Feature Friday: Bows Sew Beautiful

This weekend's Feature Friday post is an exciting one! We're featuring the talented bow maker, Samantha and her shop Bows Sew Beautiful. Samantha has been kind enough to offer up a $10 store credit in a giveaway, too. Be sure to check out the links at the end of the post and to enter the giveaway.

Until Samantha submitted a Feature Friday application, I'd never heard of Bows Sew Beautiful. That's not to say anything negative about her shop at all, I have a two year old son and a second boy on the way, those beautiful, fancy hairbows just aren't on my radar. Naturally, I checked out her Etsy shop and facebook page before responding to her application. I was impressed. The bows look great and bonus: she sells clip-on bow ties for little boys! A pretty bow shop that is not just for the little girls! I'm a fan of that aspect.

"There is nothing better than a hot glue gun!!!"

Samantha opened up Bows Sew Beautiful on January 3, 2014 and is based out of her home in Dayton, Ohio. Not only is she an artisan, she is a mother to three children and wife of four years.

Bows Sew Special offers a variety of hair bow styles and infinity scarves; and is currently working on providing more boy themed items. If you don't see something you are looking for, don't be afraid to send a message for a custom order!

In addition to Bows Sew Beautiful, Samantha is also a part of the group The Bow Diva's. There are multiple vendors that come together as a group and do features, giveaways, games, auctions and more!

Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/bowssewbeautiful

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bowsswbtful

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bowmakindiva

Instagram - http://instagram.com/bowssewbeautiful

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recipe Wednesday: Apple Peanut Butter muffins

We've made this muffin recipe before and it was a huge hit, so thought I'd make them again and this time share them on the blog.

APPLE PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS

All the ingredients and the recipe in the background

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 ¹/₂ teaspoons cinnamon, divided

¹/₂ teaspoon salt

1 ¹/₂ cups shredded apples (about 2 medium)

1 cup lowfat buttermilk

¹/₂ cup creamy peanut butter

¹/₄ cup coconut or canola oil

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

I promise, our floor was clean and he
didn't put any of the cups on the floor

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and salt.

3. In another bowl, stir together the shredded apples, buttermilk, peanut butter, oil, egg, and vanilla.

4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, stirring until just mixed, being careful to not over mix.

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the muffin tops.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.

Fresh outta the oven!

As you can see from the photo of the just baked muffins, we made 20 and the recipe says 12 muffins. I made smaller muffins that were the perfect size for two year old PGS. The original recipe says that you can shred the apples peel and all, but it was easier to peel the apple and shred it that way.

Feature Friday: Ribbit Gifts

These can be found here

It's a new month and things are finally starting to be back to normal in the Stitches household. What does that mean for you, our awesome readers? It means a brand new Feature Friday post! This week, I'm bringing to you the very talented Cristina and her shop Ribbit Gifts.

At Ribbit Gifts, it is specialized in everyday jewelry. Meaning, a necklace, bracelet and a pair of earrings that can dress up any outfit, on any day of the week and for any occasion. Accessories are the perfect way to change up your wardrobe when it feels like you're wearing the same outfits every week.

This can be found here

A portion of the sales goes to a different local cause or organization each month. She also offers puzzle piece jewelry and a portion of those sales goes to Autism Speaks (or your local autism resource center, if you request that).

Ribbit Gifts has something for every price range. There are cute corded bracelets for as low as $6 USD (plus a very reasonable shipping charge); with the highest priced item in the shop being $20 USD. I personally love the dinosaur charms she offers for jewelry. How cute is a tiny T-rex or Brontosaurus?

This can be found here

Here's a little more about Ribbit Gifts in Cristina's own words:

I'm a 20-something mom, wife and entrepreneur with a love for life, baking and crafting. Ribbit Gifts specializes in everyday jewelry - a necklace, earrings or bracelet that can be worn with any outfit and for any occasion at an affordable price. I am a strong believer in giving back and supporting the local community. Each month a portion of sales goes to a different local cause or organization. I hope you enjoy your shopping experience at Ribbit Gifts as much as I enjoy making each piece with you in mind!

