at. One of my personal favorite pieces is this dragonfly earing set which is purple but there is also a pink set. Her work is individual and has a different flavor from the numerous other jewelry makers on Etsy. Her items are great for the everyday person and also those who want some stylish accessories.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MadeByMichelleAmber
MichelleAmber's shop is so bright and cheerful! She has quilts to hang on the wall or use as a table cover, animal blanket, purses, and wallets. They are beautiful quality pieces and I personally wish I could get every single one I love the wallets and purses (example on left). She has been sewing for many years and you can tell from her work.


I highly suggest taking a look at each of their shops even if it's just to take a peak. A huge thank you to you etsy sellers who took the time to check this blog out and to everyone else who reads! Your support is appreciated :)
Have a great week everyone!

Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies!

One of my favorite cookies to eat (because I pretty much like ALL cookies) is the Chocolate Chip Cookie. They are tasty and almost everyone loves them. But when you're at home making them from scratch, it can be somewhat bothersome or they just don't turn out as great as you expected.

Growing up my mother had one recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and she made them every other week pretty much. They were great fresh from the oven and burning hot with a glass of clod milk, but they got hard and crunchy once they cooled down. :(
I prefer my cookies moist at all times with that homemade taste. Recently (within the past 4 years) we have started to use a new recipe because it requires less ingredients, has a better taste, and they stay soft! The recipe is originally to make them HUGE, which you can do, or follow other instructions to have smaller cookies.



Ginormous Good Cookies
2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter - melted!
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1 TBSP Vanilla
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 Cup Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Sift flour, baking soda, salt together - set aside
3. In bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar until well blended. Beat in vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.
4. Mix in sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in Chocolate chips by hand with spoon.
5. 1.4 cup size balls on sheet - 3in. apart. Bake 15-17 minutes.

*For smaller cookies bake for 10-12 minutes. Alter temperature and time according to location/climate.
**Recipe specifications work well in Florida

Florida is heating up now, temperatures getting up into the 90's! And only a few months away from taking a Baking and Pastry program at a local school, Continue to follow if you are interested in more awesome entries because it is only going to get better :)

Heads Up!

So! I talked with the admissions officer and decided that I will indeed attend Le Cordon Bleu :) Be prepared to read more about recipes, cooking tips, etc. and I will keep up with some more etsy seller items and other fun activities and ideas. There are a few months now until the program starts for me, so I will definitely keep up with some other things until then.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nowcreations
Here is a very nice candle holder from nowcreations on etsy. I really do like this, you can put those candles in there for a nice presentation instead of what I usually do and I know others do as well - put the candle on a glass plate :). You can use this for any occasion, it's simple and nice, look at their shop for other types of candle holders and other wood crafts.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lunaessence
Some very lovely earings!Teal is one of my favorite colors too so I like them even more. It is hard to find the right jewelry on etsy because so many people sell earrings, bracelets, etc. but here is a seller with some nice pieces that you should check out. These earrings would be a great gift to yourself or for someone else for a birthday or other holiday gift :).

There are SO many great things out there! I am glad to be able to do some features again, and I will try to find more specifics in the future according to what I want to blog about. Such as Bridal Showers - I have a bridal shower to go to tonight and another one that I am holding for a friend next week, so that is one thing I would blog about and include recipes of food I made, ideas for decorations, gifts, etc. And include etsy sellers if possible. So there is just a heads-up of what might come in the future for you readers.

FEADBACK! I greatly appreciate feedback, so feel free to tell me what you think of items, anything I blog about, and also let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see here on this blog.

Changes Coming

Hi all! So, there are going to be some big renovations yet again! I keep changing what I want to do, and what will work best, so it will be a few months before this place is up and running again smoothly. I have a meeting with a cook school admissions officer, so after that I will know for sure whats going on, and if I end up attending the school then this blog will be filled with food! I will post recipes, tips, and stories about the cooking and things of that matter.

So bear with me! I will figure it out soon. :)
Other than that, I will be in Utah for a week, yay! Going out to see the snow, try snowboarding, see my sister, and meet my boyfriends family. So I wont be able to make the changes for two weeks from now.

Cheers to everyone, I hope I can find a topic that works well.

Chili Cook-Off!

One of the funnest and most tasty activities that can be done is a Chili Cook-Off.
My friends and I as well as their friends and others gathered together on a Saturday evening before it got dark and played some outside competitive games. we split up into teams and did a relay race. the first leg of the race was the wheel-barrow, which I did with a teammate - she held my feet up in the air while I had to walk on my hands as fast as I could go.
*TIP: Do this in the grass or make sure that everyone is wearing gloves to protect their hands from the pavement.
We did really great in the beginning but my arms gave out twice! Also, the skin blistered and peeled off my palms because we were doing it on pavement (reason to wear gloves or do game in the grass).
The next part was a hopscotch, then a sack race, and a nail race (who could pound a nail into a piece of wood all the way the fastest), and lastly the three leg race.
It was a ton of fun even if a little bit painful. After we were all tired we went inside to eat. each person has brought a food item. Chili was brought by those who wanted it to be judged, and the other foods were rice, corn bread, pumpkin pie, cookies, etc. the food was great, and some boardgames were played at each table as well.
This sort of activity can be done anywhere - we chose the Church building because it was primarily a branch activity, but a house is good to save on money instead of going to a park. everyone contributes in some way or another, and some people also carpool to the activity from lack of transportation. because of pioneer day, this particular one was chosen to the the "chili cook-off", but a different theme and layout of activities can be chosen to do.

