Monday, January 31, 2011

Molly Mayhem

In honor of Valentine's Day and being in a complete plushie making mode, I made Molly. She is my first girl monster, Valentine's edition. Isn't she a cutie? Notice the glitter nails and cute bow! She wouldn't harm a fly :)



Of course she comes complete with a heart on her booty :)


xoxo

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Let's Talk....

about bullying. First let's set the scene...

Me in my pj's, hair in a mess, barely awake enough to move from the couch to the bed to watch my son Hayden off to school. I noticed as I was feeding my fish on Happy Aquarium one of those feelings that make you turn your head...

 I looked out the window and saw 3 boys all about 3 years older than my son grabbing each of his limbs pulling the opposite way. Yes you read correctly. One had his arm, one had the other arm and one had a leg. I glance around and notice all the snow and ice around and immediately think of the worst possible outcome of this situation. (Need I go back to winter of 09' that we like to call the Bloody massacre? I'll share that one later) Now as most moms who read this, will understand I immediately turned into a roaring lion who would have rammed itself out of my bay window... but since my husband was standing in the near vicinity I started yelling (maybe screaming) for his assistance. He then ran outside to yell (and the boys proceeded to run away) and make sure our son was ok. Hayden nodded and turned back to the bus stop because the bus was then pulling up to take the demon boys and my little angel to school (he is a soldier what can I say).

I then looked to my left (still from the couch, it's cold people and I'm half naked) and noticed there is a mom standing 10 feet away with her child who ignored this entire act of bullying..... seriously? Are we so blind we can't stick up for a child 10 feet away?

I turned my head in disgust and made a mental note of the neighbor who will not be getting my delicious baked good this year. Later when Hayden got home from school we talked to him to see what had happened. He said the boys were being mean and wouldn't let him go and were trying to throw him potato sack style.... Nice....

As irony occurs more often in my life then I would like it.. I was driving home from a tea party with my friend Valerie the same day (when I was dressed this time) and we came upon 2 boys throwing a smaller boy onto the ice. I of course, still steaming from the morning incident, put on the brakes and rolled down my window. I then demanded to know what the heck the boys thought they were doing.. Looking at me like doe in headlights, I then jumped out of my car (after I put it in park of course) and walked over to the small boy still laying on the slab of ice. I made sure he was ok and unharmed, I then made the 2 older boys (all of which came from the middle school) help the boy up and then apologize. I lectured them about bullying and told them I would be calling parents if I saw it again. The small boy was ok thankfully.

The whole situation still gets my blood boiling. I can promise you, my readers that I, as a parent will do everything in my power... every ounce of my body to make sure my children will never bully other kids.

Be an advocate for children. Please talk to them about being kind to others and help put a stop to bullying. That is all.

xoxo

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Limited Edition Badges!!!

are now in the shop!! I only made a few because I'm still in the process of getting ready for the Valentine's Craft Fair next month. Scoop them up while they are still available!



xoxo

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Exciting News!!

My friend Val gave me the best idea a few days ago and I had to share it!! Literally!! She gave me this gorgeous Kimono she bought from Japan when she lived there a few years back. I will be cutting it (very carefully) and making limited edition fawns out of it!! EEEEEK!!! They are going to be GORGEOUS!! I'll have a few listed in my shop within a few weeks. Each will be unique and very special (and very limited) since the materials are coming from Japan!


Here are some close-ups of the gorgeous fabric. It's made out of silk!


In other news... I just got in a TON of lip butter for Pixies and Bears customers who buy badges or plushies. Sandi custom labeled them for me and gave me lots of yummy flavors...


They come in:

Ooey Gooey Caramel
Coconut
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Frozen Green Tea
Coconut Milk and Peaches

I'll be throwing in 2 to each Pixies and Bears customer!! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

xoxo

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Whew!!!

I have put a huge dent into my to do list!! Since Saturday I have made.....

-3 fawn plushies
-1 fox plushie
-2 elephant plushies
-1 whale plushie

Hopefully tomorrow I can finish a bulk order of badges + 1 custom badge and start gathering materials for my Valentine's Day Line of badges. I feel so productive!!

In other good news... Kaylee and Joseph are now home!! They missed their connecting flight so they didn't arrive until 1pm today. We got home and all passed out for 6 hours! Tonight will be filled with Sloppy Joes, sweet potato fries and Inception. Sounds like a great Thursday night to me! :D

xoxo

P.S Isn't weird to have a post without a picture? ahwell....

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

February Sponsor Spots!!

ARE UP!!!!!


You can grab them here!!

xoxo

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sparkly!

