It's been far too long, but I'm back!

So, I'm finished with classes for now and have come out on the other side of the experience with only slightly less sanity than what I began with. I really want to get back into crafting and sewing more, and also to add some inventory to my store, but I have a lot of other little things going on right now, too. One not so small challenge is packing for an upcoming move at the beginning of the summer. Mentally, I'm sooooo ready to leave Vegas, but unfortunately the house refuses to pack itself (rude, right?). If anyone finds an easy button....

A great weekend comes to a close

I just had a super fun weekend with my family - the extra day today was great! I'm really kind of sad to see it end, but I guess someone has to make some money around here so my hubby's back to work tomorrow. Saturday night, my friend Cait and I celebrated turning 30 this month with a party. The guys grilled up a mountain of chicken fajitas and shrimp, and even made homemade chips, guacamole, and salsa. It was delicious! I don't know what the big deal is about this b-day (for some), because I'm actually pretty excited about it. It's a milestone. I've finally made it as an adult! Of course, having 2 kids and being married for over 6 years may have already qualified me for that. Anyway, we spent Sunday evening taking the kids to a pumpkin patch and had a blast! All in all, it was a terrific weekend for family fun!

Another day and one tasty-looking cupcake recipe - YUM!

First things first, I was doing a little blog-hopping and came across an awesome recipe for Nutella cupcakes at Saurkraut Crafts. Seriously, judging by the pic she posted, I think I could live off of these things! I'm definitely going to make some in the very near future!

Here's what they look like (her pic):

Anyway, it was a productive day outside of the house. I, of course, accomplished nothing at home, however, I learned how to make some really cute Christmas ball ornaments. I'll post pics and a tutorial when I get around to doing my own, but the ones we made today are for a fundraiser. Which brings me to my next topic: IF YOU LIVE IN VEGAS, PLEASE COME TO THIS FALL BAZAAR --->

I'll be set up there, as will several other home-based business ladies. It's a great chance to do some early Christmas shopping! See you there!

Getting ready...

I've been working on bows and clips for an upcoming craft bazaar and trying to figure out some display options. My 2-year-old found this interesting metal dressform thing at Ross and thought it would be good. I'm not sure what's going on with the crazy "boob" area, but maybe it will draw some attention to my table and be a good conversation piece. Business is picking up a little with custom orders lately. I just mailed out some bows, a bowband, and an appliqued onesie, and I'm delivering another order tomorrow that includes an applique and a bottle cap bow made for a little girl to cheer on her brother's high school team. I posted pics of that one on my Facebook page and have someone else interested in a bow for a different local high school. Maybe next year I should make more football bows that have local teams (hmmm, note to self). Anyway, I've been hard at work cleaning up my disaster of a living room because my BIRTHDAY PARTY is this weekend. Hooray! My friend and I are both turning 30 this month, so we decided to have a big cookout together and celebrate. I must admit I'm pretty excited to have all of our friends over and party it up, but I'm kind of disappointed, too, that themed parties are frowned upon at this age. Think we could rent a bounce house and start a trend? I'm thinking a few of our friends woudl be pretty dang entertaining in that thing once they'd had a few! Then again, they might leave a special b-day surprise that I'd have to clean up later. Never mind!

Strawberry Shortcake

I had a couple of people request Strawberry Shortcake bows. After searching to no avail for printed ribbon to use, I decided to make some bottlecaps. I found some cute 1" circle images on Etsy and made bows to match the colors in the images, and here's the result...

I think it turned out pretty cute! Now on to my next feat of bottlecap greatness.... a necklace for a friend's daughter. I'll let you know how it turns out!

In other news, MARK YOUR CALENDARS LAS VEGAS FOLKS:

66th Spouses' Group Holiday Bazaar
October 16, 9AM-3PM @ the Aliante Library

Come out and support the vendors who support this fabulous group of military spouses. I'll be there peddling my wares, along with ladies selling Scentsy, Lia Sophia, tutus, Christmas ornaments, and much more! Come by, say hello, and get some early holiday shopping done. :)

Giveaway on Laken and Lila's FB page

Go to Laken and Lila's page on Facebook and enter for a chance to win a gift card. Her handmade designs are soooo stinkin' cute! I love the smocked dress she made with Alexander Henry's Mocca fabric - it would look so sweet with tights and boots and a long-sleeved shirt underneath this winter. Add a pair of bows from Two Sweet Boutique and you've got a fully accessorized, portrait-worthy ensemble.

Free shipping on the Two Sweet Boutique page!

I'm offering free shipping on any orders over $20 placed between now and tomorrow at 5PM PST. Also, $30 will get you free shipping, a 20% discount, and some awesome bows of course! Check out the details on the Two Sweet Boutique Facebook page. I'll also be adding some cute bottlecap bows to the inventory very soon!

In other news, check out this link to some awesome FREE scrapbooking stuff for Halloween. This designer posts some great graphics, and some of them are even available for commercial use!