Modern Mom

Affordable Chicken Cordon Bleu

2010-11-07T12:34:00.001-08:00

Affordable (and easy) Chicken Cordon Bleu

I was feeling pretty adventurous after bringing home a new cookbook....I faced my fear of raw chicken and flattened it out with my non-stick rolling pin...guess what! I turned out awesome! -~bynichole

Here's All you need:

4 boneless chicken breast fillets

4 slices of ham (we use Jennie-O Turkey Ham)

4 slices of Provolone cheese

2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup milk

First you gotta pound that chicken! Flatten it out. I have a nice non-stick rolling pin that is very easy to clean and sanitize. If you only have a wood rolling pin, do not touch it directly to the raw chicken like I did here. Instead lay a piece of saran wrap or wax paper over the chicken before rolling it out. You want it to be about 1/4 inch thick...

Layer each chicken breast with a slice of the ham and a slice of cheese...then roll them up!

Roll the wrap in the milk, then into a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. (I used some left over shredded cheese that needed to get used up, it worked out just as good)

Lay the chicken rolls out on a greased cookie sheet, seam side down. If they won't stay rolled up, just skewer them with a toothpick.

*I don't have a dishwasher, and washing cookie sheets in my sink isn't easy, so I put some tin foil on the bottom of the cookie sheet for easy clean up*

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes in 425 degrees. They will come out as beautiful, cheesy goodness!

I served them with my home made macaroni and my son's favorite: broccoli and cauliflower. It was a very tasty dinner indeed! Very much worth the touching of the raw chicken! *Although I have to give my husband credit for filleting the chicken breast for me....that was just too much touching*

Corn Tortilla Chicken Lasgna

2010-10-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

My kids love tacos and burritos, but being toddlers they have a hard time keeping the shell together and eating it in one piece, so I turned all of our favorite ingredients into a lasagna!

What you need:

18 corn tortialls (6 inch)
3 cups of , cooked, shredded chicken
2 cans of beans(kidney, black or white)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can sliced olives
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 1/2 cups shredded Montery Jack Cheese
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese
Sour cream for serving

Perpare:
In a bowl, drain and mix the beans and olives
In another bowl, chop the peppers and onions
Shred and mix the cheeses
Shred the chicken

Lay 8 tortialls across the bottom of a greased baking dish.
Layer one thrid of each: salsa, bean mix, pepper mix, chicken, cheese.
Layer 8 more tortialls and repeat until the dish is full and the ingredients are all used

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes

Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes before cutting

Top with sour cream and serve with your favorite veggie side!

Other Options

For a vegetarian dish, omit the chicken and add a thrid can of beans

Need more servings? Use a large baking dish and add 1 cup of cooked rice to each layer. You can also add 1/2 cup a sweet corn to each layer.

*Get sneaky with the veggies!

dice 2 carrots or 1 zuccini and mix with the pepper mix.

Get to cookin and let me know how it turns out!

Cuttlebug Highlights With Shimmer Chalk

2010-10-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Team Challenge :: October

2010-10-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

The winner of our BOO! challenge is...Ribbitscraps!

A beautiful creation and a well deserved win! Congratulations!

Family Cookbook :: Popeye Smoothy

2010-09-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

This very interesting recipe cames from RibbitScraps. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know how you like it. :)

1c Natural Apple Juice
2c Spinach (raw fresh)
1 ripe Banana

Blend well. You won't taste the spinach I promise.

BOO!

2010-09-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

The entries are in! Leave a comment to vote for your favorite!

Chip Board Halloween Album by

Ribbitscraps

Baby Ghost Bodysuit by

lavenderave

spooky bow set by

littleprincessbow

Ghostly Felt Baby Shoes by

bynichole

Team Challenge :: Due in one week!

2010-09-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

there is only one week left to complete your challenge entries!!

There are no guidelines, its all about how you interpret the theme into your art/craft work.

Are you ready?

BOO!

thats it! what does BOO mean to YOO?

Entries will be due Sunday, Sept 26th. Just create a listing for your entry and send the link to bynichole via convo. All of the entries will be created into a treasury for voting.If there are more than 16 entries, we will have a preliminary vote on the blog lasting 3 days, then the 16 finalists will be grouped into a treasury for the final vote lasting 5 days.Prizes, right now the prize is just about having fun. The winner will have a feature on this blog and full bragging rights for a month! And I, bynichole, will throw in a sweet little plushie ghost to fit the theme.If you would like to donate a prize please contact bynichole, we would love to make this more fun!SPREAD THE WORD!

The Craft Table :: Salt Dough

2010-09-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here is another craft project generously "donated" by Jenn from Lavenderave. Now that the summer is over you might be spending more time indoor, which means, more time to do some crafting with your family!

Salt Dough

Today it is cloudy, with a chance of thunderstorms. Swim lessons were inside, we ate lunch inside, we don't want to walk to the park, and we are getting a little stir crazy here. It's the perfect kind of day for salt dough.

Salt Dough Recipe (from Green Crafts For Children)

10 ounces plain flour
10 ounces salt
200 ml lukewarm water*
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

*On my liquid measuring cup, 200 ml is right in the middle between 3/4 cup and 1 cup.

Dissolve salt in water. Add flour. Mix until stiff, then knead by hand until you have a smooth and flexible but firm dough. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch and cut out desired shapes. Bake at 210 degrees for one hour, then turn off the oven but leave the shapes inside the oven to cool. This prevents cracking. Once they are cool, paint with water soluble paint.

Our letters are drying in the oven. This weekend, we will paint. Next week I will show you the finished products.

