The Wonderful World of Skylar's Candy Clips

TWO CHANCES TO WIN Lizzie, Izzie + James!!!

2011-01-20T08:34:00.002-05:00

TWO exciting giveaways are happening right now for Lizzie, Izzie + James!!! That's right - not one but TWO!!!

If you like the felt crowns on the website, one of them can be yours. The winner of this giveaway will win a crown of THEIR CHOICE! Please visit my friend Courtney's blog here to join the giveaway. It ends on Monday, January 24th.

We are also giving away a $30 e-card towards anything on the site! ANYTHING. Your choice. Or you can give the e-card away to someone special as a gift. If you want a chance to win, please visit my friend Mary's blog here to join. This giveaway ends on Tuesday, January 25th.

So hurry, hurry, hurry! Don't miss out!

Lizzie, Izzie + James.

2011-01-07T16:03:00.006-05:00

My new website, Lizzie, Izzie + James is now live! A few months ago, I mentioned that I was working on re-branding Skylar's Candy Clips into a new venture. Here it is, all set and ready to go! I've kept some of my designs from Skylar's Candy Clips but I've also added a lot of new styles and products.

Some of the changes include an upgrade in materials. Lizzie, Izzie + James only uses premium quality, 70-100% wool felt. This results in products that are not only brighter and look better, but are also more durable and longer lasting. There is also just FREE SHIPPING on orders over $75 or a FLAT SHIPPING RATE of $3 regardless of the number of items in your purchase. Turnaround time is much faster too - orders will now generally ship within 24 hours.

I've also expanded my line of felt crowns, headbands, and hair clips.

One thing that you will also notice is that the website has it's own blog section. After this post, I will no longer be using blogger for my blog posts. So this will be my last entry here:( If you want to subscribe to the new blog, please go on the website and subscribe to the blog feed. Doing so will let me keep you updated on new products, special offers, and limited time events.

There are big plans in store for Lizzie, Izzie + James. Look for more new products coming up in Spring 2011 and also a product line extension towards the end of the summer.

I am giving out a special introductory discount of 15% off your purchase - just for my blog readers. Just use the coupon code ETSY15 (valid until Feb 14 2011).

I hope that you continue to follow me in my new venture. Sign up for my new blog and our new page on facebook. I would love to hear your feedback on the website!

website: www.lizzieizziejames.com

email: sherryl@lizzieizziejames.com

facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lizzie-Izzie-James/176929002333348

Where have I been?

2010-10-11T15:27:00.004-04:00

I'm still here! Just been busy these last few months. Very, very busy. I've been working on something big. BIG.

I've decided to expand Skylar's Candy Clips. New products. New website (my VERY OWN website!). New packaging. Eeeek!!! I am so excited, I'm jumping out of my pants!

There you go. That is the real reason I've been MIA and my Etsy shop is on vacation mode. Let me fill you in on some very exciting details. First off, Skylar's Candy Clips will now be under the new company, Lizzie, Izzie, & James, LLC. The name was picked out from three wonderful little people who are the darndest, sweetest, things to me - my kids. "Lizzie" (Elizabeth), "Izzie" (Isabelle) and "James" are their middle names. Here's the new logo:

The second thing that we did was to upgrade my supply stash. We switched to the highest quality felt - wool felt. Between 70% to 100% wool felt to be exact. Yummy enough for you?

This picture shows some colors that I'm using in 30% wool because they are not available in either 70 or 100% but believe me, the quality is to die for!

We hired a web designer, photographer, and a branding company to work together in forming my new website, and packaging. We are hoping to be up and running before Christmas. Hopefully! In the meantime, I am busy working on the new designs, samples for the models and photographer, and putting together a small inventory for the holiday rush.

So please be patient as I go through this new journey. More updates on our progress soon!

*For more updates, please follow me on Facebook.

Canada bound {and some cuteness}.

2010-08-11T21:08:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share some cuteness with you.
This is Knuckles. My brother Kevin's puppy.
Isn't he just the most adorable bundle of fur you've ever seen?
He is so cute - I wanted to sneak him into my carry on and bring him home.
He is part chihuahua and part cocker spaniel.
My kids went crazy over him when we were on vacation.
And so did I.

Going away again this weekend to take the kids to see Peter Pan at the
Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Canada.
I am just as excited as the kids - I LOVE plays.

Then we are off to Chicago next week for my cousin's wedding.
Whew. It's been one heck of a busy summer.
I promise lots of pictures when we get back.

And another giveaway for back to school.

Meet Nelly.

2010-08-06T17:58:00.005-04:00

Nelly

Do you remember my first sewing project? I am proud to say that I bravely tackled the sewing machine (finally!) and produced this sweet doll.

Her face and hair are made out of felt and her body from fabric. I got the tutorial from here - but changed it up just a bit.

I made her a cute little pillowcase dress without a pattern so it is far from perfect. I'll do better next time now that I know the proper way to do it.

Nelly's little maryjane shoes are made from felt too but again, you can see the imperfections. Sigh.

But one little girl thinks Nelly is PERFECT. And that's my sweet girl Skylar. She brought her to bed and here they are in the morning. Nelly will be loved - I am sure of that.

On vacation!

2010-07-25T17:34:00.004-04:00

Which Happy Place does this attraction belong to?

Hooray for summer! The kids and I are on vacation visiting my family for the next two weeks!

Lots of pictures coming soon! In the meantime, let's have a little contest.

Take a look at the picture above and guess which attraction it is and what theme park it belongs to.

Hint: Don't be too scared to take a guess.

The first person who guesses right wins something new from the Fall collection of Skylar's Candy Clips!

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

2010-07-18T08:35:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to #53

Robyn

for winning the
Rosey Corner Creations Giveaway!

Enjoy your beautiful new diaper tote!!!

My first sewing project.

2010-07-14T14:03:00.004-04:00

Black Apple Dolls from marthastewart.com

A friend is coming over today to give me my first ever sewing lesson. Do you remember the sewing machine that I bought a few months ago? Yep - still in the box, unopened, untouched. Until today. Yikes - I am excited and nervous at the same time. I've been drooling over these dolls for the longest time and today, I will actually try to make them. TRY. I will post some pics when they are finished. BE NICE when you see them - they will not be perfect.

If you want to try them yourself, you can find the FREE tutorial here. And watch the video featuring the Etsy artist who created these adorable dollies.

* And don't forget to join the giveaway!

Rosey Corner Creations Giveaway! (CLOSED)

2010-07-11T14:22:00.010-04:00

Meet Carol from RoseyCornerCreations. She is a mommy to five (yes, five!) children and runs a successful shop on Etsy. She started sewing when she was five years old.

(from Carol's blog:)

"I'm a wife and a mother of 5 energetic children. I enjoy a clean house, sparkling kitchen, well ordered closets, freshly laundered linens, and floors free from small building blocks, doll shoes & muddy shoes. But that's my life only part of the time. Most of the time it's peanut-butter cookie crumbs and strawberry jam fingerprints and my favorite sticky kisses. I love my life,sticky fingerprints and all. I started sewing with my mom when I was 5. So, yes, that means I've been sewing for a few decades. Being creative makes me smile, I love to smile. I'm excited to have the chance to make you smile too. Maybe you'll find a chuckle or two in my shopping/sewing/family/life experiences. And hopefully something I create will make you smile too."

And make me smile it did. I looked at her shop and my, oh my, does she have some beautiful pieces. Just look at the description of each one and you can tell that a lot of love and detail go into each piece. Here are some of my faves:

Changing Pad Clutch $22

Card Keeper $8

Perfect Small Tote, $16

Plastic Bag Holder, $11

Her items are not only beautiful, they are all affordable - which is a big deal to most people nowadays. Start thinking Christmas gifts, everybody. Seriously, the plastic bag holder is genius, especially if you, like me, like to recycle plastic bags.

But I saved the best for last. This one is my favorite item of all:

Amy Butler Diaper Tote $25

Take a look at this little beauty. Aren't the colors lovely? I started to drool as soon as I saw this one under her featured listings.

Now for the good news: you guessed it - this is the giveaway prize!!! One lucky (VERY LUCKY) reader will win this beautiful diaper tote.

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Visit RoseyCornerCreations on Etsy and pick your favorite item.
2. Become a follower of Carol's blog.
3. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, please state that in a comment)

4. Grab my pretty button for your blog
5. Become a fan of Skylar's Candy Clips on Facebook (if you already are, state that in a comment). Click on the Facebook Page Badge at the top right of my blog.

6. And for extra credit, who are you trying to win this diaper tote for (and it's perfectly okay to admit that you want it for yourself!)?

* if you don't have your email on your blog profile, please include it in one of your comments.

Good luck everybody! The winner will be picked through random.org

on Sunday, July 18, 2010.

This giveaway is now closed.
Thank you for all the entries!!!

Pssst... giveaway happening tomorrow.

2010-07-10T22:29:00.003-04:00

Check back tomorrow if you want to win this lovely!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-03T21:29:00.003-04:00

photo courtesy of food network

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope that you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!

