{250 sales} giveaway!

I'm excited to announce that my shop is officially up to 250 sales after 15 months of business!

So, I'm hosting my first giveaway!! (So all of you lurkers out there - leave me a comment!) 

One $25 shop credit to either of my Etsy shops - schätzli or schätzli vintage. I'll randomly pick a commenter and you can choose anything from the shop(s) you like!

{It's not required (because I hate required steps to enter giveaways!) but I'd love it if you'd "Like" me on Facebook or follow my blog at the bottom of my page. Pretty please!}

Good luck!

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm CST on Saturday, January 12, 2013.

(Giveaway open to international readers, although it is for $25 including shipping - so shipping costs may apply. Winner will be announced on Monday, Jan. 14 - so check back to see if you've won!)

New Goals (and my word for 2013)

My word for 2013: "Be generous"

(and for some context)...

1 Timothy 6:17-19 
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

For the last couple of months, God has been impressing this phrase (not a word per say, but go with it) on my heart. I won't be touting around all the ways I'm doing this - although if you want to ask, I'm sure that I'd be more than willing to share with you personally.

Trust me, when He talks, I listen, because there's not much else I'm hearing these days! 

I heard (and remembered) a story about a man who had a misprint in his Bible of the above verse. The words "be generous" were repeated twice ... he took this as a go-ahead from God to indeed be generous with his life!

We don't have a bunch of money to go around, but there are so many other ways of being generous - time, talent, words, prayer ... I'm just starting to uncover all of the ways that I can be generous in my life as a woman, a wife, a mom, a friend, etc.

************

3 Simple Goals for 2013

- be generous
- keep my schedule (commitments) simple
- bake one new loaf of bread every month (new blog feature!)



Here are last year's goals.  

linking up with Layla at TLC!

First Shop Update of 2013!

I've updated the shop with some estate sale finds (!!) and will put several more items on this week. Pretty convinced some of these pieces are from the 50s.

For now, I have...

... a couple for boys...

... a handmade christening gown...

... and for girls.

Check them out over here!

a mini {DIY} apron for Christmas

Remember when I mentioned a certain little lady needing a little apron? Well, here it is!

Mini apron time!

Since her head is still so big (and the rest of her so small!) I decided against a pull over loop and I didn't want to take the time to make adjustable straps. SO, instead I made a button-hole! Easy on and off and it works like a charm.

Functional little pockets with shabby little bows.

It technically is reversible, but I didn't add a pocket to the backside. I'm kind of kicking myself for that now. Oh well, live and learn.

Here it is - the basic shape and measurements I guessed after measuring Ladybug for widths and lengths. I sewed it all together inside out (with straps inside) and left both side straps open when I sewed to put it right side out. Then I went over it with a top stitch to make it look pretty and to toughen it up - it'll be subject to a 2-yr old you know...

I was going to do a ruffle at the bottom but then just rounded it off. Perfect. The straps are also made with opposite fabrics. (Jeremy helped me choose the floral fabric from the hobby store, the polka dot is vintage from my grandma and the green pockets was hand-me-down polyester that I didn't have to hem - woot!)

My little helper now has a perfectly sized apron to keep her from (*mostly) getting messy. With about 2 hours of work and $3, here is a great little gift!

Merry Christmas.

Hi friends,

I've decided just to say "Merry Christmas" for a few days ... I've seemed to run out of blog steam for the moment.

(Although I did add these shoes to the shop! Aren't they adorable?) 

Don't worry, though, I'll be back soon. You won't even have missed me. Promise.


May your holiday(s) be filled with family and friends, but most of all Hope of things to come.

Lisa

Pomegranate Tea

I found a use for pomegranates that I absolutely love. 

Pomegranate Tea (!) 
from Martha Stewart Living's Annual Recipes 2003

1 large pomegranate's seeds, mostly pulled away from the rind
4 cups cold water
a few tablespoons of honey
a few mint sprigs (optional)

Place pomegranate seeds in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat (add mint here if desired), and simmer until very fragrant and colorful, about 15 minutes. Stir in honey; strain tea and serve hot. 

Yum! Isn't it gorgeous? It's just as yummy to drink!

This one also looks amazing... 

Spiced Pomegranate Punch
Serves six; makes about 4 cups
taken from marthastewart.com

5 pomegranates
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh ginger
1/4 cup fresh orange juice, plus strips of orange zest for garnish


Cut pomegranates in half. Extract juice from seeds with a citrus juicer or reamer. Strain into a medium saucepan. (You should have about 2 1/2 cups juice.) Add cider, 2 cups water, cinnamon stick, and ginger. Cook over high heat until simmering, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat; gently simmer 15 minutes. Skim any foam that rises to the surface. Remove from heat. Discard cinnamon and ginger. Stir in orange juice. Serve warm, garnished with orange zest.

Santa Lucia Day - Traditional Scandanavian Recipe

 (I've kept this recipe for almost 10 year without tossing it because I was determined that one December 13 I was going to remember and have time to make it. 2012 was the year!)

