Etsy New Treasury East...

WOOT!  Love the new feature Etsy released today.  Treasury East!  It's in Beta, but hopefully not for long.

This new version is in HTML not Flash, which makes it even more awesomeness (is that a word? HA!).  So without further ado, here is my first Treasury in Treasury East!

View Dirty Dancing Treasury

You don’t have to take my word for the greatness of it. Here’s the scoop from Etsy:

"About Treasury East

The Treasury is an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery.

Treasury East (beta) is a testing ground for the future of the Treasury. Create lists of items, as many as you like. Comment on other members’ lists. Share lists and enjoy! Treasury East lists have no limits and no expiration. Beautiful, diverse lists may be featured on Etsy’s front page.”

Thank you Etsy Admin, this one earns you "5" Stars!

Carly

Easter Dinner and an Earthquake...

Easter in Arizona, home of the Grand Canyon, was quite interesting this year.

The family had gathered at my daughters home to celebrate Easter. 

While my daughter was getting all the goodies together for dinner, my 13 year old granddaughter and me were sitting at the dinner table chatting about all the yummy food we were about to eat.  Then suddenly she said she was shaking. What was my response? You must be hungry. HA!!!

Of course she laughed and then pointed to the swag light above the table, hmmmmm.... it was moving side to side. About this time my DIL stated she was shaking as well. We all laughed that everyone was getting hungry!

About a minute later it was announced on the radio that Baja, CA had just had an earthquake. This was when we all had an AHA! moment.

Of course it made for interesting conversation during dinner. But I will never forget what I said to my granddaughter who experienced her first earthquake tremor. :)

Have an awesome day everyone!
Carly

Happy April Fool's Day...

  (:  ¡ʎɐp ɹǝdns ɐ ƃuıʌɐɥ ǝɹɐ noʎ ǝdoɥ ı  ¡ʎɐp s,looɟ lıɹdɐ ʎddɐɥ

I have had too much fun in the Etsy forums today with April Fool's jokes popping up by the minute. Even Etsy got into it with their new banner!

Is that too funny... "Esty" not Etsy?  HA!  My favorite by Etsy was in 2008 when they featured WatchMan, a fake seller selling reproduction watches.  That was toooooo funny!

So, as you have all gotten to know me, I just I had to find out the where, why and what is April Fool's Day.  Here is the answer.  :)

"Said to be originated with the adoption of the new Gregorian calendar in place of the old Julian calendar in 1582, April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, was once used to be celebrated as the New Year's Day. It evolved into its present form through several centuries and influenced by several cultures and has limited itself to be the fun and hilarity associated with Spring. Practical jokes and pranks are the order of the day."

Carry on with the prankster jokes and have a great day!

Carly

Oh NO, Locked Keys in Car...

Rut roh, you get out of your car, close your locked door, then you look down on your front seat and what do you see?  Your keys are laying there!

Besides using every *four* letter word known to mankind, *smile* What will you do now?


Have I got the perfect solution for you!

*First*... start by wiping the sweat from your brow.

*Second*... think! Do you have a remote attached to your keys that unlocks your doors? Of course you do!

*Third*... It occurs to you that your partner or friend has the matching remote. This is where it gets easy. Get busy calling your partner or friend. When they answer simply ask them to place the remote by their speaker on the phone, then have them click the unlock button. What did you just hear? Your doors unlocking!

This works wonderful, very much how On Star operates.  Hope you never have to use it, but just in case, I thought I would pass this tip on.

Have an awesome upcoming week!

Carly

Yo-Yo Rosettes a Small Bit of History

Recently I have become addicted to making Yo-Yo Rosettes and now making them into barrettes, hair clips and ponytail holders. So of course I just had to know where they originated. It has been so much fun reading their history.

The word Yo-Yo comes from the Filipino word for “come-come” or “return”, and that it was very popular in the 1930-40s.  In the 1920s a man named Pedro Flores brought a Filipino Yo-Yo to the United States. A businessman named Donald Duncan bought the Filipino Yo-Yo Company around 1928. In 1932 Mr. Duncan received a trademark for the word Yo-Yo.

Yo-Yos were popular because women could carry the little circles of fabric with them and make Yo-Yos whenever they had a free moment. 

I vision ladies sitting around in their wonderful Victorian chairs with gas lights or lanterns, chatting about their simple lives and using their scraps of fabric to create these lovelies.

