...And last month's winner!! The winner of the March designer giveaway, as selected by a random number generator, is theweaverhouse! Congrats Tammy. Tawnya will be in touch with you about your prize.


I am thrilled to have as the April Feature, an extremely talented clothing designer. I have worked with her on several occasions, either as collaborations or modeling. Both ways, her too-cute kiddos have modeled for my designs, and Joy has modeled for her. And it's always been so much fun. I've known her about 2 years (is that right?) and I'm very honored to call her my friend.

So, without much more introduction, I'll get right to the good stuff!
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Tell us a little about you, your family, and life outside the studio-
My name is Brittni. I live in Rochester, NY with my hubby of 7 years, and 2 kids- Amelya and Benjamin. Amelya is 4 and Benjamin is 3, so they keep my super busy! Sewing is my "mommy time-out" and I love it!!

What kinds of things do you make to sell?

For the most part, I make ruffly, frilly, little girls clothes. I do like to throw in a boy's design every once in a while. Usually when my son starts asking if the dress I'm making is for him!!

Where can we find your designs?

You can find me on Etsy www.pbjboutique.etsy.com or on ebay under the id pbj*boutique. You can also find me on Facebook and I do have a blog, www.pbjboutique.blogspot.com but I can't promise it's been updated!

When did the crafting bug first hit you?

I've been doing crafty things as long as I can remember! I used to make scrunchies to match my outfits when I was a kid (does anyone else remember the 80's), and moved on to Halloween costumes and the like for little cousins. I started cross-stitching, my husband calls that the "Gateway Craft" in about 5th grade and still do lots of that. I learned to knit in college, and crochet in grad school. I also took a few quilting classes after I got married. I just love to be doing something all the time. My family calls me "Martha".

Is there a design that you're particularly fond of and why?

Oh boy. So many that I love! I think one of my favorites is actually a Christmas design from this past year. I called it "Victorian Christmas". Amelya wore the sample when I took her, and a little friend and her mom, to see the Nutcracker at the Rochester City Ballet. I just love the gathered inserts, the fabric covered buttons, all the little details!

I'm gonna jump in here and say, I love this one too!!

Definately one of my favorites of yours Brittni! :)

What most inspires your designs? Where do you get your ideas?

I am most inspired by my daughter! She loves to help me pick out fabrics, and I haven't ever made something that she wouldn't wear! I like classic little-girl style and stay far away from ever writing anything on my little girl's tushie! Most of my ideas come in the strangest places, like while I'm driving, or sleeping, or vacuuming.

Any advice for other designers just getting started?

Carry your business cards with you wherever you go! You never know when someone may stop you and ask where your child got that adorable dress, or where you got your purse. There's no better feeling then seeing someone's face when they hear "I made it".

Anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks so much to Melissa for the opportunity to share!

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Well thanks to you as well Brittni, for sharing some of your fabulous designs with us!!

Do you like what Brittni has to offer?

Want your own incredible pbj*boutique creation?

Brittni is offering a giveway of one of her amzing knot dresses, like the rocket one pictured below, or the sunshine one in the interview.

With a choice of theme/colors from her extensive fabric stash!!!

Where do I enter, you ask? Well, simply leave a comment.

It's that easy!

Want another entry?

Become a follower of my blog. Already done that? Remind me in a comment.

And an extra entry if you follow Britt's blog too!

What, you say you want more chances to win?

Go check out Brittni's items, either etsy or ebay. And leave a comment here on which your favorite is.

Good Luck to you!

Fun Food Friday

Mmmmm, mmmmmm.... GOOD!!

So, I (finally) got my Pioneer Woman cookbook in the mail today and instantly started flipping through it. Looking for something yummy to make.

Her Chicken Spaghetti caught my eye but I didn't have all the ingredients and didn't feel like running to the store.

So, what's a girl to do? I improvised and came up with my own yumminess!

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Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

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First off, start boiling some pasta. Your preference. I used spaghetti noodles.

Then cook 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

After it is done, grab some forks and shred it up.

You can use a whole fryer chicken or whatever you have on hand. :)

After the chicken is shredded, throw it in a pan with a little bit of olive oil on low.

I then added about half a jar of sun-dried tomatoes.

Because, that's all I had left!

Chop 'em up in chunks.

I splashed in a bit of the oil from the jar for added flavor.

Toss them in with the shredded chicken.
Here's the good stuff.

I love cheese. It makes everything better.

Well, that and chocolate, but I digress...

I used about 1 1/2 cups.

