warm woolen mittens

mommas need pampering too. Warm woolen mittens just for you! These two sets of mittens will be avialble on Sweet Retreat January 7th! Very resonably priced :)

www.hyenacart.com/sweetretreat

The cheating way to do a Gingerbread house

This is the cheating way of doing a gingerbread house. Since i have a two year old, and a four year old, we figured real gingerbread was too time consuming and hard.. so we used grahm crackers and royal icing. This is the house i made. We had a great time decorating and icing the houses. i got a little carried away and did a chimney and awnings over my windows. but the kids had a blast and are looking forward to destroying them on Christmas day.

here is another boy doll, a custom for a DS momma. i think this one looks more like a Mikey :) he has a sweet feel to him..

been working on massive amounts of customs. i have a doll to make today, and possibibly some reindeer poop. last minute orders keep coming, but the time for shipping before xmas is getting shorter!! atleast the post office seems to be on the ball so far this year!

Snakes!

boys love snakes. my son loves to chase my daughter around with is.. these snakes are being offered with a small tote for storage, on Ala Mode Congo 12/10/09. Its a great gift for that toddler boy who has an imagination!

Need a gift for that wine lover in your family? how about dressing up the bottle a bit.. literally. A cute hat and scarf set is the perfect attire for that special bottle of wine. i have 3 sets going on Sweet retreat tomarrow, for $5 each!! inexpensive and cute!

xmas time!

December is the season for uncomfortable pictures!!LOL! we took the kids to see santa lastnight, and my daughter wouldnt stop crying. so santa had us all get in the pic together. this is the only one of her not crying :)
So, picture done.. now i send out the xmas cards. we get our tree this weekend. our first real tree since the kids have been born. my xmas shopping is almost done.. i just have baking to do and then i can enjoy my holiday!!

SO HERES AN EARLY MERRY XMAS FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS!

Here is a preview of dolls i will be stocking on Club Thread this week! Yes, thats right, you read correct! I am guesting on Club Thread for the first two weeks of December! I am so excited to be on this congo, even for a short time. there are some amazing vendors on the congo, and im humbled to be listing with them.

I have a new doll im debuting on the congo this week. He is Johnny, my first plain boy doll. Im really thrilled with him. Can you guess who my Muse was for him ?!!!lol.. he does have similar hair to the famous Johnny Depp :) i hope he finds his way into a childs heart this holiday!

so ladies, be sure to check me out on Club Thread this week and next. they stock at noon on Wendsdays!

www.hyenacart.com/clubthread

Black friday sales on 11/27

BLACK FRIDAY IS THIS FRIDAY!! i am stocking new trinket boxes at Sweet retreat, and all my items on Kindred Spirits are going on mega sale, alot with free shipping. this is a great time to cash in on some holiday deals!
www.hyenacart.com/sweetretreat
www.hyenacart.com/kindredspirits

Tis the season for customs! Here is something ive never made before. i had a very nice momma from DS with a special request, a ninja. the momma sent me a pic of what she kinda wanted, and i tried to make it come to life. So here is my first ninja!

Big things have happened in the past week. I am now running Sweet Retreat congo, with a few friends as tech support and coadmin. With the change, i decided we needed a new look. So Sweet Retreat is now the place to 'find your inner peace'. i am very much into all things zen, so this new look is awesome to me! i hope it grabs peoples attention and brings them back for more. We have added new vendors. Bliss Candies, A Ray of Stitches, Birdies, Loving Touch Soaps, and more to come! We have a great Black friday stocking coming up next week, dont miss it. great collabs and sales. But tomarrow is our second stocking of the month, so be there at 1:00pm.
www.hyenacart.com/sweetretreat

joined the Ala mode congo!

