Congrats Moonstonemama! Go With The Flo Giveaway Winner

We don't seem to have contact information in your comments so please contact us here with an email addy or on Facebook so we know how to contact you and get you your prize. Thank you so much!

Back to school fun

Summer is coming to an end, children are starting school. Are you going to pack up those ice cream sandwich molds you said you'd use "all the time"? Don't pack them up yet! Use them to make some fun treats for your kids. Mold rice crispy treats, rice into fun onigiri shapes or use them to mold hard boiled eggs! The process is very simple and it's fast, I like to make a few at a time and keep them in the fridge for quick lunch packing or snacks.







Boil eggs until hard boiled. Peel off shell while hot, place hot egg into the mold.






If using an actual egg mold just close it up, for the ice cream sandwich molds hold the mold together with rubber bands. *I wet the molds before putting the eggs in.*







Place in an water and ice bath for 10 minutes. Remove from molds. I find that it is harder to remove the eggs if I am using the ice cream sandwich molds due to the details on the faces and star. So try to do this carefully.





*this was first posted at Give Peas A Chance*

Wordless Wednesday: Moo


submitted by Holden's Landing

Nutella, banana and raspberry crepes

*Originally posted on GPAC*
I made these for lunch today, I know they look more like dessert but oh well they were so GOOD!
These are really easy to make, you don't need a special crepe machine or anything, I have a little crepe batter spreader, not needed, it's the first time I ever used one and I have made crepes a lot and these weren't any better or worse because of the spreader.






I used my Le Creuset skillet, it's the only non-stick coated pan I have, everything else is stainless steel, which works also, if you season it correctly first.






For the batter beat until well mixed-
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
fresh grated nutmeg

Have butter on hand to lightly grease your skillet if needed between crepes. Preheat your skillet on medium low heat. I can't tell you exactly how hot, you just have to experiment. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the skillet, pock up pan and turn it around to spread the batter into a thin layer. Or use your crepe batter doo-hickey.



You can either just cook the one side of the crepe or you can flip it and cook the other side.
They should be lightly browned.
Remove crepe onto a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining batter, no need to put a paper towel between each crepe.




You can fill these crepes with any sweet filling you like, for a savory crepe just omit the nutmeg, and vanilla.
Mine were filled with Nutella and slices of banana. I topped them with fresh whipped cream, banana slice, raspberry, chopped hazelnuts, syrup and some melted Nutella.

Meet Featured Artisan Anna of Go With The Flo!

About Go With The Flo
Since 2005, Go With The Flo Pads has been revolutionizing womens' menstrual times. The women behind Go With The Flo believe our menstrual cycle is a time of renewal and regeneration. Our reusable cloth menstrual pads provide discreet and reliable comfort; the best choice for women who care about themselves and the earth.   

What got you into sewing? 
I've sewed since I was a kid, but I began sewing seriously over 8 years ago when my first child was born. She needed some diapers that didn't leak like the disposables we were using, and I taught myself pattern drafting, designing, sewing and serging. 


What was the first item you ever made?
I made clothing and accessories for my Barbie dolls.   


Do you have a favorite product to make?
That would easily be Go With The Flo cloth pads. I've made so many hundreds of pads since taking over the business from the creator, Robin, I can practically do them in my sleep. The variety of beautiful colors breaks the monotony of sewing through a huge stack, too. Even more specifically, I have a favorite pad to make. Perhaps because it's a new design, or because it's constructed a bit differently than all the others...The Go With The Flo Shaped Series is a change up in the normal pad routine. I'm pretty excited about making this design available next month!  


Where do you find your greatest inspiration/motivation?
Most often, my motivation to sew every night comes from the reality that my family needs the extra income. I try to keep it fun, though. I research color trends and listen to different styles of music while dying fabric to get inspired with new color combinations. 




How to you balance work and family? 

Mom and teacher by day, professional business woman by night. lol! I've learned work and family need to stay separate or one of the two suffers. So, I keep fairly strict bedtimes, school hours and naptimes to keep everyone happy and healthy.  

What led you to become a WAHM?
I had a product that others wanted to buy! At first it was just a hobby business, but as I learned more about running a successful business, my company evolved into the serious venture it is today.




Onto the giveaway details!

Anna is giving away 2 pads:
1 10" Shaped Maxi
1 8" Shaped Maxi 



To enter, post a comment to this blog post to say the reason you switched to cloth pads or why you would like to switch to cloth pads to be entered in our giveaway (required).

For additional entries:
* Visit Go With The Flo and post your favorite item as a comment on this post
* Follow the team blog and leave a separate comment telling us you are a follower
* Fan the team on Facebook and leave a separate comment telling us you did so 

Please make sure to leave each comment in a separate post, and be sure to give us a way to get in touch with you in case you win! Winner will be picked using random.org on Monday, August 30th.

*** CONGRATS  MOONSTONEMAMA! random.org pulled up the number 2. ***

Summer Giveaway - Happy Birthday!

It's summer time and lots of us here at the Etsy HC Team have family members with summer birthdays.  To celebrate, our summer promo has a birthday theme.


From Gillyweeds: Set of two adorable cards: a birthday card and a thank you card (retail value $6)

From Lilikoi Lane: Set of two sweet little hedgie pony tail holders (retail value $4)


How to enter:
Mandatory entry:  Search "team hyena" on etsy and leave a comment with your favorite item

Additional entries:
* Follow the blog and leave a comment saying you are a follower
* Fan the team on facebook and leave a comment saying you did so
* Tweet, blog about or post on facebook about the giveaway and leave us a comment saying you did so

Winner will be chosen using random.org on Friday, August 27th.  Giveaway is open worldwide.

