Beware: Extreme Sweetness Ahead!!!!

Well Hello, Sweets! It's so lovely to see you!

First of all, I know I've been remiss with blogging and just terrible at serving up your Yummies each Monday. It's been crazy here. Last week I worked on orders, my husband went backpacking, I worked on some of the sweet treats I'm going to share with you today and worked on the new website a bunch. We spent some time with our families, I broke down and bought some jean shorts even though I really DID take to heart Oprah's advice that no one over 21 or something like that should EVER wear shorts! I went antique shopping and crafted with Analise a couple times in the last couple of weeks, ordered loads of new fabrics, hung out with my friend, Marianna, who is visiting from Indiana and took care of a sick Baby! Phew!!!!

Anyway, all this to say, I'm here today, and I'm SO TOTALLY EXCITED about showing off some new, very yummy things I've been so anxious to share with you! Although this won't be the traditional Yummies shopping trip I usually take you on, what you'll see will definitely be yummy and I hope you'll enjoy it.

First off, the very talented Ingrid Riley of Cherry Tree Graphics of finished my website design and I've been happily adding products, slowly but surely, to the site! I finally got the cart working this morning so you can actually begin to order things from the site. There will be new products added all the time, but for now I've got most of what I've been selling in my etsy fabric store loaded on the site! I am IN LOVE WITH my new logo, the "free shipping" graphic that Ingrid made and just the whole "feel" of the site....even better than what I was hoping for! Check it out when you get a moment!

Now the next exciting thing I want to share with you is something that's been awhile in the works and I've been just chomping at the bit to show you it!!! It's an exciting collaboration with a lovely, lovely artist and friend that has me just thrilled to pieces...

But first let me introduce you to my friend....

Meet Donna "Cookie" Gotlib. I found her etsy shoppe awhile back when I was looking for some unique offerings for my new website. I want to carry more than just fabric and I'm so excited about the products I've discovered. But while I was poking around on etsy, I came across Cookie Sunshine, a charming etsy shoppe full of the most whimsical and delightful drawings by the very talented Donna "Cookie" Gotlib. Here are just a couple of my very favorites!

"Dancing on a Cupcake"

"The Cupcake Lady"

"The Cupcake Purse"

And though I adore these drawings, you should know that Donna draws more than just cupcake-related things! You can find dozens of equally darling and magical drawings and prints in her etsy shoppe HERE.

So back to my excitement news....I've been searching high and low for the perfect patterns to sell on my website. I've found several really wonderful quilting-type patterns but so far, had not found any embroidery patterns that were quite right for my aesthetic. But when I saw Donna's cupcake-related drawings and some of the sewing-related drawings, I KNEW I had found the kind of whimsy and sweetness that I have been looking for in embroidery patterns. So I wrote her, asked her if she had ever thought of turning her incredible drawings into embroidery patterns. She said she'd thought about it but hadn't done so yet and what did I have in mind?

Fast-forward to now.... Donna and I are simply THRILLED about our new collaboration. I am helping Donna turn her amazing illustrations into some wonderful embroidery patterns! These patterns are so incredibly delicious and fun! We are still about a week or two away from releasing the first pattern for sale but we simply MUST show you what that first pattern will be....

Ta-dah!!!!

Do you recognize the sweet lady I've embroidered? Yes....scroll back up to my favorite Cookie Sunshine drawings until you see "The Cupcake Lady." Yup. That's her! Isn't she SWEET? I had such fun embroidering her and making the embroidery into a yummy wall-hanging in all the scrumptious fabrics from my etsy fabric store. One or two of these photos will be on the front of the first pattern and in the pattern you will find the drawing to transfer to fabric, a full set of instructions, some basic embroidery-stitch instructions and even some tips about how to create the wall-hanging I made out of "The Cupcake Lady."

Now you know why I've been all in a tizzy! Just so much fun and there's so much more where that came from! Donna Gotlib and I will be releasing 4 more patterns in the next couple months and you are going to LOVE them. Donna will be designing the motifs, I will be embroidering them and designing something as a sample of what you can do with the patterns, writing the instructions and Donna and I will be selling the patterns. I'm going to be carrying the patterns in my fabric etsy shoppe as soon as they are available for purchase and you will of course find the full line of patterns on my website when it goes live!

In the meantime, go and visit the charming Donna, the imagination behind these drawings and embroidery patterns, over at her Cookie Sunshine blog where you'll find so much more charm, whimsy and fun!