another exciting accomplishment for Jodys Designs! I have been asked to join the Ala mode congo! i start stocking in Decemeber, so please check it out. its a really neat congo, with a great look, and fresh vendors. Ill be joining my friend Dena of Lulubird Designs, and other wahms i have worked with in the past. should be an exciting new adventure!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

happy halloween! the kids were from the Wizard of oz this year, the best movie ever made! i made johannas dress, and codys costume is handmade but bought at a tag sale! so the total price of costumes this year was $4!! thats the way to do halloween! our pumkin was a huge hit. cory rigged him up with a lightbulb inside, so he glew a demonic read. i saw the carving idea online somewhere, and did my own version of it. this was a great halloween. the kids have trick or treating down, and ate their fair share of candy. cant wait to do it all again next year. i already have a costume request from my son, so it looks like pirates is the theme for next year. but im thinking he can be Hook, and Johanna can be Tinkerbell...we will see though!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

its that time of the year again! bring on the reindeer poop! Last year this was a huge hit with moms, who had naughty children, or family with a sense of humor. i keep the price on this stocking stuffer inexpensive, so that everyone can have a little fun around the holidays! Poop will be stockin November 3rd on Mainstreet congo

at 12:30. i will have plenty in stock, and i do take customs if you need enough for the whole family!

Guesting!

so i got the coolest news today. let me gloat for a minute please. i will be guesting on Club Thread congo for the first two weeks of December! do a little shimmy dance please. this is so thrilling to me. as we all know, im obsessed with all things club thread. i have items from about 4 of the vendors, and couldnt be more impressed with them. but i get to guest with them, which is an amazing honor. i will most likely be stocking my dolls, since i think those are my best product and incorporate some sewn talent into them. i cant wait, really cant wait! i cant wait to be seen amoung such classy and talented ladies :) so keep a watch out, i hope to debut some new dolls during that stocking...

craft fair was a bust :(

ok, so the craft fair was a wash out! i wanted to cry. we went anyway, in the rain, cause the person in charge said it had to go on, and i didnt want to be out my money. so we get there, its pouring. we set up in the rain, and relize our tent doesnt have sides. so alot of things got misted on. which is fine, but still. next time we will have sides!lol. i did make a few sales in between bits of dry weather. i made enough to cover the table, pay for johannas new doll thats coming from Hill Country Doll makers, and to pay off some fabric debt ( yahoo fabric groups are the enemy!!). hopefully will be nice weather next year, cause it could have been a great event. they had a train full of 300 people go to the town just for the event...where they went i have no clue, cause they werent at the craft fair!lol
anyway, now i have a great amount of stock for November. which means my customs list is about to be wide open, and we can get the ball rolling for Christmas shopping. Hope to do some sewing this week, for a KS stocking. and i have alot of collabs im working on for MS and SR. so busy this week! but atleast the stress of the craft fair has passed and i can breath again..for a few weeks!lol

ok, so i got my mini spotted box today. and i think it is my favorite mini i have recieved so far! lots of great things like candles, crayons, body butter, sachets, and coupon codes! but my favorite is the caramels from Bliss Candies. let me tell you, they melt in your mouth. theyre not chewy caramels that you have to pick out of your teeth. they are amazingly smooth! she put ginger molasses flavored caramels as the samples. you recieved 5 good sized candies. now im not a fan of ginger, at all.but these caramels changed that! i will be getting some of her confections for xmas gifts! i recommend her highly!! BUY HER CARAMELS!!LOL, and tell her Jody sent ya!
www.blisscandies.etsy.com

heres two lovely little dolls, i have made and ready for the craft fair on Saturday. ihave about 8 ready to go, and a few last minute in the works. im almost ready, but i have some finnishing things i have to get done. im hoping the weather holds up. as of this morning theyre predicting rain for the weekend, but its newengland so it might change.
i will take pics of my set up on saturday, if we actually get to go. i have some neat display ideas for my playfood, and some for the dolls as well. last year my popular item was my lovey bunnies, so i have a dozen or so of those made. but im hoping my dolls are the hit this year. alot of work goes into them, but the outcome is truely special!

