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    Embroidered Jewelry — I’m on a Kick

    ByHeather Bailey

    HeatherBailey_GardenTiniesEmbroidery

    So, here's what I made in my time off last week — teensy little embroidered necklaces for me and my close friends. Well, and for you too. We made up a few dozen kits and posted them in the online store. There's a FABRIC SALE this week — through Friday 6-13-14 at midnight MST — with 15-40% discounts on my classic fabric collections (Freshcut, Pop Garden, Nicey Jane, etc.). We're making space for new fabric collections on their way.

    HeatherBaileyStore_EmbroideryIf you order $35 or more of fabric and other goodies, you can get one of these limited-edition embroidery kits for FREE with your purchase. Once you're done shopping, add the pattern kit to your cart, then enter the code FREETINY at checkout and the price of one pattern kit will be subtracted from your total. Details about what's in the pattern kit are listed here. All three designs are printed with heat-transferable ink and can be used multiple times to make at least a dozen stitcheries. Heat-transfer and necklace-assembly instructions included.

    I'm taking eight of these kits with me to Mexico later this month so I can teach my friends and their kids how to stitch up a necklace or two while we sit under umbrellas with our toes in the sand. I think I might bring my Foredom drill too so we can drill holes in sea shells and string them together into keepsake jewelry during siesta. Eight women and girls, 11 men and boys — we are going to have a blast. These little kits are the perfect portable vacation project. I'm so excited.

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    Giveaway Day 20

    ByHeather Bailey

    Day20_HELLOgiveawayBanner

    Day20_Charlotte-Pig-Doll

    My day has gone to school meetings. Elijah switched high schools this
    year and we're working to get him established at a school one mile from
    our home. We were driving him 25 minutes away each day, back and forth
    for the last two years, often several times a day and this really put a
    pinch on our time at home as a family.

    This year, Elijah volunteered to change schools. He and his dad both
    seem okay with it. I'm still resolving my own feelings. He not only has
    no friends there yet, but the school is in a different school district
    and runs quite differently from what he is used to. And he had to leave
    behind one of the state's top marching band programs (the reason he had
    insisted on that school in the first place).

    Day20_Pig-Doll_300I
    hate that he's switching halfway through high school. Ug. I wish I
    would have pushed more strongly for this close-by school two years ago.
    I'm working to feel at peace with the mid-stream change. Today's
    meetings helped with that quite a bit. We brought in a list of things we
    felt would help Elijah transition well and the response was, "This is
    what we, here, call good teaching. This will be no problem at all." Just
    what we needed to hear! I liked his last school a lot, but the
    administration at the new school made a great first impression today.
    I'm one step closer to parental peace.

    Additionally, with the high school only one mile away now, I can get
    more involved and still keep my other two children on track. I'm
    hopeful, but I'm still holding my breath nonetheless.

    Day20_apronNeedless
    to say, my giveaway to-do list hasn't shed any pounds today while I've
    been out parenting. It's approaching evening time and I still have this
    giveaway to post and a number of winners to select. So, on with the
    show!

    With a $35 value, today's prize
    is a set of THREE Heather Bailey sewing patterns—Claira & Clancy Pig Dolls, Full Bloom Roses and the Daily Spice Apron—a variety of projects you can make for yourself or as gifts. Get an early start on the holidays. Or give the patterns as gifts.

    For more information on my piggie doll pattern (my personal favorite of the patterns we've published), click here. For my first preview of the Daily Spice apron pattern, head back seven years to this post. (It sounds like driving Elijah around was a part-time job even back then. Boy, how long have I been blogging now?) As for Full Bloom Roses, we may have only announced that pattern by newsletter originally, so get the details here.

    Day20_ThreePatterns

    Comment to enter today's contest. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form. One entry per household.

    Today's giveaway will close at noon PST on Wednesday 8/21/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my big ol' August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather


    Read More “Giveaway Day 20”

  • Autumn Napkin Ring Tutorial

    ByHeather Bailey

    Thanksgiving is coming right up. 

    To get into the autumn groove, try stitching up some fall decorations with our designer felt, glitzy thread from DMC, and few glass beads.  With a full table to set, these playful napkin rings pack a big bang for little buck.