We are off to see the fireworks and enjoying a picnic with friends.
I will be making and bringing these two goodies...

Avocado Pound Cake by Joy the Baker

Frozen Key Lime Pie by Cookie Mondays

What kind of yummies are you making today?

I'm still here!

2010-06-30T12:26:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. This summer started lightning fast and am already overwhelmed.
Lots of orders to finish before our trip to California in three weeks.
This post is short but I will share a few highlights from June.

Chris and I celebrated our 17th year anniversary.
10 years as a couple and 7 years married.
I made this sign for him because he is truly the peanut butter to my jelly.
The cheese to my macaroni.
The other pea to my pod.

Last Sunday, June 27th I ran the Stratton Faxon half marathon.
13.1 miles to be exact.
I finished in a little under 3 hours.
My legs, knees, and feet were hating me for three days straight after.

Welcome "Lovebirds".
My new felt hair clip holder.
I am truly in love with them.

I'll be back for some more summer highlights!
Become a fan on facebook and for a chance to win on a monthly drawing!

Dreaming of...

2010-06-16T17:33:00.005-04:00

Dreaming of... my friend Mary's delicious treats...

Homemade Oreos

Maker's Mark Bourbon Brownies

Can't wait to try...

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Rice Crispy Treats

If you haven't visited her bakeshop on Etsy, go, go, go!
Her handmade goodies are unbelievable!
You will be an addict.
And instantly gain 5 pounds like I did.
But the calories are worth it.
Every single one.
Pinky Swear.

Visit her shop here...
And her cool blog here...

My birthday boy.

2010-06-06T16:12:00.004-04:00

To the best daddy, hubby, lovey {ever!},

Happy 35th Birthday
to the...

coolest... {at Superbike School May 2010}

bravest... {training for his upcoming amateur boxing match May 2010}

and just simply, the most wonderful guy I know!
I love you!

Featured in Viva La Moda!

2010-05-28T22:07:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, Ainhoa from Viva La Moda contacted me about using my Itty Bitty Initial Clips for her online magazine. Of course, I said. I can't wait to see it. Now it's here - whoo-hoo!!! Page 68-69 of the magazine and it is item #3 (front and center!). Check it out online. They focus on handmade items and a lot of vintage fashion. So if you like either one or both, you would love browsing their pages. If you want to be part of the mailing list, click here.

Curly Flowers Limited Edition Headbands

These headbands are new on Etsy. Just $12 each. I only have a certain amount so get yours while they last! Ssshhh... one Facebook fan will win their choice of color on Tuesday, June 1st. One lucky fan will be chosen to win something from the shop each month. So become a fan now if you aren't already (just click on the Facebook link on the top right side of the blog).

In a Treasury {some really beautiful hydrangeas!}.

2010-05-20T20:29:00.004-04:00

My Pastel Hydrangeas Bouquet Headband
is in Treasury East today.

Thank you, emmjeyessvintage for including them!

Boxing for a good cause.

2010-05-16T10:29:00.003-04:00

My husband {Chris Mascarinas} is stepping in the boxing ring

on June 11, 2010.

For a good cause.

Boxing and dinner to benefit 3 charities:

Hope for Haiti, RF Youth Boxing, and USA Boxing.

If you are in the Tristate NY, NJ, and CT area, I hope to see you there.

www.therealfightclubstamford.com

WHITE COLLAR BOXERS IN TRAINING from djavan harris on Vimeo.

A special Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:49:00.006-04:00

This Mother's Day, I received some very special things...

a special pancake breakfast made just for me {with a cup of my favorite coffee}...

a new flower garden...

a special card from a very special little girl...

{inscription inside Skylar's card}
My Mommy

My mommy is the best
My mommy makes the best headbands
My mommy buys the best shoes
My mommy makes the best burritos
My mommy is the best mommy ever!

Love, Skylar

a special card from a very special little boy...
{thank you, Deacon for making me 26 years old!}

And don't forget my very best Mother's Day present of all...

My three very special little monkeys
{Deacon, Peyton, and Skylar in 2008}

the best kids a mommy could ever ask for!
{Peyton, Deacon, and Skylar - taken Mother's Day morning in their jammies}

Thank you for making today and everyday, a special one.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!!!

Don't hate me because I'm VILE.

2010-05-07T14:41:00.003-04:00

Valentino Summer Flower Tote

This is a lovely conversation that I overheard while walking through my downtown area today.

A small circle of women dressed in their designer duds are gushing over this woman's new tote (see above).

Woman #1: Oooooh... I just love it! The hardware looks so good! Love the flowers!

Woman#2: Don't you just love it? It was such a bargain too. It was only 3 grand!

The women giggle and agree on what a steal this lady's purse was. Here's the kicker:

Woman #1: So where do you think we should have lunch? Rosies (a gourmet deli)?

Woman #2: I don't know. Rosies has some fabulous salads but they're a little on the heavy side. I'm not sure if any of you would like that extra 50o calories!

I couldn't stand it any longer. I walk up to them.

Me: Excuse me ladies. I heard that there's a Chicken Joe's that just opened on this block? Do you know where it is?

Woman #2: Chicken Joe's? What's that? {I swear the look on her face was priceless}

Me: They have the most fabulous chicken nuggets and french fries combo in a bag! You should try it - it's out of this world!

Woman #1: Um... It may be up the street some more. I thought I saw a sign. {And you know she is secretly counting all the calories that I am about to consume}.

I thank them politely and walk away - hearing them whisper and know that they are talking about my lunch of choice. I smile to myself, loving it all.

Gooey Good. {a random post}

2010-05-06T20:23:00.006-04:00

G is for gooey. G is for good. I am so loving PW's homemade cinnamon buns.
Thank you Bakerella for your instructions on baking a half batch.
The only thing that I tweaked was the glaze. Substitute half a demitasse cup of espresso for the coffee and two tablespoons of honey instead of the maple syrup. Yum! I made two trays - one to give away and one to keep. I made some friends very happy!

My thumbprint necklace finally came in. Lindsay did a wonderful job.
She inscribed my children's names on one side along with their birthdate and birthstone. Fancy!!!

And now their tiny little thumbprints are forever frozen in the little charms {sigh}.
What a beautiful keepsake. Truly.
I have another charm coming with my wedding date and my initials and my husband's.
{Double sigh}

My little lovebirds Peyton and Andrew (Deacon's best friend) holding hands in the car.

I think it's real, people!

Thank you, foundhandmade for featuring my Tiny Twin Flowers on your blog.
I appreciate it and am so flattered to be with some awesome crafters!

Check out my new Pretty Pinwheel Headbands.
They are available at the shop now.
More new items to come soon.

Delaney Butterfly has a new color combo!
It was the first clip to be given away to one of my Facebook fans.
If you want a chance to win a monthly giveaway on facebook, click here to become a fan.

This was one heck of a super random post.
But it's been a great week.
Busy. Good. Great.
Hoping that it will continue over the weekend!

Call me crazy.

2010-05-01T16:33:00.011-04:00

Tag necklace and photo courtesy of 3BlueHoots

My life is crazy. I have three wonderful crazy kids who keep me busy 24/7. A dog who is my furry fourth child who also demand my attention. Not to mention my poor husband, who has, unfortunately fallen to the bottom of my daily priority list. And let's not forget Skylar's Candy Clips - my little busy company composed of one employee - me. Yep - me, myself and I.

So maybe it was turning 35 that did it. Either that or my brain is finally going loco. But this year is the year that I committed to getting fit. So I signed up for two challenges - a half marathon this June and a triathlon this September. You're crazy, girl! people will say. Uh-huh. I'm getting that a lot. But as crazy as it sounds, the more I get into my training program, the more doable it's becoming for me.

My husband once said, anyone can run a half marathon. Really? That's easy for him to say. He trained and ran his first marathon in less than 6 months. And finished in about 4.5 hours. Show off. And me? When I started training for this crazy, 13 + mile run, back in late January, I can barely run two miles without feeling like my legs were going to pop from my hip sockets. But I ran. And ran. And ran some more. A few days a week, in fact. And got myself nifty running shoes. Now I can run almost 8 miles. It is exhilarating to feel the wind on your face, and the pavement beneath you. Liberating, in fact. It clears my head and gives me renewed energy.

And the triathlon? Well, it's actually a sprint - a mini version of the real triathlon. A half mile swim, 10 mile bike ride, and a 5K run. Swim? Wait a minute? I can't swim. Sure - I can doggy paddle my way from one end of the pool to another. I can even tread in deep water. But to do actual laps? 36 laps to be exact = the half a mile I need for the triathlon. And to swim it in open water. Yikes, yikes, double yikes! I tell myself that I will be taking this one step at a time. One day at a time. Which is exactly what I did. I signed myself up for some adult swim lessons and on the third class, I was finally able to do 3 laps of freestyle swim. Success!!! 33 more laps to go...

It all sounds crazy, I know. What does all of this have in store for me? Well for one thing, it's forcing me to be in the best shape of my life. I'm not there yet, but every day, I'm inching closer and closer. It's not a bad thing too that those "too tight" pair of jeans that I hid in the back of my closet can now close and zip up on me. Maybe all my lonely old clothes that got stored away after the kids were born can have a second chance.

