Memorial Day Weekend SALE

This weekend ONLY I will be having a sale in my Etsy shop.  Now through Sunday….

BUY ONE SET OF LITTLE WASHIES, GET ONE FREE!!!

         

Here’s how to get the discount.  Head on over to My Bella Baby and pick out your favorite sets of Little Washies.  Then, send me a message (convo) through Etsy telling me which 2 sets you would like.   I will set up a custom listing for you and that’s it!  You will have yourself some new Little Washies! 

Have a great weekend!!!

More Booties for Tiny Toes

Lil’ Gentleman Loafers

Zebra Oh Baby Booties

Bella Booties – Corduroy Hearts

Bella Booties – Little Robots

Reversible Baby Love Booties

I love baby feet!  :)

Cutie Booties – Poppy Dot Flowers

Cutie Booties anyone?  Here are the latest pair of booties that I made for my shop.  I’m loving the summer fabric.  They would make a darling addition to your little one’s wardrobe!

Hooded Towel, Washies and a Giveaway at Whimsi Kel

Head on over to Whimsi Kel for a chance to win a matching set of Little Washies and a hooded towel.  The winner will be allowed to choose between a  boy, girl or gender neutral set.
Kelli will be making the hooded towel with ribbon that matches the cotton fabric on the Little Washies that I will be making.  How fun would it be to win this set?! 
Don’t forget to check out all of the other fun things on her blog!

Enter the giveaway here: http://whimsikel.blogspot.com/2010/05/hooded-towel-washies-and-giveaway.html

Kena Bows

Who doesn’t love a little girl with adorable hair accessories?  They finish off an outfit perfectly and are great gifts for baby showers and birthdays! 
At Kena Bows (check out link on the side of my blog) I found some of the cutest things!  Headbands, tutus, hair bows and hair clips, all so darling!  Any little girl would feel like a princess wearing these. 
Here are some of my favorite!  There are SO many more so be sure to visit Kena Bows to find your favorite!
      





Look how darling the matching tutu and headband are together! 
I am excited to say that Kena Bows is offering a special just for my readers! 
10% off a purchase of $10 or more OR 15% off a purchase of $15 or more through June!
To receive this great discount, here’s what you can do:             First, visit Kena Bows and find your favorite items.  Then contact Kena Bows through Etsy conversation and let her know which items you would like to purchase. (For subject, enter “mybellababy” to receive discount.)  She will set up a custom listing for you with the discount applied.  And easy as that you will have some oh so darling hair accessories….and maybe even a tutu! 
Thank you Kena Bows for this great discount for your beautiful creations!

Winner of Poshatively Darling Giveaway

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Poshatively Darling giveaway!  We have a winner!

Congratulations to Sarah (Comment #1) who said:                              I'd love to get an "a" tee for my 12-month old daughter! Cute stuff.

Please check your email for more  details.  You have 48 hours to respond.

Natural Glass Cleaner

I have found a new hobby of researching natural and frugal living.  I think there are a lot of chemicals out there that are unhealthy to be exposed to.  So, in any way I can, I choose the natural route.  A lot of times it saves me money too, which is always a plus! 

For awhile I have been using vinegar to clean my windows and mirrors but wasn’t loving the smell and it was making me sneeze.  (That’s another thing…a lot of cleaning products make me sneeze, I think I am developing allergies.)  So, I came across an option that works much better for me.  So simple and cheap!  Here it is…

Natural Glass Cleaner  - Water and Lavender Oil

       

Yep, that’s it!  I just fill up an empty spray bottle and add about 10 drops of lavender.  I love it!  My house smells so good when I am done too.  I have had no problems with streaks at all, so this is what I am sticking with! 

Tulips in Holland

Michigan is well known for crazy, unpredictable weather.  It’s true!  Really, you never know what to expect living here.  Especially when it’s changing from winter to spring.  One day it’s 80 degrees and the next day it’s snowing.  Kind of annoying, but I have to say since we moved to Holland from way up north (where we had drive your tractor to school day in high school and farms EVERYWHERE)  I have enjoyed very much the change from winter to spring.  Here’s why:

Aren’t they pretty?  Tulips are my favorite flower!  Holland is known as the “tulip town” because there are tulips everywhere.  My husband took these pictures when we were shopping downtown.  Tulips of every color line the streets of Holland and lots of people have them in their yards.  Makes getting over winter much easier when these pretty flowers bloom.  Too bad they can’t stay longer…

Sweet Baby Booties

Have I ever mentioned that I love custom orders? 

These  pink booties are a custom order that have become one of my favorite!  I love it when my customers pick out fabric that I might not have thought of using. 

And here they are in blue…

Poshatively Darling Giveaway

Looking for a unique gift for a little one?  Birthday, baby shower or just because, Poshatively Darling will have something for you!!  (Check out the link on the side of my blog)  She makes darling headbands, crochet hats, hair clips and darling personalized tees.  Like these ones:

                   

                   

Your lil Lady will look adorable in her Personalized T-Shirt! You can choose a short sleeve tee, long sleeve tee, or a tank! Your little one will feel so special with a shirt made just for her!
Want matching hair clips?? We've got you covered! Check out our fabric clips!

So cute, right?!  I love that she makes matching hair clips too!  Makes a darling little outfit. 

Poshatively Darling has decided to give away a personalized tee to one lucky reader!  How sweet of her!  (Tees can be made for boys or girls up to size 10.)  

Here is how to enter this fantastic giveaway:

*NOTE:  Make sure to leave your email address with each comment so I can contact you.  After the winner is chosen you will have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be picked.

1- MANDATORY ENTRY – visit Poshatively Darling and tell me what your favorite item in her shop is.

2- Become a Facebook friend of Poshatively Darling.

