Etsy HC Street Team

Theme Thursday: Peace, Love & Flowers

2011-03-31T07:59:00.002-05:00

Peace Love & Flowers Girls Size 4 Peasant Dress from SEWsational Sarah

Tulip OBV Pants Set from Holden's Landing

Lime Floral Reuseable Trash Bag from My Beautiful Girl

April Showers Bring May Flowers Curriculum Unit from Earth*School @ K&F Shops

Lucky Day Women's Size 4 Dundies from Zany Zebra Designs

Wool Hibiscus from Fair Trade Family

Tigerlilly Superwash Merino from Alfabette Zoope

Springy OBV Cloth Diaper from Holden's Landing

Theme Thursday

2011-03-24T14:36:00.006-05:00

It's Springtime! Check out some of our team's lovely springy items available in their shops right now.

Spring Daisy Size 5 Girls Short Sleeve Nightgown from SEWsational Sarah

Peace Love & Flowers Girls Size 4 Peasant Dress from SEWsational Sarah

To check out more items from our team, visit us on etsy!

Featured Artisan Friday ~ SEWsational Sarah

2011-03-18T06:01:00.002-05:00

I'm Sarah, the WAHM behind SEWsational Sarah. I live in Northern New York State with my husband John and our 4 year old daughter Faith.

I've always sewn, well almost always. I started at about age 8. I've always liked sewing, but after my daughter was born, sewing became a passion. First, i started sewing her cloth diapers. That evolved into cute matching shirts and outfits. And from there it has blossomed into a small work at home mom business.

I don't enjoy "cookie cutter" sewing, so very rarely will you see me create the same look twice. Each item i make is a unique creation. I enjoy mixing and matching prints, colors and designs to make exciting one of a kind clothing.

But SEWsational Sarah is so much more than clothing. I also make handbags and carriers of all sorts. I enjoy sewing housewares and quilts. The variety of items I offer reflects my personality and my ever evolving creative nature.

Just a couple of my favorite shots of my princess modeling her mama made clothing. Nothing keeps me going more than her pleasure in sporting something I have created for her.

Question & Answer from my fellow teammates -

How long have you been sewing? I started at age 8.

What was the first item you ever sewed? A skirt to earn a badge in Girl Scouts. It was a sailboat print woven fabric, and i was so proud of myself. Wish now i had saved it.

What is your favorite thing to make? By far baby clothing. I just love itty bitty babies and making sweet little clothing is so fun.

What's your biggest business challenge? Wanting to keep items for myself is my biggest challenge, i create items that inspire me, color combinations i like, I tend to gravitate towards fabrics that are my taste/style, so when items are complete i sometimes struggle to let go.

What inspires you to create and keeps you going? Definately my inspiration is my daughter Faith. She loves handmade clothing, toys and other items and her enthusiasm over her mama made items is always a huge boost to my moral.

Think Spring: Down on the Farm

2011-03-17T08:01:00.000-05:00

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. Here in Connecticut, the maple sap is running like crazy! Time to take a trip to the farm with the team!

Clover the Cow Custom Cloth Nappy from Holden's Landing

Half a dozen cotton eggs from Fair Trade Family

Down on the Farm Curriculum Unit from Earth*School

Garden Gnome Bageez from My Beautiful Girl

Clover the Scraprabbit from Beneath the Rowan Tree

Froggy Appliqued Infant Tee from Zany Zebra

Plant Dyed light Worsted Weight Wool Yarn from Alfabette Zoope

Gnomes One of A Kind Tee from Lilikoi Lane

Pinky the Piggy Custom Nappy from Holden's Landing

Artisan Tuesday - Tip from SEWsational Sarah

2011-03-15T14:53:00.003-05:00

Love fancy boutique dresses?

Hate ironing?

I have a spritz bottle of water (i use distilled water so it doesn't get yucky) near my dryer. I spritz the dress down with water and toss in the dryer on low heat/no heat for 10-15 minutes. Pull it out and put on right away or hang up.

It will be wrinkle free and the bonus to my daughter is that it's warm.

Theme Thursday - Think Spring

2011-03-10T05:07:00.002-06:00

Here in northern NY it's 34 degrees, windy and rainy today. Hoping this rain will get rid of the massive amount of snow that's been hanging on.
Let's take a moment and think about green grass, fresh dirt, gorgeous colorful flowers and all those things that make us think "spring!"

Chocolate Lollipop Hair Pins from SEWsationalSarah

How Does Your Garden Grow? from Holden's Landing

,

Peter Rabbit Ran and Ran from Holden's Landing

Hop To It from Holden's Landing

Floral Print A-Line Skirt from SEWsationalSarah

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T05:51:00.000-06:00

Oooh Baby

2011-03-08T07:45:00.000-06:00

A new treasury featuring many of our team members.

'Ohhhh Baby' by wordgirl

A collection of lovely baby and toddler-friendly items from the Etsy HC Street Team.

Free Ship- Custom Embellishe... ZanyZebraDesig... $10.00	Small Filligree Butterfly AI... ZimsyWhimsy $39.00	Nebula Bamboo Velour Mei Tai SweetSlings $78.00
Hang 10, 12x15 Zippered Wetb... MyBeautifulGir... $16.00	Organic Bamboo Velour Newbor... MyBeautifulGir... $5.25	Milky Way Fragrance-Free Goa... RelicSoapCompa... $6.00
Hearts & Teddy Bear Embellis... SEWsationalSar... $10.00	Fawning Over You - M/L OBV F... HoldensLanding $41.00	Crouching Tiger, Sleeping Ba... HoldensLanding $50.00
Organic Merino Wool Interloc... ThePamperedTus... $33.50	Free Ship - Applique Infant ... ZanyZebraDesig... $18.00	Nursery Circles in Blue XXL ... SweetSlings $32.00
Wool Interlock Pants Bublegu... ThePamperedTus... $36.00	Custom Slot for up to 12 Fle... pinklemonadesh... $10.00	Brown Bear Brown Bear What D... LilikoiLane $16.00
March Break Sale 2 Pairs of ... rcdboutique $5.40

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Manic Monday - Discount Codes

2011-03-07T07:14:00.000-06:00

Use coupon code HYENATEAM15 for 15% off your order at SEWSational Sarah (etsy shop only) in March.

20% off anything at Gillyweeds - coupon code FB20off

Theme Thursday: Think Spring!

2011-03-03T07:47:00.000-06:00

It is 11 degrees this morning here in Connecticut. Brr!!! Maybe if we all "think spring" hard enough, it will warm up! Here are some cute spring-inspired from the team items to get you going:

HeartWood Medium BedBug Plus Cloth Diaper from Holden's Landing

Thermal Flowers Knit nightgown - Size 5 from SEWSational Sarah

Happy Bunny Small BedBug Cloth Diaper from Holden's Landing

Conversation Hearts on Mambo Fine Merino from Big Bad Voodoo Mama

Spring Rainbow Medium BedBug Plus from Holden's Landing

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T07:40:00.006-06:00

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Sick Day treasury on Etsy by Gillyweeds

2011-03-01T14:33:00.000-06:00

'Sick Day...' by Gillyweeds

Last week, some of my children were sick, and I was bored...this is what I do when I'm bored. I browse treasuries on Etsy! Here's the one I curated that day...

What to do, what to do when someone around here is sick...