Once the "mom directed" cutting of letters was done, a happy couple of hours of mashing, patting, rolling (and maybe some throwing) ensued. We even have a good size ball of dough left over in a Ziploc for tomorrow.

Team Challenge :: Open Crafter Call Challenge

2010-09-06T09:33:00.001-07:00

We have been having so much fun with our monthly challenge, that we decided to let everyone join in our fun! This challenge is open to any and every Etsy shop owner. There are no guidelines, its all about how you interpret the theme into your art/craft work.

Are you ready?

BOO!

thats it! what does BOO mean to YOO?

Entries will be due Sunday, Sept 26th. Just create a listing for your entry and send the link to bynichole via convo. All of the entries will be created into a treasury for voting.

If there are more than 16 entries, we will have a preliminary vote on the blog lasting 3 days, then the 16 finalists will be grouped into a treasury for the final vote lasting 5 days.

Prizes, right now the prize is just about having fun. The winner will have a feature on this blog and full bragging rights for a month! And I, bynichole, will throw in a sweet little plushie ghost to fit the theme.

If you would like to donate a prize please contact bynichole, we would love to make this more fun!

SPREAD THE WORD!

Team Challenge :: September

2010-09-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

And the winner is.....

Terrbear37..AGAIN! Thats two in a row for Terri! Congratulations on your fantastic entry!!!

Colorblocking With Stitch Stamps

2010-09-01T10:55:00.001-07:00

Team Challenge :: Reading, Writing, Arithmatic

2010-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

The team members of Modern Mom have completed their second team challenge!
The winner will be decided based on the votes of our fans! Here how to play
There are three places you can cast your vote:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite entry

2. Visit the treasury at Etsy and leave a comment with your favorite entry:http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c7bcfd7ef238eef68285268/modern-mom-team-challenge-back-to-school
3. Visit our facebook fanpage, view the team challenge album and "like" your favorite entry:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25610&id=127848397240210&saved#!/album.php?aid=25610&id=127848397240210

Please only vote once (not at each place)Modern Moms, please vote for one other than yourself.
Voting ends Thursday evening and the winner will be announced Friday morning

Lunch Box from TerrBear37

Notebook from RibbitScraps

Crayon Hair Clips from lilprincessbow

Double Layer Twirl Skirt from bynichole

Family Cookbook :: Best Party Sangria

2010-08-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

This weeks recipe comes from the kitchen of Lilprincessbow.

Every time I throw a party in the summer I always like to make this sangria for my guests. So far everyone who have tasted it loved it and always asks me for the recipe. I got this recipe years ago from http://wine.about.com/.

Although you can prepare this right before your party as suggested in the recipe, I always prepare it the night before to allow the juices and the fruit to be marinated into the wine. Happy Summer!

Ingredients:

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz) (Note: I always use Shiraz, dry red wine is the best!)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
Splash of orange juice or lemonade
2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.

Friday Feature :: CottonCreekFriends

2010-08-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

This week I visited a shop that still waiting for her first sale, and I can’t believe that! The stuffed friends that you will find here are priceless! CottonCreekFriends

Being a creator of stuffed friends, I know the heart and soul that in added to each animal, espically when each piece has a careful construction of fun patterned and colorful fabrics. I love that each pattern has a name, as if it was born during the creative process.
Jessica like so many of us seamstresses, is addicted to fabric. This comes to an advantage to her, because no two creations are alike. But sewing is not her only talent, she also does photography and designs using the computer. Her talents are clearly shown in her work

“I've been sewing since I was a child. I use to make myself dollhouse dolls and clothes. I enjoy quilting, knitting, crochet and I try just about anything (hence my messy abundance of crafting supplies in my home). I decided to try my hand at pattern making so that my animal friends would be original to me. That was harder than I thought it would be but very rewarding.”

I am just in love with the simplicity of this shop, and the whimsical imagination. I can just picture myself as a little girl with a huge stuffed animal collection, I would have loved one of these creations in my ‘family’ of stuffed friends.

Jessica is still waiting for that first sale! It could be you! Keep an eye on this shop, she let me in on a preview: “I'm working on more animals-the next coming is the dog, "Stickley" I also have in process cats and bats for halloween (in halloween prints) and a reindeer and penguin for Chrsitmas (in holiday fabrics). I'm also planning to sell my patterns when I get all that figured out and going. It is a process but it is fun! I'm listing birthday and baby cards with the bunny from my Cotton Creek design drawn on them for those that would like to purchase the card to give the gift and have it coordinate.”

Find CottonCreekFriends Online:
Etsy: www.cottoncreekfriends.etsy.com

www.jessicadittmer.com also www.wishyouwellsonline.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Dittmer/138296693137

The Craft Table :: Penny's Pling

2010-08-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is an easy craft with endless possibilities! This came from Lavenderave but is actually created by another close family member. The creative genes definitely runs in the family!

My 6 year old niece came up with this fun craft, and so we made a tutorial out of it. We call it "Pling" (you know - a clever combination of plug and bling). It seriously takes about 10 minutes (not counting drying time).

Supplies:
*outlet covers
*good craft glue that dries clear
*popsicle stick for spreading glue
*seed beads in your favorite colors

*busy little hands, ready to play

1. Squeeze a pea-sized blob of glue onto your outlet cover. This is the only true grown-up job in this whole project

2. Spread the glue all around with your popsicle stick.

3. Dip the outlet cover in the beads

4. Gently press down on the beads with your finger to make sure they are securely in the glue

5. Set aside to dry

6. Cover with a sealant if you wish, and Enjoy in your own way!

Happy Crafting!

