Frosted Treats

Quick Post

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:34:00 +0000

Hey crafty kids!

Just a quick post... I hope everyone is getting psyched and ready for the holiday season! I know I am! This Saturday, my best friend and I are doing our first official Craft Show! I'm really excited (and nervous) about this! Send good thoughts... Oh, and if you're in New Jersey - Head to Jackson Liberty High School on Nov. 14 to visit!

If you're not in the great state of New Jersey, I've started to post some holiday charms in my shop!

Etsy
Buy Handmade
FrostedTreats

And one last little note - I just signed up for a fun little holiday ornament swap! You should, too :)

Happy Crafting!

Pumpkin Mini Cupcakes with Cinnamon Maple Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Typically, I am a creator of non-edible treats. But something about fall just makes me want to bake! I was invited to a costume party for Halloween and each guest was asked to bring some sort of treat for everyone to enjoy. I decided I would whip up some pumpkin cupcakes!

To keep things easy, I used pre-made boxed mix. The Pillsbury Doughboy and I are close friends and his Quick Bread mixes are great.

I wanted to get the most cupcakes I could out of this mix, so I decided to make mini cupcakes. Luckily, I had a mini cupcake pan and some paper liners all ready.

On the Quick Bread box, there are directions for making bread and making muffins. I followed the directions for making bread to make my cupcakes. The only real difference is that the bread recipe requires water while the muffins require milk.

Soooo yeah... Heat your oven to 375*, fill your cupcake tins, and bake for 18-20 minutes. If your making full sized cupcakes, the time would be longer. Mine were minis, so it didn't take very long at all. I normally fill my cupcake cups all the way to the top since I like them to have a rounded, puffy top.

One box of mix will give you about 30 mini cupcakes. Mmmm... they sound great, huh? Let's make 'em better...

Cinnamon Maple Frosting

(adapted from a recipe by Bakerella)

8oz cream cheese, room temperature (1 package)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb confectioners sugar (1 box)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Using your mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until it's nice and blended. Add in vanilla and maple syrup. Mix in sugar a bit at a time until you get a nice, creamy frosting. Add cinnamon once the sugar is fully blended in. Put into a plastic zipper bag and put in the fridge. I like to have my frosting on the cooler side to pipe it onto the cupcakes.

You can make the frosting in advance, as I did. This recipe will make A LOT of frosting, so you can probably make three boxes worth of cupcakes before the frosting runs out.

By now, your cupcakes should be all done in the oven.

Poke 'em with a toothpick to make sure they're fully baked - the toothpick should come out clean. Wait until they are fully cooled before bringing out your frosting.

Push your frosting down into one corner of the zipper bag and cut a hole at that bottom corner. Slowly squeeze (pipe) your frosting on to your cupcakes in a swirly motion and....

Enjoy :)

This post also serves as my entry for the Cinnamon/Nutmeg Challenge at www.AFoodComa.com

Craft Challenge - October

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:33:00 +0000

This month I've had the chance to participate in the monthly Craft Challenge over at ChristyNelson.net. Each month, my pal Christy hosts a test of your crafty ability. After signing up, you receive a package in the mail with an assortment of crafty supplies. All you gotta do is turn that mish mosh of goodies into something cute, clever, and unique.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, all of the materials in this month's Challenge were various shades of pink.

An assortment of pink ribbons, a length of pale pink netting, and some yummy pink sequins arrived in my mailbox and I was HIT with an idea. The only task was to come across the key ingredient to make my vision a reality.

That part wasn't easy. You see, my secret piece wasn't to be found in Michael's or A.C. Moore. I didn't find any at my local thrift store, and I knew my Mother would kill me if I took a set from her stash.

Luck was with me, however, at a rainy flea market earlier this month. I spotted the perfect set - Plain, neutral, and nothing I would feel bad about altering.

Hair combs! I remember my Mother having a ton of these way back in the day, but I had never really seen the beauty in them until I had my Challenge supplies in front of me. I wish I had taken photos of the process, but I was in the ZONE. The basic shape of my design was decided and all of the pieces were in my possession. I plugged in my hot glue gun, fired up the sewing machine, and got to work. The real challenge came when I needed a way to incorporate at least a little bit of each item. The netting was easy, so were the sequins. Then came the mismatched ribbons. The light pink ones were easy to place, but the hot pink and rainbow ribbons were taunting me. After playing around a bit, I finally came up with a place for each ribbon.

