Friday, April 29, 2011

Anna's Baby


Often you'll find Anna holding and carrying Groucho around the house like a little baby. When he gets tired of this he gives us a little growl and we know he needs some alone time. But for the most part he is pretty carefree with how the girls handle him. Which is good because they love to cuddle with this little fur ball!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Georgia the Giraffe


Another new anthropomorphic print for my esty shop.

Doesn't she have a sad, worn look to her? Like life has been long and hard and she has seen things she wishes she could forget, but they sneak back into her dreams every night.


"Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - 
they merely move it from their faces into their hearts". 
~Martin Buxbaum

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

What I'm listening to... "Toni Basil - Mickey"



This is on my dance mix playlist and if you peeked in our window around 5:00 pm on any given night you might find me and the girls dancing around the kitchen as we make dinner. I remember one christmas dancing around in my Grandpa Olde's living room with my Aunt to this song in 1982. We thought this was just the coolest thing!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Deer Lucy

I have just added two new prints to my etsy shop and I will 
have a few more coming later this week. 
Here is "Deer Lucy", isn't she charming.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Deja vu - Patio Chaise Lounge

 Last since last summer I had been looking around for a chaise lounge patio chair. I am outside a lot with my girls and I wanted something I could put my feet up and relax. But everything I saw was over $150. I knew I wanted something that would be long lasting that I could repaint if it needed a touch up (rather than toss it and buy new). So anything with plastic or with material straps was out.

Last week I found this on Craig's list for $30. It is solid and sturdy. I gave it a very light sanding, I bought some dark stain and poly coating and BAM.... it looks brand new! I am so happy with how it turned out... I love bringing things back to life!

 So if you knock on our front door and we don't answer check the backyard, you might just find me sitting here with Groucho our new puppy.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Twin Bunny Giveaway Winner!!!

Congratulations to Carolyn #14! 
I will be emailing you.

Thank you to all who entered! 
I hope to have another giveaways soon.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Product Review - Magic Noodles














Amelia was having a friend sleep over for the first time so I bought the girls some Magic Noodles for a craft project. These things are so cool! They stick together after you dab the end on a wet sponge. They had a ball making flowers, glasses, rainbows and crowns.

Pros:
- This is a "green" product, made from cornstarch and dissolves completely in water! Love that!
- It gave us a good hour of creative fun!
- When you are ready to throw them away just put them in a sink with water and watch them melt away.

Con:
-They are a little fragile, Amelia's crown broke the next day. This really is only a "con" for the girls since I didn't really want these things in my house forever.

I would definitely buy these again!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

What I'm listening to... "First Day of My Life"



("First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes)

This song has such a sweet loving sound.
I makes me want to give my sweetie Brian a big hug!

Monday, April 11, 2011

From sketch to hand

I love it when I draw a sketch and the end product looks as I imagined. Sometimes between the sketch, creating the pattern and sewing things can get pretty wonky. 

You really can't tell how something will turn out until you fill it with stuffing and by then there is no turning back, just starting over to rework the pattern. So it's awesome when it works the first time out of the gate!  Goldie the Fox was made with the same pattern as the raccoon, I just had to tweak his tail and face

I recently listed these two character in my etsy shop.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Giveaway - Twin Bunnies

 It's my first giveaway!!!!! Just in time for Easter, it's Rita and Rick the bunnies! These two sock bunnies are handmade by me. They are about 6 3/4 tall, made with upcycled clean baby socks and make they everyone smile! (a $20 value)
How do you win these two sweet handmade plushies?

How to Enter

Main entry
Become a follower of this blog and leave a note that you did in the comments on this post. 

Extra Optional Entry
Visit my etsy shop and let me know what your favorite item is and leave a separate comment saying you did so.

All entries must be posted as separate comments. Comments are moderated, so please be patient. Be sure you leave a valid e-mail address ~ it’s the only way I can contact you if you win.

Now get to it and enter to win!!
{winner will be announced Thursday evening, April 14th}

This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada. It will run from April 8, 2011 through April 14, 2011. Winner must claim his/her prize within 48 hours of e-mail notification or a new winner will be chosen.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

What we're eating - Chocolate Mug Cake

 A friend sent me this recipe (thank you Donna), 
it is from scratch, quick and easy and delicious!!!!

Chocolate Mug Cake
 
4 T. Flour
4 T. Sugar
2 T. Cocoa
1 Egg
3 T. Milk
3 T. Oil
3 T. Chocolate Chips (We added extra!)
2-3 drops of vanilla extract
1 Large coffee mug
 
Add dry ingredients; mix well.  Add egg; mix well.  Pour in milk and oil;mix well.  Add chocolate chips and vanilla; mix well.  Pour into a mug and cook in microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Cake will rise above top of mug; don't be alarmed.  Tip onto plate and serve warm with ice cream. Watch your family gobble it up!

One mug makes enough to serve a family of four. We topped ours with hot fudge and whipped cream.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Published in Spool!

 My pattern for my sock bunnies are published in the Spring 2011 issue of Spool. What is Spool you ask? A new crafting magazine that has a project on every page! It has something for everyone... sewing, knitting, cross stitch, and much more! The Spool publisher found me through my Etsy shop.


Like my sock bunnies but don't have time to make them? Visit my esty shop to purchase them. Or... check back later this week, I might have my first giveaway, just in time for Easter!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Meet Groucho


Meet Groucho, the newest member of our family. He is an 11 week old shih tzu rescue puppy and cute as a button. It's been a year and a half since our Bud passed on and we were finally ready to get another dog. Truth be told, the night we took this guy home I was up half the night thinking I had made a big mistake, maybe it wasn't the right time. But the next day I felt much better and he has been a joy. The girls love him to pieces!

His name was a big debate, the four of us had a hard time deciding. It was either going to be Cricket, Widget or Groucho. In the end my sweet Anna gave in, she was the hold out against Groucho. I liked all three names. Don't you love his little half mustache!

Friday, April 1, 2011

2011 Calendar - April




Here is a little calendar cuteness I created. I make one each month, so check back for May's image. You can use this for your computer wallpaper, print one out for the office, your craft room or the fridge. Double click the image for the high res file.

All images are Copyrighted by Tracy Dorsey, 2011. 
Free download for personal use only. Not for resale.