In the New Year...

So many exciting things are coming up in the New Year,

I could just about burst!

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Here's just a peek.....a new blog design from Fabulous K (eek!!)



this will soon be transformed into my new craft room (eek again!)



plus about a million ideas in my head that I can't wait to bring to the shop!
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See you in 2011!!

Jalapeno Dip

Looking for something to bring to a New Year's party?

I've got you covered.
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Someone brought this jalapeno dip to our first Christmas party of the year and it was a huge hit. We've now made this for two other parties that we attended, and plan to bring it to our friend's house on New Year's too.
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It's easy peasy, here are the only ingredients you need :2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 - 4 oz can chopped green chilies (drained)
1 - 2 oz can diced jalapeno peppers (drained)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheeseStir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and top with Parmesan cheese. Microwave on high until hot, about 3 minutes. Serve with chips, crackers, or toasted French baguette slices.
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Enjoy!

Receiving Handmade

(alternate title for this post : MY HUSBAND ROCKS!)

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In addition to giving handmade this holiday season, I was lucky enough to receive some handmade items as well!
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Let me tell you something about my husband : he.spoils.me.
Here's what I mean...

Vintage Typewriter Key Pendant from
Gwen Delicious Jewelry on EtsyJewelry Box from Design Hut on Etsymatching aprons for Claire & I from Lucky Ducky DesignsTWO custom pieces from Red Letter Words
(this is hilarious seeing as I sat next to and chatted with Dee of Red Letter Words at a Panera on December 23 for over two hours!)for my craft roomwe're not sure yet where we're going to hang this one. It's currently on a shelf above our washer and dryer in our laundry room. When I expressed to Eric that it may never be seen there, he kindly reminded me of the amount of time I spend in front of the washer and dryer, so certainly it will be seen plenty!
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He did good, huh?
And...it gets better.
I'm aware this isn't handmade, but look what he did...can't read that? Look closer.
It's an iPad with my name and shop on the back, ahh!yup. I'm spoiled.
(and I'm really okay with it!)

Giving Handmade

I really enjoyed giving handmade gifts this year. Being a seller of handmade items, I truly believe in supporting others doing the same.

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Here's a few items I gave this Christmas...journal from Anthropologie topped with a petal pusher
from Pleated Poppy for a dear friend(I used the petal pusher as the gift bow, so fun!)slate cheese plate from Crate & Barrel with tea towel
from Art Goodies for my mother-in-lawsix throw pillows for my mom. I used a Waverly print she's been eying forever for three of them and another coordinating Waverly fabric for the other threeprint from Creative Thursday named "We All Flock to Ruby"
...for my niece Ruby!A custom pet portrait of our dog Lyra from Funamals for Eric where the very talented Amy took this picture and turned it into this...teacher gifts of dish towels from appetite home
plus letterpress coasters from Paper Stories
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What did you give handmade this year?!?

Gussy + Twitter

Here's a picture from our Gussy meet-up in Grand Rapids, so fun!!
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pictured starting on the left:
Molly of i dance
Maggie of Gussy
Dee of Red Letter Words
ME!
Mumma Gus & Friends
Jill of The Diaper Diaries
Andrea of Simple Organized Living
Jolon of Savvy Chic Savings
not pictured:
Mary of Island Girl Bags
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We chatted for two and a half hours and probably could have kept going had Panera not been closing. The girls all made it their mission to get me on Twitter before the end of the night and I gave in, so I'm here to tell you that Cora Anne now tweets!

You can find me on Twitter at coraannedesigns
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Such a fun night, thanks Gussy for coordinating it,
I hope we can do it again!!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!

(Christmas Edition)
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1. Having Eric home for an entire week!!
(Claire was very thankful for this too!)
2. Watching Eric and Claire out sledding and having a blast.
3. How Eric got up with Claire every day this week so I could stay in bed past 7 (gasp!)
4. Extra church services during the week of Christmas.
5. Listening to my little girl belting out "Angels We Have Heard on High"
6. A husband who puts so much thought into gifts.
(I'll fill you in later this week!)
7. Time spent with extended family.
8. Spending Christmas day at home, just the three of us.
9. Playing board games with Eric and Claire.
10. A laid back week ahead!
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What are you most thankful for today?

Merry Christmas!

Gussy in GR!

Gussy....in Grand Rapids....Merry Christmas to us!
I'll be there and think you should too!

Zippered Pouches as Gifts

Zippered pouches turned out to be quite a hit as gifts this holiday season. I've had so much fun making them as the orders came in, but even more fun finding out who they were going to be given to. Here's a few examples!

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I posted about these back in November,

eight zippered pouches for day care providers:These were given as gifts to co-workers:There were also two that were bought as gifts for a mother-in-law and a sister-in-law but I missed getting pictures of them. (oops!)
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And here's one that I made as a thank you to our former babysitter:complete with a pocket tissue holder and a Macy's gift card:

JOY Treasury

Thanks Ironside for including my gift tags!

Fresh Start Sunday

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
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Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Favorite Things : Day 15

Day 15 : MaeI've tried to embrace the whole vinyl-wall decal craze but just have not come across anything yet that I really wanted to put on my own walls. That all changed when I found Mae. Mae creates the most soft and whimsical wall decals made of fabric. We're currently working on a cubby-sized play area for Claire and I can guarantee you there will be some decals by Mae on the walls.
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Here are a few of my favorites :

And the Mae blog is equally gorgeous to look at too!

Brownies in a Jar

For Christmas for my MOPS girls this year, I made Christmas Brownie Jars. Each jar is filled with the dry ingredients necessary to make brownies and includes the instructions for finishing the recipe.I find the smooth-sided jars at Hobby Lobby.
When on sale, they can be picked up for about $1.50 each.
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To assemble, pour the following ingredients into the jar,
in this order:
(each ingredient may need to be pressed down to make sure there's enough room)

2 1/4 cups white sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

I printed the instructions on to large mailing labels and then cut them down to the size I needed. The instructions are as follows:

Pour all dry ingredients into a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add 3/4 cup margarine or butter and 4 slightly beaten eggs. Mix until blended. Spread batter into slightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely prior to cutting.
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These are great as hostess gifts, gifts for neighbors or secret Santa gifts.

Helpful hint : make a couple extra jars to have on hand for when you need a gift in a hurry!

Favorite Things : Day 14

Day 14 : Uncommon

This is a shop that I discovered while down at Renegade in Chicago. I fell in love with both their display and their products. I also love that it's a husband and wife team working together.
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Here's a few of my favorite items:

Favorite Things : Day 13

Day 13 : Vintage Dutch GirlI have to admit, it was the shop name that first drew me here.
Vintage...check!
Dutch...check!
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I'm a total scarf girl, but I've yet to try an infinity scarf. I love how they can serve such a practical purpose, yet also add so much to an outfit.
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Here's a few of my favorites: