The Wonderful World of Skylar's Candy Clips

How to become The World's Most Annoying Etsy Member.

2009-12-08T21:21:00.004-05:00

Wooden sign by Mojo

Interested? Just follow these simple rules. Thank you assortedgoodies for posting this at the forums. I could always use a good laugh on an otherwise stressful, holiday order catching evening. I can think of a few people I've encountered who are in the runnings for #6 and #7!

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If you want to become the World’s Most Annoying Etsy Member just pick a few of the following and practice them on a daily basis:

1) Use the forums to whine about how you hate this or hate that. Or about how you are smarter than everyone else. To make it even better; use bad language and then turn around and ask for sympathy, pity and sales.

2) Convo someone to ask for their supply sources. Etsy people are very nice and they don’t mind giving you their secret sources so you can become their biggest competitor.

3) If you have already done this (#2) and someone has been nice enough to share their sources or secrets with you, don’t go back and say “Thank you”. What for? It is not like they did anything nice, is it?

4) Demand feedback, or complain about those who don’t leave feedback, especially publicly in the forums. Who cares that feedback is optional?

5) Copy someone's pictures, design or description then use them to sell your own stuff. So what if it is illegal, don’t take your own pictures if someone else has gone to the trouble of producing a wonderful picture, just use theirs. (no, seriously, it is illegal!)

6) Convo the seller of your favorite item asking how they made it so you can make your own instead of using the Techniques section of the forums to ask if anyone out there has a tutorial available or would be willing to share some tips. And if they don’t reply, just keep convo-ing, eventually they will get tired of it and they will reply.

7) Contact a non-supply seller asking them if they could sell you that "thingy" they use to make that neat item cause you want to make your own. So what if they don’t have that "thingy" listed for sale in their shop. I’m sure they would rather sell their stock to you than use it to complete their own orders.

8) Contact everyone that hearted YOUR item to tell them it is on sale or that you have others in different colors.

9) Assume that because someone bought something from you they want to be on your mailing list. Then send them tons and tons of unsolicited newsletters and emails. So what if they could use the RSS feed to keep them updated to changes in your shop.

10) Make your Convos as confusing as possible. Each time you reply to a message start a NEW convo instead of replying to the original convo. This way they have to navigate to different pages and open up countless convos instead of having them all neatly in one page. Anyway, they can read your mind and they know exactly what you mean, right?

11) Ask a seller to waive the shipping fee and send you their item for free, or better yet ask them to discount the price and send you a bonus item free. Anyway, they get this stuff for free, it’s not like they take any time gathering supplies, making the item by hand, packaging and shipping, right?

I’m sure that practicing these things daily will win you the title of World’s Most Annoying Etsy Member.

Unique Holiday Boutique 12/5

2009-12-04T13:58:00.003-05:00

Skylar's Candy Clips will be participating in

The Historic Ossining Campgrounds

Unique Holiday Boutique

tomorrow, Saturday, December 5, 2009.

It runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

If you are in the area, please come on over and say "hi"!

Treasury West

2009-12-03T07:27:00.004-05:00

My Happy Flower Headbands (in Fall colors) made it to

Treasury West this week. Hooray!

Be Happy and Merry...

2009-12-01T20:12:00.005-05:00

Some fun new items for the holidays. Available now at the shop...

Holiday Happy Flower Headbands

Merry Merry Bouquet Headband

Poinsettia Glory Bouquet Headband

And introducing The Mommy Series Headbands!

Because mommies need cute headbands too!

The Heather Headband

The Dana Headband

The Rebecca Headband

Shop Etsy. Buy Handmade this holiday season.

Guess who's baaaack??!!??

2009-11-29T11:03:00.009-05:00

Welcome back, Fred. We missed you. We're glad that you made it back safe and sound. We promise to be on our very BEST behavior because we know that you are watching.

No food fights.

Or hair pulling.

Or body slamming.

Or screaming.

Or pushing.

Or pulling on Wendy's tail.

Or giving Wendy food under the table.

Or blaming Wendy for the mess in the kitchen.

Or sneak snacks in our rooms during nap times.

And we promise to listen to mommy and daddy.

And flush the potty after we use it.

Always.

Really. We promise.

Pinky swear.

What time did you say you leave our house at night?

Love,

Skylar, Deacon, and Peyton

The Elf on the Shelf - it will help keep order (and sanity) in your house.

Seriously, it's the best thing since pumpkin bread after Thanksgiving.

so thankful.

2009-11-26T10:32:00.004-05:00

Banner by bekahjennings

I recently saw a quote that says:

"Life is not about the amount of breaths that we take.

