Craftsty's Treasury

I just love all of the cute things dear ole Babz picked out for this one!!! The colors are Summery and Sweet!!! Thanks Craftsty for the inclusion : )
Have a hap[py holiday season everyone!

Pinks & Needles Booth

Pinks & Needles Booth
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

Talk about a lot of preparation!!! Thinking back when I used to do Farmer's Markets as a living I had forgotten how long it takes to get ready for a show not to mention the set up and break down!!! I personally think I will do Quilt shows only from here on out but I am so glad I participated in this craft faire just for the exposure : )
Well the craft faire itself was a little slow but I made some great contacts! I met Taylor of Lettuce Truck Babies, Melanie of Above All Fabric and her friend Ariel (whose obsessed with dolls just like me : ), Rebecca of Creeplings and her husband...I think his name was Eric...it was so much fun! My friend Elizabeth came too and helped me sit there to pass time away...of course in my down time I made pins for an order
: )

Pinks & Needles on the Cover!

It's been crazy bananas around here lately! This came a total surprise to me - I had no idea my pins made it to the cover....I was under the impression they were going to be featured in the new products section and also in conjunction with Kathy Mack's (Pink Chalk Studio)Primrose Pincushion pattern. It was scheduled to hit the stands Monday Nov 17th...so I raced down to Hancock's Fabric to snatch me up a copy and they didn't have any : ( Two days later I sent hubby on some errands and he came home with it! He had it opened up so I didn't see the front cover until after I looked through the whole thing!!! I was so surprised to see my little snail pin topper sitting pretty on Kathy's pincushion! Very fun!

I Got a Treasury

I Got a Treasury
Originally uploaded by SadieLouWho

Thanks to SadieLouWho for getting this lovely treasury! What a nice grouping of Sweet Eye Candy! I've been in a couple of treasuries in the past but I didn't know much about them so when I went to save it...it had already disappeared! So glad to know I can keep this one safe : )

Kissy Kawaii Deers!

I needed to take a little pin topper break today so I made this cute little plaque of two kissing deer. Looking at it makes me happy...yes I'm obviously easy to please : )
She & He stands about 4 inches tall and is available in my etsy shop! I started a new section in my store called "The Cutest Stuff" ~ which is where you can find this little piece of forest happiness!

Pinks & Needles On the Cover....

...of Sandi Henderson's Cupcake Pincushion Pattern! Pop on over to Sandi's new website ~ but hurry while supplies last! I'm very happy to see some of Pinks & Needles creations being put to good use : )
Thank you Sandi for including me!

Sublime Stitching Forest Friends Style!

How cute is this little number? Gotta have it? I know I do! I can never seem to get enough when it comes to anything Forest Friends : ) Squirrels, owls, hedgies, acorns and bucks all make their stitch-a-licious debut in this embroidery pattern available at Sublime Stitching ~ just remember "This ain't your Grandma's embroidery!"

Patiently Awaiting Sandi's Cupcake Pattern!

The pins you see here were the very first ones I ever "sold" (rather than gave in a swap or as a gift) to the lovely and talented Miss Sandi of Portabellopixie! Thanks to her and a few other friends Pinks & Needles Handmade Fancies was born. I know I'm not alone in saying we are all patiently waiting for her gorgeous over sized high calorie cupcake pincushion pattern to finally be available!!! I can't wait to sew my own and stick a few pin toppers like sprinkles all over the top : )
Thank you Sandi for your constant inspiration and dedication for leading a happy healthy life.

Photo Credit:Sandi Henderson 2008

1,000 Items SOLD Today!

Thank you everyone who has supported me and my shop since opening in February! Here's the newest pincushion set available in my shop Pinks & Needles that pushed my sales to 1,000 items SOLD today! Congratulations Hannah for your order that made it all happen ~ I'll be sending you a FREEBIE with your order!
: ) I love the color combination in the fabric and the sweet little design : ) I finally came up with a way so the stems on the cherries don't break ~ WIRE! It even comes in green.

A Stitch in Time

Today was day to enjoy the end of summer.... after a nice 2 hour chat with one of my best friends Mandy back home in California I became very nostalgic for old friends and good times. It was football day for hubby so he went over to a friends house and I stitched and watched movies. I found this lovely vintage cigar box and 88 skeins of floss last week at the Goose (total spent $2.50)...so I put it to good use today for a custom pincushion order for a gal in Canada. She came up with the idea of "Pincushions for Life". Basically what she wants to do is have me embroider two monogrammed pincushions for her two sisters Betty and Debbie. Every time there is a milestone to celebrate she wants me to make a pin topper for each of them signifying whatever it is they are celebrating! What a fun meaningful gift!

