What Would Owen Like!

It's been a long time since I've done some Saturday Shopping here at

The Yankee Burrow Life

and my Owen's 6th birthday is next Wednesday so let's see what I can find that he might like (other than Lego's). :0)

With Owen turning 6, and hating school (he's a bit spoiled being an only child and all, lol) Mandy was talking about teaching him more responsibility, so what about this magnetic responsibility chart from Baby Age?  Mandy may like it, but not my Booboo.

Now I could encourage learning with this awesome My First Super Science Kit from Fat Brain Toys.  This has enough supplies for over 75 experiments.  Ok, Mandy may not be so cool with this one. lol

Now we're talking...a motorcycle!  This one from Gilt is under $300.  That's a pretty good price.  Of course, if we can't get Poppa a new bike right now, we probably shouldn't get Owen one either. lol

Who remembers these merry-go-rounds????  They were great to ride on in the playground.  There was a large one in our local park, and the object was to see how many kids we could get on it, then 2 of the "big" kids would spin it and the first kid to go flying off was the loser, and the last one to stay on without puking was the winner.  Ah the memories. hahaha

Now we can have one in our yard, from WayFair Supply.

So, what's your vote?

What should we get Owen for his 6th birthday?

Be blessed,

Debbi

Homeschool Monday - Mom's as teachers

I know mom's wear many hats....nurse, cook, maid, chauffeur, and many more.  But a homeschool mom wears a few more...teacher, AND principle, AND secretary.   So with Mother's Day just around the corner, I thought I would scope out some special handmade gifts for the homeschool mother.

OK, I had to pick this teacher scrabble tile necklace to share, because "I'm the mom" if one of my favorite lines.  Now I have 2! lol  I found this in the shop of Scrabble Babble Boutique on The Craft Star.

This next gift idea is from one of my favorite shops at Handmade Artist, Blue Highway. All teachers need notebooks, and this handbound notebook set gives not just one, but two books, one lined and one unlined.  I know that personally I go through notebooks like crazy, tracking classes, and projects, and now our social obligations.  Your teacher/mother will certainly appreciate these.

Every book (or journal) needs a bookmark.  I love this silver teacher bookmark I found over at Zibbet. It was in the shop of Carelebeads.

So there you have it...great ideas for the mother/teacher in your life.

Remember, when you shop handmade, you support small businesses and families everywhere.

Be blessed,

Debbi

A crafty Christmas

I like to give handmade items when I give gifts, and that desire has been passed on to my children. (I got it from my own mom).  So I'd like to share 2 pictures with you from this past Christmas.

First a little background...Hannah suffers from insomnia, and I mean A LOT!  And yes, we've tried Melatonin, Sleepy Time tea, and other types of sleeping pills.  Now Chuck and I just ask her to keep her bedroom door closed and her radio low so the rest of us can sleep.  Well, one night at 2 am, she decided to make Owen his gift, with (I think) her bed sheet and some bottles of paint she snuck into her room when we were painting ornaments as a family over Thanksgiving break.  She made him his very own Woody doll.  She first painted him on the sheet, then cut it up and sewed it all together.  Head, body, arms, hands, legs, and boots.  It was quite an undertaking.

Owen loved it!!! 

 (Of course after playing with it the arms, head, and legs fell off, and I needed to re-sew them back on.  Apparently sewing is not one of Hannah's strong suits. lol)

And here is Owen and Brandon.  They truly are BFF's.  

(Amanda face timed me last night, and all Owen wanted to do was watch and act goofy with Brandon). 

Family!

What a amazing gift from God.

Be blessed,

Debbi

My newest " baby", Miss. Pink Funny Bunny

Well, I finally got a new item listed in my Craft Star shop.  This summer has just flown by, and I have spent a lot of it making gifts for Quintin, my newest grandson.  :-)

But after I finished his blanket and shipped it off, I was determined to create something to list in my shop.

And here she is...

Miss Pink Funny Bunny!

This is actually the third bunny I made.  Hannah took my first one, and she sold the second one at school.  So I figured it was time to make one for the shop.

At only 8" tall, she's a great size for little fingers.  I have hand sewn all the buttons on with strong embroidery thread, but I still don't recommend this toy for babies.  