Friday Feature :: RibittScraps

2010-08-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

This week I visited a shop that is stuffed full of whimsy and charm. Here you will find everything from notebooks and scrapbooks to magnets and original paintings! Everything is made with warm and inviting colors and textures. They really make you feel like this artist has poured her soul into each piece.

Being the mother of three teenagers, this artist has a style that ranges from young to old, both child and adult. You can see the years of creative mothering in these works of art. She has been paper crafting for 12 years, add in her painting creations and you will find real imagination come to life.

This premade album got a heart from me! Being a mom myself, I always tote the camera around in my purse and have loads of albums on my computer. This would be such a fast and easy gift for any of the grandparents! I could just pop my pictures into this premade album, and presto! A handmade gift with a personal touch!

Just look inside of this album! I love the pages are completely filled with notions and knick knacks, with plenty of space to add all of my favorite photos! This is a favorite for sure! I LOVE all of the different techniques used, from the normal framed page to the pages that have interact-able pieces!

I could share my favorite pieces all day, but you will just have to check it out for yourself!

Find RibbitScraps at Online!
Etsy: www.ribbitscraps.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ribbitscraps

Blog: www.bigtlittleo.blogspot.com

Family Cookbook :: Join The Club Wrap

2010-08-11T01:13:00.000-07:00

This weeks recipe comes from the kitchen of Lavenderave.

4 Uncooked bacon slices, diced (or 1T bacon bits)
½ cup chopped avocado
½ cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 T chopped fresh basil
1 tsp fresh lime juice
Kosher salt (25% less sodium than regular salt)
Pepper
¼ lb thinly sliced smoked turkey
1 cup firmly packed chopped arugula (or lettuce you like)
Two 10 or 11 inch flour tortillas

Cook bacon until crispy and brown, about 5 minutes, cool on towel – lined plate. Combine the avocado, tomato, onion, basil, lime juice, and bacon in a small bowl. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread desired amount of avocado mixture on tortilla, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the edge. Top with turkey and arugula, and wrap. Makes 2.

** I double this recipe to feed my family.

Classic Summer

2010-08-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

As we enjoy this last month of summer, lets reflect back on the classic warm yellows and creams of the summer months.
Enjoy this treasury at etsy :: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c61756c290a8eef68fc1f9f/classic-modern

Friday Feature :: Cards & Moore by Terri

2010-08-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

This week I visited a shop that will put the finishing touches and your gift to make it extra hand-made special!

A sweet little shop of creativity at Cards & Moore by Terri. The awesome selection had me clicking around like crazy. Her themes are so fun and different, definitely not a drug store greeting card! The colors are intriguing, perfect combinations for either a vintage or a modern feel. I would love to see her workspace, I am sure she has some of the most fun stamps and papers to spark inspiration.

As I clicked around in this shop I discovered some of the coolest 3 dimensional art cards I had ever seen! Just look at this little house, just imagine all the goodies you could tuck inside! I saved it as a favorite for my grandmother birthday coming up! I always make her some mini sugar cookies, and I think they would fit perfectly inside!

I was also drawn to this beautiful flower card. The colors are gorgeous and the ribbons and flower are bright and eye opening. Then I read the description and learned that the flower is a pin! The birthday girl and enjoy the brooch long after the giving of the card! I hearted this one as well.

While further exploring the shop I discovered that Terri does more than amazing paper work! She also sews! Check out this rag quilt-carry all bag. The colors and design are just as creative as her cards. I also learned, in her profile, that Terri has been doing nails for 15 years! Nail art is a very detailed craft of patience, and those skills show in her beautiful paper crafting.

There are so many more pictures that I want to share with you, but you will just have to go check out this shop for yourself!
Find Terri online:
ETSY: www.terrbear37.etsy.com
BLOG: www.terrbear38.blogspot.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/terrbear38

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=77236204729#/pages/Cards-Moore-By-Terri/77236204729

Dragged Plaid

2010-08-05T09:38:00.001-07:00

Team Challenge :: September

2010-08-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the second Modern Mom Team Challenge. This project has been designed to challenge our team members to work with a new inspiration idea and create the best of the best!For the month of September the theme is …… *drum roll*

"Reading, Writing and Arithmetic "

Okay Modern Mom’s get to crafting your back to school ideas!
The rules:

Design: There are no design rules, open your imagination and create something!

Entry: All entries must be entered as an Etsy shop item on August 23, 2010. Create a listing for your shop, send a convo to bynichole with a link to the entry item.A treasury will be created with the challenge entries and a convo will be sent to you with the link.A blog post will also created with all of the entriesWithin the listing be sure to attach a link to the treasury and ask shoppers to go vote!

Voting: Post the link to the treasury on your facebook, twitter, blog and every where else and tell your friends to go vote! They vote for their favorite product by leaving a comment. Voters are limited to one entry. If they are not a registered Etsy user, they may leave a comment with their vote on the entries blog post Voting will last until 9pm PST Thursday August 26th. The winner will be announced on the blog by Friday morning.

Prize: The winner gets to label their item as an challenge winner and gets the title of challenege winner for the month of September (which comes with bragging rights).

Team Challenge :: Life's a Beach

2010-07-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

And the winner is............

Terrbear37 with her day at the beach pail card!

Congratulations Terri! You did a fantastic job crafting up this fun and imaginitive card!