Pattern - Rainy Day Act... harvestmoonbyh... $12.00	sick day doodleandhoob $20.00	Honey & Ginger Hard Lol... Sweetcrescendo... $9.50
Peppermint, doTERRA Dro... doTdo $7.75	Cold n' Flu Chest a... BohemianBeetni... $6.99	FREE SHIPPING--Mini Fel... ohhowcharming $5.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Monday Mania - Team Sales & Specials

2011-02-28T07:59:00.000-06:00

Use coupon code FBFAN15 for 15% off your order at SEWSational Sarah - through midnight tonight

20% off anything at Gillyweeds - coupon code FB20off

Last day for 10% off instock items at Holden's Landing - use coupon code RAINYDAY

Theme Thursday: Winter Blues

2011-02-24T08:17:00.000-06:00

Beat the winter blues with these items from the team!

from Holden's Landing

from SEWSational Sarah

from Holden's Landing

from SEWSational Sarah

from Holden's Landing

from SEWSational Sarah

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T06:52:00.000-06:00

Flowers for Spring...

2011-02-22T09:06:00.000-06:00

For my birthday this year, I got the book, 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet, and I am totally enamored with all the beautiful flowers and leaves inside! I can't wait for Spring!

Here is a sampling of some of the fun flowers I've been playing around with. I can see so many color possibilities...the sky's the limit! I'm so excited...can you tell?

Some of these may be coming soon to an Etsy shop near you!

Contributed by Shannon of Gillyweeds

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T09:56:00.000-06:00

Friday Funny

2010-12-17T01:52:00.001-06:00

They aren't hurt!!

Thursday Things... Last Minute Gifts from the Team!

2010-12-16T13:02:00.001-06:00

Wool Play Food-- Mexican Food Set -- Tacos, Bean Burrito, Salsa, Guacamole and Scallion Sour Cream from Fair Trade Family

Route 66 Travel Tote Bag - Durable Market Bag from SEWsational Sarah

Airplane Applique Infant Shirt from Zany Zebra Designs

Spring Mint boxy bag by Sweet Slings

Sandalwood Vanilla Artisan Soap by Relic Soap Co.

And don't forget to check out plenty of other great goods by searching for "team hyena" on etsy!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

Submitted by Shannon of Gillyweeds

Easy Cherry Cheesecake Bombs

2010-12-14T00:51:00.000-06:00

I saw this posted on a forum I go to, no recipe just a picture that sparked a major drool fest, thanks Ginny! I decided to use a vanilla bean cheesecake base. The thing is with DH so busy studying so much I wasn't about to get my cheesecake. You see, I don't make cheesecake, maybe once in a blue moon, if even. It's not that I can't, it's just that DH can, and he does, very well. SO, I choose to say "I can't". I seriously debated whether or not I should make this filling. Why ruin an 8 year streak right? But I wanted these Cheesecake Bombs, so there you go. The cheesecake filling recipe I used is below. I had some trouble with the chocolate, due to my laziness I didn't want to temper any chocolate. In the end i should have just got out good chocolate and tempered it because I ruined the first batch of store bought chocolate I melted in the microwave because I added cream and it seized on me. The second batch was so dry and tough I stirred in some ghee to smooth it out, that made it perfect, but still. (And any excuse to use ghee right?) I wanted to avoid shortening, because I didn't want to have to go to the store and we don't use shortening.

What you need
Maraschino cherries with stems
Vanilla bean cheesecake filling completely cooled- recipe follows
Graham cracker crumbs
Chocolate to coat
2-3 teaspoons Ghee if you're not using a chocolate that will be tempered

Drain the cherries on a paper towel and dry them as much as you can.

Take a scoop of cheesecake filling and mold it around the cherry.

I used gloves, I can't tell you how much I love my disposable gloves- they make everything so easy, peeling chilies, rolling meatballs and matzo balls. Anyway.
Now you can coat them in the graham cracker crumbs ( I decided to only do a few because I didn't want my chocolate being contaminated by crumbs) Freeze these until firm.

Melt the chocolate and stir in the ghee so it's smooth and dip the cheesecake bombs in it. Place on a rack or wax paper to set. I placed some of them on top of graham cracker crumbs to set.

Vanilla bean cheesecake filling

(this made enough for the cherry cheesecake bombs and Buttermilk Cherry Cheesecake ice cream. OK we ate some also.)

3 packages of cream cheese (softened and NOT fat free)

1/2 cup sugar (I used Vanilla Bean Specialty Sugar)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a stand mixer. Or use a hand mixer.

Add sugar, vanilla, flour and extract. Beat well.

Beat in sour cream. (that's not dirty sour cream I had some vanilla extract get into the measuring cup)

Beat the eggs in one at a time.
Pour into a pie plate and bake at 325 for about 40 minutes. I baked it a little over to make sure it was firm enough for the ice cream and bombs.

See how ugly it is? That's because it doesn't matter if it's pretty, no need for a water bath, slowly cooling it or anything to keep the top from cracking for this project.

Posted originally at GPAC.

Funny Friday

2010-12-10T06:30:00.004-06:00

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T02:56:00.000-06:00

Sweet Potato Casserole

2010-12-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

OK I know Thanksgiving is over but I had like five sweet potatoes on my counter waiting to grow and take root. I had this on Thanksgiving and I loved it. I did leave my potatoes cubed instead of mashed and cut the sugar way down. But it's so yummy.
I didn't really measure, but here are approximate measurements.
5 sweet potatoes peeled, cubed, boiled until tender and drained
1/3 cup evaporated cane juice - if even that much...
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
ground cinnamon
ground ginger
fresh grated nutmeg
1 cup evaporated milk

Topping stir together-
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons flour

Beat all ingredients fur potatoes in a bowl, except the potatoes. Stir in the potatoes, trying to keep them as whole as possible. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Top with mixed topping ingredients. Bake for 30-35 minutes, cover with foil if your nuts are getting too dark.
Submitted by Love Abounds, originally posted at GPAC.

December Giveaway: Happy Holidays!

2010-12-07T08:45:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays from the Etsy HC Team! what is your favorite holiday tradition? Tell us for a chance to win our December giveaway!

From Earth*School: Winter Holidays Around the World curriculum unit, print

From Boutique Linnea: 3 cold processed hand made soaps, one of each of the following scents: candy, neroli honey and hot date. You can read more about Linnea Bare soaps here

From Zimsy Whimsy: the most adorable small AIO, featuring a Star of David embroidery. You can read about ZW's AIOs here (and find specifics about this AIO as well!)

From SEWSational Sarah: 2 gingerbread gift bags

From Sweet Slings: Fill this boxy bag with goodies for a teacher or secret Santa or stuff a stocking quickly! This bag measures 4" tall, 5" wide and 9" long. It features a zippered closure, handle and coordinating inner lining. Our bags are reinforced with lightweight woven interfacing for shape.

From Holden's Landing: a mini stocking, made from cute reindeer flannel, measuring just over 12" from cuff to toe

Total retail value: over $100

To Enter:
* Leave us a comment telling us your favorite holiday tradition. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Nicholas Day, Santa Lucia Day ... anything!

Additional entries:
* Search "team hyena" on etsy and leave a comment with your favorite item
* Blog about, post on facebook about or tweet the giveaway and leave a link in the comments
* Fan the team on facebook and leave a comment saying you did
* Follow the team blog and leave a comment saying you're a follower

Giveaway is open worldwide and a winner will be chosen using random.org on Friday morning, December 10th. Good luck!

Congrats to comment #83!

Funny Friday! A noise/distraction eradicator!!!

2010-12-03T06:43:00.001-06:00

Keeps out the distractions!

Just in case you get chilly while you are working at your computer...keeps your hands and head warm, too!

