Wordless Wednesday- Soapy Goodness

Merry Christmas

My friend Jenn and I with the Work Santa and Mrs Claus! Hopefully your day is filled with your favorite people, wonderful food, and great memories. Happy Holidays everyone!

Wordless Wednesday- (belated) Crafty kitty Christmas

Hello yellow!

One of the Rooms in Saratoga's latest Boutique- yellow! 491 Broadway is open for business! Little Gems products and other adorable wares are available. I'm a bit bias but the service is amazing and the shop is down right fantastic!!! If you are in the area it is a must stop :)

Wordless Wednesday- Color Palete Inspiration

Happy Thanksgiving! And a Coupon!

This week is jammed packed!

-I'm under the weather (boo!)

-Thanksgiving is coming- bring on the Pecan Pie!

-Steph and I will be with Tight Knit at 5pm Black Friday at the Frear Building in Troy for a show- come say hi!!!

-Saturday the Hubby and I will be married for 6 years!!! (time flies)

-Also on Saturday we fly out to see my newest nephew - Can't wait to meet lil Noah!

To celebrate the insanity here is a coupon for 10% off anything in the shop :) just enter WINTER while checking out :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

New Boutique in Saratoga!

491 Broadway, yellow boutique opening Dec 4th!
I've been speaking with the owner Emily and the list of clothes, shoes, as well as other amazing goodies is overwhelming and this wonderful shop will be carrying Little Gems creations! I'm psyched :)

This Weekend

First Craft Fair of the Holidays for Little Gems!!!!!!

If you are around the Plattsburgh State Field House Steph, Mom, and I will be there from 10-5 Saturday and Sunday 10-4.

We'd love to see you!

Wordless Wednesday- Making Things

Snack Attack! Sweet Potato Fries

I have never been a fan of sweet potatoes...until I met them in fry form! And isn't everything better homemade? Intro my try at Sweet Potato Fries (which are AMAZING, if I do say so myself!)

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Paprika

Rosemary Sea Salt (or sea salt)

Adobe

Other things to have on hand:

Marinate Shaker (or container with lid)

Tongs

Cookie Sheet

Heat your oven to 400. Peel your potatoes (2 will fill an entire cookie sheet).

If you have a marinate- this is a tupperware one pop them in (a container with a fitted lid works too)- put the chunks in there, drizzle with Olive Oil, sprinkle on adobe and paprika.

Shake Shake Shake

Pour on a cookie sheet and sprinkle on rosemary sea salt (normal sea salt will work too).

Bake at 400 for 1 hour and ENJOY!!!!!!

On the Hook

Here lies the start of another baby blanket :) My Sister in Law is due in November and I'll be darned if my newest nephew doesn't get a blanket just like his big brother! It will be a medium size granny square- airy enough for the Carolinas but snuggily enough to keep the latest edition to the Kurtz family warm. What color to finish this off with will be the next question.....

What is on your hook?

Wordless Wednesday Freestyle Embroidery

Branching out for Dinner

Or should I say fungusing out? Is that a word?

The hubby and I tried Quorn for dinner - he unwittingly. Gruyere Chik'n Cutlet to be exact. Add in some minute rice (sprinkled with sesame seeds) and corn- a convincing dinner for my meat loving man. (Extra perk done in 20 minutes)

So, what is it? According to the website: "Mycoprotein is the main ingredient in all Quorn products. It's made from a member of the fungi family, which includes mushrooms and truffles, and is a high-quality meat-free protein that's naturally low in fat with very few calories."

Try a few bites, even the meat lovers out there will find this tasty!

Warm Fruit Treat

Grab your ingredients:

-Sliced Fruit (bananas and pears this time- apples are perfect too)

-Chocolate Chips handful (increase if day is bad, decrease if you need to fit in a dress in a few days)

-Brown Sugar sprinkle

-Butter/Margarine 1 tlb

-Nuts (Walnuts are my favorite)


Mix everything in an oven safe bowl and pop in a pre-heated oven (350) for 15 minutes or longer depending how brown you want it.

BECAREFUL this is SUPER hot but ooooooohhhh so yummy!! ENJOY :)

Wordless Wednesday- ever feel watched?

Clip it Up

Who doesn't need an extra clip to hold coupons, lists, announcements, etc on the fridge.
Here is a: How To-

Gather supplies:

Clothes pins

Modge Podge

Paper

Paper Cutter

Paint Brush

Optional:

Clear bags, rounded punch, fancy stapler - use these to decorate a bag if you'd like to gift these

Cut the paper to fit the cloths pins
Cut away- any type of paper will work
Modge podge your clothes pin and place the paper on top

Super cute - right?


Let them dry and do 2 coats of modge podge on top (letting them dry in between coats)

When dry fasten magnets on the back.

All Set!!

These are my new hotcake sellers at craft shows :) Enjoy!

October Project

Things have been busy in the Kurtz house! October somehow snuck up on us - intro pumpkin pie, fall leaves, my best friend's wedding, etc. And did I mention an amazing array of photos?

My dear friend Amanda creates an October Project every year on flickr. Find mossyliquor and you've found some Adirondack and down home snapshots to stop your heart. Here is a peek at last year's collection and I can't wait for the new pics to start coming in today!