    ThanksgivingNapkinRing
    Trimming up the acorns is my favorite part.  Aren’t they fun?  And Charlotte is always game to help embroider — she likes to the pull the needle through, then hand it back to me.  This is a much slower process, as you can imagine, but I love her.

    To share the fun, I’ve put together a tutorial and a free pattern download…



    Read More “Autumn Napkin Ring Tutorial”

  • Happy Spring!

    ByHeather Bailey

    I have a serious crush on vintage Springtime decorations.  At the
    turn of the 19th century, there was decoration after decoration and
    postcard after postcard of a fluffy bunny pulling a cart of flowers or
    candies. By the 1920's and 30's, illustrations became more graphic in
    style and less painterly, but the cart concept stayed put.

    Bunnycard_470b

    In homage to these early depictions of the Easter Bunny, I designed
    my first-in-series Springtime Paper Craft Freebie. Sage, here is 2"
    tall, and together with his wagon, he measures 6" long.

    Have one for free. 
    We're putting one card in every package that goes out
    this Spring from www.HeatherBaileyStore.com, while supplies last.  To
    craft up your own little bunny, all you will need is a pair of
    scissors, a glue stick, and a tool for scoring fold lines;  I like to
    use the rounded tip of a crochet hook or an embossing tool.

    HippityHop470

    There's no promo code to
    enter.  One white bunny will
    mysteriously hop his way into every package.  Happy Spring, everyone!

    If you would like to have more than one bunny — for table decorations,
    teacher gifts, kids' Easter baskets, etc., you can add more kits to your
    cart.  They are available in packs of 3 for only $4.95.

    – – – – – – – – – –

    Oh Yes.  Check out this crafty, new web-show, DIYdish.  To celebrate Kris & Kim's first episode, I've donated 10 sewing-pattern-and-pincushion-kit goody bags as prizes.  And you know what that means — good odds.  Leave a comment here to enter.  The drawing takes place March 31, 2010.  Go check out their fun, new show.  The first episode is about
    pincushions    .

    – – – – – – – – – –

    Hello, btw!  It's been a nutzy couple of months. Fortunately, several big design projects are moving from Hide-N-Hush status to Show-N-Tell status.  For starters, my new stationery collection started shipping to stores this week, including invitations, note cards, paper plates, napkins, notepads.  Wait till you see.  They are so cool.  Of course, new Hide-N-Hush projects are in the works.  This drives my blabbity-share-everything self crazy.  Thus, the bunny-wagon design — dreamed up, designed, printed & posted in a matter of days.  Love that.

  • Lemon Drop & Other Fine Passwords

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall

    LemonDrops470_2

    Not
    all witches have time to concoct a full spread of Harry Potter recipes,
    especially if they are short a house elf or two!  So for those of you
    who would like to delve into the world of Harry Potter without the
    chocolate-dipping and butterbeer-mixing, I've searched out a few
    easily-accessible, store-bought options for you.

    ChocolateFrogs470

    Lemon
    Drops, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans are my top
    choices for store-bought, trolley-worthy treats.  They can be enjoyed
    by first years and ministry wizards alike.  Honestly, I can't believe I
    found chocolate frogs with so little searching.  (See 'Where to Buy'
    list below.)

    Another non-alcoholic beverage option includes Lemon Drop Soda.  Mix 2 parts sparkling water with 1 part Stirrings brand Lemon Drop Mixer, and give that Dumbledore a toast. 

    If
    you prefer a lighter soda, reduce the Lemon Drop Mixer to your liking. 
    Isaac swears by the addition of a tablespoon of vanilla flavoring syrup.

    LemonDropSoda300wWhere to Buy
    • Old-fashioned lemon drops – Pier One Imports.
    • Chocolate Frogs – Pier One Imports or mold your own chocolate frogs.
    • Every Flavor Beans – Jelly Belly brand
    jelly beans – your local grocer — or for an authentic Bertie Bott's
    mix, including nasty flavors, such as vomit & ear wax, here are a
    few links: one, two, three.
    • Stirrings brand Lemon Drop Mixer — spotted this week at Pier One, World Market, and SuperTarget, or purchase online.
    • Sparkling Water or Club Soda – your local grocer.

    Now
    take your sugar high and do something good with it, like treat your
    kids to a movie or some broom-crafting, then come back home and crash-out. That's the way the sugar goes. I have some experience with this
    now. 