It's about the amount of moments that take our breath away".

Life is indeed about those moments. Here are some of mine:

Marrying my husband Chris on June 21, 2003.

We've know each other since we were children.

He is my true soul mate.

Our first born Skylar Elizabeth (October 17, 2004)

Our son Deacon James was born the following year on

December 23, 2005

Our beautiful Peyton Isabelle - our last baby - born on

November 8, 2007

So today and everyday, I am thankful for

being a wife,

a mom

a sister

a daughter

a friend

and my beautiful family.

Thankful to life and the beautiful moments

it's given me.

So very, truly, thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

busy days ahead

2009-11-23T08:59:00.004-05:00

I love this sign! Visit Mojo on Etsy

I will be holing myself up in my craft room for the next few days to catch up on some orders.

I want to be able to send out as many packages as I can by Wednesday (before the PO closes for Thanksgiving).

So wish me luck.

Send tons of coffee wishes my way.

ENCORE GIVEAWAY: Paint Me A Picture! (ENDED)

2009-11-16T15:38:00.008-05:00

'Tis the season for sharing! 'Tis the season for giving! And you, my lucky, lucky readers are in for a real treat! Lindsay from Paint Me A Picture is back with another awesome giveaway! Do you remember Lindsay from her last giveaway? Lindsay is the creator of these wonderful, original, works of art. Take a look at some of her fabulous creations. And if you weren't lucky enough to get your hands on her artwork the last time, here is another chance.

Personalize Your Design Letter

Original Painting for Nursery

Build a Little Bird

Lovely Lindsay, mommy to Mr. C, created this one of a kind interactive Christmas calendar for your little ones to count down the days to Christmas. Hand painted on an 11 x 14 canvas panel.

Let It Snow Interactive Christmas Calendar

And yes - this is THE ITEM THAT SHE IS GIVING AWAY! Can I please hear some holiday cheers? Merry, merry, yeah, yeah!

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Visit Paint Me a Picture on Etsy and choose a favorite

2. Follow Lindsay's blog, Yellow and Blue Make Gree n

3. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, please state that in a comment)

4. Grab my pretty button for your blog

5. And for extra credit, tell us about a favorite holiday tradition that you do with your family - we all love to be inspired!

* if you don't have your email on your blog profile, please include it in one of your comments.

Good luck everybody! The winner will be picked through random.org

on Sunday, November 22, 2009.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for all the entries!

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

2009-11-22T17:52:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to

#20 Badger Momma

for winning the

Paint Me A Picture Giveaway!

Congratulations and enjoy your beautiful Christmas Calendar!

spread the word.

2009-11-21T10:24:00.004-05:00

The Famigletti Family (Casey, Regan, Gracie, and Doug)

I met Casey at the preschool where my youngest daughter Peyton attends. Her two year old little girl, Regan is in Peyton's class. Along with Regan, she totes along little Gracie in her infant carrier. Gracie is beautiful - with bright blue eyes and the best demeanor you can ask for in a little baby. So it was weeks when I even noticed that she had on hearing aids and to find out that what I thought was a two month old baby is actually almost 8 months old. Casey told me a little bit about Gracie - born premature at 30 weeks, she spent 2 1/2 months at NICU and is profoundly deaf in both ears. Then just last week, she invited me to join a meeting that she was having at her house to raise awareness on Gracie's condition. It was only this time when I realized what really caused Gracie's condition and how serious it is. And worse of all, how little information soon to be or pregnant women are given on this virus.

It is called Cytomegalovirus (si-to-MEG-a-lo-vi-rus) or CMV. It is a common virus that infects people of all ages. Once CMV is in a person's body, it stays there for life. Most infections with CMV are "silent", meaning most people who are infected with CMV have no signs or symptoms. CMV can be transmitted to the unborn child of a mother with a primary CMV infection. When a baby catches CMV prior to birth, this is called Congenital CMV.

Every year, 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV.

Congenital CMV causes deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, mental and physical disabilities, seizures, and death. It is more common than Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and yet so many people remain unaware of it and it's effects. Transmission of the virus can be prevented by educating yourself on the risk factors, symptoms, and ways to prevent transmission. This is Casey's goal - to reach out to as many people as possible starting in our area to raise awareness and to educate women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.

For more information, please visit Stop CMV. To read Casey's story, click here. Reach out to help by spreading the word on CMV.

Ta - Da! Our new art wall!

