t i n y b e a r i n c - life:handmade: 2012

12/31/12

Recipe: Mango Banana Smoothie

I was in the mood for a smoothie so I just threw something together and it happened to be delicious!

You Need:

1 mango
1 ripe banana
1 blueberry yogurt

What to do:

Peel mango. Slice it up and toss it into the blender.

Peel banana. Break it a few times and put in blender.

Add yogurt to the blender.

Blend until smooth.

Enjoy! Its super easy and it tastes amazing!

12/30/12

a new year is a good time for change

We have a lot of changes going on right now. To give you a quick run down, here is a list of some new things coming up:

New business name!

We have changed business names as we head in a more focused direction. The inspiration came from our dogs [that we love so much] that we think look and act like tiny bears.

[Maci enjoying the sun]

[Maci and Toki on a road trip]

[Toki gets up close and personal]

New team member!

My sister has decided that she would like to join in all the crafting fun and help us grow! I am psyched that she is on board. It's always more fun with company! I'll post more on this later.

New designs!

I have been testing and experimenting and designing like crazy! I've got several new items coming to the shop this month already and I plan to keep on designing new items and stocking up. Also, I will be actually adding PDF patterns to the shop and even some free patterns on here!

More updates coming soon!

12/29/12

Winter is here

It's winter!

I am not really a fan of the cold and darkness of this time of year. The best thing though, is the snow. It's so breathtaking that it makes up for my freezing toes.

It snowed all night.

What it looked like this morning.

As you may know, I took some time away and put my crafting business on hold to really focus on designing and figuring out what direction to take my business in.

There is good news! I have several new items that I am totally psyched about and I plan to continue to design more and more!

All through January I will be posting my new designs. I will be doing my best to stock my shop to the brim and really focus on connecting with people and growing my business.

More big news is also coming, which includes (but is not limited to) a large blog overhaul (actual blogging!), a new shop name and other stuff that I should probably save for another post.

Keep an eye out for a sneak peek of our new items!

10/14/12

autumn sets in- a hike part 2

The sound of the breeze in the forest sounds quite similar to waves washing onto the beach. When the wind was still, the silence was almost deafening but it was always quickly shattered by an airplane or the faint booms of Fort Knox off in the distance. Its a strange place we live in.

I really enjoyed our hike yesterday and I really want to make it a regular thing. The forest is really so beautiful, these photos just don't do it justice.

10/13/12

autumn sets in- a hike part 1

Since the weather is so gorgeous today, the husband suggested that we should check out a local park that we had never been to. At first, I didn't want to because I have crocheting I would like to do, but he eventually convinced me to go. We really weren't prepared for a 2+ mile hike, but we did it anyway and it was beautiful. You can check out our path on the map below. Hubby brought along his tablet and let an app use GPS to map out where we were going, our altitude and speed. It was pretty cool to see all that info.

View 10/13/2012 Tom Wallace in a larger map

The best part: PHOTOS!

We climbed on top of hills and in low valleys. The sound of the wind blowing in the trees was incredible. Long spontaneous hikes highly recommended. More photos later.

10/12/12

creepy, crawly

I ran into this beast while working. I've never seen a spider actually eating something, so I definitely needed to snap a photo.

His head is a bit blurry since he was turning to look at me, but otherwise the photo turned out amazing, in my opinion.

Thankfully he stayed where I could see him until I had to leave.

Spiders? Not a fan.

10/11/12

sunset in October

I just love the sunset. We get some good ones up here.

Autumn is the best time of year. I hope everyone else is enjoying the cool down as much as I am.

10/10/12

projects in progress!

This week I'm working on a custom ordered fox hood! Its made from chunky super soft acrylic and will be totally adorable when finished.

9/20/12

I've been busy...

This is what I have been up to lately.

All of these are now listed in the shop! Check it out.

9/19/12

Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl

Today I had a little bit of time to sit and try to figure out how to knit. I kind of could grasp the basics, but my recent purchase of the Knitting & Crochet Bible on my tablet really helped me have a break through. I had no idea there was a "continental" way of knitting. That made SO much sense to me because I was really getting frustrated with simply holding the needles and yarn.

My practice swatch:

I started out just getting the hang of the basic knit stitch, but then I got brave and decided to alternate my knit & purl rows! Purling was kind of hard at first, but once I could wrap my head around what the yarn was actually doing, it just clicked. I am definitely very sloppy, as you can see. I need more practice!

Maybe I will attempt my first knit project soon! This cooler weather sure is welcome and has me really wanting to make sweaters. I am no where near that skill level yet, but I'll be excited to try sometime soon.

Currently I am up to my eyeballs in photos to edit and listings to publish on Etsy, so I should probably get to work.

9/14/12

Recipe: Easy Granola

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
Desired amount of soy nuts/ dehydrated cranberries, banana chips, other dried fruits (I used 1 cup of each)
2-3 cups old fashioned oats
2tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp salt (optional)
honey to clump - desired amount (I used about 1 cup)

(Measurements above are approximate. Add according to your own taste.) Add dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir together well.

Spray baking pan(s) with cooking oil. Fill with granola, but leave enough room to stir without spilling. I had to use 2 large casserole pans. Add desired amount of honey to mixture, enough to dampen and clump granola. Stir well.

Bake at 350 in 15 min intervals, stirring often. Its done when it is a light toasted brown. Granola will harden upon cooling. Don't burn it! Makes about a gallon or so, depending on how much you use.