While I haven't had the chance to purchase anything from Ribbit Gifts yet, I love what is offered and keep her shop in mind when I'm thinking about jewelry purchases. The thing that really stops me is that I have a two year old who still thinks that he should grab necklaces to look at them. But I just might be asking for a fun pair of dragonfly earrings for my birthday this year.

This can be found here

There is an exclusive sale for blog readers, please use offer code FEATUREFRIDAY20 when checking out on Etsy to receive 20% off of your purchase (see below for links). Sale expires June 15, 2014 at 11:59:59 pm Central.

Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/RibbitGifts

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RibbitGifts

Instagram - http://instagram.com/RibbitGifts

Email - ribbitgifts@gmail.com

Why I've been so quiet lately...

The front of our house

As many of you know, we recently moved into a house that we bought. That meant that there was a brief period of time with no internet connection in the house. We've also been really busy unpacking and organizing the house how we'd like it.

The left side is the before and the right side is the collage of afterwards

So far, we are the closest to having our two year old's room completely finished. The last two things to do are replace his light fixture with a ceiling fan that he picked out: Hampton Bay Minuet III 36 in. White Ceiling Fan. He picked out this fan because it has the multi-color fan blades and ya know, he's two. Colors are fun.  He also picked out the bright blue on his walls, it's called Cool Cobalt and it's really bright. I think it's pretty. He has one wall that is half black paint and half black chalkboard paint. In a little under two weeks, we can put up the vinyl star decals that he has for the black wall. He's currently in a stage where he's a huge fan of seeing the moon and pointing out the moon; and for a few months now, he's been pretty fascinated by the stars in the sky at night and any star shapes that he sees.

In the third bedroom, we haven't done anything other than replace the curtains because I'm not a fan of the color green and never have been. The walls will be staying the same color (a blue with a hint of purple in it) that the previous owners had painted it for their little boys. That bedroom is going to be the craft room and office, but mostly craft room because it's on the main level of the house, so I'll be able to do things in there while the boys are home with me and the hubby is at work. I'm sure that our August baby will be in the baby carrier and strapped to me while PGS is playing with his toys in either his bedroom or the living room.

Left: future craft room
Right: main bath

The previous owners left behind some jungle themed wall art in the main bathroom of the house and that's perfect for PGS' monkey themed bathroom stuff. So aside from set the stuff up, there wasn't really anything to do in the main bath of the house. We did replace the shower head with a handheld one because having that style with little kids is pretty useful.

In the master bedroom, my very awesome husband surprised me with purple paint! The main color in the master is an icy blue, but the biggest wall in our bedroom is a really pretty purple and I love it! So far, we've only gotten as far as painting the walls, putting up new curtains (we just reused curtains that we had in storage), assembling our bed and starting to put our furniture where we'd like it. My husband did replace the shower head and convert our toilet to a duoflush. We have a new antique bronze faucet to install as well.

In our kitchen, I have finally figured out where to put everything, but unfortunately, we still have things that don't belong in the kitchen on the huge peninsular counter, so my kitchen still looks like it's in shambles.  But on a happier note, I got my butterflies hung up. We also have our GloFish on the counter and they're seemingly happy. While there was nothing wrong with the range that came with the house, it was an electric range with coils and I just don't like that. We got really lucky and got a pretty awesome deal on a LG stainless electric range with the glass cooktop. I much prefer the glass cooktops to the coils and I don't know why, but I don't really like gas ranges - even though that's what I grew up with and learned to cook on.

The only major appliances that the house didn't come with were a washing machine and a dryer. So we took advantage of the Memorial Day sale at Best Buy and got a matching set of Samsung HE ones. So far, they seem to be pretty decent machines and worth buying. The only problem I have with them is that I'm pregnant and my belly gets in the way, so I need a stepstool to reach the bottom of the washing machine! 

We have a decent sized backyard and deck, too. There's even a bird's nest in the tree in our backyard right over the deck! PGS has a Little Tikes trampoline to play with and a fun dinosaur inflatable pool for the backyard. Before we moved, PGS had a Step 2 playhouse and a Step 2 5' slide that we let him have inside the apartment in the living room, but now they are in the backyard and he's still just as happy playing with them.

