Winners!

For the winner of the CM Crafts giveaway....we have.... 

lolamichele who said..."the fall plaid skirt is my favorite. super cute! thank you."Now, I still have not heard back from the winner of the KM Thomas designs giveaway. If I have not heard back from you in the next week, I will have to draw another name---so, email me!

Featured Etsy Shop: Jaylee Rae Creations

This weeks featured etsy shop is Jaylee Rae Creations. I feel a special connection with this shop for a couple reasons. 1. They are located in Fort Worth, Tx just like I am and 2. My daughter's best friend is named Jaylee and my daughter's middle name is Rae...it is like the shop was named after these two!

Anyways, here is a little of what shop owner Bobbi has to say about herself:

"Jaylee Rae Creations is a mother/daughter shop.  We love college football.  We love Dr. Seuss.  We love cute little girl clothing (and cute little girls).  Those three things are the inspiration behind the items you will find in our shop.  Our shop started out with my mom doing the sewing and me doing the bow making.  With cute fabric and vision of cute clothing I am now sewing as well and enjoy it so much.  Our shop is inspired by 4 cute kids.  My moms 4 grandkids: Ryan Jay, Ashlee Jay, Jayme Patricia and Leah Rae"

 Look at these cute kiddos!

Jaylee Rae Creations carries all kinds of goodies for kiddos. You will surely be able to find a perfect gift from this shop.

 Jesus loves me baby blanket- This blanket is different than others found on etsy because the words to the song are embroidered onto the blanket. Isn't that sweet?

 Precious!

 Bows to match the cutie clothing!

 Your little one will certainly be the best dressed at the tailgate in this number.

 Perfect for playtime.

Um, how could Santa resist this cutie?

Bobbi has generously offered to giveaway this adorable Dr. Seuss skirt to one Noodles & Milk reader.

To enter the giveaway (in separate comments please):

• Make Jaylee Rae Creations a favorite on etsy and leave a comment telling that you did.= 1 entry
• Check out Jaylee Rae Creations and leave a comment with your favorite item.= 1 entry
• Fan Jaylee Rae on facebook and leave a comment.= 1 entry

In addition to the giveaway, you can get 10% off of your order by entering code "NMTEN" into the (new) coupon code section of your etsy order. This coupon is valid through December 6th.

This giveaway ends Friday, December 3rd at midnight. Good Luck!

Thankful Thursday

Here we are, it is Thanksgiving- can you believe it?

 

I hope you all are spending the holiday with your family and friends as we are doing. Today I am extremely thankful for my life. I am very aware that I have much more than most people in the world. I am so thankful for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. These blessings vary from the roof over my head to the family that loves me...from the opportunity to stay at home with my children to this very blog...from my health to my passion for sewing. They just go on and on. Each one of these blessings in my life are wonderful little surprises that I get to enjoy everyday. I pray that you all realize each of your little blessings today and are very thankful for them all.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Fun etsy finds: Shop Local

Have you ever used the "shop local" feature on etsy? It is super cool! You just type in the city or area that you want to shop in and it pulls shops of all categories from your area. This is a great way to meet local crafters and often times you can save money on shipping. Not everyone would do this, but often times local vendors will cut the shipping and offer pick up or delivery options.

Here is a little of what I found when I searched Dallas/Fort Worth:

 Bella Fleur: Look at this gorgeous headband! Isn't it precious?

 Cuddles & Crafts: Of course I LOVE this TCU beanie!

 Go Birdie: Look at these great flashcards. I love how the letters are made into the animal shapes...too cute!

 Just Plain Vintage: Okay, these plates are wonderful! This shop is full of great vintage finds.

 Knitty Knitty Bang Bang: This scarf is ah-mazing! Seriously, I love it.

 Speakbot: Precious baby shoes.

 Noodle and Lou: This shop is full of the most amazing original artwork. This painting is fabulous, absolutely fabulous.

 Phat Straps: This shop makes funky camera straps. I have one on my camera and I love it and get compliments on it everywhere I go.

 Sand in the Sky: Jaw dropping leather wrap bracelet! This would make a great gift.

ShuFly Jewelry: I love charm necklaces. I told my husband that I wanted jewelry for Christmas and this necklace would definitely fit the bill! 

Now, go check out what etsy goodies you can find in your own neighborhood. Happy shopping!

Featured Shop: CM Crafts

This week's featured shop is CM Crafts. Creator Carolyn is a crafter extraordinare. She loves to experiment with different things. Currently her passion is all things vintage. Check out the amazing things in her shop created with vintage sheeting!

Oh my word. These are to die for! 

Here is a little bit about Carolyn:

"I'm a wife, and mom to 2 darling kids, with a 3rd on the way! I went to school for a music degree, and playing the piano will always be my first love. But I gained an interest in sewing from my mom, who always made matching outfits for me and my sister while growing up. After learning the basics from her, a love for sewing and crafting started after I had kids and realized I could actually make some of the things I was buying for them. Right now, I can't get enough of vintage sheeting, so you'll see a lot of items made from these in cm crafts right now. But things are always changing as I come across a new medium! Check out my blog, Care's Finds for shop updates and other fun things I come across on the web." 

 Look at these precious mother-daughter skirts.

 Perfect little skirt for fall!

 Gorgeous vintage bunting

Carolyn is generously giving away a custom scalloped bunting made with vintage sheets. This is valued at $20! The winner can custom create their flag with up to 15 flags and being 7 feet long. She has tons of fabrics to choose from.

