Last Day to Order Pin Toppers!!!!

Sorry.....didn't mean to freak you out with the scary make up but I just had to post this picture of me taken over the weekend at my friends house (Matt & Kathy) for their Pre-Halloween party!!! I dressed up like a Corpse Bride/Vampire!! It was so fun coming up with the make-up and hair. I'm not wearing a wig! That's all mine!!! And tons of hair spray! Do you see my pet Raven on top of my head? Too bad there wasn't a better shot of him. He's beak up staring at the ceiling in this one.

So today is the last day to order pin toppers that you would regularly see in my shop!! It kind of feels weird not posting new designs today but I figured since I will be closed until November 16th I might as well save some new designs until then!
I'm pretty excited about Re-Opening on November 16th! The shop will be stocked with a lot of "Grab & Go" types of gifts - so what that means is no waiting 2-3 weeks before I ship out your order!!!! I wish I could spill the beans as to what you may find in the shop but it's a secret for now!!!!

There will be about 20 different pin toppers in the shop during the holidays but please note these will take the normal 2-3 weeks to complete before shipping. I'm going to try and get some stick built up but as you know these little cuties are very time consuming so we'll just have to play it by ear : )

My First Blog Giveaway!!!!!!

Choose which blog you would like to follow by clicking on "Follow Blog" at the top of the page. I keep 4 blogs current (listed below)! Choose to follow 1 or more. The more blogs you follow the better your chances for winning! I will enter your name in once for each blog you follow : )

Pinks & Needles Blog a place to keep up to date with my Etsy shop Pinks & Needles!
California Girl Confections a place where I share recipes!
California Girl at Heart a place where I share fun things!
California Kiss Studio a place where I share art!
I will be giving away a lovely handmade surprise to the Lucky person who's name I pull from a hat on November 1st!!!!!!
Please note: you can comment here but in order to be entered into the drawing you must "follow" me at 1 or more of my 4 blogs : )
Thank you so much! I look forward to my first giveaway!!!! If you are already a follower you will automatically be entered into the drawing!

European Love

I have very fond memories of traveling through Europe about 10 years ago with my besty Mary and my brother Andy. We backpacked all through France, Germany and Italy for the bulk of our trip with a few small stops in Austria, Amsterdam and others. I would be lying if I told you I didn't eat gelato and Nutella everyday! I think I gained about 10 lbs even with all the walking we did! You could say I lived life to the fullest!!! We were there in Winter during the 50 year storm which brought 20 foot walls of snow along the streets of Garmisch-Partenkirchen! It was so much fun and so memorable. These pin toppers are a reminder for me of how much I love all things European and let us not forget my ancestry too!

Gingerbread House Pin Toppers

Please see the post following this one for the story on my Gingerbread Pin Toppers!

Gingerbread with a Twist!

.......the TWIST being a different way to enjoy your pin toppers!!!!I have wanted to post this idea for ages but was waiting until the holidays were upon us to share my idea of what I am calling "Candy Terrariums"! Most people use my pin toppers for their pincushions but why not expand their use! The glass jars you see here can be purchased at Wal-Mart for a very cheap price and any old decorating sugar can be used for the filler in the lower part of the jar. I just took a small piece of floral Styrofoam and taped it to the bottom of the jar, then filled it with the colorful sugar and popped the Gingerbread Pin Toppers in place! Gingerbread has always been one of my all time favorites to bake, decorate and of course eat! My dad gets very excited about good healthy food and gingerbread is no exception. Apparently molasses is very good for you because of all the trace minerals so let's just say my dad eats alot of gingerbread during the holidays!!! I'm thinking I will make one of these Candy Terrariums for him to put on his desk for Christmas.

Pinks and Needles in the Press

I meant to post this in September but am a bit behind the ball as usual especially this time of year. I tend to day dream a lot about the holidays and my mind starts going crazy with fun new ideas for handmade gifts and cookie designs.....please tell me I'm not the only who does this!!!? So Pinks & Needles is featured in Better Homes & Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine on newsstands now through January 12th, 2010. We're on page 6 along with some cute pincushions from Sandi Henderson, Heather Bailey, Miss Rosie's Quilts and more!

Pinks & Needles in the Press

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Parasol Craft out of San Fransisco! Please go check out their website! It's honestly the best of the best as far as crafting magazines go. This months issue is dedicated to All things Kawaii! Next month the theme is Small World : ) Parasol is an online magazine so there's no hard copy - which I think is a wonderful way to save our planet's precious resources. Thanks Yas for all your hard work : ) Oh I almost forgot I should mention that this months issue is over 100 pages filled with lots of interviews, templates, tutorials, downloads and even a soundtrack!!! So cool! Photo Credits: Parasol Magazine

Family Emergency

Hi everyone ~
Well It's been a scary past few days but it has a happy ending so I feel very blessed. It has felt really weird not having my shop OPEN for business yesterday and today but I am still playing catch up from my last batch of orders and will resume to normal next Monday.
Our dog Chester was rushed to the vet and then had to be rushed to the animal hospital over the weekend. He was diagnosed with a liver shunt last October and suffered from two seizures as a result. But ever since we put him on a special low protein diet and a synthetic liver hormone he has been episode free for a year until just a few days ago. He ate another dog's food and started having odd behavior then collapsed. He was suffering from hepatic encephalopathy which causes high ammonia levels in the brain. We thought at one point we were going to have to put him to sleep.....it was one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed. Our vet gave him Enulose, a steroid, Atropine and an IV...had him hooked up to the EKG machine too....poor little guy! But he was such a trooper!!! He made it through!!! We've been keeping a very close watch on him and he seems totally back to normal and the side effects have since wore off although he's been very thirsty!!!! Whew!!!! Is all I have to say!
Anyway, now that the trauma is over I can blog about it.....I don't do very well re-hashing scary details (especially in the heat of the moment) because I get so emotional but I'm finally feeling like things are returning to normal.
See you all next Monday with 3 new designs: Gingerbread Houses with a Twist!!!