In the Press

Hi all~
So I'm pretty excited about Sarah from Quilt Fabric Delights in Australia ~ she's done some advertising for "Pincushion of the Month Club"! Here's a little sneak peek as to what you can expect by signing up. Squirrel Mama's design is first on the list - if you love hedgies and strawberries! Each kit will include a pattern and all the makings to sew yourself a cute pincushion. Every month will be different and included with each kit you'll receive a coordinating pin topper made by me : ) Head on over to QFD to check it out!

Summer Still Lingers

baking inspiration
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

And you know what that means.....HOT weather! It seems like a never ending story. I get a little down during the summer months because I don't like to turn the oven on more than I already have to and it turn means no cupcakes or brownies. As soon as Fall hits I'm back in the baking saddle! Eagerly counting down the days until I smell fresh sweetness wafting through the house and a cuppa just sitting there waiting for me with honey and cream. For now a still life of inspiration will have to be suffice.

Confectionery Cabinet ~ Updated with a finished photo!

I have a love for anything small and sweet so I decided to paint this little cabinet and fill it with my pin toppers (without the pins)!!! I love how it turned out!!!

LolliShops!

I'm so excited about this new venue! Here's a little info to get your imagination up and running! Looking forward to it opening this Fall!

LolliShops is a juried, online selling venue for talented artists, collectors of vintage and art supply vendors. LolliShops will appeal to those who love...

* Elegant Whimsy
* Romantic Inspirations
* Fanciful Creations

... artists will enjoy setting up their own, customizable store fronts while LolliShops patrons enjoy feeling like a kid in a Candy Store!

Stay up to date with LolliShops Blog!

Faux Dough

When I was baking real cakes and goodies years ago I used to play around with making fake cakes for display, which reminded me of how much I love having sweets around (especially the low cal ones : ) But ever since Pinks and Needles opened in February I haven't had much time for creating anything else...except I decided to make the time this past week! I was invited to do a craft show in November up in Oro Valley and thought this would be a perfect venue to showcase some "Faux Dough"! I've made them all into ornaments for hanging on a Christmas tree but honestly the hook is so discreet you can use them as decoration for your cake pedestal too. They're very lifelike and cheery!

The Monsoons are Coming!!!

Hope all of you had a wonderful 4th! It was a very low key fun evening in...no fireworks for us but the fam watched the Bucket List and ate gelato out at Frost : )
It's been hot and yucky out and I've been feeling a little blah until last night! It dumped rain for a couple of hours - thunder and lightning, lots of wind so it cooled everything down to reasonable temperature! We opened all the windows (something you don't do too often in Tucson during Summer)! At last the monsoons are on their way! Relief!
This weekend my mom made a wonderful dessert from Pamela Clark's book entitled "Cupcakes" ~ here's a shot of the froufrou's! Oh my gosh they were delicious! Raspberry and Coconut ~ you can't go wrong in my book! We drank a bottle of Raspberry Framboise Lambic too.
: ) If you haven't tried this stuff you have too! This is what we served at our wedding instead of champagne...if you love a spritzer type drink it's perfect. It's the only alcohol that tastes just as good cold as it does room temperature! Oooooo and it's not too sweet either ~ think refreshing and fruity!

A Retired Cake Baker Turned Cake Tester Maker

A new creation besides a pin topper...whew what a breath of fresh air for me! I was messing around with clay on a larger scale than I normally do for my pins and came up with this little 3 tiered pink cake with roses on the top. I decided to go down to the Foothills Shopping Mall to see if they had any plain old regular plastic topped cake testers and they did : ) Hubby smashed the top off for me with a hammer and voila! I'm really into collecting old retro/vintage recipe books and found a delicious recipe for Kiss and tell Cake so I added that to the background cardstock for fun.

Random Ramblins on the First Day of Summer!

Living in Arizona is like living in a crockpot 5 months out of the year ; ) I'm talkin' HOT BABY!!! It already feels like September in my opinion (due to the warm Spring and record breaking days already) but Summer's first official day is today..how can that be?
It's a sign to stay inside out of the elements and create my days away....so if anyone wants to know where I am for the next few months it's indoors. I rented Alice in Wonderland and was re-inspired to create a pin topper set to put in my shop. The little cake is my favorite pin : )
My parents are visiting right now from Santa Barbara : ) Mmmmm...Santa Barbara is one of my favorite places I've ever lived! It's so beautiful and upbeat. Someday we hope to relocate back to our California roots but until then I suppose the sandy desert will have to do.
June started out a little different for me and for my shop - it was the first time since it opened in February that I closed the doors for a whole week and went on a mini vacation to where we were married 4 years ago ~ VEGAS! Fun and not too HOT believe it or not. We walked every where....miles and miles...it was wonderful to spend time with my hubby and just chill out!.....Oh ya and no computer : )
But I'm glad to be home and happy to stay busy with a few custom orders and the normal day to day stuff. I have noticed my energy is down in mid afternoon due to the heat...weird since the a/c is on 24/7!
I'm starting to work on CSSTeam's Christmas in July to help raise money for ad space in a magazine! I came up with a new pin topper design today called "Figgy Pudding"...looks cute and I will post pics soon.
Until then : )

Happy Memorial Day

A day to remember our brave men and women who have lost their lives fighting for our country...

