Friday, February 28, 2014

Featured Friday: Stripes

Welcome to featured Friday! Every Friday I will have a theme that I will feature products that fall in that theme. To be included make sure to comment with your product on my facebook post on Mondays! This week the theme is Stripes!

 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 


 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wow, that is a lot of cool striped handmade items! What is your favorite?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Strawberry Oreo Cookies

My kids love to bake so I love finding recipes to try out with them. I found this strawberry oreo cookie recipe I was going to try for Valentine's Day but didn't get around to it till yesterday. My 5 year old son was my helper in making them since he loves strawberry anything.


Here is what you will need:
 


Ingredients:
Cookies:
1 package of strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
3/4 cup of shortening
Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick of butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the strawberry cake mix, eggs and shortening into a bowl.





2. Mix till well combined.
 
 
 
3. Make approx. 1" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
 
 
 
4. Bake for 8 minutes and then place on cooling racks.
 
 
 
5. Put cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar into bowl.
 
 
 
6. Mix until smooth.
(make sure bowl is big otherwise powdered sugar might fly everywhere)
 
 
 
7. Once cookies are cooled ice the bottom of half the cookies.
 
 
 
8. Put one of the un-iced cookies on top to make a sandwich.
 
 
 
9. Enjoy!
 


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

How 'Unique Creations by Tracy' Started

     I had been a stay at home mom for about 4 years in 2012 when I decided I wanted to learn something new. Since, I have been a kid I have always loved to do crafts of all kinds so thought I would pick up a new craft. For my new years resolution in January of 2012 I decided I would teach my self to crochet.  In February, I got some yarn and crochet hooks and went to YouTube. I found some videos on YouTube to teach me the basics of how to crochet. The first thing I made was a potholder which my kids now play with in their play kitchen.

Next, I decided I would try a scarf for my daughter.

 
Hats and hair clips came next.


 
 
I got hooked and couldn't stop. After some family and friends saw what I was making they told me I needed to start my own business selling what I crochet. At first, I just started a Facebook page and within weeks at the end of April 2012 I opened a store on Storenvy. Why Storenvy? I had heard so many wonderful things about them from fellow handmade artists. I loved that I could personalize my shop and there were no fees for listing my items. I opened up Unique Creations by Tracy with hats and hair accessories. Shortly after I ventured into amigurumi, crochet stuffed animals, with making monsters.


After making monsters I fell in love with amigurumi and wanted to try others. I then made an owl which everyone loved and I couldn't make them fast enough.


For a while I focused just on the owls, but then wanted to venture into making some other items. I asked my children what they would like and they said stuffed animals so I then began to make a variety of animals. My owls will always be my first love and I will never stop making them, but I enjoy trying new pieces many of them being custom orders. That is how I started and got to where I am today!


Monday, February 24, 2014

Buttons

Today's #creativedaily theme is buttons! What a perfect time for me to start on a new piece of button art. Here is a sneak peek of my next piece.




Have any clue what I might be making? Is there anything you would like to see me make with buttons?

Friday, February 21, 2014

Button Art

Earlier this month I decided I wanted to try out a new type of craft for myself. After some thought I decided it would be fun to make some images with buttons on canvas. Valentine's Day was coming up so I started with a heart.




I ended up mailing this one for a Valentine exchange I was participating in a craft group!

After making the heart I came up with so many other ideas of things I could make with the buttons, so started looking for buttons. I wanted something that was bright and cheery so I thought a rainbow would be fun.

 
I love the rainbow but think it could use something else so I am deciding on an inspirational quote to add to it. What quote do you think would be good to add?

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Changes

Well I have decided to change the focus of my blog a bit so you might notice some changes. The first being the name. I am now focusing on my shop now that the kids are in school, and I have stopped reviewing books. You will now see more related to my crafting, review of other shops I have purchased from, and anything to do with the handmade business world. I hope you will all continue to enjoy stopping by and reading what I have to share.