To enter the giveaway, please visit CM Crafts and come back her to leave a comment with your favorite item in the shop. The giveaway ends November 26th at midnight.

Carolyn is also giving Noodles & Milk readers free shipping on all orders placed through December 31st! Just enter coupon code "noodlesandmilk" in the comment section of the order.

KM Thomas Designs giveaway winner

Congratulations to  

oksana

who said...

Following the KM Thomas blog!

November 17, 2010 4:08 AM

Thank you to all who participated!

 

Another way to simplify your holiday shopping

Am I the last person on earth to learn about CSN stores? In the off chance that you have not heard about it either, let me share this nugget with you...are you ready? CSN stores sells EVERYTHING for LESS than anywhere else AND shipping is free on many items.

When I say that they sell everything, I am not joking. Check it out. Type in anything into the search box and it will come up. Let me show you what I mean...

Want to re-do your bathroom? Search bathroom wall cabinets and find things like these.

Need boots for an upcoming trip? Search snow boots to find these.

Want to get your patio spruced up for spring? Search patio decor to find things like these.

Need to order a baby gift? Search baby gifts and find things like these.

See what I mean? They sell everything.

Here is what I am excited about. My three-year old daughter wants this for Christmas. She saw it in a catalog and has been talking about it ever since. No problem.

Well, I came across CSN and was marveled by the vast selection of things they carry for great prices. On a whim, I searched doll furniture and look what came up!

An almost identical bed... for $19 less! And the shipping is cheaper too. I am ecstatic. Seriously. Ecstatic. I can still get my daughter the bed for her babies that she wants and either pocket the extra cash I will be saving or get her another special something to go under the tree.

So, before you order anything for Christmas, check out CSN stores to make sure you can't find a better deal. Thanks CSN Stores!

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for girlfriends. I have some of the most wonderful friends. Seriously, I do. Some of them date back to elementary school and others are from recent years, but I am thankful for them all the same. Time with my girlfriends allows me to be completely vulnerable and act like the complete goof that I am. I laugh, cry, share stories and ask advice. Not matter what we do, I am ALWAYS refreshed after time spent with any of them.  

 

Just a few friends from high school that got together this past week- we have been friends for 16 years! 

 

I am also thankful for pest control. I don't like bugs and the season changes always bring them into our home. I am so thankful for the men and women who can make them go away.

 

I am also super thankful for modern conveniences like the microwave, washing machine, dishwasher, baby swings, cell phones and laptops. There are so many other modern conveniences out there and I promise, I am a fan of most all of them. They make life easier and as a mom of two little ones, I like things that can be simplified!

 

Texas is finally feeling like fall and I am so thankful for the cooler weather. I can break out the jeans, boots and chunky sweaters (perfect for covering extra postpartum weight!) and enjoy the crisp air. The heater at our house kicks on at night to warm our home and robes and slippers are necessary in the morning. I love the season change!

 

What are you thankful for this week?

 

Too Cute Reindeer Shirt- A tutorial

I have been crafting Christmas outfits for several little girls I know and wanted to make sure that my daughter had something cute as well. I am really in love with felt designs right now and wanted to work that in somehow. I went with a simple, yet girly, reindeer idea. It is so simple that I wanted to share it with you!

Oh, and while I made mine a girly reindeer, this would also be super cute for a boy if you added a bowtie!

Materials List-

• Felt in beige, chocolate brown, red and black. I bought the pre-cut squares that are like $0.29 at Joann Fabrics. (The red I bought has glitter in it and is sparkly!)
• Steam-a-Seam paper
• Scissors
• Thread
• Ribbon (optional)
• Fray block for ribbon (optional)
• Reindeer Template- You can download it here. (Etsy crafters-feel free to use this design to sell!)

Step 1. Print the template out and trace onto the steam-a-seam paper following the packaged instructions. Make sure that the pieces are all traced seperately (see picture below).

Step 2. Loosely cut out traced shapes.

Step 3. Following steam-a-seam instructions, remove backing and place the paper onto the felt pieces with the sticky side down.

I like to place a paper towel over the paper to prevent pencil from smearing onto my iron.

Step 4. Iron each of the pieces into place.

Step 5. Cut out each of the shapes.

You should now have all of your pieces ready!

Step 6. Peel the paper backing away from each of the reindeer pieces.

Step 7. Layout the pieces of the reindeer onto your shirt.

Step 8. Iron the felt pieces into place on your shirt. Again, I used a paper towel to cover the image before ironing just in case. (I ironed the face and antlers first and then added the eyes and nose. I did this to make sure that nothing shifted while I was ironing).

This is what your shirt should look like after everything is ironed into place.

Step 9. Now it is time to sew the pieces into place. Since felt does not fray, you do not need to use a zig-zag stitch. Instead use a simple straight stitch and sew 1/8" from the edge of the design. There are actually several ways to go about this. You could use thick embroidery thread and hand-sew the pieces on for a unique look. I chose to use my machine but extended the stitch length to twice the normal length. I also use a contrasting thread (bright white) to go around the face and add interest. It would also be cute to do a combination of the two.

Step 10. If you will be adding a girly bow, simply tie your ribbon and treat the ends with fray block (or heat treat if using grosgrain). I used the glue gun and added a dab of hot glue to the ribbon to hold it in place and then I went back and hand stitched it onto the shirt.

Voila! A super cute holiday tee that will make any little one smile.

PS- There are so many variations that can be done with this design. One might be to use funky colored quilting fabrics instead of solid felts...or a combination of both. Have fun!