Submitted by Shannon of Gillyweeds

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T00:25:00.003-06:00

My two year old got a hold of my "handle with care" stamp. Stamped her whole body. Great reminder

Phyllo Cigars

2010-11-30T00:25:00.000-06:00

See that ooey gooey goodness up there? That my friends is a delicious, crispy, ooey gooey, BAKED mozzarella stick. Yes, I said crispy, delicious, mozzarella, and baked all in the same sentence. The secret? Phyllo dough! So easy and simple! No need to fry these babies. I first saw these done like this here. Today I wrapped mozzarella cheese sticks and nutella in the phyllo- separately of course! The possibilities are endless though- mini marshmallows and chocolate, minced lamb with potatoes and onions, chicken, pepperoni and cheese, vegetables, crisp pancetta and cheese, asparagus and prosciutto, cinnamon walnut baklava filling, chicken curry, honey and ricotta with orange zest, pate, mini beef wellingtons for appetizers... really whatever you like. For these, cooked fillings that are a little dry are best. This is a method really. Have fun with it! (First posted at GPAC)

A couple of things you want to remember

- keep the phyllo dough covered, I take out a few sheets at a time then roll it back up in the plastic and cover that with a damp towel

- phyllo dough rips easily

- even though it rips easy, it's forgiving, an extra layer to cover up a mistake and prevent oozing of filling is not going to hurt anything

- olive oil or butter in a spray bottle or bowl and pastry brush is your friend

-cooked fillings work best for this method since you're just crisping the phyllo and heating the filling

- phyllo browns quickly at 475 degrees, watch it!

For the Mozzarella sticks

What you need-
Phyllo dough sheets- thawed
String cheese
Olive oil- garlic infused would be awesome

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Unwrap string cheese and cut each one in half. (Or as DH says "into transverse sections".) For each of the pieces of cheese I used one sheet of phyllo, cut in half, again "transverse sections" LOL. Spray the phyllo with olive oil- I have a pump spray, I am sure you can use PAM, it just has to be a THIN coating. Take one of the pieces of phyllo and place the cheese about 1/3 up from a corner. Bring the corner up over the cheese and roll once or twice. Fold in the two corners on the sides, spray with more olive oil. Finish rolling the cheese all the way to the end of the dough. (Step by step pictures, I sure do miss you- I'm not a writer). Now take the rolled cheese and place it on the other half of the phyllo and wrap it again the same way. This is called insurance, so you don't have cheese oozing out all over the baking sheet. Place the roll seem side down on a oiled baking sheet. Once you have them all rolled spray the tops with oil again and bake for 8 minutes. Turn them at four minutes to brown the undersides. That's it, it really is that easy.

You want Nutella ones? Same method... seriously- easy peasy.

Funny Friday!

2010-11-26T08:45:00.001-06:00

Tote available at Cafepress.com
Shared by Shannon of Gillyweeds...

Thursday Things... Give Thanks

2010-11-25T04:23:00.000-06:00

Give thanks for...

cute little bottoms

lots of twirl

yummy treats

a sense of humor

holding family close

dreams

and imagination

Happy Thanksgiving from the Etsy HC Street Team!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T03:51:00.000-06:00

submitted by alfabette zoope

Funny Friday... Stop Motion Dance

2010-11-19T10:52:00.000-06:00

Break Dance Stop Motion from ben wheatley on Vimeo.

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Why Handmade?

2010-11-18T09:00:00.002-06:00

Why handmade?

I have always had a cheaper is better mentality. When you don't have any money, cheaper means you can afford more. It's basic math. But is cheaper any better? Do you really get what you pay for?

I have been trying to adjust my thinking, here over the last several years. Here's some of my math:

I can go and buy a pair of pants from Walmart for $4.00 for my daughter. They will get stained, most likely, will maybe shrink, and will be thin. They will likely wear out before she has outgrown them. They will be machine washable, and can be worn for about a season.

Or I can go spend upwards of $40 for wool yarn. Then spend a few days to a few weeks making them into pants. Then have to wash them by hand forever. But, they can be worn indefinitely. As long as I have a wool shaver, and water, these pants could last generations. My grandchildren could wear these same pants.

So which one's the real value? To me, it's a no-brainer. After having been crocheting and knitting my daughter's woolies for so long, I completely understand how some women would be willing to pay $75-$100 for a pair of pants for her child that will probably outgrow them after a few months.

That same pair of woolies will last long enough to fit their grandchildren. Not only that, but each stitch, each join, each detail is lovingly created. Who can spend hours upon hours, thousands of stitches, producing a garment without loving every minute of it? And, as most of us knitters and crocheters knows, most of what you make is for someone else!

I know that I will be doing my best to support those men and women out there using their hands and hearts to create products that are good for the environment, and using the money they make to support their families. I will think twice about where I spend my money from now on.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T10:23:00.002-06:00

Meet Featured Artisan Eva of BoutiqueLinnea

2010-11-15T09:32:00.003-06:00

I'm Eva, the creative force behind Linnea. Boutique Linnea is upscale Euro style kids' clothing, Linnea Design is clothing for women designed to be sexy, stylish and comfortable, Linnea After Dark is lingerie and sleepwear, Linnea Grrrlz is for tween fashionistas and the newest addition Linnea Bare is artisan soap and skincare. On Etsy, it all operates under BoutiqueLinnea where you can expect to see a variety of items from all my collections. I have a background in design and marketing, and have always been creative and had a need to express myself through art in various forms.

My passion is to dress women in clothes that make them feel not only good but great about themselves. Everyone deserves to feel sexy and stylish, and it should be really simple to treat yourself. Of course kids should be able to dress in custom made clothing meant for play while still looking good too! I truly believe in treating yourself and your family to what "luxuries" you can, and think handmade, custom items are wonderful for that.

As long as I can remember, I have been slightly obsessed with scent and body care luxuries so when I first encountered artisan soap it was a natural step for me to get interested in the process and learn how to do it myself. I did lots of research and before long I was completely hooked. Soap making is a wonderful craft and very calming to me. I truly enjoy coming up with various recipes and planning the feel, look and of course scent of each soap I make. My focus as a soaper is on smell, feel and aesthetics, in that order. My goal is to make each bar a decadent treat. To me, it's similar to clothing design, the same energy and creativity goes into it and by tweaking little details you end up with totally different results. The idea behind it is the same as well, it's a way to spoil yourself just a little. Whether it's a custom made garment or a luxurious hand made soap, it brings you joy every day you use it.

Being a WAHM can be difficult. It's hard for me to balance it with being a Mom and a wife and woman as well. I have great care for my customers, but truthfully my family does and always will come first. That means that I try to get some work done every day, but some days are better than others. I feel fulfilled and blessed when I'm able to do it all, but most of the time it isn't as balanced and harmonious as I would like it to be and it's a struggle to perfect that balance without having anything suffer. I'm a firm believer in needing time for oneself to re-center, and I do make sure I take that time for myself... in the end, it's the absolute best thing for everyone. My downtime is often spent with books, and I get lots of inspiration from the beauty of literature, dance and other art around me.

Giveaway Information: For this feature, I have chosen to do a surprise soap sampler giveaway to celebrate the opening of Linnea Bare. I will select a few full sized bars for the winner, in various scents and formulas.

To enter:

* Visit BoutiqueLinnea and leave a blog comment telling us your favorite item

Additional entries:

* Fan BoutiqueLinnea on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did

* Fan the Etsy Hyena Street Team on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did

* Tweet, blog, or post on Facebook about the giveaway and leave us a link

Make sure we have a way to reach you if you are the winner. Winner will be chosen using random.org on Monday, November 22nd!

A winner has been chosen via random.org... congrats comment #14 (kkfoster35) on winning the BoutiqueLinnea giveaway!

Thursday Things... disguised as Wordless Wednesday :)

2010-11-11T10:53:00.000-06:00

submitted by alfabette zoope

Tutorial Tuesday: Rustic Herbed Cheese Bread

2010-11-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

It's no secret that I love bread. Love it. There are a lot of bread recipes on here if you go through the archives. And most of them start with the same recipe/method, the no-knead method. This bread is no exception, but the taste is absolutely exceptional! This is a great dinner bread, but I recently served it hollowed out with an herbed sour cream dip as an appetizer and it was phenomenal!