    Next week, I'm off the broomstick, cauldron-less, and
    back in Little Winging, I swear.  Have a great weekend Harry Potter
    fans — don't forget to brush your teeth.

    • Cockroach Clusters recipe here.
    • Butterbeer recipe here.
    • Mini Broomsticks tutorial here.
    • Chocolate Wands recipe here.

    LemonDropSoda470

  • Swish, and Flick.

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall

    Chocolate
    wands are a Gryffindor favorite.  Even Dumbledore has been known to
    stash a few candy wands in his desk.  Young witches and wizards can use
    them to practice basic spells, then pause for a bite!  For a variety of
    wand ‘types’, have crushed cookies, nuts or sprinkles handy as options
    to roll freshly-dipped pretzels in. 

    ChocolateWands470

    For
    this batch of wands, I first dipped pretzel rods in melted caramel.** 
    I then dipped each one in melted chocolate, and finished with a
    dappling of nuts.

    PretzelTray470b

    For
    best results, melt caramel in a tall cylinder and dip pretzels
    carefully.  The taller the cylinder, the deeper you can dip the
    pretzels. Set freshly-dipped pretzels on parchment-covered cookie sheet
    till caramel has set.  Then dip chocolate in the same manner.  Once
    chocolate has partially set, roll dipped end in desired topping.

    Dipping320w2 Package a few wands together in cello bags and personalize by tying with ribbon in your house colors.

    **Alternatively,
    use flat sheets of caramel used in caramel-apple
    making.  Each caramel sheet comes sandwiched in parchment paper.  Cut
    sheets into strips while still lined with paper.  Then, peel off paper
    & wrap strips around end of pretzel
    rod.  I've seen caramel sheets in the produce section of several
    grocery
    stores — but these might be seasonal.

    • Cockroach Clusters recipe here.
    • Butterbeer recipe here.
    • Mini Broomsticks tutorial here.

  • The Three Broomsticks

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall

    ThreeBrooms
    Use these miniature Firebolts to add a bit of magical flair to your favorite Harry Potter party drink.  Or use the broom handles to skewer together any tasty morsels that threaten to scurry away on the dessert table.

    Broomstick Picks

    Materials Needed
    Raffia
    Wooden skewers
    Colored embroidery floss
    Brown thread

    Tools
    Sewing machine
    Hot glue gun & glue
    Scissors

    BroomA

    1. 
    Gather small bunch of raffia – about 20 strands. Stitch bundled raffia
    together. (Seam is about 3/4" long.) Trim raffia to 5" wide, with seam
    centered.

    BroomB

    2. 
    Place medium-size dot of hot glue to left of thread seam. Place the
    blunt end of skewer into glue, extending skewer about 1" past thread
    seam.

    BroomC

    3.  Fold right half of raffia over skewer. Secure with glue or simply keep a hold on raffia till Step 4 is completed. 

    BroomD

    4. 
    While holding raffia ends securely, wrap colored embroidery floss
    around broom bristles, about ½" from folded end of raffia. Wrap thread
    3-4 times and secure with knot. Trim raffia to even out end of broom.

    These brooms are surprisingly easy to make — bookmark for next Halloween : )

    • Cockroach Clusters recipe here.
    • Butterbeer recipe here.

  • Bottoms Up, Butterbeer

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall Butterbeer
    Madam
    Rosmerta would agree that no wizard party is complete without a pint of
    freshly-brewed Butterbeer. With our house elf now missing, it took us
    quite a few iterations before we discovered the perfect potion for this
    usually overly-sweet concoction. A hint of ginger and the sweetness of
    butterscotch combine to create a delightful and refreshing non-alcoholic drink,
    capable of making even Severus Snape smile.

    Butterscotch300 Butterbeer Recipe

    12 oz. (one bottle) ginger beer
    36 oz. (three bottles) cream soda
    3 T butterscotch ice cream topping

    Thoroughly
    chill unopened ginger beer and cream soda in refrigerator until
    icy-cold.  Refrigerate empty, glass pitcher as well.  Once beverages
    are chilled, in a small mixing bowl or tall glass, stir 1-2 oz. of
    cream soda into butterscotch topping till thoroughly combined.  Pour
    all remaining soda into chilled pitcher. Quickly add butterscotch
    mixture to pitcher.  Stir till just combined;  do not over-stir.  Pour
    over ice and serve immediately.  Serves 6.