here is my verison of the pirate girl doll! girls can play pirates too! she has a bright red skirt, thats not too feminine, but still pretty, and matches the skulls in her head scarf.lol. she has an eye patch to keep it real! this lovely little lady is going to Lauren, another DS momma!

nothing says fall like pumkins and candy apples. we took sometime out this afternoon to go to our local orchard for their fall festival. the kids loved their sprinkle covered candy apples, and my husband picked the biggest pumkin! a whole 26lbs. very nice size for carving :)

sweet retreat stocking today

SWEET RETREAT STOCKS TODAY AT 1:00PM!

www.hyenacart.com/sweetretreat

i have some new, different items stocking today. trying to be outside of my zone for once. i listed two recipe boxes. theyre a new thing for me. its a decoupage type art. i started off making these for my daughter. i made her a box to hold all of her bows and hair prettys, and thought, man these are really neat. so i decided to try it out for adults. i hope they get some attention, i think theyre something different and fun!

a colorful arrangement of cupcakes and a blond haird doll, both on their way to Diane in Fl. she orginally wanted to buy my redheaded doll that won the fair, but also added a second doll and some cupcakes to the order. so these will get mailed out today, and hopefully end up in her grandchildrens hands very soon! i love the colors of the cupcakes! they stand out!

sets for the 3rd on Mainstreet

so heres a small preview of the goodies im stocking for the 3rd on Mainstreet. the purple ooga set is stripe longies with the purple ooga baby doll top. the longies are ruffle trimmed with a drawstring waist. i love this set!

the cupcake set is stripe longies as well, that match the striping on the cupcake shirt. the longies are also trimmed with scallop edging, and finnished with a drawstring waist. the shirt is embellished by Dena of Lulubird Designs. Dena has tons of cupcake appliques to chose from. this one is my favorite.

My Hatty Surprise

since the craft fair was a success for me last year, this year i asked my favorite and fellow wahms if they wanted to try to get a little business through my luck. so i asked them to send me business cards, for me to make into little packets to hand out to customers. racheal of My Hatty, sent me her cards as well as the bag you see in the pics above. she made the bag as a gift , to hold my money and change at the fair. this is way better then the method i used last year..a ziploc bag isnt very stylish!lol,, but this bag is big and roomy, i sense some optimism in her creation! anyway, it was so thoughtful and nice of racheal, that i wanted to share it with you guys. if you like the look of the bag, and want to see more of her stuff she is on the Mainstreet congo with me: www.hyenacart.com/mainstreet

she mades amazing winter hats, soakers, longies, and anything else you would need with fleece. ive bought a hat from her before, with a spaceship theme, and it was well loved. she has some hats that look like gigantic fish, that are hilarious! she appliques the fleece in any design you can think of. and yes we have cupcake longies from her. even though we dont use diapers that often anymore, the longies make amazing pants for the winter. and you cant tell what they were orginally intended for! so anyway, check her out. you wont be disapointed. shes a lovely lady with a great talent, and huge heart!

this is a doll i finnished for a DS momma named Ashley. she has blond homespun hair, and princess inspired dress. shes really very girly, which Ashley told me her daughter likes. So she gets mailed today. i also have to make a similiar doll for another customer, but with a different dress. it seems people really like the homespun hair. i love the texture and apperance it gives the dolls.

so im working on that other doll today, and making two sets of cupcakes for a new customer. hope to get them all done by the weekend so i can get some other things done.

my customs list is slowly getting done! these are slippers for a wonderful wahm i am honored to crochet for. Harmony threads of club thread congo, did a trade with me. she sent me the yarn from dyer, stitches under the sun, and i crocheted a pair for her and her daughter. the yarn was a pleasure to work with. the colors are vibrant and gorgeous, and texture is amazing. She also sent her own buttons, butterflies and pretty circle buttons. i cant wait to hear her response on how they look!