Rustic Herbed Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 5/8 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
Garlic powder
Sesame seeds
Onion powder
4 ounces sharpest provolone, shredded
Corn meal and additional flour for dusting/shaping

Mix all ingredients but cheese in a large bowl, just until combined. I didn't add the measurements for the spices because I don't measure. I like my breads strongly spiced, so I used approximately half of a small container of sesame seeds, and generous amounts (1 1/2 - 2 1/2 T) of garlic and onion powder.

There is no need to knead or over mix this dough. Simply combine the ingredients and that's it. Cover the bowl (this dough will double in size so make sure your bowl is big enough) and let sit overnight. I let mine sit for at least 12 hours, but have let it sit for 48 hours and the bread still comes out amazing.

After it has sat, place a dishtowel or paper towels in a warm place (I put mine on the stovetop with the oven on) and sprinkle generously with cornmeal. Using only enough flour so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands, ball the dough and place it on the prepared towels. Dust with more cornmeal or flour and cover with another cloth/paper towel. Let rise 1 - 3 more hours, until doubled again in size.

For the last half an hour, place a baking dish (it needs to have a cover) in the oven at 450 degrees to heat up. Turn dough out into the preheated baking dish, cover and bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 - 20 minutes until the bread is browned and sounds hollowed when you thump it.

Herbed Sour Cream Dip

Into 16 ounces of sour cream, mix 2T Healing Pixie's bread and cheese herb mix, 1T garlic powder, 1T onion powder and 1T garlic salt. Chill for at least an hour to allow hers to soften and flavors to meld.

from Bonnie, Holden's Landing

November Giveaway: Food!

2010-11-08T10:09:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again ... holiday time! Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa ... and they all come with an abundance of foods. What is your favorite holiday food? Leave us a comment to be entered to win our November food-themed giveaway!

From Alfabette Zoope: 2 gorgeous batiked cloth napkins, sure to liven up any holiday meal!

From SEWsational Sarah: - A reusable sandwich wrap and a reusable snack bag

From Go with the Flo: - 11" Petite Maxi in the "Chocoholic"colorway

and from Love Abounds: - a package of Mango Peach decaf Sip Your Bliss tea

Retail value over $40!

To Enter:
* Leave us a comment telling us your favorite holiday food

Additional entries:
* Search "team hyena" on etsy and leave a comment with your favorite item
* Blog about, post on facebook about or tweet the giveaway and leave a link in the comments
* Fan the team on facebook and leave a comment saying you did
* Follow the team blog and leave a comment saying you're a follower

Giveaway is open worldwide and a winner will be chosen using random.org on Friday morning, November 12th. Good luck!

*Congrats to Liz - we will be contacting you for your address!

Funny Friday on Saturday!

2010-11-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

Posted by Gillyweeds for Lilikoi Lane...enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Are you ready for the holidays?

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

from Bonnie, Holden's Landing

Tutorial Tuesday: Apple Spice Cupcakes

2010-11-02T08:00:00.006-05:00

There is nothing I like better in the kitchen than baking with fresh ingredients. When A's parents brought over a ton of fresh apples from a local farm, I knew I had to whip up something sweet with them, but didn't want to go with the same old recipes, so I came up with this recipe for apple cupcakes with spiced brown cugar buttercream frosting. We had these at our Halloween party this year (along with vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate and peanut buttercream frostings) and they were the most talked about item that day!

Apple Spice Cupcakes
(makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 whole eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 fresh apples (I used Spencer apples), peeled and chopped into chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but they really make these cupcakes!)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (to taste)
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Disolve baking soda in buttermilk.

Alternately add flour and buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and spices. I use my kitchen aid for this and let the batter whip for a minute or two to make it light and fluffy. Add apples and walnuts and mix to incorporate.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean.

Spiced Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

Cream 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar. Add 2 1/2T cinnamon and 2 cups powdered sugar. Mix until the consistency of frosting (you may need to add 1-2 T milk to reach a good consistency). This frosting will be slightly grainy due to the brown sugar. Pipe onto cupcakes using a large star tip or spread over tops with a knife. This keeps very well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Just let stand at room temperature and re-whip before frosting.

from Bonnie, Holden's Landing

Friday Funny

2010-10-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

Thursday Things... Organized Chaos

2010-10-28T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here's a peek into the Alfabette Zoope workspace right now... i.e. no cleaning or setting things up to look pretty. It's organized chaos and suits me very well!

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

submitted by alfabette zoope

Southwest Eggrolls

2010-10-26T08:56:00.002-05:00

Southwest Eggrolls
I served these with homemade guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Southwest Egg Rolls

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Corn

1 Pkg. Frozen Spinach about 10 ounces (thawed and squeezed out in a clean kitchen cloth.)

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast- I used 2

½ Bag Cheddar Cheese about two cups

1 tsp. each of Chili Powder, Cumin and Onion Powder- I used my homemade taco seasoning and added coarse sea salt.

1 Pkg. Tortillas

1. Dice chicken into bite size pieces. Cook in pan until no longer pink in center. Add chili powder, cumin, and onion powder. (I put the chicken breast and taco seasonings in a crock pot and put it on high for a couple of hours then shredded it up.)

2. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except tortillas. I drained the corn also.

Black beans... well drained. I rinsed mine too.

Add cheese...

Mix it all up.

3. Microwave tortillas in a damp kitchen towel to make pliable. Spoon filling into middle of each tortilla. Fold in 2 sides and roll from one end to the other, like you would an egg roll or burrito.

4. Line them seam side down on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil or cooking spray.

5. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until crisp and slightly brown. I turned them over the last 5 minutes and sprayed the other side to brown it also.

Recipe first posted HERE.

Halloween Funnies

2010-10-22T05:45:00.002-05:00

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Not a trick but a treat Thursday

2010-10-21T08:36:00.000-05:00

Zombie Fingers

Featured Artisan: Lilikoi Lane

2010-10-20T08:03:00.003-05:00

Meet this week's featured artisan: Crystal of Lilikoi Lane!

When did you start sewing? When I was 9 or 10 years old my mom and I found an antique singer sewing machine at a garage sale. I told my mom that I wanted to learn how to sew, so she brought the machine in to be refurbished. It turns out that the machine was from the first year that Singer made electric sewing machines. My parents gave it to me for Christmas that year. It was so beautiful- black with gold designs painted on it and so simple- no fancy stitches, not even a reverse, it just sewed in one direction. That summer my mom enrolled me in a sewing class for kids at the local sewing shop. I sewed for a few years but then boys and makeup became my new interest and my sewing machine started to gather dust.

It wasn't until the birth of my daughter just over 2 years ago that I regained my interest. I borrowed my sister-in-law's old machine to start out with and a few months later bought a machine of my own. I sewed for my daughter and for friends until my daughter was 1 and then around the time that I went back to work my friends convinced me I should be selling my sewed items so I opened up Lilikoi Lane.

The funny thing is that my shirts were one of the last things I started sewing. Before I was making mostly stuffed animals and lovies but the shirts were what started getting me attention and soon that was what I was known for and the lovies and stuffies went away.

What is a typical day like for you? I work Monday through Thursday as a Children's Book Publicist. When I first opened Lilikoi Lane pretty much every single night after dinner I would start sewing. It just got to be too much for my hubby and daughter. I've found a nice medium though. A few nights a week after my daughter goes to bed I do Lilikoi Lane things and the other nights I spend one-on-one time with my husband. Then on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during naptime I sew and I usually take most of the day either Saturday or Sunday to sew. We have a great light box at work so Monday morning I bring anything I have sewn that weekend to work with me and photograph it. Monday or Tuesday night I do packaging and write thank you cards and usually Tuesday or Wednesday during my lunch break at work I hit the post office and mail things out.

