she blogs she blogs

No-Sew Leather Pouch Tutorial

2012-01-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

A couple hours before I left for Alt Summit, I realized I didn't have anything to put my business cards in. I didn't love the visual image of me rummaging through my giant bag to hand out cards, and I also wanted a safe place to put the cards I received. Using some supplies I had on hand, I put together this little leather pouch. It ended up working perfectly.

And if you're not in the business card phase of life, I think this leather pouch makes a quick little gift. Perhaps even a Valentine!? You could stuff it with nail polish, some treats, or just a love note.

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN PIECE HERE

It's super quick, and there's no sewing involved! So tune in for THE ALISON SHOW!

As always, let me know if you have any questions, or need any help finding supplies!

Happy and sassy crafting

xo
Alison

Advice for Bloggers, Crafters and Lovers

2012-01-23T06:05:00.004-07:00

Hello there! I had the most amazing weekend at Alt Summit. I was so hesitant about going, but with some prodding from my girl Elle, and a lot of help from my sister-friend Susan, it turned out to be an unforgettable weekend.

I could go on and on about all the details, or the super awesome people I met (and I'm sure I will at some point). But I thought I'd share with you what I believed to be my most important take-away: be yourself.

Looking to increase your readership? Or for new ideas and ways to collaborate? Easy! Be yourself. Aspiring to be a trend-setter, TV star or game changer? You guessed it lovers, be yourself.

Now, I really did learn a lot of great new facts about photography, video blogging, and how to look my best on camera. But the ever-echoing message in my very congested head was, "ONLY YOU CAN BE YOU."

I think as bloggers, artists, writers, workers, mothers and lovers, it's easy to look around at the success of others, and get lost. I know that as I try to improve, emulate and make sacrifices in order to reach my goals I need to be careful not to forget who I really am and what actually makes me happy.

So, what makes me happy? Sharing love, sharing my ideas, and looking like an dork.

At least I'm really good at one of those things.

I'm excited for the new sense of purpose and direction I have, and I hope that you, beloved reader, benefit from it!

xo,
Alison

p.s. a HUGE thank you to the sassy classy Natalie for naming me one of Alt's up-and-coming bloggers! Let's hope I can make her proud

DIY Studded Collar Necklace

2012-01-17T06:02:00.003-07:00

Hey fun fans! So it's time for another video tutorial! And I'm WAY excited about this one. I've been wanting to get into the whole Peter Pan collar thing for a while. But I'm so hard core, I of course, had to add studs. I've posted WAY too many pictures of myself to show you how easy this necklace is to wear. I tried it on with like every shirt in my wardrobe and I was surprised how many it went with.

Download the pattern piece here!
Buy your studs here!
*correction, in the video I say you can get them at any craft store, but they actually can be hard to find. So I've provided a link to the exact type I used

And here's the video!

I hope you enjoy it. I got a little out of control with the sass. Sorry.

Also I know the question on everyone's mind is...BUT CAN YOU WEAR IT WITH THE MOMIFORM??

When will you learn? You can wear EVERYTHING with the momiform!

xo

Alison

P.S. Want even MORE studded bliss? Check out my girl Emily's Studded Loafer tut!

Some updates

2012-01-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!

So if you've noticed, I like haven't been around as much! Whether this is to your chagrin or pleasure, I'm busy getting ready to attend Alt Summit, and I'm also busy re-branding/building a new site! It will be called...

The Alison Show!

I took the same approach I do for birthdays/Christmas, and decided, if I really want something, I should just give it to myself. So I gave myself a show! Or just a blog called a show. Next week the site name will change, and soon after the site itself will change! But don't worry, this site will feed to it. So you won't be lost or scared, or confused. (At least not my account.)

Until then I'm on Instagram @thealisonshow and twitter @thealisonshow

and also in other news, today I sunk to a new low. Even for me. I ordered the 44oz instead of the 32oz.

It's as big as my head. Which...according to my new site name, is pretty big!

ha!

I love you all!

xo
Alison
of
The Alison Show
formerly
Sheblogs Sheblogs
also of
The Little Tiny
formerly of
Sprinkles the Pony

What will rock your world in 2012

2012-01-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't really made a big deal about 2012. In fact, I spent the first half of it on the couch in a daze. I think it was a post holiday slump. But I've gotten up, gone for some runs, participated in some Zumba, and now I'm ready to face the year. Or at least the month of January.

But rather than looking back, I have some predictions for what's going to be hot in 2012. Um, and I'm gonna' say most of them are things I've thought were hot in 2011. I CAN'T HELP HOW FORWARD THINKING I AM! So here we go...

ALISON'S TREND WATCH FOR 2012

1. Alison on the tiny screen

In 2012 I'm going to be focusing on more videos, and moving my site from more of a blog to a vlog. If you hate this idea I'm sorry. Sorry that you aren't ready to party with me and my fur (faux...geez) coat!

2. Fifth & Hazel

How freaking cute is this desk calendar? You might remember Fifth & Hazel's awesome wrapping paper too? I mean, Melanie has been hot for a while now. She's a pretty big deal. But her blog and shop are really picking up, and I feel like 2012 is going to catapult her into another galaxy! I'm having her redesign my site! And I highly recommend her for all design projects. I can't wait to reveal it to you.

3. Tiny Plastic Animals

First watch this (if you haven't already) so you can understand why this title is genius.

4. 90's TV shows

Spike, Jordan, Max. I love you. You've shown me why housewives ~~need~~ love soaps. And if you people don't know who these men are, well here's a memo: They want to rock you 2012 style.

5. Lame Dance Moves

I have been BUSTING THESE OUT FOR YEARS. But Robyn comes along and now it's like all the rage. Seriously you guys, I think she's been spying on me, these were all my moves! My sister and high school friends can vouch for me. Plus I own those pants.

6. Pie

You know how cupcakes were hot. Then cake pops, then donuts? Or, they were for me at least. Well, I'm going to single handedly (unless you'll help) put the sexy back in pie. I have some pie projects planned. The one pictured above is a Pony Pie. Not my finest crust, but I used only the freshest ponies. Neeeeigh.

7. Crafts involving wood

Remember how I made these magnets from old wood blocks? I've been obsessed with up-cycling wood lately, and I've seen some other awesome projects. Check out this little stacking puzzle from Mer-Mag, and this sexy cutting board from Fatto Nello Utah.

8. Tiny Party Hats

(photo stolen from hannah)
Wait...Alison, didn't you make these Fancy Party Hats for Gigi's 1st Birthday party? Yes, I did. But I love how Hannah has updated them with these flashy colors! GO CHECK OUT how Hannah and her family used these to ring in the new year!

9. Hunger Games
I don't usually get into huge trendy books, but I listened to all 3 of these and I'm SO freaking excited for the movie I cannot wait.

10. JUMPSUITS

I totally owe the world some more momiform photos. Just know it's been seeing a lot of action. And I think this is the year the rest of the world is going to get behind the jumpsuit!

Alright! What do you think about my 2012 trend predictions? Do you have any of your own?!

xo
Alison

She's ready for 2012

2012-01-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hello! I hope your holidays were awesome! I think I had a post-holiday crash. I've been hanging with family, watching A LOT of movies and just staring at my messy house wondering how it will ever be clean again. I have a nagging feeling it will involve some sort of effort on my part.

As for the above picture, I just really wanted to show you my new phone case. I got it for my stocking. Oh, and check out my new accessories!

My unbelievably talented artist friend Mandy sent me some goodies from her Etsy shop, Ila's Garden. As always, I'm dying over her handwork. She is so precise with everything she does.

I loved all my accessories SO MUCH I even modeled some for you...and Mandy. I thought the accessories were so cute I didn't bother putting on makeup or anything. You're welcome.

And this is actually a headband, but I kind of love it worn like this too.

Go check out Ila's Garden!
Mandy graduated with a degree in art, so she charges WAAAYYYY too little for her amazing work. Haha, snatch some up before I force her to raise her prices.

And in other news, I decided to keep my goals for 2012 pretty simple and attainable. I posted this on instagram (@thealisonshow) but here it is if you aren't on there!

Like my Dad always says, "A goal not written is only a wish! If it's to be, it's up to me!"

Happy 2012,

xo,
Alison

Sugar Cookie & Royal Icing Tutorial Video

2011-12-22T06:17:00.006-07:00

So if you follow me on instagram (@thelittletiny, get on already, it's SO FUN!) then you know I've been having a major sugar cookie love fest. I've been doing these sugar cookies for several years now, and I've read some books and picked up a lot of tricks along the way! So my sister helped me record a little video!

The video covers:
- The basic royal icing recipe
- How to get the right consistency
- The supplies I recommend
- How to ice your cookies
- How to fix it when you mess up
- How to add rich color to your icing
- My favorite decorating trick!

I know I should try to keep my videos as short as possible, but I also sincerely want you to have a successful experience! So I've jammed in as many tips as I can! It's 8 minutes, sorry if you get sick of me.

Here are some pictures of the cookies I made for some friends and neighbors this year.

Here's how my kitchen looks...

And here's how I packaged them!

I think this would be a really fun Christmas eve activity! Leave some out for Santa, if he's deserving.

Merry Christmas my loves and Happy Holidays!
xo,
Alison

Hip Refrigerator Magnets Tutorial

2011-12-19T06:00:00.003-07:00

Each Christmas I like to make a little something for some of the ladies I love in my life. I've been trying to decide what to make. Then it dawned on me: Hip Refrigerator Magnets! I've recently become aware at the lack of cute magnets I have in my life and I figured I might not be the only one.

It's pretty self-explanatory, but I will say this: I tried to spray paint my wood blocks and it just didn't look as nice as the acrylic craft store paint. So I recommend that. As for attaching the magnets DO NOT USE HOT GLUE! I have bought two sets of handmade magnets recently, and they have totally come undone. Hot glue will not hold. I recommend this intense all purpose cement glue I have pictured. And as for the taping off of stripes and glitter portions I reccomend floral tape. It won't rip off the paint! Other than that, get wild!

I got these wood blocks from my friend Heather, but you can buy them at a craft store, or any other wood figure! I got the little bird houses at a thrift store. They had an odd paint job, so I sanded them and repainted them! Any little thing will work.

Paint your blocks with acrylic paint and then let them dry.

To glitter the tops I added tacky glue with my finger, then pressed the block into a big smoosh of glitter.

Attach the magnets. Unfortunately the magnets pictures were not strong enough to hold the weight of the block...I have to redo all of them. So I recommend testing this out FIRST, you know, before you gift wrap them all.

Then wrap and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

xo,
Alison

You are a Gem: Gift Tag

2011-12-14T06:41:00.002-07:00

Hey! You know, I really think you are all gems. And I wanted to make sure you know that. So I turned my popular You are a Gem stationary into these gift tags!

Except the gift tags are just black and white. I used water colors to add a little zip!

Click here to download the gift tags!

I hope you like them as much as I like you!

xo,
Alison

Merry Freaking Christmas

2011-12-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've been busy with lots of Christmas crafts...and the first two books of the Hunger Games (soo good! I listen to the books while I craft and clean) and the first season of Vampire Diaries (I like Damon, but really still miss Spike). From instagram (@thelittletiny) here are some of the things I've been working on!

Glittered mini clothespins to hang Christmas cards. I used tacky glue and old school glitter and I REALLY like the way it looks! None of that expensive fine glitter on hand, but I'm glad because the fat glitter is so cheeky.

I used my deer template to make myself (and Heather made a matching one!) a holiday cheer sweatshirt. I used a $6 sweatshirt from Wal-mart and it is SO cozy!

I made some painted ornaments, but I really l don't like the way they turned out. I kept them upside down too long and condensation built up. Like a science experiment gone wrong. But they look cool here.

And the bane of my Holiday existence. My pom-pom wreath! I made like a 20 inch wreath form and things got out of control. I finished late last night, hence the horrible picture. Maybe I'll take some decent ones. It's hard to fathom how many pom-poms are on this thing (all made by hand) until you see it in person.

And THAT ladies and gentlemen, is what I've been up to. How about you? Any Holiday crafts that are prodding you to poke your eyes out?

xo
Alison

oh, um p.s. in case you forgot how cute my baby is BOOM

Shopping for a Cause

2011-12-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

(pictures by Suzabelle available below wholesale at the fundraiser)

I don't know about you, but I cannot, I mean CANNOT stop spending money! Eric doesn't even get mad anymore, he just looks up at me, when he sees another bag or package arrive in the mail, and his eyes fill with sincere concern and disappointment. It's the worst! And yet...I keep needing ONE MORE THING for the next craft project...

And since we're all spending money willy nilly ANYWAY this season, I figured some of it could at least go towards those in need. My very stylish, gorgeous neighbor has a cousin who has been diagnosed with cancer. He has a young family and only a year to live. His relatives have banned together to host a fundraiser. My neighbor has owned a few boutiques and her mother designs wedding gowns. So we're talking AWESOME designer goods. If you are in Utah County (lucky ducks) then

Please check out the details here!

The clothing and spa goods will be for sale way below wholesale. Don't tell Eric, but I think I have to go hit this up! Because it's for charity...of course.

In other news, ARE YOU FINGER KNITTING?!

Get on that this weekend,

xo,
Alison

Finger knitting-It's Going to be HUGE

2011-12-08T06:02:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago one of the sweetest (and cutest) bloggers on the block, Lauren from The Little Things We Do shared some pictures of her adorable baby shower. Her friends used finger-knit garlands as decorations and I immediately became obsessed. I had to know how to do it...and so the research began. I tried many different methods, types of yarn, watched lots of tutorial videos, and then arrived at the method I liked best. My crazy obsession with this absurdly easy craft is now going to benefit you. Or at least I hope so.

Above I'm wearing the garland as a scarf. It makes a fabulous child's scarf. And here are some pictures to inspire and entice. To make this garland I drilled holes (I know, I'm insane) in the deer and used fishing wire to tie them on. The trees I just tied right on.

It's really easiest to learn if you watch a video...so here you go. A video of me.

And here are a few shots of a garland (well 3) I made for my tree!

Finger knitting! It's going to be HUGE!

Try it, I double dog dare you.

xo,

Alison

The Great Jumpsuit Experiment or My Momiform: Part 1

2011-12-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on sharing my Momiform outfits! But I have a few to share with you. Because I'm not kidding, I wear this thing at least twice a week!

To learn about the Great Jumpsuit Experiment go here!

Now for how I've been styling the Momiform...this is how I wore it on Thanksgiving. Yes, I wore it on Thanksgiving.

I just want you to see the ease of movement you get from a jumpsuit...

And here is how Gigi wore her Turkey T!

And this is how I've been winterizing the Momiform!

Have I mentioned my favorite thing about winter? It's that you can leave your drink in the car while you run errands and the ice doesn't melt. I'm serious, this is pretty much the only thing I look forward to when it snows.

And if you're wondering how Eric feels about the Momiform, well he really likes it. He has just asked me to always wear a belt with it because otherwise it, "looks like a jumpsuit." Um, that's the point sweetie. Also, he REALLY likes taking my picture. But only if he gets to model for a few of his own.

And so, the Great Jumpsuit Experiment continues with great success! Stay tuned next week and you might catch a glimpse of how it looks paired with a giant fur coat!

It's rough being ridiculous.

xo,

Alison

DIY Geometric Wrapping Paper

2011-12-05T06:00:00.002-07:00

I love wrapping gifts with stuff I already have around my house. This means I'll grab old grocery sacks, shopping bags, butcher paper and in this case, sketch-pad paper, and do what I can with it. Geometric shapes are so hot right now, and I really wanted to use them in my holiday wrapping...so this is what I came up with!

It's super easy to do and for some reason oddly therapeutic. To start you'll need something to wrap with, such as newspaper, sketch paper or old shopping bags. I'll be showing you how to do it with these gift tags I've created:

You can download the gift tags here!

You'll also need white glue, water, cut up tissue paper, and a sponge brush.

Start by pouring some glue in a cup, and then add an equal amount of water. Stir it up!

Next brush a thin layer of glue where you'd like to place your tissue paper:

Then place your tissue and paint on top of it to smooth it down.

Continue this process, layering colors and shapes.

Wait until the paper is dry to touch. Then cut out your tags, or wrap up your gifts!

Do not, I repeat DO NOT be afraid to add large pom poms and small plastic animals that you have painted, glittered, and then drilled holes in (what, like you don't have those laying around too?)

Then boom! I guarantee you'll have the flashiest, most festive wrapping on your block! Unless of course you live on my block...in which case you'll have to glitter into the wee hours of the night to keep up!

Hope you enjoy!

xo,

The girl whose husband wishes he hadn't taught her how to use his drill
or
Alison

Holiday Tea Towels

2011-12-02T06:08:00.003-07:00

Well I'm just a freezer paper junkie these days! But it's just so easy and fun. I made the reindeer tea towel (pictured above) the other night with some lady friends using a freezer paper stencil. I designed the reindeer, so I'd be happy to share him...

Download the reindeer template by clicking here!

And lucky for you! Heather and her husband Matt (formerly of Kantan Designs) have sweetly offered to provide their old Christmas Prints as templates as well! Here are some of the tea towels we made:

And with the Kantan prints we made:

For these lovely templates please head on over to The Coterie Blog!

