Giveaway!!

Giveaways should be fun and spontaneous..this one is not only those things...but it's all potentially delicious!!

Swing by Rik Rak Studios blog for a chance(more than one actually) to win a $25.00 giveaway to a delicious shop on Etsy!

Hurry!!

Falling for Autumn Giveaway!!

Apples and Pears have made their arrival in the Farmer's Markets, it's slowly becoming cooler outside and when you wake up in the morning you get that little dry tickle in the back of your throat.

All of these things spell out the beginning of Fall, at least they do for me =). With that being said I thought today (Labor Day) would be a great way to kick of the coming season with a giveaway!

You'll get to choose between these two gorgeous sets of handmade earrings. Our delicious Halloween cupcake lovelies which are dangle earrings, or our absolutely perfect pumpkin studs. Don't worry, if you lack the pierced ears you can enter as well to win the Halloween cupcake necklace!

So how do you enter you ask? Simple. If you aren't a follower of this blog yet click down there on the page to follow us, then head on over to www.facebook.com/TheEtsyClayCafe "like" us and go to the discussions tab click on the Falling for Autumn discussion and tell us what you love about fall, and if you aren't a big fan of autumn let us know what stinks about Autumn to you! hehe Have fun with it! After you follow these simple steps your name will be placed in a bowl and the winner's name will be drawn out by one of my kiddos.

This giveaway starts today and will go until Friday September 10th that everyone has a chance to get entered. Let your friends know! Even if you aren't big on jewelry these items make great gifts!!

The Clay Cafe

Tomorrow is the big Falling for Autumn earring giveaway! You'll have to check back in the morning for the details to be entered to win some delicious earrings!

I realized that we haven't updated the blog in some time and there have been quite a few changes. If you don't have us "liked" on Facebook then here's the news:

We are slowly moving everything over from Sinner's Sweets into our new shop The Clay Cafe. After long deliberation I decided on The Clay Cafe for the jewelry and we are going to hold off on Sinner's Sweets and keep it for our future bakery.

The link to check out the new shop is www.theclaycafe.etsy.com now we still have items at www.tiffeaddington.etsy.com and those listings will stay until sold or until they expire at which point they will be relisted into the new shop.

The facebook page is www.facebook.com/TheEtsyClayCafe and we'd love to have you as a fan! The facebook page is updated constantly and giveaways are announced there immediately.

Speaking of giveaways...remember to come check back with us in the morning to get the scoop on the Falling for Autumn Earrings giveaway and there will be a second choice for those of you with unpierced ears =)

Christmas is right around the corner at this point and all of our items make great gifts! We get a lot of great feedback from tweens and teens!

Put A Stamp On It: Welcome

Check this kid out!! I wish more people were as inspired and loving as him! Now I can't wait for my kids to be able to write letters...such a great program.

Put A Stamp On It: Welcome: "Welcome to Jaxson's blog. I am mom and helping Jax out with his big idea. What started out as a way for Jax to learn the proper way of w..."

Clayton Show Review

Had a blast this past Saturday at the Clayton Youth Theater's Christmas in July Shopping Extravaganza..it was fantastic!

The youth were soooooo talented!! The solo performances were amazing I couldn't believe the big voices coming out of these young adults they will go very far in theater! Sales were good too the crowd was fantastic and we got tons of great feedback on our items.

They seem to be a hit with tweens and teens for sure! S0o0o if you have any of those age groups in your midst then some of Sinner's Sweets jewelry would be a great gift idea! Just sayin' hehehe.

So now that I've had a taste of these arts&crafts shows I'm dying to do more of them! I'm currently filling out an application for the Yule Mart that the FBAOSC put on here on Fort Bragg.

The only problem is I can't seem to find info on upcoming shows! So if any of you hear anything please let me know! Or if you have any advice on how to find out about upcoming shows I'd really appreciate it too!

Be sure to check out the shop as we're listing new items everyday now =)

www.tiffeaddington.etsy.com

Well that's all for now =) Have a great night folks

New New NEW

Wow yet again it's been like a month since my last blogging adventure. I'm battling insomnia so writing a blog with my bedtime glass of wine shouldn't hurt right?

Well after doing our first booth at a craft show we decided we should do a test on a name. We're going to be at a show in Clayton, NC that's being held by the Clayton Youth Theater and we will be setting up a booth with the name Eye Candy!

We want to reserve Sinner's Sweets for when we can get our own bakery.

So with that being said I encourage all of you within the Raleigh area to come out to this Christmas in July Extravaganza! It is going to be held at the Clayton Center from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. this Saturday, July 24th, 2010. There will be lots of booths, food, face painting, 50/50 raffle and mini performances throughout the day bu the Clayton Youth Theater.

