Making Changes

I'm trying to make some subtle changes here on the ol' blog. Mainly to the product page & some of the other pages. So, I may not get anything fun up for a few days! I hope everyone has a good week!

valentine's pillows {handmade wares}

Here's my first designs for my Valentine's pillows!





I love the red & pink together and the top-stitch in contrasting colors.





All pillow covers are machine washable and the seams are fully serged. The pillow inserts are hypo-allergenic. Finished size is 14 x 14. $35 each.





What do y'all think?





I'll definitely be linking up this week! I'll update you here.

Update* Here's where I'm linking up:

7 facts and stylish blogger award

Suz over at Suz's Treats sweetly gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. So nice!

Here's the scoop for this one:
1. Link to the blogger{s} who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 15 ladies& let them know you did.

My 7 facts:

1. I finally got my husband a good almond cake. After almost 3 years of marriage! Our wedding cake got rear-ended on the way so it never made it, my attempt to make one failed, the cupcake bakery didn't make almond. But yesterday I got him one! (and it was delicious)

2. I am over the snow. I live at the beach, therefore I do not really care for the fluffy white stuff. Bring on the spring!

3. Like Annie, I hate to hear people chew or make noises with their mouths. I mean hate it. I often have to remove myself from being to close to someone who smacks or use all my self-restraint not to snap & embarrass myself!

4. My constant to-do list overwhelms me. Between my day job, crafting, blogging, online marketing and selling, marketing and selling to stores, cooking, and keeping the house clean, I feel there are never enough hours in the day.

5. I just bought a serger! Super excited about this. It actually came in last week, but I've been traveling, working, and living, so I've only practiced on it so far. More projects to come soon, I promise.

6. I have no fewer than 4 picture sets ready to go for Tasty Thursday, with lots of yummy stuff. But due to #4, the recipes have yet to make it a blog post.

7. I love blogging! My little ole' blog is fun for me:) I'm glad y'all follow along with my ramblings and such. Thank you!

Due #4 (again), my list of 15 will have to wait until I have another free 15 minutes:)

happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

I love you more every day!

charleston {trip}

The hubs and I took a short trip to Charleston last weekend to visit a friend. Oh, how I love that city. I actually did my first semester of college at CofC so I'm easily comfortable there. And the food, the food has to be the best of any city in the South. Fried Green Tomatoes every meal - just the way I like it.

Friday night we went to Toast. fgt (of course!), catfish with fried shrimp, red rice, and collards. And a delicious Mai Tai.

Saturday morning we went down to Folly Beach to the Lost Dog Cafe. Best breakfast ever. Really great atmosphere and the weather was beautiful so we were able to sit outside in their little courtyard area.

Saturday afternoon we toured around the town and went to see the Angel Tree. Gorgeous and majestic.


We went to the Market (a must in charleston!) and then headed over the river to an Oyster Roast, complete with a band, lots of beer, sand, and a fire pit to roast marshmallows.



Then we headed back downtown for a comedy show by The Have Nots! Hilarious!

Sunday morning we met up with the hubby's step-brother & wife and went to Fleet Landing for Brunch.

I had a yummy Fried Green Tomato BLT and mimosa's. Perfect start to a Sunday! The boys took off sailing and I headed to King Street for shopping. (of course!) Had a great time:)

That's a terrible picture of my college dorm. Two blocks from King Street, one block from Starbucks.



In the afternoon, we headed to Gene's in West Ashley for appetizers, beers, football, and games. I beat all the boys in Yahtzee!

We topped off a fabulous weekend and a most fabulous restaurant, Poogan's Porch. I had Fried Green Tomatoes (the best I've ever had, ever) and Shrimp and Grits. We all shared though and y'all the fried chicken was seriously the best I've ever had. You. must. go. if you're in Charleston!

Tasty Thursday {Goulash}

Happy Thursday y'all! Welcome to my new followers! So happy to have you:)

Here's another recipe for this cold cold nights we've been having. We had snow here on the beach of NC again this week. Boo. I am really over winter. Anyway, this Goulash kept us warm and provided us with plenty of leftovers for our snow day. Here's the link to the original recipe - on Tasty Kitchen of course!