If you need a step-by-step tutorial on how to use a freezer paper stencil, check out my Turkey T Tutorial. But for the reindeer pictured above, I used the cut-out deer, and then traced a serving dish on freezer paper to make an oval for him to sit inside. I cut out the oval and I then ironed the deer in the middle of my cut-out oval. Then I just painted inside the oval. Poof! Framed reindeer.

As for the tea towels themselves, I made my own because I wasn't loving the ones I was finding at the store. If you don't want to make your own you could buy some at Ikea or blank ones at the craft store. If you'd like to sew your own, make sure to use either 100% cotton or 100% linen fabric, or a mix of the two. And pre-wash people! The finished size I like for my own personal tea towels is 20"x28". If you need some tips on how to sew them yourself I recommend checking out Freshly Picked's Cloth Napkin Tutorial, and just change the starting dimensions to 21"x29". I also added some twill tape on the back to act as a little loop for hanging. If this all sounds like gibberish to you, leave me a comment and I'll go into deeper detail.

I hope you have fun making some tea towels! I think they'd make a perfect craft night project and super gifts! Oh and Heather and I will soon be stenciling some of those deer heads onto matching sweatshirts we bought. Uh-huh, I've totally crossed the line.

Love you all,

Alison

She has Christmas Craft Anxiety

2011-12-01T06:34:00.001-07:00

Ah! Let the countdown begin. My advent calendar is ready, the stockings my mother-in-law made me have been hung with a semblance of care, and my tree is up and lit...but not decorated.

I can't decorate it because I don't know where to start. I'm having total Christmas Craft Anxiety. And you know who I'm blaming? Pinterest and Instagram. Yeah. People keep posting all of these amazing ideas, and then I look around at my house and my meager supply of decorations and I'm totally overwhelmed. Not to mention broke. Ha! I realize, as always, these concerns should mark very low on the worry-causing totem pole, but I prefer to focus on things of little substance. Anyway, I have so many ideas and want to do so many things, I don't know where to start!

Huge sigh. And if you're thinking this tree is my tree...

Well this is just a baby tree I borrowed from a neighbor so I could decorate it. Though I do like that Christmas topper, which is just a little ball of yarn wrapped in a circle with some plastic figures stuck in it. Maybe I should do my whole tree with those?!

Anyway. I just wanted to say hi. I hope you're all doing well. I have like 10 tutorials to share with you, if I just get to them. Maybe you should just come over and we can do some Christmas crafts together. I have soda.

xo,
Alison

She tries to buy her child's love

2011-11-29T06:11:00.001-07:00

I don't know if we've discussed this before, but Gigi loves Eric (her father, my husband) WAY more than me. Yes, I know that children go through phases, but it's pretty much all the time. He's a bowl of sunshine and sugar, and I'm a tolerable thimbleful of watered-down juice.

For the most part I don't let it get to me. I'm actually relieved and proud to have a husband that is such a good father. Plus, I knew it would happen. Little girls always flirt with Eric, they just seem to adore him. When he sees Gigi he tosses her in the air and tickles her. He plays all sorts of games I'd never think of. Whereas when I see Gigi I'm usually trying to force a too-tight shirt I made over her head, or wipe snot from her nose. If I were her I'd like him better too.

Gigi wasn't feeling very well while we were in San Diego, and she got so grumpy and clingy to Eric that he'd have to try to hide so that other people could get a chance to hold her. If she saw him walk by, even from a distance, she'd start crying for him.

Like I said, I usually love the break when she reaches for him, but sometimes it gets to the point that I feel like a scorned lover. When she cries for Daddy I'll say, "Fine, I'm going to Joann's without either of you!" And sulk off.

Another reason I think she likes him better than me (other than the fact he is more fun) is that he's always letting her play on his iPhone and iPad. He's downloaded all sorts apps for her.

So in order to win my child back I had to download one of my own. Thankfully I have friends who make everything, including apps.

My friend Melanie, the one who made the wrapping paper, just casually mentioned she had made an iPhone app with some friends! Who just drops that CASUALLY?! It's called, "Make it Pop!" And of course it is SO CUTE. Gigi is obsessed with it. It's perfect for her age, and not annoying for me. Here are some images from it.

Obviously I like it beacause my friend made it! But I also really like it because it's educational, while you make things "pop!" there are numbers and letters. Plus I also start singing "Make it Pop" to the tune of "Make it Clap."

Do you guys have any apps you are loving? For kids or for yourself? I almost got myself a cleaning app...almost. But that would just be a waste of money.

At least I have my blog with my virtual friends to tell me they love me. Even if this girl won't. Ha!

I love you all!
xo,
Alison

DIY Chestnut Ornaments

2011-11-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello! I hope you stuffed yourselves silly last week. I know I did. Like, I mean it got absurd there at the end. But let's talk about happier things. Today I'm really excited to share with you a little something that I put together for the Bijou Market. Chestnut Ornaments *not recommended for roasting on an open fire. My girl Heather collected all of these amazing Chestnuts (at least that's what I'm calling them) from around the neighborhood. I then poached her supply and started drilling holes in them. They are SO easy to make, I can show you in pictures.

*Both ends of the string go through the eye of
the needle. You'll need a big needle. I used baker's
twine and a leather needle.

That's it! SOOO easy, plus you get to use a drill. My new favorite toy. Also, I made you these little tags you can download and print to attach to them, should you wish to gift them!

Download the tag by clicking here.

Happy holidays!

xo,

Alison

Happy Thanksgiving and Turkey T round up

2011-11-24T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hey fun fans, what are you doing? You should be shoving your fat faces...I know I am.

But in case you need a break from all the gorging, here are some very festive Gobble Gobble Turkey T's to feast on.

Obviously Merrilee, over at Mermag had to not only make the CUTEST Turkey T, and add all those fancy feathers, she also had to make this horribly cute headband download. I stole this picture from her, but she has way more worth looking at so hop on over!

Then there is the lovely Jenny, of Delightful Delicacies. I stole this from her Instagram. Hope you aren't mad...if you live in my area you've heard of those to die for cooking classes? Well she's one of the ladies behind them. I adore her gold on black, we shall call it the "GaGa Gobble Turkey T." So glam.

And the EVER-classy Annie of AnnilyGreen opted for the timeless black and white. Which looks so adorable with her daughter's little pink string belt. Seriously. Don't these people put me to shame?! But I love it so much. Oh, and well, this guy is pretty great too...

I made this one for Oscar. But how could you NOT make him one?

And my recent bit of celebrity, totally thanks (always) to Heather. We put this tiny Turkey T together for a ready-to-pop CJane, and she was sweet enough to post it on her obscure blog :). Again, I stole the picture. Am I going to get a wave of hate mail for all this stealing?! I sure hope not.

Well, happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and start of the Christmas season (if you're into that kind of thing). If you made a Turkey T I'd LOVE to see it! I'm wearing my momiform tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner, so I'll try to get some pix of it in action!

Gobble gobble,
Alison

Tiny T Graduate: Erin

2011-11-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm a big, fat, liar. I said I'd post the Chestnut tutorial. But we are actually on a road trip on our way to San Diego for the Holidays, and it's just not a possibility! But! I wanted to share a Tiny T that my friend Erin made for her little girl Penelope, they call her "Penny." I know, CUTEST name ever! And Penny is even cuter than her name. Check her out!

I love how long the shirt is. Have YOU made a Tiny T? Or anything else from the blog? I would LOOOVE to see it! Email it on over. Also I do have a Flickr Group I'd love for you to put your creations in: It's right here! Freaking join. I don't know about you but I LOVE to share what I've made on Flickr. There are always groups for the various patterns, I think it's so neat to see how other people have used them.

Anyway, "thank you!" to Erin for making such a cute little girl and Tiny T!

xo,
Alison

She sold out...tweet, tweet.

2011-11-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well I mean, like in the sense that I'm a "sell-out." Not that like my booth at the Bijou Market was cleared clean. But it was a great event!

I'll start by saying the number one reason I'm a sell-out is because I joined Twitter. I think my anti-Twitter stance was even firmer than my anti-Facebook stance...but I've caved. What else is new? Please don't offer me drugs right now, I can't promise I wont' succumb to peer pressure.

My twitter handle is sheblogsheblogs

So it's just like the blog, minus and "s" in the middle there. Not ideal, but I was late to the game and beggars can't be choosers. But I will say, I plan on being like, really funny on Twitter.

In other news! Bijou Market really was SO MUCH FUN. And I'm glad I swooped in at the last minute. I took some pictures of my booth, but please, please remember I was up until 4 in the morning the night before, so there are bags under my eyes galore, and also the lighting in there isn't super.

I made a few last minute Christmas additions, and I am in love with them. They sold very well, but lucky for you, I will be sharing how to DIY them in the next week!

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'm going to blow your mind with some quick and adorable Chestnut Ornaments!

Love your guts,

Twitter's newest drone
p.s. OF COURSE I WORE MY MOMIFORM I needed a power outfit.

Ooops, I WILL be at Bijou

2011-11-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

Um, so, I had reserved a spot at Bijou...but said NO! I will not do it! I need my sanity. I planned on cancelling, but I never did...and now I find myself the night before furiously packaging all my goodies! It's just too much fun not to participate. See here for details.

I just can't stay away! So I WILL be selling my patterns, stationary, plushies, and some other amazing Christmas items at Bijou. Also, I'm eliminating all of my hard copies of patterns (and going to PDF's) so all of my box kits will be on sale for $5. Which is like 75% off! So come and pick some up!

I hope to see you there. Please stop by and say hello!

xoxo,
A VERY crazy craft lady

She's Loving Bijou, and Why You Should Too

2011-11-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Even though I decided to take a break (and by break you all know I mean 6 seasons of Buffy) and not sell at the Bijou Market this season, I'm still BEYOND excited to attend this weekend!

And one reason in particular is to snatch up some of this designer wrapping paper by fifth&hazel! Luckily I went to high school with the designer, yeah, I'm really hip, and she let Susan and I help her add the ribbons and whatnot to her beautiful packages. Not like they needed the help. Check out this paper.

(all pictures by Melanie)

The wrapping paper comes packaged in large sheets of three, with a fourth contrasting insert. It's such super quality. Can you tell I'm obsessed? They will also have the gift tags you see pictured, as well as lots more. If you're kicking yourself for not living in Provo or Salt Lake City right now, I'm pestering Melanie to get these babies for sale via the web.

I know I took a firm "let's not forget about Thanksgiving" stance...but I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few mini reindeer hanging out with me and my drill today.

What do you like to wrap with? Each Christmas I kind of choose a theme for all my presents. I think I'll be using more of those wooden balls (available at Joanns). Don't you love those wooden balls?!

xo,
Alison

p.s. I am OVERWHELMED at the support you have shown for me and my jumpsuit. Thank you so much. The jumpsuit and I couldn't do it without your love. For the next few weeks each Wednesday I'll post a new jumpsuit outfit.

The Great Jumpsuit Experiment or My Momiform

2011-11-16T06:15:00.001-07:00

One time I read an article in Parenting and they used the word: "momiform." I love stuff like that.

A momiform makes perfect sense if you are a mom! It's your mom-uniform. It's the outfit you unintentionally put on almost everyday. They're the clothes you can grab without thinking. And I don't know about you, but I do most things without thinking.

All spring and into early fall my "momiform" was denim on denim. This is evident by the number of pictures of me in my chambray shirt. Honestly, look back, it looks like it's the only shirt I own.

My sister Andrea and I were talking about what our "momiforms" were going to be for fall and winter, and I decided that a one piece jumpsuit was the most practical choice. She disagreed, but I stand by my decision. And because I was unable to find a jumpsuit that met my needs...I decided I had to make one.

Here is the progression of events...

First I found a pattern, then I modified the crap out of it. Here I am in a fetching muslin mockup.

And now for the reveal...

Remember how I'm so good at being a serious model?! Anyway, I'm really really pleased with how my jumpsuit turned out. It's SO comfortable. I used the most wonderful knit fabric, and it's also really fun to dance in.

To prove to my sister, and any other jumpsuit practicability doubters, just how versatile the jumpsuit can be, I've decided it will post pictures of how I wear my jumpsuit weekly! I want this baby to get a lot of use! I shall call it: The Great Jumpsuit Experiment.

Now go ahead, admit it, do you kind of want a jumpsuit? You can join me in my experiment.

xo,
Alison

She Recommends: Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

2011-11-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I tried a new tomato soup recipe reccomended by my bestie Jessica, and it was SO GOOD I had to share. The recipe comes from the fabulous blog Spoon Fork Bacon. Isn't that the best name ever? I adore it.

The soup is easy to make, but you roast the tomatoes for about an hour so you will want to do that ahead of time. Also, the recipe called for fresh basil, but the basil I bought was disgusting, so I used all dried basil and it was still delicious. I also used the best brand I could find of canned Italian crushed tomatoes with basil and garlic. The recipe calls for just regular canned tomatoes. But other than those simple changes I did the recipe just as instructed and it was a hit with the ladies I had over for lunch! Next time I'm going to add some orzo pasta to it like they do at Zupas!

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup recipe here!

Let me know if you make it! What other soups do you love to make during Fall and Winter?!

xo
Alison

She Gives: Gift Idea- Nail Kit

2011-11-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season to give! And you know I love giving handmade gifts. But sometimes I think it's nice to combine a little something handmade with something that it would be dangerous if I tried to make...like nail polish. I got a C in chemistry.

I made my girl Nichelle this little nail kit as a belated birthday gift. I used some corduroy and leather to make a simple travel bag, and some vintage fabric for the lining. The travel bag pattern is from the Amy Butler book Style Stitches. I like Amy Butler books and highly recommend them. I've made two patterns from this book so far (both as gifts). Amy Butler patterns are really easy to follow, very thorough, and great for beginners.

As for the nail polish, I (and every other blogger I know) highly recommend Essie. Plus you can now find the brand at Target and Wal-mart. I thought these would be fun holiday hues.

Colorful nails are so hot right now, but it's kind of a splurge to drop $10 or so dollars on quality polish. That's why I think it's such a fun gift. I added some cotton balls and a little nail clipper to the bag along with the items pictured.

I decided to share this little gift because I think it's hard sometimes to come up with gifts for my girlfriends! I want to give them something personal and homemade but also something they can really use. For my birthday last week a friend of mine sent me two AMAZING OPI nail polish colors, and I was giddy with excitement!

Do you have any go-to gifts? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Happy Crafting!

xo,
Alison

Gotta' Get Down on Friday

2011-11-11T15:11:00.001-07:00

Well I just want to thank all of you who wished me a happy birthday! Whether it was here, on Facebook, Instagram (thelittletiny) or some other social outlet, I really appreciated all of the warm wishes! It was a fabulous birthday. Thank you.

I wanted to share these Gobble Gobble Turkey T's (TUTORIAL HERE) I sent flying via USPS a few days ago. I really like the way the gold turned out. But you all know I am a total sucker for metallics.

I also wanted to let you know that the giveaway for a mobile is still up over at Babble! I don't think too many people have entered so your chances are good!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. What are you doing? I have a whole bunch of holiday crafts and gifts I can't wait to get to! I've also decided I have to take a one week Buffy the Vampire Slayer break because it's starting to alter my perception of reality. Sometimes I think about things and can't remember if it happened my life, my dreams, or Buffy's life. I would be embarrassed to admit that if Buffy weren't so awesome. Well, I actually don't care about her that much, mostly if Spike weren't so awesome.

Anyway. Wish me luck on my one week hiatus! I hope the Scooby gang is alright without me!

xo!
Alison

She said, "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!"

2011-11-10T06:16:00.002-07:00

Yes, it's my birthday. Like how I publicly announce it? It's just the kind of girl I am! Anyway, to celebrate I thought I'd share a few things:

1. Some amazing cuzzy/sister pictures that Heather Mildenstein took a few weeks back.

2. That Babble is giving away one of my leather mobiles! Hurry and enter!

3. My sister has a new blog (more on that later) and she wrote about me! Oh sister.

Now for the cuzzy pictures, featuring sassy Gigi, silly me, my glamazon sister Andrea, and her adorable tiny Jo.

They had kind of reached their breaking point with that last one.

I love you all! Thank you for reading my blog and sharing your thoughts, time, ideas and love with me. I sincerely appreciate it.

Kisses

Alison

DIY Gobble Gobble Turkey T

2011-11-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

Bloggers are all up in Christmas' business, but I'm determined to milk each and every holiday for what it's worth! That's why I came up with this super fun Gobble Gobble Turkey T! My lady Heather helped me decide on a design, and then we each got to crafting! Here are the ones she made for her super cute boys!

(pictures by Heather)

Making the Gobble Gobble Turkey T is SUPER easy. It's made using a stencil with freezer paper. Print, snip, paint, peel. That's all it's gonna take! Let's get started.