And there you have it! Down the middle, bride style...

Or off to the side like a sugar-coated film noir madam...

I had a blast with this! Head on over to Christy's and find out how to get involved in the next Craft Challenge!! Oh... And be sure to VOTE for my hair combs when the voting begins this week ;)

Halloween Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Just a quick note - All of my Halloween charms are on sale! None of them are over $5!! Don't miss out... Order now before it's too late!!

FrostedTreats

Mmmmm... Scones!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Tea for Tuesday is back! Sorry for the brief hiatus, I'm in the middle of completely changing my life, haha. Just quit one job, another is about to be ending (seasonal) and I'll be starting two more jobs within the month of October! Plus getting ready for some flea markets and toying with the idea of some holiday craft shows... Busy girl, I am!

To help me out, I have the lovely Ann from Vintage Mommy. Ann and I both belong to the EtsyTwitter Team (her shop is Lilyolil) and when I first brought up the idea for this blog series, she messaged me right away offering up her scone recipe! Of course, I jumped for joy and said, "Please, oh, please!" and here we are today. I'll hand the mic over now!

*****

I've been drinking tea and eating scones since I was a little girl, thanks to English grandparents. I now drink coffee in the morning, but lunch and dinner are both followed by strong, hot tea. I drink only black tea, and my current favorite is Pride of the Port, from Peet's. It makes a good, strong cup with malty tones and a nice kick if you let it brew for a while.

And what is more delicious with a good cup of tea than a simple scone? The recipe below is one I've been making for ages. It's easy to make, is low-fat, not too sweet, and has a light, soft texture. Of course these are delicious warm from the oven, but they keep very well too. They're nice with jam - especially marmalade - but are lovely on their own for breakfast or a snack.

Enjoy!

*****

Low-Fat Orange Scones
Adapted from Cooking Light

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 8-oz. carton low-fat lemon yogurt
¼ cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar

Combine first 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender (or your fingers) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yogurt, orange juice and orange peel to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Dough will be sticky.
With floured hands, pat dough into a 9-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 8-10 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 400* for 16 minutes or until golden.

From Cooking Light Magazine, 2004

*****

Super big thanks to Ann and her kindness :) Follow her on Twitter! I do, you should too!

Tea for Tuesday: Yes, I know it's Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:53:00 +0000

Hey-llo! Thanks for checking in :)

Yeeeaaaasssss... I know it's Wednesday and T4T (Tea for Tuesday, cause I'm clever like that) is a bit late. For good reason, I promise. Yesterday I was teaching my best friend the basics of working with Polymer Clay! She did great! I wish I had some photos to show off, but I was so wrapped up in sculpting and general fun that my camera stayed in my purse.

Today's post is a bit thin - First, I'll show you what I listed today in my Etsy Shop.

Tea for Two Charm Necklace - $15

I really love how this came out... I plan to make more, but here's the first and- in my opinion - most special. I always feel connected to something I create when it's the first of its kind. Hopefully you all like it as much as I do :) Two teeensy, tiny tea cups dangle next to a tea pot. Ahhh, bliss.

Here's a look at my other new listings...

Any suggestions? Requests? Improvements? I'm always up to try something new, but the gears in my brain sometimes grind to a halt. Give me some inspiration! If you give me an idea that I fall in love with, there just might be a reward in it... Catch my drift?

Winner, Winner(s)!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Hey there! No worries, I haven't forgotten about my giveaway from my last Tea for Tuesday post. I'll announce the winner at the end of this post.

I took last week off from blogging to take care of some super important business... Remember the invitations I posted that I made for my cousin's upcoming baby shower? WELLL! The shower was this past Friday and it was a big hit!

My dear cousin would NOT be happy to know this photo is on the internet. Good thing she doesn't come online often! Hehe, love ya Jamiecakes! Baby Colin is due in late October, I can't wait to meet him :)

We have a very small family, mostly women. Because of this, we don't think it's fair to exclude our male kin from baby showers. Thus uncles, boyfriends, fathers, grandfathers and brothers are always invited to the showers. We treat them more like family gatherings than female-bonding. I was sure to put Bobby (my boyfriend, lower right photo w/me) to work taking photos as Jamie opened her gifts. All together, great food, great cupcake-cake (store-bought, too! We were very impressed), and great family time. Can't wait 'til the next one! Oh wait, yes I can wait... the next one will probably be mine - YIKES!