It's pretty hectic having a 2 year old working 4 days a week and running Lilikoi Lane but I love it. There is rarely a night that I go to bed before midnight but I love all of the mamas that I have met and I get such a thrill and sense of accomplishment out of knowing that my shirts are being worn by kids across North America and even a few across the pond.

Do you have a favorite design? Isn't that a bit like asking if you have a favorite child? I think some of my original drawings have become some of my favorites. In my head I think of them as the Lilikoi Lane Classics. The sea turtle, the giraffe and the sparrow are three of my favorite classic designs. But I really love my new elephant design as well. Designing is one of my favorite things I do for Lilikoi Lane so I always love hearing what types of shapes people want to see and doing custom orders.

what's your favorite item of yours that you make? While like a good mother I maintain I have no favorites here are images of a few shirts that continue to stick out in my head of ones that I really love and the story behind each.

I recently did a coop for Crunchy Coop. One of the mamas has a little girl who loves dogs. My little girl loves dogs too, in fact her first word was dog. This mama had purchased a dog ipod holder that my mom made and asked if I could make a shirt in a similar style. She wanted the ears to remain floppy and I made the tounge floppy too just for fun.

I recently had a Canadian Mama contact me who has a little boy (and a husband) who are obsessed with hockey. Mama asked me if I could design a hockey shirt for her. I drew up a sketch, sent it to her and she signed off on it. The next day I found out that Canadian Olympic Gold Medal Women's Hockey Player Hayley Wickenheiser was coming to my work to sign copies of her new book Gold Medal Diary: Inside the World's Greatest Sports Event. I asked the mama if she would like the shirt signed for her little guy and Hayley was nice enough to accommodate. Here is the result:

Six months ago I had a mama contact me that said that she wanted to get a shirt for her daughter. She told me that her husband was an artist and that he had a passion for hummingbirds. She sent me a photo of her little girl and said "This is who you are designing the shirt for." I told her what I thought would be a nice layout for the shirt and she responded "I am married to an artist. What you are doing is art as well. I say go for it. Lay it out however you think it will look best. My daughter will love her bird shirt!" This was the result:

I've also had a number of mamas who have contacted me to make monster shirts. Some to match Crankypants or other monster bummed longies which is always fun. One of my favorites though was a shirt for a a boy who was turning 9. He told his mom that he wanted one of my monster shirts for his birthday. He drew a picture and I turned it into a shirt. The mom, dad and son were all thrilled with the result and it made me so happy.

His drawing:

His finished shirt:

What inspires you? Kids, mamas, other artists and fabric. I love talking to children and their moms and find out what things their kids love. Most of my designs are in silhouette and it has always amazed me that since my daughter was 1 year old she could look at my shirt and tell me what it is. A dog in silhouette can be pretty abstract but dog, giraffe, elephant, bird... she never gets stumped. Kids take in so much of their environment and to stimulate a child through my shirts is pretty cool. I love it when mamas tell me that they let their children help design the shirts by picking out what design they want and choosing a fabric from my fabric album. It inspires me to know that I have little co-designers all over the world. When mamas challenge me to create a new design for their child who is fixated on a certain animal or item it makes me feel like a true designer.

I also love looking at other artists work. I love browsing on Etsy and looking at artists' work who use different mediums then me. My pig design was inspired by an artisan piggy bank, my SLR camera by a wooden camera. There are so many talented people on Etsy and Hyena Cart and to be inspired by each other I think is a wonderful thing.

Fabric... well it's a major addiction for me. I have over 180 fabrics in my album to choose from. There is nothing that I love more to browse through fabrics and to let my fabric inspire me. With over 180 fabrics in my sewing studio... that's a lot of inspiration: http://tinyurl.com/lilikoilanefabric

Giveaway info: If you are looking for one of a kind clothing for your little one then you have found the right mama with Crystal at Lilikoi Lane. With over 180 fabrics to choose from you can have a letter, a number or one of over 20 designs appliqued to a shirt in your choice of color and size. Getting your child involved picking the design or fabric for their shirt gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride every time they wear their Lilikoi Lane Clothing. Shirts can be ordered online at www.lilikoilane.com or email Crystal at info@lilikoilane.com for help making your selections.

Lilikoi Lane is giving away to one of our lucky readers either a Lilikoi Lane Letter (http://hyenacart.com/lilikoilane/index.php?c=0&p=58674) or Number (http://hyenacart.com/lilikoilane/index.php?c=0&p=75261) shirt. You can choose your little one's first initial or age, shirt size, shirt color and then get creative selecting what fabric you would like from Lilikoi Lane's fabric gallery (http://tinyurl.com/lilikoilanefabric). To be kept up to date on Lilikoi Lane sales and news follow Lilikoi Lane on Facebook (http://www.lilikoilane.info).

To enter:

* Visit Lilikoi Lane and leave a blog comment telling us you favorite item

Additional entries:

* Fan Lilikoi Lane on facebook and leave a comment telling us you did

* Fan the team on facebook and leave a comment telling us you did

* Tweet, blog, or post on facebook about the giveaway and leave us a link

Make sure we have a way to reach you if you are the winner. Winner will be chosen using random.org on Monday, October 25th!

**Giveaway is over -- Congrats comment #3!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T05:45:00.006-05:00

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Tiramisu (kid friendly version) Tuesday Tutorial

2010-10-19T08:19:00.001-05:00

This is a kid friendly Tiramisu version, still classic though, not with berries and berry juice- which is great for kids too. Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. I've made it like I said with berries before and no coffee, with coffee and toffee bits. YUM. I used decaffeinated espresso and left out liquor for the kids. It's still delish! Beating egg whites is up there with pie crusts to me, I don't like to do it so I omit that step when I make Tiramisu and I've never had a problem.

*First posted at GPAC.

1 cup strong brewed espresso- cooled

3 egg yolks- I used pasteurized

~ 1/2 cup sugar- a little less for our tastes

8 oz Mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 package of lady fingers- not the soft ones

cocoa powder or shaved chocolate to garnish

Cooled espresso.

Put the sugar into a bowl, add two tablespoons of espresso, egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. If you want an adult version use one tablespoon of espresso and a tablespoon of liquor- I like Kahlua.

Add the Mascarpone and heavy cream, beat well.

To assemble, quickly dunk one lady finger into the espresso and place it into the serving dish. Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of dipped lady fingers. Don't soak the lady fingers, they get too mushy. EWW.

I lined my pan with plastic wrap for easy removal but you don't have to do that at all.

Spread half of the cheese mixture on top of the lady fingers. Add one more layer of lady fingers then top with remaining cheese. Smooth out the top and cover to refrigerate if you're adding chocolate shavings or...

Dust with cocoa powder.

Cover and refrigerate, overnight is best.

Lady finger package.

Friday Funny

2010-10-15T06:35:00.004-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T06:23:00.000-05:00

Quiet.

Pumpkin Chai Spiced Ice Cream

2010-10-12T06:29:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin chai spiced ice cream. Made with steamed pureed pie pumpkin, canned will work just as well. I used my regular custard base and experimented with the rest. Here is the recipe I came up with.

Regular custard base

3 cups GOOD heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar or honey (I never use this much and I use evaporated cane juice)
4 egg yolks -beaten

Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, stir until sugar is dissolved and occasionally after that. Once the mixture is steaming temper the beaten egg yolks and add to the rest of the custard, whisking. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let this boil or it WILL curdle! Pour into a container and let cool completely.

For the pumpkin ice cream I added two whole cinnamon sticks to the custard base in the beginning. I removed the sticks before putting the base into my ice cream maker.

