fridays are nice

The end of the week is here and so is the end of my giveaway and as chosen by the random number generator, the winner is...
Yes, a very lovely blog, by a very inspiring Erika, who lives an ocean away. She even has a most wonderful etsy shop full of goodies that you should most definitely check out!

Congratulations Miko Design!

Oh and I had to share that you could win a Cakies Crown from a giveaway that is being done at Mammalicious Finds, so check it out!!!

Now I am off to finish a few orders, work on a few new things for the shop (I just did a massive shop update and I am liking the cleaner background), and spend more time with my girls and my Benny (when he finally comes home).

I will be back next week to share a cool project we did, the results of my decorating frenzy in Brave's room and just loads of more happy creating, but until then...

***Don't forget my silent auction for Nie Nie is still going on and everywhere else until Sunday midnight.***

silent auction for Nie Nie

Thank you everyone for such warm wishes about my blog-versary. It is nice meeting most of you, whom I have never met before and feel free to come out of the wood work anytime to say hello! I always wonder who actually reads my little blog and it is so nice to know that I have so many kindred spirits. 

I am so encouraged by the nice things you all have said and I look forward to another year of blogging (as God permits)...

On another note, I have seen how this blog-osphere community bonds together to help a neighbor in need and I wanted to do the same. In case you haven't heard, Stephanie (from Nie Nie Dialogues) and her husband Christian were in a plane crash and have extensive injuries. The doctors say their recovery will take awhile and will cost well into the millions. Their family is working together to help them as they have 4 little children and many others are pitching in as well. Part of the pitching in are numerous bloggers who are holding silent auctions to donate to Nie Nie.

So for the auction, it will start August 28th, which has been declared by Design Mom as Nie Nie Day, and will go until Sunday the 31st at 11:59 p.m. PST. To be entered in the auction just leave a comment and email on this post, higher than the previous bid (please do at least $1 increments). Once the auction is closed, the comment with the highest bid amount will win the crown (and lucky for you, I am not quite as popular as some of the blogs out there, so winning this is very doable). The winning bidder can pay directly to the Stephanie Nielson Fund (and after forwarding the paypal receipt of donation to me), I will ship the crown to the winning bidder.

Now the item that will be auctioned off is this special Sweet Flora Crown, which has been made for this special purpose...

This sweet crown will be perfect to help this sweet family in need. 

If you aren't able to bid, please do pray for the Nielson family. To read more on them visit Nie Nie Dialogues or updates done by her sister at Cjanerun.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at mycakies@gmail.com.

To see other auctions that are going on, check out Design Mom. Also, don't forget to enter in the blog-versary giveaway below...

thank you and a blog-versary giveaway

It has been a wonderful first year blogging in this space...

I have made so many good friends through here and I appreciate all the love and encouragement that I have received thus far. To think it all started with a friend, who owned a baby boutique, liking my handmade goodies, and then another friend, encouraging me to blog about it! Through this, I have been able to help my family a bit and I just thank God for this opportunity!!!

To celebrate, I wanted to give away some Cakies clippies, which is what started this all! A lucky winner (those overseas are welcome to join) will receive 3 Cakies clippies of their choice...
The giveaway will end and be announced sometime Friday morning and in order to be part of it, just leave a comment on this post. 

I love making things, learning from and being inspired by others, and being able to share this love for creating with all of you, so thank you!

So, happy blog-versary to me!!!

Also, I had to share some new Cakies stockists:

• Babylegs Singapore - I am so excited about this because it is one of my first international spots and being sold along side the famous Babylegs is such an honor!
  
• Ava and Ashley - If you are going green, this is another place to go!
  
• Genes - Totally a rockin' place to shop and check out their look book because you could be a queen, king, or just rock a Cakies clip!
  
• Lilliputians-NYC - Famous for their birthday outfits, they also carry an exclusive line of Cakies crowns that can only be found on their site.
  
• Green Little Beans -  Perfect place to shop for that cute, little, organic baby you love and they have the cutest handmade stick ponies I have ever seen!
  