And my inspiration? My family. I want my kids to see that anything is possible. That you shouldn't be afraid to try a challenge. That if you set your mind on something, you can actually do it. Little life lessons that I myself, at 35, am just beginning to learn.

Sneaky peeks...

2010-04-28T15:01:00.002-04:00

Hmmm....

I wonder what these are going to be?
I'll be working, working away through the weekend to bring new items to the shop.
All will be revealed next week!

Stay tuned!!!

My loves this past week...

2010-04-25T13:13:00.004-04:00

Reading my favorite book {again}

Eating a slice of avocado pound cake with a cup of my favorite coffee

Buying this beautiful necklace with my kids' thumbprints
{can't wait to show you when it's done}

This pretty painting from my friend Lindsay's shop

and...

finally putting up something new in the shop!

What were YOUR loves this past week?

In a {Spring} Treasury.

2010-04-19T11:26:00.003-04:00

My Big Girl Flower clips are featured in a Treasury today.

Thank you cappomaggi for including them!

WINNERS! WINNERS! WINNERS!

2010-04-18T20:07:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to #38

jennJK

for winning

Little Chirpy Bird!

and no, you read the title post right - we do indeed have two winners here!

Congratulations to #1
{whoever says that #1 doesn't win?}

Jessica @ Barefoot By The Sea

You are our surprise winner!
You win the little daisy clip that you indicated was your favorite in my shop!

Congratulations to our two winners - I will be contacting you both shortly.
Thank you, thank you for all the entries!

The Lovely Blogger List

2010-04-13T14:13:00.008-04:00

I came across this post from Danni's blog and thought, What a great way for me to introduce Skylar's Candy Clips to people and to other bloggers. So here I am, creating this little post about myself, Skylar's Candy Clips and how it all got started. If you want to join the list, follow Rachel's instructions here.

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

My name is Sherryl Mascarinas and I create and design children's hair accessories in CT. I love all things handmade and am a total Etsy addict. I married my childhood sweetheart and am a mom to three wonderful children - two girls and a boy. Skylar's Candy Clips got started when my daughter Skylar was less than a year old. I wanted to be creative and make her some really unique hair clips. My creative addiction turned into an obsession and when I discovered Etsy back in 2008, I decided that Skylar's Candy Clips should be available to little girls everywhere!

Those of you who are familiar with my Etsy shop should know that I love funky, whimsical colors. I find inspiration on different color combos that I see in magazines, catalogs, and even in my own neighborhood. Here are some of my most popular pieces:

Pink Hydrangeas Hair Clips
{available in other colors}

Lulu The Owl Felt Hair Clip Holder

Happy Flower Headbands
{available in other colors}

Pastel Daisies Headband
{shown on stretchy cotton headband for infants but also
available for big girls}

You can find Skylar's Candy Clips here:

Blogger | Etsy | Facebook

Become a fan on facebook for a chance to win a monthly drawing!

Springtime fun giveaway - a little chirpy bird coming your way (ENDED)

2010-04-08T14:52:00.005-04:00

Little Chirpy Bird

I love springtime.
Tulips.
Daffodils.
Trees with fresh lime green leaves.
Cherry Blossoms.
And a little chirpy bird that wants to fly home to you!

Do you like him?
Do you want him to be yours?
Well he can be!

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Visit SkylarsCandyClips on Etsy and pick your favorite hairclip to put on
Little Chirpy Bird.
2. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, please state that in a comment)

3. Grab my pretty button for your blog
4. Become a fan on Facebook (see widget on top right hand side of this page)

4. And for extra credit, let me know who you are giving Little Chirpy Bird to if you win.

{There is a little surprise for this giveaway - it will be revealed when the winner is announced.}

* if you don't have your email on your blog profile, please include it in one of your comments.

Good luck everybody! The winner will be picked through random.org

on Sunday, April 18, 2010.

This giveaway is now closed.
Thank you for all the entries.

Oh Spring - what took you so long?

2010-04-07T14:25:00.006-04:00

This beautiful pot of flowers was a gift from my friend Tina.

Springtime means...

beautiful tulips...

celebrating Wendy the wonderdog's (8th!) birthday...

(cheers to Wendy!)

riding your bike on two wheels...

celebrating Easter eating popsicles with friends...

and hunting for eggs...

and chugging along as Thomas the Tank Engine...

and welcoming a Little Chirpy Bird to the shop.

I love spring.

{By the way, if you like Little Chirpy Bird, come back tomorrow for a chance to win him.}

Me and my little bother.

2010-03-30T21:20:00.001-04:00

A funny exchange between 5 year old Skylar and 4 year old Deacon one afternoon (February 2010)

Skylar (watching "Olivia" on Nick Jr) Olivia has just introduced her little brother Ian to everyone as her little "bother". Mommy! I have a little bother too - and his name is Deacon (laughs hysterically).

Deacon (frowning and getting up from the couch): Skylar! I am not your little bother! I am your little brother!

Skylar: I know, Deacon. I just like calling you my little bo-ther (laughs some more).

Deacon: (Crosses his arms) Hmph! I'm not going to be your little brother anymore then.

Skylar: Fine. Then I won't share my cookie with you. Mine's the only one left.

Deacon (changes tone): Oka-ay... I'll be your little bother then.

Skylar: Thanks, Deacon.

Strawberry Cookie Sandwiches (perfectly pink)

2010-03-29T21:55:00.009-04:00

So ever since my cousin RJ from California suggested that I find (and bake) the perfect strawberry shortbread cookies, I've been on the hunt for a really good one. I finally found this on one of my favorite baking blogs. I tried the recipe to the tee and loved it. It was delicious! But it has a lot of flour and got a little shortbread-y for me that I decided to tweak it my way. My cookie photos aren't as good as Heather's but the cookie is wonderful. If you love shortbread, then follow Heather's recipe. If you want it a little thinner and chewier, then follow mine. Either way, you are going to love this one.

Strawberry Cookie Sandwiches
(adapted from Sprinkle Bakes)

For the cookies:

1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries (the riper the better)
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter (cubed)
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening (I used Crisco)
red food coloring
1/4 cup sanding sugar (or sugar sprinkles)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Sift sugar and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer.
3. Using the paddle attachment, mix together the flour/sugar mixture, the cubed butter, and crisco until fine crumbs form.
4. Stir in strawberries, white chocolate chips and a few drops of the red food coloring until you get your desired light pink color. DO NOT OVERMIX.
5. On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, shaped the dough in 1 inch balls. Dip one side in the sanding sugar and flatten on cookie sheet with your palm, sugar side up. Space out the dough 2 inches from each other.
6. Bake for around 15-18 minutes until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool completely.

For the filling:

1 stick room temperature unsalted butter
1 to 1 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar (depends on how thick you want the filling)
1/8 cup strawberry puree (I use Squeezy Fruit Strawberry) or just make your own

1. Mix all ingredients together. If you want to make it thicker, add more sugar. If you want to make it thinner, add more strawberry puree. I like mine on the thinner side so it's not too sweet.
2. Spread a little of the filling on the underside of one cookie. Top with another so it forms a sandwich.
3. Enjoy!!!
(don't forget that these cookies are made with real strawberries so they need to be refrigerated)

It's yummy...

It melts in your mouth...

It's yummy good!

Thanks to my friend Mary Lou for giving me these beautiful pink roses on my birthday!
I had to capture their perfection. You made my day.

Crazy Crafty Cool 2010

2010-03-26T20:11:00.002-04:00

Skylar's Candy Clips will be participating in the
Crazy Crafty Cool Fair
tomorrow at
The Rockland Country Day School
34 Kings Highway
Congers, NY 10920
from 11am to 5pm

If you are in the Rockland, Westchester counties and southern CT area, come on over and say hello! Featuring the work of local independent designers and artists. There is live music and a DJ! Parking and admission are free - so come and join us!

Sisters.

2010-03-24T14:00:00.005-04:00

Jenny and I in Honolulu, HI for her wedding in September 2006

Dear Jenny,

You crashed my first birthday party when I turned a year old by being born.
Since then, we became bonded not just by sharing a birthday but with something even bigger.
We became sisters.
Even though it is our mothers who are real sisters,
you became a real sister to me in my heart.
I couldn't ask for a better one.
You were there for me through thick and thin.

You were my maid of honor at my wedding.
What you didn't know was that it was an honor FOR ME to have you there at my side.
I couldn't think of anyone else sharing that special day with me other than you.

I cried with you through some of life's disappointments that were thrown your way.
And rejoiced at all the blessings that came around.
Just as you did with me.
Just as you've always done with me your whole life.

Thank you for being there for me.
Thank you for being the wonderful person that you are.

Happy birthday to you, my beautiful cousin.
My sister.
My best friend.
The world is a joyful place with you around.
I love you more than words can say.

- Sherryl

Rockin' Candy Clippers

2010-03-22T14:54:00.005-04:00

My niece, Haley Mae

These sweet Candy Clippers are rockin' and rollin'
Skylar's Candy Clips style!!!