Check out her whole papercraft inventory at her Etsy shop : http://www.etsy.com/shop/Terrbear37?ref=seller_info

Team Challenge :: Life's a Beach

2010-07-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Life's a Beach

The team members of Modern Mom have completed their first team challenge!

The winner will be decided based on the votes of our fans! Here how to play

There are three places you can cast your vote:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite entry

2. Visit the treasury at Etsy and leave a comment with your favorite entry:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c4d0547d1628eef9cddc625/lifes-a-beach

3. Visit our facebook fanpage, view the team challenge album and "like" your favorite entry:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22352&id=127848397240210

Please only vote once (not at each place)
Modern Moms, please vote for one other than yourself.

Voting ends Thursday evening and the winner will be announced Friday morning

Entry from Terrbear37

"Day at the Beach Pail Card"

Entry from Ribbitscraps

"Lifes a Beach chipboard album"

Entry from Lavenderave
"The beach towel skirt"

Entry from bynichole

"Life's a beach felt baby shoes"

Friday Feature :: Lavenderave

2010-07-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

This week I visited a shop that I fell in love with instantly! Her shop so sweet and simple, and I love it! Check out Lavenderave.

The style in this shop is very classic. The clean white night gowns make me think of sweet country summer nights, jumping on the bed and dancing under the moon. The models are sweet children that picture just those images into my imagination.

The owner of this shop is a mother to three, who takes pride in creating for her family. “I come from a long line of women who made it themselves or made do without, and we take pride in the things we make for our homes and families.”

One of my favorite things in this shop are these adorable pantalettes. They add such whimsy to any little dress (I marked as a favorite).
Even though this shop specializes in nightgowns and pjs, you can get your little sweeties summer dress here too! And its custom fit so you don’t have to worry when buying online! You just shop from her fabric inventory and she whips it out. I love custom fit dresses, having a very small girl myself, I can never find off the rack dresses that fit well.

Don’t forget the boys! She also makes very cute pj sets for the boy in your life. I love these pirate jammies, they just might be on the wish list for my sons birthday!

Lavenderave is a shop that I visit often. I just love the feel of the shop, the pictures, the products and of course the cutie models. “lavender avenue is a company that produces thoughtfully handmade items for your home and family.”

You can find her online :
Etsy shop: http://www.lavenderave.etsy.com
Her very active blog: http://www.mylavenderave.blogspot.com
And her facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/mylavenderave

Family Cookbook :: Easy Lemon Pasta & Chicken

2010-07-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

This weeks recipe comes from the kitchen of Terrbear.

1 pound dried penne ( you can use rice pasta if you can't have wheat/gluten)
2 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley
2 lemons juiced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta until done. Drain well.Season the chicken with salt and pepper and grill until done. Cut up when cool enough to handle.Heat the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add the cooked pasta and turn the heat off. Mix all together Add the chicken to the warm pasta, season with salt. Sprinkle in the chopped parsley and add the lemon juice. Before serving stir in the cheese.

Serves 3 to 5

Your 5 million potential customers

2010-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Being an active seller in the virtual labs, I have had a chance to meet many fantastic people out there in the Etsy community. One of those people is jswrites. She is not a seller, but a buyer who has embraced the exciting community at Etsy. She attends nearly all of the virtual labs, and is a part of both the Etsy Chatters team and the Etsy Lab Rats team. After a conversation in a lab about the importance of bringing our buyers to be a part of our community, I asked jswrites to write up a piece for us sellers to remind us to give our customers the great experience of shopping at Etsy. -bynichole

Reference:http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/etsy-statistics-may-2010-weather-report-8787

In the Etsy Statistics: May 2010 Weather Report we learn that 239,340 new members joined the Etsy community in May, up 1.4% from April.

Elsewhere on the Etsy site, a quick view of Etsy's overall stats shows that in July 2010 there are over 5 million total members, which includes over 400,000 total sellers.

Although I'm as cynical as anyone about statistics (years in advertising and research will do that), in this case, the numbers just don't lie. Even allowing for all the members with multiple Etsy accounts who are being counted two or more times, that's about a 10:1 ratio of buyers to sellers. You sellers are wonderfully outnumbered.

Sellers are, almost as a requirement of opening a shop, more involved with Etsy. You have to get deep into the site just to learn how to set up a shop. You probably look around Etsy all the time, to see how you're doing vs. what your competitors are up to. You consider joining teams, you read and post on the forums and check out the Storque blog, plus you may make Treasuries, attend the Virtual Labs, and share experiences in chat.

And the non-seller? A friend tells her about Etsy or she reads an article in her local paper or her favourite magazine, or catches a piece on Martha Stewart or the Today Show, and logs on. She spots something on the front page or through a search for the thing she saw on TV, buys it, and that might be it!

Then, especially if she has a so-so customer service experience, or the widget she purchased wasn't everything she hoped for, she may never come back to Etsy again. Even if everything went splendidly from start to finish, if there's nothing in the experience and the items to engage her, she may never get that sense of community that can be the factor to bring someone to the site over and over again.

What can you do about it? Despite the admittedly self-serving "5 million potential customers" title, it's not only about sales, although they can be a happy by-product. It's more about getting members of a large population involved in a vibrant group of individuals with interests that intersect with your Modern Mom philosophy.You already know some of these individuals - non-sellers who have made purchases from your shops. Reach out to them (in a non-spammy way) and to your friends, acquaintances, and family members to invite them to join your Team, to read your blog; maybe to sign up for Modern Mom Meet-up opportunities. It's not as though you're discussing any deep, dark secrets about selling that customers can't know, so why exclude non-sellers?