Anyways, I'm sure you all care more about who's gonna win the tea samples than what I did this weekend. Haha! Your wish is my command.

What's this? TWO winners? Yup! Since I made you all wait an extra week, I figured I would make up for it by giving away a second set of samples. Congrats to...

SillyLittleLady

*AND*

Monique!!

I'll be contacting you both shortly to send out your prize. Congrats and thanks for commenting!!

A new Tea for Tuesday will be posted tomorrow and I'll be bringing you some more crafty goods later in the week! Until then, Happy Crafting!

Tea for Tuesday: Just Breathe...

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Today has been a trying day for me. Small frustrations accumulating into an overall feeling of contempt for Tuesday, August 25th, 2009. In total, I had three cups of tea, made two reusable muslin tea bags (tutorial to come), and a coffee/tea cup cozy. Honestly, sipping my tea through the day and busying my hands with handmade endeavors, I think my day wasn't a total wash. For this week's Tea for Tuesday, I'm bringing you a quick review of my day's first cup. And don't mind my grubby counter tops... It was early, ok?

5:30 AM, EST

To get my morning jolt before heading out to work, I filled my tea ball with a mixture of loose teas from Teavana.

1 tsp Mate Vana
1 tsp Thai Tea Blend
1/2 tsp Azteca Fire

Steeped for 5 minutes... AHHHHHH! Good morning :)

Mate Vana is a rich tea - chock full of caffeine - it almost smells like coffee. On its own it is a delight, but mixed with pretty much ANYTHING, it's even better. It's a great base tea if you're looking to be adventurous. It's also a great tea to start the day with, it has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. According to Teavana's catalog, Mate Vana is, "A deliciously smooth combination of toasted Yerba Mate, almond bits, cactus blossoms, cornflower and sunflower petals, crushed cocoa beans, chocolate bits and Rooibos tea." PHEW! That's a lot of stuff! This is easily my favorite tea.

*****

The Thai Tea Blend is described as, "A delightful Thai restaurant blend of black and red teas, Hawaiian coconut pieces, almonds and authentic Madagascar vanilla beans." This tea is a bit lighter than Mate Vana, but still rich in its own right. It, too, has caffeine, but not nearly as much as the Mate.

*****

I just love this name - Azteca Fire. Ohhhh! Ahhh! Just take a look... you can see all the bits and pieces of goodness in here! This one is an herbal tea and doesn't have any caffeine. I've had it alone and it's extremely light. I definitely suggest using it with another tea, it's not strong enough a flavor on it's own, in my opinion. Teavana describes this one as a "blend of chocolate and strawberries with a kick. This modern take on the ancient chili pepper and cacao blending proves the test of time." Azteca Fire is a great way to bring some extra sweetness to your blend of tea.

*****

If you notice in my photos, I keep my teas in little tins. I found these in the $1 bins at Michael's. Tins are recommended because the metal isn't porous enough to leech anything out of the tea. Glass and plastic aren't good for long-term storage, they won't keep the tea as fresh.

So there you have it... My morning cup of tea for today. Does it sound like something you'd like? WELLLL... Leave me a comment on this post and you could WIN a sampling of each of the three teas I talked about today. Enough for you to enjoy a cup or two, on me! Comment by Sunday, August 30 for your chance to win! Please be sure to leave an e-mail address for me to get in touch with you. Any comment will do... About tea, crafts, life... I don't mind!

Thanks for reading! Come back soon :)

Tea for Tuesday: An Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:13:00 +0000

It wasn't until I began my sophomore year of college that I realized my love for tea. I had been a faithful coffee drinker since I was able to figure out the coffee maker when I was in high school. Strangely enough, I drank less coffee in college than I did at home. Soon, it was hard for me to drink coffee regularly without getting an upset tummy. Still needing my caffeine fix, I craved an alternative.

image from Kind over Matter

My Grandma has always been a tea drinker, but my interest in tea stopped at imaginary tea parties and thoughts of fancy English women. I wanted to start small - the typical Lipton bagged tea that sat out in baskets in my University's cafeteria seemed like a good starter-tea. Add a little sugar (no milk for me, that was part of the reason I needed to get away from coffee), and I was set! I soon fell in love with all sorts of teasl green tea, chamomile, black tea, herbal infusions, and so on. A cup in the morning, a cup of decaf at night... It got to the point during my senior year that my roommates and I had a whole shelf dedicated to the multitude of boxed tea owned between the three of us.

