Rapunzel glowing hair nightlight

This project is part of a larger makeover in my daughter's room, her favorite princess is Rapunzel and she of course asked for a Rapunzel-ed out room :) I was inspired to make this for her when hubs and I took a trip to IKEA. We came across this sweet strand of lights, I immediately grabbed them not knowing yet what they would become but sometimes you just know you have to have something when you see it right?!?! So for a few dollars, in the basket they went. I don't know about any of your girls, but mine is always complaining its too dark in her room. After an episode of shrieking and whining tucking her in for the night in her "dark" room, it hit me, Rapunzel's glowing hair!

This project is fairly easy but does require some patience, and you have to know how to braid ;)
Here's what I used:
2 skeins of yarn from Joann. I got the 1 pounder Caron in two different yellow colors, a nice yellow and one slightly darker, more gold. You should have about half leftover when we're complete.
1 strand of LED lights. Mine are from IKEA but you could use any LED strand you'd like, I believe the length is somewhere around 14 ft.
Command hooks. I used 3 of them, they are clear and hold 2 lb each.
A few cheap rubber bands for beginning and end of the hair.
**Optional** cheap timer for the outlet

I apologize in advance that I don't have photos through the process to show you. I wasn't sure how well it was going to turn out since I just figured it out as I went along, now I'm boo-hoo-ing that I didn't. I'm detailing each step below and hope you can follow. If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them :)

Step #1
If you have a helper this goes much faster! Your first step will be to measure out the hair. I made my strands about 30 ft long. I found a bare long stretch of floor and started to lay out the first few pieces. I found that when you get to the end rather than snipping and going back to the beginning, its faster just to loop it and go back to the beginning and do the same there. You'll be trimming the hair at the end anyway so the ends won't be looped when we're finished. You'll want to make 3 piles of hair (for the 3 pieces that you will need for the braid) that are around 1" thick each. If you're supermom and have more time, you can opt to make it thicker but I wouldn't make it any skinnier than that. I made one pile the lighter color, one the darker color and one mixed. You can do it any way you'd like but I was happy with how this came out.

Step #2
When you're all done with the strand piles, wrap a rubber band around the top of each pile. After that wrap one around all 3 to join them together. This will help keep each pile "separate" while we prepare for the braid.

Step #3
Braiding is the trickiest part. You've got LONG pieces of yarn and we're about to start twisting them all together. I learned the hard way that this is almost impossible to do unless you're an octopus or you can convince your kids to play Maypole :) The easiest solution for me was to put the ends of each of the piles of yarn in a plastic shopping bag with the handles tied loosely enough that when I needed to get more out it came out without too much trouble. You'll want to have someone hold the top of the braid pretty taut or attach it to something heavy so you can begin your braid. I made a few passes and then re-arranged the bags on the floor with my feet to keep them untangled as I went along. I really wish someone had pictures of this, I'm sure it was pretty comical. I also "brushed" the hair with my fingers as I went along if I saw some pieces of the hair that were bunched up. It's easy to fix later if you don't catch all of it so don't go too crazy. Once you get in a rhythm it doesn't take very long to complete the braid. When you get to the end, secure it with another elastic.

Trim your ends and make the end of the braid nice and straight. Take a few pieces that you snipped off or some off of the skein and tie them around the elastic to cover it up. I used about 3 or 4 strands and knotted it in the back where it couldn't be seen.

Look over the braid to see if you've got any loops sticking out. If you do you can simply tuck the slack into the braid and no one will ever know ;)

Step #5
Decide where you want to hang your braid and secure your Command hooks to the wall. I used 3. We used the window as a "starting place" and made two dips along the wall with the braid. Make sure the end of your braid will be near an outlet to plug in the LED strand. Once you have applied the hooks and know how you want it to hang, start attaching the LED strand by taking the first flower and poking it through from the back of the braid to the front. This will hold it in place while you wrap the rest of the strand around the hair. When you get to the end, do the same with the last flower. Poke it through the hair and it will secure the strand.

Now hang your braid and admire your work :)

I feel like a broken record telling my kids to constantly turn off the lights in their room so when I found a 2 pk of outlet timers by the lights at IKEA I snatched them up. We plugged Rapunzel's hair into the timer and set it from bedtime to morning. No more fuss over left on lights!