Chai Syrup
( this is approximate I didn't measure)
1 cup water
5 crushed cardamom pods
1 TBS whole black peppercorns
~ 1 inch of crushed fresh ginger
a few cloves
half a star anise
Pumpkin Spiced Chai or other Chai or black tea. (2 bags or teaspoons loose)

I brought this up to a boil and then let it simmer and reduce to about half. I then let this cool.

After everything was done cooling I strained both the syrup and the custard base. I added I guess it was about 2/3 cup of the purred pumpkin, fresh grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Then I put it into my canister and turned on the machine.

Recipe first posted on Give Peas A Chance.

Friday Funny

2010-10-08T10:47:00.001-05:00

The other day I was at the store and the girls and I saw Christmas items up. Well, here's how I feel about that. It's too early. This picture sums it up for me.

The incredible skirt, dress, and top. Perfect for the ever changing body of a Mom.

2010-10-08T08:32:00.000-05:00

This new little design is so simple and basic, but worn in so many different ways, depending on where your are in life. Nursing? Cover your belly with the wide waistband, no need for crazy expensive and confusing “nursing” tops that almost advertise you are a nursing mom, just wear any shirt and lift it without exposing your midriff. Are you pregnant? Great, wear this skirt under the belly for a great and comfortable supportive skirt. Need a maternity top though? Okay, pull it up! The extra stretchy waistband makes a perfect tube top for your sensitive breasts during pregnancy and the billowy skirt covers your expanding waistline. How about just a mom, not pregnant at all? I wear these skirts all the time. At the beach last summer my teenage daughter and I were lounging in the sand when she realized she was supposed to be at an afternoon concert. She had nothing to wear and had only five minutes to get there…. out came the Mamacita skirt and she pulled it on as a mini dress and off she went. Gotta love it! Oh, and when you travel.. throw this in your bag, it won’t wrinkle at all. Made from an incredible blend of lycra and poly it washes and wears but never wears out.

Hola Mamacita!

Use as a skirt

...as a tummy covering skirt while nursing

Make it a top or mini dress!

Three for Thursday: Holden's Landing

2010-10-06T08:37:00.000-05:00

Some new things we've been up to at Holden's Landing ...

Percy the Platypus Organic Bamboo Velour Cloth Diaper

Taylor the Turkey Organic Bamboo Velour Cloth Diaper

Pinkie the Piggie Organic Bamboo Velour Cloth Diaper

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T00:31:00.001-05:00

Getting ready for Halloween: Spider Web Paintings

2010-10-05T08:19:00.008-05:00

October is here ... and you know what that means ... Halloween is right around the corner! Halloween is my favorite holiday of all and we spend a lot of time getting ready for it. Here is a fun activity to get you started on your Halloween preparations ♥

Spider Web Paintings

Marble painting is one of my kids' favorite activities! For Halloween, we make marble paint spider webs to hang in the windows.
To marble paint, you will need a square or rectangular box, preferably with a lid, paper cut to fit in the bottom of the box, marbles and paint. For the spider webs, we usually use black paper white or silver paint.
Tape the paper to the inside bottom of the box. Roll your marbles in paint and drop them in. Tilt the box to roll the marbles around, creating a spider web as they roll. Remove and roll in paint as needed. For a surprise web, cover the box, tilt/shake, then remove lid to check out your web.
Once the web is dry, you can add a black or purple or green pom pom spider. For ore fun, glue on little wiggle eyes!

-- Earth*School, Halloween is Here
Copyright 2005-2010

Funny Friday... OK Go

2010-10-01T05:00:00.002-05:00

submitted by alfabette zoope

Thursday Things... Show Your Colors

2010-09-29T23:37:00.002-05:00

submitted by alfabette zoope

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T01:10:00.003-05:00

submitted by alfabette zoope

Garden Vegetable Soup

2010-09-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

Garden Vegetable Soup

I find that if I prep whatever I can in the morning or during the day, making dinner is a cinch. I like to prep while Piglet is napping in the morning, that way on some days Diva can help me and other days she is in school.
I make this soup with tomatoes but Piglet doesn't seem to tolerate tomatoes too well during nursing, so I take a portion out for her then add canned diced tomatoes, if I could simmer it longer I would use fresh seeded tomatoes

This is more of a method than a recipe...

Chicken breasts- broiled with salt and pepper cut into bit sized pieces (optional)
Minced garlic clove
Chopped red bell pepper
Chopped carrots
Chopped celery
Chopped onion
Chopped zucchini
Fresh green beans cut into ¾ in size
Frozen corn
Low sodium chicken broth (2 1/2 boxes)
Can of diced tomatoes
Bay leaf
Italian seasoning
Sea salt
Black pepper
Lime juice

Garnish-
Chopped parsley
Chopped celery leaves
Lime wedges

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed stockpot over medium low heat. Once heated sweat garlic and onion with a little salt. Add carrots, green beans, bell pepper, celery, bay leaf and Italian seasoning, cook for about 5 minuets, stir. Add zucchini, roasted chicken and any juices, broth, salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering lower heat and cook until vegetables are fork tender. Add corn kernels a little before cooking time is up. Remove from heat and add about 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Discard Bay leaves. Serve with garnishes.

Fresh veggies all ready to go...

Broiled chicken. You can use any leftover chicken, rotisserie also.

Sweating the onions...

Vegetables that take longer to cook are put in first

Adding broth and zucchini...

This was first posted at GPAC.

Thursday Things... Some Favorites from the Team

2010-09-23T09:55:00.002-05:00

Spree - Small OBV Tri-Tone Cloth Diaper

from Holden's Landing

Sweet Strawberries Size 8 Womens Dundies

from Zany Zebra Designs

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See Custom Shirt

from Lilikoi Lane

Pretty felted cherry blossom bag

from Felt Fusion

Rainbow Garden Skirt, Multi-Size XS-SM

from My Beautiful Girl

submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T03:11:00.000-05:00

CONGRATS to our Chaco Creations giveaway winner!

2010-09-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

Noeller67 on Rav

You'll be contacted soon! Thank you.

Funny Friday

2010-09-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

Team Items on Sale!

2010-09-16T04:54:00.001-05:00

These listings from our street team members all include one magic word -- SALE! Check them out...

SALE set of 3 reusable produce/bulk foods bags from Joyful Earth

SALE -- Medium/Large Shirt and Shorties Remix Set - Nighttime Owl - 2T 3T Shirt from Alfabette Zoope

SALE -- Size 2T Toddler or Kids Short-Sleeved Batiked Tee UNICORN from Alfabette Zoope

SALE One 10 Inch Hawaii Surfers Menstrual Pad With Wings - PUL from RCD Boutique

SALE One 10 Inch Hawaiian Shirts Menstrual Pad With Wings - PUL from RCD Boutique

Happy shopping! And don't forget to search our team tag "team hyena" to find other great items from us!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T03:15:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Pie Bars

2010-09-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

Adapted from Joy The Baker
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar (Divided)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 15oz can pumpkin or about two cups of homemade pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional-
chocolate chips, butter scotch chips or cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of sugar and cut in butter. I put it all in my food processor and Piglet helped me with the pulsing of the machine. You want it to look like coarse crumbs.

Add the oats. If using nuts, add them now. Stir to combine.
Reserve 1 cup of this mixture.

Press the mixture into a 9x13 pan that is lined with parchment. Make sure the parchment comes up the sides a bit so you can lift the bars out later.

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy, add eggs. Beat well. Beat in remaining sugar, spices and vanilla.
Stir in chocolate, butter scotch or cinnamon chips if using.

