Meet Sissy - Giveaway

Since I am a self starter with Evelyn's Closet, I LOVE to meet other self starters working their little tails off to make what they love and make it well. Like Sissy...

She makes something yummy. Something natural. 

She makes....

 

Sissy's Soap

"Spa products including bath soaks,

sugar scrubs, lotions, homemade soaps 

and custom gift baskets."

This one is "Oats-n-Honey In Goat's Milk. Sounds amazing!

And I'm dying to try this one...Starbucks & Vanilla!

Are you drooling over that as much as I am?

 

 I had the pleasure of meeting her today, and she was generous enough to give me TWO bars of her soap. One for me to try 

and one for you to WIN!

Her soaps come in a wide variety of shape, color, and flavor.

(can I say flavor?..because these things sound so great they are almost tasty!!)

 Sissy can cater to your custom color or design to match your bathroom, kitchen, gift giving needs, etc. She also makes way more than just your traditional bar of soap.

Yes, that is a chocolate bath soak!!!!

single soap rose petals! Would be perfect in a foot bath.

Here is her description of her products. 

 

"Most soaps are made with goats milk & shea butter, others in avocado cucumber or olive oil including herbs and natural additives.
Shea lotions in a variety of fragrances
Sugar scrubs with all natural products including Vitamin E (a natural preservative)
Bath soaks combine old healing remedies and new age. Available with herbs or fragrance."

 

Now, most of us are ladies here, and I know there isn't a girl around who doesn't like great soap. It has to smell right, feel right, be right. 

I am beyond picky with my "products" so I will tell you first hand that I couldn't wait to get home to try mine. My entire purse smells amazing from carrying it around. 

And since Sissy was so kind to give me two... I'll give one to YOU!

A bar of Honeysuckle soap- perfect for Summer

All you have to do is "like" Sissy'sSoap

Facebook Page

and come back to comment telling me you've done so. 

 Sissy will be joining me as a featured vendor at 

Kitt's Market in Knoxville, TN on 

June 4th at Kitt's Cafe. 

You can also find her on @ her online shop:

Here

xoxo

Courtney

 

Willing to Work and WIW

See that beautiful banner? 

Know what it means?

It means that I have an ETSY.com Shop

After much asking and some 

adorable photos from 

Life's Little Stories

that were taken at 

Kitt's Market

and lots of lovelies asking..

"So, where can I shop your stuff?"

The answer is...

  

All you need do is click on 

that beautiful flashing banner

and shop shop shop!

w.i.w

Tutorial Tuesday - Boudior Pillow

While my husband is away I've set a goal.

I'm going to finish all lying around projects. 

To start I'm going to finish our bedroom as we've had this

pillow fabric for about 3 months. 

Boudoir Pillows

First let me say that I used a silky upholstery fabric which I don't entirely recommend if you 

have never sewn with it before, or you're just a beginner sewer. It is very pretty though 

and gives a great luxurious bedroom feel though so I'll give you a few tips

so that if you are a first timer, you don't tear it or have shedding issues. 

Here is what you'll need:

- Sewing Machine

-scissors or a rotary cutter

-cutting mat

-measuring tape

-yard stick

-fabric

-pins

-old pillow or pillow stuffing

-quilt batting

I was working with a purpose to reuse some old pillows that

were given to me with a bedding set. Since we were gifted a brand

new bedding set when we moved back to TN, the colors no longer match our room. 

So I measured my old pillow...

It was 19X19 inches. 

 If you are just making a pillow from scratch, just get an idea of what size you want your pillow to be. 

I knew I didn't want a perfect square so I cut my fabric at a 20 X 16.

 I cut 1 pieces of this measurement out of my fabric and 1 piece of this measurement out of my batting. 

The front piece of fabric needs to be 2 X's the length of the back piece (so for me 40 inches) and 2 inches wider (again for me it would be a 40 X 18 inch piece)

 

No matter how straight I think I'm cutting, it's NEVER straight. 

I didn't want a crazy looking pillow so I laid out my fabric 

on the cutting mat. made a perfect line with a PENCIL. Don't use a pen unless it's

a fabric pen. Then I used to rotary cutter to cut it all even and perfect. 

Now for setting up your machine to ruffle the front of the pillow. 

Use a basting stitch (the basic straight stitch) but open it up

to the widest stitch there is. 

( If you don't know how to do this, READ YOUR MACHINE BOOK! 

It will help you!  You can also google tutorials for how to use your machine.)

 I measured my piece to allow 3 ruffle lines. 

Leave a few (like 4-6) inches of bobbin and top thread hanging out before you begin to sew. 