3- Become a follower of My Bella Baby’s blog (if you aren’t already).

4- Follow My Bella Baby on Twitter.

5- Tweet about this giveaway (be sure to leave your Twitter name).

6- Blog about this giveaway (be sure to leave a link).

This giveaway will close on May 21st at 11:59 p.m. EST

Thank you Poshatively Darling for this awesome giveaway!

Good Luck!

A LOT of Little Washies

This is why my Etsy shop is empty:

         

I had a wholesale order of 30 sets of Little Washies.  150 washies in just over a week!  Crazy!  Now I am working on another wholesale order.  (Not as many though.)  I LOVE wholesale orders!  The down side is I don’t feel like I get anything else done.  By the end of the day I don’t even feel like cooking dinner.  My poor husband!  He is so patient and loves that I am doing what I love. 

So beginning next week my shop will be getting full again.  Yay!   Bring on the custom orders!  I love those too!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

My last name is Giacalone...yes that is Italian. And 90% of people don't know how to pronounce it...it's fun! Jack-alone-e is how it sounds.
So, I have had to learn to be more 'Italian' since I got married last July. One thing I have learned to make is spaghetti sauce. I used to buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, but I've learned that's a big no-no for Italians.
I have searched and experimented with a few different recipes and this is what I've come up with.

Spaghetti Sauce
28 oz. (1 lg. can)tomato sauce
56 oz. (2 lg. cans) diced tomatoes
1/4 cup dried parsley
1 tea. dried basil
1/2 tea. oregano
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and simmer for several hours stirring occasionally.

It makes a lot, so I freeze whatever is leftover. That's about as far as I've come. I am not making my own pasta or crushing my own tomatoes yet. I'll let you know when that happens. :)

Business Cards

Anyone know where I can get some reasonably priced business cards? 

I am in major need! 

Nothing fancy, just regular business cards….

Thanks!

Fabric Love

I think I might be addicted to fabric…seriously…I’m glad I have my husband to tell me when I am going overboard!  I love going to new cities and finding their local fabric stores and seeing what unique fabric I can find.

I have been busy lately working on custom and wholesale orders and have been having fun working with fabric that my customers are picking out.  I have found Amy Butler, Michael Miller and Alexander Henry fabric to be pretty popular. 

So, my question is this: What kind of fabric would you like to see from My Bella Baby? 

Whether it is a specific fabric, certain colors, styles, etc.  I would like to know what your favorite fabric is!  (Since my favorite is pretty much EVERYTHING!)  I tend to find more girl fabric too, so I would like to know what cute boy fabrics are out there that I may not know about.   Let me know your thoughts!  There may even be a prize…

WINNERS!

Here are the winners of the giveaway!
(Winners were selected using the random.org random number generator)

Out of 26 entries the winners are:
#23 Tracy
#2 Amy Matthews

Please check your email for more details. Thank you to everyone that participated! That was the first, but certainly not the last My Bella Baby giveaway. Stay tuned for more!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day to all moms out there!

Le Pastiche Uniquities & Bake Shoppe

Looking for the perfect dessert for a special occasion? Or just craving a delicious treat? Look no more!

Introducing Carissa at Le Pastiche Uniquities & Bake Shoppe! (Check out the link to her Etsy shop on the side of my blog!)

About Carissa:
I am your typical stay-at-home mother of 4: 30 years old, have been married for 12 blissful years and enjoy the occasional Wild Cherry Pepsi every now and then. You could call me a Jane-of-all-trades, master-of-none. I am a Forensic Document Examiner, Graphologist, Wedding/Event Planner, Artist and most recently an EMT. I sell all of my original artwork in my etsy shop online at www.orphanlady.etsy.com. You can also visit my blog www.carissamason.blogspot.com. To all of those reading, observing, stalking, I hope you enjoy!

Back to her wonderful work! She bakes the most AMAZING cookies! My husband and I (and actually my mom too) recently had the pleasure of tasting her yummy treats. In our package we got three different types of cookies: Goody-Goody Froo-Froo Cookies, Blueberry Cheesecakies and Dark Chocolate Orange Butter Balls. All I can say is YUM! My husband and mom agreed. So, so good! Each kind was delicious and unique. I can't say that I've had anything like them before. They are the perfect size so you don't feel guilty eating a few. (Like me!)
Did I mention that her packaging is beautiful too? She packages these yummy treats so perfectly, wrapped in tissue and placed in a bakery box with a label. They would make a great gift!
Another great thing about Carissa's shop is that she accepts requests, so if you don't see your favorite cookie, just send her a message and she is happy to make them for you.

She also makes beautiful jewelry, hair accessories and much more! Make sure to take a look at her wonderful Etsy shop and order some delicious cookies! You won't be dissapointed!

Here are the awesome cookies I received:

Beautifully packaged!

Dark Chocolate Orange Butter Balls

Goody-Goody Froo-Froo Cookies and Blueberry Cheesecakies

Mmmmm!

Thanks, Carissa for the delicious treats!

http://www.orphanlady.etsy.com/

Sale Extended

I am extending the coupon code 'MBB blog' because I have been so busy that I barely have anything in my shop. So, that code is extended until May 15th. Don't forget to enter it in the notes to seller section during checkout.

Also, if you notice in my Etsy shop announcement there is another sale going on in my shop for the month of May. Yes, the discount code and sale work together! Head on over to see how much you could save! If you have custom requests on items you like in my sold listings, send me a message and I will try to make another or something similar for you. I love custom orders!

Blue Eyed Boys

Look at these DARLING little boys that are so happily modeling their new booties and washies! My friend ordered some things from me and took these awesome pictures of her twins. SO, SO cute! I LOVE seeing babies with my creations!

Apparently the washies taste good too! :)