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Monday, July 28, 2008

This week's Cafemom Etsy Mom featured artists are....

Sheepishmagoo and Dottbugs! Yes we had another tie. The theme was music!!

Sheepishmagoo's entry:

ROCKSTAR Girls size 6 t-shirt Guitar applique




MandyMagoo's Shop Announcement

ALL ITEMS MADE IN A SMOKE-FREE, PET-FREE HOME!
I accept Revolution Money Exchange!!!!If you would like to pay by RME, just select "other" as your payment method at checkout and note in the comments box that you would like to pay by RME. I will send you an invoice to the email on file with Etsy, unless you provide a different email to which you'd like me to send the invoice.

THE GOOFY TOOTH INFO*~~*~~*The Goofy Tooth is made to order! Yours will be very slightly different but will generally be the same! :D Every Goofy Tooth is available as a hanging Tooth! Just convo me to do a custom listing for you! :D

Here are a few items you can find at MandyMagoo.etsy.com


REVERSIBLE AFGHAN

THE GOOFY TOOTH--Tooth Shaped--Tooth Fairy Pillow








Next we have Dottbugs entry!

Guitar Notebook


Here are a few more awesome items you can find at

handmadebylinda.etsy.com


handmadebylinda's Shop Announcement

Thank you for stopping by Handmade by Linda. My shop features handmade cards, journals, and other paper crafts. My items are made in my smoke free but pet friendly home. What's new: Halloween and Mini Scrapbooks. Coming soon: Christmas items
Special Orders: If you see something you like but want it in a different color, I do accept special orders.

Real Friends


Butterfly Journal

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Making Flowers from Old Drink Cans!





Wild Flowers by FLUTTERBRUSH

This is a really simple but delightful art project for almost any age, using recycled materials. These whimsical 3-D Aluminum Can Flowers can be hung on the wall or displayed in a vase with a wire stem.

Younger kids may have trouble cutting the aluminum and hammering holes, but can get help from mom or dad. You might think that these cans would be sharp, but they are not. I've never gotten more than a scratch. The cans can be cut with scissors- even kid's scissors. I use an old pair that I don't care about. Of course, kids should always be supervised!


Materials:

3 aluminum cans, different sizes (a tall can is nice to have) washed and dried

old scissors
acrylic paint and brushes
phillips screwdriver
hammer
3- 4" piece of wire for hanging

Directions:

1. Cut the top off the cans:




2. Cut strips to bottom of cans- vary width and number, trim ends if you like:




3. Use hammer and screwdriver to make holes in the bottom of the can. (Put the can you are punching over a stack of newspapers so you don't damage your table.)

You will need to punch at least two holes that line up and go through all 3 cans to thread the wire through and hold them together, but don't thread them till after they are painted.

I also put decorative holes in the bottom to add interest
and layers.

Punching center decorative hole:



Only the bottom can has the threading holes punched, the other two cans still need to be lined up and punched:



4. Paint each section and let dry. I always hold one over the other to see what they will look like.


5. Thread the wire through and twist on the back to make a loop for hanging. Touch up wire with paint.



You can see the outside of the can is not painted. People are amazed when they find out what these are made of!




Hang as is on the wall, or attach to long wire and put in a pot.

ENJOY!

Save Money Swiffering!

1.Get a package of microfiber towels. You can find these in the automotive section of most stores. They are made of 80% Polyester and 20% Polyamide

2. If you are using a green Swiffer (dry) all you have to do is trim the towels to fit your swiffer and stick the ends into the holes on top. You can serge it if you like but microfiber generally does not fray.

3. If you are using the purple Swiffer (wet) all you have to do it tri-fold the towels and sew a few lines across to turn the towel into a pad:

You won't need many rows - just enough to keep the pad stable once it gets wet.

The purple Swiffers have velcro on the bottom that sticks perfectly to your microfiber pad and will hold it in place without you having to sew velcro to your pad itself.