off to work on some more of the list. next up is a doll, and those two lunch bags. My mil is taking both kids tomarrow, so sewing will have a better chance of getting done tomarrow. Johanna isnt letting me do a whole lot this week. shes getting used to cody being in school, and likes the attention. theres almost too much cuddling, and following around. only thing she will let me do is a little crocheting during DORA, and make lunch.. so it doesnt help make my list of things to do smaller :)

so ive been busy making samples for the spotted box for OCtober. i am sending in samples for Jodys Designs as well as Kindred SPirits. i do enjoy doing the spotted box!

my custom list is getting mighty high again.. looks like people might be thinking xmas in September. i have 3 dolls to make, some playfood, and some slippers. all while trying to stock for the craft show and for the congos.

MAinstreet congo has officially merged with Nectar congo. not all of the vendors have joined us for the merge, but those who have are very nice wahms. they will all be debuting in OCtober, which is turning out to be a very nice stocking. i love it when things fall together! get it,,,,october..fall...yeah im corny!

not the best picture in the whole world, but it was cloudy and rainy when i took it. this is an owl that is going with a collab im doing on MAinstreet for october. hes really squishy, and is around 8 inches tall.

still working on things for the craft fair, not to mention the next stocking in October.i would love to get some sewing done, but it doesnt seem to be happening for me. too much crocheting to do and so little time. im planning on doing Octobers spotted box, so i have to finnish up samples for that. and i have to make someto send out to Denise for her Etsy store.

we are adding more and more vendors everyday to Mainstreet. i think when we stock for October its going to be crazy. its nice to have new people in the group, keeps ideas and the look fresh.

my niece, Miss Lily

this is my new little niece, Miss Lily. she is a tiny little cutie! we spent the day getting to know her today. she is a little over a week old now. shes tooo cute and tiny, almost makes me want another one. it was nice to see my husband holding her. this is his sisters baby, so it was special to him. not to mention cory has a way with babies. soo now i have another little one to introduce to the world on Hyenacart. im already thinking tutus and bows, and her father is thinking redsox and football! not if i have my way with her, she will be girly!!

got alot to do with crocheting. i need to make some samples for Octobers spotted box, and i have to crochet some more playfood for the fair coming up. i have to pick up my woodstock fair entries tomarrow. and tomarrow i bring cody to school...

great night tonight at the Woodstock Fair. i won a blue ribbon for my Erin doll, and a blue ribbon for johannas goblin hat!! that makes 3 yrs in a row winning blue ribbons. i cant even begin to express how exciting it is! my mother entered too this year,and she won for her doilies. she placed in a blue and a white ribbon. i was very proud of her.. shes caught the bug now and will be entering yearly with me.. its addicting!!
alot happened in sales the past two days. my pirate doll went to a home in Korea. my first international sale, so im praying it makes it there ok. my apples and pears diaper bag set sold to a great momma from CDN. she sounded oober excited about it for a shower gift, if she doesnt decide she needs to keep it!lol!! oh and i sold 2 custom lunchbags that were shipped out this morning.. so i had some saled this month.. money to pay for some fabric i have comign from coops and a stuffed dragon i ordered for johanna ( she collects dragons).
hopefully this weekend i get some major crocheting done. Monday we go to Boston to meet my niece for the first time. i cant wait to see her! i have something special to give her ( yes its from hyena wahms, wouldnt have it any other way). i also cant wait to see my SIL and BIL to hugg them and see if being a parent has changed them yet.. but i know holding that baby is going to make me want another, so it might be a dangerous day.

codys first week at school is done. he has improved alot by today. he was having trouble getting focused, but as of today the teacher said hes doing better. he still screams "momma!!" when i pick him up, and i hope that doesnt stop cause i need it.. my little man is growing up :(

Kindred spirits grandopening today!