With a Team like yours, where the exchange of information is as much about lifestyle and problem solving as it is strictly about selling, your community can be a friendly place that this huge target group - including non-sellers - can want to visit again and again, without any sense of hard-sell.

Regards,
Judith

Friday Feature :: DesignsbyLindaKay

2010-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week I am visited a shop I found in Pounce. Pounce is an Etsy feature that allows you to search for undiscovered shops just waiting for their first Etsy sale.

While Pouncing around at Etsy I found Designsbylindakay, I was attracted to this shop because of the large amount of diverse inventory. I reached out to Linda and learned that she is the grandmother to 8 grand babies, with only 2 girls! She has been sewing for 40 years and can’t get enough of the creative fun that comes along with creating dresses for her granddaughters, so she has decided to share them with the world through Etsy.

Like many Etsians, an injury kept her from her creative career and has turned to the online market to fulfil her creative need. Linda spent 12 years a custom framer, a career that is full of creativity. Thankfully it has not affected her sewing ability!

Each of the dresses in her shop are her own design. When you order a dress it is custom made to your desired size. Being the mother of a

super tall and skinny girl, I like to find custom order dresses because on the rack stock never fits right. With her 40 years of sewing experience I know she would be able to create anything you throw at her.

I love the Mod styles available. Vintage is coming back fast and Linda will be right on track with a mixture of fun colors as well as the classic black and white. The prices are very reasonable, especially for handmade. You would never get one of these dresses off the rack for these prices.

So no matter the occasion :: holidays, birthdays, weddings or even just Sunday dresses, check out Designsbylindakay at Etsy. Support handmade, Modern Moms do!

Linda has not yet established her facebook fanpage, but until then you can find her at Etsy at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/designsbylindakay

The Craft Table :: Star Fruit Stamping

2010-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July might be over, but this project would be fun for any celebration! It comes from Modern Mom member lavenderave . Her family did this project to decorate for the holiday. Thanks for sharing with us!

Supplies
Fabric - I used canvas, but any sturdy fabric will work
Cardboard or something to put under the fabric to prevent the paint from bleeding through
Fabric paint
Glitter paint
Cotton strips or ribbon
Triangle pattern
Star fruit or star shaped stamp

"Funny story about the star fruit - I went to the supermarket to buy a star fruit, my inner penny pincher grumbling about buying exotic fruit to use for a stamp. They were out of star fruit. I approached the produce lady, who dug one out of her trash box for me. She had just thrown them out because they were starting to turn moldy. She cut off the bad bits and gave them to me for free. Inner penny pincher smiles happily and subsides into silence. It never hurts to ask. "

Cut the star fruit in half. Dry out a bit on a paper towel. While you wait, cut your triangles out of fabric, paper or canvas. Using the star stamp or star fruit, make a couple of practice stamps on your cardboard or a scrap of fabric. If you like it, go for it!

Let dry for at least 4 hours

Now cut a strip (I did 1 inch strips) of cotton or ribbon the length you want. I wanted my banner to go over my front door, so I cut a length to fit 6 triangles plus 6 inches on either end. Pin the triangles to the ribbon or fabric strips, and sew. I went for the zigzag stitch. Super easy, and then if I go a bit crooked, it's harder to tell...

Just a note - we used red, white and blue paint. The white did not show up that well, so I used the glitter paint to go around the edges of the white stars. It definitely helped. You can see that in the first photo. All that's left is hanging it up!

Shop Talk :: Establishing Your Etsy Shop

2010-07-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

You have been shopping at Etsy for while, and now you are ready to start up your own shop. Now its time to set up the shop and get established. In this article, I will show you the area of your shop that need to be completed before you start spreading the word.

In your "My Etsy" screen, locate the Shop Setup section.

1. Appearance:
Shop Title - the shop title will appear in two places. On the tab of the internet explorer and beneath the banner in your shop. As you can see on the tab, your user name is added to the page title, so this is a good opportunity to create a shop name or announce your special promotion

Banner - Your banner should be a first impression of your shop. You can create your own banner in various computer programs. But if you are not graphic - talented, you can purchase banner packages from several different Etsy sellers. To Etsy listings, follow this link: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=etsy+banner&filter%5B0%5D=handmade&filter%5B1%5D=everything_else

Shop Announcement - This is where you can announce what your shop is all about, in a few words. Shoppers can be turned off to too much text. When they click in your shop they want to see your product right away. A good rule is to keep your announcement short enough so the firs t three featured listings can be seen without scrolling down. Don't put your blog, facebook and other social networking links in the announcements, you don't want your buyers to click away from your shop before get a chance to look at it. Put these links in your profile.Also, this is where you would announce and sales or promotions you currently have running. Make sure that this Is always updated. The shop annoucment is also what will come up in search engines, so make your shop "clickable" with a strong first line.

Alchemy Announcement - Alchemy is a feature buyers can use to request a custom item to be made, sellers then bid on the project and the buyer chooses who to purchase from. If you would like more information on Alchemy, please visit the Etsy help section : http://help.etsy.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/248/

Message to Buyers - This is attached to the invoice. It is your chance to let your buyers know that their purchase was appreciated.

2. Policies
Welcome - Imagine you owned an actual physical shop, how would you greet the shoppers that walk in the door? That is what you want to put into your welcome.

Payment - Etsy works with paypal as a save payment center. If you accept other types of payment list that here. Even though it is Etsy policy that a buyer pays for an item immediately during checkout, sometimes a buyer won't complete payment. Here is where you list your policy in this event.