It takes less than a minute to make the wet pads and will be a big money saver if you have laminate or tile floors and swiffer a lot. The microfiber attracts dust and hair when wet and is very absorbent. It also is easy to wash and quick to dry. A very economical solution to reduce waste and save money!

from Karin's blog: www.dominopads.blogspot.com

Bath Bomb Tutorial

Very Basic recipe (there are tons on the net)

  • 11/2cup baking soda
  • 1/2 cup citric acid
  • fragrance
  • water soluble dye

Measure out your baking soda in a wide container. For this tutorial i did 2 colors so just put half in each container. Mash it up to make sure its nice and smooth with no clumps or lumps. Yes i used a potatoe masher.

next add a drizzle of your water soluble dye into each container. Im using cherry and iced lemon.

Mix it really good. I use the masher to get it lightly mixed then get your hands in ther and squish it up good.

Now your ready to add your fragrance. Drizzle it in like you did with the dye and mix again. Use your hands and work it real good. Ok that makes me sound like a perv.LOL

If your adding moisturizing oils and butters you would do that now but if not move on to the next step.I didnt take a pic of this step since i only supplied with a bare basic recipe.

Now very last you want to add your citric acid. You do this so the liquids dont set of your fizzy action.

Mix it with your masher and hands again make sure there are no clumps.

Have your mold and everything ready im making tablet shapes in a pvc pipe.

Spritz your mixture with alcohol just enough to get it damp and hold together like sand.Mix it quick before it sets off the fizz.

Scoup it into your mold. i fill mine about 1/2 full which is about 4 loose tablespoons.

Smoosh it down. You want to make sure they are packed nice and tight. Unmold. Then when your all done keep them away from humidity till they dry. Do a little dance to keep the humidity gremlins away and pray they come out like this.

Of course you could just say for get it and order from me. ;o)

You Could WIN! Patches the Psychedelic LOVE OWL!

We here at Cafemom Etsy Moms, would like to know WHY you buy handmade!

And to find out, we're willing to send you some Good Luck in LOVE!

To Win Patches, the Psychedelic Love Owl, Please leave a comment stating WHY you buy handmade. Put as much or as little as you would like in your entry. We (the panel of CEM admin) will pick the winner based on the BEST answer!


Da Rules:
Anyone can enter
You can only enter once per screen name
You MUST leave an email address or Etsy username to be contacted by if you do win
You can only enter HERE... on the CEM Blog, No where else!
Contest will run through August 2nd 2008 at Midnight
Contest Winner will be announced August 3rd 2008 by 3:00pm EST

Heres Patches:

Patches the Psychedelic Love Owl

Patches the Psychedelic Love Owl
zoom

Hi!

Meet Patches! He's the Psychedelic Love Owl!

Patches is made from Fleece, Felt, and Cotton Fabrics. Handmade by me on my sewing machine and by hand. Patches measures 12 inches across and 9 inches from top to bottom.

He has a pink "tail" with patches on his backside, and hearts and patches on his tummy too!

Patches is a great gift for young or old. There are no buttons or items that will pose choking hazards for young children and he's a great companion for older kids... or adults for that matter!
Patches will make a great gift for that friend that needs someone to keep a watchful eye on their love life! Or needs good luck in that area!


**Patches in Donated by rockerchic over at rockerchic.etsy.com****




Airplane!

I was sitting in my dr's very full waiting room with my 3 yr old daughter surrounded by senior citizens. I gave my daughter her crayon roll I made and she started to draw a mommy. When she was done she started to explain her drawing.

"Look mommy I drew you. I drew eyes, and a nose, and hair. You're sitting on the potty." Then very loudly so not even one hard of hearing senior could miss it, she said "Ohh! I forgot to draw the poop hole!"