SUPPLIES:

- Gobble Gobble Turkey T Stencil
-Freezer paper (this comes in a roll in like tin foil, you can find it at the grocery store in the same aisle)
- Onesie or t-shirt
- Ruler
- Xacto knife
- Fabric paint (I like Tulip brand "soft fabric paint")
- Fabric paint brush or craft brush (near the fabric paint you'll find special paint brushes for painting on fabric, I have a flat one that is great for making precise corners, it cost $4 and was WELL worth the investment)

HOW TO MAKE YOUR T:

1. Download the free stencil here!

2. Cut a piece of freezer paper to 8.5x11 so it will fit in your printer. Print the design on the matte side of the paper. However, if your printer starts acting cute, you may need to print the design, and then trace it onto the matte side of the paper. In the picture above the printer stopped working, so I both traced and printed the image onto the freezer paper.

3. Cut out the design. Do this using your Xacto knife. I recommend using a ruler to make the lines nice and straight. Cut out the little beak and try not to lose it. Good luck.

4. Iron the image onto your shirt-shiny side down. Make sure to center the beak. Press the image flat so there are no bubbles. Then place a piece of card stock or cardboard between the layers of your shirt so the paint won't bleed through.

5. Choose your colors. It helps if you have a very cute assistant. Then paint, paint, paint! You may want two coats. You don't want to see any fabric peeking through.

6. Let your paint dry thoroughly, and then peel off your freezer paper. I let mine dry for 4 or more hours. It might be excessive. But I figure it's like not letting a cake cool long enough. Why ruin all that hard work because you can't be patient!? Peel off the beak using a pin or the tip of your Xacto knife.

Then try to get your dang models to hold still long enough for a cute picture! Heaven knows I couldn't.

Look at those cute little cousins! Hopefully I can get some better pictures of Gigi and Jojo on Turkey day! We'll be in San Diego! I know, feel so sorry for me.

As always, I would LOVE to see your finished projects! Share them with me on Facebook! See, I have Facebook now! I'm trying to make this easier for you!

Gobble gobble! Happy Thanksgiving!

xo
Alison

$5 Fall Wreath in 5 Minutes

2011-11-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Remember when we talked about how fleeting November is? It's hard to know if you should skip it all together and head straight for winter goods or if you should live it up? Well, because it is the month of my birth (cough, this THURSDAY) I figured I'd live it up. Here's a $5, 5 minute wreath that I think it pretty cute.

I got this straw base for $2.99 from Joanns.

Then I used ye olde hot glue gun and arranged some faux fall foliage on the side (also from Joanns). BOOM BABY! You have yourself a wreath. I think some velvet ribbon on top would like nice as well. But I liked the simplicity of this.

The fall florals were (and probably still are) 75% off, and I felt like a REALLY REALLY old lady buying them because: 1. I was positively giddy about what a good deal I was getting and 2. I spent an absurd amount of time examining the fake plants and exclaiming to Gigi how beautiful they were.

If you're in denial and don't think the "FLORAL" section of the craft store is for old ladies, then I must not have mentioned the last time I was there a woman's oxygen tank went AWOL. Yeah, that's who hangs out over there. It started spurting H20 every which way, and after watching her try to get the tank under control for a minute, I had to literally run to her aid. She breathlessly explained how the valves should be lining up as the tank continued to shriek and hiss. Together we finally got it under control, though I'm betting she was unconscious by the time she made it back to the yarn aisle. And you thought the life of a crafter was boring! Just keep that story in mind as you gather up your coupon mailer and head to Lady J's.

Anyway, I went overboard with the florals. Here's what else I did with them.

Am I officially an old fart?

Ha! Like I care.

Love you all!
xo

Fall Progress Report

2011-11-03T09:24:00.000-06:00

The month of November is a funny transitional time, decor wise, that is. A glam witch that has crashed on the porch and spiders creeping out of my lanterns hardly seems fitting, but I'm not one to jump Thanksgiving straight to Christmas. At this point you may be thinking, if these are really the most pressing concerns in her life, she needs to get a new one. And you may be right.

But that doesn't solve the problem of how to decorate for November. On my fireplace I had these jack-o-lantern jars I made using this Martha idea and so I've sneakily flipped them around and I might put something in them. I'm also working on adding some Fall pizazz to the lanterns, and today I'm finishing up a VERY fun Thanksgiving craft I think you'll all love. Plus there might be a wreath thrown in there.

So, I have some fun things in store my dears, but until then tell me if you put on some red lipstick today?

I'd love to see it!

xo,
Alison

She's got ANOTHER manifesto

2011-11-02T06:08:00.001-06:00

I know you've just been laying awake at night wondering, when is Alison going to share another one of her life-altering manifestos? Good news, you can sleep well tonight.

Next week, on November 10th, I will be turning 28. I don't really have a problem with my age. I never have, I happily accept each year and assume they make me wiser, and therefore sexier. What's sexier than a woman who's smart enough not to ask a man, "But tell me how you're feeeeeeeeeeeling?" See, I've learned so much.

But 28 is closer to 30 than it is 20, and I've been considering what this means. Should I stop shopping at Forever 21? Probably, but I won't. Should I stop replacing meals with candy and diet coke? At some point, possibly. Should I stop telling my mom what I'd like for Christmas? Not until she stops asking.

However, I did come up with one thing I can and should do: wear red lipstick whenever and wherever I want.

Do you ever put on red lipstick on and feel a bit too bold? Because you're not on your way to a swanky lounge or B52s concert? Or maybe because you think, "I'm not a red lipstick kind of girl." I've decided that at the ripe old age of 28, I get to be a red lipstick kind of girl anytime I feel like it. And here's what it's going to look like.

What about you? Want to join me in this red lipstick revolution?

Happy November!
xo,
Alison

She bids you a Happy Halloween with last minute party ideas

2011-10-31T06:19:00.002-06:00

Happy Halloween!

I hope you're donning a costume, or at the very least you've smeared some fake blood on your shirt. I've painted my nails a pumpkin orange, but that's as far as I've gotten. But I'm really tempted to run out and grab a super scary costume. I have this new dream of becoming the spookiest house in Provo, where kids come from miles around to see my wacky decor and meet the evil craft witch. I'm envisioning scissors sticking out of my forehead and my lips sewn shut with yarn....WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS SOONER?

Anyway. While I'm working on that I thought I'd share some pictures from a Halloween Cookie Decorating party that I put on for my primary class. I know Halloween, is, uh, today, but my treats were super simple, and I thought my signs were SOOO funny that I had to share.

The "Vampire Spit" was Sprite mixed with Fruit Punch concentrate. I put some plastic ping pong eyeballs in there, but the kids fished them out so fast I couldn't get a picture! I had NO idea what a hit those eyeballs would be. Make sure you have at least one for each party goer.

The "Ghost Blood" was water. GET IT?!

And the "Goblin Brains and Monster Fangs" obviously consisted of some of my homemade salsa and chips.

I even solicited the chickens. For some reason all kids do the same thing with the chickens...try to feed them the rocks that their coop sits on. Please teach your children chickens don't eat rocks. I think they're being misinformed in school.

All in all I think fun was had by all. The kids loved decorating the cookies and so did their hot moms!

Also, it's not too late to make yourself a Halloween Fancy Party Hat! I mean look how festive my co-teacher and I look.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

xo
The Evil Craft Witch

Cutest Kid's stuff ever

2011-10-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

I tend not to post on fashion-y things and make general declarations about what is "cool" or "in style." But I really support buying handmade whenever possible, and I was really excited to discover that one of my favorite Etsy sellers, Thief & Bandit, just extended their offering of kid's goods and opened Thief & Bandit Kids!

Right now as a grand opening bonus you can use the code BLEU2011 to get 30% off!

Here's Gigi sporting the Navajo print leggings yesterday:

leggings here & Freshly Picked baby moccs here

And here are some of my favorite things they've added to the kid's line:

Now I'm gonna go use that 30%!!

xo
Alison

Holiday Gift Swap!

2011-10-25T08:50:00.000-06:00

(pattern here)

I think this is THE MOST fun and genius idea:

Susan, over at Freshly Picked and Kersey from Ardor, have put together a Holiday Gift Swap!

So this is how it works, you make 5 handmade items, and then 5 different people will send you an item! You can give them as gifts, keep them for yourself, or use them to win back an ex-lover! The possibilities are endless.

I don't know what I'm going to make yet, but obviously, I'm giddy.

Check out the particulars here!
Or sign up to join in the handmade fun here!

What should I make? A pie plate? A Plucky Penguin? A fringe necklace? One of each? If you had your pick what would it be?

She's limping.

2011-10-24T09:18:00.000-06:00

Did I neglect to mention that I ran a 12 person 200 mile race this past weekend? I did. Didn't I? Well it was only because I was in total denial that it was going to happen.

But happen it did. Eric and I ran the Las Vegas Ragnar relay race with some awesome peeps that Eric works with. My thee legs totaled almost 15 miles. Which back in the day wouldn't have been a big deal for me, but since the baby...well, let's just say today I'm HURTING. I forgot how much I love running long distances though. So hopefully this will inspire me to get my butt back in gear. Have you run a Ragnar?

That's it. No other updates. Other than I hope you're having a super start to your week. I think I'll start mine off with a percocet...what? There have to be SOME perks to have gone through labor and post-labor pain! Leftover drugs can't be one of them??

xo
Alison

Quickie DIY: Metallic Buddies

2011-10-19T06:44:00.001-06:00

I was slumming it (read LOVING it) at The Dollar Tree the other day when I ran into these little guys:

Hello boys! They are tiny ceramic piggy banks. One is a lion and I'm pretty sure that other one is a zebra, but I'm gonna pretend he's a pony. I have a pretty strict policy of not buying random stuff. I like to only buy things I have a specific and immediate use for...so I passed them by even though I was in love.

But LUCKILY I thought of two reasons to head back the very next day:

Reason #1: That zebra/pony was in desparate need of metallic pants.
Reason #2: I remembered some gifts that were overdue.

I had this metallic enamel paint on hand, and I kind of like what happened:

So I'm calling this a Quickie DIY because it hardly constitutes as a project! However, they sell plain white ceramic dudes like this at all the big box craft stores, and I'm sure you could paint some pants on friends you find at the thrift store.

Here are my buddies all gussied up:

I think they make a pretty cute little gift! But maybe I've been blinded by all the flash on that zebra's pants...what do you think?

xo
Alison

More tiny T's for Tiny Cousins

2011-10-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

The Tiny T tutorial lives on! I made both of these shirts for Gigi and her cousin Jo using my own Tiny T tutorial. (Yes, I practice what I preach.)

You can find the Tiny T Tutorial here!

FYI I've made the pattern easier to download and I'm in the process of expanding the sizes. Currently I only have 0-6 months and 6-12 months. But they are easy to adjust.

I really wish I could remember to take a picture of the "before" shirts. Both of these were frumpy T-shirts from the thrift store. Like SUPER frumpy. The pink one was an extra large women's T-shirt. It had a full lace neckline and the buttons were already in place. And the striped one was a silly crew neck. I added the cowl neck and placed the arm stripes vertical.

It's really hard to get that Gigi bug to hold still these days, but here you can see a better shot of the sleeves and buttons, and Ginger eating a leaf. This is Josie with her pretty Mama.

And don't mind my baby's snot nose. When I try to wipe it she acts like I'm cutting off an ear.

I can't stress enough the ease of these T's! If you've made one go ahead and testify for me! And I'll be updating the pattern with new sizing soon!

You can check out other shirts I've made with the Tiny T pattern here, and here.

Happy fall!

xo
Alison

HUGE announcement and "You are a Gem" winner.

2011-10-14T06:32:00.006-06:00

First and foremost, thank you so much to all of you who participated in my give away! It's really nice to give away something and have you all say such nice things. I'm happy to announce that the winner is Kaycee!

Kaycee please send me an email with your address and I'll get these suckers out to you ASAP.

OK, and now for the HUGE announcement.

I

have

joined

Facebook.

I know. I'm an abomination. But I'm being dead serious. I'm doing it all for the blog. My sister is a social media marketing DYNAMO (she is available to hire for consultations) and after much consideration I've totally sold out.

With that said! Please feel free to add me as your friend! BFF's? I'm on there as Alison Faulkner Robertson.

Well, I love you all!

xo,
Alison

DIY Glam Witch Crash

2011-10-13T10:29:00.000-06:00

Look who just made a smashing entrance on my porch!

As I've mentioned before, I'm totally into spookifying my house this year. And better late than never, right?

I've been working on this little lady, for a week or two now. Not because she took that long to make, but because I get sidetracked easily. There were some witch crash tutorials out there, but none that were catching my vision, so I had to make this baby from scratch. And if I'm being totally honest with myself, she set me back about $20 MAX in supplies. Which is pretty good I think.

I'll call her a "DIY Glam Witch Crash." There are too many sparkles on this diva to classify her as just an ordinary witch. Right?

I used a laundry basket from The Dollar Tree and some foam board as the base, and some awesome tights I picked up at Joanns.

And aren't you glad I've found yet another use for glitter foam? I am!

I plan on doing a full tutorial on her next year. I think it might be a little late for this all Hallow's eve, but if you have any questions you know I'm always happy to give you lengthy answers full of details that will both overwhelm and excite you!

Happy haunting!

And don't forget to enter the "You are a Gem" stationary giveaway by tonight!

xo,

Alison

You are a Gem: free printable and giveaway!

2011-10-11T06:18:00.004-06:00

I love stationary that serves many purposes. As you may or may not know I did an internship with Hallmark Cards many years ago. Ah, it all makes so much sense now doesn't it?

Anyway, as I was there, I learned about the importance of making messages universal. I tried to apply this lesson as I made myself some stationary the other week. I came up with these:

I think they say, "Thank You", "Happy Birthday" "I love you" and just a simple, "Hi!" I'm trying to use more of my craft stash these days (instead of buying new things.) And I had some gorgeous letterpress weight French Paper already cut to a post card size. So I used my Gocco (like a mini silkscreen thing) with some gold metallic ink and got to work.

I was quite please with the result, so I've decided to share it with you! The first way is a free download.

You can download my "You are a Gem" stationary here!

I have two versions, one is a black outline, I used this to make my silkscreen. And the other is a full color version that I did. It looks like this:

Like all of my downloads feel free to gift them, share them, tuck them in with you on a cold night. But please do not make products to sell with them! That would just be rude.

Also, I would like to giveaway a set of 10 flat cards with Sea Foam envelopes (not pictured because I'm lazy) and a set of 8 or so envelopes for you to use to you heart's content! These little treats have been hand pressed with love, and I'd like to share them with you because, well, "You are a gem."

To enter simply leave me a comment, if you are a follower you can leave two comments!

The giveaway will end Thursday night, I will announce the winner on Friday!

--CONTEST CLOSED--

xo
Alison

Awesome Jewelry Giveaway

2011-10-07T22:30:00.001-06:00

(picture stolen from here)

My homegirl (yeah, I said it) Heather, over at The Coterie Blog is doing a giveaway for a $20 gift card to the amazing etsy shop Made by Jewls. Aren't those striped ones the PERFECT touch of festive? And look at these little suckers:

Go enter the giveaway here!

I have had the pleasure of working with Julianne (the mastermind behind the jewelry) both at Bijou Market and Craft Lake City. Her adorable husband, Chris, is always there supporting her and helping her, and I'm pretty much obsessed with the couple. When I saw the giveaway at Heather's I HAD to post about it because 1. her jewelry is so fun and functional. They are everyday pieces you'll love having, and 2. if more people were like Julianne in the craft world, and world, it would be a better place.

It can be easy at craft fairs and in the presence of wildly talented artists to get insecure and start comparing your work. Everyone has poured hours into their craft, and it's hard not to be sensitive. But Julianne is the warmest, nicest, most welcoming person around. If you've been to any craft show in the area you've probably seen her stuff, and she's insanely successful. I mean it, her table is always swarmed and her little creations sell like hotcakes!

She's encouraged me, on multiple occasions to make and sell jewelry. She even offered to have some of my stuff at her table if I wanted. Now think about that. What most people would see as "competition" she sees as a way to put more art into the world. I love love love this outlook. Her product and craft is genuine to who she is, so she doesn't need to worry about what anyone else is doing.

Anyway. I can't say enough good things about her. So go and read her cute blog here. And enter Heather's giveaway!

I love you all!

xo
Alison

Lemon Blueberry Birthday Cake or the best cake ever

2011-10-06T08:22:00.000-06:00

Well it looks like it's just sort of a baked goods kind of week! Last weekend we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday, and even though she's a diehard pie person, she requested that I make her the same cake I made for Ginger for her Fancy Pants Birthday Party!

I shared a few snippets of this on Instagram, and lots of people requested the recipe! Luckily I just used a combo of other people's fabulous recipes, so it is very easy to share!

I'm going to be very serious for a minute (as I usually am about things of no consequence) this is like, the best cake ever. On a whim I combined the elements and they happened to make magic. If you like lemon and blueberries, and cake, I cannot imagine how you would not MOAN over this cake. Gigi is obsessed with blueberries.

For the cake layers I used this AMAZING vanilla cake recipe from Sweetapoltia. Also, if you haven't made a layer cake before, she has some really good tips and tricks, that I highly recommend reading.

For between the layers I made some lemon curd (it's very easy) and then piled on loads of blueberries.