"As the sun rises on December 13, Scandinavians honor Saint Lucia, the patroness of light, at an early morning feast of cake or buns flavored with saffron, which imparts a golden hue. You can celebrate the day, which marks the start of the Christmas season, with this traditional braided cake with dried fruits."

Recipe found here. 

...and the rest of the holiday decor (plus a DIY Advent calendar!)

Hi friends! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Yay! (Now we just need some weather to go with it. We're staying home this year, so why not!?)

Here are a few holiday spots around our home this year...

... a front door wreath (that hangs on the inside because it won't fit between our screen door!)

... handmade stockings all hung on the bannister with care...

... and a gift from a few years ago that I love! I want it to be a coffee table/ottoman setting, but not with curious little fingers this year.

A festive tablescape complete with birthday flowers and pomegranates. Have any good pomegranate recipes? I got them for a great price!

I've officially completed the crafting part of the season (not that creativity is over - I still have lots of baking to do!) so our house can be merry and bright. I wanted to create a budget-friendly Advent calendar to use in years to come - and after several days of deliberating, here's what I came up with.

I used a second-hand red tablecloth for the background - I actually made a casing for some stabilizer and then top stitched around it.

Then I looped over the top for a dowel (or an unused spring-loaded curtain rod in our case) for stability at the top. A piece of yarn is holding it on the nail.

I really didn't want to spend the time to cut, iron and sew all of the corners of 25 squares for pockets, so I took the easy way out and used sheets of felt. I cut out a pattern piece and then followed it. I ran out of cream for all 25, so I used white and made an "X" pattern in the squares. Can you tell?

My biggest question was how to get the numbers on the calendar. Lots of ideas ran through my head, but I wanted it to be done as simply (and cost effective!) as possible.

I actually wanted to only use things I had, but my number drawing skills are lacking. So I went to the hobby store and grabbed a little stencil for about $2. Using black acrylic paint, I stippled the numbers right to the felt. Perfect.

You can see they are filled with candy this year - "num nums" is something my sweet girl can understand and be excited about! In years to come I hope to more effectively tell The Story through the calendar, but right now, I'm okay with this approach.

My calendar isn't perfect, but I really like it (although I may re-do the yellow star - it looks a little wonky, eh?) and I'm looking forward to counting down to the Christmas season with my family in years to come. And not bad for $2, huh?

Shop updates!

I added a few post-market items to my house.


And to my in-laws house. 


And to my shop. Here are some at schätzli vintage:

Vintage TV trays. How cool are these?!

Triple decker food carrier from the 60s. 

And I've added a few more items to schätzli for the holidays. Check out the shop links for more!

Toys (these blocks sold in less than 24h!):

A few for boys:

 And more for girls:

I love it when everything has been updated and I can sit back and relax. Finally. :-)

INCREDIBLE muffin recipe

I made muffins for my birthday last week and they were a winner! Incredible, like the title suggests. Fresh cranberries can often be too sour, but chopped up in these muffins - perfection!


Cranberry Orange Coffee Cakes

2 c flour
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c butter, softened
1/2 cup of white and brown sugar
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1T. finely shredded orange peel
1 T orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of fresh cranberries, chopped
2 T finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 recipe orange glaze
1/2 c walnuts toasted and chopped, optional

Preheat oven to 350 (makes 15-18 muffins).
Combine dry ingredients and 1/4 tsp salt.
Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in cheese, egg, OJ, vanilla and peel.
Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
Fold in berries and ginger.
Fill cups 1/2 full and bake 15-20 min until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 min, then spoon on glaze. Sprinkle with nuts and more peel, if desired.

Glaze:1 c pwd sugar, 1T OJ and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Stir in 2 T melted butter and 1/2 tsp shredded peel

Yum yum!

I substituted sour cream for the ricotta, added a little water to the glaze (it was way too thick) and used one medium-large orange for the peel first then the juice in the muffins and glaze. I also left the nuts out and just sprinkled a little ginger in for the candied ginger.

I would highly suggest trying these. My 2-year old scarfed down two in one sitting and even Jeremy is asking for a second batch! :-) If you do, let me know what you think!

Engaged!

My brother got engaged to his amazing girl while we were at the lake this summer.

A few months later ... his fiancee asked me to take some engagement shots of them for a "Save the Date". I said yes, of course! Not that I consider myself a super great photographer, but I can try. (And this I told her...)

We tried before the weather got cold on Thanksgiving weekend but the wind was blowing 90 miles per hour! (Okay, 40.) That kind of wind isn't good for a girl's hair.

Anyway, this was the best shot from that day, but she wasn't a fan of the sun placement, so we decided to try again another day.

...another COLD day. It was 20 some degrees! But we braved it and got some great shots. (A certain cheeser was more cooperative based on the fact that once we got a good shot he could go back inside! Hehe.)

I liked this one.

But this one was the winner.

Should I set up my own photography business?! My first engagement shoot!

Just kidding...

We are SO psyched for Aunt Erin to join our family in June. Wedding in Kansas - woot! If you run across any completely adorable 24 month dress in shades of green, let me know! :-)