I even had the pleasure of putting on historic tea parties at my summer job to highlight three generations of tea parties and recipes. (I'll be sharing my favorite recipe with you later in this series). Through all this, I stuck primarily to pre-bagged, brand name teas. I had only experienced loose tea during my historic tea parties and those were pretty basic teas - Oolong and Darjeeling, mainly. I didn't fully realize the lengths to which loose tea had become so varied and unique.

Well, my dear readers, I have seen the error in my ways. I've recently gone head-first into the world of loose tea and the wonders it holds. This series, Tea for Tuesday will be a record of my exploration of various teas and all of the delicate luxuries of tea culture. I will have recipes from myself and other bloggers, crafty tea-related tutorials, and (of course) a few giveaways here and there. I highly suggest you stick around.

This week's feature comes from the fabulous foodie blog of my good friend, Alexandra. She and I go waaaay back to a few years ago when I was her RA during her first year of college. That year was filled with plenty of laughs and late-night lounge-dwelling. Ahh, the good old days. I was so happy/proud/excited when she went on to become an RA herself. Anyways... A Food Coma contains recipes, reviews, and helpful hints for the budget-conscious food lover. Brought to you by Alex and her partner-in-crime Brandon (another former RA), this blog really is the place to go when you want to indulge in some eye-candy. Earlier this week Alex was featured on Epicurious.com with tips for college foodies. How cool is that!?

A Food Coma has great Podcasts that walk you through recipes and other kitchen adventures. A while back, when A Food Coma was just getting started with podcasts, Alex starred in a really helpful guide to brewing loose tea. Lights... camera...

video from www.afoodcoma.com

If you're new to loose tea brewing, I hope that takes a bit of the edge off. I know I was clueless, so I want to give a HUGE "Thanks" to Alex and Brandon. Keep up the great work! Come back next week and I'll provide you with a few tea reviews and maybe even some samples ;)

Nesting...

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Recently I had the chance to participate in a really well organized and creative charm swap thanks to Michelle from Faerie*Dust*Dreams. The "Things with Wings" charm swap brought together over 20 uniquely creative people with one goal - make a charm that showed your creative interpretation of the theme - Things with Wings. My interpretation of this concept came in the form of a tiny yellow birdie.

Ready for take off... I mean glazing. Each little birdie only measures about 3/4 of an inch and is, of course, made of polymer clay.

When I received my package from Michelle containing all of the other charms made for this swap, I was simply blown away!

*Photos taken by Michelle - Full list of Swappers available Here*

Can you believe how varied and creative each of these charms are?! I was grinning from ear-to-ear as I opened each little packet.

This swap also inspired me. When I created my birdies, I knew I needed something to dangle from the bottom to finish the "look" but I couldn't find the right accent. When I saw Michelle's addition to the charm swap, I had found my birdie's companion! I had seen these little wire wrapped nests floating around, but I hadn't felt the need to try them for myself. Boy, I wish I had taken on this project sooner! Not only are these nests adorable, but they're remarkably easy to create once you've found a groove.

I remembered seeing a tutorial on One Pretty Thing, so I went searching. I found the tutorial of my dreams. Easy to follow with great results. Just Something I Made is the place to go! Once I got the hang of it, I couldn't stop! I literally made about 10 nests before I wore myself out. Anyways... Here's the finished product.

So my simple birdie found a nest to watch over as the little pearly eggs incubate. Hanging from a silky ribbon necklace, I have to say I am totally in LOVE with my design. Super special thanks to inspiration from Michelle and a great tutorial from Just Something I Made!

Also - don't miss out on Michelle's next Charm Swap. The theme is "Witches Cupboard" and I just signed up myself!

Twinkle, Twinkle...

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:14:00 +0000

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic week! My week was filled with rain, thunder, and power-outages. New Jersey got SLAMMED by some heavy weather this week and apparently there's more to come.

In other news... FrostedTreats is now a bonafide member of the EtsyTwitter Team!

How cool is that? Keep an eye here for some great shops, Twitter peeps, and other neat-o stuff! I'm still getting adjusted to all of the great people floating around this group!