CONGRATS to our winner - comment #4 - Jaime P!

TGIF!

Three of my favorites from the Etsy HC Street team...for sale now!


All for sale now on Etsy!


Organic Merino wool interlock diaper cover, Baseball Bear by ThePamperedTush




Crouching Tiger, Sleeping Baby newborn set by Holden's Landing





Elephant applique infant shirt by Zany Zebra Designs

Congrats Shairbearg! AZ Giveaway Winner

You've won the skein of naturally-dyed yarn from Alfabette Zoope! I will be contacting you shortly to get your shipping address. Thank you for everyone's lovely comments

Kiss Me Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe was first posted on Give Peas a Chance.  These are chewy soft yummies. I had a ton of chips I needed to use up so I made these. When a few cooled I took them on a plate to Pixie girl- she took one, walked away took a bite and came back towards me, I told DH, "yup she wants one in each hand..." NOPE. She came over, put her arms around me and kissed me... then took the other cookie. I love that little baby.

2 sticks melted butter
1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c brown sugar (lightly packed)
2Tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 Tbs sour cream

Sift-
2 1/4c bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt- I used kosher last night

1 cup oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional) 

Cream sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add remaining wet ingredients. Beat well. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in oats, chocolate and nuts.
Chill dough thoroughly. I left this dough overnight in the fridge. I used a small cookie scoop for these cookies. I baked them on stoneware. Which took longer, than my standard parchment lined jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes depending on your oven.

You can also scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet, flash freeze the dough balls and put them in a Zip top bag and bake a few at a time.
 OR roll the dough into logs and wrap in plastic wrap and slice and bake them also.

Fun Friday

Some parenting quotes to make you smile today...

The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention
is to sit down and look comfortable.~ Lane Olinhouse



Children are a great comfort in your old age ...
and they help you reach it faster, too. ~ Lionel Kauffman


If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he
needs the companionship of at least one adult who can
share it, rediscovering with him the mystery of the world
we live in. ~ Rachel Carson

Children seldom misquote you. They usually repeat
word-for-word what you should not have said.

Meet Featured Artisan Lori of Alfabette Zoope

I'm Lori, founder of and girl with the frequently dye-stained hands behind Alfabette Zoope. AZ has served as a wonderful place and way to recapture and rekindle my love for doing crafty things that had gotten lost in the shuffle of work, kids, houses, and all that good (but not always creative) stuff. I have two children who keep me hopping—a 6 year old boy and 4 year old girl, and a very understanding hubby (I deal with his beer-brewing smells coming up from the basement, he deals with my yarn-dyeing smells wafting out of the kitchen). I specialize in creating batiked and handdyed clothing and fabric as well as handdyed yarns and have been selling my creations online since 2006. 
Jasper & Millie, July 2010


What is your favorite aspect of your business? 
There's nothing quite so cool as seeing pictures that customers send in of their children wearing something I made and/or dyed. 
"On Fire" Shirt


Where do you find artistic inspiration for your products?
A lot of my inspiration comes from what my own kiddos are into at any given time, or their friends. Also I do a lot of thinking back to what things and colors I liked as a child. I also love working with themes, because they often get me thinking outside of my usual box and that always spurs some new designs or color ideas. 



What is your purpose behind your creations? (ie. your business philosophy)
My philosophy is really pretty simple -- make cute, beautiful or fun stuff that I am proud to sell and hopefully others are proud to buy and wear or have their children wear. And if it's not feeding my soul or making someone smile, it's time to take a step back and figure out how to make it work better.

"Four Seasons" Scrappy Yarn Set

How long does the average shirt take to make from start/finish? 
This varies greatly from design to design and also depends on the dye technique being used, but the process includes drawing, waxing, soaking, dyeing, boiling, washing, and drying before a shirt is done and is often done over a few days. From start to finish I'd say the average shirt involves around an hour of active work (drawing, waxing, stirring dye) plus several hours of additional time when I can be doing other things in parallel (soaking, boiling, washing, drying).

Do you have a favorite design?
I love my Heartfeet design, which was originally inspired by a beach-themed stocking (the original shirt was sand-colored like footprints in the sand) and is now my most-requested design. I also love some of the multicolor designs like the rainbow, mosaic turtle, kawaii kitty and fire designs... but they are very time-intensive and persnickety, so as much as I love them, I only offer them on occasion. 



"Heartfeet" Shirt
What is your favorite yarn colorway?
Frolic was my favorite colorway to create. I first dyed it for a yarn for knitting swap and really did let myself play with color with no boundaries to see what would happen. It was a huge bonus that I adored the results when it was worked up into shorties for my daughter. 
"Frolic" Colorway and "Flower Kamon" Shirt

Alfabette Zoope Giveaway: Yaaaaaaaarn!
This is a superwash skein of Merino/Nylon blend fingering-weight yarn (approximately 3.5 oz / 424 yds) that has been naturally-dyed with plants found around my yard and a food-safe mordant. This skein has been space-dyed, with subtle transitions of color from soft tan to natural. This yarn would be perfect for a pair of socks or a shawl (or check out ravelry.com for more pattern ideas).



To enter, go to Alfabette Zoope and comment here about your favorite item. 

Additional entries:
* Follow the team blog and leave a separate comment telling us you are a follower
* Fan the team on facebook and leave a separate comment telling us you did so


Please make sure to leave each comment in a separate post, and be sure to give us a way to get in touch with you in case you win! Winner will be picked using random.org on Wednesday, August 11th  - good luck! 

Aug 11: CONGRATS Shairbearg for winning the Giveaway with comment #5!