My new sparkly garland is all hung up nicely!! Thanks so much Valerie!! It's gorgeous! :) Not only did she make it, but she delivered and installed it for me too :) It's hard to tell in the pics, but it's glittery. Matches the weather perfectly!


xoxo

P.S Sorry for the bad lighting, my room has 0 light.... And yes I'm aware my curtain rod is leaning, that's what happens when you have monkeys (my kids) running around your house...

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Productive = Great



I'm trying not to think of it too much, but my little nugget and hubs flew to North Carolina on Thursday. I've been keeping mad busy so I don't dwell on it much. They come back in 4 days and this will be officially the longest I've ever been away from my daughter. They are having lots of fun visiting family and I've been getting ready for the Valentine's Craft Show happening next month. I just finished my second fawn (craft dates with Val are awesome!) in 2 days and they are gorgeous!!! I will post pics of them all once I'm done.

My Checklist (&goals):

4 fawns
2 foxes
3 elephants
2 monsters
1 whale
15 badges including 8 new ones I'll be putting in the shop (limited edition!!!!)
2 journals

My goal is to get all of this done by Feb 1st so I can be extra prepared! In other news Valerie came by and hung a new and gorgeous garland in front of my living room window today! I'll be posting pics of it tomorrow :) Off to bed!

xoxo

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Triple F

That's what me and Valeria call ourselves.. It stands for Fit, Fierce and FABULOUS!! We have been recently addicted to the gym. A way to get our fit on! We started at the beginning of December and have been hooked! I even drew out a workout sheet with little stick figures mimicking the exercises.. I'll have to post it one day, it's quite funny.

I had a lot of reasons for getting back into the gym world. One being because I gained 20 pounds when Joseph was deployed.. Yes, you heard that right, 20 pounds in 6 months. Slightly embarrassing I have to admit. I guess I was stocking up for winter.

BUT.. I am happy to say I started dieting (beginning of November) and working out like crazy the past month and a half and have lost 21 pounds!! I weigh a pound less then I did when he left!! YAY!!!! *pats self on back*
 I have been missing my sweets like crazy and it does get really tough seeing all the yummy food out there. Me and Val do have celebration nights once a month where we completely pig out.. Usually 50 wings from Buffalo Wild Wings and chips and Salsa from Mi Mexico.. and maybe some Pomegranate Mike's Hard Lemonade (shhhh). I think it's important to reward yourself or it gets easy to stray.

I have to admit, it's so much easier to work out with a partner, It's great motivation and a way to push yourself. To reward myself after the first month I splurged on cute VS yoga pants and some Sketchers Shape-ups... Let's admit it, so much easier to work out when your in cute pants and pretty shoes. Oh, such a girl. (and no I do not do my make-up and hair before going to the gym...even though I have considered it recently)

yoga pants I got in mint, black and white (no this isn't me, LOL)


My pretty shoes


I guess the point of this post is to be a bit more personal and share something that I have been working on. Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far!! :)

xoxo

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sponsor Feature- Fine & Feathered


Hi there:) I'm Josie from Fine&Feathered. I'm a twenty something girl who's obsessed with fashion, photography, and just basically any and all pretty things which is what my blog is all about. When I'm not blogging I'm a visual manager for a major retailer and working on my little Etsy Shop.



I've been a fashion addict since I was young, always obsessivly pouring over the latest issues of Harpars Bazaar and Vogue. So back in college I started making jewelry and opened my Etsy shop LittleIndian. This fall I added vintage clothing to the shop as vintage has always been a love of mine. I'm in the process of putting together a photoshoot for the spring collection which is inspired by boyscouts and indians - I can't wait until it all comes together!


My biggest goal for 2011 is learning to sew clothes on my gorgeous new sewing machine that my handsome guy got me for christmas. I'm also resolving to clean the dust off my many old film cameras and take tons of photos this year as well as just plain blogging a whole lot more!


A random little fact about me is that I love feathers and feathered things! I grew up with a countless number of animals including my dearest pet goose, several cockatiels and a pair of wild birds I saved when I was quite young. I particularily love feather earrings and a lovely gold feather bracelet I got as a christmas gift!


You can follow my on my blog, Fine&Feathered, shop my Etsy, catch me lurking on pinterest and follow my quite often silly and always pointless tweets!

Thank you so much for the awesome feature Josie!! Go check out her shop and blog ladies! It's full of amazing fashion!!
xoxo

Monday, January 10, 2011

Winner!!!

Since my husband's laptop is being lame, I can't screeenshot... but the winner of Campfire Chic's Sponsor spot is.......

The Perfect Pear!!! YAY and CONGRATS!!!!!!

 Send me an e-mail at Mezmerized814@aol.com and I'll get Kam in touch with you!