Check back this Wednesday for a sweet and "chirpy"
giveaway!!! You don't want to miss this one!

Bids for Cici.

2010-03-19T09:47:00.003-04:00

www.bidsforcici.org

There are two more days left for Bids for Cici. Please check out the site - there are a lot of handmade goodness out there - and for a good cause. All proceeds will help with Cici's treatments. Check out my rosette necklace here and my friend Lindsay's beautiful pictures here and here.

The worst storm ever.

2010-03-17T17:20:00.004-04:00

One of the major roads in our small town

As most of you have heard, Connecticut was hit with a Nor'Easter last Saturday, March 13, 2010 knocking down huge trees over power lines and shutting off power in more than half of our town's population. Last Saturday, 5500 out of 8000 homes lost power (65%). 150 roads were closed and deemed impassable from fallen trees and dangerous power lines. Connecticut Light & Power warned everybody that power will not be restored for a few days. Thus, began the mad scramble for nearby hotels. My family and I bunked in a hotel in a nearby town for three nights. We were lucky that our house wasn't damaged from the storm. The worst thing we had was a stinky fridge.

But take a look at these photos taken from our town's newspaper, The New Canaan Advertiser. There were so many HUGE trees that toppled over and caused so much damage. Rooftops were cracked, cars smashed etc. Debris from fallen trees are still everywhere. The town is working hard to clean up the damage caused by the storm. The schools remain closed until all the roads are clear.

This tree barely missed a passing car

Trees uprooted and fallen over a fence

This gigantic tree knocked down a major power line

This tree fell on a family car

I feel so lucky to have my family safe and sound and back in our home. There are still families without power out there. I am hoping that they too, will be able to go back home soon.

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER (sorry for the late post!)

2010-03-17T09:09:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to #28

squareby

for winning Tessa Ann's
Wonderful World buttons!

{Sorry for posting so late. We had a terrible rainstorm that knocked out 65% of my town's power including ours last Saturday. We had to stay at a nearby hotel until power was restored late last night. We are finally home today but our schools - remain closed. Thank you for being patient!}

Playdates and playtime with Peyton.

2010-03-13T12:26:00.005-05:00

Peyton and friend Harper - don't they have the coolest names ever?

Playdates.
Playtime.
Fun times.
What a great life for a two year old.

Slidin'

Rock star Harper rockin' my Strawberry Fields 4 Ever Headband

Look mom! There's a piece of candy on the ground! Can I eat it?
Umm.... no.

Fun times at Stepping Stones Children's Museum

Down...

....down...

...and up again!
{Note to self - do not take pictures of your kid BEFORE you wipe her chocolate smeared face and change her tights with the hole on it.}

*** Oh, there is still some time to join the giveaway. Join it now if you haven't done so already. The winner will be chosen this Monday, March 15, 2010.

Sharing the love - sweet stuff.

2010-03-09T13:13:00.008-05:00

My Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to bake.
I love cookies, cake, cupcakes - you name it,
I've probably baked it.
Here's a list of my favorite blogs that inspire.
I hope that you will love them as much as I do.
Happy baking!

Orangette

I Am Baker

Care to share your favorite baking / food blog?

I am baking this and this for Skylar's school fundraiser this Friday.
They look so super yum!

Something special - and a Tessa Ann giveaway!

2010-03-06T12:52:00.010-05:00

Something special is coming to the shop. And it includes a little pink ribbon that reminds us of this. In trying to create this special something, I turned to the talent of TessaAnn on Etsy. She makes THE MOST BEAUTIFUL handmade buttons ever. These pretties arrived in the mail a few days ago and was I ever excited!

The red motorcycle buttons is a little extra something that I am making for myself. In nod to my husbands second wife - his precious red Ducati 848. Can't wait to show you how that will turn out.

But along with these exciting things to come, comes something else exciting for my readers - TessaAnn is doing a giveaway!

As I mentioned before, TessaAnn makes these beautiful, handmade, one of a kind buttons. Each button is handmade from scratch, baked and glazed with a glossy finish.

Retro Blue Bird

Love Birds

My Guy

Up for grabs is this set of 12 buttons:

Wonderful World

Do you love it? Do you want to win these? Aren't these pretty buttons perfect for spring?

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Visit TessaAnn on Etsy and pick your favorite (it'll be hard to pick just one).
2. Become a follower of TessaAnn's blog.
2. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, please state that in a comment)

3. Grab my pretty button for your blog

4. And for extra credit, suggest a style of buttons that you would love to see in TessaAnn's shop. Who knows? She might just create it!

* if you don't have your email on your blog profile, please include it in one of your comments.

Good luck everybody! The winner will be picked through random.org

on Monday, March 15, 2010.

The 5 Minute Doughnut

2010-03-04T13:50:00.006-05:00

Five minutes. That's all it took. Pinky swear. Five minutes to make these delicious doughnuts. All you need is a tube of refrigerated Pillsbury Italian Bread Dough and about 1/4 cup of granulated sugar - maybe less.

1. Just take out the dough and chop them up into 2 inch cubes with a pizza cutter.
2. Heat up some oil (about 1 cup) - in a medium sauce pan. Once the oil is heated, lower the heat and drop in the cut up dough. Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown (make sure that your heat is not too high otherwise you will burn them).
3. Place the fried dough on a piece of paper towel to soak up the extra oil. Then put them in a large bowl, toss in the sugar to coat and you're done! Instant doughnuts!

I didn't get to take a picture because we forgot about it but these doughnuts are also yummy with fruit preserves on top. I use these from Bonne Maman.

While I made the doughnuts, my three monkeys were busy monkeying around. Until Wendy the pup started peppering them with kisses.

Yum. Yum. Yum. These didn't last long. They aren't the best thing for breakfast. But they were fast, easy, and delicious. As you can see, the kids devoured them.

Try it - you won't be disappointed!
Enjoy!

Treasury

2010-03-03T11:23:00.003-05:00

My PASTEL HYDRANGEAS Bouquet Headband is featured in Etsy Treasury today.
Thank you so much, diligent!

Gingham Red for a Good Cause.

2010-03-01T10:14:00.006-05:00

www.bidsforcici.org
March 14-21, 2010

Cici Fischer

Do you remember Cici Fischer? She is a little girl who so touched my heart with her strength and resilience. Cici is almost the same age as Peyton. When she was 11 months old, she choked on a piece of canned fruit and spent 2 weeks in PICU. Parts of her brain died from lack of oxygen and she is now severely disabled. She has a twin sister Penny and a big brother Max and two wonderful parents who love her and dote on her endlessly. You can read more about their story on the Fischer Family blog here. This is also a wonderful video of sweet Cici laughing and smiling.

Cici's auction is a way to help the Fischer Family with the treatments that Cici needs - most are NOT covered by their insurance. Etsy sellers have gathered together to help raise money to help Cici. For this spring auction, I've decided to do something different. I wanted to make something that might generate more money than my headbands. So I made this:

"Roses for Cici" - a fabric rosette necklace

I had to learn how to make these fabulous fabric rosettes that I often drool over on Etsy and it took a long time to perfect. This necklace will unfortunately not be available at the shop. It will only be up for grabs at the auction. So please mark your calendars and get ready to start bidding on March 14, 2010. If you want to donate something for the auction, please contact Meg Rothstein at meg@bidsforcici.org

There are also two special items that I created for Cici on Etsy. One is a special headband and the other, a special hair clip. 50% of the proceeds will go directly to Cici's fund. Check them out here and here.

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER

2010-02-28T12:12:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to #9
Kate and Oli
for winning the St. Patrick's Day giveaway!

Lucky, lucky you for winning this lucky clover!

(By the way, Kate's lucky story was lucky indeed. This is what she wrote:)

"my luckiest moment happened in new zealand on vacation. i started to cross the street, but i forgot that traffic moved in the opposite direction! I almost caused a 4 car pile-up and my own demise, but luckily, a little old lady pushed me out of the way just in time! then she yelled at me:)"

Now, that's LUCKY.

Beautiful.

2010-02-27T16:02:00.005-05:00

Yesterday's snowstorm brought around 6-8 inches of snow . This morning, we woke up to this.

The sun was shining and the snow covered trees glittered underneath it's rays. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Here's another beauty who couldn't help but ham it up for the camera.

Skylar in her jammies.

My three girls - Skylar, Peyton, and Wendy the puppy.

But do you know what I am wishing for? Spring. Beautiful spring to arrive. And from wishing comes inspiration - these little flower clips. They are available in the shop now.

Fresh Picked Flowers - Itty Bitty Clips

Here's to wishing for warmer days ahead!

Psst... if you haven't entered the giveaway yet, do so now.
The winner will be picked tomorrow, 2/28/10.

Welcome newbies!