(Oh, and I found the pattern at my favorite go-to site, Lion Brand Yarn. )

Well, it's time for me to get back to class, and everyone.....have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Be blessed,

Debbi

I'm dreaming of a White Besteam Christmas

My all time favorite Christmas movie is "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen.  I have it on a VCR tape, but a few years ago Amanda gave me a 2-disc holiday edition.  Which is a good thing since I start watching this in July, lol.  My favorite scene is the end and I really love the beautiful red and white dresses the girls wear while trimming the tree.  Boy, I wish we still dressed like that today, but that's another whole post topic, lol.  Anywho, I decided to do this weeks Besteam feature based on my favorite movie to get us all in the mood for the Christmas season. 

Freshwater Pearl Earrings



Flower with Coral earrings

First up is my newest Besteam friend, Irith from Riorita. Based out of Israel, I knew I would not find the traditional western Christmas items, but I did find these great pieces. Both would look wonderful with a long, full, and furry Christmas dress. Find her  here
                         
Etsy / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Website / Tumbler

Sterling Pearls and Crystal earrings

Carnelian Bowtie earrings

 Today is an earring sort of day, and with the large collars of these dresses, necklaces would get lost.  Here are my picks from the shop of Jewelry by Jaynemarie.  She creates gorgeous pieces worthy of that very special woman in your life.  Check her out here..
Etsy / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Frosted Heart earrings

White Christmas Tree earrings

SandyVern is mostly known for her wonderful soaps, but she does dabble in creating jewelry.  And I was lucky enough to find these earrings to complete my White Christmas theme.  But don't just settle on these 2 examples, check out her shop, and other links here...

Etsy / Blog / Etsy / Etsy

 

Now, if you're an Etsy artist that likes to blog, or a blogger that has a shop on Etsy, come and join the BESTeam ever.  A wonderful group of artisans that supports and promotes each other thru our blogs and other social media.  You can read our team blog here, and check out our team page here.

Debbi

don't forget your Thanksgiving decorations

Yesterday, Amanda told me that they had started playing Christmas music at Walmart, and I've seen the commercials already starting, and it makes me want to say....WHOA!  Did Thanksgiving just disappear?  Why do we rush our lives like that?  Or is it the large retail stores that rush the seasons so they can make more money?  Well, I say, STOP.  Life is short enough as it is, let's enjoy every season and holiday.  Thanksgiving is an important date in American history, for a very important reason, the first settlers were thankful to our Mighty God for caring for them that first year here in our new country, just as He still is doing today.  So let's celebrate God's hand on this country, and on our lives, and thank Him for another year to live, and to love.

And on that thought, I want to share some wonderful items to decorate your home and to remember to give thanks when you're chowing down with your loved one.

Wits End Designs (from the Capsteam) has this wonderful cross stitch towel to remind us as we cook, how blessed we are for what we have been given.

And BusybeeHolidays (also from the Capsteam) has this delightful straw broom with cornhusk doll.

Here's a great reminder of why we give thanks, a simple painted wood wall hanging.  Sometimes less is more and I particularly like how DawnsPainting kept this simple to match any home decor style. Or how about using this handpainted card from EmptyOnTheInside to invite someone special to share the day with you?

Here's a great Thankful jar from CreationsFromMyHands. As your guests arrive, have them each add a slip of paper to the jar listing what they are thankful for.  My wonderful niece keeps a jar all year long, and when something wonderful happens, they put it in the jar.  Then at dinnertime, they can read how God blessed them all thru the year.  And don't forget to decorate your food with this cupcake decorating kit from Primpmycupcakeshop.  Cupcakes are an easy dessert the children can help make, and this kit makes it even easier for little ones to help decorate.  And then there is our home decor items.

There's still plenty of time before Thanksgiving to order any of these items to help you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday.  And please, shop homemade or your local small business this holiday season, you won't be disappointed.

Debbi

And before I forget, tomorrow's linky party theme will be, giving thanks!  Or Thanksgiving. <3

Some new and old listings

I finally put some new items in the Etsy shop today.  Got to get ready for the Christmas rush, you know.  So let me share with you the 3 new items, plus 4 older items that are due to expire.  Which means this is your chance to save 40% on those 4 by using the coupon code ONEWEEKLEFT.

So first up, my 3 new listings...

I found these "beads" at Fire Mountain Gems, and being a tea drinker, I had to buy them.  I paired the copper tea pieces with an amber crystal bead for these cute little earrings.  For only $6.00 this would be a great stocking stuffer for the tea drinker in your life.  You can find them here.