Awesome Miscellaneous Items

Feel free to share the love and leave a comment!

www.chep.etsy.com







www.joannasphotography.etsy.com























www.imaginationkids.etsy.com





www.handjstarcrreations.etsy.com














www.magnolysdesigns.etsy.com












www.elmstreetstudios.etsy.com













www.bathbuddies.etsy.com











www.lolos.etsy.com














www.comfuzzled.etsy.com
Sells vintage and glassware items








www.ourrootsandwings.etsy.com











www.tattietats.etsy.com













www.matthewronan.etsy.com

Movie Night

Nowadays things have become increasingly expensive, which means that having a good time out with friends for Young Adults has also become difficult in many ways. Many of us are going to school, in debt from school, jobless, starting a family, and numerous other things. It is sometimes a strain to come up with activities to do together that are cost efficient and also enjoyable.

My aim is to bring up things that I have done, or heard of others doing that are fun, cheap, and great to give a try with your own friends and/or family.

Movie night!
Recently for a Young Adult activity, the local church group got together to watch some movies. We didn't go to the movie theatre, which would have been about $10 per person plus more for snacks and gas for the trip there and home. Instead, we all gathered at the church in one of the larger classrooms and set up the proector that someone had. we got movies that anyone already owned so that no money would be spent to rent one. Couches from throughout the building were brought into the room and arranged around the screen, blankets and pillows were also carried in with each person.

Pizza can be a great addition to the scene! It is amazingly easy for each person to chip in $3-5 and for someone to pick up a ton o pizza's. Perhaps a few others can bring popcorn or soda's. Everyone contributes in some small way, and carpooling is done as well! Instead of spending $15 that night, each person spends about $5!

Because we are all adults, and mostly single, at this function and others we try to keep things clean and simple. Dress is appropriate, and the movie provided is also appropriate to the surrounding. This night we chose to watch "Holes", which is a GREAT choice! It doesn't have anything that makes anyone uncomfortable, and is very entertaining to watch as well. Though we are all over the age of 18, everyone enjoyed the movie.

Of course, this kind of activity can be done absolutely anywhere! I have personally watched movies similar to this at the beach, the side of someones house, in a living room, and it can be done a number of other places. You choose for yourself the specifics, but the idea is a superb one for a fun and laid back Friday or Saturday night where you all can watch a good Flick, and interact with one another.

Thinking of the Revamp

The blog as sort of slowed up and stalled recently. I really do like to do features on etsy artists, and also post tips and things as well, but I'm having a hard time staying interested myself! So I have been thinking about rethinking what I blog about. Something closer to my own life and what I do but that still intruduces other ideas would be good.

So, heads up! You may see some different things here, but I will include all the same old things but will just add more to keep my posts alive and interesting. I am more than happy to hear any suggestions of things that you would like to hear about, or questions that you would like answered.

My highest and best option is to blog for the 20 and 30 year olds. Activities that are good for a group of friends, a family, dating couples, recipes, places that are a MUST to visit, etc. Let me know what you think and I will give it a shot. If it doesn't work I will just switch it around to a slightly different angle until I find something that everyone likes.

Thanks for your time, and support and watch of my blog. I hope this works out well!

Uses for Peroxide

I got an e-mail that my mother sent and it was about the many uses for peroxide that I thought were very useful or interesting. Take a look! There is probably something that you will give a try yourself.

"1. Take one capful and hold in your mouth for ten minutes daily, then spit it out (I do it when I bathe). No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.. (good one!)

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the coun ters. (Wouldn't it be nice if restaurants would do this?)

4. After rinsing your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue. (really good one!)

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drasti c change. (hmmm!)

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections..

12. Add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary. (I'll try it!)

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this."

Alinahayes

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5281677


You are in for a treat today! Alinahayes makes her own wheel thrown and handmade pottery from porcelain and stoneware. "It is highly durable as it withstands temperature over 2260 degrees F in the kiln." Each of her pieces are food-safe, unless said otherwise in the etsy listing. They are also microwave/oven/dishwasher safe.

Alinahayes has been making pottery for the last four years! And her favorite material to work with is porcelain - " I love the buttery feel of porcelain, so that would have to be my favorite. It's a bit more tricky to throw and shrinks between 15-18%, but it is well worth it."



I love Alinahayes work. Each one is unique and different than the last, and the colors and shapes are great to look at - which makes it extremely difficult to chose which ones you like best. From the wide assortment of items she has listed on etsy, I doubt that you would less than five or six favorite items that you secretly wish to buy, I know that I do.

Some of the specific items that she makes are: tea set items, Robin eggs, Kitchen items (including mugs with words on them), lidded jars (some look like mushrooms), bowls and dishes, vases and vessels, ceramic jewelry (like the earings in this picture), and beautiful porcelain pears.

Also, congratulations to Alinahayes! One of her pieces was was selected for the AMOCA (American Museum of Ceramic Art) Exhibition in August. " It is a fundraiser for the museum and all work is for sale."

If you would like to see more of her amazing work or the Exhibit you can visit her etsy shop through the link at the top of this post, or her blog: http://alinahayes.blogspot.com