molasses cookies and a coupon

First of all, it's my birthday this Sunday so I decided to make a coupon code for both of my Etsy shops to celebrate. You can use "HAPPYBIRTHDAY25" for 25% off any purchase of $25 or more in LadyFaceQuilts and LadyFaceMakes until Monday 11/18.  I'll be adding lots of new things this week so it'll be a great chance to get started on your holiday shopping : )

Now for cookies!

I posted this picture on Instagram on Saturday and got a request for the recipe. 

It's one of my very favorite cookies and always a winner around the holidays especially.  The recipe is originally from my mom's college roommate Patsy, who became a pastry chef so you know it's going to be delish.

Molasses Cookies (makes 3 dozen)

5/8 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Blend the above ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Add above ingredients to the molasses mixture and blend.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and mix completely (if you like crunchier/crispy cookies then only add 2 cups of flour).

Roll dough into balls and dip in sugar.  Place on baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes.  Let cool for a couple minutes before devouring, if you can wait that long.

Maggie Mae Dress

I bought the Maggie Mae dress pattern from Shwin Designs after my friend Holli made an amazing creation from one of their patterns (you should see all the wonderful things she makes anyway, she's seriously talented!).

I found this lovely mustard linen and floral linen both at JoAnn's and initially bought them to make scarves with, but after I stared at them for a while they were begging to turn into a dress.

I wanted to make it in time for Samantha's baby blessing and finished it that morning (just this past Sunday), a couple hours before church started.

The pattern is fantastic, but I got a little ahead of myself in some places and didn't bother to look at the directions after I cut out the pieces.  So I sewed some things closed before I was supposed to and had a "learning experience" that was totally my fault.  ALWAYS follow the directions.  Lesson learned. 

I scored this adorable felt bow at an online sale recently but you can find them here.

It all turned out well, and Abby loved the dress and didn't want to take it off!  That alone is a success! I sewed up the 4T size and the neck is a smidge big because she's still only 3 1/2 but I wanted her to be able to wear it for more than a month!  We added a cardigan for warmth that never came off so nobody could tell anyway.

The most adorable goof in town.  I'm so glad some of these pictures are usable!

The pictures in the pattern show 4 buttons to close, but I only used 3 and had no trouble. 

I love this pattern and the result so much that I've already cut out a 6-9 month sized dress in the same fabrics, and have listed it as a custom made dress in my etsy shop here if you're interested.  The colors are perfect for fall and winter, and all year really.  I've decided mustard is a wonderful color. 

easy washi tape pumpkin craft

We decorated for Halloween a while ago, but I noticed we don't have a ton of decorations.  To be honest I have a hard time spending money on things that sit in a box for 11 months out of the year, so that's probably why.

Crafts I can do with the kids or myself that become decorations is more my thing.  Especially this one, because I got to put some of that washi tape I've been hoarding to good use!!

I can't remember where I first saw this idea, but it definitely isn't mine.  If anyone knows, please share. 

Here's what you do, it's way easy and could be adapted to any shape. 

You'll need:
-washi tape
-cardstock
-background paper or cardstock
-regular tape or glue (whichever you prefer)
-picture frame

1. Put strips of washi tape on your paper in whatever order or color you want.  Obviously I went with black and orange for Halloween.  Tip: If you know your shape isn't going to take up the majority of the paper you can taper your strips so you're not wasting that lovely tape. 

2. Cut, from the paper you just covered in tape, whatever shape you want.  I cut a pumpkin shape out of my orange and black tape covered paper. 

3. Tape or glue your shape to your background paper and fit into a frame.

4. Hang up and enjoy!

See?  I told you it was easy.  And now you're totally justified in getting more washi tape, haha.

Well that happened fast.

My newborn is now a solid 2 month old little baby!

I didn't even realize what day it was on the 13th (2 weeks ago...) until it was already past picture taking time.

She's still sleeping incredibly well, usually only waking up twice per night at most, with one of those times being between 5 and 7 am and that's practically morning.

She had her 2 month well check yesterday and she's a solid 12 pounds, 23 inches tall, and with the smallest head of all of our children, it's only slightly larger than normal!