Next is this shades of brown choker.  It was hard to get a good picture of this, even with a lightbox.  The color of the beads are so deep and rich, like a good piece of chocolate candy.  The large beads are of graduating sizes and I paired them with smaller glass pearl beads, and bicone beads, with little copper colored spacers.

You can find it here for only $25.00.

My last new listing for today is this wonderful brown and green beaded necklace, with a definite African feel.  It was created using a double strand of wire, so in the pattern you will see a depth of texture with the frosty green beads, and the brown wood "teeth" will make you feel....wild. :~D  This necklace is a matinee length of 28", so it is quite long.  I priced this piece at $23.00 and

you can find it here.

Now for my sale items....

I call these "Shades of Blue", and you can probably guess why.  These dangle earrings are only 1 3/4" long, so they would be a good length for any age female, from a grown woman to a little girl.  I have them listed at $8.00, but with the coupon they are only $4.80.

You can find them here. 

These black and white teardrop earrings are such a classic look.  They are 2 1/4" long and hang from hypo-allergenic lever back hooks.  Perfect for that little black dress, or the holiday season at the Philharmonic Orchestra.  They are listed at $7.00, but with the coupon, you can have them for $4.20.

You can find them here.

I took this picture long before I knew about taking good photos, or lightboxes, as you can tell by the reflections, lol.  This very long beaded necklace measures 31" and was created with a great variety of beads.  I used some multifaceted amber beads, small white pearl beads, and a collections of silver spacer beads.  Listed at $18.00, it can be yours for $10.80.

You can find it here.

 

Last, but certainly not least, is my one of a kind blood red heart choker.  I found the dark pewter grey choker at a local thrift store, and it was just calling out to be re-vamped.  As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly the beads this necklace needed, and this is the finished product.  It has been featured on many treasuries, and is much prettier then the picture.  Listed at $28.00, with the coupon it is now only $16.80.

You can find it here.

Now these last 4 pieces will expire sometime this coming week, so don't wait to take advantage of this sale.  Because what is not sold will be listed at full price in our new shop on the Handmade Artist Shop site.  I'll have more details on that shop for you in the future.  So happy shopping!

Debbi

it warms a mothers heart

Today Hannah and I had to run some errands during "school" hours, and one of the errands was to drop off some medication for her foster brother at his school.  Now, her brother is mildly retarded and is in an EC class across the county.  We arrived during the lunch hour, then visited during his class time, then had to go to the other class room to drop off the medication.  The children in this other classroom are what they call low functioning (I hate that term), and one boy in particular was just enamored by Hannah.  So she sat with him and helped him with his paperwork.  When we left she asked if we could come back more often, because she enjoyed helping the other children.  When we stopped at the library, she asked the librarian for books on MR and down syndrome, then told me she thinks she now knows what she wants to do as an adult.  She's only 9!  This behavior on the heels of discovering the past months dinners that she didn't like dumped behind my dryer, lol.  What a true blessing from God, for me.
Debbi

besteam turquoise angels

This week I get to talk about a wonderful BESTeam shop with great items made especially for girly girls, Turquoise Angels. This shop is run by a mother/daughter team from Virginia, with a great eye for color and whimsy. While looking at their shop, I had so much trouble choosing which pieces to share with you, so you must stop at their etsy shop and check out everything. Hey, Amanda, I need a granddaughter *hint hint*.

They make great accessories for your outfits, like
this great orange sunburst mum headband.

They have headbands and hair bows of every color that you might need to complete any outfit.

They also do screen printing, look at the detail on this glitter butterfly tank top. So very pretty.

Now for the items they seem to be know for...little girl tutus. Boy, I wish I was a little kid again. The first one here is for the patriotic young girl. What a great dress to wear to that special 4th of July celebration, the Stars and Stripes Salute to America tutu. This will certainly put your little star at the head of the parade.

Next we have this oh so adorable daisy tutu dress. Perfect for the prettiest flower in the garden.

Look at this adorable tutu daisy doll

and me, for your little girl and her bff.

And let's not forget our four-legged children with this doggie diva tinker.

When you stop at their etsy shop, look at the feedback from their other clients. Such high praise, of the quality, and the customer service. You can follow them on their blog, twitter, and facebook.