The address for the Clayton Center is 111 East 2nd Street and admission is FREE!! So if you were looking for something to do with the fam this weekend there ya go! Come check it out! Christmas is just around the bend if you really start thinking about it! Don't be like me and wait until the last minute to get those Christmas gifts =)

Roasted Garlic and Shrimp Pizza

Wow, it's been a little while since I "blogged" so here we go! I wrote in an earlier blog that I would share some recipes with you but looks like I haven't really done much of that so I'm going to share with you a new family favorite. This recipe is for a homemade Roasted Garlic and Shrimp Pizza, this is a white pizza.

Now, my fellow parents of picky eaters...I have 2 children who are EXTREMELY picky when it comes to food, both of them ate 2 slices of this pizza...2 slices a piece. So without further ado lets dive right in. This recipe makes one 12-15 inch pizza (depends on thick you like your crust).

You can use a store bought pizza crust if that's what you want but I wanted a rustic looking pizza so I made my own crust. I used Bobby Flay's recipe for Flat bread courtesy of http://www.foodtv.com/ if you want to use that recipe.

The ingredients you will need for the sauce recipe are as follows:

• 1 cup of whole milk (I would not substitute this or you might have a watery sauce)
  
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter
  
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  
• pinch of salt
  
• pinch of red (cayenne) pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
  
• 4 heads of roasted garlic (the garlic takes an hour to roast so plan accordingly)
  
• olive oil and salt and pepper for the garlic
  
• a couple tablespoons of cornmeal to put on your pizza pan
  
• about 1/2 a block (8 ounces) of cheese (if you want a plain white pizza use mozzarella, I used Colby Jack cheese for the kiddos)
  
• 1/2 pound of cleaned uncooked shrimp
  
• fresh chopped basil (the basil we use comes from our garden..it is an African blue basil which is slightly less sweet than the basil you buy in the supermarket)
  
• fresh chopped parsley (optional, we left this out but I think it would be a great addition)

If you are making your own crust you are going to want to do that about 3 hours before you want to cook your pizza, about 2 hours into your dough process you'll want to roast the garlic to make sure everything falls into a smooth timeline. If you are using a store bought flat bread or pizza dough you'll want to roast the garlic about an hour before you're ready to set this baby up.

To roast the garlic set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then you take your 4 heads of garlic and cut the upper quarter off, rub about one teaspoon of olive oil into the top of each head of garlic then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place your heads of a garlic, cut side down, onto a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and bake for approx. one hour, or until the cloves are golden and soft. Your house will smell amazing!! Even the kids commented on how yummy it smelled, they thought it was garlic bread or spaghetti. They should look like this when they're ready:
After they are done roasting set them aside until they are cooled down, once they're cool enough to handle carefully take out the cloves of garlic. Don't worry if they don't all come out you can squeeze the heads and a roasted garlic paste will come out. Set the bowl of garlic aside.
Now if your dough is ready go ahead and sprinkle some cornmeal on your pizza pan and start preheating your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll the pizza dough out into the size you want and place it on your pizza pan. The cornmeal will prevent it from sticking to your pan.

Now lets make the sauce.

Heat your milk in a small pan until it comes to a simmer, once it starts to gently simmer take it off the heat and put a lid on it.

In another pan (this is the pan you will make the sauce in so make sure it's deep enough) melt your butter, once it's melted down add in your flour and cook for about a minute you do not want the flour to brown, just cook it enough so that the butter and flour make a smooth paste.

Gently pour in the warm milk and whisk to combine. Add the salt and red pepper and turn up the heat to about medium high, cook the sauce until it comes to a boil and thickens up. Remove your pan from the heat and add in about 1o of your roasted garlic cloves, if you ended up with a paste add in about half of it. Tear up a handful of basil and put it into the sauce mix as well.

Pour the sauce into a blender. Make sure the lid is on securely!!!! Or you will be cleaning garlic sauce off the ceiling for a week. Blend your sauce until it's smooth. Let the sauce cool down just a tad and then pour it onto your crust. Be sure to leave a border so that the sauce doesn't run off the pizza and create a huge mess in your oven. Now slice your cheese however thin or thick you like and put the cheese down over the sauce. Take your cleaned uncooked shrimp and arrange them on top of your pizza in anyway fashion you choose. Take your remaining garlic cloves or garlic paste and sprinkle or dollop it all over your pizza.

Bake your pizza for about 8-10 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it, your pizza will be done when your crust is golden and the cheese is melted and golden brown in spots. When your pizza is down take another small handful of basil, tear it and scatter it over your pizza, you'll want to do this with the parsley too if you chose to use it.

