TRYING to come back...after too long!

It's been so long that it really is hard to come back with something that is going to get me rolling! Not that I don't have much to show you all...I sure have been busy. So where to get started.....her we go!

It has been two years since I posted! So much has happened!

I started really selling on Etsy and was happy with what I was doing. But I wanted to do it ALL!  I am always "trying" new things and my shop seemed to suffer, IMO from it.  I was bouncing all over the place and my shop reflected that.  To average person it seemed to have no cohesiveness and to most people that would be a huge turn off.  I took 3 months to think about what I was going to do with my shop. I still have not come up with a perfect answer but I wanted to get somethings out there.  People were messaging an asking when I would be reopening. I did a few decals mock ups and added them to my shop but I couldn't help but add in some of my sandblasting designs.

Do you think cohesiveness is important when looking at an Etsy shop? Do you even shop on Etsy? I am thinking of opening a couple of shops to keep similar items grouped into cohesive shops, what do you think?  Only thing is I would need to open more Paypal accounts to keep the finance aspect in order. Oh, boy another challenge!

Please comment and let me know you take on Etsy shops cohesiveness. Does it really matter when you shop?

Snuck up and bit me...ugh!

I opened an esty shop to sell some of the items that I have been making.  Mostly bows and made-to-order lollipops.  (I am working on some toddler purses that I am almost done with and I will be listing within a few days :o) They are adorable and my little darling loves to tote her purses everywhere!)  When I opened the shop I was gunho!  I wanted to make so many items to sell and I wanted to make my shop a success!  I have had this shop since March and I have had minimal views to say the least.  I would be happy when I would get 2 views in a day.  This bummed me out but I was still determined to sell some things.  I kept the items updated and added a few things here and there.  I would still check everyday but was not really surprised when there are NO views at all. 

And then it snuck up and bit me.....

I GOT AN ORDER! YAY! I was watching football (the Rams vs the Cardinals..wow surprise game) and I looked on my phone..

and there it was telling me that I had made my first sale!  I was so excited!  All this time waiting and hoping.  Then it really SNUCK UP AND BIT ME!  I had not thought of a way to package my item.  What was I going to do?  I started to think and research online the unique ways to wrap them up.  I knew I wanted to use my trusty Silhouette Cameo in some way.  I picked out some different boxes and chose a simple box shape.  I used a purple cardstock.  The cardstock is from Stampin Up but because I am not a big stamper I have not clue what color it is.  After cutting the shape I came up with and idea to cut my shop name out on the box lid and the word "thanks" in the slip on tag. 

I think it came out great and I hope that make customer (he he...I have a customer) likes it as well!

Aren't the bows cute! The bows are for infants and have velcro closure.

 

This picture has the "THANKS" band slipped on the box.

 

I also included a card and mailed the box out to a waiting customer!  I hope that my shop continues to get sells and the feeling of accomplishment is always there with every sale.  If you want to check out my shop and items I have for sale here is the link!  Chamorritamade.etsy.com

Better than a Fritter

I wanted to share with you all a recipe for Caramel Apple Biscuits that I tested out last night. It was like an apple fritter but better there was tons of flavor and apples throughout. A painlessly simple recipe that has less than 10 ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:


1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (I used 2 smaller cans)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 medium apple, peeled, chopped (1 cup)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 craft sticks (flat wooden sticks with round ends) (I did not use these)
12 cupcake liners (I did not use these)

Icing
 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Step 1:  
Heat oven to 350°F. 

Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. I chose not to use paper cups but if you chose to do so do this now.  If you are not using cups make sure you spray your pan real good.  You will have to excuse my cupcake pan...it is very well loved!

Cut each biscuit into 4-6 pieces; place in large bowl. 

Add butter, apple, granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Toss gently to mix.

Spoon mixture into muffin cups.

Step 2:
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Step 3:   
DO NOT START UNTIL THE BISCUITS ARE DONE (I made the mistake of doing this when the biscuits were baking and it was fully set by the time the biscuits was done...to fix, I had to microwave it)
In a pot, heat brown sugar and cream to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. 

Step4: 

Drizzle warm icing over biscuit cups. Insert 1 craft stick if you want into center of each biscuit cup. 

  These biscuits were awesome.  They tasted like apple fritters but better because the apples and cinnamon was incorporated throughout.  It also may look like it's overly sweet but it was surprisingly not.  It was the perfect balance!

  Try out this recipe and don't forget to come back and leave me a comment on what you thought about these "better than fritters" Caramel Apple Biscuits!

Sewing for fun and function!

  I am loving some of the patterns that I can find online, and the amount of patterns is unreal! I recently made a couple of purses for my nieces and my SIL. I found this awesome pattern on Skip to My Lou by a blogger like myself, at Crap I've made. One of the best things is that you only need 2 yards of fabric for each purse!  The tutorial for this purse was super easy, was simple to follow and the turnout was amazing! In less than an hour I had a finished product.  I would recommend this to anyone looking to make a quick, simple and inexpensive gift.

  I also made matching fabric hair flowers that was made entirely from the scraps of the purse and can be worn either in your hair or on your new purse!

Needed items:

1 yard exterior fabric
1 yard interior fabric
Sewing Machine
Coordinating thread

That's it......amazing right!

And these are the fabric flowers that I made using the scraps from the 2 yards of fabric!

Thank you for coming by to take a look.  Please feel free to leave a comment if you like what you saw!

I Partied at:

Cold Feet

Colder weather is fast approaching or should I say it's already here! It was in the 50's today. Now, I know you may not find that cold...but it is for us here in Florida. My daughter needs to have something on her feet to keep her feet warm but she always seems to slip in her socks and house shoes. I came up with this idea in order to make her shoes and socks non-slip!

Things you will need:

-Little one's house shoes or socks

-Puffy paint or dimensional paint

-Ten minutes of your time :)

I used this brand

Apply paint in any shape you want.

I made HEARTS!

I also tried it on a pair of socks!

Finished product

Here's my sweetie

Non-Slip Glory!

I partied at: