Thanksgiving Sale!

     For Thanksgiving week I am having a 15% off your entire purchase sale!! Use the coupon code "THANKS15" when you are checking out and it will take 15% off for you! The sale starts today and runs through 11/28. I will be listing new things each day so be sure to check back and see what is new.

     My mom has a shop and is also having the same sale. Her shop is The Crafter's Cove and you can also enter the coupon code "THANKS15" and get 15% off your entire purchase in her shop!! The Crafter's Cove is filled with beautiful gift items for everyone on your list and everything is under $20 so they are very affordable. Great gifts for coworkers, teachers, friends and family.

     My vacation getaway was WONDERFUL! We had so much fun swimming and going outside. The weather was beautiful so we went to Gooseberry Falls and wandered around Duluth in Canal Park. The pool was definitely a favorite for the kids and after a lot of playing, they slept great! I cannot wait to go back again next year. We celebrated 9 wonderful years of being together and love him more every day.

     I hope you are all getting prepared for Thanksgiving and all of the shopping after. I am hosting my first Thanksgiving this year and spending the day with my kids making crafts with their hand and feet into turkeys and also preparing for a fun craft for the kids to make on Thanksgiving before dinner. We are going to have them make their own placemats and laminate them so they can use them for dinner.


"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Time for some R&R

     It's that time of year again. We are headed up north to our fall getaway!! This will be our 9th year going there and I am just as excited as if it were the first. My hubby took me there to celebrate our one year dating anniversary and we are now celebrating our nine year dating anniversary. I love that we still celebrate that, it is a wonderful thing. Now, we are accompanied by our two children, next year it will be three :)

     Looking forward to cozy fires, fun swimming and holiday movie watching with my family. It is a time when we get away from everything and enjoy each others company. Every year we go there are only about 5 other couples staying there since we go mid-week in the off peak time so the pool is usually ours to ourselves. The kids love it! There is a 60% chance of snow up there on Wednesday so I'm crossing my fingers they are right! There is nothing more beautiful than looking out the bedroom windows out to Lake Superior and seeing the snow falling while cozy in bed with the fireplace on and your husband and kids cuddling together. Have a wonderful week everyone!


"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in."  ~Robert Orben

~Shannon

Taking some time for me...

    
     With my due date only ten weeks away, I have decided to take a little time out for myself to try and accomplish a lifelong dream of mine. I have committed myself to a challenge of 30 days to complete it and I am giving it everything I have to make it happen. Today, I actually got up at 4:45am to put in some work. I never get up before 7:00am unless my kids do so for me, that is huge. 

     This thing I am doing has been a dream of mine since I was in the fourth grade. I set a goal to accomplish this by the time I am 30. I am now a month away from turning 29. Two clocks for me are ticking; the age clock and the baby clock. This baby will be #3 and I am busy now with two so I feel like if I don't give it a go right now, I may not get the chance again for a while. So, with that in mind, I am on day 2 of 30 and so far I'm right on track. I thought that if I blog about it a little bit it might keep me on track by talking to all of you about it and holding me accountable.

     I know this is pretty vague as far as what I am doing but I will share more along the way as I hopefully get closer and closer to reaching my dream!!!


"God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Gift Set for New Moms



     Looking for a great baby shower gift for a new mom or are you expecting and looking for a cute, fashionable nursing set? You've come to the right place! Little Buttercup Baby offers fun prints with nursing covers and matching organic reusable nursing pads. I have just begun to list what I have but there are MANY more to come!! Forget spending money on those boring disposable nursing pads! Try our fun cotton organic pads instead!

     Our pads are made up of three layers. One outer layer of Organic Bamboo Fleece that is naturally anti-bacterial and designed to wick moisture away from the skin. One inner layer of PUL which is a leak-proof/waterproof layer to prevent leakage, and one outer layer a fun, stylish 100% cotton print. They are available in individual sets, sets of 2 and sets of 3. If you are looking for a certain color or amount, contact me and I can make you a custom listing!!

"I make milk...what's your super power?" ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Changing direction...



     I have been thinking a lot lately about my shop, what I sell and what I want to still continue to make. I have been doing a lot of research on Etsy about selling items made for children and all of the rules that are out there and they only seem to be getting more complicated. I thought they weren't so bad when I joined a team on there to follow the guidelines for the CPSIA but as I read more and more postings in that team, I become more and more confused.

     That being said, I think I have decided to sell the few baby items I have left and slowly make the switch over to selling things for new mommies only. My shop will carry nursing covers and organic reusable nursing pads. I love making things for children but all of the info I have found and read is a bit too overwhelming for me, at least at this point. I am a little sad about this decision but I wouldn't want to get in trouble for anything I am making for the children and I feel ok with this decision.

     On a brighter note, the nursing pads I have been making are quick and fairly easy to put together. I think it will give me more time to create things and with focusing on two items instead of 10-15 different things, I feel that I will be more productive in my shop and be able to keep up on stock and new listings more easily.

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Time to start catching up....just in time for Fall

     I know I have not been on here a lot lately but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things. A lot has changed in the past few months and I am finally adjusting to them all. My little girl started preschool this year which she absolutely LOVES! It gives her 2 1/2 hours away to be with kids her age and learn new things and she is doing so well. My little man is on the move big time and is busy all the time. He is just about 15 months old and is such a sweetheart. He loves his sister a ton and it is just amazing to watch them play together. In 2 1/2 more months, we will be adding another little girl to the family. I am due on Jan. 12, 2012 and we are all so excited to meet her!! We have been preparing the house for another person and moving things around. My daughter will soon move to her "big girl bedroom" and the two little ones will share the other.

     Halloween is just around the corner and we are getting ready for that too. Costumes have been purchased and today, the candy was bought. No earlier on that though or it seems to slowly disappear before the day. Needless to say there are a few sweet tooths in the house.

     Hoping to start posting on her more often now that the weather has turned cool and days of playing outside are coming to an end. I didn't realize how much I missed blogging until I just logged on to post just now....


"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."  ~Stanley Horowitz

~Shannon

Wait....I can explain!!

     I know it has been a REALLY long time since I have posted a blog but there is a good reason......

     I'm expecting! I am 16 weeks now and finally starting to feel better and able to get up and do things other than chase my other two little ones around :)  We are very excited about it and I am happy about expanding our family.

     My little man will be a year old this weekend....my, how the time flies! We are gearing up for the big birthday party themed in Cars 2. He is such a boy, I love it!! So different than my daughter as far as how they play. It is so fun having one of each and think the new one will be a great addition to them. They play so well together and I know the new baby will just fit right in.

     My daughter is learning her alphabet and writing a lot of words and all of our names gearing up for preschool this fall. She is soooooo excited she can hardly wait. I am excited for her too because she needs to get out and do some big girl things and this will be the perfect thing for her.

     Hope to post again soon :)  I thought this quote was hilarious....and so true!!! LOL

"If nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternatively, there would never be more than three in a family."  ~Lawrence Housman

~Shannon

My Sister's New Etsy Shop!!

     My sister Jen opened up her new Etsy shop yesterday and I wanted to share it with all of you!! She does digital pictures of words and phrases with photos she has taken to create letters with nature and objects in our everyday world. She has just a few listed so far but I have seen her work and she has many more beautiful creations to come. She is just getting started so any support or love you could offer her would be wonderful!

     Here are just a few of her listings she has so far....

     You can find her shop HERE. She also does custom listings as well so if you have a certain phrase or name you would like made, contact her through her shop and she can design it for you!!

~Shannon

For your new little sports fan!

     Introducing my new creation! My football beanie!! This item is now available in my Etsy Shop. I currently have it listed as a newborn size but if you need another size and it is not available, please contact me and I can make you a custom one.

     I am also working on a white Christening Gown with a bonnet to go in my shop as well. These take a bit longer so I will post it when it is finished and available. I am working on several different crochet items so that I can see what I like to make best. I have a bunch of other designs of baby hats but haven't had time to finish them.

     I decided to revamp my sewing room and make it into more of an "office" type area. I have all of my books out on my bookshelf, I took my nice desk back from my mom's house and got a filing cabinet to stay organized.....we'll see if it works. I packed away all of my sewing stuff and will take it out when I want to sew. I think that room will serve me better as a multi-purpose room instead of just a sewing room.

     I hope all of you wonderful mothers out there had a fantastic Mother's Day!!!!

~Shannon

New Item

     I thought what better hat to add to my shop than one that matches my theme!! Introducing my new Giraffe Beanie!! I had so much fun making this one. I have it listed right now in a newborn size but I will be making more size of it soon so check back. If there is a certain size you are looking for, just contact me and I will make it for you!

     The weather is beautiful today....finally!!!! I will be getting outside for sure. The sun is shining and it has stopped raining. Luckily, with all of the rain came nice green grass. Hopefully summer is finally on its way :)

~Shannon

Happy Easter!!

   
     I wanted to tell everyone Happy Easter!! I hope you all had a wonderful day with your families! We finally had beautiful weather today so we were able to take all of the kids outside and do an Easter egg hunt. It was so fun watching all of them run around gathering up their eggs.

     My daughter had so much fun this morning searching for all of the eggs and the baskets. My son even found a few eggs...for 9 months old I thought that was pretty good!! I got some fun pictures and had a wonderful day with my family. It has been a while since we were all together. My husband had to work today and he was the only one missing but I was thankful that he was able to start work a few hours late this morning so he was able to spend some time with us and watch the kids with me. It was my son's first Easter so it was even more special :)


"Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life."  ~S.D. Gordon

~Shannon

Show some Love :)



     Excited to announce that my mom Rene has opened up a Vintage Shop! She is very excited about it and I would love to get her name out there so I thought I would share it with all of you!! She just opened yesterday so be sure to keep checking back for new listings!

     You can visit her shop HERE.

     Stop by, say hello and welcome her in :)

~Shannon

Baby Hats now Available!!

     Here is the first hat now available!!! I have about 10 made that just need to have the flowers attached or tails tucked so I will be listing more soon! I just wanted to get one in my shop and get the ball rolling. I have really enjoyed making these hats and I think they will make a great addition to my shop. I purchased several more patterns today so be sure to keep checking back for more designs, colors and sizes!!!

     Off to list more :)

~Shannon

Coming Soon...

     I have decided to add some new items to my shop!! Crocheted baby hats coming soon!! I am working on them now and once I have a good stack of them ready I will begin to list them. I have some adorable patterns of several animal hats and other more traditional hats with flowers for little girls and working on several patterns for little boys. I have always enjoyed crocheting and recently found my love for it again and thought it would make a cute addition to my shop.

     The weather here is still cold and we still have snow on the ground! I cannot wait for this winter to pass so I can take the kids outside to play on the swingset. My daughter asks me everyday if it is summer yet. I fear though that it is going to go from winter to summer here being it's true MN self. Spring has a way of getting skipped and I believe this will be one of those years.

     Well off to go crochet some more!! Cannot wait to show you all what I have been working on :)


"Where does the white go when the snow melts?"  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Friday Fun with my Daughter

     Meet Squirrel. He is my daughter's favorite toy!! Yesterday we went out running errands and after a large snow storm we had recently, it went from Spring back to Winter. Well, Squirrel always comes with on outings and she thought that he would be too cold because of the snow so she wrapped him up in two of her gloves, one on the top of him and the other on the bottom. While we were out she asked me if I would make Squirrel some clothes so he would stay warm. Well, last night, this is what we came up with!

     I made him two hooded sweatshirts and a nice cozy sleeping bag for him to sleep in at night. He slept in it all night and slept well. She really wanted me to make him slippers so his feet would stay warm but I was afraid my 8 month old son may get one and choke so I suggested pants. After two failed attempts, Squirrel has to settle for sweatshirts only. The tail was too hard to go around :)

     I love how excited children get about the simplest things. When I was finished making them for her she said, "Thank you so much mommy! I love them!!" That is the best thing in the world to make your child so happy. I believe that Squirrel will be a part of this family for a long time.


"A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Happy Spring! Time for a SALE!

     Happy first day of SPRING!!!! We made it through another cold and snowy winter. Over the past few days my yard has gone from white snow to brown grass. I will admit, the brown grass is not pretty to look at but it is one step closer to warmer weather!

     With the launch of my new website and the first day of Spring, I thought that is the perfect combination for a SALE! Please go to my WEBSITE and enter in the following coupon code when checking out on Etsy and recieve 10% off your purchase!! The sale will run from March 20-26!

 COUPON CODE: SPRING2011

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."  ~Proverb

~Shannon

SUPER Exciting News!!

     After a few months of working on it and making changes here and there.....my website is finally up and running!!!!! Come check it out!

http://www.littlebuttercupbaby.com/

     I bought my own domain name last night and uploaded everything this morning! Way easier than I thought it would be. This is a goal I have been working towards for a long time and now my dream has finally come true!! All purchases will still route through Etsy but maybe in the future I will add a cart on here and make it a stand alone site!!

     I would love some feedback on it. Go take a look if you have a moment :)

P.S. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a coupon code for 10% off everything in my shop to celebrate SPRING!!!!!

"To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart."  ~Thomas Watson, Sr.

~Shannon

Quality Time



     This past week I have been doing a lot of new things with my daughter. One of them was teaching her how to play Candy Land. Out of about 10 games, I think I won maybe 2 of them. She loves being able to find the color and count the spaces on her own. She will be 4 years old in two months and I can't believe how smart she is and how quickly she is picking up on things. We are learning the alphabet with recognizing the letters and are trying to learn to write a few.

