custom orders

Here are some of my most recent custom orders:

pumpkin carving

We carved pumpkins today:

a pirate skull (Charles', age 4)

the girl (Ramona's, age 6)

a puppy (Sienna's, age 2)

a hula girl

That's what my 6 year old daughter is going to be for Halloween this year. I thought that it would be a fun and easy costume to make. Also, it is the first year that she has finally let me talk her into dressing up as something other than a Disney princess:) Here is what we have done so far:

Is there anything that you can't make with a little elastic and some felt?We still are going to make flowers to go around her neck, wrists and ankles...and a head piece. We also need to find something warm to wear underneath, because it gets pretty cold here at night.... thinking some thick tights and a long sleeved leotard or shirt? Overall, I think that it turned out really cute!P.S. I got all this great felt from feltorama on Etsy. It is a great eco-felt made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. I really like the thickness and texture of it. Especially, compared to some of the other craft felts that I have used.
Okay...now I have to share some of my Etsy hula girl finds!
I absolutely love this crocheted hula girl outfit from UniquelyEwe:

Your son wants to play too? Look at this great boy's leaf skirt from sandcookies:


This purse by plumeriakidz is sooo cute:


...and look this little hula pin by ennadesign:


Having a luau party? Look at these great invitations by walkerdill:

something for baby by bebebrent:

a custom portrait by twinklestarart:


a stunning stained glass panel by SquidSuffis:


and last, but certainly not least, this wonderful hula girl doll by SilverFairyCreations:

Isn't this little dancing hula girl cute? You can get her here:http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/hula-girl

need some free Hawaii/hula themed clip art? You can find a bunch here:http://www.hulamall.com/hawclip/people.htm


...and here is a bead set that I made a while back:

Aloha!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

Even more cards...

but these ones are by me...and they are in my etsy shop!

They are my first set of cards featuring my own polymer clay piece of art! I created the winter scene with Christmas cards in mind, but think that they will make wonderful note cards also. I hope to do more soon. I am framing the original and giving it away as a gift. It was done on a 5"x7" canvas. Here are some pictures:

More free printable cards....

Check out these really cute free printable Halloween cards from Inside a Black Apple.

It is so sweet of these artists to share their wonderful artwork!

Thank you!

Free Printable Greeting Card + Tags

Check out these free printable greeting cards and tags from Creature Comforts. They are so great!

Oh, Mickey, you're so fine

Hi!

I wanted to share some pirate mickeys that I have been working on for a custom order:

a light switch plate~

close up of mickey~ a bead~
a light pull~ and some pieces for a baby mobile (isn't that a cute idea?)~
Want your own custom light switch plate?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16067414

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

my first treasury!

I made this rocket ship bead a while ago...

and have had the idea for a rocket ship themed treasury ever since.Today, I was finally able to create it!My treasury is called "fly me to the moon":http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=15821Please stop by and take a peak:)

fun quiz to take

It's only two questions!

Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz

http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/are-you-a-jackie-or-a-marilyn-or-someone-else-mad-menera-female-icon-quiz

My results:

You are a Jackie!

You are a Jackie. "I do everything the right way."

Jackies are realistic, conscientious, and principled. They strive to live up to their high ideals.

How to Get Along with Me

* Take your share of the responsibility so I don't end up with all the work.

* Acknowledge my achievements.

* I'm hard on myself. Reassure me that I'm fine the way I am.

* Tell me that you value my advice.

* Be fair and considerate, as I am.

* Apologize if you have been unthoughtful. It will help me to forgive.

* Gently encourage me to lighten up and to laugh at myself when I get uptight, but hear my worries first.

What I Like About Being a Jackie

* Being self-disciplined and able to accomplish a great deal

* Working hard to make the world a better place

* Having high standards and ethics; not compromising myself

* Being reasonable, responsible, and dedicated in everything I do

* Being able to put facts together, coming to good understandings, and figuring out wise solutions

* Being the best I can be and bringing out the best in other people

What's Hard About Being a Jackie

* Being disappointed with myself or others when my expectations are not met

* Feeling burdened by too much responsibility

* Thinking that what I do is never good enough

* Not being appreciated for what I do for people

* Being upset because others aren't trying as hard as I am

* Obsessing about what I did or what I should do

* Being tense, anxious, and taking things too seriously

Jackies as Children Often

* Criticize themselves in anticipation of criticism from others

* Refrain from doing things that they think might not come out perfect

* Focus on living up to the expectations of their parents and teachers

* Are very responsible; may assume the role of parent

* Hold back negative emotions ("good children aren't angry")

Jackies as Parents

* Teach their children responsibility and strong moral values

* Are consistent and fair

* Discipline firmly

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

What are you?

Edgarr is here!!!

