Happy Thanksgiving to you and you and you


Have a happy and safe holiday weekend everyone. Thank you so much for sharing your friendship with me. You are all treasures in my book!

Chelsea Ann

Keepsake Cakes


I am finally staring to reveal the new items I have been working on for the much anticipated Lollishops. I have been working diligently in my basement to create new cakes as well as well as some other items I am very excited about but will reveal in the weeks to come!


I purchased an industrial clamp light to that I could get better pictures of the cakes. They can be a little tricky to photograph. They tend to turn into a fuzzy glowing form and I loose all the detail and color. I also took pictures of the cakes open this time to show how they work at jewelry boxes. I am very happy with ow this little photo-shoot turned out!



I started to collect vintage figures for my cakes but sadly some of them were just too large.
So I came up with the one layer cake to really showcase these sweet vintage cuties. 




This cake called Bunny Foo Foo is my favorite!


But don't fret, I'm still making the original two tiered boxes.



I will have two shops at Lollishops!

Keepsake Cakes
Were you will find all of my original work based  on the concept of confectionary sweets


ittybittybirdy
Were you will find hand picked vintage baby and children's items.



I will show you some of the items you will find in my ittybittybirdy shop a little bit later!

My Childish Obsession With Vintage


When I was a young girl I begged my mother to take me to yard sales or thrift stores. Unfortunately for me that was not my mothers idea of fun.
 I loved the idea of others peoples "treasures" from a very young age. I'm not sure if it's more the nostalgic romance of vintage or the hunt. I loved going to my grandmothers and digging through drawers or closets. As I grew up the urge to bargain shop seemed to get stronger.
Whenever I feel a little jingle at the bottom of my pocket I hop into my car and start another hunt. Each time I walk into a store I get butterflies at the idea of finding that one can't live without  treasure. The only problem is that I tend to find enough to fill one or two bags full each time! I need help!  But they say you can't change until you really want to. And do I? Oh, the very thought makes my chest tighten. I must figure out something, my house will be full to the brim if I continue at this rate! This is hard for me to talk about, but I feel better- I am sure some of my other fellow thrifters must understand... maybe have a tip or two? 

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Santa's Village



I found this amazing website and was so excited. I started to plan my next vacation. I was going to go visit my brother and sister, see the Red Wood Forest and stop by and see Santa at one of his Villages in California. BUT sadly I found out that Santa had closed these magical places years ago. I am quite devastated; who among us would not want to go to Santa's Village? OH the sad sad agony! 


At some point these magical places had really been a family favorite event. The Villages turned into parks with rides and other magical places to explore. Even the Easter Bunny had a vacation home there!



There were places to shop, beloved characters to meet and rides to loose your lunch on!
Where did the magic go!?


A Happy Home




“Home is an invention on which no one has yet improved.”
~Ann Douglas

I wanted to make a post to inspire us all to fill our homes with love and sunshine.
Home is to me the best place in the world. It is my personal canvas to which I get to create the world that is the perfect representation of who I am. And unfortunately that means I'm not too clean and a bit of a pack rat- but I'm also whimsical and some have said my home reminds them of their grandmothers- and I take that as a compliment!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Lucy Lemon Squares




This is my dads very favorite treat... I make it for him for fathers day because he is one of those people who is impossible to buy for. I couldn't find me recipe card so I popped online and 
wha-la there it was... kind of everywhere. I guess this tasty treat isn't much of a secret.
But if it is a secret to you- You must give it a try... it is so easy, and a real crowd pleaser.
Enjoy!

New in the Shop



New Items in the shop!
Some 1980s doll parts
&...


more doll parts...


&...



Share Bear Keepsake Cake with 1985 Lunch Box Set!

Whatever the Shade...


I HEART 
PINK!



I've shown pink mosaics before- but I was especially in need of one this week.
Between finding out that the yarn I use for my cakes has been discontinued, to the 2nd dryer this year to die, to hubby off to Idaho for a funeral- oh and Jim's company also having layoffs!
This girl needs a break-I want to scream! I want to cry... I almost want to giggle.

“Almost all words do have color and nothing
 is more pleasant than to utter a pink word 
and see someone's eyes light up
 and know it is a pink word for him or her too”
-Gladys Taber

Let me know if you have any pink words... I could use a pocket full of them!

A New Hat Changes Everything- well at least your attitude!!


 
I was taking a break to read a new book



When who should happen to come along...



A stubborn baby basset hound! As pesky as you are, I love you miller!

Hehe... I almost forgot to mention. Everyone should have there own personally gnome hat!
Just try to be grumpy when your sporting a pointy hat- it is simply impossible!
Mine is made by my friend Valerie who is super duper talented 
and extremely clever when it comes to making fun things to wear! 
I am so in love with my hat that I am purchasing another for someone special for Christmas! 
I hope you are all trying to buy homemade this holiday season. So Fare I have purchased 5 homemade gifts! It really is fun to search out the very most perfect gifts and know your supporting your fellow crafter/artist! + what you spend on shipping you save on gas... and you can shop in your pj's!

CandyLand Treasury



I was featured in an Etsy treasury made by no other than Miss Sadie Lou Who- the wonderful, and lovely founder of the Lolli Shops! :) Just thought I would share- because this made my day!
P.S. The Keepsake Cake featured is on sale!

Paper Cakes


Today, Chelsea of Paper Cakes opened up her very own Etsy Shop! Yeah!
But as we all know it can be a little tuff to promote- so when I read that she was asking her fellow bloggers to help out- I got right to work & I think you will all agree Chelsea's work is quite adorable! Visit her blog or check out her flickr to see more of this girls mad crafting skills... she truly inspires me and I am sure she will you too!


Wish I could have gotten this one earlier... Tomorrow is me and my hubbies 5th year anniversary of being together (not married) ! How time flies... before I know it- it will be 5 years married!

A Little Bit of Help Please...



My hubby and I were talking about the future of my little cake business over some pie.
Lolli Shops opens soon and also another shop which I am going to be featured in but will catch you all on at a later time. Any-who... we decide it would be best if I took a little jog from 
ittybittybirdy. So I decided I am going to have two shops. ittybittybirdy will be for baby vintage items and Keepsake Cakes for my Keepsake Cakes of coarse! So I have been working all day to make a new "identity" so to speak... but still be related to my ittybittybirdy persona. 
Unfortunately I don't have that much knowledge with graphic design and the software... so instead of working with an idea in my mind I just let it happen... that way not to get too upset when I can't get the computer to do what I want. I'm pretty happy with the end results but now I need your help! Please!







What one do you like? I'm having the hardest time deciding what size the font should be?
Unfortunately, I'm not able to show them true to size but they are a little better to view on my  Flickr page.

Thanks for your help... :)

My Halloween Costume


Ol' Halloween was a bit of a stressful day for me this year... 
But looking on the bright side of things-
we had trick or treaters!


My witch costume turned out pretty good! All I had to buy was the hat, scary as this seems to me, all the rest of the pieces came from my very own closet. Jared (my roommates son) looked absolutely adorable in the frog costume! Hope you all had the very best Halloween! Now on to Thanksgiving and from there a hop skip and a jump to CHRISTMAS!