homepage goodness and a new stack

It is always exciting to make it to the etsy homepage, even more special is that it's my littlest seester wearing Cakies...

Also, I have a wonderful new stack of vintage fabric, which consists of some european linen and more tablecloths...
I love new stacks of fabric. I love to fold, and re-fold and look at them cause they are darn pretty! Now, if I can just get orders done to make something for my girls and more once in awhiles to put in the shop.

Yippee!!!

Also, check out a friend's new etsy shop and another friend's contest... both rock! And don't forget to enter to win the Free People inspired bag (see post below)...

friday night celebration

My superly-duperly, hot husband came home Friday night with a little surprise to celebrate our good news. My Benny and True were going to make one of my favorite salsas, Jicama Salsa...

Benny is a natural in the kitchen and I think True is taking after him (even their hair looks the same)...
As they cut together, Benny teaches her all the names of the vegetables in Spanish and in English. It is quite adorable to see them work!

The final product, "Voila!"

My Benny's Jicama Salsa

1 jicama

a bunch of tomatillos

a bunch of red, orange & yellow bell peppers

1 bunch cilantro

a bunch tomatoes

3 corn (boil then cut from the cob or maybe can just use a can, if not fresh)

about 5 limes/lemons (use to taste)

lots of serrano peppers (depending how spicy you want it)

1/4 head of garlic (depending how much you love this stuff)

salt

Cut and dice everything up (except the lime). Throw it in a large bowl. Mix. Add lime and salt to taste. Now, grab a chip and dip right in... yummy!

Thank you everyone who has commented so far! It is nice to meet a lot of you and I hope you come back to visit. Plus, I am already loving all the new links you have sent me, there are just so many wonderful people out there. Thank you for sharing your favorites. If you haven't entered yet, don't forget to enter to win the Free People inspired bag (see post below)!!!

Looking forward to another crafting week. There is lots to be done, so I am sure I will be busy...

Free People (and a bag giveaway)

So do you remember my Free People inspired bag? Well, because of that bag I had the pleasure of being found by Free People (thanks Heather!). I worked for them to develop instructions on how to re-create the bag and am so honored to be interviewed by them and featured as their first featured craft blogger.

Now, if you read my blog consistently, you know my love for Free People, particularly the Urban Outfitters Co. as a whole! I love Urban, Free People, and Anthropologie... all of those places rock!!!

Also, with their feature and this post, I am giving away the bag (pictured above) that I made while writing the instructions. The bag is made of a vintage tablecloth on the outside, Amy Butler fabric on the inside and with scraps of fabric to make the braided handles, which are my favorite part of the bag.

To be entered, just leave a comment on this post including the following items:

1. Your favorite crafter/craft site (I love learning about more inspiring people.)

2. Your favorite item in my shop

3. Your email address, so I could contact you should you win.

*Those overseas are welcome to join in.

Then, a week from now, the morning of Friday, October 3rd, I will randomly pick a winner!

So, if you want to learn more about me, learn how to make the bag, and just check out another cool blog... hope on over to Free People's blog (and do some shopping on their site while your at it)!!!

Thank you Free People for this wonderful opportunity! You are so inspiring and your site, clothes, and blog continue to give me inspiration!!!

***UPDATE***

More excitement because all those who subscribe to Free People emails (including me) just received this one...

We really are excited over here and as my friend Krystin put it, we think it's "rad, rad, rad"!!!

Good luck everyone!!!

***I just did a minor shop update and included is once in awhile items, more to come***
Once in awhile items are sold out, there will be some coming again, keep checking back! Thanks everyone!!!

going pickin'

It was time to go get some mushrooms and naturally a girl must have a dress with enough pockets to carry a motherload of mushrooms...
The style is the same as the city slickers get up, but in lovely linen and with ample pockets to hold the wonderful delicacy.

We walked in the forest upon entering we found a ready bunch of mushrooms...

The little girl sat down and picked...