2010-02-26T08:58:00.003-05:00

The Mommy Series Shirley Headband

I am wishing, wishing, waiting patiently for spring to arrive. I finally had some free time to create new spring items for my shop. I'd love for you to meet them:

Lil Critters Itty Bitty Hair Clips (pick two)

The Mommy Series Lilia Headband

Spring Serendipity Bouquet Headband

If you've only noticed the two headbands from The Mommy Series now, I made it especially for the moms. The headbands are embellished with either 100% wool felt flowers or flowers that have been singed at the ends to make them curl. You can find the collection of Mommy Series headbands here.

And for all you Happy Flower Headband fans, there is a new color combo for spring. I love the bright and happy colors. There is another spring combo in the works - with pastel colors. You will see that hopefully this weekend. And don't forget the St. Patrick's Day giveaway here on the blog. Enter here if you haven't done so yet.

THINK SPRING, everybody!!!

Pinkalicious Cupcakes

2010-02-24T15:29:00.005-05:00

"It was a rainy day, too wet to go outside.
Mommy said, "Let's make cupcakes! What color do you want?"
"Pink," I said. "Pink, pink, pink!"

- Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann

It was indeed a rainy day and Skylar had her friend over for a playdate. We decided to make Pinkalicious cupcakes as a nod to Skylar's all time favorite book, Pinkalicious. We did it the easy way using Pillsbury Moist Supreme Funfetti cake mix and red food coloring. Just follow the directions on the box and add a few drops of the red food coloring and voila! Pink cupcakes!

We simple HAD to use pink cupcake liners, of course! For some fun cupcake liners, go here.

Pink cupcakes wouldn't be complete without pink frosting so I whipped up a simple cream cheese frosting from this recipe. Just add a few extra drops of red food coloring to make it pink. I mean - PINK CREAM CHEESE FROSTING! What could be better?

Skylar and Katka decorating their cupcakes

Skylar says, "I just looove pink cupcakes, mommy!". Yep - she loves just about anything pink.

Have a playdate - make cupcakes!

You can't have pinkalicious cupcakes without the pink (HEART!) sprinkles!

Notice the pink platters!

Even the little ones got into the action.

This is a rare picture of Deacon decorating cupcakes. He is usually not into baking. I can't believe that he is actually frosting up some (gasp!) pink cupcakes!

Ta-da! They're done and they were delish! These guys got gobbled up not long after this picture was taken. Pinky and yummy = good for the tummy.

Get lucky for St. Paddy's Day! (a contest) ENDED.

2010-02-18T16:58:00.005-05:00

MY LUCKY CLOVER Headband

MY LUCKY CLOVER Hair Clip

I just added these two new items in the shop for St. Paddy's Day. Made out of 100% wool felt, these yummy clovers can bring you some luck for St. Patrick's. Are you feeling lucky now? Do you want to win one of these?

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Tell us about your luckiest moment.
2. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, please state that in a comment)

3. Grab my pretty button for your blog

4. And for extra credit, visit my Etsy shop and choose a favorite item.

* if you don't have your email on your blog profile, please include it in one of your comments.

Good luck everybody! The winner will be picked through random.org

on Sunday, February 28, 2010.

This giveaway is now closed.
Thank you for all the entries!

Happy Love Day!

2010-02-14T10:07:00.007-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Love.
Love, love, love.
These cookies that the kids and I made yesterday.

Colorful Spiral Cookies

You can find the recipe here

"Daddy and Mommy holding hands and skipping in the park".

-Skylar, 5

Taken from the eyes of my five year old.
I love that she can see and imagine our playful side.
I love, love, love it.

Wishing you a wonderful Valentines day full of love.

workspace envy.

2010-02-12T13:18:00.004-05:00

pictures compiled by Casey from Mynooshka

I am wishing, wishing that I was this cool.

That my workspace was this pretty and happy.

Okay, I'm inspired. Better get crackin' on organizing.

Have you been inspired by someone's workspace lately?

Care to share?

And if you haven't seen Jenny B's craftspace from Allsorts, prepare to drool. Her space is AMAZING. Click here for the pictures.

A sweet Valentines treat - red velvet cupcakes in a jar.

2010-02-11T15:34:00.005-05:00

Skylar and I made these happy, happy cupcakes for all the teachers for Valentine's Day.

It is simple to make, sweet, and definitely one of a kind.

Make any flavor cupcake you want and put it in a jar.

For Valentines, we had to make red velvet ones of course.

I used these 8 oz mason jars. They are the perfect size.

They are hard to find in my area so I had to settle for these with the ridges.

But they worked.

To decorate the jars, I simply cut out some circles to cover the top lid and some hearts to put in the center.

Then glue the circle on the top lid, being careful not to get any glue at the bottom.

See how sweet they are?

Okay, I took a shortcut and bought Barefoot Contessa's red velvet cupcake mix. Trust me, it's the next best thing to homemade from scratch. But if you are feeling ambitious and want to make it from scratch, try this recipe - it's the best!

Of course, my tasters had to get to work.

Vampires? No. Red velvet little devils? Yes.

Yummy!

I filled them up almost to the top. They came out too big. Try filling them only halfway if you are using regular muffin trays. The next time, I think I might even try the mini-muffin trays and just do two layers.

You have to trim off the side so it can squish in nicely inside the mason jar.

See what I mean about coming out too big?

Follow the directions for the cream cheese frosting. I added a little whipped cream to make it a little mushier. Then I put everything in a ziplock bag, cut one of the corners and used it to pipe out the frosting. Do a little layer at the bottom, then put the cupcake in, then pipe some more frosting on the top. Add some love by sprinkling in some valentines heart sprinkles. If you run out of frosting, follow this simple recipe here.

Divine!!!

Skylar did heart tags for each of the teachers

Then I tied a red ribbon and another circle tag outside the jar.

I got lucky and found these adorable bags on sale at Papyrus for .30 cents each!

I stuffed it with gift wrapping tissue and put the jar in the middle.

This prevents the cupcake from swishing around.

Done. Done. And done.

Skylar, Deacon, and Peyton gave them to the teachers today.

And they loved them!

Try them. And you will be guaranteed a smile!

Spring Newbies.

2010-02-10T16:05:00.003-05:00

New in shop this week for spring. More to come. The giveaway is ALMOST ready. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait!

ROLY POLY PINWHEEL POSIES - pick two

MY LITTLE DAISY - yellow or white

PRETTY DAISY Headband

Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.

2010-02-05T15:25:00.003-05:00

It's crazy here at Skylar's Candy Clips central.

Wholesale orders still half-done.

Ear infections galore (if you need Amoxycillin, I have 3 kids'

worth in my refrigerator).

Skylar missing her bus this morning (because of daddy) - don't ask.

An ALMOST speeding ticket.

Sigh.

But I didn't forget about the giveaway.

Bear with me a few days longer and I promise that

it's. A. Really. Good. One.

Pinky Swear.

And to celebrate my 500th sale, I want to thank

some of my loyal customers who made it happen.

You know who you are.

There will be something special in the mail for you next week.

Happy Weekend!!!

A little taste of... The Philippines

2010-02-04T15:17:00.003-05:00

This is a hilarious glimpse of the culture in my mother country, The Philippines. From the special "duck egg" that is high on the Fear Factor Level, the "doorbell" names, to a Joker senator, a Cardinal Sin that heads the church, and why it's good that Jesus wasn't named Jejomar.

Read on, and laugh your heart out. We won't be offended.

Matter of Taste

By Matthew Sutherland

I have now been in this country for over six years, and consider myself in most respects well assimilated. However, there is one key step on the road to full assimilation, which I have yet to take, and that's to eat BALUT.

The day any of you sees me eating balut, please call immigration and ask them to issue me a Filipino passport. Because at that point there will be no turning back. BALUT, for those still blissfully ignorant non-Pinoys out there, is a fertilized duck egg. It is commonly sold with salt in a piece of newspaper, much like English fish and chips, by street vendors usually after dark, presumably so you can't see how gross it is.

It's meant to be an aphrodisiac, although I can't imagine anything more likely to dispel sexual desire than crunching on a partially formed baby duck swimming in noxious fluid. The embryo in the egg comes in varying stages of development, but basically it is not considered macho to eat one without fully discernable feathers, beak, and claws. Some say these crunchy bits are the best. Others prefer just to drink the so-called 'soup', the vile, pungent liquid that surrounds the aforementioned feathery fetus...excuse me; I have to go and throw up now. I'll be back in a minute.

Food dominates the life of the Filipino. People here just love to eat. They eat at least eight times a day. These eight official meals are called, in order: breakfast, snacks, lunch, merienda, merienda ceyna, dinner, bedtime snacks andno-one-saw-me- take-that- cookie-from- the-fridge- so-it-doesn' t-count.

The short gaps in between these mealtimes are spent eating Sky Flakes from the open packet that sits on every desktop. You're never far from food in the Philippines . If you doubt this, next time you're driving home from work, try this game. See how long you can drive without seeing food and I don't mean a distant restaurant, or a picture of food. I mean a man on the sidewalk frying fish balls, or a man walking through the traffic selling nuts or candy. I bet it's less than one minute.