Today, I finished making all of the invitations for my cousin's impending baby shower. This is the second cousin I've made invites for... they better plan on returning the favor when it's my turn to pop out some babies!

ALSO! (can you tell today has been busy, busy?) I got a new tote bag in the mail from VistaPrint.com. Free samples galore are at VistaPrint! Check 'em out, trust me - you'll be glad you did!

So yeah! Have a great weekend, Crafters!

Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Hello, Hello!

This week was a bit quiet on the crafting front - but I do have my guest post posted at ChristyNelson.net. It was even featured at OnePrettyThing.com, one of my all-time-favorite DIY sites!

I've been working a lot of hours between my two RL jobs, so crafting is at a minimum. Take a peak at what I'm doing tonight...

Me in 19th century attire at the County Fair teaching in my mock-school house. Perdy sweet, I think!

And what I did a few weekends ago...

After a 2 1/2 mile hike, Bobby and I made it to the top of the mountain in PA. We may be a sweaty mess, but it was a good trip!

Now, for a little #FollowFriday for all you Twitter Junkies!

And there you have it! Enjoy the weekend, my dears. I'm off to the County Fair and then to S. Jersey for a birthday party!

Busy Beeeeeee

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:58:00 +0000

This week was fun, but busy. I'm about to go on a mini-vacation with my boyfriend's family. We'll be camping in Blue Rocks, PA, so I'm excited! I've heard the place is beautiful. I'll be sure to post a few photos when I get back.

I received a custom order from a Twitter pal for a purple coffee cozy. I like this print, I think I'll do more with it! For some reason I don't have much purple in my stash AT.ALL. Anyone know some good prints to fix that problem?

Also, I just finished writing up a tutorial on how to make a polymer clay strawberry charm. It's for a guest-blogger post at ChristyNelson.net for later this month. Keep an eye out!

I'm off... Gotta get my bag packed for the camping trip! Enjoy the weekend, Crafters.

Frosted... Who??

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Well, I have disappeared again, my faithful crafters. Many appologies, sincerely. If you've been following me on Twitter, you'll already know I wasn't missing. I've become quite fond of the instant social-networking site that's the talk of the town. If you like to find out first about fabric sales, giveaways, news, and events, I highly reccomend signing up for this site.

I wanted to go through and make a little list of my favorite Tweeps (Twitter + Peeps), but suddenly my little list got REALLY long. So here's a shortened version focusing on my fellow cupcake lovin' chicas!

So check 'em out! Tell them @FrostedTreats sent ya! And don't forget to check my page out if you haven't already :)

Oh, and here's a little picture just to give this post some visual excitement!

Happy Sewing and Best Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Despite the horrible, rainy, yucky weather outside my window, I am all sunshine and smiles today! Here's why...

I have two of the neatest sewing books in the world and both were gifts! From my beloved boyfriend (who, as we speak, is on his way to my house for a visit) I got Amy Butler's In Stitches for my birthday last month. Just what I asked for! And from the awesome jcaroline creative, I won Anna Maria Horner's Seams to Me, which arrived in the mail today.

Now, not only am I super stoked that I won this lovely book, but when I opened it up, my jaw hit the ground!

Signed by AMH herself!! How freakin' awesome is that?! Ahhh, I must have been a good girl to have this sort of karma come my way. Anyone else have good karma this past April?

So expect to see some projects soon from these two books quite soon! I've been a lazy sewista the past two weeks, but I think these will light a fire under my booty and get me to sew. Before I hit my sewing funk, I made this little goody from a pattern by KeykaLou.

I highly reccommend Keyka's patterns. Very easy to follow, fully photographed instructions, great prices, and her copyright allows you to sell what you create! This Baby Clutch here will find its way into my Shop soon.

Gotta love Giveaways...

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 03:45:00 +0000

So I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a giveaway with a few Twitter pals. Well, here it is!!

To enter and to see full information, go to JavaCupcake. But to give you a basic run-down...

1) Follow us on Twitter.

@JavaCupcake
@avocadocreation
@OhSoSweetTreats
@FrostedTreats

2) Follow our blogs.

Java Cupcake
Avocado Creations
Frosted Treats

3) Leave one comment at Java's Blog with your Twitter ID and your Blog ID saying you followed all four of us on Twitter and three of our blogs.

What can you win? OHHHH I'll tell you!