Both the lemon curd and the lemon blueberry buttercream frosting are from the great blog, My Baking Addiction. I knew how yummy they were from making the cupcakes (that they are intended for) a few months ago. You can halve the lemon curd recipe, but you'll want all that icing.

When I made my mother-in-laws cake I used EVEN more blueberries between the layers, and it was delicious. You don't even need ice cream with this cake. For Gigi's cake I used some crushed rock candy to add some bling. But I didn't put that on her mini 2-layer cake for obvious reasons. Also, I didn't use lemon curd for her cake because I didn't know if she'd be into it.

All in all it was a super yummy cake and I'm confident you'll love it. Just like I love you. And cake.
And sugar. And Diet Dr. Pepper, and my baby who is screaming, has ripped off her bib, and is trying to escape from her high chair. Obviously I didn't present her highness with enough blueberries.

xo
Alison

Spooky Halloween Cupcakes

2011-10-03T10:15:00.001-06:00

So last year on Halloween Gigi was 6 weeks old. I had read that 6 weeks can be the peak of baby fussiness...but I wasn't prepared for the reality of Ginger crying 6 hours...straight. Ok, ok, there were a few breaks when she would collapse and fall asleep, but then she would wake up screaming and would again wail for another hour.

Needless to say, it was a scary Halloween.

But! I did manage to make one treat last year, and it was pretty fun and yummy so I thought I'd share.

I used this Candy Apple Cupcakes Recipe from Honest Fare. So I want to be very clear this isn't my creation, and give credit where credit is due! But these are my pictures.

I like how the candy coating looks like dripping blood. I think it would be cute to make these for a party and put little fake vampire teeth in them!

They are fun to eat because the top is like a candy apple at a fair. It makes an awesome CRUNCH. The batter comes out SUPER thick. So thick you'll think something is wrong. But it's not. It's really really right and super yummy. The cupcake is a like a chunky apple muffin.

And here's a picture of what we did with Gigi in between hysterical bouts of crying.

Oh babies!

Well I hope your having a happy October!
xo,
Alison

p.s. Mad shout outs to THIS GIRL for suggesting to recipe!

Roasted Mango Tomatillo Salsa with Sassy Printable Labels

2011-09-30T06:53:00.000-06:00

If you're following me on Instagram (username TheLittleTiny) you know that I've been super obsessed with making salsa lately. I've made quite a few batches now, and I recently brewed up a concotion that is just too good to keep to myself.

I was sick of gifting my salsa in trashy old pickle bottles, so I thought I'd whip up some labels to spruce them up. And because I love you all, I'm sharing them both with you!

The labels, as you can see, can be used for any salsa you choose to make. I've rated the heat levels with, "bold," "sassy," and "just plain naughty."

If made as is, I rank this Roasted Mango Tomatillo Salsa as "sassy" but you can naughty things up a bit by adding more Jalapeno.

DOWNLOAD THE LABELS HERE!

I printed them on adhesive Avery Shipping Labels that are 2"x4". There are 10 on a page.

And now, for the salsa. You can check out my Roasted Tomato Tomatillo Salsa recipe too!

Roasted Mango and Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:
10-15 Tomatillos, husked and washed
2-3 Small tomatoes
3-4 cups of sliced mango (I used about a third of the pre-sliced fresh mango from Costco)
1 head of garlic
2 Anaheim Peppers
1 Jalapeno pepper
2 limes
1 to 2 large white onions

Making your salsa:
Roast your tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and garlic (separated and still in their papers) on a baking sheet lined with foil. Move the rack in your oven a few inches away from the heat source, and roast on the highest setting until the peppers and tomtatillos are charred, 7-10 minutes.

I happen to have a gas stove, so I decided to char my peppers and tomatillos directly over the small flame. I just used a pair of long tongs and rotated the peppers and tomatillos so that all sides got a nice char. One minute or so for each side.

Remove the stems from your peppers, and remove the garlic from its peel.

In a food processor or blender blend the tomatillos, garlic, mango, and the juice of two limes. Then add your peppers. If you're worried about spice, maybe add the peppers one at a time and taste. Once this is blended add tomatoes one at a time to taste. Then rough chop your onion and add it in chunks to taste. Then salt!

I love making salsa because it's fun to just throw things in there and taste as you! So I suggest using this recipe as a starting point more than anything else.

Good luck and OLE!

xo
Alison

Spooky on a budget

2011-09-28T06:46:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when Eric gets home I immediately thrust Gigi into his arms, dive to find my keys, and while running for the door I shout vague instructions about caring for our child. I then get in my car, blast my bad music, and start driving aimlessly.

This scenario doesn't mean I don't love my husband or baby. Sometimes I just need to get away. And by sometimes I mean at least once a day. Usually I don't have anywhere I REALLY need to go, so I'll just point my car towards the nearest caffeine and then take it from there. I'd say more often than not I end up at Joanns. There's always something that needs surveying at Joanns.

Earlier this week, on my little evening getaway, I was searching for some inspiration (yes, at Joanns) to spook up my porch. Over the past few years I've been horribly disappointed with my Halloween decor, but to me it's really hard to find. Why is it that Halloween decorations seem to fall into two categories: 1. Shabby Chic or 2. Terribly Disgusting. Why can't there be any middle ground?!

Obviously I'm happy to make my own, but sometimes I'd like a base to start from! Moving on. I ended up leaving Joanns empty handed. I can't remember the last time this happened. Eric almost died from shock (or was it happiness?).

Disappointed and a bit disillusioned, I stumbled into the giant Halloween party store that sets up camp next to my local Joanns this time of year. After getting sufficiently creeped out by the teenagers chasing each other with fake chainsaws and the mechanical zombie crawling after me on the floor...I was able to find a few things for my porch.

I have some Ikea lanterns hanging on my porch that I've really wanted to spruce up. During the summer they had some ivy in them, but for the last few months they have been empty. I tend to spend a lot of time on things that are edible and giftable, but my house kind of suffers from neglect. After an embarrassingly long time wandering the store, I decided on some fake giant spiders. They were $2.50 each and I already had some web (used for my Fancy Halloween hats!). I also picked up this fake raven, and a tiny pen that looks like a broom (JEALOUS of my pen, aren't you?).

I guess I could have just posted some pictures of my "Spooky Porch" and been all understated about it, but then that wouldn't have been much like me, would it?

Now I just need an absurd number of pumpkins, and I think I'll be set on the porch. But there's still a whole house that needs haunting! Any suggestions?

Also what are you being for Halloween? I CANNOT decide on Ginger's costume, but I'm really leaning towards a lil' devil. Is it wrong to dress my 1-year-old daughter as Beelzebub?

xo
Alison

Potates: She Strikes Red Gold!

2011-09-26T05:55:00.000-06:00

Ok, digging up potatoes is almost as thrilling as unearthing carrots! And by the way, my brother called to confirm how stoked he was when digging up his carrots, so it's not just me.

Eric planted ALL these potatoes and I was a little negative Nancy about it because potatoes aren't that expensive to buy. But as we dug up a mother load on Friday night, and I ran around the garden collecting my spoils, I was totally singing a different tune.

The way you dig up potatoes is by thrusting your shovel in any approximate area where you planted them and then lifting up the dirt. Well, that's the way we did it. And when Eric would turn the shovel and a few taters were unearthed, it felt as though we'd struck red gold. The trick is not slicing the potatoes with your shovel. We even found a potato bug ON a potato.

If that's not quaint I don't know what is. I've made two large batches of dirty mashed potatoes. My mom makes them that way, using red potatoes and leaving the skins on when you mash them. I made one batch with cream cheese (and butter and garlic and sour cream) and the other batch with some Gorgonzola cheese I had leftover from The Fancy Pants Party. But We still have tons of tots left and I want to try some new recipes with them. Any suggestions?

I hope your weekend was as crazy as mine. Or at least involved as many calories. Mmmm, starch.

xo
Alison

It's me me me all day.

2011-09-23T06:10:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I just quoted, "Julie and Julia."

But I thought I'd give you a heads up, if you're interested in making the Fancy Party Hat, you're in luck! Suzy Q, you know the babe over at Freshly Picked, teamed up with me to make a little vid of the tutorial for Babble.

Check it out here!

xo,
Alison

Fancy Party Hat Tutorial

2011-09-22T06:00:00.003-06:00

I am very excited to share this tutorial with you! It's such a versatile craft. You can use these hats for a birthday party, like I did, or you could use them to celebrate any holiday! And because Halloween is right around the corner, I did a few Halloween inspired hats to get your juices flowing.

I also think these hats would be adorable to let your guests decorate, if they are old enough or interested enough to do so! Wouldn't they also make a fun name card?

Ok, I'll stop selling the party hats and get to the freaking tutorial.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TEMPLATE HERE!

SUPPLIES:

-Pattern pieces (available above)

-Hot Glue Gun

-Scissors

-Glitter Foam
*I shopped around and found that Hobby Lobby had the best deal on glitter foam (a dollar per sheet). This foam comes in 9x12" sheets, and you will be able to make about 5 hats for every two sheets of foam. If glitter doesn't go with the look of your event (my only question is, why not?) you could also use spray adhesive to adhere some light fabric to plain foam.

-Miniature alligator clips
*Again Hobby Lobby was the real winner on price and selection for these guys. I got a bag of 25 for around $4.

-Decorations
*The sky is really the limit. I used feathers, pom poms, tulle, toys, sequins, ribbon and felt.

STEP 1: Cut out your pieces

Trace your pieces (try to maximize your space) on the back of your foam.

STEP 2: Glue your band

When gluing your band hold up your top piece to make sure the circumferences match. You won't cut each top circle exactly the same, so each band will overlap a little more or a little less. Err on the side of have the band circle too small if needs be.

STEP 3: Attach the top of the hat

In half inch sections add glue to the top rim of the band. Secure the top and remove any excess glue. Yes, you will probably get burned. A small sacrifice for such a cute hat.

STEP 4: Secure the top of the hat to the base

Add glue to the bottom rim of the hat, and then center it on top of the base (the larger circle). You only get one shot, so get it right. Ha, NO PRESSURE.

STEP 5: Attach the alligator clip

When I made my first hat I put glue all along the bottom of the clip. Duh, it didn't open. Place a small dab of hot glue on the ends, and secure the flat side to the bottom of the hat. I like to open the clip while the glue dries to make extra sure I didn't glue it shut. Fool me once! Keep in mind which side of your head you want to wear the hat on, and then keep the seam (that is on the band of the hat) in back.

STEP 6: Decorate!

My only tip: put glue on the object, not the hat. Trust me. It's easier.

Here's a quick visual tutorial of how to make a tuxedo bow out of felt. Sorry it's a tad fuzzy.

Here are some more detailed shots for decorating inspiration. Also you can see Gigi's Fancy Pants Party post for even more Fancy Hats.

I might wear one of these suckers in place of a costume this year. Or make a mini witch hat! Boo!

(Again, huge thanks to Heather for taking pictures of me. Saved me from self-timer!)

Awesome! You are done! I REALLY REALLY want to see some of your hats! If you make some send them my way! It makes my DAY!

Happy crafting!

xo,
Alison

Fancy Pants Birthday Party

2011-09-21T06:00:00.005-06:00

Ok, things are about to get fancy.

Let's start with decor. I had a very limited budget, and by limited I mean technically none. So I tried to use things I had around. Which, luckily in my case...is a lot of random stuff.

To help my guest feel even fancier when they arrived I set out a dress table. I made fascinators (miniature headpieces) for the women to choose from, and bowties for the gentlemen.

The fancy party hats were actually very easy to make, and very inexpensive! The tutorial for the Fancy Party Hats will be up tomorrow!

For the tables I simply cut giant felt "1"s and then placed out some sugar cookies I made. I also used those Ikea champagne flutes (rimmed with hot pink sprinkles) to give the tables some pop.

My mom and sister helped do the food. They went OVER THE TOP! I hope they didn't feel any pressure...

To keep people happy I made a "Pin the Fancy Pants on the Pony" game and a photo wall with some fun signs.

Ginger, of course, would not keep her party hat on.

But let's get to what really matters. The baked goods. I plan on doing individual posts with the details of each baked good. So let me know if you have any questions. I did all the sweets!

There are SO many more photos I want to share. But we'll start with just that! I don't want to overwhelm you. Too late? All in all, it was a wonderful day. And despite the face she's making with me, Gigi loved all the attention. Attention and sugar.

A HUGE thanks to Heather Mildenstien Photography for these BEAUTIFUL photos.There are more to come! If you can handle it?

Happy Fancy Pants to you!

xo
Alison

Fall Cleaning? And My Life Motto

2011-09-20T07:20:00.000-06:00

WHOA, don't freak out.

A couple things have changed around here. If you're in reader, you should probably pop over and check out ye olde blog. Oh, and, also, if you're in reader, you're probably not reading any more? I recently changed my URL from a blogspot one to Sheblogssheblogs.com. So you'll have to resubscribe.

But I just feel so much better because it was time for a change. And I've been meaning FOREVER to create some little buttons for people who would want them, you know, to post on your blog if you'd like. I've created two. One is just you know, "Sheblogs Sheblogs" and the other is my life motto. Which I shared with you all a while back, but because it's been a while I'll explain it again. Though, it doesn't REALLY need explaining.

I tend to have anxiety. HUGE shock I know. I joke, I kid. I'm textbook. Anyway, one time I was actually in the throws of a real anxiety attack: gasping for air, dizzy, blah blah. I don't get them too often, just once or twice a year. Anyway, I just felt as though I had no options and I had no control over my own life. I felt thrust into the situation I was in, and I wanted out. And then it clicked, "I don't have to do anything I don't want to do." I started saying this to myself and pacing back and forth. I know this sounds oh so dramatic, but it's true, my roommates at the time can attest I was bonkers. Anyway. Over the years I try to remind myself of this.

During another bout of anxiety a few years ago, Eric was out of town and it was Easter, and I was at my in-laws without my husband. We hadn't even been married a year, and it was a little uncomfortable for me. Even more uncomfortable when I broke down crying hysterically on my mother-in-laws lap. Ha! But you know what she did. She hugged me, and said, "I get like this too, and what's happened is, you aren't giving yourself any options. Let's try to think of some."

Isn't that the perfect way to sum up how we feel sometimes? Bless you Debbie. It's so true. We can get so wrapped up with how things SHOULD be, or how we wanted them to be, that we don't give ourselves any options.

So, with ALL that ado, I give you my motto! It's the ultimate option:

It's on the sidebar should you like it! Let me know if it's too big and I can do a smaller one, I just wasn't sure what size you'd like. The Sheblogs one is smaller.

Well that was a lot of sharing for a Tuesday morning! My voice is kind of back. Enough to force it for some tutorial videos I have planned! Muhaha.

I love you all! Keep your chin up, and remember, you're an adult and you can do whatever the hell you'd like.

xo
Alison

She partied too hard.

2011-09-19T06:54:00.000-06:00

Ginger's birthday weekend was a TOTAL success! We had SO much fun, and spent way too much time and possibly sanity, putting on a "Fancy Pants" birthday party for Gigi. And by "we" I mean my mom, my sister, and me.

In fact I partied so hard, that I have completely and totally lost my voice. I was sick leading up to the party and then I decided experimenting with cake toppers was more important than sleep. (I still stand by that decision.) On Saturday, my already raspy voice had turned into something even more pitiful to listen to, and by the end of the party it was spent. All yesterday I was only able to whisper. And today, it's STILL gone. Yes, it is my personal hell.

Dear, sainted, talented Heather Mildenstien of The Coterie, was sweet enough to allow me to THRUST picture duty onto her, which is totally why I was able to party so hard. And so, I really have hardly any pictures to share yet! But I'm just so excited I thought I'd share a couple that I do have.

To give a brief overview ~~I decided to do~~ Ginger insisted a Fancy Pants party, and I tried to keep things, you know, FANCY. I created individual fascinators (a total nod to the royal wedding...yes for a one-year old) for all of the women at the party to wear when they arrived. I made bow ties for the men, and an array of other treats.

Guests were encouraged to wear their fanciest pants, and then prizes were awarded to those that were the fanciest. Here's a sneak peak at the birthday girl's pants:

And some shots from the Fancy Pants photo wall:

(please note Heather's bedazzled pants, so fancy!)

.
(my sister and her hubby Brian in what he calls his "quitters" and Josie! Gigi's BFF!)

I'll be doing a tutorial soon for the party hats, and I'm sure lots of other things. But as I post pictures please let me know if you have any specific requests! Unless of course the request is to stop posting pictures, because I probably won't listen!

I love you all.

I wish I could talk. I have SO MUCH to say.

xo,

Alison

She's got a one-year-old.

2011-09-16T12:25:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow my sweet, precious, Ginger Jane turns one. To commemorate this I had planned on posting all sorts of reflections and thoughts. But, that will have to wait until next week. Because right now I've got to get back to a tiered, 5-layer birthday cake, gem encrusted cupcakes, lemon curd filling from scratch, sugar cookies with royal icing, and an array of homemade decorations. Yes, I'm THAT mom. And damn proud of it.

I was fairly diligent about taking Gigi's "month" photos. And so I share them with you now.