We have a basement, too, but there really isn't anything special about it. Hubby is going to put his video game systems and gaming computer down there and have it be a mancave of sorts. The cat's food, water and litter box is down there as well. This weekend, his tower is going to go down to the basement now that he's better adjusted to living here and I don't like having it so close to the couch. Not only is my cat on the destructive side of the spectrum, I don't like my two year old messing with the cat's safe haven from his crazy behavior.

Recipe Wednesday: Slow Cooker Meatballs and Bread Bowls

We currently do not have working central air in our apartment, so I've been trying to either plan for meals on the grill, in the slow cooker or no heating necessary to avoid turning on my oven to make us dinner. Earlier this week we had a few days that it was okay to use the oven with the windows open and fans on, so I made some meatballs and mini bread bowls.

SLOW COOKER MEATBALLS AND MINI BREAD BOWLS

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

3 tablespoons milk

1 jar (25 oz) marinara sauce

1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crusty French loaf

Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions

1. Spray 3-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl: mix beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk and Parmesan. Shape into approximately 16 meatballs. Add marinara sauce and meatballs to slow cooker. Cover and cook on High heat setting 3 to 4 hours.

2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Cut dough into four pieces. Spray underside of jumbo muffin pan. Form dough around muffin cups to make four bowls. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until bowls are golden brown. Cool slightly. Remove bowls, and cool completely.

3. Brush baked bread bowls with butter and garlic salt or Italian herbs for an interesting flavor twist.

The fat in the beef and the cooking spray does make it a little oily
when the meatballs are finished cooking.

4. To serve, spoon 4 meatballs and sauce into each bread bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

My bread bowls weren't perfect, but they still tasted yummy!

Feature Friday: HCM Creations

This week, we're bringing to you HCM Creations. HCM Creations specializes in hand painted home decor and gifts - with a focus on custom items. "If we can paint it, we can create it."

Here is a bit about HCM Creations in small business owner, Heather's words:

HCM Creations came to life in July of 2013 from the idea of creating my own decor and gifts for friends and family and expanded more than I could have ever imagined. I grew it from a personal interest into a small business and am hoping to expand as far as I can through networking and word of mouth.

HCM Creations is a the perfect place to find unique, custom, home décor pieces that look great in any part of your home and gifts that your friends and family will love. Each product is hand painted and completely customized with any character, design, team or theme you could imagine.

From wooden name letters for your little one’s room, to custom signs and plaques, to hand painted glass wedding frames and everything in between; shouldn’t your home décor be as unique as you are? Maybe you’re looking for the perfect gift, HCM Creations creates anything from custom map flasks, to painted wine and pint glasses, to “Man Cave” signs, if it can be painted we can create it.

Head on over to HCM Creations and see what they can offer! 

Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/HCMCustomCreations

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HCMCreations

Instagram - http://instagram.com/HCMCreations

Recipe Wednesday: Cookies!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and he had a pot luck event at work, so he asked me to make him some chocolate chip cookies to take in. And by some, that meant approximately 150 cookies! And since I was lacking a share-able recipe for this morning, I thought why not share our cookie recipe?

Our "secret" cookie recipe

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

³/₄ cup brown sugar

¹/₄ cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

¹/₂ tsp baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

12 oz baking chips

Optional Ingredients

1 cup oats

12 oz raisins or dried cranberries

All but the chips

Directions

1. Preheat to 350°F

2. Mix sugars and butter until smooth; mix in vanilla, egg and baking soda

3. Slowly mix in flour (and oats, if desired)

4. Add in baking chips (and/or fruit, if desired)

5. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to overbake!

Fresh outta the oven!

Enjoy!!

We have a 4.5qt KitchenAid stand mixer and I don't remember making a double batch of cookie dough before this Monday when I made the cookies for my husband. Well...once I finished, it looked like it was a little a on the "too much" side for my mixer! lol