I'll be back tommorow with an addiction I can't get enough of! Stay tuned!! :D

Friday, January 7, 2011

Sponsor Feature (Campfire Chic) + GIVEAWAY!!!


I'm Kam of Campfire Chic and I am a 24-year-old crafter who enjoys being outdoors. I live in Orange County, California with my Boyfriend, a few cats, and a dog. I enjoy exploring neighboring cities, the little bit of wilderness we have within driving distance, and spending an entire day reading a good book. My desk is always a mess and I am constantly making lists...hopefully that's the sign of a productive life? Either way, I'm thrilled to be on the cusp of 25 and starting another exciting year by sponsoring Pixies and Bears for my third time!


I opened my Etsy shop, Campfire Chic, over the summer and I love it! I've learned so much about being a business owner, how to maximize my crafting time, and about the wonderful blogging community! I love hearing from buyers that they read my blog or follow me on twitter, it's an amazing feeling. My shop is filled with a few different things: cross-stitch and embroidery patterns, embroidery kits, finished pieces, and notebooks! I also tend to carry some craft supplies if I'm able to get my hands on a great deal (my first sale was some great cloth ribbon!). I get excited whenever I find or create something that would be perfect for my shop.



Since this is January, I expect you're ready to hear some of my goals for 2011. Here they are:

**Reach 200 Etsy sales

**Hike Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the lower 48 states)

**Read 10 books

**Continue to support other handmade shops (like Pixies and Bears!)


Where you can find me:

Etsy Shop

Campfire Chic's Blog

Follow me on Twitter

Facebook Fan Page

 
A random fact about myself is that I'm obsessed with checking in on Foursquare! I currently hold 7 mayorships including my local post office, the gas station on the way to the post office, a campground, and one of my favorite used book stores :) Three more mayorships and I get the Super Mayor badge ;)


GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!


I'd like to give away a 100x100 sponsor spot on my blog (with all the benefits) for February to one lucky reader :)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post! Winner will be picked by Lindsay on Monday night!!

(January 6th)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

I Hate Using My Brain

Ok so the name of my post has nothing to do with what this is about, but it's something funny that was said a few weeks ago that a certain someone won't let me live down ;P

So I decided to post one of my presents from Christmas since I haven't yet. One of my absolute favorites!! My glittery TOMS are the coolest ever!! just sayin'...

And YES I am outside (ok only halfway, the rest of my body was inside..oh what I'll do for cute pics...).


xoxo

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

A Little Reflection

After seeing some goal reflection posts it made me curious to see how well I did in 2010. I was kinda surprised to see I finished most of my goals *cheers*. I have to confess I totally forgot what most of my goals were so I came out pretty lucky. Keep in mind all of my goals were craft-based :) Everything in bold I completed!!

**Learn how to sew


**Learn how to embroider


**Make a quilt (2011 list possibly?)

**Learn to crochet


**Put my craft room together, as in paint it, get a table, organize obsessively and hang some inspirational work up (I rearranged and put together my craft room about 5 different times this year)


(this pic is old, I don't have those prints above the cubby anymore, I have a fantastic painting my friend Amy made me!!)


**Learn how to make adorable felt foods for my daughters kitchen (this is going to go on my 2011 list)

**Learn how to finger-knit


**Make something original, something no one has thought of yet. I am going to say my badges are pretty original, I hadn't seen anything like it until recently...


**Have every card and gift that I give next year be handmade (I 75% did this, so I'm going to count it!)


**Paint something on canvas



I'll be back soon with my 2011 goals :)

If you have any reflection posts I'd love to see them! Feel free to link them in the comments!! :)

xoxo

Monday, January 3, 2011

Sponsor Feature- Curious Pug



My name is Alycia and I live in California with my husband and pug. I work as an xray tech at a nearby hospital and I love to work with felt, embroidery, and I just started learning how to crochet :) I also like to play in Photoshop and on my blog thecuriouspug.com


My shop is currently empty and in the process of being restocked, but I sell my little felt creations. I make ipod cases, brooches and pin cushions. I opened my shop in November 2009 as a way to keep busy while I was looking for an xray job. 10 months later I finally found one (part time) and closed my shop since I couldn't make it to the post office. But now I can ship from home since I bought a little postal scale.


My main goal for 2011 is to find a full time job, which are hard to come by. But I made a list, "30 before 30" of things I'd like to accomplish before I turn 30 here


 
 

Random fact:
I can pick just about anything up off the floor with my toes haha.


Everyone go check out her cute blog!! I've been a long time reader and love all the cute DIY's and felt plushies she makes. The poptart Ipod cozy is my favorite!! Thanks Alycia!!

xoxo