I am beyond honored and humbled to be a mother. It's by far the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. More thoughts on this to come. But for now I hope you have a happy weekend, pray for no rain tomorrow!

We love you all!

xo

The Birthday Girl's mama

Fall Fun and My Mom's Carrot Recipe

2011-09-13T09:27:00.002-06:00

Don't you adore fall? It's beyond my favorite season. I love cardigan weather. You know, before it gets too chilly and after it has been so blistering hot? Plus I look good in cardigans. Who doesn't look good in cardigans?

It's also really fun to harvest from our garden. We didn't get that great of haul this year. I did absolutely nothing in the garden, and Eric got too busy to tend to it for a while. So we haven't gotten as many things as I would have hoped, but next year I'm going to actually participate and we'll see how that goes. Last night I dug up these carrots, and it was thrilling! Seriously, thrilling.

Look at this mutant. It's such a Harry Potter carrot.

Eric uprooted a ton of red potatoes, he loves growing them even though I tell him how cheap they are in the store. Ginger became especially fond of one tiny potato, and carried it around, mostly in her mouth for almost an hour.

Then we took a walk around our neighborhood to spy on our neighbor's gardens. They have got some fabulous goods. You could seriously live fat and happy off the haul in our neighborhood. I won't tell anyone, I swear. We found these beautiful sunflowers with plump bumblebees bustling about. Ginger thought they were great, but not great enough to release the potato for.

Sometimes I'm not that great about using vegetables when I buy them at the store. But I cannot stand to let the ones we grow go to waste. So I thought I'd share:

My Mom's Way of Making Carrots:
Prepare the carrots by peeling them, then cutting them up into bite size pieces of similar sizes. In this case this was a shame because they lost their fabulous shape.

Then I boiled them until tender. Next, drain the carrots and then put them back in your sauce pan. On a low heat and add a little bit of butter, a tablespoon or so of brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir the carrots until the butter and sugar have dissolved. Then salt to taste.

My mom would always do this with baby carrots, and we loved it growing up. It's the only way I really know how to prepare carrots, other than making a soup or doing them raw. But I'd love it if any of you knew any other recipes or methods of preparation, especially if they involve leaving these beautiful carrots whole!

In other news, I'm busy totally embracing my role as a crazy over-the-top mom, preparing some fun things for Ginger's first birthday party! We're a having a small party with mostly family. My parents are coming to town and I'm so excited I'm GIDDY. Honestly I stay awake at night thinking about the crazy things I'd like to do. I pretty much cleared my schedule so I can do them all! And I don't care one bit if I look like a total dork mom who has nothing better to do. Because in my opinion, few things are better than elaborate crafts for my tiny!

I hope you all are enjoying the onset of fall. And that you're getting lots of action. I mean that sincerely. Everyone should be getting some action! And by action I mean love. And by love I mean both physical and emotional. Ha!

xo
Alison

p.s. the sweatshirt the Ginger is wearing is the one I made for her using this pattern!

A Special Message

2011-09-09T15:36:00.000-06:00

Ginger insisted I share her special message for her Uncle Evan's Birthday.

Happy Birthday my dear brother! We love you so much! And don't worry, we won't tell a soul how old you are today.

xo
Alison, Eric & Gigi

She's offers you her Netflix recommendations

2011-09-09T12:10:00.000-06:00

The weekend is upon us! And it's time to kick back and relax, right? Maybe browse through the old instant play on Netflix?

But don't you feel like you spend more time looking for things to watch on Netflix than you do actually watching things on Netflix? Especially if you're like me and you don't have regular TV. Netflix is all I have in life for entertainment. I guess there are books, and nature, and serving other people...but I mean entertainment when I'm sick or unmotivated to do those other things.

Moving on. Because you all now know I have fabulous taste in movies and TV shows, I thought I'd share some Netflix gems with you so you don't waste as much time as I do browsing.

Keep in mind, I'm like, a totally professional movie reviewer.

MOVIES: (these are all movies that have come out in the last two years or so that I had never seen or even heard of before Netflix brought them into my life)

Wild Target- this movie didn't get amazing critical reviews, but I LOVED IT. It's dry and twisted British humor and has Emily Blunt and that guy who plays Ron in Harry Potter. I thought it was fun, and totally worth watching.

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond- This movie is really slow. But I like really slow movies, so this wasn't a problem for me. It's based on a play written by Tennessee Williams that was found after his death, and never produced. It totally is filmed like a play, and gave me all sorts of flashbacks to my semester in London spent with the Theater and Media Arts Students. It has Bryce Dallas Howard, who I LOVE. And she is either pregnant or just had a baby in the movie, so she's super sexy and curvy and it makes me feel better about myself. You might not like this movie unless you're into plays, geeky TMA stuff, or 20's fashion.

You Again- I don't know how I missed this movie. It has like EVERYONE. I mean it. Everyone. Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristin Chenoweth, Betty White, like so random. It's not a very good movie, in fact, it's pretty dumb. But of course, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I squealed, I squirmed. I'd watch it again. If you like bad romantic comedies, well, you won't be disappointed.

TV:

Circus- This is a 6 part PBS documentary about the people who work in a modern day circus. It is FASCINATING. I absolutely loved it. You learn about the performers, the people who set up the circus, the managers...their love lives! It's filmed really beautifully and has some cool music too. The opening credits are maybe some of my favorite I've ever seen.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- I didn't watch this show growing up because I was a die hard fan of the movie and thought this was a bastardization of the film. Yeah, I felt that strongly. But last week when I was feeling sluggish I enjoyed the first season (while sewing and whatnot). The first season is tolerable, but just when you think you're over it, Daivid Boreanaz shows up and HOOKS you back in. I've seen a couple episodes of the second season and they are much better. Plus it's so fun to see Sarah Michelle Gellar wearing half of my middle school wardrobe.

Yo Gabba Gabba- If you have a kid, and don't know this show, I don't know where you've been. But! If for some reason you've missed it, or don't have TV, lucky for you, it's on Netflix! I don't really like Gigi to watch TV, and she actually doesn't care for it either. But we both love this show. It's totally for Hipsters I know, but it's earnest and fun, and promotes awesome dancing. You know I can get behind that! Anyway. Ginger LOVES it and Eric and I sing the songs to each other all the time.

Ok! Feel free to leave any more recommendations for me! There are lots more I'm sure! But obviously we don't want to spend too much time with our Netflix...or do we?

Happy Friday!

xo
Alison

A mobile for Thatcher Ace

2011-09-08T08:35:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I participated in an online auction to raise money for a friend who lost her baby. I donated a custom leather mobile in any style the winner wanted.

Obviously I was very excited to create a special mobile for whoever won it. But I was SUPER excited when I found out the winner was an old buddy from high school (this is a flashback week!).

Emili decided to opt for a Leather Triangle Mobile for her ADORABLE Thatcher Ace's room. Yes, his name is Thatcher Ace! Don't you want to steal it? I also sent Emili some ombrè socks for her little bundle.

I think you're going to die when you see how cute he is:

I know right!? AHHH. He's too much! And I adore those vintage western prints in her nursery. I think she chose her mobile wisely. Here's a clearer pictures of her color choices. I had one small scrap of that metallic ruby leather and Emili got it! I loved that leather.

Emili has a super cute house and blog as well. It was a lot of fun reconnecting. Thanks Emili!

And thank YOU for all of the amazing support of my fashion blogging! It's tough work being a model, but somebody has to do it.

I love you all!

xo
Alison

p.s. Gigi is turning ONE next Saturday. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Why she isn't a fashion blogger.

2011-09-07T08:51:00.000-06:00

Obviously I have no problem talking about myself. I do, however, have a hard time taking myself seriously enough to post pictures of myself where I'm not being an idiot. Now, don't get me wrong, I take myself seriously enough to expect (or at least hope) strangers and loved ones will read my blog. And I take crafts pretty seriously. In fact, my sister jokes that's the only time I get really serious, when I'm talking about sewing and crafts. Or baking. I don't joke about baking.

And that brings us to one of the many reasons I can't be a fashion blogger. HOWEVER, I was rummaging through a bin of stuff my parents recently gave me. The bin has a few things I saved from high school and growing up, such as year books, a beanie baby, some Doc Martins...and these babies.

The heel on those is at least 5" high. I seriously used to wear these in high school. I thought I was SO FASHIONABLE. And perhaps I was?! Because I started wearing them around the house, and I totally fell in love with them again. I was feeling a bit blah, so I decided to do a fashion shoot for you, hopefully to convince you that these shoes are awesome? And totally wearable for fall?

See how I start fairly seriously:

And here I'm totally trying to channel this adorable blogger:

But then things quickly start to deteriorate:

Then they spiral out of control with the outfit change. I bought this shirt to turn into a Tiny T for Gigi, but after trying it on, I've decided I can't give it up.

So what do you think? Do you totally wish you had these Steve Maddens circa 2000? Or should I leave them in the bin? Should I also leave this girl in the bin?

Probably.

I love you all!

xo
Alison

Where have I been?

2011-09-06T09:44:00.002-06:00

Where have I been? What happened to the usually prolific and peppy blogger you once knew? She hasn't posted in AGES. (well ages for me)

Well, it's so nice of you to be concerned. So I will tell you exactly where I've been. Mostly I've been on my couch watching the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I also managed to squeeze in the first few episodes of Melrose Place. In between episodes of pretty bad acting and pretty awesome flashbacks of what I used to wear in middle school, I've been wrangling a pretty grumpy baby, who is teething and miserable. And incidentally, shortly after this adorable scene this morning:

pooped in the tub. I'm still in the process of cleaning that up. But really, let's face it. We all know I needed to scrub my bath anyway, and this was probably the only thing that could get me to do a really thorough job.

I may have possibly made Gigi some dresses, and whipped up another batch of salsa. But I don't want you thinking I've been anything but lazy. My Brazilian Butt Lift? It's totally starting to sag. My newly organized craft corner? Well, let's just say it's more of a chaos corner as of late.

But! Because I had such a lazy week last week, and perhaps the week before...I've decided to kick it back in gear. I'm gonna start by scrubbing the tub and cleaning up the dishes from the salsa I made 3 days ago.

Also, I've decided one major problem with this blog is: there aren't nearly enough pictures of ME.

So I'm going to rectify that tomorrow. :)

I love you all!

xo

Alison

Make it: Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa

2011-08-29T07:22:00.000-06:00

I had absolutely no idea how easy it was to make homemade salsa! Why didn't you people tell me?

Well just in case someone hasn't told YOU either, here's the lowdown. Making salsa is beyond easy, and it will make you feel like a rock star. It's a good way to get some veggies in your diet, plus, "Everybody likes to say salsa." (10 gold stars from me if you know that quote...without using google!)

I've made pico de gallo type salsas before. You know, the chunky, fresh, yummy kind that usually consist of chopped tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro and perhaps corn or black beans.

But I'd never made the more soupy, spicy, cheap-Mexican-food-salsa-bar type salsa before. Did I make that sound unappetizing? Ha. I just mean more "real" salsa. But when some tomatillos popped up in our garden, as well as some Anaheim peppers, I decided it was time to say, "Ole!"

We also had some fabulous tomatoes from our garden, so I wanted to include those. I was unable to find any recipes that incorporated both tomatillos AND tomatoes, so I decided to wing it! The salsa turned out really yummy and totally had some kick! I'm passing on the recipe I used, but you'll quickly see you can use or not use quite a few different things, depending on your personal preferences.

Again, this is SUPER simple. But I've given in depth instructions (as always) to help make things more full proof for you.

INGREDIENTS:
3 medium tomatoes
2 Anaheim peppers
1 Jalapeno pepper
6 small tomatillos, remove them from the husk and rinse off the stickiness (yeah, they are sticky)
5-6 large cloves of garlic, leave them in their paper
1 large onion, quartered
A handful of cilantro
1 Lime
Salt to taste

**
I like spicy things. I'm not some hardcore spice addict, but I think I have a higher tolerance than your average person/Utah resident (remember I hail from San Diego). If you are a wimp, you can omit the jalapeno, or remove the seeds from the peppers after you have charred them. Anaheim peppers are pretty mild. To give you an idea, on the Scoville rating Jalapenos are 2-4 times spicier than Anaheim peppers. I also LOVE garlic. If you adore garlic you might want even more. Again, if you're a garlic wimp, take that into account.

TO MAKE YOUR SALSA:
Roast all of your veggies (minus the onion and cilantro) on a baking sheet lined with foil. Move the rack in your oven a few inches away from the heat source, and roast on the highest setting until the peppers and tomtatillos are charred, 7-10 minutes.

I happen to have a gas stove. It's old, it's dirty, I love it. Because I have a gas stove I decided to char my peppers and tomatillos directly over the small flame. I just used a pair of long tongs and rotated the peppers and tomatillos so that all sides got a nice char. One minute or so for each side. But I still roasted the tomatoes and garlic in the oven for 7 minutes. Careful not to burn your garlic. Burnt garlic will annihilate your salsa, and for that matter, your life.

Remove the stems from your peppers, and remove the garlic from its peel.

In a food processor or blender blend the tomatillos, garlic, the juice of one lime, two tomatoes, cliantro and the peppers. If you're worried about spice, maybe add the peppers one at a time and taste. Once this is blended decide if you'd like more tomato. It will make it less spicy, but it also makes it soupier. Then add the onion. I like to add the onion at the end (and keep it raw) because it keeps the salsa chunkier and adds a nice texture. Then salt to taste!

I served this salsa with sweet pork tacos, topped with fresh slaw, sour cream and mozzarella cheese. Hello. But I polished off the last of it with chips, and liked it just as much. I also thought it was pretty great slightly warm after it was first made. It weirded Eric out a bit, but I knew that the veggies had been freshly roasted so I loved it.

You could do a ton of variations with this. I think it would be SUPER yummy to add fresh chunks of avocado to it. And I'm eager to try it using more tomatillos and less tomatoes. I'll be making another batch soon (I just need more tomtatillos to ripen!) so I'll be sure to let you know. But if you make some PLEASE let me know how it goes!

OLE!

Alison

She's sold her soul, or the slippery slope of social media

2011-08-26T09:24:00.000-06:00

So last night I joined Instagram!

If you aren't totally sure what Instagram is here's how they describe it on their site:

"It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures.
Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented."

You can then "follow" people and they can follow you so you can keep track of each others pictures. The only catch is you have to have an iPhone. But! If you do have an iPhone, or an iPad...

My username is TheLittleTiny if you'd like to follow me. I'll try to keep things interesting!

In other news we are back home, settling in, doing laundry, and pretending to THINK about cleaning up the aftermath of Craft Lake City. But only pretending.

Now for the part of the post where I wax prophetic (poorly I'm sure) on social media:

I'm sure it's no surprise, but I'm kind of an insomniac. Sleeping is such a chore for me. But when we were on vacation I fell asleep every night with ease, it was fantastic. However, for the last two nights (that we've been home) I've been tossing and turning non-stop. Last night it was almost 4 hours before I finally fell asleep.

I just can't turn my brain off. It's infuriating having so little control over something I'm supposedly in charge of. I'd make a horrible Buddhist. But as I tossed and turned last night, then started searching through Instagram, I concluded things like Instagram are probably a large part of the problem. To borrow my husband's sentiment, social media is a slippery slope.

Here's how my rabbit hole was created:

I've blogged for years. I love blogging because I love writing and I love affirmation. But I also love crafting. For a long time I didn't mix the two, it seemed odd to do so. As a solution I started a second blog. This was too much to keep up with at the time, so I quickly abandoned it and went back to one.

Then I started incorporating my crafts/baking/cooking into this blog. Then I had a baby. Then I decided that I needed to start a craft empire.

So then I created The Little Tiny.

I'm on etsy, always checking orders, renewing listings, returning emails. And in order to promote etsy I started blogging more. Creating tutorials, thinking about the blog, checking analytics, networking with other bloggers. It's a full time job if you really take it seriously. I take it about 50% seriously. And it's still a lot of work.

I had avoided facebook for years, but to promote The Little Tiny and connect with people, I buckled and created a Facebook Page. So, I try to keep tabs on that. And then there is Pinterest. I think Pinterest is really phenomenal, but again, it's a marketing tool in a way. When items from my blog or etsy shop get "pinned" it sends people to my blog or etsy shop.

Oh, and we've forgotten Flickr! I had to join Flickr because it's the best way for me to upload pictures to my blog.

And that brings us full circle to Instagram. Because when I take pictures with Instagram they can automatically upload to Flickr. Are you exhausted? I am.

Most of the time I'm about 30 seconds away from disconnecting from it all. I tried to force conversation with Eric last night while he was sleeping peacefully and I was writhing in bed...and he concluded I could probably abandon it all, but not the blog. And that might be true. The blog is important to me. But it's hard to participate in one social media outlet, and not spill into others. Because if you really want to make it happen (whatever "it" is), you almost HAVE to. Maybe we don't?

What are your thoughts? Does my weariness date me? I've never been concerned about being "dated" but as I searched through Instagram and saw a 16-year-old girl with 3500 followers, I wondered if maybe I'll never be able to do what she does. Her pictures are boring and mundane. Her number of followers has NOTHING to do with content, and everything to do with knowing how to grease the social media machine. Which is true for a majority of the things that go viral.