What?! FOUR prizes?? FOUR deliciously sweet prizes? You bet! Now get entering! There are also ways to get more entries, but you'll have to check out Java's site to see those ;)

Contest entries will be accepted until
Sunday, May 3rd at 11pm PST.

Good Luck!!!

To everthing - turn, turn, turn - there is a Season.

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:19:00 +0000

Where, oh where have I been? Well, between the Easter holiday, starting a new job, and coming down with a wicked head cold - I've been a little distracted from my blog. Glad to see you're all still here!!

Guess what yesterday was? Mah BIRFDAY!! (crowds cheer, bells ring, woo!) April 16th- most awesome day ever. That's not to say the other 364 days of the year aren't cool, but I'll admit to my bias in favor of the day I came into the world (Thanks, Mom!)

Here's a little snap-shot of my Easter festivities. Since I'm the only birthday near Easter, we usually have cake for me after dinner each year. Bobby (my boyfriend) spent Easter with my family this year, and I was very glad for that. I love spending holidays with him :) Then, of course, I've got some shots of my niece and nephew hunting eggs. They LOVED it.

So what else have I been up to? Well, I've been helping to create a SUPER AWESOME giveaway with a few pals from Twitter. Are you following me? I think you should... There are some great prizes in the works! Stay tuned for more details.

I also added some more goodies to my Etsy Shop and I'm really proud of them! I have a ton of charms I plan on stocking, too, so check back often. Here's a little taste.

GIANT Pea Pods!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Hey there! I've been a busy little bee again. I received a big order from an online friend for a clutchlet, Luck of the Irish Pouch, a Teacher Tote and these...

They're double the size of my normal pea pods! They were a bit of a challenge because they're so much bigger than what I'm used to working with, but I'm really happy at how they turned out. They'll be in your mailbox soon, Jillie!

Here are these monsters next to their puny counterparts. Jinkees! I also made some regular sized Pea Pods to make into earrings.

So I went to my Etsy Shop the other day and realized that all but two of my items have expired! Oops! Well, that gives me some motivation to restock my inventory ASAP. This is where you guys come in... What do you want me to put in my shop? Take a look through my previous posts and tell me what items I've made you think would be best sellers. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Teeny, Tiny Bows

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Hey there, crafters! Don't you just love it when you find out that someone you've been friends with for a long time loves to craft, too? It's always fun to learn something new about a friend. I had the pleasure of crafting with a girl that I've known since we were sophomores in high school.

Liz just got married this past November and I finally got a chance to come to here new home and hang out for a bit! On our agenda, we planned to make some adorable bows for her adorable new puppy, Molly!

Here's Molly, looking great.

We made A LOT of bows... I think around 30.

We had a great time doing it, too. Liz's hubby, Dennis, even made us dinner! Overall, it was a great night! I had a fabulous time reconnecting over crafts with a great friend. Next time, we hope to take on some beading and jewelry making! I hear Liz makes some great jewelry :D

I hope to bring you a quick tutorial soon, I just gotta take some new photos. The ones I took at Liz's place turned out a bit too blurry. Stay tuned!

I am a Lucky Ducky today!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Wow! Today has been my SUPER AWESOME LUCKY DAY!

Let's see...

1) I went in for my second interview at TARGET! Consider me the next Signing Specialist ;) I got the job, all I need to do is pass a background check and such... Eeep! I hope my stint as an international spy doesn't come up. I am finally in the land of the employed once more!

2) I got a TON of packages in the mail when I got home including: my order from Fabric Hound (Hurry over there! They are having a HUGE sale until next Monday!), my mouse-to-usb converter thinger so I can use a normal mouse on my laptop (Thanks ebay!), and a $200 check that was owed to me from my University!!

3) Someone ordered something from my Etsy Shop (you should too!).

4) I WON FREE FABRIC FRIDAY! Yess!!! Finally, I have been yearning to win something, anything, PLEASE! And today was my lucky day! I won a Wonderland Charm Pack from Sew, Mama, Sew. I am SOOO excited!

image from Sew, Mama, Sew

Wow, I really am a happy camper right now. Now I'm off to mail some goodies, cash in my coins, and just generally be happy!

St. Patty's, Buttercup Bags, and Crazy Lester

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:09:00 +0000

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Wow, I can't believe it's the best day of the year already! Hehe, I am a proud little Irish girl and I have been celebrating all day with my little leprechaun family!