     Today we did Taebo & Pilates together while little brother was taking his nap. I cannot wait until the weather gets warmer outside and we can start going on walks through the neighborhood again. We try to go on 2-3 a week and play out on the new swingset on others.

     The weather is supposed to get into the upper 40's and soon it will be in the 50's!!! Can't wait for that! I went to wheel the garbage out this morning without my coat and didn't even shiver!! Definitely a good sign.

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."  ~Joyce Brothers

~Shannon

Lesson Learned

   
      So I learned today that if you are a crafter.....you should always have a first aid kit handy! Me, the multi-tasker that I am, was trying to do too many things at once and not paying attention, decided to cut some new fabric I bought for an order I got and cut right into the end of my finger with the rotary cutter. Something I have never done before and hope to NEVER do again!!!

     On a brighter note, the fabric was unharmed! I unfortunetly cut myself on my first piece so I never got to sew. The verdict is still out on whether or not I will need stitches but for now, I just have it bandaged up. My new plan is to now bring the fabric to my mom's house tonight and she is going to cut it all out and I will just stick with the sewing part.


"The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path." ~Mason Cooley

~Shannon

Walking for Healthy Babies!!

     Four years ago I started a team for March for Babies called Precious Moments and I am still going! Sadly, I have lost almost my entire team along the way but I will always raise money for this wonderful cause. I have two children of my own and they were born healthy and full term but so many babies out there are not. I would love to see every baby born healthy some day and that is why I walk.

     I added a small badge to the right of my page that has my fundraising goal on it. I set a goal for myself of $250 this year in hopes of atleast reaching it but secretly hoping to exceed it :) Click on the link if you would like to help me out with my journey or to learn more about this wonderful cause. There are teams all over the country so if you are interested in walking, there is a place on their WEBSITE to find a local team near you!

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."  ~Carl Sandburg

~Shannon

A New Item Added TODAY!!

     Introducing my new collection of baby washcloths! These are the two sets I have listed today but have many more to come!! They measure 7.5"x7.5" and work wonderful for bath time or for wiping your baby's messy face, hands, etc. They come in a set of four and are made from soft flannel fabric on the front side and soft terry cloth on the back. They would make a great baby shower gift for all of those Spring babies coming!!

     I just ordered several new prints of designer fabric from Michael Miller and Robert Kaufman and they should be on their way!! Since I live outside of the cities and none of the quilt stores up here carry any of them, I ordered it from another Etsy seller. I am so excited to add more new items to my shop soon! I will be adding several blankets and also a few gift sets that include 3-4 items, will tell more about them once I make my final decisions on the set.


"I'm a material girl - want to see my fabric collection?"  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Exciting News!!



     I was recently contacted by the owner of LU Boutique in Superior, WI and she wants to sell my items in her shop!! It is located just on the other side of Duluth if you are from the area and would like to check it out. I am going to make the drive up there in the next few weeks to check it out and drop off some of my items. I have never sold in a consignment boutique before but I am willing to try it out and hopefully it will be a success for her shop as well as myself.

     They also have a blog that she will be updating soon if you are interested in it. LU: Handmade Goodness

     Once my things are available I will let you know! The weather is starting to warm up here and there has actually been grass spottings in some areas!! Silly, I know, but it is a very big milestone that spring is on its way!

"To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart."  ~Thomas Watson, Sr.

~Shannon

New Item!

     The pacifier clips have arrived!! I have three listed so far but about 15 or so waiting to be listed so be sure to come check them out in MY SHOP!

Description:

Durable fabric pacifier clip, not flimsy ribbon. Made from 100% cotton fabric and is super durable with 4 layers of fabric and top stitched for extra support.

The clip is lead-free and has plastic teeth so it will not snag or ruin your little ones clothing. It has a CPSIA approved snap so that they cannot pull it apart like a velcro one. It measures approx 10 inches including the clip.

These would make great baby shower gifts!!! You can also use them for clipping toys on!


"Babies are such a nice way to start people."  ~Don Herrold

~Shannon

What Motivates or Inspires You?

     So I closed down my shop for the entire week to focus on sewing and being able to bring my shop back up with some fun new items! As nice as that sounds, I live in freezing cold MN where the wind chills have been roughly -30 and with my sewing room in the basement where its cold, its not the place I really want to go. Well with a small space heater I cured that but I find myself walking in there some days, stand in the middle of the room, look at the projects I am in the middle of and I turn around and walk back out!