Shipping - do you use USPS, UPS, Fedex or another form of shipping? List it here. Also describe how items are shipping, in flat rate boxes, in recycled boxes, etc.
Refunds and Exchanges - be sure to have a clear policy for refunds and exchanges. If you have an unclear policy, buyers may be weary of purchasing from you.

Additional Policies and FAQ's - here is a good place to list your blog, facebook and other social networking sites. Do note that it is against Etsy policy to link to another website in which a buyer can purchase your product, for example: Artfire or a personal website with a checkout capabilities

3. Shop Sections
Sections are an easy way to sort your items into different categories. Imagine a store, like items are organized into different departments. If you have shop only 1 type of product, say T-shirts, you can use your shop sections to organize them by size or style. For more information on shop sections, please visit the FAQ section at Etsy : http://help.etsy.com/app/answers/list/c/8,41/search/1

4. Shipping Profiles
Shipping profiles allow you list quickly by saving your shipping information for specific products. For more information please visit the FAQ section at Etsy: http://help.etsy.com/app/answers/list/c/8,39/

Public Profile
Now that you have set up the shop, you need to set up your profile. A well completed profile is important for many reasons.
Buyers that feel connected to your personally or more likely to return to your shop for future purposes
Being open and honest about yourself helps buyers feel safe purchasing from you
Editorial media will review profiles when they are looking for new shop owners to feature.

Click on the Public Profile tab in your my Etsy screen
Avatar - your avatar is a quick reflection of who you are when you participate in the Etsy Community. There are different ways that you can decide how to choose your avatar
Use a great picture of a product
Use a graphic that matches your banner
Use a brand logo
If you have several social networks for your shop specifically, you might consider using the same avatar for each of those networks so that you can be easily recognized, building a strong web-presence.

Location - It is important that you list your actual City and Country Location. Be sure to list both City and State. On the front page of Etsy there is an option to "Shop Local" Etsy searches the locations of the shops to show the buyer sellers who live in their city. If you do not have an accurate location listed, you will not come up in this search. Etsy is international, so a buyer needs to know where their product is coming from. Also, don't list several locations. List only the location that the item will be shipped from, if you have too many locations you won't be viewed as a handmade crafter, more of a distributer (which is not allowed at Etsy)

Bio- Here is where you have the opportunity to share with your buyer why you create and sell. Show them that you are a human who has a passion for your craft. People come to Etsy in search of handmade goodness, to keep away from the corporate shopping and support artists.

Now your shop is set up, start listing! Come back next month to learn about listing items and maximizing your sale opportunities!

Friday Feature :: LittlePrincessBow

2010-07-09T09:15:00.001-07:00

This week I visited a shop that had my imagination running. Every week I get my daughter dressed up for church and always take a little extra time to do her hair extra special with clippies and pretties. I have seen one of these bows first hand when I was organizing a benefit auction basket. The flower loop bow was a beautiful piece that came in a cute blue box and fit perfectly in the basket.

LilPrincessBow has a full shop with every color/pattern combination you could think of! When my nieces birthday rolls around I know where I’ll be shopping! As I was clicking around in the shop I found several different kind of clips, from simple ribbon clips, to beautiful bows with rhinestones; even tiny bows for babies!

The creator behind the shop is a fantastic lady who is extremely active in the Etsy community. She is definitely an artist with an eye for style. How did she get into the world of bows? In her words: “My sister and I am so fortunate to be the mommies of two beautiful little princesses. However, we live on both sides of the coast so we’ve been trying to find something that we can do together…and we’ve found it! Making hair bows brought us together even closer then when we were living under the same roof.We share ideas, techniques and styles. All bows are uniquely designed and handmade by me with top quality material. We understand how special your little princess is, just like how special our little princesses are to us, so we will not sell anything that we won’t put on our own precious girls”