Serve Hot! This is definitely going to become one of your favorites!

I mentioned in the listed ingredients that we used African Blue Basil, the following pictures are off my Basil plant.

The first picture there is of the blooms that grow at the top of the basil plant, I had never seen this before on regular basil. The blooms smell amazing!


As you can see the leaves have a purple/blue tinge to them. I bought this lovely culinary helper at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market. They run on Wednesday from 3-7:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9:00a.m.-1:00p.m.!

The next recipe will be courtesy of our wild blackberry picking adventure..the literal fruits of our labor!

Sneak Peek!

New items coming to the Etsy shop this week and the days following!! I've fallen behind on my duties as blogger but all is well!





hehe this Hot Chocolate Lovin' necklace was listed today!!


I've been busy making new items, photographing, editing all that lovely jazz. So here is a sneak peek! Be sure to check the shop daily for new listings!


Who doesn't loooove strawberry shortcake? Especially in the summer time when the berries are sweet and fresh. This is a broach with all the makin's of a great strawberry shortcake. Light pound cake, rich whipped cream and sweet strawberries.







MmMmM...Banana Split!!! This is a mini banana split necklace, one scoop of strawberry one scoop of chocolate topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and a jumbo cherry on top!


Great way to cool off on a hot summer day, this necklace is fun to wear year round (and it won't melt and get sticky...always a plus!)

Creating Block

I feel like my creating skills are in a lull right now. I have zero motivation to start new projects! Maybe I'm just missing my coffee, sure..that's it! I need my coffee back.

Today just seems like it's going to be a fail day. It's yucky outside, I tried to spice up some instant oatmeal and instead made it waaay too sweet (Added too much honey) and I have lots of studying to do as well as a mountain of laundry to fold. All of this with the hops that 3 little ones will cooperate with my efforts to get these things done!

Anyone want to do my tasks for me today? Oh, and find a way to ensure I pass this exam tomorrow? haha Can't wait for school to be done with so I can get a break from it for the summer. Trying to figure out what the Father's Day give away is going to be....

My little man turns ONE next week!!! So on top of all of the other things I'm planning his Pirate extravaganza (his sister's picked out his cake pan..it's a pirate ship). Ahh the life of a Stay at Home Momma =)

Well I'm off to find my caffeine fix and try and get this day off on the right foot!

Tagging Virtual Lab

For those of you that were around the world of Etsy today you know that today was the Tagging Lab! I decided to post about that today because the virtual lab was packed full! I have never seen that many people in the labs ever!!

So in all my nerdy excitement I took a screen capture =) How crazy packed is that lab!!! I didn't get to stay for the full lab but I did get some good tips while I was there. I definitely urge you to go to all the labs you can!

I was in the lab for about 30 minutes of everything that was being said, by the time I left daniellexo was taking questions from the people there.

Here are the notes that I took for myself:

• Add more of your own tags, meaning don't use only subcategories that Etsy has available but be creative and come up with some of your own
• think like your buyer, add tags that you would search for if you were trying to find your item
• use your main material as a tag, this could be very helpful to the buyer as well, for me I would list polymer clay because that is the main material
• look for keywords in your description. I know for myself I always get stuck coming up with tags, daniellexo had a good tip, look through your description chances are you have good keywords in there
• think like the buyer!
• don't forget color! Color is a good tag as well
• for photographers use size as a tag
• always think like the buyer! (have I said that already?) hehe

I don't know if they're going to do another tagging workshop but I think it would be a fantastic idea. Again if you haven't been in the virtual labs they are extremely helpful!

"How do you get to the Virtual Labs?"

Okay, to get to the Virtual Labs log in to your Etsy account and then click on the Community tab (it's where the Buy and Sell tabs are) Then once you've done that click on the Virtual Labs tab and on the right hand side is a schedule of all the labs going on soon.

When I first started Etsy The Newbie lab was a great help and the Shop Critique labs are always a great help too. Another great feature in Etsy are the teams, I'm proud to say that I am a member of the Homefront Team which is an amazing team for military members, and family members you should check it out! I've had nothing but great experiences being a member of this team.

That's all for now Folks!!

xoxoxox!

Dinner=Fail

Okay so I said I'd post this new delicious dinner idea...if it worked. It failed. LOL oh well. I was trying to do a potato encrusted tilapia with bacon wrapped asparagus and rice but the mandolin I have is cheapo. Cheapo mandolin=not thin enough slices. Layered my potato "scales" and went to fold them over the fish..it wasn't happening. Dinner wasn't what I wanted it to be but it still came it delicious!