Introducing the New Fresh Look for Pinks & Needles!

Hi everyone! Long time no blog for me as I am busier than I have ever been : )
Years ago when I had my own baking company I thought it couldn't get any busier than right now! I was wrong...since February our lives have changed. Hubby makes dinner on a regular basis, walks the dog and keeps the Minor household running smooth while I create, sculpt and build my business...I don't know how you people do it out there! We don't have children yet and the thought of adding midnight feedings to the mix is a bit daunting also I should mention that my husband has his own business too along with playing "1950's housewife" ha!
I under estimated how much Spring Time packaging I would need for my pins and pin cushions so Summer packaging is debuting about a month early. I have changed the look of my logo by adding a little birdie as my insignia and a new fresh font to tie it all together!
There's a fun blogland project in the works right now that will start in September and run for 8 months which I am thrilled to be a part of! Can't spill the beans yet on who will be involved and what it will be about but I think you all will love it
so stay tuned for updates. More to come soon ~ I'm shooting for the Monday morning blog ritual to kick in and keep me on track! Have a great week everyone!

My First Attempt at Insects

Heavenly Honey Bees
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

I usually don't make pin toppers of bugs but I couldn't resist trying these out! The wings are my favorite part! The perfect little Spring Time Bug!

My One Month Anniversay on Etsy!

new spring packaging!
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

To help celebrate my 1 month anniversary on Etsy I decided to change my presentation packaging for Spring! I love little daffodils so instead of pink cherry blossoms and black string I'm using these bright cheery yellow and orange daffodils with yellow string and softer pastel colors for the hang tag.
It has been in incredibly busy month and I want to thank all who have supported me though this life changing experience! Thanks so much for stopping by the shoppe!
I will be listing new designs every Friday morning!
Coming March 28th~ Mother's Day pin toppers!

Esty Launch February 22, 2008

This has been a very busy week for me but in a good way! I got another pin order and I made it a point to get some extra pins made to put on Etsy! I made quite a few with cute card stock backing and I tied each pin on with a twine or string of some kind : )
I posted 17 different items and within about an hour I sold about half! So that was fun!I hope my enthusiasm continues and customers are happy with my product! Please come visit me and tell me what you think about Pinks & Needles Etsy Shop! I'd love to hear your feedback.
Thanks also to all of my supportive friends and family that have been trying to talk me into doing something like this for years.....yippy! .......Finally

Fun Custom Order

I'll admit I was very excited and surprised to get an order for my pin toppers from fabric designer Sandi Henderson! She has a second line of new fabric debuting in May called Ginger Blossom which is a very fun, vibrant line of whimsical delight! I'm already imagining all of the fun things I can sew with these fabrics. She asked me to make these pin toppers for her Cupcake Pin Cushions ~ the pattern will be available in May along with her new line. She will be posting pics of my pins with her pin toppers very soon on her blog Portabellopixie Go check her stuff out! It's very inspiring and will bring a smile to your face for sure!

Fruit Orchard Kids

While out and about a couple weeks ago I happened upon a pattern dated June 15th, 1940. There it was in the back of a VERY dusty old antique shop here in Tucson. I paid a whopping $3.00 for it and got busy hand sewing each and every little part you see. It's a McCalls pattern called Fruit Kids. There are 5 different kids in the gang. Stella Strawberry, Billy Banana, Charlie Cherry, Lee Lemon and Penny Pineapple. They're just the cutest tiniest little things. this one measures 5 X 8 inches. Lee Lemons jingle says " Little Lee Lemon sleeps a lot, because she lives where it's very hot!" Well....I concur...I live in the desert! I'm not quite done with her - as I still have to put a bow in her hair and do some decorative stitching around her neck. She's a sweetie though, isn't she?

Kleenex Tissue Holders

The perfect size to carry in your purse! They fit about 8 small size Kleenex' ~ I just love the pretty Valentiney fabric!

Moomer the Shroomer Needle Books

I worked on these during our long drive to Northern California! I should've brought a needle with a bigger eye though : ( The bumps in the road made it hard to thread the darn thing over and over...oh well live and learn!