Click here to see all the pics from last year!

Wordless Wednesday- Bronx Zoo to You

Winner winner

Congrats Erin! Please send your address to littlegemsbykari@yahoo.com . Thanks to all the entrants!

Wordless Wednesday-Missing NOLA

Created with Creative Memories Storybook Creator

Metal Stamp Necklace Giveaway!

Small Heart and G Clef Charms on a ball chain.

Want to Win????
How do you ask? Easy!
1st Follow My Blog
2nd Post a Comment about which one of my shop items is your favorite Little Gems Shop

Do you want more enteries? Blog, tweet, or plurk about my giveaway and post the link and you are in again (again and again even)! I'll post the winner on September 10th!

Open to everyone not just US residents :)
Good Luck!

Wordy Wednesday- Reading Rainbow Intro

Catch Us Live in Troy!

Steph and I are back at Tight Knit! Saturday 9-1 at Troy's beautiful Riverfront Park it's right next door to the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market on Front Street (by the war memorial).

2 new items debuting this weekend!!! Polymer Clay Pie Pins and Rings and Adorable Cloths pin magnets (tutorial coming for this one)!

This is our last one in Troy before the winter market so enjoy the sunshine at the Farmer's Market and stop by and say hello!

Anyway you Want it

Earlier, I showed you a big pile of soap I unmolded this week. Favorites are strewn through out this little picture.

My favorite base goat's milk (front two) scented with a favorite of the shop Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey. Hopefully a new favorite is in here too! I can't get enough of the cupcake shape lately.

I get all my soap supplies (lip balm too) from Bramble Berry and I'm hoping that I'll get to be part of their S.O.A.P ( Soap Opinion (Awesome) Panel ) Group to review new fragrances. Who is better then a soap addict to try new scents?! Wish me luck! And if you are interested in soaping- Bramble Berry is the place to be.

Wordless Wednesday - Soap Pile

Quick, Easy, Cheap, Dinner Fix!

I needed a quick, easy, cheap, dinner fix the other night and came up with this yummy number!

Ingredients:

Suddenly Salad Mix- Classic

Vegetable Oil

Artichoke Hearts Canned

Chicken Breast (1 really big breast worked for us)

Adobe Seasoning

Italian Seasoning

Make the Suddenly Salad per instructions add a bit extra Vegetable Oil than called for. While doing that cook the chicken breast cut up into bite size chunks in a non stick pan with dashes of adobe & Italian seasoning, and the artichoke hearts (drained). Once cooked mix it all together!

ENJOY!

Wordless Wednesday- My Youngest

Zakk Wylde and Crochet Today

This may be the best article I've seen. I love Black Label Society and their front man Zakk Wylde and to see him with the editor of Crochet Today learning to sew.... priceless. (Note: Zakk's language is rough be warned) THANKS REVOLVER MAGAZINE!

Zakk Wylde Shows You How to Sew the Current Issue’s Black Label Patch Onto a Jean Jacket - Revolver Video

Summer Refresher- Minted Tea

I am a big fan of tea- hot/cold. In the summer a great way to beat the heat is to make a pitcher of ice tea (I prefer sweetened green tea mix) and pop some mint sprigs right in the pitcher. Let it meld with your brew. Right off the bat you'll get the minty taste, but leave it in for a day and the whole pitcher will be infused. Serve the sprigs or toss them. Either way, enjoy!

Massachusetts Here We Come!

This will be my first out of state craft fair- this Saturday. Steph and I are loading up the Soul and heading to North Adams Massachusetts. We’ll be on Main Street, 8am-12pm if you are in the area we’d love for you to come and say hello!

Wordless Wednesday- Bridesmaid Jewelery

Sunday Sunday

Some of my favorite parts of Sundays at home are coupon clipping, a big cup of coffee, my kindle, jewelery, and computer time (the flash drive).

Coupon's don't just come in the Sunday paper though, here are a few of my favorite online coupon sites:

http://coupons.smartsource.com/

http://www.redplum.com/

What do you enjoy doing on Sundays? Where do you find your best deals?

Wordless Wednesday - 6 Years Ago in November

Steph and I are back at Tight Knit! Saturday 9-1 at Troy's beautiful Riverfront Park it's right next door to the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market on Front Street.Grab your groceries at the Farmer's Market and stop by and say hello!

PS- I just unmolded some adorable cupcake soap that will debut this weekend too!!!!

Wordless Wednesday- The Road Home

Fixer Upper Picture Frames

My best friend's shower is this weekend. I've been working on her favors. Her mom picked up some frames that needed a little something else.

The shiny had to go- lucky it peeled off!I used Versa Magic Dew Drop Chalk Ink Pads all over for a smudgy funky look- in Purple and then in Olive and vice versa (the wedding colors). I let them dry and I think re-invented the favors!

I'm a fan of the dew drops because they are the perfect shape for smudging- try this technique on a card and enjoy a fancy frame. Stamp a saying in the middle and ta da! Card on the quick :) You can use other stamps pads but the bigger they are the harder you'll have controling the color.

Have fun!

Wordless Wednesday - Enjoying the New Design