2009-11-19T23:47:00.008-05:00

After months of drooling over this picture, I finally put up our new art wall. Don't you just love it? It was the best $50 I ever spent!. Each of the kids have their own designated "wire" and a number of clips so they have to rotate their art in order to make them fit. It is brilliant.

Ready to do your own? To do three wires, you are going to need 3 sets of these:

IKEA Dignitet Curtain Wire $14.99 each

And a pack or two of these (you'll probably want at least two packs):

IKEA Dignitet Curtain Ring with Clip $4.99 per pack

It was a little tricky to install since it did not come with the wall screws. You have to take the curtain wire set to the hardware store so you can buy the screws that will fit them for mounting. You will also need a wire cutter to cut the wire to the desired length. And lastly, you need to measure your wire spacing evenly and make sure that they are straight. It sounds like a lot of work and it is but trust me, it is worth it! Your kids will love having their art displayed on the wall so fashionably! Let me know if you do it - I would love to see YOUR wall!

10 Important Things I Learned as a New Mommy

2009-11-11T13:14:00.006-05:00

Deacon, Peyton, and Skylar May 2008

(This post is dedicated to my dear friend Shirley who is about to embark on a new journey called motherhood).

10 Important Things I Learned as a New Mommy

1. No need to set the alarm clock - these little ~~buggers~~ newbies will NOT forget to remind you that they are hungry. As in screaming, squealing, crying at the top of their lungs reminding you that they want that milk. Right now.

2. Do you remember when you were still pregnant and drooling over that cute little outfit for your baby in the store window? Imagine that same outfit on your baby accessorized in spit ups and (gasp!) - not gonna say it - just let your imagination run wild.

3. Sleep deprivation is painful. You should warn your husband that if you get sleep deprived too much, you might just confuse the breast milk in the refrigerator for coffee creamer.

Guys - You. Have. Been Warned.

4. Wipe warmers are a joke. No need to elaborate.

5. Love that 5 second rule. And with each additional kid, I've found myself adding 5 more seconds on top of it.

6. Keep your valuables stored safely away. Or you just might find your 3 year old son trying to give your engagement ring to the family dog.

7. Ditto for designer clothes and such. There are some things that the drycleaner just can't take out. Again, just let your imagination run wild.

8. You wait for that heavenly time of the day when the kids finally go to sleep but after 5 minutes of peace and quiet, you get the urge to wake them up again.

9. Hugs and kisses are important. Even coming from sticky hands and lips smeared with chocolate.

10. Enjoy and cherish the craziness of your life right now. I'm sitting here, typing this post with ketchup smeared on my shirt and hair from my kids' lunch. And I'm watching my 2 year old empty the contents of her sippy cup on the carpet. And the dog vacuuming up the leftovers on the kitchen floor (hey, when it's on the ground, it goes to the hound!). It's crazy. But beautiful. I wouldn't trade a minute of it.

Ornament Exchange

2009-11-09T06:19:00.006-05:00

Look at what I just signed up for! This is going to be super fun!

Come join the fun - just click on the picture and sign up!

Thumbs - Up for being Two!

2009-11-08T09:24:00.009-05:00

Happy birthday, Peyton Isabelle!

I can't believe that you are two years old today!

Has it really be two years already?

Here is a picture of you and me and your big brother Deacon the summer before you were born.

Dr. H said that you are going to be a BIG baby.

They were right.

One botched up epidural and 8 ~~agonizing~~ hours later, out you came.

38 weeks and a healthy 8 pounds and 20 inches long.

Your cheeks were even bigger than your sister's.

Three months old and already 15 pounds - you gave us your first real smile.

Almost 4 months old. What did I tell you about the cheeks?

4 months old and already a daddy's girl.

You also tipped the scale at 20 pounds!

6 months old and sitting up!

You loved two things - sleeping and your exersaucer. I think the picture says it all.

Memorial Day 2008

Martha's Vineyard June 2008

The days, weeks, and months flew by so quickly.

One day, you were a baby, and today, a big girl.

It is so bittersweet to think that my baby is not a baby anymore.

Look at how fast you are growing!

First day of preschool September 2009.

Abby's birthday October 2009. Look at my little dare devil going down that slide!

Throwing tantrums are your specialty!

I still love this picture of you and me.

Peyton, you have brought so much joy into our lives.

You are my little missy, my little moo-moo.

I love watching your grow.

I love hearing you laugh.

Everyday, your babyhood disappears right before our very eyes.

But you will always be my baby.

That will never change.

We love you.

Happy birthday, missy mo0 moo!

