Feature Items: Caramel Apples!

This time of year brings all my favorite things, pumpkins, costumes and of course caramel apples. I remember last year I had a two week streak where I wanted a caramel apple every day. Sadly I would get in my car and drive a couple miles down the road to get a caramel, drive back and savor it alone in my apartment. Nothing screams OCTOBER more than a caramel apple.

I found some Etsy friends who seem to be on the same wave length as me when it comes to this juicy seasonal treat.

This delicious looking vegan soap from Sunbasilgarden is apple toffee scented comes complete with wooden stick and wrapped in cellophane. As yummy as it looks, it really is just soap so no eating it in the shower!!

Check out more fun soaps at http://www.sunbasilgarden.etsy.com/

Back in highschool I remember apple caramel pops were huge! These Caramel Apple Lollipops from VintageConfections look a lot more pretty than those we used to get off the ice cream truck! Plus I love how in the listing they are called "lollis". It makes me want to say it with a British accent!

Check out more yummy treats from http://www.vintageconfections.etsy.com/

Many of the chocolate stops have caramel apples that are available now are covered in cookies, fudge, candy, chocolate, nuts and other junk much stuff that you almost forget there is a caramel apple underneath! Sometimes you want a basic good caramel apple. Sugarsmitten has a simple caramel apple named simply “The Purist's Caramel Apple” My mouth is watering!

Check out Sugarsmitten's yummy treats at http://www.sugarsmitten.etsy.com/

Movie Wall Art Done Cheap

Living in an apartment means many times management will not let you paint walls. I had a HUGE blank slab of white wall above my couch that was screaming for something. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to put up there, but I knew I wanted something I painted on canvas. I thought about doing one big giant canvas, but the costs were far out of my budget.

I got an idea after sitting around with friends having dinner and discussing movies and the thought occurred to me to express my favorite movies on canvas! I purchased 16 x 20" canvas 2 packs from Michaels (using a 40% coupon each time of course) along with white and brown acrylic paint. (You can get your 40% off Michael’s coupon from the Sunday newspaper ads or by signing up for a weekly coupon emailed to you at micheals.com. Trust me it helps when buying a lot of craft supplies like I do.)


So I started by painted each canvas with the silhouette of each movie character in white and painted the background brown. This would give the person viewing the canvas a clue on what movie it was and yet keep all the different movies unison. I finished with two coats of a matte acrylic spray to seal the art.

(Kill Bill Vol. 1)

To get the uniform look on the wall, I took long poster paper and laid out each canvas on the floor. I then placed my canvas in the arrangement I liked measured the distance between each to ensure the correct placement to get that uniform look. Once I got each of the canvas how I liked them, I traced each with a black marker. I then measured where each nail would need to go behind the canvas and marked on the poster paper.

I then hug my poster paper on the wall and tapped nails into the wall at each of the nail markings. (I am sure my neighbor loved me pounding 12 nails into the wall, but with the nail marks already measured, it went super fast. )Once all the nails were firmly in place, I tore the paper away and hung each of the canvases on the wall. Simple as that!

Total cost of the project: Around $40 bucks.

FEATURED ITEM: Michael Jackson Tribute Canvas Art

As a child of the 80's, Michael Jackson's music was the soundtrack to my childhood. This is a tribute to the one and only KING OF POP!Hand painted Michael Tribute Canvas Art.

Painted in white and black acrylic paint on 100% cotton duck artist canvas back stapled with a traditional wood frame. (Candles not included)

SIZE: 9" x 12"

There is only ONE available so get it before it is gone!

http://www.thepaintinglibra.etsy.com/

Remember......

Where were you eight years ago today?

I remember I was living in Southern California and was still asleep when the first building was hit. I awoke to my ex step dad calling me to wake up and turn on the TV. I stumbled out to the living room and turn the TV on. Of course being so early my mom woke up and came out to see what I was doing. Of course we couldn’t believe what we had seen. As we watched the news, we saw the second plane hit the second tower. We knew this wasn’t an accident. I watching as much as I could before I had to get ready and go to work, a job I had started only three days prior. Of course rumors flew that there were planes on their way to Los Angeles and all planes had been grounded. I remember driving in my 65 mustang on side streets (it seems liked everyone was avoiding the freeways) looking up at the sky in wonder if the rumors were true. It was strange not to see any planes overhead. I could see other drivers and pedestrians who all had the same worried look. It seemed like forever by the time I got to work at a plumbing wholesale in San Gabriel. No one really worked that day. We either stood around the TV or radio to listen to updates. One of my bosses printed updated photos of the towers as they became available online and posted them outside her office.

The next few days and weeks seemed like such a blur that I don’t remember too many details. Of course the only story on everyone’s minds and lips was what happened.
My 20th birthday fell on the one month anniversary of the towers falling. It was a somber one since they were still pulling bodies out of the rubble. My mom presented me with a gift that is now one of the most cherished items I possess. A custom framed photo of John Lennon giving a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty.

That gift meant more to me than almost anything I had received. John is proudly hanging on the wall just inside my front door. He is a reminder that peace and love can conquer all.

A lot has changed since that day. We have been at war with people who simply have hate in their hearts and we have lost a lot of service men and women who died for our country. We may complain about traveling through the airport and past our borders, but we know we are safer than we were before this day eight years ago.

Those who perished that day will not be forgotten. The innocent men and women in the buildings and the planes who could not be saved. The brave firefighters and police who sacrificed themselves to save others and rushed into the burning buildings. Those brave passengers and crew who took down a plane before it could reach its unknown destination.

I promise to those who left us eight years ago to teach my children and their children what I saw and felt that day. Never Forget.

Don’t Stop Believing.....

Has anyone noticed Journey’s song “Don’t Stop Believing” has become really popular lately? The song came out in 1981 from their album Escape and Journey’s most known song. ITunes reports it is the most downloaded song NOT released in the 21st century and topped the 3 million dollar mark at the end of August 2009 in paid downloads. Could it be because this song is getting new life in movies and TV shows? Could it be because the song is that good or maybe because in times like these, the song just makes sense? It is said when times are tough people like slower songs or songs that have a positive message. Maybe it is just because we simply can’t stop believing…..

I found a couple Etsy sellers creating cool items all around the word BELIEVE.


MyDaisyDreams has an adorable Glass and Resin pendant with definition of “Believe”. It comes on a 18” silver plated flat link chain in an adorable tin. Perfect for gift giving and the price that can’t be beat.


Check out MyDaisyDreams Etsy shop at: http://www.mydaisydreams.etsy.com/



The best part of getting take out is simply because I love getting the fortune cookies and Yogagoat’s hand sculpted porcelain fortune cookie is too cute for words. It is about the size of a real fortune cookie with the words "BELIEVE" stamped across. It even comes in a mini take out box with colorful paper.
Check out Yogagoat’s Etsy shop at: http://www.yogagoat.etsy.com/

Even though things are going bad, maybe you need a daily reminder to simply Believe. AWEshop has a great sterling silver bracelet with individual letters spelling "BELIEVE" with freshwater pearls. Shipping is only $1.00 and comes in a gift box.
Check out AWEshop’s Etsy shop at: http://www.aweshop.etsy.com/