Etsy Baby Shower

Hello Everybody! In case you haven't heard, my Etsy shop is one of the participating donaters for the Etsy Baby Shower. Contributing shops choose an item (or two or three...) to donate to expecting Etsy moms. The wondeful people in charge of the shower collaborate all the information in to a nice, fun shower of gifts for the expecting moms. Each shop is paired up with a mom (or more, depending on their donations). I will be contributing 1 pair of my Lil' Loafers to each of the 4 moms that I've been paired up with. Not only is this great for the receiving mothers-to-be, but it's really been fun for me to be involved in and gives me warm fuzzies all over the place. Now I can really sew with purpose (other than just my amusement I suppose).
If you are not one of my 4 moms but still would love some Lil' Loafers for the little guy or gal in your life, you can find them here at my Etsy Shop. They feature a non-slip bottom and are cut to stretch with the child's foot as it grows longer. Elastic in the back of the ankle helps to keep it on. If you want multiple matching pairs, a special color or theme, or custom size, I would be more than happy to accommodate you :)
If you are currently expecting, or would like to be a participating shop, you can contact the gals at the Etsy Baby Shower to participate in the next Etsy Shower.

Happy Day After Mother's Day :)

Hello there! I hope your Mother's Day was as wonderful as mine! My son came in to our room in the morning and brought me a card and bag puppet he'd made at school, along with a magnet that has his picture hidden within the bag. Then, he and my hubby picked a vase full of tulips from the back yard! They are so beautiful. We then went and bought me a fishing license and traveled to the next town over where my brother-in-law lives. He and his girlfriend put on a delightful brunch for her parents and his and they had chocolates and floral arrangements for the moms (her mom and grandma, his mom, and myself) along with lots of delicious food. After brunch, we stopped by the fishing pond on the way home, but it was too cold and windy so we headed back home. On the way back home, we came up with the brilliant idea to go to the hot springs so we stopped by our house really quick for suits and off we went! Upon paying admission at the hot springs, we found out moms get in free for Mother's Day. Yippee! We spent a couple hours there playing and having fun. When we were all to hot to stay in any longer (and hubby was too hungry!) we stopped by the supermarket and grabbed some artichokes that were on sale. Hubby cooked up a delicious mushroom alfredo sauce and served the artichokes and a sweet potato on the side. Yummy! My mom showed up shortly after dinner (she's staying with us a couple of days on her way back home to Oregon) and after she was somewhat settled in, we went back to the hot springs for another hour or two. We had a wonderful, fun, relaxing day (we even closed our store for the day) and I still plan to get some fishing in sometime soon :)

Friday Follow

I'm also participating in "Friday Follow" hosted by Hearts Make Families, One 2 Try, and Midday Escapades



There is even a featured giveaway- and you all know how much I LOVE giveaways!

First Friday - Etsy Artwalk

Hello there! Today I'm participating in the First Friday Etsy Artwalk with Snuggly Monkey. I would like to share with you all about one of my favorite products from my Etsy Shop, Memory Boards!


I LOVE memory boards. They are so much fun and great for multiple uses and multiple occaisions. We made one with some fun festive fabric as our birthday board. We hang all the birthday cards on it for a month or so and can enjoy them without them getting in the way. We have another special one just for Christmas too. We made one for our 5 year old son that coordinates with colors in his room, and now he has a place to hang all his little notes, drawings, and special papers where he can see them, instead of in a cluttered mess.


Memory Boards are great for other things too! Bills, recipes, jewelry, business cards, photos, or anything that you want to hang on it to display and keep track of! The ribbons help keep all the papers in without the need for thumbtacks or pushpins, which is especially helpful with your family's pictures. More ribbons can be added (just ask!) and you can easily contain smaller items such as business cards or little love notes from your kids or sweetie :)

Cloth Diapering Event

Have you ever thought about using cloth diapers? Still have questions? Want the chance to wine some for free?? Check out this cloth diapering event at Loves Jurn3

I'm Planning a Giveaway :D

Hello there fellow bloggers (bloggees?)! I am planning a multi-giveaway event in the next couple of weeks. Please let me know if you would like to contribute any of your products for me to post a review on and participate in the giveaway :D leave me a comment here with your contact info or send me a convo on etsy: T&T Crafts

Tamale Tutorial!

If you read my T&T Crafts Facebook Page, you would've read that I promised a Tamale Tutorial... and here it is! Please bear with me if this is a bit off, as this is my very first tutorial ever.

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So let's get started. Here is what you will need:
Corn Husks
Lard
Masa (corn flour)
Shredded Meat (I cook a big roast in the crock pot a day or so before making tamales)
Baking Powder
Salt
Chicken Bullion or Chicken Stock
Water
Stock Pot & Steamer Insert that will fit the pot

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Instructions:

Fill your clean sink with HOT water. Add your corn husks. I like to weigh them down to make sure they all get wet. The hot water will help them become soft and flexible so we can use them to roll up our tamales.


Go ahead and fill your pot with water, add the steamer insert, and turn on your stove. I think it helps to cook the tamales faster if the water is already at a boil.


Shred your precooked meat. This works best when the meat is hot or at least warm to the touch. You can either use your Quick Chef (if you're a Tupper-holic like me and everything in your kitchen is Tupperware) or just put it in a bowl and pull it apart using two forks.


Now let's mix up our tamale "dough." Here is the recipe I use, but you may need to adjust the amount of liquid based on your altitude or how dried out your masa is.
2 cups masa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup lard
1 3/4 cups water or chicken stock
*chicken bullion if you're using plain water

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the lard and use your mixer to incorporate it in the the dry ingredients until it looks kind of like bread crumbs (ever make pie dough?). Add the water or chicken stock and use the hand mixer again until everything is easily mixed. The dough should seem kind of fluffy.

Now that your meat is shredded, your water is warming up, and your dough is ready, let's grab one of those soaking corn husks.


These ones are skinny and too small. Maybe you can use them for a Corn Husk Doll project with your kids.


This one is MUCH better! Your husks don't have to be huge, but they do need to be big enough to do something with.


Using a spatula, or a spoon, or your fingers, smear some dough on the corn husk. I usually cover about a 2inch wide x 3-4 inch long space on the upper right section of the corn husk.


Add some meat...


Roll it up, starting from the long edge with the masa on it.


I like to twist the bottom of mine and poke it in to the bottom (does that make sense at all? lol). If you have a really thick corn husk, you're best off to just fold it so you don't blow out the bottom of the tamale trying to twist it.


Here's the top of the tamale.


Load up your tamale pot.


Put the cover on.


Set a timer for an hour. Check the water periodically, the last thing you want is for your pot to boil dry. When your tamales are done, they will feel firm. If they need more time, they will still feel somewhat squishy. I add time in half hour increments when need be. Remember to check the water!

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A plate full of tamales... Let cool 5-10 minutes after cooking, if you can resist!


Remove the corn husks, add some tamale sauce and enjoy!