Here are some other things I've noticed about food in the Philippines :

Firstly, a meal is not a meal without rice - even breakfast. In the UK , I could go a whole year without eating rice. Second, it's impossible to drink without eating. A bottle of San Miguel just isn't the same without gambas or beef tapa. Third, no one ventures more than two paces from their house without baon (food in small container) and a container of something cold to drink. You might as well ask a Filipino to leave home without his pants on. And lastly, where I come from, you eat with a knife and fork. Here, you eat with a spoon and fork. You try eating rice swimming in fish sauce with a knife.

One really nice thing about Filipino food culture is that people always ask you to SHARE their food. In my office, if you catch
anyone attacking their baon, they will always go, "Sir! KAIN TAYO!" ("Let's eat!").

This confused me, until I realized that they didn't actually expect me to sit down and start munching on their boneless bangus. In fact, the polite response is something like, "No thanks, I just ate." But the principle is sound - if you have food on your plate, you are expected to share it, however hungry you are, with those who may be even hungrier. I think that's great!

In fact, this is frequently even taken one step further. Many Filipinos use "Have you eaten yet?" ("KUMAIN KA NA?") as a general greeting, irrespective of time of day or location.

Some foreigners think Filipino food is fairly dull compared to other Asian cuisines. Actually lots of it is very good: Spicy dishes like Bicol Express (strange, a dish named after a train); anything cooked with coconut milk; anything KINILAW; and anything ADOBO. And it's hard to beat the sheer wanton, cholesterolic frenzy of a good old-fashioned LECHON de leche (roast pig) feast.. Dig a pit, light a fire, add 50 pounds of animal fat on a stick, and cook until crisp. Mmm, mmm... you can actually feel your arteries constricting with each successive mouthful.

I also share one key Pinoy trait --- a sweet tooth. I am thus the only foreigner I know who does not complain about sweet bread, sweet burgers, sweet spaghetti, sweet banana ketchup, and so on. I am a man who likes to put jam on his pizza. Try it!
It's the weird food you want to avoid. In addition to duck fetus in the half-shell, items to avoid in the Philippines include pig's blood soup (DINUGUAN); bull's testicle soup, the strangely-named "SOUP NUMBER FIVE" (I dread to think what numbers one through four are); and the ubiquitous, stinky shrimp paste, BAGOONG, and it's equally stinky sister, PATIS.

Filipinos are so addicted to these latter items that they will even risk arrest or deportation trying to smuggle them into countries
like Australia and the USA , which wisely ban the importation of items you can smell from more than 100 paces.

Then there's the small matter of the purple ice cream. I have never been able to get my brain around eating purple food; the ubiquitous UBE leaves me cold.

And lastly on the subject of weird food, beware: that KALDERETANG KAMBING (goat) could well be KALDERETANG ASO (dog)...

The Filipino, of course, has a well-developed sense of food.

Here's a typical Pinoy food joke: "I'm on a seafood diet.
"What's a seafood diet?" "When I see food, I eat it!"

Filipinos also eat strange bits of animals --- the feet, the head, the guts, etc., usually barbecued on a stick. These have been
given witty names, like "ADIDAS" (chicken's feet); "KURBATA" (either just chicken's neck, or "neck and thigh" as in "neck-tie"); "WALKMAN" (pigs ears); "PAL" (chicken wings); "HELMET" (chicken head); "IUD" (chickenintestines), and BETAMAX" (video-cassette- like blocks of animal blood). Yum,yum. Bon appetit.

WHEN I arrived in the Philippines from the UK six years ago, one of the first cultural differences to strike me was names. The subject has provided a continuing source of amazement and amusement ever since. The first unusual thing, from an English perspective, is that everyone here has a nickname. In the staid and boring United Kingdom , we have nicknames in kindergarten, but when we move into adulthood we tend, I am glad to say, to lose them.

The second thing that struck me is that Philippine names for both girls and boys tend to be what we in the UK would regard as overbearingly cutesy for anyone over about five. Fifty-five-year- olds colleague put it.

Where I come from, a boy with a nickname like Boy Blue or Honey Boy would be beaten to death at school by pre-adolescent bullies, and never make it to adulthood. So, probably, would girls with names like Babes, Lovely, Precious, Peachy or Apples. Yuk, ech ech. Here, however, no one bats an eyelid.

Then I noticed how many people have what I have come to call "door-bell names". These are nicknames that sound like -well, doorbells. There are millions of them. Bing, Bong, Ding, and Dong are some of the more common. They can be, and frequently are, used in even more door-bell-like combinations such as Bing-Bong, Ding-Dong, Ting-Ting, and so on.. Even our newly appointed chief of police has a doorbell name Ping . None of these doorbell names exist where I come from, and hence sound unusually amusing to my untutored foreign ear.

Someone once told me that one of the Bings, when asked why he was called Bing, replied, "because my brother is called Bong". Faultless logic..

Dong, of course, is a particularly funny one for me, as where come from "dong" is a slang word for well; perhaps "talong" is the best Tagalog equivalent!! !

Repeating names was another novelty to me, having never before encountered people with names like Len-Len, Let-Let, Mai-Mai, or Ning-Ning. The secretary I inherited on my arrival had an unusual one: Leck-Leck. Such names are then frequently further refined by using the "squared" symbol, as in Len2 or Mai2. This had me very confused for a while.

Then there is the trend for parents to stick to a theme when naming their children. This can be as simple as making them all begin with the same letter, as in Jun, Jimmy, Janice, and Joy.

More imaginative parents shoot for more sophisticated forms of assonance or rhyme, as in Biboy, Boboy, Buboy, Baboy (notice the names get worse the more kids there are-best to be born early or you could end up being a Baboy).

Even better, parents can create whole families of, say, desserts (Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Honey Pie) or flowers (Rose, Daffodil, Tulip). The main advantage of such combinations is that they look great painted across your trunk if you're a cab driver.

That's another thing I'd never seen before coming to Manila --taxis with the driver's kids' names on the trunk.

Another whole eye-opening field for the foreign visitor is the phenomenon of the "composite" name. This includesnames like Jejomar (for Jesus, Joseph and Mary), and the remarkable Luzviminda (for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao , believe it or not).
That's a bit like me being called something like "Engscowani" (for England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland ). Between you and me, I'm glad I'm not.

And how could I forget to mention the fabulous concept of the randomly inserted letter 'h'. Quite what this device is supposed
to achieve, I have not yet figured out, but I think it is designed to give a touch of class to an otherwise only averagely weird name. It results in creations like Jhun, Lhenn, Ghemma, and Jhimmy. Or how about Jhun-Jhun (Jhun2)?

How boring to come from a country like the UK full of people with names like John Smith. How wonderful to come from a country where imagination and exoticism rule the world of names.

Even the towns here have weird names; my favorite is the unbelievably named town of Sexmoan (ironically close to Olongapo and Angeles). Where else in the world could that really be true?

Where else in the world could the head of the Church really be called Cardinal Sin?

Where else but the Philippines !

Note: Philippines has a senator named Joker, and it is his legal name.

Sometimes, you just want to feel sexy.

2010-01-29T15:23:00.004-05:00

Stuart Weitzman 50 50 Boots

This is a love story about a pair of boots. I love, love, love these boots. I saw them on a friend and I just had to have them. They are sexy, sexy, sexy. And goodness knows that we all need days to feel exactly that.

So the day I went to the store to pick them up, I dressed myself in black leggings and a long sweater (so I can try them on in an outfit that matches), lugged my cranky 2 year old (who was coming down with an ear infection but didn't know it just yet) and headed out. As I waited while the sales clerk retrieved my boots, I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed a large (noticeably LARGE) yogurt stain on my rear end acquired from breakfast (thanks to my 4 year old son for spilling some on the chair). And I have to say that yogurt goes SO WELL with black. So I slip them on and well, it was love at first sight. I felt glamorous despite the yogurt stain and the now cranky - turned - screaming toddler grasping my sweater saying "Up-py!, Up-py! Up-py!" at the top of her lungs.

So out the door I went with my two precious cargos (screaming toddler included) in tow. And I couldn't be happier.

A perfect lazy afternoon.

2010-01-28T14:00:00.006-05:00

It's hard to see but there's still snow falling on the ground

It's one of those days today. Peyton is sick with an ear infection and we actually had a little snowfall this morning so we decided to make today a lazy day. It's beautiful outside - I couldn't help but take a couple of shots.

Wendy the wonderdog napping in her favorite sun spot in

the living room

Can't have a lazy day without being in your jammies and watching

Yo Gabba Gabba

And if you haven't tried these cookies yet - they are super yum!

These were the last pieces and they were gone soon after

this picture was taken!

I will be working on some new items to put in the shop later. I will post some pictures as soon as they are done. And oh, to celebrate my 500th sale, there will be a contest/giveaway starting next week! Stay tuned!

Have a playdate - make cookies!

2010-01-22T15:26:00.006-05:00

What's better than having a playdate with a friend? Making cookies WHILE on a playdate! Skylar brought her friend Katarina (a.k.a Katka) home for a playdate last week and all the girls wanted to do was to make cookies. I happily obliged. We decided to make some simple chocolate cookies - crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Yummy. I like to make my dough with Ghirardelli's sweetened cocoa instead of the usual unsweetened kind. Although it makes it a tad sweeter, it gives it a brownie flavor which is oh-so-yum! But you can do it either way.