I changed just a few things on the ingredients- noted in red below - I followed the instruction below, just like the original recipe. I was skeptical at first because I've never made Goulash, but it seems to be a homemade healthy version of Hamburger Helper. And it was delicious!

Here's what you need:
* 1 Tablespoon Oil
* 1 Large Onion, Chopped
* 4 cloves Garlic, Minced {used five}
* 1 pound Ground Beef {lean beef}
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (or 1/2 Teaspoon Table Salt)
* ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
* 1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
* 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder {2 tbsp ancho chili pepper}
* 1 teaspoon Paprika {added Tumeric, about 1 tbsp}
* 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
* 2 cans Diced Tomatoes (14.5 Oz), Zesty-style Works Great {only one can}
* ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt (or 1/4 Teaspoon Table Salt), Or To Taste
* ¼ teaspoons Black Pepper
* 8 ounces, weight Macaroni Or Your Favorite Pasta Shape
* 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley


What to do:
Fill a pot with some water for the pasta; cover, and set over high heat. Start heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the ground beef, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; cook until fully browned. Drain.

While still over medium heat, add the bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, and tomato paste to the ground beef and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, then stir to combine. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer.

When the meat mixture has come to a full simmer, add a good amount of salt to the boiling water. Add the pasta, then stir to combine. Cook the pasta for two minutes less than the shortest cooking time listed on the box. You want it undercooked. While the pasta is cooking, stir the meat mixture periodically.

Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the meat mixture, then stir to combine. Allow the pasta and meat mixture to simmer together for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the pasta is as done as you like it. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Add the parsley and stir to combine.

That's it! Serve and enjoy!

snowy day craft project

We had a snow day at the beach yesterday, so naturally everything shut down! My bobbin case broke on Sunday, so I had a full day to craft and no working sewing machine! Boo!

So I created these vases instead. The fabric really pops in my living room:)







*Update* I've had many requests for instructions on this project! It is easy-peasy. Cut the fabric to fit any glass vase you have (one of mine is actually an old beer glass!). Apply Mod Podge to the glass and apply your fabric, being sure to smooth out any bumps and wrinkles. Finish with a top coat of Mod Podge. Add a candle & light! See, easy-peasy!*

Where I'm linking up this week:



How'd you spend your snow day?

Spicy Chicken & Black Bean Soup {Tasty Thursday}

Yep, you read that right. I'm finally getting another Tasty Kitchen post up. If I can manage my time better in 2011, you should get many more - I try to make one new recipe a week.

I put this soup in the crockpot and it was perfect when I got home from work. The house smelled great! I love using the crockpot - it's so easy and then my evenings are free to get my craft on:). Here's the link to the original recipe on Tasty Kitchen. I made some changes, so I posted my process and ingredients below.

What you need:
* 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
* 16 ounces, weight Salsa
* 32 ounces low sodium Chicken Broth
* 16 ounces, weight Frozen Mixed Vegetables
* 1 Tablespoons Salt
* 2 Tablespoons Pepper
* 2 Tablespoons Red Pepper Flakes
* 1 Tablespoons Ancho Chili Pepper
* 2 Tablespoons Cumin
* 3 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained

What to do:
Mix everything but the chicken together in the Crockpot. Stir. Place the chicken breasts on top. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken and stir. Serve with homemade tortilla chips.

Notes: I adjusted the salt levels from the original recipe. Of course, salt to taste, but I prefer thinks less salty!

Perfect soup for these cold winter days:) And made my husband happy because he loves black beans!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year my lovely friends and readers! Welcome to any of you new followers, also! I'm glad to have you here and I hope you enjoy my random ramblings, crafts, and recipes:)

I don't have any new projects to post today, although I made quite a few Christmas presents this year. December, Christmas, and the New Year really got away from me this go round and I wasn't able to get up with this blog so much - sorry! My pillows were very successful (!), my social life busy, my craft show good (!), and my goals for a handmade holiday very high. All this culminated in my being knocked off my feet for a few days last week. In December 2011, I will have to plan better and start earlier.

Thank you so much to all of you who have supported me in 2010! I look forward to sharing more projects, recipes, and stories with you in 2011!