Custom Order Updates

Well things are getting a bit slow on the Product Info front...questions have stopped rolling in and I am getting writers block, so I think we are going to start switching things up and calling Wednesdays "Shop Info Wednesday" instead. This way I can post custom orders, shop updates, FAQS, answer your questions, and at least once per month (although I am being ambitious and hoping for every other week) you will still get an in-depth article about a product or shop policy.

So, for this week I thought I would share the custom orders I worked on last month. Usually orders like this only show up as a small blip on my shop's radar as the customer purchases them pretty quickly after posting. I have also been so busy that I neglected to make small posts on Twitter or Facebook so you could all check them out.

Order #1 was for a stuffed animal of the Pokemon Growlithe. He was a lot of fun to make, and since he was for an adult I had some extra fun taking pictures of him "in his natural habitat."

Order #2 came in while I was working on Growlithe. It was for a rebel alliance beanie for the customer's newborn nephew.

Upon delivering it (as this was a local order) I was asked if I can do one in adult sizes too. The answer is yes! but prices will go up a bit...so you may see an adult rebel alliance beanie in the near future n_n

This month I will be working on 3 projects and hopefully you will get another update by the end of the month to see those. In order of due date, they are 1.) Train gift set consisting of an afghan, train plush,and conductor's hat; 2.) First Grandson gift set consisting of a blanket with the little boy's name and matching cap; and 3.) Penguin plushie.

Tropical Green Smoothie

As much as I love my banana-[insert random berry(ies) here] smoothies, I thought I should start changing it up. Add a little variety to my mornings. So I am trying something new and adding another smoothie to the mix. My boyfriend's little sister had gotten something similar to this from Jamba Juice and let me try it. It was really yummy and the tropical fruits completely overpower the greens in flavor so you get the benefits of the greens without the taste. I've done a little searching on the web for similar recipes, and this is what I've come up with for a 12-16oz single serving smoothie.

Shopping List: 1 bunch spinach 1 bunch kale 1 pineapple 2 mangoes 4 bananas

Per packet: 1/2 c spinach 1/2 c kale 1/4 c pineapple, chunked 1/4 c mango, chunked 1/2 banana, sliced

This resulted in 8 packets. The measurements I will say are approximations as I pretty much just split whatever I had into 8 packets--really I was fairly close to my measurements and I think I was only a little short on the greens, but I still managed to get a handful of each per packet.

Following suit of my last two smoothie posts, I make these lactose free and try to boost the protein. In doing so I add 4-6 oz unflavored soy milk (I find with the frozen fruit I need closer to 6 oz, whereas with fresh fruit I use 4 oz and about 1/2 c by volume of ice), 1 Tbsp plain creamy almond butter, 1 Tbsp ground flax seed/flax seed meal.

This time I used sandwich bags! You definitely need the extra space for the greens anyway, plus I'm hoping the fruit won't clump up into one giant frozen chunk like they did the with banana berry smoothies in the snack bags n_n (Ignore the fact that I folded them over for the pictures! >.< )

What are your favorite smoothie recipes? Are there any you are particularly fond of for meal replacements (e.g. breakfast)? Share them here!

Free Keroppi Pattern

In honor of my sister moving to Japan tomorrow, I thought we could look at a pattern in theme n_n

I am sure many of you are familiar with SanRio, or if not at least Hello Kitty. There are many other characters that SanRio has created, my favorite of all time being the frog Keroppi. My best friend in grade school and middle school was Japanese and had actually moved here when we were in kindergarten. As a 6 year old I was engulfed in her culture and the adorable world of SanRio.

A while back I went on a hunt for a Keroppi plush pattern, and I think I found the perfect one over at Stitch Love. Michelle's Keroppi is not only perfect looking, her pattern is easy to follow and it's free!

A mini Keroppi I made as a keychain.

Check out the pattern here and make your own Keroppi n_n




Sorry for the short post and lack of Product Info Wednesday this week. As I said, my sister is moving to Japan tomorrow! On top of that my boyfriend's brother is getting married today so I have been crazy busy all week and will probably continue to be so through the weekend! Things should slow down and be back to normal next week with a few custom orders on the hooks & needles and our regularly scheduled posts.

Product Info on Break

Sorry guys, but no Product Info Wednesday this week. Between my sister moving to Japan on Saturday and my boyfriend's brother getting married on Friday (and his other brother we see twice a year being in town as well), my time is filling up fast!

I'm trying to see my sister as much as possible. Plus apparently dating my boyfriend for 10 years makes me family so I am expected to partake in the weekend of wedding activities (seriously! rehearsal dinner Thursday, pictures & actual wedding Friday, luncheon with both families Saturday). We are also entertaining my boyfriend's other brother and his girlfriend (both of whom I love, it just makes me very busy). On top of that Saturday is going to be brutal as I know I'll be up late at the wedding Friday, then I am getting up early to make breakfast for the family before we leave at 9 am to take my sister to the airport (so that's 2 hours in the car alone), and then I get to go to the luncheon!

As far as the shop, ready made item purchases will still be shipped out. Custom requests will be replied to within 48 hours. Other inquiries will be tackled next week as my life slows back down n_n

Banana Berry Smoothie Packets

Breakfast smoothies have become my go to. They keep me nice and full until lunch, they are healthy, and they kick start my metabolism. As any nutritionist or trainer will tell you, breakfast is a very important meal. However, I am not a breakfast person at all so this is my compromise.

I shared some of my recipes a while back, comparing my lactose free protein shake with a commercial one. This is just how things have evolved since that post in my kitchen. What's great about preparing these packets is 1. you just have to mix with your base (in my case, soy milk, almond butter & flax seed, but you could do water, milk, even throw in some protein shake mix) and 2. you do not need to add ice! I have upgraded to ALL THE BERRIES, so that is the breakdown I will give you.

Shopping List: 1 pint strawberries 6 oz raspberries 6 oz blackberries 6 oz blueberries 4 bananas

Per packet: 3 strawberries, quartered 7-10 raspberries 7-10 blackberries 10 blue berries 1/2 banana, sliced

In dividing up the strawberries, I had enough to make 7 packets. From there I split up the raspberries and blackberries until there were none left, so the number I give you is more of an approximation. The blueberries I did actually count out 10 per packet, and I had a handful of them left (although not for long, as my dog thinks they are delicious and ate them all...after of course rolling them around the kitchen floor and chasing them.) I also ended up with 1/2 banana left over, but depending on the size of your strawberries you may be able to get an 8th packet out of them.

I used snack sized ziploc bags for these. The fruit just barely fit into the bags. It was also 1 solid block of frozen fruit when I took it out to make my smoothie, so I had to break it up in order to get the blender to mix everything. I would have gone with sandwich bags, but I did not discover we were out until I was about to bag all my cut up fruit. In the future I will use them to avoid this ice chunk and recommend you do too n_n

Now to start exploring more smoothie options. I hear some good think about some mango or pineapple smoothie involving spinach and kale...wonder how well I can freeze up those packets?