I guess at the end of the day you have to just do what you love, and if others love it too, great. If not, just keep on keeping on. And if that's the case, maybe unplugging is the best option? Because then you're not selling your soul? I guess that's the artist's eternal struggle.

Please, feel free to pipe in.

Either way. I love you all.

xoxo,

Alice

She's still on the road!

2011-08-22T09:42:00.000-06:00

Well I'm still on our road trip! And even though the first few days I was having convulsions from a lack of crafting/sewing/creating, I then quickly adapted to a new lazier lifestyle. I'm happy to report that we are having a FABULOUS time. To be 100% honest I was dreading this trip. I could not foresee any way to have a good time with a baby who wasn't getting any naps or sleep. But Ginger has been a total champion, and thanks to some of your tips, she's a been a really happy camper.

We switched her to a forward facing car seat, and it has made a WORLD of difference. The sleeping arrangement means we have to hold it all night...but it's worth it for a baby who is rested. Let's just hope we don't contract a UTI.

It's funny. As a new mom it's so easy to get in a routine, and once you finally find a way to keep your baby happy, you don't want to do ANYTHING to upset it. And truthfully, I think it depends on the baby. Ginger, in the past, has been exceptionally sensitive when it comes to, well, everything. Little things upset her greatly and she has a hard time "going with the flow." But now that she's older, I've been so surprised with how much more adaptable she can be. She's still my little pill who wants just what she wants. But I'm so glad I was forced out of my comfort zone...and that it worked out positively.

We've seen things we would have never seen:

Dad wearing Grandma's hoodie and showing Gigi the sights in Crescent City, California.

The Trees of Mystery in The Redwoods.

A genius abandoned street sign in downtown Portland.

Done things we would have never done:

Racing down the side of the stairs (with Uncle Curtis) in the capitol building in Salem, Oregon.

Touching the freezing cold Pacific ocean until tiny fingers turn blue.

And tasted things we never would have tasted:

Yes, it looks like Grandpa is having Gigi snack on a plant that they found on a beautiful nature hike. It tasted just like licorice and Gigi couldn't get enough. But let me show you where the plant was actually located

Behind "The Chalet, House of Omelets" in a parking lot we stopped in while trying to find a hotel for the night. There is no stopping Grandpa.

We're headed to Seattle today, currently we are in Astoria. Yes, we saw the Goonies house. (I'd never seen Goonies but we watched it last night). And then it's back home.

My fingers just twitched with excitement at the thought of crafts.

Multnomah Falls in Portland.

But for now, we're having a great time.

Thanks for the love.

We miss you all,

xoxo,

Alison, Gigi & Eric

p.s. be sure to check out my mobile that is up for auction

Mobile for Auction

2011-08-21T21:11:00.000-06:00

(photo taken by this hottie)

So if you check my last post you'll see an auction I mentioned to raise money for a family that recently lost their baby girl.

The host of the auction was sweet enough to let me add an item late, so I have donated a custom leather mobile to the auction!

If you've been wanting a mobile this would be a super time to buy it, because I will do whichever one you'd like (the arrow and feather mobile, the triangle mobile, or the tiny leather boats mobile) in any colors you'd like. And 100% of the money will go towards the family and their endless hospital bills...

...as opposed to my endless Joann's bills. Which, I think, is a much nobler cause.

You can bid on a mobile here!

love you all,

xo

Alison

An Auction for Ruby

2011-08-17T08:31:00.000-06:00

(picture and info stolen from this beautiful blog)

Recently one of my sister's dear friends lost her little baby girl after a long, drawn out battle. Last week, after seven and a half months with liver failure, little Ruby Jane passed away.

To help the young family with the medical bills, moms of the Internet are uniting, and being a very very blessed mom myself, I wanted to spread the word. There is an awesome online auction (with over 100 prizes) happening this week here:

Ruby's Auction

And here is some other info:

to read their story:
www.anitandmatttaylor.blogspot.com

to view the bows for ruby website:
http://www.bowsforruby.org/

direct donations:
www.rubyjanetaylor.blogspot.com

Bless you all
xo

Alison

She's taking it on the road!

2011-08-15T07:43:00.000-06:00

Well last week was pretty crazy. And today, yes this very day, we are packing up to leave for a 10 day road trip with Eric's family. Yes, a road-trip, with Ginger, who hates her car seat...but back to last week!

Ginger ended up being quite sick (she had a virus) and had a very high fever for 3 days, two of my bestest friends came to town, and not to over-share, but my hormones did that monthly upheaval gig, if you catch what I'm saying. Oh, and I had to prepare for Craft Lake City. Which means I didn't sleep.

Thankfully my mom came to town, and she did things that only reeeeeeeeally wonderful mothers do, like sew on price tags, clean my almost-black-with-filth-kitchen floors, buy me a cute shirt to wear for my craft show, and watch my sick little ladybug while I hustled my goods. Bless my mother!

But! Even though it was a crazy week, Craft Lake City was actually really really fun and went super well! I was SO stressed and anxious, and it was so blistering hot, that by the time I got my booth all set up I just wanted to go home and curl up and die. I couldn't possibly foresee how I was going to have ANY fun. But after my husband forced some food in me, I calmed down, and stopped dripping with sweat, I had a blast!

I want to say THANK you and BLESS you to those of you who stopped by to say hello! So fun! And I'd also like to apologize for being such a spaz. I was slightly strung out and probably said something ridiculous. But then again, would you have expected anything else?

So here are some pictures of my set-up. These are the only pictures I took. Did I mention I was frazzled? It's hard to capture, but I did my best.

I'll do my best to update through the road-trip! Any tips for keeping almost one-year-olds happy on horribly long car rides? Or sleeping in the same room with them in hotels? I'm pretty much just preparing for us both to be sleep-deprived. What else is new?!

Ha.

Love your guts,

xo

Alison

Itty Bitty Mushrooms

2011-08-11T07:46:00.000-06:00

I have tons of ideas for mobile patterns all the time, but I'm trying to make the mobile patterns a bit more versatile, so they don't have to ONLY work as a mobile.

That is why I'm pretty obsessed with these Itty Bitty Mushrooms. You can make them into a mobile, use them as a garland, and I think they would be TOO cute as ornaments on a Christmas tree. They are also quick enough to whip up as a gift-topper, and Gigi loves to shove them in her mouth. They would be a cute "play food" gift for a little one.

The Itty Bitty Mushroom Pattern and kit will be making its debut at Craft Lake City, but it will be in the shop shortly after!

Here they are as a garland:

And here's a mobile:

In other news Gigi got a horrible fever yesterday and felt terrible, so her and dad made a bed on the floor and got lots of cuddle time in. You can see how sick she feels (little red eyes) but she's still so excited to be queen of the blanket kingdom:

No, that's not my soda on the couch. It's Gigi's. We thought we'd start her young. I even stopped crafting for a few hours to make sure the Gigi bug got lots of extra snuggles, kisses, and love. If you're stressed out there's hardly ANYTHING better for relieving stress than hugging a baby who can hug you back. Oh man. It's heaven. Squishy, squirmy heaven.

xox

Alison, Eric & Ginger

She's gone native or Cutest Nursery Ever

2011-08-09T07:52:00.000-06:00

No, it's not even Ginger's! Don't die of shock, I love babies who are not Ginger!

My lady, Heather of The Coterie, (I know we blog about each other a lot, but we really like each other) is going to have a baby any minute now! Her house is amazing. Her and her husband have such good style, so obviously I'm LOVING what they did for baby boy #2's nursery!

Heather was kind enough to let me steal some of her beautiful pictures to share with you. Heather also has an amazing photography site, though she'll probably be out of commission for a month or two, or hopefully for her sake three. If it was me it would be 5.

Anyway! I'm sure you've all noticed how tribal/Native American stuff is so hot right now, and I think Heather did a really, really amazing job of making this relevant and modern, without going overboard and doing too much of a theme. Though I might be biased because I totally made the Arrows and Feather Mobile.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Heather's fabulous work!

Heather and Matt, her hubby, painted the antlers! They also refinished the dresser and added the sexy knobs. Yes, I think they are sexy.

And for my handy-work:

There are some other REALLY cool aspects of this room you need to see, but I'll let you drop by The Coterie to check them all out.

If you're looking for even more nursery inspiration Lay Baby Lay (a great baby/style blog) just did two super cute idea boards in this theme...and yes, they might also happen to feature mobiles by The Little Tiny...

You can check them out here: Little Brave Man & Pocahontas Princess. Great titles right?

Have a super day!

xo

Alison

Tiny T's and the Cutest Baby Alive

2011-08-08T08:02:00.000-06:00

I had to take a small time out from all my Craft Lake City nonsense to make a tiny present for a tiny little lady I got to see yesterday. As I was making it I thought, this is so small, it will fit her for like a week! But then seeing up against that 5 week old baby, it looked huge. It's so funny how fast you forget.

So here's some pictures of the Tiny T I made using my own tutorial, haha, and my tiny baby, who is not so tiny anymore.

I'd love to give you more, but I'm spent for now!

xo

Alison

She's a freaking factory or Show and Tell Friday

2011-08-05T08:41:00.000-06:00

Craft Lake City is next Saturday, August 13! And even though it seems like I've been preparing for it for a while...I literally have so much to do it's insane. I'm working on my deep breathing and not making life hell for those around me. But as I'm a very high-strung self involved person, that's a pretty tall order!

Panic attacks aside, I'm SUPER SUPER excited about the things I have made so far! I wanted to really step things up a notch, and I think I have.

Last Saturday Gigi took extra long naps so I was able to make some screen-printed fabric to use on my little plushies. And speaking of plushies, I've got some friends to introduce you to:

The Little Tiny Mer-babe & Mer-hunk.

Oooooh, isn't he hunky?

The Mer-people were made with the finest materials! Egyptian cotton skin and tails, real wool felt hair, a suede bandeau top and head band, and the Mer-babe has real leather earrings and a cuff. With hand embroidered details of course. Yes, I embroidered nipples.

As you can see they are three-demensional.

I plan on making more, and hopefully I will have a pattern ready in time for the show. But for now, there's two girls for every guy.

This Mer-babe is sporting metallic leather triangle earrings,

and a screen-printed jersey bandeau top.

I love their top-knots.

I also used the screen-printed fabric to make some tummies on some old friends.

I think this guy is my favorite.

Some more Happy Hooters.

And scholarly Peek-a-boo Bunnies.

And I'm very please with how these Lucky Feather Pillows turned out. I used 100% wool felt, it's like creamy butter, and duck cloth (like really nice canvas).

Ok. Show and tell Friday is over now! If you have your heart set on any of these little guys let me know! Someone already snatched up a lot of the Plucky Penguins, but hopefully I can make more! But do keep in mind, I'm only a factory for craft shows! After that you have to use the pattern!

So, who is your favorite?

Ok. On to MOBILES!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

xo
Alison

She'd like you to know...

2011-08-03T09:45:00.000-06:00

Lots of you, out there who read this silly blog, have blogs yourself. So I think you know how exciting every comment, every response, each "follower", subscriber, "like", and link back to me are! It's not like they get less exciting over time.

I just noticed I have 140 followers, and while this is a very meager number compared to a lot of the "bigger" blogs out there, it's still very flattering to me that 140 people, are interested in what I have to say, or something of that nature. So I'd like to thank each of you, for more or less your support.

I don't think I've ever told you all what my goal is with blogging. Well, I used to mention it quite a bit. But I haven't in a while and I think I have a lot of new readers who probably don't know.

I'm NOT trying to make big bucks, get picked up by some huge ad network, or anything like that. (I'm not saying I'm avoiding it, but it's certainly not the goal.) Fame? You know I'd love it! Celebrity? Well I kind have always thought I was one anyway so...ha. I started this blog to share love, at a time when I was very depressed about life, and felt like there was a lot of sharing to do.

Now a lot of my love is shared in craft or edible form. And my end goal, is a craft empire of sorts. Yes I'm dead serious. I'd love to have my own craft/baking television show. Again, because I love the spotlight (why deny it?) and also because it would give me such a fabulous platform to share much more love.

So when I say, "I love your guts" and stuff such as that, I actually, really, mean it. Because I've found, after a few years of some not very happy living, that love is the only thing that matters. I will add to that, love, and how you share your love, are the only things that matter.

So with that said, I hope you have a great day. And speaking of great days...

I was on a run the other day and it started raining. And as the rain pounded harder and harder, my pace became faster and faster. I love things like running in a thunderous downpour. It makes me feel so hardcore and bad A. And as I got that runner's high, thinking about how awesome and hardcore I am, I remembered at the beginning of my run how anxious and blah I felt.

I've realized that about 70% of the time I think I'm super awesome. I can accomplish anything, become anything. I'm that hard core, runner/crafter/blogger who will take over the world with love, baked goods and felt. And then about 30% (more sometimes) of the time I think I'm one of the biggest, sloppiest, messiest, and by far craziest people on the planet. Life tends to be in extremes like that for me. Ha.

Today is a conquer the world day, though it might take a drastic turn for the worse...but until it does, I hope you're having a conquer the world day. But if you aren't, just remember, you might have one tomorrow. And if tomorrow STILL isn't one of those days, well, let me know, maybe we can go run in the rain together.

I leave you with some pictures of the family posing in front of our latest addition to our home! Heather, bless her heart!, found a guy who was selling these antlers (they were shed naturally) that he found on hikes around his home. She painted hers for her baby's nursery and they look SO GOOD! We kept ours au naturel, but I still might want to paint them.

A proud "I hung the antlers" man photo:

Already questioning her parents, at such a young age!

xoxo,

Alison

DIY Hemp Bracelet Tutorial + Video!

2011-08-01T06:54:00.002-06:00

Ok fun fans! For those of you who have a hard time calling yourself "crafty," but would still like to participate in a "craft" THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!

I've created a tutorial for a very simple bracelet. You can make as many as you'd like, or keep it simple with just one! Obviously I made five...plus a matching one for Ginger. I have a life I swear! I just seem to keep choosing crafts over sleep.

Here are some pictures of the finished product.

Oh you wanted me to model them for you? Ok.

Now hold your horses, not only have I provided you with a static picture step-by-step tutorial, I went ahead and made Eric help me do a video tutorial as well. You can watch the video tutorial, its thorough and explains all the materials needed and whatnot, or you can use the pictures/written directions. But you can't use both. KIDDING. Use me any way you'd like.

Yes, I am a TOTAL dork. But I'm old enough now to know I can't change that.

If you're at work, can't spare 15 MINUTES on a video (Eric only has patience for one take, I'll try to be quicker next time!) or prefer the scan-and-craft method, here you go!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HEMP BRACELET:

Materials and supplies:

1. Hemp, twine or cord
I prefer hemp, both for its Mary Jane smell and texture. The colored bracelets were made using dyed hemp twine (found at Joann's) the light pink bracelet was made using a leather cord. This worked really well, but one package of leather cord made only one bracelet. Here's a close-up of that light pink leather cord.

2. Beads
You can use any beads you like! I wanted bling so I went for gold. Just make sure that the hole in your bead is large enough to fit your hemp or twine through.

3. A clasp
I prefer a "lobster clasp." Again, make sure the hole on the clasp is large enough to accommodate your hemp or cord.

4. Scissors

STEP 1: Measure two pieces of hemp

If you are making a bracelet, measure around your wrist and then add 3-4 inches. Then DOUBLE this length. That is your short piece of hemp. For your long piece of hemp cut a piece that is 3X the FULL length of the short piece.

STEP 2. Tie your two pieces of hemp together

This will act as the other side of the clasp for your bracelet. Fold both of your hemp pieces in half. Tie a square knot at the top of your bracelet, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2" of loop at the top. When you tie your knot pair one short piece with one long piece on each side. If you'd like you can use a chopstick or a pencil to tie your hemp on. This will make the perfect loop!

STEP 3: Make the Macrame Braid!

a. Arrange your hemp so that the two short pieces are centered between the two long pieces. You can anchor it to something if you'd like with tape or a safety pin.

b. We will be starting on the right, but it doesn't matter which side you start on! Bring your LONG RIGHT piece and make a "P" shape OVER the two center cords. At all times try to keep your center cords from twisting. Otherwise things will get sloppy!

c. Next, take your LONG LEFT piece and make a "4" bringing the string over the end of the LONG RIGHT piece, and over the two center cords.

d. Bring your LONG LEFT piece up through the center of the "P." The LONG LEFT piece will travel ON TOP of the center cords, but come up through the "P" from the back.

e. Pull both LONG PIECES snugly to make your braid. This is the basic braid. Keep those center cords flat! You want to pull the braid tight. Don't get all crazy and pull it TOO tight. Just tight enough so that everything is snug. Use the same tension on each of your braids and things will stay nice and even.

To make your next braid, START ON THE LEFT SIDE. So you will make a "4" first, then a "P" then bring your RIGHT LONG PIECE up through the "4." If you do not alternate sides your braid will do a spiral. This is a different braid. You're welcome to do that one if you'd like! I like the flat braid a bit better with beads though.

Here is what a few braids will look like!

It can be hard to keep track of which side you're on so here's a trick! Do you see that TINY LITTLE LOOP on the braid?

That loop indicates which side you will start on! So because that loop is on the right in this picture, my next braid will begin with a "P."

STEP 4: Add a bead

Obviously you can make any design you like. But I like to get started with about 1.5" to 2" of braiding, then begin to add my beads. Add your bead to one of your center cords. It doesn't matter which one. Pull the bead up snug against the braid. Ideally your bead would fit over BOTH center cords, but mine didn't. If your beads have large enough holes pull both through the bead. If, like me, your beads are smaller, just keep the extra center cord BEHIND the bead. Like this:

It might want to twist, but YOU'RE THE BOSS! Just finagle it back there.

Then do a braid (use that loop to determine which side to start on) around the bead. I did two braids between each bead. But again, that's a matter of taste! However, I did find that if I tried to add more than one or two beads at once, they became hard to braid around.

Here's what it will look like after a few beads! (If you're having trouble with this step I go more in depth in the video)

Keep adding beads/braiding until the bracelet is the length you'd like. (This one is for my baby Gigi, so it's TINY!) This is a trick I use (highly scientific) to keep things even each side.

STEP 5: Tie on your lobster clasp and trim the ends

You can add the clasp to any strand you like. I add mine to a center one. As you can see I didn't leave NEARLY enough to really get a good tie. Don't be like me.

With a short piece and long piece on each side (like you did in the beginning) tie a square knot around your clasp. Then trim off the ends! (If, like me, you run out of center cord, just do your best. I tied my knot using mostly the otter pieces. Not ideal, or as secure, but it works!) Then trim the ends.

Here's the finished bracelet.

And the cutest model alive.

Matchy mommy-daughter...

I'm not trying to look mysterious in that photo, it's just hard to hold that baby still, smile, and not get hair in my lip gloss. Oh the trials of a crafty MOM!

Ok! I hope that you are inspired to get crafty! I love you all, and let me know if you have any questions or if I need to clarify anything! And as always, I would freaking love to see some pictures! Why will you never share your pictures?! SHARE WITH ME PEOPLE!

HAPPY CRAFTING!

xoxo
Alison

She's Featured!

2011-07-28T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hey fun fans! I hope you're having a day that makes you as happy as this pictures (of my niece Jo Jo) makes me!

In other totally unrelated news, my lady friend Megan, of the FABULOUS Megan Papworth Photography just started an adorable new style/inspiration blog with her sister-in-law called The Thirteenth. They have fantastic style and were sweet enough to feature The Little Tiny on their blog today! You can check it out right here!

Even if you have had enough of me, I recommend checking out their cuteness anyway!

Be sure to check out my post below so you too can download the Roller Boogie Soundtrack!!!

xoxox

Alison

She has a HUGE roller boogie/brazil butt lift UPDATE!

2011-07-27T20:37:00.000-06:00

(some awesome roller babes I didn't share earlier.)

Ok, so I've been REALLY wanting the Roller Boogie soundtrack to motivate me on my runs! But alas, you cannot purchase the Roller Boogie soundtrack anywhere because it does not exist! It once existed as an album (like a record), but in no other form.

Determined to be inspired by the sexy naughty hot bodies in the movie (by channeling them on my runs with the soundtrack) I started searching online to see if I could piece the album together...when I came across a fan site that makes my love for the movie look like nothing more than a school-girl crush! This awesome fan took the liberty of providing the MP3's of every Roller Boogie song she could find! It's not a total complete soundtrack, but it's better than nothing!

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE ROLLER BOOGIE "SOUNDTRACK" FOR FREE HERE!

I was SO excited about this discovery I had to share it immediately! So I hope you enjoy it. It has some of my favorites, "Good Girls" (played while Terry is pulling on those devilishly short blue rainbow shorts), "Hell on Wheels" (played during the jaw-dropping opening credits) and "Lord is it Mine" (played during Bobby James heartfelt solo skate dedicated to Jammer).

In other news related to my butt...or things meant to help get my booty back in fighting shape, my Brazil Butt Lift DVD's ARE AWESOME! They are not for lightweights! Some of the segments are easier than others, but a few of them are just absurdly insane. During the "Tummy Tuck" 20 minute ab workout I find myself mostly just rolling around on the floor asking, "WHY LEANDRO?! WHY?!" Do you know what I mean? When a workout video is so hard that you feel like you've just flopped around like a fish on dry land for most of it?

The Bum Bum (pronounced "Boom Boom") workout is like a mix of Zumba and pilates. It's pretty fun and a good workout but not moan-inducing. I've been doing the workouts for about 2 weeks and I kid you not my jeans are looser! (But also note the lack of doughnut updates...)

All in all with the Roller Boogie soundtrack and my Brazil Butt Lift I should have the best butt on the block just in time for...winter. Good job Alison, way to think that one through!

I love you all!

xoxo,

the soon-to-be best butt of any blogger you know...
Alison

NO MORE PENGUINS JUMPING ON THE BED!

2011-07-26T09:54:00.000-06:00

I swear to you, this will be the last of the Sheblogs Sheblogs March of the Penguins! I'm drowning in penguins!

BUT! I FINALLY finished the pattern, and I'm super excited about it! The pattern includes pieces for both a plushie size penguin and a pillow size penguin!

I know there was some debate about the name on my Little Tiny Facebook Page...the Black-tie Optional Penguin or Lewis the Penguin, but in the end, I went with The Plucky Penguin because it just felt right.

And I mean, look at these suckers! Aren't they plucky?!

They will all be on sale at Craft Lake City. Craft shows are the only places I sell ACTUAL tangible stuffed things. But if you REALLY REALLY want one you see pictured, let me know, and perhaps we can reserve it for you!

I made this yellow duo over the weekend, and I really, really like them. Their beaks and feet are made with 100% wool felt, and their tummies have the most fabulous stripes that I made pop by reinforcing the otherwise lightweight fabric.

I think they look fetching with the teal fleece/gold leather duo.

But then when you put them all together things get REALLY crazy.

Digging the antlers? I've got huge plans for them!

Also, I'm like the meanest mom ever because I can't let Ginger play with the penguins! They are all over the house and all she wants to do is shove those beaks in her mouth. I let her play with them A BIT to take some pictures for the pattern. I guess she can play with them if it's for work. Kid's gotta earn her keep somehow.

Anyway, The Plucky Penguin Pattern is here! And I promise you NO MORE PENGUINS!

Unless of course you really, really want more. Then maybe something can be arranged.

xoxo

Alison

Your Mom Blogs

2011-07-25T08:16:00.001-06:00

JUST KIDDING! It's really MY MOM who blogs! Perhaps you've seen the "Let's Talk About Books" button on the side of my blog? If you're in reader you're really missing out! (Ha but I did add some new pages to the blog so hop on out for a sec!)

Well, that "Let's Talk About Books" button takes you to none other than MY MOTHER'S BLOG! Why does my mom have a blog? Because my mom wrote a book! It's called Back to the Best Books: How the Classics Can Change Your Life. If you've been looking to step up your literature game a bit, her book is a guide to understanding what makes some of the classics great, with information about the authors and important themes found in each book. She explores 36 great works. She's a really funny writer, so it's a very interesting and accessible read, even though she is really smart. My book club was using it as a guide for some books (until we unofficially disbanded). My dad's company made a pretty awesome video about the book! You can watch it here.

Anyway, she wrote the book a while ago but hasn't been as diligent at blogging as her daughter! However, she assures me she has turned over a new leaf! This week she is at a summer camp in Oxford and she REALLY wants to invite you on her adventure. I joked with her it's kind of like an adult space camp for book nerds. She agrees wholeheartedly, and sends me giddy text messages about her book friends she is making.

Ha! But she's not just a literary genius, she's a grandma to this girl:

Four generations of lit nerds! Well, Gigi is still up in the air, but she does LOVE when I read to her. My grandma is so cute and funny. When we took this picture she said, "I don't want to hold her if she's crying!" You can see it on her face!

Isn't my mom pretty?

What's so trippy is that while I was scrolling through my iPhoto thumbnails for pictures, I kept thinking I saw some, but they were actually pictures OF ME! I'm turning into my mother! Which in my case, as you can see, isn't a bad thing, but it's still so crazy. Are you turning into your mother? Do you think there's anything we can do about it? I think it might be inevitable.

At least mine blogs!

Have a happy Monday!

xoxo

Alison

p.s. My mom was also one of the first moms on Facebook! Does your mom blog? Leave me the link! I'd LOVE to see it!

Neat things to win!

2011-07-23T20:48:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot to mention!

If you've been hankering for a Penguin of your own...

or for some goodies from Star Haus (formerly known as Wee Waldorf, I'm OBSESSED with her goodies and blog)

Then get on over to this fab Photo blog where she is doing a summertime giveaway! I thought the penguin could cool things off a bit!

xo

She's OBSESSED or My Ode to Roller Boogie

2011-07-21T07:59:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday night I was stuffing some penguins (just your usual Saturday night fun) and I wanted to watch a little something while I stuffed. So I perused through Netflix and an image with a disco ball and fringe caught my eye (as those things tend to do). A film from 1979 called "Roller Boogie."

From the opening scene I was HOOKED. The penguin was quickly thrown aside as I squealed, rolled, and slowly crawled towards the screen to get a closer look at the roller king of the Venice Beach Boardwalk: Bobby James. Eric noticed what was happening about half way through the movie. He hates most movies, but also became unintentionally intrigued by the gold lamé, bad acting, and over-the-top roller skating choreography. The fashion, GASP, the booty shorts. I stopped the movie and we started it again from the beginning.

The last time I became this obsessed with something, was the time I gave birth to my only child.

Yeah. That's how obsessed I am.

In the last 5 days I have watched the movie at least 10 times. (I mean, it just plays in the background while I do my stuff) But that is no exaggeration. I cannot stop thinking about it, talking about it. I feel like a little kid who just discovered Toy Story or Elmo. I feel like I need to catch up for all the years I didn't know this movie existed!

Honestly. It has changed my life. I don't know what it is I like so much about it. Well. I know a few things. It's S-E-X-Y and fun. But I'm going to start you off with the original 1979 trailer...

Yeah. It's love on wheels.

Now for some screen shots of some of my favorite parts of the movie. Please note I don't usually geek out this intensely. I'm fully aware that I've crossed a line (both social and legal) by doing this.

The opening scene gets you ready for some rolling fun.

And then we are introduced to Bobby James (Jim Bray) as he surveys the roller skating scene and his loyal 8-wheeled subjects.

Meanwhile in the Hills of Beverly, flautist and mega-babe, Terry Berkley (played by Linda Blair) gets ready to go slummin at the beach and give that crazy roller skating fad a try.

I want to make those shorts for Gigi. Anyway. Bobby soon sets his sights on Terry...but she's not interested. OR IS SHE?

LOOK AT THAT FACE! The HAIR! His odd friend and his bad shirt! It's not like he's even that attractive, at first, he's scrawny and awkward. But through the course of the movie you see his sexy skating moves and charm...and well, then the squealing starts.

Almost as good as Bobby James are the outfits that happen. Here are some of the things I LOVE.

BEST SHIRT EVER.

Me and these pants are gonna party after my Brazil Butt Lift.

as well as these pants...

The shirt says it all

BAH! All Bobby wants is for Terry to give him one chance!

Her preppy pals, though awesomely dressed, don't agree.

PINCH!

More Brazil Butt Lift inspiration.

A heart-felt skating solo when times get rough. I wish you could see the red sequined "B.J." letters on his shirt in this picture. Unfortunate initials? Maybe, maybe not.

Will the kids be able to save the Jammer's Roller Rink in time for the Roller Boogie contest?!? (And will American Apparel stay afloat now that we all know where they get ALL of their designs?!?)

Well I hate to give anything away but...

AHHH! I love it so much. Have you seen it? Will you watch it? Even if you hate it I don't care. Though it's hard for me to imagine anyone hating it. I even showed part of it to my mother-in-law.

Anyway. I've done all sorts of research on Jim Bray (Bobby James), and you should just know that he was an 8-time amateur skating champ, and he gave up his amateur status to star in Roller Boogie! Sadly he was never in anything again! Even though in interviews he had all sorts of plans. His nickname in high school was "Flash" and at the age of 18 (according to an interview in "Super Teen") this was the type of girl he was in to: "I like a girl who has a lot of feeling for me and who dresses super neat. I like girls who have interests of their own. I don't like girls who hang all over me. A great personality means a lot to me. I can't stand phonies."

Do you think I would have stood a chance?!?!

I can only dream.

Ok. This is the end of my rant.

Let me know if you want to Roller Boogie with me.

xoxo,

Alison

p.s. if you're wondering how this is craft related, or relevant at all to anything, just know I HAVE LIKE 10 projects ideas based solely on inspiration from this movie already! Who knows how many more will sprout?! Maybe you'll have ideas for projects you'd like me to do? I'M GAME. I mean, if they're Roller Boogie related.

She gives you a baby shower idea and free invitation!

2011-07-19T07:16:00.000-06:00

So it's totally baby shower season, yes? I have thrown a lot, I MEAN A LOT of baby showers in my day. And I know how daunting it can be to figure it all out if you're the one in charge! So I thought over the next little while I'd throw out some of the ideas I've used in the past.

This was a Pea in the Pod shower that I helped host for my lady Nichelle. She was having a little boy, but I think this shower would work equally well for a little pea pod princess.

This is this invitation I used!

And since I'm not selling them in my store anymore, I thought I'd make them available for you to use!

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THIS INVITE FOR FREE HERE.

After I made these invites, I spent HOURS searching for pea pod shaped cookie cutters to no avail. And then I had and this idea:

PEA POD CAKE POPS! If you've never made cake pops, they are silly easy. And you can read my tips about making them here.

This is what I came up with.

Look at this little guy's Jheri curl.

HOW TO MAKE THE CAKE POP PEA PODS:

1. Make your cake pops and dip them in green candy melts.

2. Let your pea pods dry.

3. Meanwhile cut out little pea pod shapes from green paper. To make sure you have the right size just cut out some prototypes and hold them up against your cake pop. You want them to be able to cover the bottom and come about half way up on the pea.

4. When your cake pops dry hot glue the pea pod paper onto the stick. I glued mine so that they came up half way on the little pea. It will be easiest if you place a dot of glue on the PAPER (on the bottom in the center) and then place it on the stick. This will help you position it more accurately.

5. Use black icing gel to make two tiny dots for eyes. I just bought one of those cheap tubes at the super market. Don't try to squeeze tiny dots from the tube, just lightly dot the cake pop with the tip when it has a bit of icing on it.

6. To display the pea pods I bought two green rectangle blocks of styrofoam from the craft store. I cut out two "grass" pieces and hot glued them to the front. You can kind of see the styrofoam in this picture. Just make sure that the dips in the blades don't go too deep. You don't want to see the styrofoam!

Alternately, I think it would be super cute to do the eyes like I did for this fox I made. (This was one of my forest friend Christmas cookies I made last year)

To make eyes like those, buy white nonpareils (also available at your local grocer) and then use either an edible pen, or the black icing gel to make the pupil. Yes, I own an edible pen. OF COURSE I OWN AN EDIBLE PEN. And that it what I used.

I think these eyes would look SUPER cute. Then your pea pod's will REALLY be able to keep an eye on you. If you go this route, you will need to place the nonpareils on the cake pop before the candy melt sets. Or you could put them in place with a little extra candy melt after the fact.

Eric's amazing Aunt, Wendy Paul who I've mentioned before, has a Cake Bite cookbook coming out soon that is AMAZING! It's called 101 Gourmet Cake Bites for Every Occasion. I shared this idea with her and she has a really cute version of it in her book! It's even on the cover! I'm really excited for her book. There are a lot of DECORATING cake pop/cake bite books out there, but her book focuses on dozens of tasty fillings and toppings. Raspberry Cheesecake cake bites anyone?? My favorite I've tasted? The MAPLE BACON cake bite. Be still my heart.

Anyway! I hope you find some use out of these ideas! They went over real, real well. They take a bit of time, but not too much, and you can make them a day or two ahead. They make a pretty cute favor too.

Now go get to baking! Or eating. Or working on your Brazil Butt lift. My booty is super sore from day 1!

xoxo,

Alison

She's got a lot going on.

2011-07-18T07:53:00.000-06:00

I was eagerly awaiting two things in the mail: my doughnut cookbook, and my Brazil Butt Lift DVDs. Do these seem counter productive to anyone else? At the end of last week they finally arrived! I'm gonna give you a clue as to which one I tried out first:

And now that the cat's out of the bag, I will just say doughnuts are proving much trickier than I anticipated and it's really ticking me off. My french crullers where such a dismal disappointment I can't even blog about them. DAMN YOU DOUGHNUTS! How can something that seems so right keep turning out so wrong!

I've also been working on some new patterns, and finishing ones I started a while ago. Craft Lake City WATCH OUT! This penguin's donning leather.

