For Your Sweet Tooth

As promised I am unveiling my newest recipe box design. I call this one the "I Love Baking" Recipe Box.  This one is dedicated to all those who have a Sweet Tooth!


I made this one using designer paper with "sprinkles" on the front. There is also a cute cupcake, a rolling pin, and an "I Heart Baking" sign on the front.

The top is decorated with more cupcake embellishments. The handle is adorned with pink polka dot ribbon, along with soft white ribbon. The back has a variety of cute cupcakes with the words "cookies, muffins, and cupcakes" scrolled along the bottom.


This is sure to bring a smile to those that want to keep all of their baking recipes organized. It also will add fun to any kitchen. I also include recipe cards with this as well. To see more info about this recipe box be sure to check it out in my online store - http://cokiepopaper.etsy.com

I also wanted to announce the winner of this week's giveaway. There are 2 winners this week. First - Congrats to Valerie at Cabin + Cub. She won the Birds and Friends scrapbook layout. The second winner is Holly at Silly Little Lady. Holly won the $10 Gift Certificate from my online shop - Cokie Pop Paper.

Do you have a favorite baking recipe? My favorite is CHEESECAKE. A great cheesecake recipe can be found at: http://www.bakerella.com/cheesecake/

Please post your favorite baking recipe, comment on this post, or follow my blog to win a prize this week. Stay tuned to win 2 more great prizes. They will be announced on Wednesday. Good Luck!

Do you want to hear what an actual winner is saying about the contests on my blog? If so, read Kathy's post on her blog about her prize.
http://birdychat.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-giveaway-winner.html#comments

Oh and one more thing......whomever is #150 to follow my blog will win a FREE recipe box of your choice. Get the word out and Good Luck!

Take a Peek at Maggie Overby Studios

Maggie Overby Studios is hosting this week's prize giveaway. Maggie owns a wonderful shop on Etsy specializing in beautiful custom pillows, flower headbands and hair clips, and Soldier "Daddy Dolls".

Maggie is an Army wife and a native of New Orleans. She graduated from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the LSU school of Architecture. Continue reading the interview below for more interesting facts about this very talented artist.

How did you come up with your shop name?

I have a degree in architecture, I love interior design, I sew, I paint, I scrapbook and in general just like to get creative. I didn’t want to choose a name that would limit my designs, so what better way to express my own creations than using my own name, Maggie Overby Studios.

How did you get started selling online?
I started my career in architecture but when my husband decided the Army would be his career, and the first move was on the horizon, I knew I needed a change. I had to get creative (a little pun intended.) I wanted to stay at home with my kids but still have a little extra money coming in. I started off sewing for the new house and then for other people’s houses. Before you know it I’m making pillows, drapes, bedding, slipcovers, whatever is needed.

This year I met up with an entrepreneurial mom who allowed me a steady income working from home sewing her hand bag line. She started her business from home and still runs it out of her home making a very good income. I CAN DO THAT! At least I think I can, so here I am on Etsy.

What do you want customers to know about your products?
I am very A.D.D. I don’t like to make the same thing twice so everything I make is a little bit different. I am constantly thinking of new things to make, build, or sew. I am hoping I can pass those things along to my customers. You never know I just might come up with the next big thing. So stay tuned.

What other hobbies or passions do you have?
I guess I just love to create. I have always said my house is my hobby and I am constantly renovating, rearranging , redecorating, and changing the layers. I love to build things, refinish and repurpose furniture. I also started scrapbooking a few years ago at the insistence of a friend and I have really grown to love it. I think because it is another way to layer color and textures. I sometimes think of my pillows as a scrapbook page when I am putting them together.

Do you have a blog? Twitter? Facebook? Website?
I am not a blogger, YET, but I could fill a thousand blogs with all the ideas that bubble up in my head. I do have a personal account on Facebook with a link to my Etsy store but that’s about it right now. I would love to have a website soon but I’ve only just begun.

Anything else you want us to know about yourself?
I can make just about anything. I opened my store on Etsy 3 months ago so my inventory is still growing so if you need something but don’t see it in my store feel free to make a request. If anyone needs a sewing project done, especially home decor items, just send me an e-mail and I can whip it up for you.

What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
Oh, I love fabric. I could spend hours in a fabric store looking at the colors, patterns, trims, and buttons. I’m like a kid in a candy shop. Sometimes I buy fabric just because I love it and other times a fabric just tells me what it wants to be.

What motivates or inspires you to create?
I really am inspired by fashion and home décor. I think both are great examples of how color, textures and layers working together in the right way can create something really beautiful. I go shopping and an inspiration is around every corner.

If you enjoyed this interview please comment below. All comments will be entered in a drawing to win a flower headband of the winners choice from Maggie Overby Studios. Good Luck to everyone!

Spotlight of the Week - Dodeline Design

It's time for another prize giveaway - The Spotlight of the Week features the creative and talented work of Sarah over at Dodeline Design.

Sarah hails from Charleston, South Carolina and has a passion for all things design. She has been making handmade cards since she was a little girl. Her shop features beautiful stationery, cards, and invitations. She also provides graphic design services as well.


Read the interview below for more interesting facts about this very talented artist. Comment below to win a set of 10 FREE CARDS of your choice from Dodeline Design.

How did you come up with your shop name?
My shop name is Dodeline Design and it's a word I made up. I love French, and "dodeliner" means "to sway" in French....I just thought the word was so pretty and it made me think of dandelions swaying in the wind.

How did you get started selling online?
By accident! I stumbled onto Etsy one day, thought it was a cool site, and then forgot about it for a few months. Then again I was bored and remembered it -- and that's when I found the Alchemy board. All of the different requests made me realize that I could really use some of my creative skills to help me out in this horrible job market. Next thing I knew, I was really really busy and an Etsy addict!

