Monday Etsy Love

Handbags! Who doesn't love a gorgeous bag to carry around? I know I do. I also love to fill them with tons of stuff. Have a peek at these lovlies!

Pleated Shoulder Bag by sineminugur

Mulberry Hemp/Cotton Bag by tippythai

Smoke Green Shoulder Bag by christystudio

Dark Grey Messenger Bag by nottoc

Cotton Canvas Striped Hobo Bag by milloo

What do you think of these handbags? Where did you get yours?

Monday Etsy Love

Weekends are just too short. Get rid of the Monday blues by checking out these gorgeous handmade goodies!

Isn't she just precious?? I LOVE this hood. It is such an awesome idea. 

Check out Hand knit children's hooded bear cowl by Sweetsouthernpurl on Etsy!

This necklace is just adorable and I am going to buy it. I seriously love it.

Check out this Sterling Silver Cloud Necklace by lunahoo on Etsy!

I'm usually not a huge fan of raw gemstones, but this citrine is gorgeous and happens to be the perfect shade of my favorite color!

Check out the Raw Citrine Ring by mooreaseal on Etsy!

Wooden jewelry is amazing. This ring is no exception. The center line of shimmery sand makes it perfect.

Check out this Wooden Ring Ebony with Lake Superior Sand by NorthWoodRings on Etsy!

I am in love with these glasses. I have been pining away for these wood veneer sunglasses forever now! Eventually I will splurge and buy me a pair. The heart frames are just dreamy!

Check out these Striped Lolitas by tumbleweedshandcraft on Etsy!

Don't you just love shopping on Etsy? There are some incredibly talented crafters out there! I could sit and browse Etsy for days and days. What are some of your favorites that you've found? I'd love to see them!

Shop on Vacation

Just to let everyone know, the shop will be on vacation mode until February 1st!

We are in full crafting mode, building a big inventory to post.

Updates and sneak peeks soon!

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!

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.

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.

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. 

New Cowls!

I've recently been loving the idea of making a ton of cowls for my etsy shop. So, I've been playing around trying to come up with some new patterns and came up with a couple of cute things.

I had originally planned to make this a convertible cowl. One that had a drawstring at the top and turned into a hat, but the yarn I used was just way too thick for that. It ended up looking kinda silly as a hat, but I really love it as a cowl. This pattern is really easy, so I definitely will be making it a staple in my shop.

This cowl is really awesome. I think it looks a bit more masculine, so I think I'm going to gift it to my husband instead of selling it. I really, really love this yarn. This was my first time using it and I have fallen in love. I think the little bits of tweed are just gorgeous and really make everything look more interesting.

Twix Copycat Recipe

Yesterday I made some amazing cookies that were inspired by Twix candies! I got the recipe here, but I made a few changes, so I'll post my exact recipe on here.

Ingredients:
Cookie layer:
2 Sticks of unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cup all purpose flour

Caramel layer:
2 cup caramel pieces (I used Kraft traditional Caramels)
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate layer:
3 cups milk chocolate, or dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Milk Chocolate chips)

Instructions:
>>Preheat the oven to 300°F
>>Spray 9x13" pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper
>>In a medium bowl, beat together your softened butter, sugar, salt & vanilla. Once mixed well, add flour and continue to beat on medium speed. Dough will be stiff.

>>Using lightly floured (& clean!!) fingertips, press the dough evenly into the pan.

>>Poke holes in the dough with a fork to let air bubbles escape while baking.

>>Bake 35-45 mins or until edges are golden brown.

>>Remove from oven and immediately run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen & set aside to cool. (I put mine in the fridge)

>>Melt caramel and heavy cream over low heat, making sure you don't burn. These take awhile to melt, so be patient.

>>When caramel is melted and creamy, remove from heat and immediately pour over the cookie layer and smooth it out evenly. You have to do this fast, because the caramel really starts stiffening up pretty quickly.

>>Place into the fridge or freezer to cool quickly and firm up.

>>Melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler, or on very low heat. Don't let the chocolate burn! It melts very fast.(if its too thick for your taste, add a bit of butter or heavy cream to thin it just a little)

>>Pour chocolate over hardened caramel cookie layers and chill until hard.

>>Enjoy! These are sooo yummy. :D

>>Keeps best when stored in the fridge.

I really hope you try this recipe. They were so much better than I had even imagined!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway! You can enter once, or up to 6 times! I'm offering my favorite items from my Etsy shop to giveaway, so don't miss out!