To give is to receive

Last weekend I attended a charity event, Wine Women and Shoes, in Orlando at the Rosen Shingle Creek. This was something new for me, but I was excited about spending the day with a good friend and supporting a very important cause. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida was the beneficiary of the event. Each ticket ($75) provided all of the food you see in this photo to a family in need. Wow, that's amazing!

The local media has done a great job shining a light on a huge problem in Central Florida. Many of the children in our community are starving. For most of them, the last meal they receive before going back to school on Monday is Friday's school lunch. Through donations, the Second Harvest Food Bank is able to feed these families over the weekend by distributing backpacks of food to the children at school.

I wanted to do a little more to help, so I decided to donate a Rapunzel dress from my Addy&Tabby Everyday Princess collection to the silent auction. I am very fortunate to be able to pursue something I love so much with the support of my family and dear friends. I can't think of a better way to share my blessings than to help families in need. To my wonderful clients: you deserve many thanks as well. It is your support of my business that allows me to do this.

Want to know how you can help?

Every little bit helps! Even if you don't have a lot to give, consider donating some dry goods like cereal or rice or some canned items like beans and veggies.
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is sponsored by your letter carrier and happens on May 12th. Leave a bag by your mailbox and your carrier will pick it up. Your items will be provided to the local food banks to help fight hunger in your community. For more information, visit their page here: http://stampouthungersci.org/

Lorax fever!

I'm in the middle of working on Lorax boys/girls apparel item and came across these incredible cake pops. If you haven't already heard of Bakerella, she's pretty much the QUEEN of cake pops. She is the genius behind these treats and has generously shared her recipe and step-by-step photos.

You can find the cake pop details here.

If you love the party idea, check out some of the links.

Print at home color Lorax invitations

DIY Truffula trees

Cute Truffula tree pencils that would be great as a party favor!

Lorax maze printable

Bar-Ba-Loot snack mix with marshmallow minis and chocolate teddy grahams

Rules of a creator's life

Beginning my blog, its been hard to figure out how to introduce myself and determine what I can offer to those that read it. Then I realized, "hey I'm a mom too, and the kind that would probably read my blog! What would I want to read about?"... sometimes we make things so much harder than they are.
As I searched for something to inspire me, I found this image floating around the internet and thought it would be the perfect way to peek into my world... and any other creative junkies you might know :)

1. Do more than you're told to do - As I enter the world of handmade items and boutique clothing, I've realized just how many talented artists there are out there. If you really want to knock the socks off a client, you've got to stand apart from the rest and give more than they ask for. You've got to put a bit of yourself into every piece; that will make it undeniably unique and special.
2. Try new things - There are times this is soooo hard. If you're a Pinterest junkie like me, I'm sure there are times you feel the creative overload. For me, its never an option to copy someone else's work, but I do draw inspiration from a lot of different places. There are times when I feel fresh out of new ideas and when I least expect it, in the wee hours of the morning, I take the smidgen of an idea and just run with it. Some of those experiments have turned out to be my best sellers.
3. Teach others about what you know - Many of you may not know that I test patterns for designers, providing them feedback and photos of my test garments. These designers cater to other crafters like myself, and when I share my photos with their audience I often get feedback about what types of fabrics I used and where they can be found. This is no big secret and I'm not here to be the wizard behind the curtain, I'm here to be part of a community :) I'm happy to share tips with fellow designers, creators and soon even bring my mommy followers some tutorials on crafts and DIY's for their little ones.
4. Make work into play - This is the best part of my job! Every day when I blog, market on Facebook, email my fans and customers, test a new dress or just scour the internet for my next big "thing" the last thing I feel like I'm doing is working. When you love what you do, it never feels like work!
5. Take breaks - I must admit, I'm quite a workaholic. Taking breaks is hard, but its healthy for the creative brain, at least mine anyway! I schedule multiple breaks throughout my day, it gives me time to reflect on what I've been working on and most of the time it leads to a new idea or a way to improve what I'm working on. If I'm really hitting a wall, you can find me catching up on new fabric releases, hanging out with the kids or catching up on Vampire Diaries :)
6. Work when others are resting - I should move this to #2 - its the most important rule for me. When the munchkins have been tucked into bed, I have the quiet time I need to wrap up my day. I love my kids so much, but the juice runs, snack requests and refereeing really interferes with the creative mojo :) I am sure all of you mommies, creative or not, know just what I mean!
7. Always be creating - Some of my best ideas come when I'm away from home. I really should carry a notepad with me. I feel like my brain will soon explode from all of the ideas I'm trying to harbor.
8. Make your own inspiration - My wonderful clients make it easy for me to do this. I find my ideas really flow when I get a custom request or find a really unique piece of fabric that speaks to me :) I find the creative juices just go and I can literally picture the finished product in my mind. Thank you all who have allowed me to create such unique pieces for your little ones! You are my inspiration.
9. Love what you do, or leave - This is #1 on my list! We've all witnessed the economic changes over the last few years and the one thing I hear over and over again, is that people are ready for a change. Our society is work driven and many of us put in 50-60 hr work weeks if not more. Times are changing and I'm so happy to see people make lifestyle changes, putting those long hard hours into something that is more rewarding for them. After my daughter was born a few years ago the long hours and creative energy I put into my work wasn't amounting to anything for me anymore. I was burned out. It was a scary move to make, but I believe if you put your heart into what you love its impossible to fail. Your passion will shine so bright people won't be able to ignore you.