I used my yard stick to measure 3 equal sections across the end of my fabric. Then I traced it with my pencil lightly on the bottom side. 

You can see 2 of my stitches.

leave excess bobbin and top thread at the other end too!

 Now you will grab the top thread and GENTLY

begin to pull your fabric away from your 

hand causing it to ruffle. 

A tip is to pull a few inches from the end and then stop for a minute

and pull those inches towards the other end. Then start at the front again. 

Repeat on all 3 stitches and you get this:

  Next you will pin the front piece to the quilt batting all the way around. 

This allows you to get it JUST how you want it and make it stable. 

Now sew one straight stitch (on it's regular setting) over top of 
the bunched stitches and around all 4 edges. 
It will then look like this:

All that is left to do is pin the front and back together "face sides" IN and sew 3 edges. 
Flip right side out and fill with stuffing. 
You also have the option of finishing the bottom with a zipper. 
I just pinned the open edges in and hand-hem stitched 
the pillow closed! 

Happy Tuesday! 
When you try it be sure to come back and comment and share a photo! 

Also be sure to go and visit yesterday's blog and comment
with your pot roast recipe.
 

Gour-Make It Monday - You tell me Pot Roast

You may not know this about me but, 

 I LOVE POT ROAST!

Photo Credit

My husband.... hates it. 

I never make it. 

In fact, 

I have NEVER made one EVER. 

I do have 2 in my freezer though. 

And I'm just itching to get out my crock pot 

and smell something amazing from it 

for a few hours in my home

only to follow that by eating something 

truly scrumptious. 

Someone tell me how!

It needs to be fool proof. 

No strange veggies please, 

but other than that I'll try whatever. 

It's your turn to show your expertise. 

I'm ALWAYS doing the showing. 

Somebody show me! 

Lets have it then....

What is your BEST Pot Roast recipe? 

and......GO! 

I will take two recipes posted. 

I will try them both and blog them both. 

I will give YOU the tasty awesome recipe glory! 

I want comments with recipes when I wake up! 

kidding.. but seriously...comments! 

xoxo

Courtney 

BOTC A.B.C

One of my sweet bloggy friends had the cutest post: 

A.B.C's of Mommy Couture

and while I don't usually do the "play along" things, I just loved the idea.
A.B.C's of Me.

So here it goes....

A. Age

I make a lot of the jewelry/hair accessories I wear.

I love my boots. All of them.

B. Bed Size

KING!

C. Chore I Dislike
Washing Dishes

D. Dogs?

Barley.

Now lives with my In Laws because the move to TX was just too much for him. :(


E. Essential to start my day

F. Favorite Color
Lately I'm obsessed with blues and Mustard!

G. Gold or Silver

Platinum. 

But I really like both gold and silver.

H. Height
5'7"

I. Instrument
So far my only instrument is my voice,
but I'd love to learn Piano or anything with strings.

J. Job Title

1st I'm a Christian wife to my best friend. 

2nd I'm a Mommy to 2 amazing kids.

3rd In Home Handmade Shop Owner - giving it my best try!

K. Kids

Abram - My first born. My love.

Evelyn Claire

L. Live

Tennessee

M. Milk
ANY but mostly organic vitamin D 

N. Nickname
Depends on who you ask.
Husband: stinky pants (don't ask)
Grandmother: Courtie Beth
Aunt: Courtisha
Kids: Momma 

O. Overnight Hospital Stays
18yrs Jaw surgery
23yrs Birthed Abram
25yrs C-section with Evelyn Claire

P. Pet Peeves
spelling words wrong on purpose.
lying at all. ever. 

Q. Quote from a Movie
Anything from Sweet Home Alabama. 
For some reason the lines from that are locked in my brain.

R. Ring Size
I think I have 3 different sizes. A 4.5, 4.75, and a 5 
all on the same finger. 
S. Siblings

Older Brother - far right. Middle Brother - Far Left. Baby Brother - Center.

T. Time you wake Up
Now around 8. When Brad is home...most days 
around 10 because he loves me that much! 


U. Underwear
I wear it

V. Vegetables you don't Like
cauliflower

W. What makes you Late

A lot of the time I'm late in the mornings because of sleep, but really just..

 Everything!

X. Xrays I've had
Jaw, knee, teeth...

Y. Yummy food I Make
If it's not yummy I don't make it. 
I like comfort food. 
People tend to like my baked goods. 

Z. Zoo animals I Love

I have always LOVED Elephants.