Thank you Lord for giving Cakies these opportunities!!!

walking and jumping

My Brave has a new found skill of walking, therefore I made her a "walking dress"...
Made of some soft, buttery yellow linen (the fabric is a gift from a friend) and is reversible with some vintage reproduction fabric. Come on, every new walker needs to be able to have free little legs in linen! Of course, a trace of her teeny footprints embroidered, along with a tiny "b", onto a sweet pocket is a perfect way to remember this important milestone in my Brave's life.


Then, True needed something equally as sweet. We were going to a jumper party, so she needed a sweet "jumper dress" to mark the jumpin' good time she would have...
The lovely, chocolate brown linen (also a gift) would prove to be lightweight to carry her as high as she possibly could jump. Of course, the dress had to be a jumper of sorts to be sure that everything would stay in place as she tries to defy gravity. Plus, with all the kids that would be there (and possibly wearing jumpers too), I didn't want her to get lost or confused with someone else, so to be sure this didn't happen, her name was lovingly stitched in...
So True is her name and jumping was her game...
Well, it seems she did some tumbling too!!!

These dresses were quite fun to make. I have really been challenged and inspired by many talented women to make more natural, creative, and heirloom-ish dresses for my girls. I think it is so much more special to have a mama-made dress... maybe they will pass this on to their girls one day!

***Thanks Helen for teaching me new tricks!!!

snippets of my atelier

***Sad news for Dave Matthews Band (and their fans) because LeRoi Moore, DMB's saxophonist, passed away this past Tuesday.

friends, a flea market, and shaved ice

What more can a girl ask for on Sunday afternoon...

Nothing beats the heat like some sweet fruit and milky, shaved ice...

I got a few goodies, but we are really starting to cut back and budget even more for some future plans we are praying about, so my goodies will be lessened slowly.

Thanks Helen, little seester, and Irene (who has an etsy store opening up in the near future, so stay tuned) for a lovely trek through the heat in search of treasure and shaved iced!!!

two picnic frocks

We had 2 picnics to go to on Saturday and that called for a "picnic frock" for each girl.

I needed something that could easily get messy among the grass playing, water fighting, playground running, and watermelon eating (well, cause there is always watermelon at a picnic!) fun...

So along came about this dress, which is the perfect picnic print and I wanted a feel of a big napkin tied around her, free to get messy just as my True pleases....

And for Brave, I am not so into the matchy-matchy (I am sure one day I may do it, not yet though), so I figured this old skirt of mine turned dress would be perfect to hide any grass stains she may acquire as she scoots and rolls around the grass...

They definitely got them dirty and stinky and so at the end of the picnic, I untied them, took it off, and into clean clothes they went. Then, off we went to yet another picnic...

a freaky friday

It was quite a busy day...

I turned in my little project... yahoo!!!

Finished a bag.

Made 2 nursing covers (for presents).

Made a shopping cart cover (for another present), which is something I vowed to never make again the last time I made it... maybe this time I'm serious.

And if that wasn't crazy enough, decided to make 2 dresses for my babyCakies (but one was from my old skirt, so that was simple)...

Oh and did I mention True decided to poop 6 times today!!! That doesn't count her little pee diapers or Brave's diapers... yikes!

Today, was definitely a freaky Friday. Let's hope the weekend doesn't turn out to be the same...

this has to be mine

Enough said!!!

Summer by the Lake Swimsuit GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain is really fabulous...

dress up and book making

I found this cute dress at the thrift store a few weeks ago and finally took it out for True to play dress up with...

She was pretty excited about the dress and frankly so was I. It is fun to have her little dress-up collection growing, which currently consists of 3 tutu's, 1 cape, and a few other goodies.

We also used a technique from the How to Make Books Book to make True a little book and we had so much fun coloring and drawing in it...

Except of course, a two-year old cannot stay within the page, so off she went onto the construction paper...

And grand news... Brave took more than 4 steps today!!!

not my giveaway

But such a lovely one at Bellasymphony...