What do you want customers to know about your products?
I want customers to know that my products are all the result of a long creative process. Most of my designs are digitally based, and I go through the whole gamut of emotions before anything is finished -- I'm excited, then I'm over it, then I try again, then I hate it, then something clicks and a product is born!

What other hobbies or passions do you have?
I love my Carolina lowcountry -- the smell of the sea air is so uplifting to me. I love the Georgia Bulldogs, my Alma Mater. I'm a huge francophile. I am currently reading as much "classic" literature as I can find because I think it's important to know about our past.....and of course I love history. I like old places & things and imagining their stories.

Do you have a blog? Twitter? Facebook? Website?

I boycotted Facebook for a long time because while I was in college everyone spent all their time on it. I wanted to be outside experiencing things, not sitting in a dorm reading about other people's experiences. BUT, now that I am out in the real world, I recognize the value of Facebook for networking your business and keeping up with my friends. Anyway, didn't mean to ramble, but really the best places to find me are:

http://www.dodelinedesign.com/

http://www.dodelinedesign.etsy.com/

AND -- my newest passion project -- http://www.itskizmit.com/ (to be launched very soon) which is a website to feature other freelancers, new businesses, etc. and how they're still finding success in a crummy economy.

Anything else you want us to know about yourself?

I'm really friendly -- so I really mean it when I say email me about anything :-)

What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?

Hmm.....mostly software! Blue is my favorite color, but I'm also really really into black, green, and white right now.....

What motivates or inspires you to create?

I hardly even know....it just seems like it is there within me and if I'm not creating something, I get cranky and restless and frustrated! One thing that always does it is the season change -- I love when the weather starts changing and you feel so refreshed. I like reading magazines and blogs and seeing things other people are doing and oftentimes that jumpstarts me on a new idea.

And remember to "COMMENT" below to win a set of 10 FREE CARDS of your choice from Dodeline Design.

Having Fun With TinkerBell

I absolutely love using cute character designs when I make crafts or scrapbook layouts. One of my favorites to use is the cute and spunky little fairy known as TINKERBELL.

Here is an item from my online store lovingly dedicated to Little Tink! It's a TinkerBell Fairy Personalized Keepsake Tin. These are great for gift giving, or can be used as makeup holders, souvenir keepers, or home decor.  There is still one available in my online store. Snag it before another TinkerBell fan beats you to it.

While browsing online yesterday I found several other TinkerBell items that you will really want to see. JooSweetie on Etsy has the cutest "It Came from Neverland" doll necklace. I may have to buy one of these for my daughter. This is a great gift idea!

You may also want to check out Rule42 on Etsy. She makes adorable Tinkerbell Slippers. They are double layered for sturdiness and comfort. They also have a non-slip grip on the bottom. So cute!

You should also head on over to FigLeafSoap. Tammy makes vegan Tink Shea Butter Soap. These make wonderful party favors, stocking stuffers and everyday treats for your young ones. And it's scented with a soft floral scent.

If you are a TinkerBell fan please post a comment about this feature. Every comment is entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate from The Cokie Pop Paper Boutique. Drawing will be held Feb. 28th! Good Luck!

It's Time to Win a Beautiful Prize

Each week I will be featuring a different Etsy artist and their wonderful products. This week's spotlight is on Neelrad. Darleen owns this wonderful Etsy shop. She makes hand crafted original semi-precious jewelry. Darleen is a mother of two boys. Her oldest is autistic. She donates 10% of her yearly profits to his school -Summit Educational Resources.

In addition to being the featured Etsy seller this week, Darleen is giving away this beautiful heart pendant in honor of Valentine's day!  Just make a comment below about this interview and a winner will be selected on Friday. Good Luck to everyone!


Now for Darleen's interview:

How did you come up with your shop name? I like using crystals and faceted quartz in my pieces. So I was trying to think of a name that would be catchy and describe how these accents look in the jewelry.

How did you get started selling online? During the warm weather here in New York I do outdoor arts and craft shows. When the cool weather came I started looking for another venue to sell my wares. I also teach how to sell on Ebay in adult education. Then one day I was thinking “Hey, why don’t I combine these?” However, handcrafted wares get lost on ebay amongst all the commercial items so I needed another venue. I think I saw an ad for Etsy about then and decided to research them. The rest is history. I started listing items and really only sold 5 things out of my 11 sales. Everything else is through alchemy. I love doing custom orders. It gives me a challenge.

What motivates or inspires you to create? Nature! When I go for a walk sometimes I’ll see a bead of dew in the morning and then try to use pearls to for a nice piece. Sometimes I see new stones and feel the urge to come up with a piece to use them in. Also, I love custom requests because they present a challenge.

What do you want customers to know about your products? All my pieces are one of a kind. I never repeat the same necklace. Even if it’s a similar pattern the stones will be different. I’m always willing to make adjustments to satisfy a customer. For example, if the necklace is too short I’ll happily add an extension chain so customer can make the piece more versatile.

What other hobbies or passions do you have? I love photography. My over 12 years of shooting, selling and framing photography have given me an eye for colors that occur naturally and accent each other.

Do you have a blog? Twitter? Facebook? Website? I’m on Facebook (Darleen Stry) but my jewelry images are under (dazzlewear@verizon.net)

Anything else you want us to know about yourself? My beading is my respite. I saw a slogan one time and truly believe it “beading is cheaper than therapy”. Jewelry making is a great hobby because you can start and stop a project almost on a dime which is what you need to do when you have kids. You can do it late at night. Plus there’s no wrong way to do it.

Remember - Make a comment below to win! Good Luck!