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago at our Zoo.
I loved being so close to them. 
Evelyn Claire.... did not. Now she is even afraid
watching Horton Hears A Who. Seriously.

Well that's me by way of the alphabet.

xoxo
Courtney

Where was my "mommy-tuition"?

This was the day my intuition started to grow.

On this day it grew in leaps and bounds.

Full on emotional involvement in the ins and outs of this little person's life. Mommy Intuition had arrived.

Where in the WORLD was it today?

I knew better than to go. 

Where was my verse?

I'm strongly in place about doing things that are uncomfortable from the start. If my mommy intuition goes off, I'll run with my kids on the other direction. They're still babies, after all. 

I did it anyway though.

We went to the bounce house today.

It is NOT my favorite place. 

I like to go play in places where I can see my kids

pretty much at all times. 

I don't like a lot of "older" kids playing around my littles

for safety reasons. Biggers are just rougher and that 

is fine, but not for a 1 or 3yr old.

Last time we bounced my son got hurt. 

Pure accident, but hurt none the less. 

He wouldn't put weight on his knee for a week. 

Yesterday I knew I didn't want to go. 

"Why did you mention that place? Is that the ONLY indoor play place you can think of?", I thought to myself as we talked on the phone. Why on earth did I mention the bounce house?

I have a membership to the Zoo and they were having a fun event. 

It was a FREE day for the kids and I. 

It was supposed to rain on and off all day. 

We haven't had a drop of rain at my house so far, BUT 

nonetheless we decided not to venture out there 

on the chance that we might get drenched. 

Now I wish we had gone. Really. 

When we arrived I knew I didn't want to go in. 

It would cost money too which I wasn't fond of given that we had a free activity across town. 

I go to pay and realize I don't even have my wallet. Coincidence? Probably not. I had no business going there. 

Cars EVERYWHERE. 

ONE room. 

I went to one in Texas that I LOVED with my friends

Amy and Beth. Separate rooms. Some rooms for littles.

Some rooms for bigger kids. 

Laid out in a way that there was only 1 way in and 1 way out. 

SAFE. 

Not today. I knew yesterday that it wasn't going to go well, but

I hate leaving something on a bad note so I thought

for Abram's sake specifically we would bounce once more. 

I knew again when we got there. "Not for us", I thought to myself. 

I had made plans though and while I usually 

don't mind to bail because my plan- attempting God's plan

for my kids is always first and I have no problem

telling someone:

"I am doing a great work and I cannot come down"

Nehemiah 6:3

If we've had obedience or listening problems we'll stay home.

If we just need play time with mommy and daddy we'll stay home.

If we're tired and I know we can't behave tired, we'll stay home.

I try to avoid places and things that will tempt my 

small children to get into trouble. 

Especially when my husband is gone, I try to avoid going

somewhere that will entice my older child to run off from me 

while I'm caught up wrangling the baby.

 I couldn't bail today though. I wouldn't. "I won't let myself be a letdown", I thought. 

Though now I'm thinking "letdown to who?".

It's a real live friendship. I can say no, or feel no, or change my mind and be my quirky self. It's been 4 years or more. I am who I am right? 

We did go in. It was insanity. A was instantly frustrated because 

I couldn't stand at the baby area with E and still watch him in his

"age appropriate" (joke) area. They had 2 and under in one blow up. 

I get that. The next part is fishy. 7 and under? Really? 7yr olds

should be playing in a rough rowdy setting

with 3yr olds. A's friend isn't even 3 yet and while the 

size of the inflatable was appropriate, the older kids

shoving her down just as she figured out the climbing wall part

was not appropriate at all. 

A wanted so badly to run all around like 

all of the other older kids who's parents weren't watching them. 

When he did though, he realized he couldn't see me

and would start searching and whimpering. 

Three times that happened before he realized

it wasn't THAT exciting of a place. 

He started playing with his little friend though

and her Daddy joined in on the fun. 

"Okay it's been 30 minutes and we are fine....45 minutes now."

And.... cut to my little Evie falling out of the 2 and under 

inflatable FLAT on her nose. 

Blood EVERYWHERE. 

We left.

The point is though, that I have been entrusted 

with two very small very perfect people. 

I've been given a gift of conviction often called

"mommy intuition" that will sneak up in my head

when something isn't right for my child. It comes around when

they are sick, and when they just need love. 

Today I didn't listen to it. 

Today I knew better.

The bloody nose is my fault. 

The stressed out me is my fault too.

I will write the verse in Nehemiah

on my heart and in my mind and remeber

that my mommy-tuition is most always right. 

Make sure you don't forget yours.

xoxo

Courtney