And picked, and picked, until her pockets could handle no more (even her basket was pretty full)...
'Twas a lovely day of picking, although we were afraid of picking the sickly kind like a friend of ours a few months back. Though, I am sure this batch is good and will be devoured as quickly as they were found!

While leaving the woody forest, we saw a most frightful mushroom. We didn't pick this one...
Anyone want some mushrooms?

Just to think this sudden mushroom craving came from the fact that I wanted a new pin cushion. Next, I ended up making a bunchful because True wanted some to play with, then along came a little frock because well, if you do go mushroom pickin' you must have pickin' dress!

I love these other mushroom-esque things... Mushroom Meadows, Toadstool Nightlight (Grammie/Grumpy/Grandmama: True would surely love this in her room!), Tamar Mogendorff. All so inspiring...

Now we are off to pick some books in the forest called our local public library...

Happy picking!

trying something new

So, I (especially my Benny) have never been too keen on baby headbands. I just never found any that I liked and weren't too baby-like, so we never bothered to have our girls wear one. 

I figured I have been making hair clips, why not try to turn them into a sort of headband. This is my take on it and there is still some tweaking to be done... 
It still has the dimension that I like from my little Rosy Posies, but now it is headband form...

 

What do you think?

back to reality

It was nice to be gone for just a little bit, and we had fun just being together in a new environment. The girls pretty much explored the hotel room, we ventured outside when clouds covered the sun, and we went swimming at night. Mini vacations are always lots of fun (even if it was just tagging along with my Benny as he went for work)...
Also, I am glad the weather is cooling off. I prefer colder weather...

It is time to get out my crochet needles.

land of the hot and sunny

I kind of disappeared for a little, but that is only because we tagged along with my Benny as he had to take care of some work in Palm Springs. A land of palm trees, dirt, mountains, cacti and lots of heat... Oh and thank you so much for all the nice words for my latest Anthro inspired concoction! I really was encouraged by so many of you! I really did especially enjoy making that last dress for Brave. I have so many other little frocks in mind that I have been busily sketching here, that I can't wait to be sewing again after this nice little week of hiatus!

Well, as soon as we get home I will share more of our pictures of our time in the dessert, but until then...

Have a good rest of the week everyone!

Almost forgot, but I wanted to share another new little place for Cakies, the wonderful online shop Craftsbury Kids! They carry a whimsical range of handmade goodies from artists everywhere, which include my personal favorite Mummysam. I have loved this shop since I first learned about them from Cookie Magazine, so I am so excited to see Cakies there! Thanks Cecilia for this wonderful opportunity! So go support this super duper lovely store and shop Craftsbury Kids...

a rose like no other

So my new skill of free motion embroidery led me to make this special little number. Often times, I feel so bad when I sew because I usually sew True something first. This time, I wanted to make something especially for my little Brave-y...
This was one of those projects that you just felt good about and couldn't stop until it was done. So fervently I worked during their naps and bedtimes until it was completed. I think the embroidery of the rose took longer than making the dress itself, as I used 5 variations of red/pink and 3 variations of green, so there was a lot of machine threading and unthreading going on, not including all the bobbin winding I did. Ben was quite amazed as he was working next to me as I sewed. He said, "You are drawing with your sewing machine?!!" I like to "wow" the husband, he makes me feel like the smartest girl on the planet!

The dress was inspired by this cardigan from Anthropologie...
It is just the inside of the sweater, but why should something with so much beauty be hidden inside, I thought it belonged on the outside, so I did just that. I really think that Anthropologie ought to take some of their clothes and make a kids line with it. I would be glad to be their gal to help them with that! Who said kids couldn't be sophisticated?!!


I think the little sleeves are so sweet and the white and black polka dot is a nice contrast with the embroidered rose. The dress closes at the back with a simple little tie...
It really all turned out nicely, just like I envisioned in my head. I am glad that there were no real screw ups because that happens to me often, as I just start cutting the fabric without use of a pattern, so if I mess up, I mess up, and off to the trash it goes or to somebody else that might fit it.