Check out at her blog cause you could win a lovely Project Grab Bag Pirate Parker doll. Shannon is just the best when it comes to her whimsical creations... I mean , come on, a peg-legged pirate doll is just fantastic!!!

You have until September 1st to leave a comment about what item is your favorite from her online or etsy shop.

We heart Bellasymphony and Project Grab Bag...

Good luck all, but I am hoping that I win!!!

for my mom

It was my mom's birthday yesterday and I whipped up a small, little messenger bag for her (that has been her request)...


She loves roses, tea, soft colors, and anything victorian, so I thought this delicately sweet, rose print was perfect for the birthday girl... 
It my first attempt at this style and I liked how it turned out, but I will have to definitely practice to make it better.

And of course, we all had some yummy sushi and cake to celebrate the occasion...
True and Brave love their Grammie! Benny and I love her too!!!

a basket and a hat

Are two of my latest finds on this weekend's flea market excursion... 

The hat is quite a peculiar one and it won't be used for hat wearing, but I will use the vintage millinery flowers for some new experimental creations. I hope it turns out alright...

My Monday has been happy, as it is my lovely mom's birthday... I hope your Monday was a happy one too!!!

cupcakes and pops

girls napping + quiet time = cupcakes

Also, I just finished another batch of Red Velvet Pops for our godson's 2nd birthday party tomorrow... I think I am a pro at making these pops! Anyone want some?!!

It has definitely been a full week, rather a full few weeks. I have a few things I want to make and hopefully put in the shop. A few new crowns are ready and my sketch book is full of new ideas that I hope I can get to those soon, but next week will be devoted to finishing one pretty exciting project that has had me smiling from ear to ear. I can't wait to share it with you...

Until then, have a splendid weekend!!!

all the way from France

A most blissful and whimsical friend brought me some treasures from a Paris flea market...


She merrily sojourned throughout different parts of Europe and was so thoughtful in thinking of me in France. She knows that I love anything French, especially old French things... thank you so much Helen! I love it...

You must visit her lovely shop and blog, she is the most creative when it comes to words and concocting a "special garb to hold your dear gadgets"!!!

exhausted

Things have been so busy of late, but I finally got through some emails and a bunch of orders are going out tomorrow...

Also, I have missed visiting some of your pages... I will be doing a lot of catching up next week!!!

Oh and guess what?!! My dream shoe, you know the very (VERY) expensive one from Anthropologie is now on sale!!! I was so excited, but I don't know why cause I still can't buy it even though it is half the price. Oh well... a girl can dream can't she?!!

So Mr. or Ms. Anthropologie... if you are still out there, I would still love to trade or work for the shoe!!! I am ready anytime... just let me know.

I hope everyone had a nice Wednesday!!

Off to la-la land I go...

366 days (it was leap year)

That is how many days my littlest babyCakies has lived...

Happy 1st birthday my little Brave!!!

chucks

I finally own my first pair and it is all thanks to the new Mr. and Mrs. Won...
Don't worry, I wasn't wearing these during the ceremony, but the whole bridal party was wearing them for the reception. It was a very lovely gift from the bride and groom and was perfect cause we (the ENTIRE bridal party) all performed the last dance from the movie High School Musical (young kids aren't the only ones that like this movie). It was crazy, fun, and loads of energy!!!

The wedding was grand (they had 2 receptions and 600 guests), the Red Velvet Pops were devoured (I saw lots of tags left on the table with no pop), and our group dance went very well...

It was so much fun and such an honor to be a part of Jane and Alex's wedding!!!

300 done

Of course, there must always be a few mess ups. But mess-ups are dangerous cause they tease and taunt me and then end up in my tummy...

Would you like one?

This afternoon, I will be off for the wedding rehearsal and dinner, where I will be taking all 300 hundred of the Red Velvet Cake Balls (I must say Bakerella is a genius) with me...

It will be so fun and so exciting. I love pre-wedding day excitements!!

Oh have a marvelous weekend everyone!!!