O.k. so now for my next yummy and exciting reveal...

Well I have to say....I TRIED....really, I did....to save these for the grand opening of our website, later in the month. But I just couldn't! They are just so yummy and fun that I had to share them with you now. :)

Introducing "Just Baked" Cupcakes by Confections Fabric!

If you've been visiting here for awhile, you probably know that I have a serious fabric addiction. Specifically, I love to see coordinating fabric piled on top of each other....and it's just simply YUMMY. Hence the name of my blog and soon-to-be website. But for some time now, I've been working out how to make some ACTUAL CUPCAKES out of yummy fabric....a true "confection" you can hold in your hand, even if you don't sew. :) You should see the prototypes that are now officially my girls' toys! Woooo-eeeee....not so cute! So just like any baker of edible confections, I've refined my "baking" techniques, tweeked this and that until I came up with this recipe! Each one of these yummy confections has been handmade from our own pattern and is sure to delight. In the yummiest fabrics we could find, our cupcakes feature handmade mini yo-yo's and a unique ingredient from our favorite bits and bobs: hand-embroidered buttons, vintage millinery flowers, bling, buttons and more.

Each cupcake measures approximately 4" high and the base is about 3" in diameter. The base is reinforced for sturdiness and to keep it "standing" when it's on display.

If you'd like to sample some of my yummy "Just Baked Cupcakes," head on over HERE! Get 'em while they're hot, Sweets!

And while we're talking about cupcakes, I have to show you the little gifts I made for my husband's cousin's baby shower yesterday! I got this cupcake fabric in and I'm IN LOVE with it. Isn't it perfect for sweet little "duds" for the yummy new arrival?? It's a little drawstring bag with a bundle of burp cloths, a little bib and a onesie (not shown). Then I used one of the cupcakes to make a frou-frou-glitter tag that the new Mama just loved!

Now I know you're on a bit of a sugar high but before you collapse onto the sofa in a sugar coma, I simply must show you one more thing.

Look what my friend, Pat, sent me as a house-warming gift! She said she saw it and KNEW I had to have it. This darling tray was made by La Rea Rose. I just adore it. I have it in my studio but the spot where I have it hanging doesn't have good light so I've hung it in the studio window where the light is better. Isn't it adorable??? Thank you, Pat, for the lovely gift, and thank you to La Rea Rose for making such a lovely tray!

Well Sweets....that's it for today! Hope you had as much fun as I did. Have a lovely week!

Love and Hugs,

Cheryl

Hello, Sweets! It's been too long since we've had a little visit, hasn't it? I'm hard at work and at play these days.

A lot of what I'm working on is "Top Secret" website stuff ;) and some gifts for friends, but there are some things I have been making that I'm so excited to show you.

Something about the summer has been inspiring me to make some delicious confections with that sherberty-ivory color combo that I am always talking about. This "ribbon" is one of my favorite things I've made recently and I've put it in my etsy shoppe this evening.

I used a whole bunch of my favorite vintage bits and bobs for this one. Yummy vintage crepe paper ruffles I've been saving for something special, pages from a 1940's book about raising children, loads of vintage ribbon, trims and tatting and even some new vintage rhinestone trim. It's all "built" on a wood circle for stability and sturdiness and this thing is HUGE, girls. It's about 6" in diameter (the circular bit) and the ribbons and trims hang down another 14" or so. It has a ribbon hanger on back so it can be displayed on the wall or other pretty spot.



As I mentioned, I've also been playing this summer! Ice cream and cupcakes, swimming, playing blocks together on my mother-in-law's kitchen floor, visiting "Grammy" and aunties, barbecues, PBS :) and lots more. Here's just a few of our summer doings piccys...

Aunt Ray and Rachel eating some yummy treats! Look at that CONE...

Aunt Ray, Emily and Logan Doggy...
Emily and I! Andrew in his summer garb! He has already figured out that the best part of the Chex mix are those yummy brown bagel chips.... He's going in....

More eating....My little couch potatoes chowing down on popcorn while watching "Milo and Otis"

Some fun close-ups of all 3....

Let's see...what else is going on over here?