How many hours do you suppose they spent cutting small circles of fabric, then hand stitching them to create beautiful quilts with their rosettes?

Maybe one day I will take up the challenge and create a wonderful quilt that can be handed down.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Carly

Spring Fling March 23rd to March 31st...

Spring is one of my favorite seasons and Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays.

This last week I have been hard at work creating fabric flower button hair clips and ponytail holders with spring colors.  Pinks, purples, yellows and greens.

I have my windows open and letting in all the wonderful weather from outside come inside while I am working.

Because I am feeling soooooo good, I have to pass it on to you.

Are you ready for this?

From March 23rd - March 31st midnight, shipping is included for any items in my Etsy shop.

Yes, you read that right, shipping is on me!  :)

Just mention at checkout "Spring Fling" in message to seller to receive a refund of your shipping fees.  **NOTE:  Offer is valid only when message to seller is left. 

Enjoy!
Carly

The Incredible Rescue Today of a Stranded Horse Named...

"Colorado"

Arizona has received quite a bit of rain in the last couple of weeks. A dry river bed in Buckeye, a suburb of Phoenix, was flooded because of the rain. The water current in the river bed was running fast!

Last Friday three horseback riders went into the river thinking it wasn't deep, they were looking for their dogs that had run off. Unfortunately the river bed was deeper than they thought.

One horse who had been injured while trying to escape the flooded river bed was put down because of the severity of his injuries. A second horse was pulled out of the river that evening. A third horse made it to a sand bar (it's sort of like an island) and has been stranded there since Friday. He spent four very long days on this island, until today.

A crew consisting of Equine Vets and helicopter pilots rescued the horse this morning. It was quite dramatic!

The picture below shows them preparing Colorado for liftoff. They have administered a tranquilizer to help keep him calm, the harness has been attached along with a blindfold over his head.


The following picture shows Colorado on liftoff, you can see the dirty brown water around the island...


Then incredibly he was in the AIR!


How awesome is this? Colorado had a soft, safe landing, YAY!

This story touched so many of us here in the Valley. Thanks to an anonymous donor who paid for the helicopter, Colorado is safe. :)

Wishing all of you a Wonderful day!

St. Patrick's Day and Food...

I wish I could bring you all into my kitchen right now, it is filled with the wonderful aroma of Corn Beef slow cooking in my Crock pot, lucky me I get to smell it ALL day long. YUM! :)

But since I can't bring the awesome aroma to you, I can do the next best thing, and that is to share a recipe with you.

Corn Beef Hash

Corn beef hash is one of my favorite meals to prepare and of course "eat". Prepare a great Sunday morning brunch and serve the hash with eggs, or create a wonderful quick, simple dinner served with a side of salad and garlic toast.

So for the recipe... (Compliments of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 baking potatoes, (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 onion, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 ounces thinly sliced corned beef, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes; cook, turning often, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add onion; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring often, until potatoes and onions are browned, 5 minutes.
3. Add bell pepper, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef and cream until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
   

Soooooo.... take your left over Corn Beef this week and bring out the skillet and prepare this awesome dish.

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone!

Hippity Hop Wednesday...

(photo courtesy of Google Images)

Hmmmm... what could this little guy be thinking about?
Such a serious look!

OK, so here is what I am thinking (which by the way could be dangerous when I think, HA!), Wednesday will be post a cutie day of animals found throughout the world.

And since Easter is approaching, how could I not post a bunny?

If you have a cutie living with you and you want to share, please don't hesitate to post in the comments. I would love to see your babies. :)

Have an awesome day everyone!

Bridal Lovelies...

June is fast approaching and we all know that Brides love the month of June. The bride would look absolutely fabulous at her wedding wearing this gorgeous hair flower French barrette. White satin and lace, I can't imagine anything more beautiful adorning a bride's hair on her special day.

Maybe the bride needs a lovely small bag to carry her essentials, you know, girlie things like lipstick, blush or possibly a handmade handkerchief. Could this little corset pouch be it?

Both are perfect accessories or as a great gift for the bride, bridesmaid or the flower girls. You can see these lovelies up close and personal by clicking on the photos.

In the coming months I will be posting other lovely Bridal accessories from various Etsy shops. So if you know a bride to be, or "You" are a bride to be, be sure to check back often.

Take care,
Carly