But because it was a failure I took zero pictures =( BOO!

On a happy note I made breakfast for dinner tonight which means I had a huge cinnamon roll for dessert...MmMm! Oh and my Mother's day present from my Mother got here today, a gift tower from Harry&Davids.

Trying to figure out what kind of giveaway or contest I will be having for Father's Day. I shall keep all you lovely readers posted!!

Monday

After a much needed mini-vacay it's sad that Monday is here so soon =( .

We had a fantastic, fun and sand-filled weekend by the beach. I pigged out on a variety of seafood (I absolutely LOVE seafood!) and relaxed by the water and just watched my kids play in the sand.

Now that Monday is here it's back to the "real world", back to college classes and cleaning haha.

sigh<>

There's a list of things I should be doing right now like making dinner, vaccuming the floor, folding laundry, doing school work, etc. but I figured I'd neglected the blog for far too long!! I'm working on a new recipe for dinner and if it is a success it will be tomorrow's post with recipe attached for you to try.

So for now I'll leave you with a peek at some delicious looking blueberry cheesecake studs =)

Now don't those just look yummy!!

and the Winner is......

The winner has been announced on the facebook page! My lovely daughter Audrey pulled the name from her favorite purple bucket =). (please ignore my messy house as my husband was packing his bag and made a mess...along with 3 small kids haha)

So that's it for the Mother's Day Give Away!! To see our winner's favorite Mommy memory follow the yellow brick road to Sinner's Sweets fan page on Facebook!

Keep checking in I plan to have some more giveaways during the summer months!

Now, for those who didn't get to enter in on the FB page take this post's comment section to let the world know what your favorite mommy figure memory is.

I guess I should share mine now huh? Hmm..favorite Mommy moment...let me think lol there are a lot of funny ones for sure!

The memory that comes to my mind first and foremost has to do with when I became a Mommy. My beautiful baby girl Audrey was very sick as a baby and she was my first child so I was lost, completely and utterly lost. She was in the PICU at 2 weeks old fighting for her life, my mother was there. She was there for me through the whole ordeal, she held my hand, cried with me, came in and took care of Audrey so I could get a few hours of sleep or shower or eat. She was my rock.

I'm very lucky to have some amazingly strong women in my family on both sides. I have the blood of some of the most amazing women in me and couldn't be more proud. My Abuela was a strong, beautiful, independent woman and my Nanny (my grandma) is also a strong independent woman. My Great Grandma is one like no other, she is 96 and going strong! She still walks around, talks, cooks, she's an inspiration. I swear the world could come crashing down around them and they would still be going strong. They truly inspire me along with my Momma I can only hope to be near as awesome as they are.

Don't forget to show the Mom figures in your life how much they mean to you whether it's with a gift or just telling them. I know I never tire of hearing " I love you Mommy" It's honestly one of the best things to hear.

and with all of that being said....I love ya Mom. =)

Mother's Day Give Away!!

Ladies and Gentlemen step right up, it's time for the Mother's Day Give away!!!! I know you've been scouring the shelves in stores and the window arrangements at the Flower Shop for the perfect way to celebrate your madre!

(For those of you who haven't checked the calendar out in awhile...Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 9th)

Well in honor of all those Mother Figures out there Sinner's Sweets is hosting a give away. We will be giving away a Murano Style glass pendant necklace on a leather cord with a slipknot to be easily adjusted.

I would normally list this necklace for $13.00 plus shipping but like I said I want to honor those special ladies.

So how do you enter you say? Here's what ya gotta do...

1. Check out the Facebook Fan Page and become a fan..or well...a "liker" since FB is no longer doing the Become a Fan bit.

2. Become a "liker" (man that doesn't have the same oomph to it at all)

3. Post a comment on the Fan Page telling me you're favorite memory of your Mother Figure.

And that's it!! Those who participate in full will be added to The Bowl (cue the harps). At 8:00 p.m. (EST) May 4th, the winner will be drawn at random by one of my kiddies.

Oh I almost forgot!! You might need some directions to the fan page huh? Well to get there follow the yellow brick road. =)

Have a great week everyone!! Don't forget to celebrate those Momma's for helping shape who we are today.

I know I promised more posts about Autism Awareness and I apologize for not posting sooner. The way I see it..this cause should not be limited to a 30 day spotlight during the month of April, this should be something focused on year long!

Before we get going to far into this blog, if you like any of the items pictured here they are click-able and will take you to the shop where you can purchase them.

What I could do right now is start throwing statistics at you and different figures and a ton of medical jargon. I would hope that you would read through it but I know that those types of posts become dry and hard to read through because they don't grab you and pull you in. It's hard to understand any medical condition reading the medical dictionary definition of it.

I think the best way to help people understand Autism and its affects on people and family is to tell you how it has affected me.

As I mentioned in my previous blog I have a younger brother with Autism, to be more specific he has Asperger's Syndrome. I have other family members with Autism but they are a lot younger than me so by the time they came around and were diagnosed I knew what Autism was. This is why I want to talk to you about my brother. I had no idea what Autism was when we were growing up and I think it's imperative to explain my learning process because you might be able to relate better to that.

I don't know where to begin so bare with me. I can't remember too far back so I'll start where I remember. When I was about 5 or 6 and he was 3 or 4 I knew he was different than me and that he handled situations differently. I remember other kids being stand offish to him because he talked in such a high pitch voice and sometimes too fast to understand. He would throw tantrums when people didn't listen to him or couldn't understand him. When my Dad would leave (he was in the Army and went TDY often) his way of coping would be to bite me and so I was very angry because I didn't understand why he would do these things and why he couldn't just stop.

What I didn't realize was he is just like me, he is a person with feelings and emotions and he reacts differently. He handles his emotions in his own way, there is no book that says how we are supposed to be how we are supposed to react and feel about things. There is no book that dictates "normal".

When we were younger I didn't want to play with him a lot because when I did other kids wouldn't play with me and we were both picked on a lot. It wasn't until I was older that the protector role kicked in. I think I was 8 when that happened. I don't remember exactly what happened but I remember one of the older girls in the neighborhood saying something mean to him. He cried and started screaming at her not screaming anything just screaming with his hands over his ears and she started pointing and laughing. I grabbed his hand and stuck my middle finger up at her. (Mind you I had no idea what that meant, just knew that it wasn't nice)

It took my beloved brother a lot longer to learn certain things, like shapes and colors and reading. If he didn't want to learn it he refused for the most part to even try. He would tell people he couldn't read and wouldn't read when it came to school but he could tell you what a billboard about a movie said. To him that wasn't reading, he was looking at something he liked and just knew what it said. There were plenty of teachers too who didn't understand him and didn't bother to take the time to understand him. There were teachers who were downright mean to him, taking his lunch from him in kindergarten as punishment because he didn't behave the same way other kids did.

It breaks my heart to look back and see all the years he spent growing up being misunderstood because he wasn't "normal". He didn't have a lot of friends growing up but he didn't really seem to care either. He was just fine playing by himself, making up his own stories and going along with them. He would try to make friends but kids would shun him and turn away. He laughed at inappropriate times, obsessed over random things, wanted to hug too much...

Even as we were older and I started to become more familiar with the term Autism and what that meant there were things he did that would grate on my nerves. I would leave a pot of water on the stove to boil and ask him to check it as he walked through the kitchen to see if it was ready and he would stand there and keep saying ," Tiff, the water is boiling....the water is boiling...did you hear me? I said the water is boiling..are you coming to check on the water???" or when we'd leave the house he'd be afraid the door would be left open or come open and the dog would run away, he'd have to get out of the car and check for himself.

Some people would see these things as flaws but I see them as things that make him unique!

He may not be a whiz kid when it comes to Math and you might not catch him reading Shakespeare without a stutter trying to figure out what a word is or what it means but I guarantee you ask him any movie related question and he could write you a book. Movies are his thing and he is an amazingly talented writer! He writes his own unique awesome screenplays (with the help of spellcheck and some proofreading). I wouldn't be surprised if he went on to become a famous director!

He's not bad at all. If you actually took the time, patience, and effort to get to know him you would have the most loyal and loving friend you could ever ask for. My brother is not diseased, he is not broken he does not need a cure nor does he need to be fixed or adjusted to fit into this mold society has created.

If we sought to "fix" these people so many things would be different. Did you know Albert Einstein was autistic? Did you know Thomas Edison was autistic?? The list goes on and on...so the next time you meet someone who is Autistic think about those things.

I love my brother. I love my beautifully gifted Autistic brother. He is special, God made him unique..maybe we're the ones who have it all wrong.

Earth Day is Here!

April 23, 2010..it's Earth Day!!

Plant a tree! Recycle a can! Pick up the garbage you see laying around in your neighborhood! Plan a trip to your Farmer's Market! Or...browse Etsy and cart some amazing and awesome Up cycled items!

I'm still pretty new to Etsy (shh don't tell anyone! ;) ) so when I first saw the term up cycled I was a little confused as to what it meant. Up cycled is really just a catchy way of saying recycled and re purposed. Up cycled is like the designer side of recycling...it's a fun word.