And Then:

Once while picking up my 4 yo son at the end of the day from preschool I got busy talking to the teacher and wasn't watching my son who had volunteered to carry mommy's purse. Then I heard "Look I made an airplane". I turned around to see his airplane was made of a tampon with a pad across the top for wings.

visit www.aebaby.etsy.com a boutique for mom & baby

Completing the outfit!

We love finding coordinating items at the Cafemom Street Team, here is a submission from one of our members:

Retro Round Neck Top, Size 12 months

From SewMommySew, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_10&listing_id=13647175

Infant Soft Soled Shoes made with Michael Miller Cocoa Dot Pink

From PinkMarshmallow, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12823240

I LOVE THIS! How freaking adorable! I can just picture my Daughter in it now.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Embarassing mom Moments!

Heres another addition to our Embarrassing Moments from CozyCabinMom.

My lil girl told a lady in the store to "come here"...so the lady came over...my lil girl reached her arms out and said "hug"...so the lady...so touched said....awwwwww and leaned over to hug my daughter....my daughter grabbed on to the lady's boobs and wriggled her hands back and forth and said " Booooooooooooooooobies"

Once in Walmart, a man walked by with a patch over his eye and says "Look mommy...a pirate" then starts singing "A pirate... a pirate.... a pirate says...(and she yells) ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Steps to Success with Cafemom and Etsy

If your wondering how Cafemom Etsy Moms will help you promote your shop, aebaby has set up a simple guideline to go buy for Sure Success!
Thank you!!!



Cafemom is a great site with hundreds of moms! Use it.

1. Always add a click-able signature. If people need to hunt for your shop they will give up. Make it easy for shoppers to view what you have. You can adjust your cafemom setting to always include your signature by checking the box under signatures in your profile. As well, make sure your signature is small enough that cafemom will use it as a default so everyone can see it.

2. Add an Etsy widget and put it near the top of your home page. People who happen to drop by (for instance when playing a scavenger hunt) can see what you sell on Etsy. ( at the top toolbar select cafemom, then widgets, then buy + sell, then Etsy- add your Etsy mini you created in your Etsy shop)

3. #2 said- you can't make your home page private. Don't put things on that you don't want others to know- for instance you can't see my children unless you are a friend. All of the wonderful widgets and photos will do nothing for your shop if it can't be seen.

4. Upload photos to the cafemom group. #1 we want to see them, #2 all the other mommies of cafemom will see them, click and then take a look at your other photos since we are nosy by nature! Always make it easy for others to navigate to your shop with easy clicks.

5. In your Etsy listings, always add "cafemom team" in your tags! ( you know the tag is the descriptions part- children, toy, blanket, cafemom team...) We want to search and shop with our sisters, and we can't find you unless we really hunt, so make it easy for us to buy! If you don't already slip that cafemom team tag in!

6. and last but not least, Be shameless- when I buy supplies from anyone (ebay or etsy) I always include a link showing how I will use their supplies. Funny enough this has gotten me two sales. I also let my kids wear or take things I've made to playgroups and give them as birthday gifts, then when moms ask about them I say "oh that, I made that and sell it in my shop on Etsy. Oh never heard of Etsy, let me tell you..."

Just a few of my thoughts- sorry it's so long- Any other ideas?

visit www.aebaby.etsy.com a boutique for mom & baby

Those moments your never really prepared for...

Are usually the ones that are the most embarrassing!
We're going to start a new topic in our blog from time to time of a few of our Mom's most embarrassing moments.... We are sure you'll enjoy reading about all of the red faced moments our Mommas have been through.

Today's Momma is Manda5463 she is the Momma behind Turtle Girl Crafts on Etsy.
Here is her story:

Last week I was on a mini girls week with my friend, her mum, and my daughter. We were in the Cape and we were in this little country store. My DD has acid reflux so she spits up alot.

I was looking at all these little knick knacks, and I hear a plop of liquid hit something. I look down, she had spit up (it was actually a little bit more than the normal spit up amount) right into a basket of glass votive candle holders.