Pour mixture over the top of the crust, sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes until set, test it with a knife. Poke a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean it's done. It will set up as it cools.
Let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then lift it out of the pan to finish cooling on a rack before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Originally posted on Give Peas A Chance.

Featured Artisan Chaco Creations

2010-09-13T12:44:00.000-05:00

Meet our Featured Artisan Kathi of Chaco Creations.

I started Chaco Creations almost 3 years ago. I have been sewing for about 10 years and knitting for longer. I was creating mostly quilts until a friend wanted a knitting project bag. I designed and made her one and she really liked it. I did some adjustments on the original design and decided to start selling them. I've added in other knitting/crocheting items after that and expanded into messenger bags and purses.
I work full-time outside the house as an Archaeologist and EMT. I also have a wonderful, understanding husband and two great kids. So needless to say I don't get as much sewing done as I would like. Sewing, for me, is my "away time" or destressor. I'm happy if I can get a couple of uninterrupted hours in on the weekends!

Who taught you how to sew?

My mom sewed when I was young but didn't really teach any of us. I remember sewing a skirt when I was in Girl Scouts but that was about it until a friend asked if I wanted to take a quilting class with her. I took the class and loved it. So I have been "really" sewing since about 2000. Started with mostly quilting projects and taking classes and slowly worked into making knitting bags and other items.

Where did the name Chaco Creations come from?
I decided on Chaco Creations as a name because it reminds me of home. I am an archaeologist, by profession, and worked mainly in the Southwestern US before moving to Missouri a few years ago. Chaco Canyon in one of the major Southwestern sites in New Mexico. I worked in that area for years. Also, my cat that I had for 18 years was named Chaco, so the name has multiple meanings for me. When I was trying to think of a name for my business I decided on Chaco Creations because of the meanings the name has for me.

What is your favorite item to make?
Now...I have just discovered making upcycled dresses and shirts! I'm just totally having a great time collecting older shirts and combining them and making new dresses and shirts! This is a new obsession - LOL...so before this I would have to say making my knitting bags. I love digging through my stash (which is quite large) and picking coordinating fabrics. The only part I don't like is the hand sewing to finish off the draw strings...that would classify as my least favorite thing!

If you were going to pick up another craft what would it be?
Another craft? Well actually, I have been fixated on learning to weave for a couple of years. There are no resources or teachers in my immediate area so I've been looking online and have bought a couple of books on weaving. I don't see learning any time soon as 1) the lack of close-by resources and 2) I have no room to house the craft supplies I have now for sewing, knitting and scrapbooking! LOL!!

All my gallery photos are in flickr. I've picked out a few - but if you want to look in the gallery to see if there are better ones have at it!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15280318@N04/sets/72157603915097382/with/2960246170/

Give away:
Knitting/Crocheting Project Bag
(I have all the fabric cut out but need to get it sewn up today so I don't have photos of it yet)
Info:
These bags are great for all your knitting/crocheting projects, or anything else you can think of to use it for!
This bag is larger than the usual sock project bag. Will hold more than 4oz of yarn plus project and supplies.
Base of bag is 5 inches in diameter.
Opens to 24 inches circumference.
Bag is 10 inches tall, 9 inches from base to bottom of drawstrings.
There is a pocket inside with three (3) small pockets and one (1) larger pocket to carry extra needles, hooks, pencils or what every you want to use them for!

To enter, post a comment to this blog post what you would use your bag from Chaco Creations for. (required).

For additional entries:
* Visit Chaco Creations 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, September 20th.

Funny Friday: Baby Discusses Some Serious Topics

2010-09-10T08:30:00.002-05:00

Check this out if you need a laugh!

-- submitted by Holden's Landing

Spotlights

2010-09-09T06:33:00.001-05:00

Dundies by Zany Zebra Designs.

Love Abounds Decadent Brownie Mix.

Cherry Blossom Bag by Felt Fusion.

Coffee Time Set My Beautiful Girl.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T07:55:00.001-05:00

Submitted by Alfabette Zoope

Crab Manacotti

2010-09-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

I think a recipe would be nice for this, but I don't really have one. No measurements for sure. But I got the idea from I think it was Everyday Italian on food network. It's straight forward, easy and DELISH. It also takes no time at all to prepare...

Let's see if I remember what's in it :-)

crab meat- lump crab would be nice I had imitation on hand
1 to 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
grated Parmesan
1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 egg
salt
pepper
garlic powder
*if you have flat leaf parsley chop it up and add it to the filling
manacotti

sauce-
small onion sliced
1 clove minced garlic
4 T butter
4T flour
chicken broth
whole milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Cook the manacotti until it is almost done, about 7 minutes. After I shocked it in cold water to stop the cooking, OK and because I didn't want to handle hot pasta when I was filling them.

For the filling, mix everything but the crab meat in a bowl. then gently fold in the crab meat. Set it aside.

Now the sauce, it's a basic white sauce made with a roux. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the onions and cook until soft, add the garlic and let it cook until fragrant. A minute or two. Sprinkle the flour in there and cook it until a little brown and the raw dough smell is gone.

Add some chicken broth and milk and stir until there are no lumps. Cook until thickened. Add Parmesan cheese.

Fill the manacotti with the crab mixture.
Line them up in a pan, I didn't grease the pan or anything.

Cover with the sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 until heated through about 30 minutes is how long I left it in there for.

Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving. I garnished with fresh basil, parsley would be great too. It does need color.

Originally posted at Give Peas A Chance

Some of My Favorite Things

2010-09-02T09:23:00.000-05:00

The Etsy HC Street Team has a lot of lovely, tasty, cute, and useful things instock right now. Here are just some of my current favorites.

Useful and perfect for any kitchen. This adorable wetbag would match the accents in mine!

Fork N' Spoon on Red 13x20 hanging kitchen wetbag
from Sweet Slings

Clean scent and scrubby poppyseeds... a wonderful combination!

Lemon Poppyseed Artisan Soap
from Relic Soap Company

What a great idea for a gift set this one is.

Whole Organic Nutmeg Gift Set
from Love Abounds

Function = amazing and form = adorable in this cute pair of skirted woolies!

Wool SeaLife Skirted Shorties from Gillyweeds

Eco-friendly kids underwear... in the perfect size for both of my kids. Hmmm...

Go Green Undies, size 5/6, Hand Made, Eco Friendly
from My Beautiful Girl

I just loved this sort of diaper/top set on my daughter when she was in diapers.

Treehugger AI2 and Flouncy Top Set - Toddler
from Holden's Landing

And finally, one from my own shop which is one of my absolute favorite colorways to see come together...

3.5oz 8-ply Superwash Merino Sport Sock Yarn - FROLIC -
from Alfabette Zoope

What are your favorites we have instock right now? Don't forget to search with our tag "team hyena" to see all we have to offer!

Congrats Moonstonemama! Go With The Flo Giveaway Winner

2010-08-31T07:14:00.001-05:00

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

2010-08-31T01:05:00.000-05:00

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

2010-08-25T08:11:00.008-05:00

submitted by Holden's Landing

Nutella, banana and raspberry crepes

2010-08-24T06:57:00.001-05:00

*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!

2010-08-23T07:30:00.059-05:00

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!

2010-08-19T08:40:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-08-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

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

2010-08-12T13:48:00.000-05:00

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

2010-08-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

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

2010-08-08T23:45:00.000-05:00

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

2010-08-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

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

2010-08-04T10:31:00.005-05:00

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!