I think all it calls for a now is a cute, little, red cardigan! Anyone know where I can find a simple one? Maybe, I will try to sew one. How do you sew a cardigan?!! I wish I could knit one, but I don't know how to do that... oh well! I will keep my eye out for one.

My Brave looks so darling in it and I think True got a little jealous as she is now asking for mama to make her one. I got something else in mind for my True, now I just have to find the perfect fabric.

My Brave is definitely a rose like no other...
Have wonderful weekend everyone!

absolutely giddy

I am trying a new little thing using free motion embroidery, maybe I will be done tomorrow. It makes me giddy and I can't wait to see how it turns out...
Cakies has also gotten some wonderful press today at Baby Style Watch... another reason to be giddy!!!

Then, a wonderful Cakies merger with the fabulous Grosgrain. I love Kathleen and was so excited to see her "Make Believe Frock" that was accompanied by my Too Lovely Tulip Crown, so now go by her blog and say hello, and you will have a chance to win her lovely frock and a Cakies Crown!

Cakies + Grosgrain = lots of giddiness

As you can see, there is lots of excitement going on in our little world!!!

One baby is asleep and one is going to soon, I am off to continue my embroidery...

my dear genius

My Benny is the smartest man I know! Really...

There are numerous times he will concoct something to eat just using whatever we have lying around... this usually comes after hours of him saying, "What do you want to eat?"

Me saying, "Nothing. Nothing sounds good."

Then, he will whip himself something because I don't want to do it or eat anything, and then he will sit next to me to eat it. I usually look at it and say (with an apprehensive face), "What's that?!!"

He says, "Pureed vegetables. Want to try?"

"No thanks!"

"Just try it."

"Fine." I grab a spoonful put it in my mouth and my eyes light up!

"See it is good, huh?"

"Yeah." Then, I proceed to eat the rest of his food before he has a chance to eat it and off he goes to make another batch for himself.

So this conversation happens a lot because sometimes (most of the time) he will mix ingredients that to me, is like, "No thanks!" but ends up being oh so good!!!

So this was his latest marvelous creation, which is made from his steamed vegetables cauliflower, yellow and orange carrots, broccoli that he forgot, so were overcooked, he pureed it and then added olive oil, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. It came out like mush, but it really tasted so, so yummy!!!
A full serving of vegetables makes yummy food... this stuff is really good!!! And my Benny is just the greatest and super duper hottest guy ever!!!

We are also working on another special little project that I can't wait to show you, so armed with spray paint and the make-shift mask I made him from my fabric scraps (he hated it) we got to work...
Okay, only he did, but I took some pictures!

I hope everyone has a good day today. I feel better as my big orders are out and I have a few etsy ones to work on (Susan... yours will be in the mail tomorrow!) and I hope to get to work on a few new things today too...

Happy Tuesday!!!

city slickers

We were going to the city (we live an hour out in a suburb) and the girls needed something vibrant and funky to blend right in...

I can't help but think about the bold textures, sights and sounds everywhere in the city. Therefore their getups had to have some bold, distinct colors (though the picture doesn't really show the nice reds and yellows)...

Brave's skirt was my version of a skirt done at Elsie Marley, which I love, and hers is much better than mine...



I must say they both looked like two, adorable, city slickers...

taking up real estate

We needed to do something fun, so we decided to make a house...
Plus, it was perfect because of I love this quilt piece I got at the flea market awhile back and I think the colors are perfect for house building. True was pretty darn excited about this and Brave well, she kept trying to huff and puff and blow the house down! As we persevered her attempts to knock down the house, we finally got her to understand that you go underneath the blankets, not on top of it!

I haven't had much time to sew this week, as I am busy working on orders and haven't been feeling the greatest. I hope to finish a couple new designs to put in the shop, as well as make something special for both my little babyCakies... gosh, there never seems to be enough time in a day!