I've also completely reorganized my living room, creating room for a craft nook for things like this (more pictures of my transformation to come soon):

This has freed up a lot of floor space. And Ginger, at 10 months, has finally decided she's interested in crawling. Let's all hope her mother taking over all of the available floor space with felt, leather, fabric and fringe didn't contribute to her late start.

So I guess that's not really THAT much. But it just felt like I had a lot to tell you. I have even MORE to tell you. But we must wait until the time is right.

Ok! I hope you had a wonderfully lazy, or stressfully productive weekend. But nothing in between. Because that would just be silly.

I'm gonna go work on my Brazil Butt Lift.

xo

Alison

DIY Personalized Pie Plate and Ceramics Tutorial

2011-07-14T07:16:00.001-06:00

Are you in need of a wedding present? Or perhaps, like me, you just can't stand to serve your baked goods without some sort of statement? Well you're in luck. I have JUST the thing for you. The "Shut Your Pie Hole" pie plate.

What's that you say? You don't feel totally comfortable giving someone a gift that says, "Shut Your Pie Hole?" Well, that's too bad. But, you can use this tutorial to transfer anything you draw, design, or rip off from someone else (not that I endorse that last one) onto any sort of ceramic item.

I have seen a couple people blog about the use of these great pens (I especially like Ez's uses for them found on Creature Comforts) the Pebeo Porcelaine 150 pens. They were first featured in LIVING a while back, and I thought the same thing then, as I did when I saw them on other blogs, "There has to be a way to transfer the design so that you don't have to do it all freehand!"

And then it came to me! GRAPHITE PAPER.

I know, am I a crafty genius or what? Actually I'm sure someone has thought of it, but I want you to know, I felt really, really clever.

Moving ON! I thought the perfect thing to try it on would be the pie plate that I've been dreaming of making forever.

Ok! Let's get crafty.

SUPPLIES:

1. Pebeo Porcelaine 150 pens
I got mine at Micheal's. I really dislike the one near my house, but it's the only place I found them.

2. Something white and ceramic
I had THE HARDEST time finding a plain white pie plate that wasn't super expensive. I found this one at Target, it is from the Giada De Laurentiis line and it was around $20. Let me know if you find anything better. Giada, thanks for the pie plate, but why do you always have SO MUCH cleavage? I also have used a butter dish from Target ($6) and a ramekin (like to make Creme Brulee!) I think it would make the CUTEST favor to serve people their creme brulee and then when they eat it it has their name or a message to them underneath! Gigi's first birthday is coming up...

2. Graphite paper
I found mine at Micheal's.

3. A design
I created a free template for you that you can download here if you would like to use mine!

4. A pencil
Check out the one my friend Nichelle gave me for Christmas! (my married name is Robertson)

5. Tape

HOW TO:

This is so ridicioulsy easy I feel silly even explaining...but I will!

1. Cut out your design, then cut our your graphite paper so they match up.

2. Place your graphite paper (dark side down) onto your ceramic surface. Then tape your design on top of the graphite paper to hold them both in place.

3. With your pencil trace your design. This will transfer it to your surface. You can see that here with a butter dish I'm working on (it says FAT = FLAVOR).

Here's the pie plate pre-paint pens.

4. You will be able to "erase" any lines you don't like with a damp paper towel (or your finger if you're sloppy like me).

5. With your Porcelaine 150 paint pen draw over your design! Now, I will say this isn't a PERFECT method. On the butter dish you can see that the graphite line shows through the lighter orange color.

Wait until your paint dries (an hour at most) and then you can use a dry paper towel to remove any lines NOT covered by paint. Also, if you mess up with your paint pen you can scratch it off and start over. (I used the plastic corner of my paint pen package for small areas I wanted to clean up.) But! Any little bits of graphite trapped under the paint kind of show. They are not SUPER dark, but they exist. So I suggest outlining things with a darker color (as I did for the pie plate) or drawing your paint lines right next to but not ON the graphite line.

6. Then you just follow the directions on the pen. Let the piece dry for 24 hours, then bake it at 300 degrees for 35 minutes.

Ta-dah!

I did one other design too. It's a bit more traditional. If you can be traditional while saying, "shut your pie hole." This one still needs to be baked.

And I'll have my butter dishes to show you tomorrow or early next week!

So I hope you find something fun to decorate with these pens! If you do I'd of course LOVE to see it! Like really. You have no idea how giddy it would make me.

I think you're all the best, now, go shut your pie hole.

xo

Alison

Fringe Necklace Winner and Binky Liberation Day

2011-07-13T09:23:00.000-06:00

Can just say how LOVED I feel?! I enjoyed all of your comments and baked goods entries so much! Thank you for your sweet words. So many of you had such amazing ideas for how to feast while wearing your Chevron Fringe! It made my tummy growl.

Unfortuantely this girl only has so many hours in the day, and so, there can only be ONE winner. I chose the winner with random.org and without further pomp the winner is:

RACHEL.

It chose #1! See, it pays to comment quickly! And Rachel, you are #1! You didn't tell us what baked good you'd enjoy while wearing this sucker, so please share! Also, email me to discuss color options! alisonfaulkner [at] gmail [dot] com.

I'd also like to add that the adorable girls over at Ask the Duplex featured me with a fringe fashion related question today! Their blog is super cute so be sure to check it out and leave your feedback.

I recently ombré dyed some fringe! Look at me combining tutorials. I love the way it turned out but you can't totally get the full picture from these pictures so I'll have to try again.

In other news, we deemed today Binky Liberation Day. We finally dropped Gigi's crib (we waited dangerously too long...parents of the year award) and in total TEN pacifiers were liberated! Can you beat that number?

Ginger just kept spitting out the pacifier in her mouth to try another one. Like a true connoisseur.

And speaking of Ginger, has anyone else felt like they need MORE pictures of her?! Good, me too. These are my favorite bald heads in the world.

Then I get mad and say there are no pictures of my daughter and me because Eric loves having pictures taken of them. So then he takes some to appease the beast.

Doesn't Gigi look thrilled? Ha.

Well I hope you have a fabulous day. I think I'll finally post that tutorial I keep talking about. Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow I swear.

xoxo

Alison

She's got new mobiles...and a Brazil Butt Lift.

2011-07-11T08:47:00.001-06:00

I know, I know, you want to get right to the butt lift, but first we shall discuss the new mobiles I made this weekend! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Technically they are not new designs, just some new fresh color combos. I have lots of new leather colors in my stash preparing for Craft Lake City, and I'm going bonkers with it!

A fabulously stylish customer ordered the Arrows and Feathers Leather mobile for her baby girl! I LOVE the color combo she requested, and I'm just so glad I could find leather in the colors she wanted. I really fell in love with the end result and spent way more time than was profitable playing around with the colors. Here are some pictures.

I think it's feminine in a really understated way. If you're interested in something similar contact me through my Etsy Shop!

I also made a new mobile for my niece Josie! I say new mobile because I stole back her old mobile for display purposes. Sorry Jo Jo!

This is my Leather Triangle Mobile, and this color combo is called...you guessed it, Josie. It's also now available in my shop! But I have very limited supplies of these colors, so don't hesitate. That's not a gimmick! Ha.

And remember! I have a coupon code for you guys for free shipping until July 15th! ILOVEALISON.

OK! On to the other stuff! Have you guys seen that infomercial for Brazil Butt Lift?! It's not a medical procedure, it's a workout program! Well, I technically haven't seen the whole thing either. But the other day at the gym (remember, I don't have cable) I saw a small portion of it WITHOUT SOUND and I was totally sold! I immediately called my sister and launched off talking about it and she finally stopped me and said, "Alison, you had me at "butt lift."

Maybe I'm totally being a sucker but I think it looks amazing. You HAVE to watch the little video on the site, my favorite part is when Leandro says, "De butt iz berry complex!" I KNOW LEANDRO! Mold me.

So before you tell me it's lame, or your sister's boyfriends cousin owns it and hates it...I ordered it! It was WAY too expensive and I didn't even think it through, I just ordered it! But as a mom workout videos are a really good option for me, and I don't have time to train for a marathon right now, so I need a different goal. Ah! I'm almost tempted to take before and after pix to show you! But I won't because then I will feel so much pressure to keep my Brazil Butt Lift once I have it, and then I'll get tons of anxiety about it, and Eric will have to force me to stop blogging. BUT! I will tell you how it goes, and maybe post some sexy back shots FULLY dressed if it goes VERY well. Who are we kidding. Like I care...in fact, very soon there will be pictures of me doing things like this on someone's blog:

Oh, and speaking of fringe necklaces, make sure you enter the giveaway below before Wednesday!

I LOVE YOU ALL! I know this post may have been too discombobulated but I had a lot to say!

xoxo

Alison

She appreciates you! or Trying to buy your love.

2011-07-08T07:22:00.002-06:00

CONTEST CLOSED

I think the "I feel like a chicken with its head cut off" metaphor pretty much sums up my week/life. I'd try to think of a new or better idiom, but being the owner of chickens, I know how dumb they can be, and I think I've been acting like them sans brains.

I've been focusing on a million different things...when we all know WHAT I should have really been focusing on is YOU. (Yes, you and my child, don't worry, I try not to forget about her)

Perhaps you'll recall a little tutorial I did for a Chevron Fringe Necklace last month? Well it turns out some of you (read everyone I meet) would prefer to have ME make them one, instead of making one themselves! Though I was initially shocked and abhorred at some people's lack of wanting to craft (when do you NOT WANT TO CRAFT?) I will chalk it up to the sandwich principle, things just seem better when someone else makes them for you.

What I'm trying to say is! I'm giving away a custom (depending on the colors I have on hand) Chevron Fringe Necklace to one of my sexy (yes Ellen, you're sexy) readers!

In other words IT'S A GIVEAWAY of one of these:

When worn they look like this:

It would be nice if in addition to you leaving a comment telling me what baked good you'd eat while you rocked your necklace, you either add me to your google reader or whatever, Follow Me (on the side there), or join The Little Tiny Facebook Page. But I'm not going to REQUIRE it. Because I don't like being bullied into stuff like that either, but, I mean, try to show some loyalty of some sort.

I will announce the winner next Wednesday (July 13) morning. So you have til Tuesday night!

Have a happy weekend! I love you all!

xoxo,

Alison
your fringe master

She's made a decision.

2011-07-05T13:36:00.000-06:00

Lots of you sexy sheblogs sheblogs readers are new (welcome! welcome!) But if you're not, perhaps you remember this post, from way back when?

I was trying to decide what snazzy saying to put on a pie plate, and also, how to put it on there the way I wanted. Well! I finally got around to it and I'm pretty excited to share the tutorial with you! That's coming in the next couple days, and in case you missed it, in the holiday hullabaloo, I'm doing free shipping in my shop, The Little Tiny, with the code ILOVEALISON. Because I need lots and lots of verbal affirmation! The code will be good until July 15th!

I love you all! Get ready for pie!

xox

Alison

p.s. Do you think the soda Gods are trying to tell me something?

She's bursting with patriotism...and a coupon code

2011-07-04T06:02:00.062-06:00

Happy July 4th to those of you who are in America! 'Tis a banner day. To everyone else, well, I'm sorry that things won't be getting shipped from our country to yours today. Sincerely, I know how eager I get when I'm waiting for packages. Waiting is the worst.

I celebrated America on Saturday by attending an over-the-top concert and fireworks show called, "Stadium of Fire" here in Provo, Utah.

Brad Paisley and David Archuleta performed. Honestly I couldn't have told you one song either of them sang prior to the concert...but I know now! David, he's a tiny little doll. His white jeans were super sexy. Pervy cause I'm almost 10 years older than him? And Brad, well, let's just say Brad knows exactly how to keep the audience in the palm of his sexy, redneck, cowboy palm, even if you don't love reeeeeally cheesy country music. Oh Brad.

Here's a picture of me and David...kind of. We had pretty good seats.

And as for item #2 (as promised in the headline):

Things have been going pretty well for The Little Tiny lately, and I thought I'd celebrate with a coupon code for those of you who read this silly little blog of mine. Also, I need to get my ducks in a row for Craft Lake City!

It's for FREE SHIPPING on anything in the shop. Yes, I know the pattern PDF's already have free shipping, but there you go. My shipping costs are pretty expensive (mobiles and kits aren't the cheapest thing to ship) so I think this is a pretty good deal!

The code is: ILOVEALISON, yes, that says I LOVE ALISON, and I think it will be good 'til, oh, let's say July 15th? On etsy they will show you a place for it when you order.

So hop on over to The Little Tiny and see if there is anything I can do for you!

I just made a kit available for my most favorite (and popular) felt mobile, The Ahoy! Mobile. Here are some pictures to tantalize and tease! Or just delight. My felt mobile kits include a pattern DVD, the baker's twine, and a stuffing tool, as well as mobile wire (with bending instructions) and all of the felt needed to complete the project. I think they are pretty cool.

This is the Ahoy! Mobile

And this is what a complete kit looks like:

Or you can just buy the pattern DVD in the box (so you could pick out your own colors). They look like this:

Or! If you want to be super thrifty and leave almost no carbon footprint, you can order a PDF of any of my patterns that I just email to you (along with a stitching video starring me!).

Anyway, enough shameless self-promotion!

God bless you! And God bless the USA.

xoxo!

Alison

She's one bad motha

2011-06-30T08:39:00.000-06:00

I could take a very long time discussing the how or the why, but I won't. I'll just say that my entire family-in-law decided to do handgun training a while ago, and they didn't invite me. Insert a Stephanie Tanner, "HOW RUDE!" right there.

Exactly. But really, they didn't invite me because they thought there was NO CHANCE that I would ever want to go. And they were probably right. I constantly mock their trips to Cabela's. But once I found out they all went without me (I thought it was just my husband and his dad) I became a snotty 10-year-old and insisted that I wanted to be included. Even if it was for handgun training. The problem with that was...then I actually had to go to handgun training.

So yesterday, my father-in-law watched Gigi (Eric had to work) and I got myself a serious farmer's tan doing this.

Yeah, that's a 9mm. And yeah I'm a huge dork. Please note that my finger is NOT on the trigger. And shockingly nothing and no one was harmed or maimed. Except my thumb.

I don't care how much you hate guns. You feel pretty bad-a when you grab one from a holster (yes I was told to wear a "sturdy belt" like I OWN a sturdy belt...I wore Eric's) and hear the clink of the target when you hit it.

Pow pow!

But all in all, these hands were made for crafting. And that's just what they'll do.

Just be sure you don't try to mess with this mama bear.

xo

Alison

She dives into donuts: part 1

2011-06-29T08:44:00.000-06:00

As promised, I've begun my foray into donut land.

Though I haven't been there long, I see that donut land is a wonderful place, full of complexities and varieties as far as the eye can see. I started my journey with a cake-type of donut from the book Baked Explorations. I used the Farm Stand Buttermilk Doughnuts Recipe. And even though this is a published book, the Baked boys have been kind enough to put that recipe online. You can find it here.

I have sung the praises of their first book Baked: New Frontiers in Baking MANY TIMES. So I thought starting with a recipe from them would be a safe bet.

It was, and it wasn't. Deep frying, I can now see, is an art and a skill that will take a bit of time. My oil was too hot at first (though mysteriously because I used a very good thermometer, perhaps it was the pan, only cast iron from here on out) and so when I dropped my donuts in they cooked too quickly on the outside and were still mushy on the inside. But after a batch or two, I got the oil to the proper temperature and got the hang of it. I believe the goal of the recipe is to produce a crispy crunchy outside, and a soft nutmeggy cinnamonny (real words...) spiced cake inside. Also, when you have the temperature correct (and the thickness of the dough) they puff up into that fabulous round "O" shape. It's quite satisfying.

I was surprised at how brown they were, but compared to the pictures in the book, that seems to be correct.

Here are some pix. These are some of the shape rejects...

Here are some much more satisfyingly shaped ones. Ignore the copious amounts of oil.

Maybe you're wondering how to keep your baby safe when they INSIST on being in the same room as you, but that room has boiling hot oil...well here's a suggestion.

I don't know, maybe I did them too brown? They were moist on the inside. (I know people have an aversion to the word moist, but if you bake, you tend to use it, and you'll just have to get over it!) Donut holes are pretty cute, huh?

I iced them with a chocolate glaze and a vanilla glaze. I preferred the vanilla because it was a bit lighter and sweeter, which I thought paired well with the dense cake donut. Here you can see the inside once I got it right.

And here are some pseudo-glamorous glamor shots.

These particular donuts really need to be eaten RIGHT away. Even by later in the afternoon they had lost a lot of their luster. So I made quick work of giving them to the nearest neighbors. I have to get rid of them ASAP otherwise Eric and I will devour them.

To be 100% fair to the Farm Stand Buttermilk Doughnuts they were pretty damn tasty. I just have a high donut standard and would like to give them a chance once again after I'm a little more experienced.

Eric had to work VERY late the other day and he said I could use the money he made to, "buy myself a treat" so I quickly got online and bought a donut cookbook, a mini donut pan, and a donut pastry cutter! I CANNOT wait for them to arrive.

If any of you doughnut veterans have any tips...DO SHARE.

I leave you with an adorable pictures of one of the only things I love more than baked goods.

xox,

Alison