Ok... I really... really... really want to go....

You know, the more I sit here and sew... the more I realize I really want to go to the BCS Championship game in Miami. I didn't really feel this way about the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago because it was out in Arizona... but this is in Miami.

Seriously, how many times will I have the opportunity to go see MY TEAM play in the Championship game mere hours away from where I live? No travel expenses, only one night at a hotel... Overall expenses not so bad... but those tickets!?!

ACK!

So, here it is... I have only one month to find the money so I can make it to the game. $1,000 for tickets for my husband and I. While we can do it, that money just doesn't fit into our budget and I'm not willing to break the budget in this economy... SO, instead of budget busting...

I'm going to reduce all of our prices on Art Fire and Etsy by anywhere from 25% to 75% (on NON-CUSTOM ITEMS to clear our inventory). It's a huge fire sale with the money dedicated to getting me to the BCS Championship game on January 8th! Buy Christmas gifts, shower gifts or "welcome home" gifts for your friends, neighbors and family members and help a Gator fan out!!!

PS: I will still be donating 5% of every sale to the Second Harvest Food Bank AND I'll still be doing the "Spend $5, donate a can of food" deal to help the hungry in Central Florida... So you'll be helping my community out as well!

Go to my shop: http://madebymoms.etsy.com or http://madebymoms.artfire.com

For the specials and deals!

Jen

We're busy as bees!

Man, the end of November and start of December have been crazy busy in the Jen Household portion of Made By Moms! My son turned three at the end of November, we had Thanksgiving, we took my son ice skating for the first time, the Gators played in the SEC championship and we went to Disney.

Wow. And I still haven't filled out my silly Christmas cards. *sigh*

Anyway, let's start with the ice skating! Holy funkiness, that was fun! It was his first time skating and, I must say for myself, he did a great job! For someone who learned how to walk a little over two years ago, it only took him an hour and a half to be able to propel himself forward (hanging on to the wall only a little bit!). His father isn't capable of much more than that (just kidding, hunny). He was so excited about it, he still won't stop asking when we're going back. What a great way to spend time with your loved ones during the holidays.

Then, there's Disney! We went over the weekend to celebrate my son's third birthday. We went to the Spectacle of Lights at MGM (now Hollywood Studios) and the Magic Kingdom over the course of the three days and had a blast. Perhaps the only disappointing part of the vacation was eating at the Brown Derby (in MGM)... it just wasn't what we expected -- the service was negligent and the food was abysmal... such an odd thing for me to say, as Disney often offers the finest dining in the Orlando area. I might write a true review in a bit, but let me briefly state how disappointed I was!!! I won't dwell on the negatives, though, because the Spectacle of Lights was AMAZING!! I swear, every year I see it, it gets better. The lights dance to music and this year they offered 3-D glasses to annual passholders for free, which were pretty neat.

We went to the ESPN Zone on Saturday to watch the Gator/Tide game, sat around, drank beer and watched football... you can't ask for more than that considering the GATORS WON!! WOO HOO!!! I can't wait for the Gators to meet the Sooners (sorry, Bob Stoops, love ya... always wished you well, but not against my Gators) in January!!! It'll be an awesome game.

Anyway, that's about it... I just set up shop on Art Fire:

http://madebymoms.artfire.com

And I have a MyCraft Site:

http://www.mycraft.com/madebymoms

The MyCraft site has another blog where I'll post favorite recipes and reviews of toys, etc. Plus... keep tuned for our newest line... the Jolly Rogers!!!

Jen

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, before I head off to bed to get some semblance of sleep before a busy day tomorrow... I wanted to pop in and write for a bit...

First, I'm really upset at myself. I've been baking cheesecakes for almost seven years (mostly at holidays and special events) and this has been the first time I really, royally messed up. I've had the occasional cracked cheesecake top (mostly at the beginning, or when I leave it in a minute or two too long), but I've never ruined a whole cheesecake. Well, tonight I did.

How, you ask? I will, occasionally, bake my cheesecakes in a water bath. It helps to cook the cheesecake evenly, will aid in preventing cracked tops, and leaves a moister cheesecake than traditional baking. HOWEVER, since you usually bake cheesecakes in a springform pan you need to wrap the cheesecake tightly. Tonight, apparently, I did not (I think I might have torn the aluminum foil). Water seeped into my pan and sogged up the crust and the cheesecake. Boooooo!!!!!!!!! An entire rum cheesecake gone. :( :( :(

Second, I just wanted to talk about thinks I am thankful for... Namely, my husband and son. I met my husband seven and a half years ago, we were engaged approximately six months after we met and got married about eight months after that. He is, truthfully, my soul mate. I couldn't ask for a better best friend, partner and mate. He is loving, caring, intelligent, funny, geeky, helpful and a great husband and father. I'm also thankful for my little boy, who lights up my days and nights and fills them with so much love that sometimes I think I'm going to explode.

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by the best friends and family a person could hope for. I'm not the most outgoing person and I tend to only have a few really good friends at a time, but the ones I have... well, I wouldn't trade them for all the money in the world. Thank you Heidi, Betsy, Phil and Lisa. You four are my best friends and my life would be less without you.

Well, that's about all I have... On a more business-y note, I'm starting to create a line of Jolly Roger Shirts for infants and toddlers -- trust me when I say these pieces of clothing are going to be fantastically unique, fun and quirky. I can't wait to get you all some scans!

