Saturday, November 27, 2010

Small Business Saturday

Support small businesses today!



Head over to ETSY and check out many amazing shops!




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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

So proud!

I am so proud of my sister! For my whole life I've always looked up to my big sister in so many ways... even though I think I was taller than her when we were teens. :)

This week she opened her own ETSY shop, Willow Of Wonder.

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Her artwork is absolutely amazing and inspiring!

Check it out when you have a chance! You won't be disappointed!



You can also read more about her journey in creating her art on her blog.





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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Oh Baby!!

I know I've been very MIA lately, but I do have good reason. I have been suffering from serious Progesterone Poisoning!

Today we are 11 weeks pregnant! I have had a VERY rough first trimester so far. I had such high hopes of being {one of those women} who is constantly glowing through pregnancy and loving every minute of it. I've already asked my husband if he's okay with only one child, because I'm not sure I could go through this again! {SIGH}

By the way, the term "morning sickness" is crap - if it was only in the morning, I'd be doing cartwheels! And... saltines... don't really work... Gingerale, I LOVE you!

My husband has broken down my two biggest symptoms thus far as: Nausea and Narcolepsy. There are days I can't seem to stay awake longer than a few hours at a time.

On a lighter note... my parents were in NY back in early October and we decided it would be great to break the news to the whole family in person. (My parents don't get out to NY all that often.)

We had a Sunday Family Pizza Party on October 3rd. A week before, I went to our local pizzeria and asked if they could spell out "Oh Baby" with pepperoni on a pie. It was a request they had never had before... but I think they did a GREAT job! Mike, the owner of Mario's Pizzeria sent me home with a handful of the little white pizza tables (the little thingies that keep the cheese from getting stuck to the pizza box). I had an idea to make little stickers to put on top and then into each pizza.



The little stickers say our due date is June 3rd, 2011... it's already been changed to June 1st, 2011... and from what many of my girlfriends have experienced, I hear it's not unusual for the date to change a few times!

Here's a picture of me with my husband and our "Oh Baby" pizza!




I have barely even turned on my sewing machine more than a handful of times in the past 6 weeks... I'm hoping that I'll turn a corner and start feeling better soon! With the holidays coming up, I have SO many things I'd love to be creating!

*** Today is also my four year wedding anniversary! I am so blessed to be going on the amazing journey with my best friend and soul mate! I know my husband is going to be a wonderful father!

Linking up to:
handmade projects
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Monday, September 27, 2010

The Tunnel To Towers Race

On September 11, 2001 Steven Siller, an off-duty firefighter from Brooklyn ran in full gear from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Towers of The World Trade Center. He helped save many lives that day, but along with 342 other firefighters, he lost his own. To read more about his story and the race, go to the Tunnel To Towers Race website.

Yesterday was the 9th annual Tunnel To Towers Race, it's just about a 5K, 3.1 miles. The path of the course retraces the steps Steven took the morning of 9/11.

My husband had watched the televised footage of the race last September and was so moved that he decided he wanted to run the race himself. He had only begun jogging a few months earlier, but vowed to himself that he wanted to be a part of the race someday.

He finished in just over 36 minutes! I am BEYOND proud of his accomplishment! When he sets his mind to something, watch out... he WILL do it!

When I crossed the finish line the clock read 1:02:36.... however it took the group of "walkers" I was lined up with quite awhile to even cross under the starting line. I think it took me about 50 minutes to finish the race. I jogged most of the way through the tunnel, and walked the rest.

Seriously, WOW, it was probably one of the most amazing experiences. I'm including several photos that I took on my iphone during my journey. I hope you enjoy!

There were over 20,000 participants, and to date, they have raised over 7 million dollars!

















The picture above with all the water shooting out is of the FDNY's newest boat, three forty three.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

It's Giveaway Time!

To all of my new followers, Hello!

To everyone who has been following me for a little while, please head over to Impatiently Praying for Patience and check out Katie's blog for a chance to win $25 to spend as you wish in my etsy shop.

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I've been following Katie's blog for awhile. She has some really great tutorials on her site! She and I bonded after her post which mentioned she used a paint color "dried parsley" in her laundry room, it's the same color I picked for my kitchen. It's a Benjamin Moore color, but she was SUPER smart and had Home Depot color match it with their paint with primer included! {Wish I'd thought of that!!}

Anyhow, the giveaway ends on Friday, so for those of you that are already a follower or a Facebook "fan" - you basically already earned an entry, just leave her a comment!! Easy Peasy! You should also become a follower of her blog, that's another entry!! Good Luck!

I'm leaving you with a sampling of items in my shop that you could put the $25 gift certificate towards!








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Friday, September 17, 2010

Coffee, Tea, or..... Water???

Yes, that is a play on words from the book published in 1967 about stewardesses.

A few months ago, on a really hot summer day, I purchased a large Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee at JFK. I was on my way up to my gate, and had always been allowed (as a working, uniformed crew member) to bring liquids through security. The coffee cup just had to go through the x-ray machine, like everything else. I had it down to a science though. I'd wedge my coffee in the plastic bin next to my small carry on bag, and it wouldn't budge!

However, this was not to be my day.

As I was securing my coffee, the TSA agent on duty (not so politely) informed me I couldn't put my coffee cup in the plastic bin. (I guess they'd changed the rule because liquids had spilled from not so careful crew members before me... ugh) Needless to say I sucked my coffee down as quick as I could because you just don't throw away a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee! I was then on a hunt for a travel coffee mug that could hold either hot or iced coffee.

Not an easy task!

Then, a few weeks ago, I found these great stainless steel travel mugs that you can personalize. You can put your own personal photographs inside, cute scrapbook paper, or fabric. The options are endless!

The inside of the mug is stainless steel and holds 16 ounces, and the only drawback is that I can't fit it under my Keurig coffee maker. {bummer} I've been using mine for a little over two weeks now, and am in LOVE! I put my coffee, cream, and sweetener into the mug, close the lid, and turn it over to blend. It doesn't leak! It's great! One little trick I do, too... I'll rinse out the inside of the mug with really hot water before putting my coffee inside, and it stays SUPER hot for a really long time. ~ I'm not sure about you, but I tend to start "creating" shortly after I start my coffee, and tend to walk away from it. I usually end up putting it over ice later, but not with this mug, it'll stay hot long enough for me to get back to it!

This is the one I made for myself.



And the lid options that let it go from holding "hot" to "cold".




And a few others that I've made.




Very cute, right?

They are now available to custom order at my etsy shop. They make great gifts for back to school, and the holiday season is fast approaching!

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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Loving custom orders

I was recently contacted by a customer about a ring bearer pillow. It's one of many items I enjoy making that I've yet to add to my etsy shop. I'm working on updating my site to include more options. I wish I could click my heels together and have a whole month to dedicate to sewing and creating rather than flying. It's been a ridiculously busy summer in the travel industry!

Anyhow, here's what I came up with.... scroll down to the bottom of the post to view a scan of the letter my client sent to me with her vision for her pillow... I think I nailed it!





the request




Here are a few of the other ring bearer pillows I've made.




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