Tutorial Tuesday - Tips For Show Booths

2010-07-27T07:00:00.067-05:00

I recently was a vendor at my first fiber show, and I thought others out there might be looking for some tips on booth setups from the viewpoint of someone just starting out in shows or markets like I am. In planning my booth, I did a ton of searching on Flickr and Google to find pictures of others' booths. I also attended various local craft shows and had been a shopper at the particular show I was preparing to vend at, which was also very helpful in deciding what sort of fixtures I wanted to seek out. A good beginner's list of things to consider:

Alfabette Zoope display, Midwest Fiber and Folk 2010

1. What kind of budget and timeline are you working with?

2. Where is the show... indoors, outdoors? Under a tent (you provide or is one provided)? Will you be out in the open or amongst many other booths? What will the lighting be like?

3. Do you want people to walk into your booth, or do you want a setup where they come up to a table at the front or side of the booth rather than coming into it?

4. What kind of products are you selling and how can they best be displayed so they grab the attention of someone at first glance? What is your biggest draw/product and how can you showcase it?

Early on I had a layout in mind for my booth (which I shared with a good friend... a wonderful way to try something out but split costs and efforts for someone new to the show scene, in my opinion) that turned out to be fairly unrealistic for functionality and my ability to get all the fixtures I had been thinking of without breaking the bank. I had planned on using 8 gridwall panels and nothing else for my half of the booth, with a combination of shelves and hooks to hold shirts and yarn hanks. Thank goodness I had months of time to think and gather display equipment and finally realized changes were needed. I needed a table, otherwise where and how was I going to process credit cards? It probably would have worked out even without, because my booth partner's layout included tables, but had I been on my own, that would have been problematic.

Our booth layout plans. We used the plan on the right.

Traffic flow is important to consider. I found out about a week before show time that my friend and I were actually going to have a corner booth. Score! But scary... because of course all our planned layout ideas just assumed we'd have vendors on either side of us as we hadn't ponied up extra money for a corner spot. Some rearranging and refiguring ensued, but we took advantage of the two sides of visibility we now had and I ended up making use of both sides of my gridwall panels instead of just one. Appearance-wise it felt more empty than I would have liked, but I think the advantages of grabbing people from either aisle made it worth it. And an added perk -- I didn't have to put anything down below waist level, so everything was in reach and easy to touch, pet, grab, and examine by shoppers. We kept the middle of the booth nice and open so people could easily move through and see both our product areas.

BugSnugger's display at MFaF 2010

Variety is one of the best tips I heard while planning our layout. You want things at different levels to draw the eye. If everything is all the same, people are likely to miss things or not be drawn in to look at your products. I've seen display items vary from professional display walls to upcycled furniture and accessories. If it's done well and intentionally, you can make just about anything work! So be creative if you have a lot of lead time and would like to put together a more eclectic display. I ended up going with pretty standard show display items myself, but I lucked into the main structure (4 gridwall panels, as well as a bunch of shelves for them and a knucklebuster) by keeping my eye on my local Craigslist and ended up getting them slightly-used for at least 50% off retail.

Starving Artist Bazaar's display at MFaF 2010

Don't forget details like a color scheme (what color is your tablecloth if you're using one? Shelves? Baskets or containers? And so on. Having too much going on can really distract people -- you do want your product to be the star of the show, but you also want to make sure the background is interesting and helps pull things together. Also, don't skimp on your signage. Prices need to be labeled clearly on the products or on signs nearby that are easy to read. You want your business name to be easy to see and legible. Make sure you have business cards or something similar for people to take away from your booth because they just might look you up after the show and buy something in the future.

Samples in the BugSnugger/Huckleberry Knits booth at MFaF 2010

If you are selling an item that is used for people to make something else, samples are a huge help. I somewhat knew this, but didn't realize how many people would ask me how certain yarns would work up and I found myself wishing I had commissioned some samples as I had originally planned (and run out of time for). Samples sometimes sell the product, and certainly add some nice variety to your display. Definitely consider getting things made or making some of your own -- the expense will be worth it.

Alfabette Zoope display, Midwest Fiber and Folk 2010

I came away after my first show with a laundry list of changes to make, as well as a list of things that worked and I should build upon (not to mention a huge sleep deficit from the late nights taking care of last-minute details). One last piece of advice is to take notes! Ask opinions of friends and other trusted vendors. Seeing things through others' eyes can be such a help in figuring out what works for your products or how to improve upon the things that don't work as well. And also keep track of what sells and what doesn't, so you have a good idea what shoppers are looking for at each show you do and can plan accordingly for the future.

Submitted by Lori, Alfabette Zoope

Three for Thursday

2010-07-22T08:36:00.003-05:00

Three rainbows, stocking on hyena cart tomorrow at noon est at K&F!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T08:02:00.001-05:00

Mascarpone Muffins

2010-07-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

These muffins are so easy and fast to make, as most muffins are. I used chocolate chips but dried fruit or fresh blueberries with mascarpone? DIVINE. Maybe dried cherries, sliced almonds and a little bit of almond extract? YUM! The mascarpone in the batter makes the muffins tender and moist. This is what the girls had for breakfast one day last week. They also helped me make the muffins, as you can see by the little hands in the picture. I also made tiny ones to freeze for faster bento backing when school starts.
*this post first appeared on Give Peas A Chance*
Mascarpone muffins
1 (8 ounce) package mascarpone cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

Beat mascarpone and butter together until fluffy.

Beat in egg, cream and vanilla.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ones.

Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until just combined. As with all muffins don't over mix...

Fold in filling of choice.

Bake for 20 minutes.

TGIF!

2010-07-16T06:11:00.003-05:00

Follow your Dream

2010-07-15T13:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I stumbled across a blogpost on a photographer's website about this incredible woman - and I felt her story could be an inspiration to us all.

In the 1970s Diana Nyad was a long-distance swimmer who broke various world records and set more than a few (including the one for circling Manhattan Island which has yet to be broken). But her dream was always to swim from Cuba to Florida (a 100 mile swim). She attempted it in 1978, but the swim had to be abandoned due to bad weather conditions and treacherous currents. She swam from the Bahamas to Florida in 1979 (a 102.5 mile swim), but never got around to her original goal.

Nyad's life took a different turn after that. She was a tv and newspaper journalist for almost 3 decades before she made a decision to fulfill her dream.

Three decades!

Now, at age 60 she is ready to take on the challenge of making her dream a reality.

Without a shark cage this time!

On July 11th 2010, Diana completed a 24 Consecutive Hour training swim, (also without a shark cage) - in preparation for the swim she has dreamt of for so long.

Her FB page can be found here, and you can also follow her on Twitter.
For myself, I am really looking forward to the big swim!

Making Fruit Look Good

2010-07-13T05:34:00.000-05:00

"Can I bring anything?"

I seem to ask that question at least once a week throughout the summer months as the invitations to pool parties and BBQs pile up.

I used to rack my brains trying to come up with something which would keep me away from my stove, but which wasn't a salad.

Then a few weeks ago I ran across a tutorial from fruit-basket-creations and my life became simpler overnight.

Fruit:

2 pineapples
Half cantaloupe (or a small one)
Half honeydew melon
2, 16oz strawberries
Black grapes (oz)

Their tutorial makes it really simple to spend some fun time in the kitchen and, best of all, you really don't need to invest in fancy tools or equipment. Chances are you have everything in your kitchen already.

And boy, do the kids love to wield those cookie cutters!

Tools:

Flower-shaped metal cookie cutters
10” Bamboo skewers ( oz)
1 Melon baler
1 head of lettuce
Bunch of green or purple kale
Crinkle cutter (ripple potato slicer)
Some pairing knives
Medium basket or plastic container or ceramic container
Cutting board (optional)
Clear plastic wrap (cellophane wrap)

The only thing I'd recommend is putting some pebbles at the bottom of the basket (the fruit tends to make it top-heavy) and using some floral oasis (those green blocks that florists soak in water to keep everything fresh and stable) on top of it to fit the skewers into.

Instructions for that top basket can be found here.
Enjoy!