Kindred spirits grandopening is today! we stock at 7:00 pm tonight. there are two drawings put up, and lots of great sewn items. im super excited about it! i hope we get alot of shoppers and lookers :)

www.hyenacart.com/kindredspirits

codys 1st day of school

so this is it.. my son had his first day of preschool. he wore his special new shirt ( from the smiling octopus on HC), his new sneakers, and his favortie backpack. he was so excited. we brought him over to the teacher and he jumped and was ready. didnt even want to look back, just ran.. i cant wait til he gets home so he can tell me all about it..

today is my bday

so today i turn 29. which isnt a big number to me, i guess we'll see how i feel when i turn 30. anyway, to celebrate im offering a free shipping sale on all items instock on MAinstreet. so i would take me up on this offer while its there. just email me at merandus@gmail.com with your choice, i will take off shipping so you can pay through HC.

i woke up to chocolate chip pancakes this morning, a sweet card from my husband ( who gave me a Paula Deen cookbook too!) and big kisses from my kids. great way to start the day. this afternoon we are doing lunch in town at my new favorite lunch spot, then maybe a little antiquing. my mother gave me a gift card to woolworks, so im going to buy some kickass yarn today too!! yay! nothing like the gift of yarn :)

anyway, lots to do. finnishing up lastminute items for KS grandopening. getting ready for codys big day tomarrow. and i also became and aunt as of Thursday. Little Lily was born, and i will be seeing her sometime this week. very very good month here!

Muddy Buddies recipe

ok, so back to school season got me thinking.. what was my favorite snackwhen i was a kid? it was chex muddy buddies! i know i still love this snack, and so do my kids. so if you have made them before, and forgot all about them, or havent made them, heres a refresher recipe. for those of you on WIC, its a great way to use up cereal and the peanut butter.
ingredients:
1 cp semisweet choc chips
1/2cp peanut butter
1/4 cp butter
1 tsp vanilla
9 cps chex (we use corn chex)
1 1/2cps powdered sugar

1.) in a large microwavable bowl mix choc chips,pb & butter ( i prechop the butter). microwave for 1 min on high. mix it up, if its not smooth after mixing put it back in for 30 secs. stir in vanilla
2.) put the cereal in a large bowl, pour choc mixture over the chex. with a rubber spatula mix it gently til all of the cereal is coated. put 4 cups of this cereal mix into a large bag ( we use freezer bags)
3.) pour in 1/2 cp of the powdered sugar over the mix. close bag and shake. add another 4 cps of mix and 1/2 cp of sugar, shake. repeat til all mixture is in the bag and shoke.
4.) refridgerate!

this is the easies thing to make. its great over icecream too!

i finnished the doll for Brandilyn! yay! she is a blond haired doll, with a pretty pink dress with lollypops on it. Brandilyn told me that her daughter is into all things pink, so i figured this dress would be perfect, plus its one of my favs! she is being shipped out this afternoon.
im getting some more crocheting done today, trying to get ready for the big craft fair. i have about 8 bunnies made, i just have to sew their eyes on. then im going to make a massive stock of play food! i really enjoy making the playfood, im hoping its a big hit at the fair. im doing alot of sets with Dena of Lulubird designs, so i think they will fly off the table!
anyway, not alot going on this week. New England is still in a heat wave. which is killing me. we have the AC on every day! the kids havent been playing outside unless theyre swimming. and to top it off, my veggie plants got some funky bug on them thats wiping them out :( not too happy about that!
did get some sewing done this weekend. made a bunch of lunch bags to sell on KS. theyre super cute and insulated as well. ill take pics when ive finnished the whole lot. i started off making one for cody, for his first day of school, then found that i really enjoy making them.

so i have a custom doll i have to work on today/this weekend. its for a really nice momma on DS, and she requested blond hair. so i hope to get her done by sunday. i do have more sewing to do, and i have some more crocheting i want to get done for the upcoming craft fair.
so far today i made a batch of peanut butter cookies, which my kids managed to eat half of already. this is why i dont like to make cookies when theyre awake. they stand there and beg for the beaters, then they steal cookies when im not looking..evil little cookie thieves.