Coming soon... our new art wall

2009-11-05T14:12:00.003-05:00

What do you do when your work space suddenly turns into a big jumbled mess? And it's not even your mess - it's your kids'. I saw this post a while back from one of my blog list (I apologize to the post author - but I can't remember which blog it is from) and was inspired to recreate it to give my children's artwork a new home (away from my work tables).

So this is one of my big projects this weekend. I will do another post when it is done so you can do it as well!

Hey there, good looking!

2009-11-04T23:04:00.007-05:00

Mommy (drying Deacon's hair after bath time): You are my handsome boy, Deacon!

Skylar (frowning): No, mommy. My daddy is handsome. He is the handsomest! He has nice clothes too. (Mommy rolls her eyes).

Deacon (frowning now too): I'm handsome too, Skylar.

Skylar: No - my daddy is.

Deacon: I'm handsome too because I LOOK LIKE DADDY!

Yep. Arguing back and forth are what Skylar and Deacon do best.

Deacon and Daddy 6/08 Martha's Vineyard

Deacon and his "baby" - baby sister Peyton

Deacon and Skylar

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T16:07:00.004-04:00

Have a very...

happy...

Halloween!!!

Something old and something new.

2009-10-26T15:02:00.007-04:00

I love the fall/winter/holiday season. I love the cool, crisp weather, the leaves changing, my sweet potato soup, and my oatmeal cranberry cookies that I make for Christmas. I make them every year. It is my own recipe and very popular with our friends. So when a friend of mine recently asked me for the recipe. I said to her that it is on my blog. She looked and said that it's not. WHAT? I never posted it? It is my oldest and dearest recipe and I have not put it up on my blog. Well here it is. Finally.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 sticks butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup oatmeal (I use McCann's Irish Oatmeal - the plain kind)

1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In electric mixer with dough paddle, cream butter and sugars until light and fluggy.

4. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.

5. Gradually add flour mixture a little at a time.

6. Add oatmeal, cranberries, and chocolate chips and mix by hand or with a wooden spoon.

7. Shape dough into little 1 inch balls and press flat into a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Bake 8-10 minutes until light golden brown (do not overcook!).

That's it! Isn't it easy? Go make them - you won't be disappointed! And just in case you're wondering what's up with the lack of posts this week. Here is why:

Yep - made over 200 Happy Flower headband pieces the last couple of weeks for some of my boutiques. Don't they look so pretty in the box? Whew. I couldn't wait to close the lid and ship them out. And take a look at this Lulu the Owl. It was custom made for an Etsy customer. I am loving Lulu with the funkified look!

I was also so inspired by this post that I decided to try my hand at it. And this is what I got:

The Mommy Series Heather Headband

I call it The Mommy Series because this new line is inspired by some really special mommies. Within the next few weeks, I will be adding some more headbands and some hair clips as well. So keep checking my shop. And yes - this headband was indeed inspired by one special mommy. She worked so hard making my little niece a custom blanket that I wanted to give her something special as a thank you. Ssshhh.. she doesn't know it yet - it is a surprise!

GULP!!!

2009-10-17T13:16:00.006-04:00

Look what I just bought. Thanks to my blog friends who keep enticing me with tutorials. Like this one and this one. Yep - and a sewing machine is necessary. So it was on my "must-have" list for a while and yesterday, I finally took the plunge. I am so nervous that I don't even want to open up the box. So if you don't see any blog posts from me for a while, send me an email to make sure that the sewing machine didn't eat me up!

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

2009-10-18T11:45:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to

Lindsay from Paint Me A Picture

for winning the

Raspberry Kidz Giveaway!

I can't wait to email Rachel your niece's beautiful drawing to get it transformed!

It is going to be beautiful!

5 wonderful years.

2009-10-17T10:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Skylar Elizabeth.

I can't believe that you turned 5 today.

Time went by fast.

I still remember waiting for you. So excited that you were coming.

This is us (with your Lola).

You and me, kid.

Our first picture together. Still snug in my belly.

It was love at first sight.

Here you are at 4 hours old.

October 17, 2004

(Yes - I know that you are totally digging my Hello Kitty pj's!)

Three months old and didn't want to smile for the camera.

Almost a year old.

You fell asleep in your highchair.

You weren't the fastest eater.

It takes you almost an hour to finish a meal.

Thank goodness you outgrew that!

Your first birthday party.

Yes - that is a black eye on your right eye.

Which you conveniently gave yourself bumping on the crib rail.

Right before the party started.

The perfect party accessory.

14 months old and already a big sister.

Baby brother Deacon was born December 23, 2005

He wasn't what you were expecting as a Christmas present.