I WAS MORTIFIED!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Low-Sugar, Low-Fat Cheesecake- That Tastes Good!

This easy but impressive dessert is not only low-fat and low-sugar, but idiot proof too! It always turns out no matter what, it just takes a little time with all the steps. It can be served plain with a slight lemon flavor, with fresh strawberries as shown or with hot fudge drizzled on top for those not concerned about sugar.
Crust - 1 1/2 c finely crushed graham crackers, 1/4 c walnuts, 1 TBSP splenda (sugar substitute), 1/2 c butter melted (or margarine)
Combine graham crackers, walnuts and sugar in a bowl, stir in melted butter. Press into the bottom of an 8" springform pan. Set aside (I usually go skimpy and don't use all the crumbs b/c of the sugar)

Filling- three 8oz pkg of low fat cream cheese softened (let them sit out for several hours, don't use the micro), 1 cup splenda, 2TBSP flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 c milk, 3 eggs slightly beaten, 1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel (skip it if you're doing chocolate on top)

In a large bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla with and electric mixer until combined. Beat in milk until smooth. Stir in eggs and lemon peel (if desired).
Pour filling into crust lined pan. Place pan in shallow baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until about a 2 1/2 " area around the edge appears set when shaken.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the crust from the sides of the pan, cool 30 minutes more. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Cool completely on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Have fun and enjoy.

Monday, July 21, 2008

CEM talk about making your Etsy Experience "GREEN"

There is a lot of talk as of late, about the environment and ways to make your etsy shops "Greener".

Here are a few ways members of Cafemom Etsy Moms (CEM) have found to make the world a better place, one craft at a time!

rockerchic:

rockerchic, aka Kristie has started using recycled blank newsprint (available at Staples and other stores that sale packaging and moving supplies) to fold into a bag instead of tissue or plastic bags when packing up purchases.

You can also find items in rockerchic's etsy shop made from thrifted second hand clothing. For example, Dad's Shirt Dresses made from old mens dress shirts, and even purses made from old Blue Jeans and Old Sweaters.


Over at BatikBags there are all kinds of wonderful "Earth Friendly" Goodies!


She sells wetbags. Why would somebody want a wet bag? Wetbags are called wetbags because you can put something wet in there without it leaking out.

The main purpose is to store used cloth diapers or used cloth pads in there so you can get them home safely and wash them. But she's also sold them to people who just wanted a nice bag for their swimsuit and pool stuff.

A lot of wetbags are made with kiddie motives but she does hers with hand-dyed cotton batiks or batik inspired prints.

She also sells Organic Hemp Fleece Wipes. When she started offering these she mainly thought of them as baby wipes for cloth diapering moms. Hemp is naturally anti-bacterial and the fleece is super soft so perfect for that use.

She now sends them out to be included as 'baby washcloths' in our gift baskets because it's the item closest to mainstream I have... ;)

She recently learned more about 'Family Cloth' and has sold the hemp fleece wipes in different sizes for that purpose as well.

I think family cloth is probably about as green as you can get: family cloth means people are using reusable cloth wipes instead of toilet paper (although a lot of people still use paper for #2 and just go cloth for #1... )!

And my favorite: Cloth Pads! I love my pads. :)
My cloth pads are made with Organic Bamboo Velour which is really supersoft and also naturally antibacterial. cloth pads are used in place of disposable menstrual pads and pantyliners.


Ali Bug Bows got tired of having buckets and buckets of broken unusable crayons!
She found a way to melt the crayons down and make HUGE rainbow crayon discs!

She has even found a way to let her children help her in making them! So this is an item she sells, but it's also something her and her children enjoy doing together!



Donna Pool over at ddpool.etsy makes these incredibly adorable puzzle balls and sympathy bears completely by hand! She makes every single one with scraps of fabric from other projects!

Even some of her pocket mirrors and buttons are made from old magazines.

Amanda at Kaytiebugs Boutique, finds way to be Earth Conscious in her packaging procedures!


When she needs to ship things in boxes, I try to use boxes that she already has. It may not be as pretty, and it might have the previous address marked out, but 1) It's reusing something versus buying another one; 2) It keeps the item cost down because I don't have to buy another box; 3) It's just a box! Who said it had to be in pristine condition?

For packaging things that aren't fragile.... I keep tissue from gifts (Christmas, Birthday, etc) and use it for stuffing.

When she sells apple butter, she uses industrial strength bubble wrap she gets for free from her neighbor... he works for an auto repair shop and the bubble wrap comes wrapped around car parts and such. She has a giant sheet of it. It's not the prettiest thing but 1) It's reusing instead of buying new; 2) It's stronger than normal bubble wrap! 3) Keeps costs down!

She usually ships in USPS Priority envelopes (the ones that are free, the floppy ones not the cardboard-ish ones). Those are made of a 'Green' material.

It's all good to repurpose, recycle, etc. but I'd only go to measures that would not compromise the quality, smell, and safety of my item. I'd never ship in a box that had a mildew smell, never use stuffing that could potentially rub off onto the fabric, never use a box that was dinged up, etc.

And finally, over at Childish Thoughts, Jonie has cut back on her shipping methods by reusing packaging materials her husband brings home from his work!


As mothers, it is extremely important to us that we do all we can to keep our Earth clean and inhabitable. Also, keeping down our personal costs by reusing materials, puts more money in our families bank accounts in these hard financial times.

This week's Cafemom Etsy Mom featured artist is:

ROCKERCHIC!!!!!
for her entry in our Princess theme!!!!


♥ Free Shipping to US and Canada ! ♥
rockerchic's Shop Announcement
Thanks for stopping in!I love making awesome rockin' duds for girls and babies..Also check out my Jewelry and hair accessories for Ladies too!

























Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Have Kids Will Travel

The summer always brings thoughts of vacation and fun, especially when sharing with children. Make your vacation a sweet memory too by being prepared and getting ready for the long journey. Here are a few ideas and toys for the road to help the journey remain as sweet as the destination!

  • a small jar of silly putty can go a long way on a plane trip
  • a puzzle ball will do double duty, entertaining both very young children and older preschoolers who want to solve the puzzle
  • always raid the dollar store, not only for fun little disposable toys, but for interesting candies too that help divert attention
  • if you have a young builder pack a bag of junk stuff in a Ziploc. (cut up straws, beads, string, washers and nuts, a toilet paper tube, bottle caps, some scraps of paper ... whatever will fit in and a roll of scotch tape) Then "build" something; a race car, flowers, a necklace
  • a crayon roll keeps everything nice and tidy but still at hand for little fingers
  • make a fairy wand (or wizard wand for boys) and bring it out to do some magic (change the person in the next seat to a toad, make the sun shine blue, turn the plane to a giant flying duck, make your kid loose his voice or pretend you lost yours)
  • kids love to find stuff- I Spy is a popular game with all ages

  • wrap a little toy or snack then put it in a small box, wrap the box, warp the box again... you get the idea using 5-6 different paper and layers. When your child is squirrelly say "I have a surprise present for you, you can unwrap each layer only after sitting still for 3 minutes" Unwrap it, then another 3 minutes...granted this may end up "has it been 3 minutes, has it been 3 minutes, has it been 3 minutes" but go with it. This works great for car trips but may cause problems with airport security so leave the wrapped stuff at home when flying.
  • Bring 4 or 5 dice. Kids love to match, first roll all ones, then 2s then 3s... After the first time through make it interesting again by timing it the second round of rolls. "How fast can you find all the ones?"
  • Classic games like tic tac toe and hangman, 20 questions and checkers are a great way to play while sitting

Really though the key is to keep everything new and hidden until you pull it out during the trip. Milk it for every second it's worth!