Take care, everyone, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Jen

Sales and free shipping and new products, OH MY!

Alrighty folks, I'm starting to get into the holiday spirit and it's going to benefit all of you!!! :)

Right now we've got a bunch of great promotions going on in our Etsy store (and only our Etsy store!)... We're offering:

*FREE US SHIPPING (and discounted international shipping) on every order until Monday, December 1st

*FREE goodie bag with every purchase

*Free gift wrapping on orders over $25

**PLUS**

We just listed four new gift sets -- with items ranging from blankets to bib, burp cloths to onesies -- and they're ALL on sale until the end of December. All of our gift sets (regardless of cost) come gift wrapped, in a box, and I'll even fill out a little tag for you! Seriously, these are amazing deals when you factor in the free shipping!

But you have to hurry! The free shipping is going to end on Monday!!!

Take care,

Jen

PS: Here are the links for the new gift sets:

Here they are:

Pretty in Pink: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17798678

Red and Green Ladybug: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17800199

Retro Rocket: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17801025

Almond, Orange and Brown Aviary: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17801501

Adding more and more items...

This is just a quick blog shout out to let you all know that I'm still adding items! The most recent add has been Ralphie -- the lesser-known red-nosed reindeer. He's a custom-designed felt reindeer, hand-painted and hand-appliqued on to a white onesie. He's awesome!

Go check him out:

Ralphie the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Oh, yes, more updates tonight!!!!

Jen

Yay, I'm back!

Ok, total craziness in the Made By Moms' households recently! I'm proud to say that Heidi recently introduced her second little girl to the world, so I'm a little short-handed right now...

Needless to say, that's not keeping me away from my sewing machine... or Etsy. I've been adding things like CRAZY to our Etsy shop including our:

Aviary Blanket
Butterfly Snuggle Blanket
Elephant Snuggle Blanket
Rainbow Quilt
Red Satin and Cream Minky Blanket
Shannon the Owl Gift Set

We're also having a HUGE Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale right now! Shop our store from now until December 1st and receive FREE US SHIPPING and free goodies with every purchase. International buyers can still get in on the fun -- you'll receive the exact dollar amount discount of US shipping off your shipping costs. In addition, spend more than $25 and you'll receive free gift wrapping upon request. Not only will you be getting a great deal, you'll already have the wrapping job done!!

I also wanted to pop in and tell you guys about some wonderful people and shops that I met this past weekend. First and foremost is Red Marionette, who (in addition to being a wonderful and fun person) makes the cutest little animals you've ever seen. I wish I could have bought everything there! Then we have Raven's Repose Soaps whose soaps are brilliant (trust me), Surpreyes whose craftsmanship and attention to detail blew my mind, Rixie Pixie who specializes in recycled decor, and TheOphany whose artwork is amazing. Seriously, check out their shops on Etsy.

I am hoping to get some time this weekend to review purchases I've made recently over Etsy and during the craft event we attended together, so definitely check back soon if you're looking for great Christmas ideas!

Take care and happy shopping,

Jen

R,I.P Tyson Peace

I don't usually discuss sad things, but today I feel like I need to do a bit of writing to let my sadness go. A few days ago I discovered that a good friend in high school passed away (Facebook is good for some things, not just wasting time). I had kept in contact with Tyson up until I went away to college, but I really hadn't spoken to him for a while. He was a nice guy, though, with a beautiful family.

I just thought that since I can't go to the funeral today that I'd send some memories out into the blogosphere as a dedication to my old friend...

*Remember when we went to the 3rd Halloween Horror Nights at Universal? I was a freshman that year... we partied at the huge McDonalds by Universal... ate candy until we were wired and were some of the first people at the gates when they opened them.

Remember running with the hoard of people towards a haunted house -- the People Under the Stairs? Remember Darryl tripping and falling end over end in an almost comical way before jumping back up and continuing to run?

Remember when Universal still had the cool Bates Motel and Psycho house that they'd use as a haunted house? Remember a pneumatic "Mother" jumping out at you and scaring you so badly that you reached out, stole the wig and took off running? Hysterical. Freaking hysterical. Seriously.

Remember when, completely bored from waiting in line 40 minutes, you stomped on a ketchup packet and it exploded all over everyone? Remember going to Dennys at like 2 am when it closed and stuffing ourselves silly? I still remember HHN 3 as one of the best nights ever -- it was a night full of fun and abandon, doing dangerous stunts (like passing candy between cars speeding down I-4 at 5 pm in the afternoon) because we were young and stupid but never crossing the line.

*Remember my birthday party where you helped my dad with our ac? Seriously, I couldn't even tell you what an air handler WAS at the age of 14.

*Remember going to midnight mass on December 24th/25th one year so we could see the church dressed up in Christmas decor, with hundreds of candles and listen to it in Latin? Do you remember driving back on Alafaya Trail when there was literally *nothing* between Mitchell Hammock and my community (Stillwater) but Publix and a gas station? Do you remember your transmission going?

In the age before cell phones, do you remember having to walk to that *one* gas station with no lights and very little traffic? Do you remember me freaking out completely because I was worried my parents would ground me for being home later than I told them I would be?

*Do you remember playing Nintendo's Street Fighter for hours on end?

Well, Tyson, I remember them.

Rest in Peace, Tyson Peace.

Jen