     During the holiday season, I would just turn on the Christmas music station and that would keep me in there for hours. Now that Christmas is over, the regular radio just doesn't do it for me. So....I pulled out my Friends seasons on DVD, popped them in and Voila! I'm creating!! I started the beginning of the week with season 3 and am now half way through season 5. I have seen them all millions of times but absolutely love the show so I can listen to the episodes and know exactly what is happening without having to sit and watch it! I think I am on to something great!

     I am going to work on as much as I can, while my husband is off for 4 days to help entertain the kids :)  I am going to bring my shop back up on Sunday so I am saving Saturday for photo taking and editing. I don't have as much as I would have liked but I have more than I thought I would, if that makes sense. I am going to spread out my listings throughout the week so that I will always have new things to list.

     What inspires you or motivates you to do things that you may not want to do?


"Any day spent sewing, is a good day."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

Snow Day!



     I saw this picture of this squirrel and thought it was so adorable and decided to use it :)  So I am bracing myself for another 6 inches of snow today...but what better to do than sew!!! I have finally got my sewing room organized to where I can find everything and have tons of space to move around and spread out my work. The painter was supposed to come last week but we had to push him out to later in February due to a schedule conflict. I was a little bummed but at least it is clean now :)

     I have been working on narrowing my shop down to 10 things since that is how many sections they offer on Etsy. I am trying to find things that are easy to make, fit in the "baby & mommy" theme and things I enjoy making. I have created a small list of things I am working on. I had plans of making a few things I may have mentioned in the past but once I created a sample....I decided not to! Not that it didn't turn out, but that it was a lot of work and not sure that I am ready to tackle those projects at this time.

     My shop is on vacation for this week until next Sunday Feb. 6th so that I can step away from it and work on sewing. I find myself checking it or in the forums for hours a day when my time should probably be spent making things. It has only been on vacation mode for two days but I must admit, I have gotten a lot of sewing done...or at least as much as my two children have allowed. I have, so far, 6 new nursing covers, 2 diaper clutches & 2 sets of organic nursing pads ready to list. May not sound like a lot, but in only two days with two sick children, that is a TON! haha

     Please be sure to come to MY SHOP next week when it is up again and see the new things I have been working so hard on!! Some things are brand new and others are just more of what I already offer.

"Sewing: A creative mess is better than tidy idleness."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon



Super Excited!!

     I am SUPER excited to announce that I am adding personalized labels to all of my items in my shop!! Above is the design and they are in the mail on their way here! I haven't been sewing anything new for my shop because I want to sew these labels onto my things so as soon as they arrive in the mail, look out because I have a lot of fun new things coming to my shop!! I am working on some adorable gift sets right now and I cannot wait to reveal them!

     Another thing that has been keeping me busy is the redecorating of my sewing room. The painter was supposed to come next week but we are now going to postpone it until later in February. I have gotten a bit more organized in the process though. I bought a new storage cabinet and got a few new shelves, got rid of some furniture and went through my crafts to eliminate things that I no longer use anymore. It was surprisingly refreshing to clean it up a bit and make room for new prints!!

     I will post my new items soon as soon as I get my labels!! Woohoo!

"Sewing fills my days, not to mention the living room, bedroom, and closets."  ~Author Unknown

~Shannon

New Coordinating Items!

     I am starting to create new items that coordinate to make gift giving a bit easier. My newest item in my shop is the Diaper Clutch. It is a fun, fashionable way to carry a few diapers and wipes around while out and about. I have attached a handle so you can carry it easily on its own or throw it in your diaper bag or purse. No more searching around in your bag for your diapers. Everything will be in one convenient place.

     I have nursing covers that will match also. I will soon be adding more nursing pads and fabric bins that all match! Once I get the hang of making these new items and can stock up on some, I will also be listing some gift basket sets that match and will be put in one of my fabric bins. I will post them as soon as they are available.

     Other than that, not much new in the crafting world. I thought things would slow down a bit after the holidays but I'm afraid that isn't the case yet. I feel busier now than before! I haven't been sewing as much as I would like but I am in the process of redoing my sewing room. Moving out old furniture, buy new cabinets and storage. The painter is coming in about a week and a half and I am SOOO EXCITED!! I cannot wait to have it all freshly painted and a new color! I will try to take a before picture and will definetly post an after picture when I am done. I am hoping this redo will be just what I need to get motivated again and want to be in that room.



"Each day comes bearing its own gifts.  Untie the ribbons."  ~Ruth Ann Schabacker

~Shannon