I've been a lazy bumster with putting together a post, but I'll give you one now! I've been doing a bunch of sewing to get all of the prizes out from the Spring Fling, so if you won something, it will be sent out soon!

I also had a birthday to sew for - Happy Birthday Nina!!

Holy crap, how did this get 219 views on Flickr?? Wow! Based on the free pattern at Made by Rae, this is my version of the Buttercup Bag. I didn't have any magnetic closures on me, so I used a chunky button to close it up. I love how it turned out and I may have to make another for myself! I hope she likes it!

Check out some of the other FANTASTIC Buttercup Bags posted in the Flickr Pool!

I also made this wallet to match.

This is my first attempt at creating a wallet - and I've learned some things.

1. Snaps suck ass. I hate them and I doubt I will use them again. Hello velcro!
2. Make card pockets longer.
3. I love making freezer paper stencils. Woo!

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Okay, so you remember how I said I was going to a night club this past Friday? Well, that fell through thanks to empty wallets. However, Bobby (boyfriend) and I had some adventures this weekend!

Friday - We got all ready to go to the night club, but we had to drop Bobby's 16-year-old sister off at a friend's house first. We popped the address into the GPS and took off. The GPS decided that the fastest route to the friend's house would be to cut down "Unnamed Road," AKA Creepy Dirt Road.

Bobby, being the curious cat that he is, turns onto the dirt road and visions of horror movies start popping into my head. It was the perfect set up - Friday the 13th, dusk, Creepy Dirt Road through a South Jersey farm, two young girls in the back, and a couple sitting in the front seats. I pictured an ax murderer, goblin or ghoulie eating our souls one at a time.

Looking around, there are a number of rusted out, broken down tractors and other weapons of mass produce production, a whole lot of dirt, and a beat up barn with the word "PEACHES" painted in two-story tall letters on the side. This farm looked like something out of the dust bowl. I doubt peaches we grown there, it seemed like the farm was either abandoned or used to harvest dry, crumbly dirt.

We were almost off the dirt road when we see headlights coming up ahead of us. Bobby pulls to the side of the path and then we see lights coming up behind us, too.

Oh great, now we're really going to die.

The man in the truck that came at us head-on hopped out and signaled for us to stop.

DON'T STOP, BOBBY!

So we stop. The man proceeds to yell at us that this is private property and people drive through all the time despite the "No Trespassing" sign at the start of the road. We proceed to tell the crazy man that we're sorry, we're leaving, and we were just doing with the GPS told us. He tells us that the land is his father's (the man who drove up behind us and was now standing beside our car as well) and that "People get shot around here for trespassing!

Perfect. Cue suspense-building music. He babbles on some more about other people who have driven through their crappy little dirt farm and then turns to his decrepit old father and says, "What should we do with 'em, Pa?"

ARE YOU SERIOUS?? A bit more babbling, I'm getting annoyed at the sound of his voice as he repeats for the fifth time how it's private property and people drive through all the time. Bobby is cool as a cucumber and his sister and her friend are peeing their pants in the back seat.

So Mr. Dirt Farmer lets us go by and we get to the friend's house. We drive home and later receive a text message from Bobby's sister saying telling us that she found out that everyone in that town knows the guy as "Crazy Lester." Lovely.

Saturday - Bobby and I went with his brother and his mom to a mall in Delaware to buy a MacBook for his brother. We had some delicious pizza and laughed a lot about our run-in with Crazy Lester.

Later, we drove out to Bobby's uncle's house in Pennsylvania for a bonfire. We've been to a couple of bonfires at Uncle Carl's and they are always a ton of fun! Before we got the fire started, we drove to a little tavern in Maryland (we were really close to the PA/MD border) and got some fantastic crab bisque. Once we got back, we tossed all kinds of brush and wood onto the fire and even roasted a few hotdogs. Toss in a bunch of beers, and it was a great night. All-in-all, we spent some time in three states - NJ, PA, MD, DE. Fun!

Sunday - We drove back to Bobby's house and met up with Nina (the birthday girl mentioned previously), Anthony, and their daughter K. Anthony was Bobby's roommate our first year of college, and Nina lived next door to me. I love it when we get to spend time with them. We had a nice dinner at Applebee's and then some fabulous ice cream cake afterwards. A great time was had by all!

