My dream starts here

Want to know what occupies my mind at all times now? Spoonflower and Michael Miller have joined forces to hold a competition "Project Selvage".  Whoever wins this contest by designing the best baby boy fabric collection is going to get a contract to design a new collection ( baby girls) for Michael Miller. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. It would be just so awesome to win this! But the competition is stiff, so my head is spinning from all the ideas that come and go, change shapes, colors, sizes... I gotta try really hard on this one...
Ok, time to put kids to bed, clean and start working... Wish me luck:)

Yummy fabric, literally ;)

My freshly made fabric design is yummy, literally...

It's all about crepes....

Soon coming to my Etsy shop 
Visit here for full step-by-step instructions on how I make my crepes: http://manylittlethingsmakemehappy.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-make-crepes-step-by-step.html

I won!

It is super late, and I am supposed to be in bed by now, but I must share the wonderful news I just received:
I won this week's Alter Ego Etsy Game!
 I just found out about this game existence last week, entered right away and could not believe my eyes when received a winning email!
It is such a great way to get to know fellow Etsy shops , practice your treasure making skills ( we know everyone benefits from them:) plus, if you win, the next game revolves around YOUR shop! How great is that?!!! SO much exposure in a fun, collaborative way!
If you have a shop on Etsy, I encourage you to try it, read details here: 
http://88editions.wordpress.com/alter-egos-on-etsy-your-weekly-t-contest-where/

Join and spread the word!


Night-night!

Interesting design

What a cool clock!

Capturing the magic of nature.. (Etsy seller )

Don't you just love these? I find these captured moments absolutely magical and enchanting! And the artist behind these beautiful photos has (besides the most coolest name - Sarah Storm) a beautiful soul as well. I was lucky to encounter her lovely shop on Etsy the other day,  and she was kind enough to answer a few questions about her life and artwork:

- You paint AND take amazing photos, both must be bringing tons of enjoyment, but what do you like doing better?
Sarah:That is a great question, I love doing both, often my paintings come from my photographs. I consider both to be great outlets for creation. I am obsessed with creating. Without it I would lose my mind. I enjoy the traveling to new places that comes with photography and the challenge that comes with painting. 


- What other profession would you be able to do and enjoy? Why?
Sarah: I have a degree in environmental science and biology so my dream job would be a photographer/ biologist for National Geographic, but I also enjoy my current job as a horticulturist surrounded by nature. 


-Favorite subject to photograph?
Sarah: Nature, all of it. I especially like to take the small details that people overlook and show others how beautiful it is. Like insects, they're amazing. I am blessed to live in a beautiful state where I get a lot of inspiration. 


- Describe your typical work day
Sarah: I love my job as a horticulturist because no day is the same. I get to design landscapes, choose beautiful flowers and trees, and look after them every day while beautifying the earth! As a bonus I have an amazing view of the entire Rocky Mountain Range. 


- Where do you see yourself in 5 years
Sarah: I really hope to be giving back to nature in an even greater way, I grew up in an area with a lot of mining, so I would love to reclaim the land back to what it once was before the mining came in, forestry is another area of great interest. 


- Your favorite food
Sarah:  what great questions! I am extremely lucky, both my husband and my father are gourmet chefs, I love good food as much as nature and art. If I had to choose I love authentic Mexican food and Sushi.


-Motto you live by
Sarah: "Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams"


She is amazing, isn't she?!! Be sure to check out both of her wonderful Etsy shops full of inspirational photographs and original artwork. If you love nature - you going to love her work!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Hope you are surrounded by hugs and kisses today ;)

Giveaway goes to...everyone!

Ok, let's face it - I have neglected my blog for a while, so it's no surprise there were only 2 comments in my giveaway post. But.... on the other hand - it's great! Because I don't have to choose, I can reward BOTH of my loyal readers with this calendar! Yey!
Thank you, Holli and a lovely UK student aka "Time for lunch" ( sorry I could not find you name anywhere ) for visiting and reading my blog! You both will receive my Blue Bunnies Calendar, please email me your addresses.

Skirt Steak Stir-Fry

Once again, today I faced my fridge in a state of "the-day-before- grocery shopping", and I turned to never-failing Asian Stir Fry, this time with the last piece of meat I could find in the fridge - Skirt steak. Could there be anything more satisfying than a quick, tasty meal out of almost empty fridge? I doubt.