Sprinkle it in with the chicken and tomatoes a little at a time and stir until melted.

Add a can of cream of mushroom soup and mix it all together. You will need to add milk to "creamy" it up. I splashed in about 1 cup, but add what feels right to you.

Depends on how "saucy" you want your sauce!

After that mixture is good and blended, toss it with the noodles.

Doesn't that look yummy?!!

Don't believe me? Just ask the 5 year old.

Lil Blue Boo

Well, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, I'm sure you are aware of the fabulous new trend of upcycled dresses! Well, the creator of the ingenious pattern for these darling dresses is running a contest right now for a completely custom dress!!
You definately do NOT want to miss this opportunity.
Hop on over to her site right now and be sure to get your entry in. :)

Sunday Morning Hussle.

Why is it that EVERY time we have to leave the house at a certain time, is when the dilly-dallying turns up a notch.

Take yesterday for example-

We were on a roll. The kids were up, fed, dressed, kissed daddy goodbye as he was on his way to first service.

Silly me, I took advantage of the dressed kids and jumped in the shower. Still on track, great!

After the shower, dressed, hair done. "Where are my glasses?"

I was seriously searching for a full 10 minutes.

This is when the kids start to bicker, side-track movie on- check. :)

Keep searching....

Searching......

Mind you, at this point we should have left the house 5 minutes ago.

"Stop sitting on your brother, go wait by the door so we can go."

"As soon as mommy finds her glasses, we'll head out to the car. Has anyone seen mommy's glasses, by the way?"

Isaiah- "Oh yeah, their downstairs!"

Me- "How did they get downstairs?"

Did I even go downstairs this morning?

Isaiah- "I took 'em down there."

Of course, why am I not surprised. :)

Glasses on, purse in hand, walking out the door........

"Wait, Isaiah where are your shoes!!??"

Oh goodness, 30 minutes later we are finally in the car, on our way to church, being serenaded

by the sweet voice of Miss Austen in CD player.

A day at the park.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day so I took the kiddos to the park for some fun, fresh air, and a picnic lunch. They had a blast chasing the ducks on the dock and running around the playground. We met up with my mom and the little boy she nannies for, Cyrus, and made an afternoon of it.

Imagine a high-pitched girly toddler squeal here. "DUCKS!!!!" :)

Just incase you were wondering, that was Joy, not Isaiah.

"Cyrus, can you hear me!!??"

"Yesh, Esah"

In unison...

"Here duckies, come here duckies..... HERE!"

Thanks for sharing our sunshiney day with us.

Hope you had fun! :)

Also, don't forget to get your comments in to win Tawny's incredible polymer princess clippy set!!

Scroll down to find them and her interview.

Insert catchy title here......

Okay, okay, I realize that the title of this post is a little hokey, but forgive me. I need more coffee, my brain is not yet working. :)

Lots going on here, lets catch up-

First off, Clay is gone. :( or :) I haven't decided yet. It is nice that he is off prepping the apartment for Veronica's move-in after they get married April 28th. It's so much fun watching young couples start their lives together. But, I have to say, it is different without him around the house. I keep referring to the spare bedroom as "Clay's room" even though he will never use it again. Dave teases that it will be available should he need it. Praying that Veronica and him never get in such a fight that he will.

Second, and super exciting for me! My craft room/studio is nearly finished!!! The carpet guys came yesterday after church and last night Dave started building my cabinets and storage.
My cutting counter is done, with LOTS of shelves to store my fabrics and shelves up above for ribbon bins. Did I mention I was excited? Yes? Okay, moving on then. :)
Tonight he will be building my work space for my sewing machine, bow-making, scrapbooking, etc....
These pictures are BC (before carpet) and I realize that I don't have any of the rest of the room.
My work space will be right under that window there. The hole in the wall is access to the sump so he'll be building a little trap door with a lock that the kiddos won't be able to get into.
And the windows will be trimmed out with nice wide sills.
The white wall you see there peeking in the corner will be my photography area. Looking for an inexpensive high key set up. :)


This is the closet that now has wire shelving for more storage. I'll debating what to put on the wall there above the sump. I salvaged a beautiful window from this remodel that I'm going to repurpose as a frame. Or my fabric covered "DREAM" letters. Hmmmm.....

The opposite wall is where my cutting counter and fabric storage is. I'll be getting a picture of that once all my fabrics are put away.

Speaking of fabrics, fellow blogger Sachiko of Tea Rose Home is having a giveaway for some gorgeous spring fabric. Now I say this to my own detriment, I want it!! But if you love free stuff, repurposing, and fabric then you don't want to miss out. Get on over to her blog and check it out.

