For Cute!

They're totally out of my price range, but aren't these book ends sweet?

From Etsy Seller Graphic Spaces.

1, 2, 3

1. Last call for Haiti Donations through my shop. Thanks to everyone who supported the effort. It feels so nice to help, even if it's just a little.

2. So you know how Ina always says to get the "really good" ingredients, and that the mozzarella from the grocery store is just rubber? Well, in an effort to live up to Ina (not all of us live in the Hampton's where there are cheese stores), I made my own mozzarella cheese, you know, from milk and stuff. Okay, so really, Brian did a lot of it. But it was pretty exciting! I am a horrible food photographer, but suffice it to say, it turned out really well. And what did I make with this homemade cheese? Pizza. I know I was supposed to make, like, a caprese salad or something elegant, but we're just pizza people. I will say that everything on the pizza (crust, sauce, cheese) was homemade, except for the pepperonis. And really, who wants to know how that is made? Anyway, it was a fun activity, and if you want to try it, click here for the directions I used. And a special thanks to Mom, who informed me that rennet can be found at the grocery store in the Jello section.

3. Back by popular demand, here are some pictures of my exceptionally cute baby:

What I Can Do

As a new mother, I spend a fair bit of time nursing my baby. And to keep myself entertained while doing so, I'll read, surf the Internet, or watch TV. I don't know if you've watched much TV lately, but if you've turned on CNN, it's pretty much constant coverage of the Haiti earthquake and ensuing spiral into chaos. Here I sit on my big comfy couch, in my nice, temperature-regulated, structurally-sound home, feeding my baby, while watching Soledad O'Brien report about orphaned babies in Haiti with no formula.

Que the tears and feelings of helplessness.

It was a familiar feeling. I remembered feeling that way when I read about NieNie's accident. But that familiarity reminded me that I am, in fact, not helpless. DesignMom empowered me to know that even if my talents cannot directly contribute to the cause, there is some way to help. I may not be able to, quite literally, rescue a child from imminent danger like Anderson Cooper, but I have the ability to help in my own small way. And if Larry King can auction off his suspenders for the cause, I can sell my jewelry, and donate all proceeds to the relief effort. So that's what I'm doing. For any jewelry sold in my etsy shop by January 31st, I will be donating 100% of the proceeds. I'll be posting a couple of new items in the shop this coming week as well, so check back regularly.

Make a purchase if you have the means, and please help spread the word through your own blogs, and we can all help those in such desperate need.

Thank you-

Angela

Even More Little Joys!

Remember my talented friend, Karla? She just opened an etsy shop of her very own! It's called Gracious Bloom, and it is graciously blooming with beautiful, imaculately-made purses, wallets, and gift tags.




I'm lucky enough to own a wallet and gift tags Karla made. Well, the gift tags are all gone, actually. They're so handy, they got used pretty quick!

My favorite thing in her shop right now is this adorable Petals Pink Errand Bag.

PLUS: In celebration of the shop opening Karla is doing another GIVEAWAY. Check out her blog for more details.

Happy 2009!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I spent mine sewing, but no pictures yet, so I'll post on that later. In the mean time, if you didn't get a calendar for Christmas, here are some great ones I found on Etsy. This is the one I got.


Here


Here


Here

Here


Here


Here


Here


Here


Here


Here

Is it just me?

Or do you ever wish that you could get away with wearing things like this in your hair?

It's not so much that I'm self-conscious and would feel silly (okay, it's a little bit of that), but when, exactly, does one have occasion to wear feathers in her hair?

Etsy Find

This is for all you mom's out there looking for Christmas gifts. These handmade toys on etsy are adorable! You can buy them individually for $8 or in the set for $35. That's a good price, right? I don't know, I've never bought children's toys. But I thought they were cute.

It Totally Worked!

The good news is buying a place in the showcase was totally worth it, because I sold my first necklace this weekend! Yippie!

I've Got a Silly Grin on my Face

It's my birthday present...to me!

Well, I finally did it. I signed up to be featured in the etsy showcase*. Be sure to look for me there on June 18th. I'm pretty excited!


*For those of you who are unfamiliar with the etsy showcase, it's a group of 36 items from various etsy sellers featured on the homepage, and is changed every 24 hours.

The Little Zoo

Jordan posted a link to a flickr group called "The Little Zoo", but it turns out e.soule also has an etsy shop where they sell photographs and cards. Check out the nifty pictures here.