Katka and Skylar decorating their cookies

While baby sister Peyton waits patiently (with a bowl of mini M&M's!)

The future pastry chefs at work!

stopping for a hug and a smile

a view of our corkboard art wall

Brrrr - it's cold outside! See the snow on the deck?

Almost done....

Done!

Simple Chocolate Cookies

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 stick butter (softened or room temperature)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup Ghirardelli sweetened cocoa powder OR

unsweetened cocoa powder OR Dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/8 cup milk

optional toppings: sugar sprinkles, chocolate chips, mini M&M's

1. In mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter until fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

4. Add slowly to the sugar/butter mixture until crumbly.

5. Slowly add in the milk until the dough sticks together (you don't have to use ALL the milk)

6. Chill for 15-30 minutes until firm.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

8. Roll out dough on to floured surface into 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

9. Add optional toppings.

10. Bake for 10 minutes if you want it a little chewy on the inside. 12-13 minutes if you want it crispy all the way through.

ENJOY!!!

Running, running, running.

2010-01-20T16:27:00.006-05:00

Wish me luck as I train for my first half marathon.
I will be running in the Stratton Faxon road race
at Jennings Beach on
June 27, 2010.

Yikes. Yikes. Yikes.
I am excited and nervous at the same time.
Especially since the most I've ever done was 4 miles.
So yes - this is a BIG challenge for me.
It'll be painful but I know I can do it.

Anyone else interested in joining me?

Blue is NOT my color - a 90's flashback.

2010-01-08T20:22:00.006-05:00

I came across this video and was immediately transported back to the 90's.
Back to the days of poofy hair.
Large earrings,
Oversized shirts and leggings.
Babydoll dresses.
And to this group - Expose.
One of my favorites.
And this song, which reminds me of a boy.
Who broke my 15 year old heart.
Who promised the world, sun, and moon.
Then went to college and - well, you know the rest.
But it is because of this heartache that opened
my heart and eyes to ANOTHER boy.

Who's been there from the beginning.
Only I was too blind and naive to see that he was the one.
My soul mate. My love.
And now, after almost 17 years together, we are still
in love, going strong, living our wonderful life with
our three wonderful children.

He's proven to me that I will ALWAYS be his baby.

And he's here to stay.

Everything in life happens for a reason.
It's true. I believe it. I've lived it.

Saying goodbye to the holiday season.

2010-01-05T23:51:00.005-05:00

(left to right: Peyton's hand print, Skylar's poinsettia, Peyton's wreath)

The holidays and festivities are finally over and it's time to pack up the holiday decor. The kids are a little sad. They did a lot of wonderful handmade crafts at school that are proudly displayed around the house. I thought I'd snap a few pics before they are put carefully away in boxes for next year.

Our christmas card wall in the kitchen

Deacon's star picture ornament

This was Deacon's present from his teachers last year - an origami picture ornament

Deacon's wreath 2009

Skylar's wreath 2008

Skylar's toy soldier

Deacon's star made out of dough

Peyton's version of the dough-star

Peyton's egg carton bells

Deacon's graham cracker house - we had to put it up high so our dog Wendy doesn't eat it!

Skylar's sock snowman from 2008

Deacon's popsicle stick frame from last year 2008

A penguin family ornament from my friend Tina - my favorite

Looking forward to the next holiday season 2010!

Care to share a favorite holiday memory?

Rugelach

2010-01-03T17:08:00.003-05:00

I made and gave away a bunch of these yummies to friends and family over the holidays. They are wonderful to make all year round. I made them two ways this year - apricot preserves with chopped figs and strawberry preserves with mixed raisins. I love this recipe because you make your own crust - which really takes the rugelach to the next level (you can use store bought crust - but why not make your own?). I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Rugelach

Some essential tools for the crust:

pastry mat

rolling pin

pizza cutter

Crust:

1 package (8oz) cream cheese

2 sticks (1 cup butter)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

Filling:

apricot and/or strawberry preserves

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped calimyrna figs

1/2 cup mixed raisins

* For the filling, mix together the sugars, cinammon, and walnuts. Divide evenly into two separate containers and add the figs to one and the raisins to the other.

Topping:

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinammon

1/4 cup milk

* For the topping, mix the sugars and cinnamon together.

1. In your electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and cream cheese until creamy.

2. Add the sugar, vanilla and flour. The dough may be a little lumpy but if you mix it by hand a little bit, it will start to form a ball. Shape dough into 4-5 balls roughly about the size of a tennis ball and cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm.

3. On a pastry mat, cover the dough with the plastic and roll out with a rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick being careful not to get the edges too thin.

4. Use good fruit preserves for your filling. It makes a big difference. I use Bonne Maman. Spread a thin layer of the preserves on the rolled out dough.

5. Top with the desired fruit/sugar/ walnut topping. In this case, I put the figs with the apricot preserves and did the raisins with the strawberry preserves.

6. Using your pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 slices starting with 4 quarters and cutting each quarter into 3 slices.

7. Roll each slice from the outer edge inwards like a croissant and place the rugelach on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with the tip on the bottom.

8. Brush the top of the rugelach with milk and sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

9. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until the rugelach turns a light brown.

ENJOY!!!

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T07:49:00.007-05:00

2010 ring by NinaGibsonDesigns

WISHING YOU A HAPPY YEAR!

Enjoy.
Eat cake.
Drink champagne.
Celebrate.
Shop.
Bake cookies.

Enjoy your family.
Here's to 2010.

The worst shopping experience ever.

2009-12-29T11:30:00.004-05:00

The Lollipop Guild Westport, CT

I thought that I would share a recent shopping experience with you. The service that I received from this store was so bad that I decided to write a letter to the owner. So grab a cup of coffee and relive my experience and let me know what you think. It really puts a stinker on the holiday season, doesn't it?

Hello xxxx,

This will not be a pleasant letter. I used to be a customer of your store. I am saying "used to be" because as of today, I will not be back at your store. This is why:

On Christmas eve, I was at your store and purchased a number of items - totaling $365. One of those items is a gift intended for my friend's daughter. The person who helped me was somewhat pleasant and wrote on my receipt that I am able to exchange the items or return them for store credit until January 3, 2010. I came back to your store today hoping to add another item to the gift that I purchased. Instead, I found a different outfit I liked though it was more money than the dress that I bought a few days ago. It was only marked down 25%.

When I went to check out, the woman at the register said that I am not allowed to return the dress. I showed her my receipt that says that I could. She was very unpleasant and rudely scratched out the print on my receipt that says the items were exchangeable until 1/3/10. She did the exchange and I paid almost $40 extra for the outfit. Please keep in mind that at this point, my total purchases now total a little over $400. I asked her to please wrap it as it is intended to be a present. She said that the store will not gift wrap items that are on sale but she will do it just this one time. I was pretty satisfied until I noticed that she only handed me a wrapped box instead of doing your signature gift wrap with the lollipop and the sticker. I asked her to please add the lollilop and I would even gladly pay for it. After a little huffing and grunting, she obliged but said that she cannot add on the Lollipop Guild sticker for fear that my friend might try to return or exchange the merchandise. Seriously? This is a $100 outfit. She would refuse to do the advertising for your store in fear of an exchange? I asked her very nicely to PLEASE add the sticker so my friend would know where it came from as she is ALSO A CUSTOMER OF YOUR STORE. She finally did and when I mentioned that her treatment of me as a customer makes it very hard for me to come back in the future. I mean, I asked her to gift wrap ONE outfit. She couldn't make an exception? She mentioned that all of this IS YOUR POLICY.

I understand the need to cut costs. But is it really worth it to save a few dollars on gift wrapping and boxes and lose a customer instead? My experience shopping at your store was uncomfortable, awkward, disappointing and overall lousy. I left with a sick feeling in my stomach because I was treated so rudely. I live in New Canaan and I shop at Krik-It regularly and I myself shop at Togs and Mitchells and I can assure you that I am a good customer. What keeps me coming back is the customer service that I receive in that store and all the stores I mentioned give EXCEPTIONAL customer service.

So if a customer like myself who just spent $400 in your shop not good enough to warrant good service? I will not be back to your shop and will be sharing my experience to my friends - especially the gift recipient of the outfit I purchased. I mean, I have to make sure that she does not come in to exchange the outfit for any reason and risk embarrassment, right?

--
Sherryl Mascarinas
Creator / Designer
Skylar's Candy Clips
Phone # 203-252-4111
Email: skylars.candyclips@gmail.com
Website: www.skylarscandyclips.etsy.com
Blog: www.skylarsclips.blogspot.com

Holidays 2009

2009-12-24T10:25:00.005-05:00

Happy holidays!

Wishing you lots of love, joy and laughter

this holiday season!

4.

2009-12-22T23:44:00.007-05:00

Deacon 2009 school picture

Dear Deacon,

I can't believe how 4 years flew by so quickly.

Poof. In the blink of an eye, here you are.

4 years old. Where has the time gone?