But now you can't even remember your life without him.

Memorial Day 2007.

Two years old and about to become a big sister for the second time in your little life.

November 2007. Just turned 3 years old and proudly holding your new baby sister, Peyton.

My little fashionista.

This was taken right before preschool.

And you dressed yourself that day.

Picked out every single piece of clothing.

Four years old and already a kindergartener!

I am so proud of you, my girl.

My little buddy.

Little big sister.

My little helper.

My inspiration.

You are everything that I dreamed you would be.

And you continue to amaze me every day.

I love you so much.

Happy, happy birthday!

Love, Mommy

Don't miss out on this giveaway!

2009-10-16T21:17:00.003-04:00

This is a GREAT giveaway - don't miss out on this one. I still need some scanned pictures! This is a beautiful and unique way to display your child's artwork - computer generated with 3D effects! Enter the giveaway here.

Goodbye Binky

2009-10-15T12:27:00.002-04:00

Good Bye Binky.

You have been really good to me.

But I am a big girl now so I am saying good bye.

I will miss the times when I had to pick you off the ground.

Or take you out of the dog's mouth.

Or the squeals of surprise that you get out off me when I find you in the most unexpected places.

And the joy that I feel when I put you back in my mouth.

Thank you for the memories.

I will cherish them always.

Love, Peyton

The Raspberry Kidz Giveaway!

2009-10-12T14:17:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Rachel from Raspberry Kidz when I stumbled onto her blog and entered one of her contests. She turns kids artwork into computer generated art including some three dimensional effects by "raising" parts of the drawing.

"I love kids' art! It inspires me and makes me happy. I love to create original works of art based on children's doodles. Once they see their ideas presented in a color, matted professional manner, this will hopefully inspire them to continue on with their artwork."

She is an incredible artist and I truly fell in love with her work. I didn't win the contest but I sent her an artwork done by my friend's daughter as a gift for her 5th birthday. Take a look at Abby's original artwork.

And the finished look after Rachel is done with it. ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?!!!? The finished product is an 8x10 print surrounded by a black mat. Abby was so proud of it that she asked her parents to hang it up in her room where it is displayed today.

Do you want your own Raspberry Kidz print? Here is your chance to own one. Rachel has generously offered to give one lucky blog reader a chance to turn their child's artwork into a beautiful Raspberry Kidz print.

This special giveaway is open to my blog followers only. If you want to join the giveaway, please follow my blog.

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Scan your child's artwork (in a JPEG format) and email it to me at:

skylars.candyclips@gmail.com

This is required to participate in the giveaway

2. Leave me a comment on this post after emailing me the artwork to let me know that you have done so

3. Visit Rachel's shop on etsy and pick a favorite print

4. Become a follower of Rachel's blog, Raspberry Kidz

5. Grab my pretty button for your blog

The more entries you leave, the more chances you have in winning.

Good luck everybody!

The winner will be chosen through random.org on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

Rachel has also offered everyone who enters the giveaway 10% off their purchase until October 31, 2009. How great is that?

Sunday Dinner - week 9

2009-10-11T10:37:00.004-04:00

Oh yeah - it's back! Sorry for the lack of Sunday Dinner posts. I am finally caught up with this thing called life and am finally able to do Sunday Dinner again. Welcome to the fall season everyone! One of my favorite fall dishes is this delicious Sweet Potato Soup. I've tweaked and tweaked it over and over until it is finally how I like it. It's become a Thanksgiving dinner favorite but it is so satisfying that you can eat it as a meal. Paired with some yummy potato rolls. YUM!

Sweet Potato Soup

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

2 pieces shallots finely diced

1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic (optional)

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed

3 medium to large baking potatoes, cubed

4 (14.5 oz) cans lower sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup light cream

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots until shallots are wilted. Do not burn the garlic.

2. Add both potatoes, chicken broth plus 2 cans of water. If you want some pepper, now is the time to add. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer on low for about 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and tender.

3. In batches, puree the potatoes and broth and set aside in a bowl until everything has been pureed.

4. Return the pureed potatoes in the soup pot on low heat.

5. Add the parmesan cheese until melted

6. Add the cream

7. Season with salt to taste

8. Serve with italian cheese mix in the center and some potato rolls (I use Martin's party potato rolls because they are smaller)

* Soup consistency should be slightly runny when hot. It will get thicker as it cools and after it has been refrigerated. You can save some of the broth in a container to for reheating purposes - in case the soup gets too thick.

Enjoy your Sunday Dinner!