The seller I want to feature today on Earth Day is an up cycling kind of gal who has lots of neat-o stuff that appeals to the geek in me and I want to share that with you. Her Etsy name is KatieAnnCreations...that's also her shop name as well =).

All of her products have been sterilized and have no sharp edges. Be sure to read through her shop announcement if you want to know more!

Her accepted forms of payment are Paypal, and personal checks. All payments must be cleared before she will ship your item! More on her policies can be found under the shop policies link in her shop.

To access her shop you can click on any of the pictures in this post and it should take you to her shop front.

If for some reason the linking is not working today (which would be my luck haha) then here is the link for your browsing pleasure!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatieAnnCreations

I for one loooove me some carbonated beverages conveniently packaged in a colorful aluminum can bearing the name of my favorites. I probably enjoy them too often but hey a girl can love her soda can't she? With all the bubbly goodness love there's no surprise as to why this shop caught my eye! The pop top bracelets are fantastic and for all you Twilight fans she has some that look just like your beloved Bella wore in the flick.

She combined two of my favorites in the Pepsi cupcakes you see at the beginning of this post. Are those not insanely awesome! Check out these Monster Energy Star shaped Earrings!!! I'm sure you know at least one person who loves Monster Energy Drinks.

Those are some pretty neat Ear Flare! Not only does she have jewelry she has hair accessories as well. That pop top and bottle cap hair clip is pretty neat too! I can honestly say I've never seen something like that!! KatieAnnCreations items are a fun and unique way to show off you're favorite beverages and at the same time show you care about recycling. Be sure to check out her shop!!

It's Earth Day!! Stop reading this! Go plant some flowers!! =) Get out there!

ArtTales LEFTZ

Earth Day is April 22nd for those of you who haven't glanced at the small print on those lovely calendars =) or if you scribbled over it for all of you busy bodies =).

With that being said I want to share one of my favorite Etsy Sellers with you! ArtTales is the screen name you'd look for over on http://www.etsy.com/ and adorable Upcycled Plushies are what you would be delighted to find.

If you aren't into searching for people via Etsy's search option just click here to go directly to ArtTales shop.

The plushies are playfully called LEFTZ (pronounced Le-ft-e's) and are eco-friendly plushies. Reading through her shop announcement you'll learn that the materials used are found in yard sales, thrift shops, and some come from family and friends. The adorable one eye is created out of vintage buttons and the animal itself is stuffed with plastic grocery bags.

One of these playful critters has even been nominated for Etsy's & The Daily Green's Trash to Treasure Celebration! I highly encourage you to vote for Peewee the Octopus! Click vote to help Peewee the Octopus win!

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than getting one of these absolutely adorable plushies for your bookshelf, they'd even make a cute addition to any end table. Because of the materials used to make these cuties they are not intended to a be a toy or to be used by children.

Make sure to read through the shop policies for all information on shipping, payment, etc. Oh and before I end this blog, I want to share my favorite LEFTZ plushie with you all!

Thanks as always for swingin' by and checking out what we've got going on today! Everyone have a rockin' week! Earth Day is right around the corner, it's a reminder to be conscious about what we do and the impact it may have. Try recycling for the first time if you haven't, or plant a tree or a patio garden!

Or swing by Etsy and help continue to support our Green Handmade/Homemade Artists =)

Thanks ArtTales! ArtTales Blog

Treasury Time Again!

YAY! I was just perusing through the chatrooms on Etsy and mingling with other sellers and discovered that Sinner's Sweets again has an item in a treasury! How exciting!

Kissedbyclover has created a fun fair theme which is perfect for this time of year and the Juicy Hot Dog Necklace is in it!

To view this awesome-tastic treasury click here

I'm working on some more posts about Autism Awareness so keep on checking back with us! I'm also working on new items for the shop as well =) Feel free to comment or e-mail me at any time!

Thanks for swingin' by! Have a great week everyone.