For the month of July you can get in on a SPECIAL SALE!

~~~~BUY 4 GET 1 FREE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL~~~~Celebrating one year on Etsy! Purchase 4 items and the 5th item will be FREE! Also, REDUCED SHIPPING RATE! $2 US/ $2.5 Canada/ $3.50 International - all flat rates!

Find LilPrincessbow online!
Etsy Shop: http://lilprincessbow.etsy.com/
Blog: http://lilprincessbow.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lilprincessbow
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/LilPrincess-Bowtique/128613927661?ref=ts

Family Cookbook :: Toddler Friendly Pasta Stir Fry

2010-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

This dish is coming from the kitchen of bynichole.

"When you cook for the family on a very small budget you learn how to get creative with chicken and pasta. This is a dish that my kids love and is extremly versitle; just add more veggies, pasta or chicken to fatten it up or play around with different sauces...don't be afraid of the asian section at the super market."

What you will need

2 cups of dry pasta

1 or two chicken breasts
(depends on how much your family will eat)

1 TBS minced garlic

1 bag (at least 4 cups) frozen stir fry mix, thawed

2 TBS soy sauce

3 TBS sweet & sour sauce (or try different sauce flavors like orange sauce or honey)

Now lets get cookin!

Prepare pasta according to package directions

Over medium heat, cook the chicken and garlic until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to plate and keep warm *never reuse the surface the raw chicken touched until it has been sanitized*

Add the vegetable mix to the skillet. Turn the heat to high. Cook the vegetables until the excess water has been evaporated.

Return the chicken to the skillet with the vegetables

Add the soy sauce and the sweet & sour sauce, mix evenly

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet
Mix until all of the pasta is coated in the sauce

Plate you entree....

...Say your blessings and enjoy a meal with your family!

Citrus Summer Gift Guide

2010-07-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

A fresh taste of the summer months! Check out these awesome creations from our Modern Moms!

Visit the treasury at Etsy and leave your comments! http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c321ff50a006d91fd65766f/citrus-summer

Friday Features :: HollyBerryHill

2010-07-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

This week I re-visited a shop that I have already been a buyer at, and I am so excited share the wonderful experience I had at HollyBerryHill. Don’t be fooled by the beautifully simplistic photos, these are not your ordinary candles, these are 100% soy, clean burning , candles.
I first met the creator, Noelle, when I was collecting items for a silent auction basket to benefit Tina’s Hope for a Cure (http://www.tinashopeforacure.org/). She sent me two candle tins that almost killed me to put in the basket and not hoard for myself. Without even lighting the candles my workspace was filled with the yummy flavors and I found myself putting them next to my sewing machine. After the auction event I missed the aroma and went to the shop to get some more for myself.

I purchased the mini bundt tarts in baked apple for my Scentsy warmer. I don’t even have to turn it on to smell the delicious apple flavor fills my apartment, in fact I am enjoying it right now!

I love the cupcake candles, they are so cute and perfect for gifts, I can see this as a great tuck-in-the-gift-bag addition for the friend who is on a diet!

In Noelles words : “...I've been a crafting addict ever since I can remember. I've always had a compulsion to be making something or other. Isn't there a saying somewhere about "busy hands..."? I started about 20 years ago selling dolls that I made out of muslin and calico to the women that I worked with and quickly progressed to local craft shows focusing on holiday decorations and Christmas Ornaments.

I love learning new skills and six years ago I started making candles. My passion for candles grew out of necessity because I had such a hard time finding really good, quality candles. I wanted one that filled my entire home with delicious scent when it was lit and didn't just smell good in the jar. I was also tired of soot on my ceiling, walls, everywhere yuck! That’s when I discovered the awesomeness of soy wax and was hooked.”

Inside scoop! Later this summer new items are coming to hollyberryhill! Poptart wax melts and cinnamon wax melts! They look and smell like the real thing and I can’t wait to get my hands on them! In the mean time try out a couple of her amazing flavors, I personally suggest the baked apple, banana bread and pumpkin bread…fool the neighbors into thinking you’re are baking!

Find Hollyberryhill Online:
Etsy: http://www.hollyberryhill.etsy.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Suffield-CT/Holly-Berry-Hill/105552406152868?ref=ts&ajaxpipe=1&__a=9

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hollyberryhill

Blog: http://www.hollyberryhillonline.com/

How To Use Digital Stamps

2010-06-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Modern Mom Team Challenge - August

2010-06-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first ever Modern Mom Team Challenge. This project has been designed to challenge our team members to work with a new inspiration idea and create the best of the best!
For the month of August the theme is …… *drum roll*

“Life’s a Beach”

Okay Modern Mom’s get to crafting!

The rules:

Design: There are no design rules, open your imagination and create something!

Entry: All entries must be entered as an Etsy shop item on July 25th 2010. Create a listing for your shop, send a convo to bynichole with a link to the entry item.A treasury will be created with the challenge entries and a convo will be sent to you with the link.A blog post will also created with all of the entries
Within the listing be sure to attach a link to the treasury and ask shoppers to go vote!

Voting: Post the link to the treasury on your facebook, twitter, blog and every where else and tell your friends to go vote! They vote for their favorite product by leaving a comment. Voters are limited to one entry. If they are not a registered Etsy user, they may leave a comment with their vote on the entries blog post Voting will last until 9pm PST Thursday July 29th. The winner will be announced on the blog by Friday morning.

Prize: The winner will get a blog feature, The challenge winner badge to attach to the listing, and bragging rights for the whole month!

Friday Feature :: Coaster Creations

2010-06-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

This week I visited a shop that I bookmarked as the go-to place for upcoming gift occasions : weddings, birthdays, hostess gifts and the quickly approaching holiday season.

The shop is Coaster Creations (http://www.etsy.com/shop/coastercreator ) , and the artist is an amazingly motivated mother who loves to create and share it with the world.

“I became passionate about being creative around my home, whether it was growing a garden or creating a scrapbook of memories. A friend taught me how to create hand-stamped travertine tile coasters and the seed was planted for a new business. Over time, I realized that this was a business I wanted to grow as I had a fabulous product that is handmade and can be personalized. Personalized monogrammed coasters became the "go to" gift for teachers and hostesses. I keep thinking of more creative uses for the coasters and I am having a blast! These coasters make great gifts because they are beautiful and functional. I am definitely pouring my energy into something I love!” –michelle

Not only did I come to like Michelle through her own words, but the green tile that was chosen as one of her featured items drew me in right away! I love it! I can imagine this in my mothers’ kitchen and out on the patio for our weekly summer mohito night. Marking it as a favorite, I think I have her birthday gift lined up!