This cute little guy arrived in our mail box today:

This was a gift for my 4 year old son...who has been exceptionally good lately. I was so impressed by his behavior last week that I told him that he had earned a prize. We decided to search Etsy for something. He said that he wanted a monster....that looked scary, with scary teeth, but that was nice. While searching, we saw lots of maybes, but decided to still look around. Then...I saw Edgarr on Etsy's Plush Team blog...and knew that my son would love him. I showed him to my son, and he agreed. Edgarr was the one!My son has been impatiently waiting...and was so excited to see the package in the mail today!Edgarr is Charles' new best friend:)Thanks to slcstudio for making my son's day!P.s. the packaging was great too!
Here are some more nice scary monsters that we found on Etsy:this cute guy is from the sweetestpea: this monster from animateash looks so soft...and he likes to eat bugs: happycloud has this tiny wrestling champion..."He's the title holder for the Thunderhead Kingdom weightlifting competition":

how could a monster who "enjoys walks in the park and granny smith apples" not be nice? Harold is from Ultrapunch:

and last, but certainly not least, "a jam-loving monster" from canoo:
Who knew monsters could be so cute?

and the winner is....

With the help of my 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter (they had so much fun!), we picked the winner.

Congratulations:
Melanie of Whimsical Creations!!!

You have won these cute earrings:

Thanks to all who participated!

I will be doing another giveaway soon...so keep checking back:)

fabulous artistic moms

I am officially part of this Etsy team as of today!

When I checked my e-mail this morning...I was surprised to see a message welcoming all the new Fabulous Artistic Moms...and I was one of them!

It is a wonderful group of really talented artistic moms that sell on Etsy, and I am so proud to now be one of them. I can't wait to get to know everyone, and see what it's like to be part of this Etsy team!

Thanks FAM!

to find out more about FAM:

http://team.etsy.com/viewteam.php?id=202

they even have a blog:

http://fam-fabulousartisticmoms.blogspot.com/

to shop the fabulous artistic moms on Etsy:http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=fam

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

my other business

Other than my Etsy shop, where I sell my handmade items, I also have a bead store on eBay. In my eBay store, Dalghouse beads, I sell TOHO seed beads and other beading supplies. I love seed beads, I have been beading with them for over 15 years! I started my eBay store because of my love for seed beads, but also to help bring in some extra money, so that I can stay home with my three moon babies!

To see some of my seed bead work, check out my flickr.

and if you have a love for seed beads too...

Great News!

We have restocked most of our TOHO seed beads...just in time for all of your holiday projects!

We currently have 73 different colors of TOHO size 8/0 seed beads in stock!

We also added a few new colors!

We now have PERMANENT FINISH silver galvanized (color number: PF558) in sizes 11/0 and 8/0!

Come take a look!

Our Welcome mat is always out!

Don't forget to take advantage of our great flat shipping fee!

We ship worldwide!

http://www.dalghouse.com

Thanks!

Have a wonderful day:)

cookie cutters...not just for cutting cookies!

I went to a friend's Pampered Chef party this weekend, and she had the cutest Halloween shaped tortilla chips that she made with the help of some cookie cutters. Recently, I have been using a cookie cutter to cut my kid's peanut butter sandwiches into different shapes. They love it! It got me thinking....what else can you do with a cookie cutter?

Check this out!:

218+ Ways to use A Cookie Cutter

Wow that's a lot of uses!

and look at this:

Cookie Cutter Crayons

What a fun and creative way to make your broken and old crayons new again!

My Etsy cookie cutter finds:

cute boxed gift sets by ATCC

this one is Halloween themed~

want to design a cookie cutter?FrostedGarden makes custom cookie cutters:
want a cookie cutter shaped like your dog?look at this schnauzer one by DogTowne:
PressDough has multi-cutters..."They are strategically arranged to minimize surface area and maximize the number of cutouts."*** update: Want a chance to win one of these clever multi-cookie cutters?...Press Dough is holding a weekly giveaway as a promotion for the countdown to the holidays!all you need to do is register here:http://www.pressdough.com/store/register.phpand your name will be entered in a weekly drawing!I'm going over to register right now!for more info on the giveaway:http://pressdough.blogspot.com/2008/09/cookie-cutter-giveaway.html*** and I even found a cookie cutter game!:Cookie Cutter: TwistedHave fun with your cookie cutters!

handmade birthday gift

Yesterday, my 6 year old daughter had a birthday party to go to. It was for a friend from her cheerleading squad. I love making gifts whenever I can...so, I decided to make her a necklace with a little polymer clay cheerleader bead focal and a beaded stretch bracelet in their team colors. This was actually the inspiration for my custom cheerleader bead in my Etsy shop.

Here is the finished product:

My daughter and I had a lot of fun making it! She even made the card, and we made a little paper gift bag for it too! I hope that her friend liked it.

Oh...and here is a set of cheerleader beads that I made for a custom order:

I think that they look so cute all together...like a mini team of beads!