Archive for the ‘gifting’ Category
Food and Gift Packaging
I was super excited to get these goodies from the offices of Martha Stewart Living via Craft Critique. If you’re getting ready for the holidays and looking for ways to wrap or package your baked goods, please take a look at my review on Craft Critique! Leave a comment at their site and you just might win your own set of treat bags and boxes!
Tags: favorite things, gifts, martha stewart
Giveaway Monday: Craft Critique and Story Time for Me
Ten days until Thanksgiving, and amazingly, my family will be eating our traditional Turkey dinner at my brother’s new home. In the meantime, I’ve been working on some gifts inspired by these selvage edge pincushions. We’re also preparing for our annual cookie exchange which is happening in less than a month!
On more exciting levels, I have two links to share. The first is Craft Critique… it’s Martha Stewart Week. Find out about the new products and follow the executive staff this week during their crafting adventure in the Carribean with the Martha Stewart Craft Department! Win your own Martha Stewart Scoring Board by checking it out today…
Picture courtesy of craftcritique.com
My second link I’d like to share is Story Time for Me, a very unique literary website with interactive picture books for toddlers and elementary school-age children. We’re big readers here at home so I was excited to have an opportunity to review two books, and I decided to try it out with my four-year old.
Picture Courtesy of storytimeforme.com
The site is easy to navigate and also includes an instructional video. While exploring the available book series, I appreciated that they included appropriate age levels, running time of stories and a chance to preview the books. However, when selecting one of my free stories, I accidentally chose one thinking I might be able to “remove” it from my cart. No such luck. The story itself was good (“Ben Celebrates Chinese New Year”) but my four-year old didn’t like it as much as “Ben’s New Friend”. For him, there was actually a “laugh out loud” moment during the story. I did like that the stories had good lessons, and while the stories are read out loud, the words are highlighted (an option you can turn on and off).
For my virtual neighbors, readers, followers, and friends… I’m excited that Story Time for Me is offering a product giveaway of two complimentary multimedia storybooks for kids ages 1-8. If you’re interested, check out the Story Time for Me site and leave a comment here sharing your thoughts (I’d appreciate it if you followed along via Google or Blog Frog). Most importantly, be sure to include your info so I can send you the code you need for your two free storybooks. This offer has no expiration date at this time.
There is also a Teachers Grant Program in which the company is providing every teacher nationwide two children’s books for each of their students.
Thanks everyone, looking forward to hearing about your experience and have a great week!
Fruity Mooncakes
My in-laws received some delicious mid-autumn festival mooncakes from friends and shared them with us. If you aren’t familiar, these are delicious little Chinese pastries (you could even say, filled cookies) filled with red bean, lotus paste or maybe a hard-boiled duck egg. Ours are fruit-filled which bodes well for the kids.
The imprint on the cake is my favorite thing… I wonder if I can find some “stamps” from a Chinese bakery? Wouldn’t those be fun in a craft room display? And the box that the cakes came in, it’s so cute with a magnetic closure. We’re keeping that for something – maybe my craft supplies. Just when you thought there wasn’t anymore, you get plastic knife and tiny little forks that say, “OK”. You know, because waiting to eat the cakes until you get home from the bakery just won’t cut it.
Tags: autumn, chinese food, eating, mooncakes
Pillowcases – Another Project to Check Off
I finally finished these pillowcases, and taught myself how to do French seams from the Pretty quick pillowcase tutorial (& bonus french seam instructions) at Film in the Fridge. Think of the possibilities for the holidays?! I may be busy sewing for the next few months.
Notice anything? The design is upside down on the left hand pillow. Yes, lesson learned. Now I know what one of the tutorials meant by “good with non-directional prints”. I didn’t really stop to see how it was going to look. Abby didn’t seem to mind. She said, “That’s okay, Mom.” What a relief. Besides that, I turned the main fabric (apple print) 90 degrees contrary to what most of the tutorials showed. I don’t know if it matters. It’s just that if I didn’t, the apples would be sideways, and that’s not really what my daughter wanted.
Here’s a detail of the cuff from the inside. Nice and clean.
Basically, what you see right-side out is normal. What you see when the pillowcase is turned inside-out is this: the French seam. No raw edges.
Looking to add something to your list of projects? Here are some more sites that I scouted:
- This tutorial at jcaroline creative
- The pillowcase tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets shows a “tube” technique.
- To take my pillowcase skills to the next level, I want to try these two patterns at The Lazy Organizer. They’re just too pretty to not try!
Tags: bedroom, crafting, decorating, french seam, pillow, pillowcase, sewing
Some Website Clean-up, Fun and Giveaway
Funky Monday soup, right? We’ll get to that in a moment. I’ve been toying around with this site layout. I’m no web programmer by any means, just playing around. Some of the additions are:
- Along the right hand side of the blog, I’ll post some books and products on cooking, crafting, etc. Some books I own, some I’ve borrowed, read at the library, seen at friend’s homes… I just think they’re cool books, and I think you might like them too. I promise not to clutter up with too much advertising. That was never my intention with this site.
- Further down the right hand side, there is a “Google Friend Connect” box. I don’t know if there are people other than my family who are following my craziness – well, on a regular basis. I sure do appreciate it if you are, and if you feel so inclined to follow along, feel free to sign-in.
So, around 8:00 PM last night, I realized, “OH, it’s Sunday!” It was one of those, “Gee, I thought it was Saturday” moments, and I have to get my head back into the weekday routines. But no, I was wandering around cyberspace and found this site: Sign Generator from RedKid.net. So much fun to be had. There are lots of images to choose from – pick one and enter your phrase. That’s how the Monday Soup came about.
How about your own Oscar award? Street sign? Magic 8 ball? I would have to shake the ball again if I got this fortune. We all have those days, don’t we? I feel like making a bunch of goofy ones and sending them off to my friends.
Lastly, go by Craft Critique today to see my review on Donna Downey products (there are 3 articles, mine is number 2 or 3), and sign up for the wonderful giveaways! I’m so excited to be able to bring these fun opportunities to readers! Entries are open until Wed., May 5… Happy Cinco de Mayo!
(My Craft Critique legal disclosure that I have to include so I or others don’t get in trouble!)
Tags: fun, funny, wasting time, websites
Self-Binding Receiving Blanket
I’ve learned another trick – self-binding blanket! I didn’t know it would be as simple as it was. There are plenty of resources around, but I found these to be the most helpful.
Getting ready for hosting family and friends to celebrate Abby’s first communion this weekend. I’ll be back next week with the reception, a bunch of recipes and crafts!
Happy Monday!
Tags: baby blanket, baby shower, cute, gifts, kids, receiving blanket, self-binding, sewing