April is Autism Awareness Month

That's right ladies and gents, April is Autism Awareness Month. With the numbers of children affected by Autism steadily on the rise it is time for us to really take a good hard look at what's going on. There are so many things that are suspected of triggering Autism and we need to be ready to get them off the market and away from our families.
There needs to be more understanding and tolerance of those who are Autistic. They are not bad or diseased or broken. They are people like you and me and anyone else. This campaign is something that is very near and dear to my heart. As a Big Sister and Cousin of some amazing people who happen to be Autistic I have a passion to educate people and make them aware.
Being the Big Sister of an amazing Autistic Brother had an abundance of rough patches that I will never forget, scars that will never go away of watching the complete ignorance of people and their intolerance for things they do not understand or know anything about. I had bruises and scuffs to prove that my brother was amazing and that anyone who had anything other to say was going to get a swift punch right in the nose. My brother and cousins are the most loving and caring people you will ever meet.
I wish I could be more like my little brother. He is an amazingly talented young man who writes some amazing screenplays! (Look out Spielberg!)He may not be the best at conversation and may ramble on and on about his love for all things Zombie and Bruce Campbell, but he is an amazing human being. There is nothing WRONG with him, he needs understanding and tolerance.
The range of Autism and how it affects people is so vast that there is absolutely no way to generalize them or their behaviors.
Why am I writing this? Again, April is Autism Awareness Month and throughout April I will be posting about just that..Autism Awareness. I am going to post some of my favorite Etsy items for you to see and post stories for you to read about Autism.
So for today, I found this item on Etsy.com it is a beautiful handmade necklace. The charm is sterling silver and absolutely gorgeous. It's not covered in primary colors making it hard to wear with other items. This gorgeous simple necklace can be worn in an everyday casual way or even in a more formal setting (at least for me it would be okay :) ). To see more items like this click here. That link will take you to the sellers shop front, if you click on the picture of the Awareness necklace it will take you to that item listing in her shop.

The seller's s/n on Etsy is anniereh if the links don't seem to be working for you.

Keep an eye out for more posts with more great Autism Awareness Items.

Food for Thought:

"Autistic beings develop and bloom if their spirits, talents, and self-esteem are not destroyed by bullies, prejudice, 'doggie-training', and being forced to be 'normal'." - Trisha Van Berkel

Justified

Justified..that is the blog title solely because that is what my husband will be watching here in about 5 minutes..it's his new thing.

It's not really my cup of tea as I'm more of an Always Sunny kinda gal..in fact I'm sporting the Paddy's Irish Pub shirt today! Yes...I am a HUGE fan...in nerdy fashion for sure!

Hmm what to write about? I have this delciously tempting brownie sitting next to me and a tall glass of ice water..nope not milk..lactose intolerant. (yes very lame I assure you if only I could bury my face in some delicious yogurt without...lets not go there)

I really should be devouring that beautiful little thing! I'm a little put off by the icing..I've never been a huge fan of icing on a brownie..why ruin the delicious chocolatey-ness of it with a layer of fat and sugar? Don't get me wrong I loooove making icing just not eating it..too sweet for me.

So I have decided on at least one seller for the Earth Day features, starting April 18th I'm going to do a feature a day until Earth Day to get everyone in the mood to do some recycling or whatever else you want to do to celebrate!

We're going to plant our patio garden and we've started recycling now that we have the bins to do it!

Hmm I guess the title of this blog really should say "Random Thoughts of Nothing Really" =P and with that I'm off to consume temptation! Goodnight folks!

Late Night Blogging

Nothing like it! As I sit here with my Easter Reeses Egg, listening to my baby babble on instead of sleep I figure now's as a good a time as ever to blog.

Hmm but what to blog about? Another heads up to all my blogosphere peoples, 10% off sale for Mother's Day!

Oh and keep an eye out as there will be updates to policies and such on the shop site. I'm hoping to clear out the food items by the end of June to make room for new inventory. Sinner's Sweets..home of foodie chic jewelry pieces that are fun and funky! For any occasion or event!

If you have any requests or something you would like to see in the shop feel free to shoot me an e-mail at sinners.sweets@hotmail.com or if it's easier for you hit me up via the Etsy conversations! Hell even comment on this post and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

I'm also looking for an Etsy seller to feature for Earth Day! I've got some in mind but if you know someone you think deserves the Earth Day feature let me know!

Now...how to get a 10 month old to go to sleep at midnight...ahh off to do the Mommy job =) (shh don't tell anyone...it's my favorite job )

Happy Birthday!

Today was the hubby's birthday so the girls and I decided to do a cake that fit him the best we could. I made a white cake from scratch but cheated and used a store bought chocolate icing. The "grass" is cream cheese and the "pond" is blue raspberry jello =).

I had planned on adding some flowers into the grass to add some more detail but with poor time management and 2 girls hungry for some cake things didn't work exactly like I planned them. Oh well!

So Spring is here and Summer is right around the corner..what are your favorite spring/summertime foods and celebrations?

Personally, I love a nice hot day with the barbecue going and some ice cooooold Peach Tea and juicy juicy watermelon! Pork Steaks are definitely in the top 5 of my favorite grill foods.

Well like I said, today is the Hubby's birthday so this blog is going to be cut short ;) nighty night everyone!