So this is how I do my "Chinese for dinner":

Stir Fry with Skirt Steak ( 4-6 portions)

1lb skirt steak, sliced thinly ( slightly frozen condition helps with the slicing)

2-3 garlic cloves

2 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 small onion ( I like Vidalia, but any will do)

2 sweet red peppers

2 dark green zucchinis 

Soy sauce

Cooking Oil

Salt, pepper

Now, in terms of veggies, the list above is what I found today in my fridge, but you can add mushrooms, snow peas, any color zucchinis, carrots, any bell peppers, broccoli, or whatever you like. Don't skip the onions though, they add a crunch and juiciness.

First, cook pasta of your choice, save 1 cup of liquid.

  

 - Slice the meat.

- Add finely diced garlic and ginger , I use a microplane to get the job done quickly.

- Add a couple of splashes ( 2-3 tbsp) of soy sauce

- Add 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil

- Mix well and let it marinate for 10 min

- Meanwhile, cut up all your veggies, not too small - you still want a good crunch after cooking. 1" cubes are ok

- Heat your wok with 1 tbsp of oil, then add 1/3 of meat mixture, you should get a good sizzle! Very little salt, a lot of pepper! ;)

- Cook for 1-2 min stirring constantly. Set aside. Cook 2 other batches adding 1 tbsp of oil in between

- Drop all your veggies at once ( don't forget to add a couple Tbsp of oil for them too), Add a couple of splashes ( 2-3 tbsp) of soy sauce, stir, stir, stir.. for 3-4 min 

- Add cooked meat to the wok & mix well. TURN YOUR BURNER TO REALLY LOW at this point.

- In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup of pasta liquid+2 Tbsp of say sauce+1Tbsp of cornstarch

- Add to the stir fry, increase the heat to Med, and wait 1-2 min until the liquid in the wok is slightly thicker 

( I don't like really thick sauces, I add just enough cornstarch to make the sauce slightly coat the noodle/pasta, but you adjust per your liking)

- Mix with cooked pasta and serve!

Enjoy!

 Enter for giveaway - Calendar 2011 designed by me: 
http://manylittlethingsmakemehappy.blogspot.com/2011/01/first-giveaway.html

Virtual and Real Renovations

Yesterday I spend most of my day doing research, learning, promoting, updating my Etsy shop. So much work to be done!!! But the main thing I needed to change was my banner  - don't know what I was thinking when I created it - it was just so... not me. Well, now there is a brand new banner that represents me a lot better at the moment. Perhaps, in a few months I'll say "don't know what I was thinking..." but, for now I like it.

 Check it out the rest of the store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewMomDesigns

My taste, design vision and preferences constantly evolve and change, which is a good thing, so I am always looking forward to future projects and design opportunities to try out my new, exciting ideas.

Speaking of which, our current project "Basement Renovation" is well on the way. Due, to my recent "blog-neglect-phase", I totally forgot to post anything about it. Well, here is the story:

We have a basement. With ridiculously low ceilings. Like, 6'4". I know!!! Unbelievable, right?

Anyways, for the longest time we have debated whether or not it is worth to renovate it with such ceilings. At first, there was an idea of digging up the floors, a foot or so at least, so we could gain some room above our heads. Bun then it became clear that this is such a costly process that it was simply not worth the money, time and construction labor. 

At the end, we have decided to renovate the basement anyway, but to the bare minimum. My laundry area was simply disgusting, the rest of it was dark, dirty, unused, wasted, to say the least.

Here what we are getting from renovating it:

- Nice, clean, organized laundry ROOM

- Tons of usable storage ( where you can actually use the items after they've been stored there)

- Separate boiler room ( enclosed, fireproofed and everything ;)

- MY VERY OWN STUDIO!!!! Well, it's a corner with a big desk and shelves, but I prefer to call it my studio. ( currently I do everything at the kitchen island on my laptop)

- Big open area for kids to play!

- Exercise area with treadmill, weights, and stretching area.

 - Powder room

And all of this has to happen with a minimum budget. We will try to re-use a lot of things from our house, the rest is purchased though HomeDepot. Will post during, and after photos, so keep checking...

Meanwhile, it is still not too late to enter in my Calendar giveaway which will end this Thursday, Feb 3rd. :)) http://manylittlethingsmakemehappy.blogspot.com/2011/01/first-giveaway.html