She has started smiling adorably at us and the bigger kids adore her.

She's blessed our family tremendously and we are so lucky to have her!

She's the cutest, I know.  ; )  But really.  She is. 

Infinity scarves

I purchased some fabric recently from Pink Castle Fabrics that was begging to be made into a scarf.

I used this post from Anna Maria Horner's blog as my "template" of sorts.

For reference, if you want to make your own from her measurements you'll need 2 yards of fabric assuming your WOF measures approx 44" as mine did.  

Then, I experimented with smaller versions.

I found this gorgeously soft flannel buffalo check fabric and made a scarf out of that based on measurements of another infinity scarf I had, but still using AMH's directions. 

This one turned out around 12" x 60" which I think is the perfect size.  I'm still new at accessorizing, so a really voluminous big scarf (like the two above) can sometimes be overwhelming for me.  This one is perfect. 

The trick, and I think what put me off this project for so long, is that you don't really have to create the infinity with the fabric when you sew it.  You create that figure 8 when you wrap it around your neck.

Much simpler and totally excellent looking.

p.s. I'm a terrible model and shot these pics myself but I do think the scarves are lovely.  All except for the teal and purple-y one, are listed in my new Etsy shop, LadyFaceMakes.

New Shop is Open!!

Today (just a few minutes ago actually), I opened up a second Etsy shop.

 It's called LadyFaceMakes

I mentioned before that I wanted to keep my quilts (LadyFaceQuilts) separate from other things and this seemed like the best way to do it.

I seem to have a compulsion to create lots of things, and to do way too many things at once, so what better to do than hopefully use that outlet to brighten your day and make it available to you! 

There's a little bit of everything and I have a lot more coming, I just got tired of waiting and decided to open it up!

So go have a look, and let me know if there's something missing!  I would love to hear what you look for on Etsy, and what excites you about buying, giving, and receiving handmade gifts.

Happy start of the holiday madness friends.

Now I'm off to work on a tiger costume!

Stitch Fix

Have you heard of Stitch Fix?

I recently signed up and received my first box yesterday.  Like a personal stylist in a box.

There's a $20 stylist fee that goes towards any purchases you make. 

They send you a box of 5 items they think you'll like.  You can keep all of them, none of them, or as many or few as you'd like and you have 3 business days to return anything you don't want.

After you get your box and figure out what you're keeping and not keeping, you go online and fill out a little survey about each piece included so the next box can be even more to your tastes.  This is also where you purchase what you want by indicating which pieces you're keeping. 

If you do decide to keep the entire box you get 25% off the total so it's a good deal.

In my box I received four tops and one red maxi skirt.  I should also mention that each piece comes with a little card that shows two ways to style it, right down to the earrings and shoes. 

Two of the tops weren't doing much for me so I eliminated them pretty fast, and as nice as the maxi skirt was it wasn't that exciting for me. 

I ended up keeping two things (pardon the bathroom pictures and creepy pumpkin...we only have one mirror).

First was this striped and yellow blocked shirt.  It has a button detail (hidden by my hair - sorry) and 3/4 length sleeves.  It's super soft and I love the fit. 

The second piece I kept is this chambray button down.  I have always drooled over these types of shirts, and the dotted print  makes it feel like I picked it myself!  This chambray stuff is so soft.  It feels like such a grown up shirt.  I love it.

I already mailed back the other 3 items (they enclose a prepaid bag to make it easy).  I'm definitely going to do this again.  It's not a heavy commitment, so it doesn't stress me out. 

Some box of the month clubs require a 3 or 6 or even 12 month commitment (they do have that option though).  This one you can pause for as long as you want, schedule when you want a delivery (I just scheduled my next one for the week after my birthday next month!) and it's totally flexible. 

If you want to try it out, here is my referral link.  So if you sign up through my link, my account gets a bonus.  I'm not sure what the bonus is exactly (or how much $ credited to my account) but hey, every little bit helps right?!

I'd love to know if you try this out, I'm really happy with my experience and, even better, I didn't have to go to the mall to find these pieces myself!!