Knickerdoodies sale tomarrow!

well, my friend Nancy has decided to close down Knickerdoodies,and merge her name onto KS! which is very exciting. so she is having an inventory clearance, clear out tomarrow at 3:00pm. her trainers are as low as $4, which is amazing! i have several of her trainers,and loved them. so the sale is definatly worth checking out.
i think the new adventure of Kindred Spirits is going to be great. i cant wait to showcase my sewn items, and to see what Nancy comes up with next. having a sewn item shop that sells trainers, diapers, and clothes is so convenient. cause i cant make diapers and trainers, so having nancy do that is alot easier. Plus, with her opening this shop with me, it makes more sense for her to close down knickerdoodies. kwim?
www.hyenacart.com/knickerdoodies

got a dress made for KS. its a really pretty pink knit with purple butterflies. its a 12/18 month size, lap tee style playdress.
i finnished the longies for KJ, so those are wrapped and ready to mail in the morning.
not alot going on here today. its pretty muggy out, so i think im staying in with the AC.
i hope to get some more sewing done today, and possibly some crocheting as well.

got another outfit done for KS, this one is a gnome lap tee and obv pants. im in love with this gnome print. i would like to make a bunch of stuff for cody in this print, if i ever get around to it. but anyway, i love how it came out.
im working in finnishing up some longies for a custom. i just need to do a waistband and hem ties and its done! yay!!

fish outa bags set

Kindred Spirits grand opening is Sept 1st, and i just started sewing for it.lol.. this set took me all day yesturday. its 0-3 month pants and kimino top, made with obv in pale blue with Heather Ross fish outa bags cuffs. its soo soft, if my son was still tiny i would keep it for sure :) but hopefully it goes to a lucky baby! im a huge fan of the fish line of fabric, and i couldnt resist pairing these two together.

im working on some longies right now for a custom, then i have to do a bunny and dalmation for another. i want to do some more sewing in between these orders, but we will see what happens.

goblin hat

so this is what i have been hard at work on. its my crochet version on the earflap hat, but im calling it the goblin hat. i did this with stripes of solids, with the ear flaps and braided ends. i need to add a pom pom to it, and iron the brim flat. but its made from 100% wool yarn, and johanna loves it. im thinking im going to enter this in the Woodstock Fair this year, cause its really cute in person. i have to make one for my son now, as requested by my husband. im going to adjust the pattern a little with my sons, cause i ran into a few hard spots while creating this. and it is my own design. i hope to make a few more to sell this year as well.

On Facebook

well, its offical, i gave into facebooks temptations..yes, my facebook boycott is oficially over. LOL. Nancy set up a facebook page for Kindred Spirits, so i kinda had to sign up. i dont know if that was her sneaky way of getting me over there, cause she was sure excited when i signed up...sneaky sneaky.. so i have my page with nancy, and my own personal page under Jody Blanchette. it shows tons more pics of my children, and my crochet items. its odd though, within an hour of signing up i had 12 friends, then this morning im up to 21. kinda scary! but neat at the same time. I hope my followers on this blog make their way over to my facebook pages and check it out... i keep saying it, but i seem to be everywhere!

so here is my first skirty. its made with a yarn that my friend Summer dyed for her first time. she sent it to me, in hopes i could make something beautiful out of it for her little girl. and this is what i came up with, it wasnt the original plan, but i couldnt stop myself. i made large ruffles and scallop trimmed shorties. they really are pretty. im going to attempt to make one for johanna, but minus the shorts cause we're potty training :)

nectars grand opening

Nectar congo stocks today, i hope everyone checks it out at 8:00pm. i cant wait to see what sells, and how many shoppers we have, i think thats one of the most exciting things, checking out how many people are shopping. at Mainstreet at one point we had like 32 shoppers, and it made my heart pound!! so, i hope i sell atleast one thing. Nancy did a great job with the graphics, and vendor choices. i think its going tobe a fun congo.

www.hyenacart.com/nectar