I'm catching up on some of my favorite blogs, trying to add more music into everyday life (I have Jars of Clay playing right now) and drinking more water, which is so much easier to do in the summer. BIG cups help me for some reason. And straws. Trying to keep up with the Laundry Mountain. Trying to play with my kids more and on the computer LESS. I need to work on a Shutterfly album for my almost-7-year-old for her birthday next month. Filling orders. Chatting with good buddies. Reading my Bible. Taking a walk with a good run in the last couple minutes since I haven't run in YEARS. Sitting on my hubby's lap more. Trying not to stress over how much Scotch tape is being used by my crafty kids. Tickling more.

What are YOU up to this sweet summer?

Sending you big hugs...

My Happiest Things Today, Winner of my Giveaway and a Poll

My kidlets are next door at their grandma's house, playing in the hose and plastic pools, so I am having a little bit of "Me Time"...WOO-HOO! I've got some of my "Happiest Things" around me, Nichole Nordeman playing really loud (that's what's playing on my sidebar) and all of the below going on!

I put cute little labels on this piccy of what is what but of course you can't see them. :( But that's Diet Dr. Pepper my sweet mother-in-law brought over (she knows I love it!), a yummy pink and white striped bag going in some of that new, yummy fabric I showed you the other day, a little embroidered mystery object on top of the sewing machine and the pretty behind the glass is the decadent pin cushion that Ginny sent me! Lots of fun. :)

Now let's see who won my Blogiversary Giveaway!

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True Random Number Service
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 23 1 31
Timestamp: 2008-07-11 20:34:01 UTC

That's:

Heather Bluhm of Bluhm Studios

Jenni B of Jenni B Originals

and Pamela Jane of Pamela Jane Studios

Heather, Jenni and Pamela Jane, send me your addresses and I'll send a yummy cake tag to you!

And last but not least, my friend Linda has enlisted all of our help to decide which of these sweet silhouettes of her girls (twins) to order from a talented artist, Miss Crowland, on Etsy. Leave a comment here or on Linda's blog HERE about which is your favorite!
Thank you, Sweets! Now try to steal even just five minutes for yourself with your Happiest Things and some fun music. It's good for the soul.

One Whole Year!

Hello, Sweets! Guess what today is??? It's my One Year Blogiversary! It's so wierd because there's a very real way it feels like, "How can it have been a year already?" but there's another equally real way that it feels like, "How can it have been only one year?" I have met so many wonderful friends via my blog, participated in some really fun swaps, made so many special connections and had over 34 THOUSAND individual people stop by here! I looked that number up on my stat counter thing and I was flabbergasted. I had no idea. I thought that must surely be pageloads or total visits or something but no! That's amazing, unbelievable and wonderful that I have, on some level, connected with that many wonderful new friends in just one year. What a warm, special feeling that is! So thank you to YOU for being one of those precious friends...

And guess what else happened today? The Fed Ex truck pulled up in front of my house bearing my VERY FIRST shipment of fabric for my new website, Confections Fabric! What a thrill! I have my first 6 gorgeous bolts of yummy fabric sitting right here in my studio, tempting me to make something delicious! I'm going to start putting it in my Confections Fabric etsy shoppe today! I can't wait to open the website in just a few weeks but until then I hope you'll enjoy "Yummies by the Yard" from my etsy shoppe where you will always receive free shipping within the U.S.

Take a look at some of my favorites! Imagine looking at a big, fat bolt of each of these yummy prints...



and look at this delightful "repro" apron pattern. I'll be offering these, as well!
LOTS more in store...this is just the beginning of the yumminess that will be in stock! Check back often since we will be recieving new inventory almost daily!

So....in honor of my blogiversary AND my first Fed Ex trip of fabric ;) I'd like to have a little giveaway! I'd like to offer one of my yummy cake tags to 3 of my "bloggy buddies." Friday morning (California time) I'll choose the 3 by using that random number generator thingie! Here's what you will receive: Most people who order these are surprised by how big they are in person...they're about 6" in diameter, counting the crepe paper ruffles. They have a little ribbon loop on back which makes them perfect for attaching to a gift or hanging in your yummy studio!

Thank YOU for making this year so special. I value and appreciate each and every one of you. What a delightful, inspiring, fun and loving group you bloggy buddies are!

Big Hugs and Lots of Love,

Cheryl

p.s. Look what I made with some of the new fabric!!! :) A sweet little "Southern Belle's Church Bag" for a little girl to carry over her arm to church! It's a custom order but I'm putting a listing for another one just like it in my etsy shoppe so if you'd like one, hop on over there! :) I'm going to be making another in the aqua tones, as well as a couple more custom orders so just drop me a note if you'd like to order one, as well. :)