So now I'm home and recovering from all the excitement. I'm heading out to Corned Beef and Cabbage at the American Legion in town as we do every year. Have a great St. Patty's Day, everyone!

Soo... it's Friday the 13th, eh?

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:02:00 +0000

Oh goodness. So far today has been interesting. Friday the 13th! As far as bad luck goes, I've gotten a bit.

* Struggled with putting in a set of snaps for a wallet birthday gift. I've decided that I hate snaps and I love patches. The damn snap tore through the wallet pocket and instead of tearing the whole thing to shreds and starting over, a carefully placed heart patch did the trick.

* I realized I only have one earring in. That means the other is either floating in my bed somewhere or is missing elsewhere in the house. I was walking around looking like a pirate for a while. Luckily, I was just at home.

* A few broken nails and my monthly visitor tops off the list for now. I think I'll add as the day progresses.

Now for the good luck! I've been SPOTTED!

My tea cup pin cushions are on IndieSpotting and I am psyched! Woo! I'm the first box on the fifth row! Check me out.

Tonight I'm heading out to a night club (GASP!) in Philly for one of my girlfriend's birthdays. Happy 23rd, Nina! I got my outfit last night and did a little re-vamping to make it more club worthy. I'll post pictures of me all done up tomorrow :)

I also just finished Nina's birthday present. I'll post photos of that tomorrow so I don't spoil the surprise. Next birthday gift on the list is for Lizzy and I am excited for that!

Now for some good luck for YOU! It's time for some winners! I am so COMPLETELY pleased with the turn out for last week's Freebie Friday.

After 205 comments, 68 total followers on Twitter, 10 more fans on Facebook, 189 people participating for a grand total of 345 entries!! And now, to choose a winner!

Congrats, Maricris Zen Mama!! I'll be contacting you shortly.

Well, since this was such a FANTASTIC response, mostly thanks to the SITS Spring Fling, I'm going to give a few more of you a chance to win!

53 - Liz @ Hoosier Homemade wins her choice of one of the items from the Spring Buds set!

168 - LoveMy2Dogs also wins a choice of one of the items!

153 - So will Miss Anne!

103 - And Fish4Christ from Twitter!

I'll be posting/e-mailing you all to get your contact info. You have your choice of a tea wallet, tissue tote, key fob, or coffee cozy. It won't be in the same print as the Spring Buds set, but I promise it will be just as cute!

Special thanks to:

And every other great blog that helps to advertise giveaways and contests! You guys are all great :)

SITS Winner!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Yay!! I've chosen a winner for the neat-o Pea Pod earring!

Congratualtions FAScinated!! I'll be posting on your Blog and e-mailing you shortly!! Congrats!!

All yours!

Stay tuned, there's still time to enter for the Spring Buds set!

Thanks again to the SITS girls for making such a neat Spring Fling event happen!

SITS Spring Fling Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:03:00 +0000

I know, I know... I'm already giving something away (And there's still time to enter HERE) but in honor of The SITS Spring Fling, I'm giving away these lovely earrings as well...

These are made of Polymer clay as tiny glass seed beads, I really love these. I hope you do too!

Two Peas in a Pod

Just a simple comment will enter you :) Good LUCK!

Freebie Friday - Spring Buds Set

noreply@blogger.com (Jess :)) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Woo! Freebie Friday at Frosted Treats for all of you folks!

This week, I'm giving away a whole slew of goodies!

"How many is a slew?" asks my boyfriend. "A lot," I reply.

SO! Here we go. This fabric came from the wonderful Daisy Janie. I love it :) I hope you will, too!

One winner will get this:

Spring is on its way and I think that's a perfect excuse to organize and pretty-fy your life. Organize your purse with these goodies:

Key Fob to keep your keys handy and handsome
Tea Wallet to keep your bags of tea from busting open in the bottom of your purse or pocket
Coffee Cozy (or Tea Cozy, depending what you prefer) to keep your mits cool and preventing those cardboard sleeves from ending up in the trash
Tissue Tote to keep your pack of tissues clean and under control

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Freebie Friday works like this...
1) Comment on this post = one entry
2) Post this button with a link to Frosted Treats on your blog = two entries
3) Follow me on Twitter or Facebook = Three Entries

The winner will be chosen using the Random Number picker thinger on March 13th! I'll make Friday the 13th lucky for someone :)