Brown sugar M&M Valentine brownies

A super easy cute recipe to make with your kids! Perfect for a Valentine's party, sending to your child's classroom or just to treat your own sweethearts at home.

Re-posted from Baked Perfection

Brown Sugar Blondies
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup to 1 1/3 cup M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. Cool slightly. Add egg (beaten) and vanilla and blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well. Mix in 2/3 cup M&M's. Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/3 to 2/3 cup M&M's on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

500 Fan Giveaway

WE HAVE A WINNER!! :) Congratulations Stephanie!
Please email me to let me know how you would like to spend your $30 Addy&Tabby dollars.

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I can't thank you all enough for being so supportive. The journey has just begun and you've shown me a world I've only dreamed of. On most days I spend about 10 hours in my sewing room fulfilling your orders and trying out new items for you. Its a long day, but I love it so much it only feels like a fraction of that time. The fan page has grown quite a bit from the wonderful giveaway we just participated in with Fabulous Fun Finds so there are a lot of new faces. Welcome everyone and thank you FFF for the fantastic giveaway! Now, on to my giveaway...

I wanted to mix it up a bit from the last giveaway. I didn't want to limit the prize to one particular item, so I've decided to offer a $30 gift certificate to the winner! That way, you can choose what YOU love :)

To be entered in the giveaway you must 1) be a fan of my FB page 2) leave a comment on this post with your email address and 3) let me know what types of handmade items you buy for your little girl for most... maybe its everyday wear, dressy items, costumes, accessories or just something unique that really catches your eye regardless of its use.

This giveaway will be open until Saturday December 3rd at 11:59pm EST. Any posts after that time will not be considered. If you leave multiple posts, only your first will be considered. Using a random generator (1) ONE winner will be selected December 4th. Be sure the email you enter is valid, this is how I will let you know you've won in addition to posting here on the blog :) Good luck and THANK YOU :) !!!!

200 Fan Celebration

I wanted to take a minute to thank each of you for your support. Without you, my dream would still be that, just a dream. I have received a tremendous amount of support and encouragement from my friends, family, other crafters and complete strangers. I never imagined that a little idea I had would blossom into something so fulfilling. For that, I thank you :) Now, on to the celebration!

20% Off Sale!!!
There will be a special offer tomorrow (November 11th) for 200 minutes to celebrate reaching 200 fans. Using the code 200FBFAN you will recieve 20% off your purchase as well as free shipping from 6:00pm - 9:20pm EST.


GIVEAWAY
And the winner is entry #4 - Tina!!! :)

I will also be giving away a sweet little turkey or christmas tree appliqued top, I can even embroider a name on it. All you have to do to be elegible for the giveaway is leave ONE comment on this post, by clicking the pink comments link below, and leave the following information:

1. Size you would like (2, 4, 6 or 8)
2. Short or long sleeve
3. A name, if you would like one added below the design
4. Anything else you'd like to mention, your favorite Addy&Tabby outfit, suggestions for future items, etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

If you leave more than one comment anything after the first one will be removed to keep things fair. Using a random generator (1) ONE winner will be selected November 11th at 7pm EST so you must have your comments entered before that. Be sure the email you enter is valid, this is how I will let you know you've won in addition to posting here on the blog :) Good luck and THANK YOU :) !!!!