I was also drawn to the monogram tiles with the busy wedding season on my mind. Described as the perfect gift for the person who has everything, I am remembering this item for a wedding I am attending this fall, for the couple who has everything and would never expect a set of monogrammed coasters that are beautiful, durable and handmade.

If you are the happy couple, look no further for your attendees gifts! Any bridesmaid would love to receive this “something blue” coaster set. Something that can be used every day to remind them of how much you care.

Michelle does each piece with care and love, and accepts custom orders! So don’t be afraid to send her a message and get rolling on the perfect gift for anyone, anytime!
“like” her facebook page at : http://www.facebook.com/CoasterCreations
She also works with retailers on a wholesale price list, for more information please visit the webpage at : http://uncommonstonedesigns.com/ õ

Membership Requirement & Application

2010-06-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

All members must be active in promoting each other and the team tag ModernMom. They must be active in the team community i.e. forum and social networks, as well as other social networks i.e. etsy chat rooms and forums, personal shop fan pages.

Members must own an active Etsy Shop.

Members are not required to participate in all promotions, group sales, or charity donations, but are expected to help advertise them.

Members are required to be positive and supportive of all the other members.

Members are required to be active in the team community no less than weekly and report activity in the designated forum section. Activities include: (1) blog/tweet/facebook team activities (2) blog/tweet/facebook about another modern mom member (3) comment on blog posts (4) participate in a team event (5) list a new item and tag it “modernmom” (6) attend a team meeting (7) host a virtual home party (8) donate an item to a charity supported by the team (9) write an article or create a video for the team newsletter/blog (10) suggest a new promotional event to the team

To apply, send an email to joinmodernmomteam@yahoo.com for application form.

Shop Talk : A Successful Workspace

2010-06-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Creativity can be a very messy process. Generally an artist or crafter keeps a messier workspace, while an obsessive compulsive type will keep a nice and tidy workspace. So what happens when you are an OCD crafter? This workspace is what happens.

I, like many home crafters, only dream of having an entire room dedicated to my work. Instead my workstation is set up by the window in my family dining room. I have it outlined by a 6 by 3 foot rug for tax purposes. Now I am not saying that my work station is the way to go, because every person has a very different creative process, but no matter how your creative mind works you must have a workspace that is organized and successful. Even if organized means messy.

In this article you will find the key topics to think about when you set up your workspace.

The Home Office
If you are not one of those lucky crafters that get a whole room as your workspace, make sure that you close off . You can take advantage of several tax breaks and write offs, but make sure that you are following the IRS home office outlines. This link will take you to the home office definition page :: http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/small-business/5662.html

Supply Inventory
When its time to sit down at your workspace and start to create, you want to be able to clearly see what you have to work with. Use clear plastic containers or open bins to keep your supplies separated. I am a crazy label fanatic, and have the need to store and label all of my supplies in a consistent fashion. However, I always know what I have and right where to find it.

Protect your supplies. Not only do you need to clearly see what you have in your creative inventory, you need to keep it well protected until the time comes to use it. The investment in proper storage containers will be worth the potential loss of supplies if they are not well stored.

Product Inventory/Storage
Now that you have all of your supplies in order and well protected, you need to make sure that your finished products are well protected. Find a nice safe place to use as storage, keeping in mind that you will need easy access to the area when you make a sale.

Photography Station
When selling online your pictures do all the work. So you want to make the most of them, but still be convenient for you. Later in the article series I will get into more detail about successful picture taking, but for now I will just make this point. Keep an area clear for pictures near a window that has indirect light. For me the window in the pictures is the perfect place. The sun moves along the back of my house, and in the morning and late afternoon that window has the most incredible indirect lighting for the perfect natural light pictures. I always keeps a space clear for the back drop to go up easily and pictures to be done quickly.

Shipping Station
Quick packing and shipping time is very important when you are a small business owner with an online market. Make it easy for yourself. I keep an area under my desk with all of my shipping supplies. In this basket you will find my digital scale, packing tape, tissue paper, logo stickers, hand written note cards and a sharpie marker. Next to the basket is my stack of different size boxes and envelopes. When I make a sale I can quickly pull our the basket and have my package ready for the post office right away.

Computer Station
When you have an online business, your computer is a very important piece of equipment. Keep in mind that if you use your computer as a tax write off, it can only be used for the business and not for personal use. Because I use a computer desk as my workstation my flat screen monitor easily fits behind my sewing machine and the wireless keyboard and mouse on the pull out shelf. I personally keep my computer in my workstation because I manage my shop and network sites while working through out the day. Keeping it close allows me to multi task and quickly answer customer emails. Keeping my computer at my work station also allows me to walk away from "work" and feel at home in the rest of my house.

Whether your workspace is an extra room just a marked off area in your dining room, it is important to spend the time to properly organize it to its full functionality to keep up with a successful creative business.

::n::

Modern Mom Team Members

2010-06-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Etsy Name ~ Shop Link ~ Name

ByNichole ~ Sew Cute by Nichole ~ Nichole
Coastercreator ~ Coaster Creations ~ Michelle
Hollyberryhill ~ Holly Berry Hill ~ Noelle
Lavenderave ~ Lavender Avenue ~ Jenn
Lilprincessbow ~ Lil'Princess Bowtique ~ Alice
Ribbitscraps ~ Ribbit Scraps ~ Tonya
Terrbear37 ~ Cards & Moore By Terri ~ Terri

Modern Mom Established May 2010

2010-05-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Modern Mom is founded on the ambition to own a successful Etsy shop and be on the frontier of the online marketplace. We strive to build connections with other ambitious moms who are focused on success.

This is an exciting new Etsy Team that is motivated to have succesful shops and make great friends while helping our communities.

Our Leaders are:

President :: Nichole (bynichole)
Vice President ::Teri (Terrbear37)
Secretary :: Jenn (lavenderave)
VP of Recruiting and Membership :: Tonya (ribbitscraps) :: Noelle (hollyberryhill)
Blog Committe Chair :: Alice (lilprincessbow)
Social Network Committee Chair :: Michelle (coastercreator)
Newsletter Committee Co-Chair :: Jenn (lavenderave) :: Alice (lilprincessbow)