Nap Fail

I was sooo looking forward to an afternoon cat nap after I got the girls in bed! No such luck. The toddler (as he will be one next month..so sad!) did not feel the need to take a nap. I slept for maybe 15 minutes when he decided he was ready to go to sleep and of course after those 15 minutes the girls were awake.

The joys of motherhood! Hahaha I should've known there would be no naps in my future this morning.

Not only was nap a fail..but blogging once a day..fail. I'm such a procastinator! I will sit here knowing I really should type up a blog while I have the time and the kids out of my hair but of course I always find something else that needs to be done at that moment. I will still strive to do a blog a day but its apparent that won't always happen like I want it to.

Now onto some business stuff. =) Last night while the kids were in bed and the husband was studying I finished up some new pieces!

Keep an eye out for pictures but I'll tell you what I made (it was overcast earlier so pictures were a no go but its clearing up). Sinner's Sweets will soon have BLT studs, PB&J studs, a 3 tier wedding cake paper weight (which can be turned into a ring on request!), a hot dog necklace, and a hot dog charm bracelet!

Everything turned out great! I'm so excited to get the pictures done and these babies listed.

On another note. Some of you may not realize but Mother's Day is just around the corner!! Literally one month from today!! Starting the first week in May Sinner's Sweets will be offering 10% off all purchases for those who put 4MOM in the notes to seller! Be sure to snag something truly yum for your mum! Sinner's Sweets has delicious cupcakes and candies for Momma and Momma's to be to snack on or for those waist conscious Mommas we've got plenty of food jewelry to sport your favorite snacks.

Remember all Have a Rockin' Weekend! Keep your chin up even when it feels impossible to do!

Rising...

The temperatures are rising, the AC's blasting and the pollen is everywhere! Welcome to North Carolina spring/summer. It's actually a lot different than Missouri, the weather is already really hot, its not near as humid but the downside is definitely the pollen.

What does that have to do with food anyway? Well don't leave your pie to cool on an open windowsill right now! It will get a lovely coating of the yellow powdery stuff floating in the breeze.

I've been working on some new pieces but haven't had the time to bust out the camera just yet and I did promise my best at a blog post a day so today I've decided to share a recipe with you =)

I loooooove a good loaf of home made bread (the kneading is a fantastic stress relief as well!) so I'm sharing with you a recipe for 2 loaves of a delicious buttery braided bread (say that 5 times fast!)

So without further ado lets jump right in!

Braided Bread Loaf
1 c. milk
½ c. unsalted butter cut into cubes
½ c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
1 lg. Egg, beaten until white/yolk blended- room temperature
4 c. flour (you can use all purpose but bread flour tends to work the best)

Scald milk in medium saucepan and add butter, sugar and salt until butter has melted. Pour your milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. This part is extremely important! Cool the mixture to 105 to 115 degrees any colder and your yeast will not "burp" as much any hotter and you could kill your yeast. Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature
Add yeast and 1 beaten egg to milk mixture. Stir in enough flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form soft, slightly sticky dough. Lightly grease large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel or cheesecloth and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. (You can put a large pan of warm water in a cool oven and place your dough in there as a sort of home made proofer)
Grease two heavy large cookie sheets. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out between hands and floured surface to 18 inch long rope.
Arrange 3 ropes side by side on 1 prepared sheet. Braid ropes. Pinch ends together and tuck under loaf. Repeat process with remaining 3 ropes on second cookie sheet for second loaf. Cover each loaf with kitchen towel and let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush with butter periodically throughout bake time. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 25 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.

Here's a couple pictures of the finished product =)

Down to Business

I think I've been pretty lazy when it comes to keeping up on this blog. I've never really blogged before so forgive me if I'm not following the rules or standards of the Blog Gods..eventually I'm sure I'll get the hang of this.

So lets start over and see if we can't make this thing work! =)

I'm Tiff, I'm a student, Etsy lover and shop owner, and a crafty domestic stay at home Momma. I am without a doubt hooked on Etsy there are so many great finds and great people! The community on Etsy is very diverse and a lot of fun. My goal is to eventually own my own brick and mortar store front.

I will be using this blog to feature sellers/items that I think are fantastic! As well as give everyone the heads up when I'm going to be listing new items myself!

For all my fellow SAHM out there keep an eye out as I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes for everything from cupcakes to steaks!

So what should we do first? I'm going to share with you some of my newest creations for today =) Ooooh and before I forget..One of my hair bows made into an amazing treasury on Etsy! To see this treasury click here

Here's a taste of the new items

The cheeseburger and pancakes have been mounted on an adjustable ring!

Hope you enjoy them, they were a lot of fun to create. Remember to check back, my goal is a blog post a day =)