    For a frothy sparkle, dip the rim of each glass in corn syrup,
    pulling drips of syrup downward with a toothpick.  Then dip
    each glass rim in a mixture of colored sugar.  Before dipping, spread
    the corn syrup & sugar mixture each onto a separate, flat-bottomed
    plate.

    SugarRim

    For
    an old-world, textured effect, mix fine, yellow sugar with coarser,
    gold sugar.  Colored sugars are available at many grocery stores and
    craft chains.  The sugars shown here are both from Michael's.

    Isaac
    & I went to a midnight showing of The Half-Blood Prince with friends last
    night.  It was amazing — definitely my favorite HP movie so far — BY
    FAR.  We were surrounded by eight packed theatres of screaming,
    costumed teenagers.  It was a sight.

    • Cockroach Clusters recipe here.

  • Candy-Coated Roach Control

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall HBaileyCockroachBrt3 Don't look like a Muggle at the big Harry Potter movie premiere
    this week, snacking on Milk Duds and Raisinets.  Line your cloak with a
    proper wizard's feast of sugar munchies.  Start with every student's
    favorite, Cockroach Clusters. 

    HBaileyPopcornWbrt2
    Our house elf, Floozy, has been working away all weekend to formulate
    the perfect Cockroach Cluster recipe, using only the finest Pecanese
    cockroaches.  With Floozy's polished recipe, the process is easy —
    almost like making popcorn balls.

    For a final touch, let a
    batch of greedy insects loose on your tray of hand-rolled popcorn balls
    and they'll crawl right into place and get stuck — like magic. The
    hardest part is de-winging the little buggers while they're still
    wiggling, but you'll get the hang of it.

    When Floozy threatened
    to rest her sticky fingers, we made her stay up an extra two hours to
    design candy tags for your homemade treats.  That'll teach her.  Click here to download a print-ready pdf of uniquely-appetizing Cockroach Cluster tags.

    Spread the news around Hogsmeade and the floo network, I'll be posting magical recipes all this week.

    Update: 
    About Floozy's sticky, sticky state.  No worries.  We had her wash up for the next recipe & gave her a clean, new apron to wear.

    Oh shoot!  Oops — no wonder I haven't seen her all morning.

    HappyTreat

    Cockroach Clusters

    Glazed Pecans

    1 lb pecan halves
    1/2 C light corn syrup
    1 T butter
    kosher or sea salt to taste

    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 200º. Coat baking sheet
    with butter-flavored cooking spray. Spread pecan halves in single layer on
    baking sheet. Toast in 200º oven for approx. 5 min. Remove pecans from oven and pour in mixing bowl. Set aside. Increase oven
    temperature to 300º. Re-coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

    Melt butter in
    microwave. Add corn syrup &
    butter to pecan halves. Stir until pecans are evenly coated. With
    slotted spoon, remove pecan halves from bowl and place in single layer
    on baking sheet. Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until pecan glaze is
    brown and bubbly. Remove pecans and lightly
    sprinkle with salt. Allow to cool. Pecans should be prepared in advance
    of
    popcorn balls.

    CockroachClusterTags Popcorn Balls

    18-20 C of popped popcorn
    2 T butter
    2 C sugar
    1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
    1/2 C light corn syrup
    1 1/3 cups water
    1 tsp white vinegar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1/2 tsp almond extract

    Directions:
    Pop
    popcorn in air popper — or use plain microwave popcorn. Set aside. In
    medium sauce pan, combine butter, sugar, salt, corn syrup, water and
    vinegar. (The vinegar helps the sugar to reach a smooth consistency.)
    Cook on high until sugar mixture reaches hard-ball stage (approximately
    255-265º). Remove saucepan from heat, then stir in vanilla and almond
    extract.

    Quickly
    coat large mixing bowl and mixing spoon with butter-flavored cooking
    spray. Pour 18-20 cups of popped popcorn into the greased bowl.

    Slowly pour
    sugar mixture onto popcorn, tossing as you go. Wait till mixture is
    cool enough to handle, but still very warm, then lightly form coated
    popcorn into 3" balls and place on wax paper.  Before popcorn balls
    cool, decorate with glazed pecans. It helps to have a second person to
    help add pecans while the popcorn mixture is still warm.

    Holy cricket, these are tasty!

    • Butterbeer recipe here.