All of a sudden, my little baby boy is all grown up.

I still remember when you were born.

2 weeks early but so ready to take on the world!

Deacon James Mascarinas

December 23, 2005

7 pounds, 15.5 ounces

20 inches long

Here is big sister Skylar meeting you for the first time.

You were her biggest Christmas present yet!

One month old. And loving your bear chair. You love it still.

Your 1st birthday party.

18 months old. Mommy's belly says it all.

You are about to become a big brother.

20 months old. People say that you are starting to look like daddy.

June 2007 - your first summer at Martha's Vineyard.

November 8, 2007.

22 months old and a proud big brother to baby sister Peyton

2 years old and loving the snow. You learned to ski that year.

3 1/2 years old. I just love that big, mischievous smile.

You love to goof around with your sisters.

My little guy. My little mister.

You will always be my baby boy.

Both a little and a big brother - you don't have it easy being in

the middle with two sisters.

But you handle it with such finesse.

You are such a good sport.

May you stay this way always.

Your smile always brightens my day.

I love you more than words can say.

Happy Birthday, Deacon.

Love,

Mommy

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-20T19:11:00.004-05:00

We woke up today to the season's first real snowfall. We got about 10-12 inches. I love the first snowfall - everything is crisp, white, and pretty.

This is our driveway:

And the view of the street from our front door:

And this is the pond that we have in the back. Later on in the season, once it's frozen and the ice is thick enough, we can actually go ice skating on it.

The kids put on their snow gear and went outside to play. Here is Skylar making a snow angel.

And Deacon going snow tubing on our side yard:

Chris attempting to build a snowman but the snow was too crisp and wouldn't stay together.

Even Peyton had some fun building snow balls and throwing them at everybody!

Have you guys had some snow where you live?

How to become The World's Most Annoying Etsy Member.

2009-12-08T21:21:00.004-05:00

Wooden sign by Mojo

Interested? Just follow these simple rules. Thank you assortedgoodies for posting this at the forums. I could always use a good laugh on an otherwise stressful, holiday order catching evening. I can think of a few people I've encountered who are in the runnings for #6 and #7!

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

If you want to become the World’s Most Annoying Etsy Member just pick a few of the following and practice them on a daily basis:

1) Use the forums to whine about how you hate this or hate that. Or about how you are smarter than everyone else. To make it even better; use bad language and then turn around and ask for sympathy, pity and sales.

2) Convo someone to ask for their supply sources. Etsy people are very nice and they don’t mind giving you their secret sources so you can become their biggest competitor.

3) If you have already done this (#2) and someone has been nice enough to share their sources or secrets with you, don’t go back and say “Thank you”. What for? It is not like they did anything nice, is it?

4) Demand feedback, or complain about those who don’t leave feedback, especially publicly in the forums. Who cares that feedback is optional?

5) Copy someone's pictures, design or description then use them to sell your own stuff. So what if it is illegal, don’t take your own pictures if someone else has gone to the trouble of producing a wonderful picture, just use theirs. (no, seriously, it is illegal!)

6) Convo the seller of your favorite item asking how they made it so you can make your own instead of using the Techniques section of the forums to ask if anyone out there has a tutorial available or would be willing to share some tips. And if they don’t reply, just keep convo-ing, eventually they will get tired of it and they will reply.

7) Contact a non-supply seller asking them if they could sell you that "thingy" they use to make that neat item cause you want to make your own. So what if they don’t have that "thingy" listed for sale in their shop. I’m sure they would rather sell their stock to you than use it to complete their own orders.

8) Contact everyone that hearted YOUR item to tell them it is on sale or that you have others in different colors.

9) Assume that because someone bought something from you they want to be on your mailing list. Then send them tons and tons of unsolicited newsletters and emails. So what if they could use the RSS feed to keep them updated to changes in your shop.

10) Make your Convos as confusing as possible. Each time you reply to a message start a NEW convo instead of replying to the original convo. This way they have to navigate to different pages and open up countless convos instead of having them all neatly in one page. Anyway, they can read your mind and they know exactly what you mean, right?

11) Ask a seller to waive the shipping fee and send you their item for free, or better yet ask them to discount the price and send you a bonus item free. Anyway, they get this stuff for free, it’s not like they take any time gathering supplies, making the item by hand, packaging and shipping, right?

I’m sure that practicing these things daily will win you the title of World’s Most Annoying Etsy Member.

Unique Holiday Boutique 12/5

2009-12-04T13:58:00.003-05:00

Skylar's Candy Clips will be participating in

The Historic Ossining Campgrounds

Unique Holiday Boutique

tomorrow, Saturday, December 5, 2009.

It runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

If you are in the area, please come on over and say "hi"!

Treasury West

2009-12-03T07:27:00.004-05:00

My Happy Flower Headbands (in Fall colors) made it to

Treasury West this week. Hooray!

Be Happy and Merry...

2009-12-01T20:12:00.005-05:00

Some fun new items for the holidays. Available now at the shop...

Holiday Happy Flower Headbands

Merry Merry Bouquet Headband

Poinsettia Glory Bouquet Headband

And introducing The Mommy Series Headbands!

Because mommies need cute headbands too!

The Heather Headband

The Dana Headband

The Rebecca Headband

Shop Etsy. Buy Handmade this holiday season.

Guess who's baaaack??!!??

2009-11-29T11:03:00.009-05:00

Welcome back, Fred. We missed you. We're glad that you made it back safe and sound. We promise to be on our very BEST behavior because we know that you are watching.

No food fights.

Or hair pulling.

Or body slamming.

Or screaming.

Or pushing.

Or pulling on Wendy's tail.

Or giving Wendy food under the table.

Or blaming Wendy for the mess in the kitchen.

Or sneak snacks in our rooms during nap times.

And we promise to listen to mommy and daddy.

And flush the potty after we use it.

Always.

Really. We promise.

Pinky swear.

What time did you say you leave our house at night?

Love,

Skylar, Deacon, and Peyton

The Elf on the Shelf - it will help keep order (and sanity) in your house.

Seriously, it's the best thing since pumpkin bread after Thanksgiving.

so thankful.

2009-11-26T10:32:00.004-05:00

Banner by bekahjennings

I recently saw a quote that says:

"Life is not about the amount of breaths that we take.

It's about the amount of moments that take our breath away".

Life is indeed about those moments. Here are some of mine:

Marrying my husband Chris on June 21, 2003.

We've know each other since we were children.

He is my true soul mate.

Our first born Skylar Elizabeth (October 17, 2004)

Our son Deacon James was born the following year on

December 23, 2005

Our beautiful Peyton Isabelle - our last baby - born on

November 8, 2007

So today and everyday, I am thankful for

being a wife,

a mom

a sister

a daughter

a friend

and my beautiful family.

Thankful to life and the beautiful moments

it's given me.

So very, truly, thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

busy days ahead

2009-11-23T08:59:00.004-05:00

I love this sign! Visit Mojo on Etsy

I will be holing myself up in my craft room for the next few days to catch up on some orders.

I want to be able to send out as many packages as I can by Wednesday (before the PO closes for Thanksgiving).

So wish me luck.

Send tons of coffee wishes my way.

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

2009-11-22T17:52:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to

#20 Badger Momma

for winning the

Paint Me A Picture Giveaway!

Congratulations and enjoy your beautiful Christmas Calendar!

spread the word.

2009-11-21T10:24:00.004-05:00

The Famigletti Family (Casey, Regan, Gracie, and Doug)

I met Casey at the preschool where my youngest daughter Peyton attends. Her two year old little girl, Regan is in Peyton's class. Along with Regan, she totes along little Gracie in her infant carrier. Gracie is beautiful - with bright blue eyes and the best demeanor you can ask for in a little baby. So it was weeks when I even noticed that she had on hearing aids and to find out that what I thought was a two month old baby is actually almost 8 months old. Casey told me a little bit about Gracie - born premature at 30 weeks, she spent 2 1/2 months at NICU and is profoundly deaf in both ears. Then just last week, she invited me to join a meeting that she was having at her house to raise awareness on Gracie's condition. It was only this time when I realized what really caused Gracie's condition and how serious it is. And worse of all, how little information soon to be or pregnant women are given on this virus.

It is called Cytomegalovirus (si-to-MEG-a-lo-vi-rus) or CMV. It is a common virus that infects people of all ages. Once CMV is in a person's body, it stays there for life. Most infections with CMV are "silent", meaning most people who are infected with CMV have no signs or symptoms. CMV can be transmitted to the unborn child of a mother with a primary CMV infection. When a baby catches CMV prior to birth, this is called Congenital CMV.

Every year, 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV.

Congenital CMV causes deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, mental and physical disabilities, seizures, and death. It is more common than Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and yet so many people remain unaware of it and it's effects. Transmission of the virus can be prevented by educating yourself on the risk factors, symptoms, and ways to prevent transmission. This is Casey's goal - to reach out to as many people as possible starting in our area to raise awareness and to educate women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.

For more information, please visit Stop CMV. To read Casey's story, click here. Reach out to help by spreading the word on CMV.