And as far as my little growth chart, the possibilities of different ways to make it are endless and this particular one matches with my style really well, so I love it! Now, the winner of my extra growth chart is Rachel!!! ***Rachel, I can't get into your blog or email you, so if you please email me at mycakies@gmail.com with your address, I would be glad to send it to you as soon as possible.

I hope I can gets loads of work done today, but one thing is for sure... we will keep having fun playing house.

See you on Monday!!!

and they grow, grow, grow

So a growth chart is absolutely necessary with 2 little growing ones in our house...
This was a simple and easy project (I saw a growth chart similar to this somewhere a long time ago, so if anyone knows what I am talking about, please let me know, so I can link to it). Now, I am not a fan of clowns or the primary colored or the too kiddy looking growth charts out there, nor did I want to ruin my walls, and I really wanted something that would match my decor. Plus, I wanted it to be simple and timeless and could easily be passed down...

So I purchased, some of what I think is burlap-ish, upholstery-ish kind of band (I really like the natural look of it), along with a thin dowel, and I already had the tags and twine at home...


Next, I measured it out to be 5' 2'' long. I folded 1'' at the top and topstitched it to make a casing for the dowel, and I repeated the same thing at the bottom. Then, I cut the dowel to get two 5'' pieces (my dowel edges are rough cause I just used scissors) and inserted one at the top and another at the bottom. I tied some twine to the top and "Voila!" I got myself a simple and lovely growth chart...
Lastly, I measured it 1 foot off the ground, so that it would extend up to 6 feet. Hey! You never know... one of my girls might get real tall!!! I had my little True-y and Brave-y stand up as straight as they could against it, I made a tiny mark, took my measuring tape and measured it from the ground up and wrote their name, date, and height on a little tag and pinned in right in its perfect place! They seemed to really like this and kept wanting to get measured... it was too darn cute!

Then, I was thinking this could be done with anything from fabric to ribbon! Instead of using a tag and safety pin, clothespins could also be used...
It really is so nice and simple that it could be passed down for ages and have the special little tags saved.

If interested, I have enough to make another, so leave a comment here and on Friday, if there is more than one person interested, I will pick another name! I guess kind of like another giveaway... plus, it gets you to come out and say, "Hello!"

Well, I hope you had a good Tuesday, mine has been a little crazy! My girls are extra boisterous and I have been dealing with lots of poop accidents... yikes!!!

Now, I am off to do some work for my Benny and don't forget to leave a comment if you are interested in this simple chart...

***this was idea found here (thanks to those who informed me!). Go buy it from her... it is fabulous! ***

the summer is leaving us

And I welcome Fall with open arms, though California's seasons are really blurred...

Since Fall is almost here, it is time for some new shoes for the new season (okay not in my reality, but in my dream world). My Benny declared a spending freeze (we are trying to save for some future plans but on one income in California, it does presents its challenges), but I can still show you some shoes that make me go googly eyes...




I love this yellow shoe. I love yellow and mustard-ish color things, much to my Benny's dismay, but regardless I love it!!!










I also love this gold shoe. Come on, every girl needs a pair of gold shoes for the fall!! The more I look at it, the more I really love this shoe... I can imagine it being worn with pencil skirts, skinny jeans, oh and the possibilities are endless!!!








Of course, they are both from my most favorite store, not that I shop there all the time. Frankly, I don't really shop (I just dream, just like the other shoe I was in love with from them, but they sold out... boo for me)! It is just Anthropologie is one of my greatest sources of inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, it is so encouraging to see all the auctions that are going on for the Nie Recovery fund. It is wonderful how this community has really bonded together...

Thank you so much to all who bid on my Sweet Flora Crown, it really does mean so much to me!!! But the winner with the highest bid is Melissa from Piggy Press! Congratulations!!!

And it isn't too late to find an auction to give to this wonderful cause as there still are many going on or you can just donate straight to Nie Recovery if you would like.

Well, we are off to enjoy the rest of Labor Day at my mom's house, so Happy Labor Day everyone!!!