Thanks f0r joining me on my little tour today. Come back soon to see the finished room. Have a blessed day everyone!

I want candy......

So, if you have little ones in your house I'm sure you also have a supply of Easter candy left from egg hunts, baskets, etc.....

Also, if you have little ones, I'm sure you've heard this phrase several times a day, every day, since Easter.

Now, we don't always have candy in the house. My children actually like to snack on cheese sticks, carrots, apples... But when we do, oh boy. It's like their "candy radar" goes into overdrive.

This morning for example, the princess came in at 7 asking for water. I'm not sure that she is aware of the fact that Saturdays are for sleeping in.....

I let her know that I'll get her some in a bit, mommy is still sleeping. To this, she asks 3 more times. I think she's been reading this blog behind my back, getting tips! :)

Then comes the request that I hide my giggle- "I really need water" ugh "I really need to sleep".

To this I get pokes in the back, as she has, ever so gracefully, already climbed into bed with us.
"mom.................mom......................mommy...................mooooommmmmmyyyyyy I'm thirsty"

okay okay okay. I am now up.

After the little girl is placated with her water bottle, a quiet movie, and a snuggle on the couch comes the next request..... I need candy.

I can't wait until the Easter candy is gone. :)

March Designer Feature....

I am pleased to have as my first designer feature, a dear friend of mine. She is an incredibly talented polymer artist. We own several of her creative works of art. I have known Tawny for many years in the boutique world and I am honored to have her here and share this great talent with all of you. So without further ado...

Tawnya of Bada*Blingg Designs!
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Tell us a little about you, your family and life outside of designing-
My name is Tawny, the designer behind Bada*Blingg. I have been married to my super chef hubby for 9 years now. We have 4 amazing children: London (15), Austin (14), Cj (8), and our princess Bella (5).

Where can one find your designs?
My designs can be found at-
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BadaBlingg

You can also check out my designs, sneak peeks, and other random stuff at-
dailyicing@blogspot.com
While your there be sure to sign up for my newsletter!
Website coming soon!!!!

When did the crafting bug first hit you?
I have been crafting since I was a kid... I spent the summers with my grandmother and she would keep me busy with pottery, macrame, that kind of thing. And now as an adult, I find if I'm not making something with my hands, I get a bit skitish.... LOL!

Is there a design that you are particularly proud of and why?
I have been so proud of many of my designs.... I don't know if I could really nail down just one. But I was simply giddy the first time I listed a set of my princess clippies and watched my first bidding war begin.... it was the coolest feeling!!!

What inspires your designs? Where do you get your ideas?
My daughter really is what inspires my designs.. if she likes something, one of my sketches or a particular character, it sells.....
I get most of my ideas as I'm falling asleep at night. So I keep a sketch pad by the bed. I've gotten some of my best designs that way!!

Any advice for designers just getting started?
Think outside the box.. and never give up!!!
Oh, and take good pics!!!! LOL!

Anything else you'd like to add?
A big Thanks to Mel for asking me to be the first designer interview! I'm honored!!!!
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Well, a big Thanks to you too Tawny! I am thrilled that you took time to share a little with everyone!

Want a chance to own a fabulous Bada*Blingg creation??? Tawny has been gracious enough to offer a set of her princess hair clippies.

How to enter:

Leave a comment with your email address.

(So you can be contacted if you win!)

Want to be entered again?

Follow my blog. Already a follower? Just remind me in a comment.

Another entry?

Share with your friends: your blog, facebook, etc...

Let me know where and you'll get an entry for each spot. :)

Yet another entry??????

Yep! Hop on over and check out Tawny's blog, and her etsy shop.

Let me know what your fave is and you'll get an entry for each item you share that you like.

She's got some pretty amazing stuff, and no, I'm not just sayin' that!

How CUTE are these!!!

Seriously, you know you want to win them, don't you???!!

Coming into your world....

Does anyone remember that movie?

Pippi Longstocking, coming in to your world...

I haven't seen it in ages, but now I have that song stuck in my head. And of course, those are the only words I can remember!! Isn't that always the way.

Anyway, I found this adorable shirt while hunting for supplies for more upcycled shirt dresses. I thought it was WAY too cute to pass up. My favorite part is the edges. I left 'em raw so that the knit will curl up in the wash. Give it a very Pippi-esque quality. :)

I'm sure by the end of summer, Joy's closet will be FULL of these fun dresses!

Linking up to.....