Happy Heart Day :: Gifts for Under $35

:: Mini Heartlette Sparkler ::

The day for lavishing our extra-special loved one with gifts, thoughts, and treats is almost here. Today's finds are comprised of gifts under $35, as a matter of fact, most of them are under $10! Give a little something, or get a little something- it's up to you!

:: candy crane ::

  :: Pomegranate Rose Perfume Oil ::

:: Mini Custom Heart Sampler :: 

:: Raspberry Hand-Cut Gumdrops ::

Pre 1970's :: Movies We Love :: Part 3

Here it is! The third and final installment of this series. If you haven't already, be sure to check out parts one and two for more great classic movie picks. This segment is all about feel-good movies that make us smile or laugh out loud. 

How to Steal a Million (1966) :: heist picture starring Peter O'Toole & Audrey Hepburn :: In order to save her father from being arrested for producing counterfeit art, Nicole Bonnet enlists the help of a man she thinks is a thief to steal back a figurine her father loaned to an art museum. This movie is great fun, and full of Peter O'Toole's piercing blue eyes.

Bringing up Baby (1938) :: screwball comedy starring Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant :: This film is filled with ridiculous situations from the very beginning all the way to the end. When straight-laced paleontologist David Huxley loses his intercostal clavicle to the dog of a zany heiress, the search for recovery is complicated by the escape of her pet leopard. The winning combination of Hepburn and Grant is just too much fun to miss!

Singing in the Rain (1952) :: musical starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds :: With spectacular singing, dancing, and romancing, this movie is set in the film industry during the time that talking pictures were being introduced. Co-star Jean Hagen plays Lina, an airhead actress who has her eye on her leading man (played by Kelly), and she is hysterical in this role.

The Thin Man (1934) :: mystery picture starring William Powell & Myrna Loy :: William Powell and Myna Loy are a dream couple in this flick! As a former detective, and his wealthy wife, we just love watching them interact. A grand old who-done-it right until the end!

Hoop, Hoop, Hooray!

 Hand stitched double hare silhouettes in embroidery hoop ::$20::

I have a thing for decorative hoops. I think they're swell. And with so many gorgeous varieties on Etsy, well, I guess it's hard not to fall in love with them. Don't you agree? Below (and above) is just a small and eclectic sampling of my favorites.

 wing embroidery hoop wall art ::$27.90::

Fawn and Flower Wall Wear ::$90:: 

tea time, embroidered wall art ::$28:: 

  Olive You - Felt and Floss Embroidered Hoop Art ::$20::

Last Hurrah Hand Embroidery ::$30::

Pre 1970's :: Movies We Love :: Part 2

Following yesterday's list is a collection of movies that are largely "American," if you will. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" revolves around a young man chosen to fill a vacant senate chair because certain corrupted political parties believe he will be easy to control. This movie was not popular upon its release and was deemed unpatriotic. The other three movies revolve around WWII, or the aftermath. "The Guns of Navarone" and "The Great Escape" are both great man flicks! Just ask my husband.


Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) :: patriotic drama starring Jimmy Stewart ::  Frank Capra is the master of feel-good films, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. As in "It's a Wonderful Life," there are threads of tension that run throughout the movie, and Jimmy Stewart gets to showcase his perfected man tears.


The Guns of Navarone (1961) :: war caper starring David Niven, Gregory Peck & Anthony Quinn :: Gregory Peck may be dreamy, but he plays a no-nonsense British army captain sent on an impossible mission with a ragtag group of men assembled specifically for the task of destroying two strategically placed guns tucked away in a cave on the Mediterranean island of Navarone.


The Great Escape (1963) :: war movie starring James Garner & Steve McQueen :: This movie is based on the real-life story of a mass escape attempt made in one of Germany's WWII prisoner of war camps.

Notorious (1946) :: Hitchcock romantic thriller starring Cary Grant & Ingrid Bergman :: With the death of her disgraced father, Ingrid Bergman's character is recruited to infiltrate a post-WWII spy ring in Brazil. Agitation, suspense, and an intense ending make this a classic Hitchcock film.

Pre 1970's :: Movies We Love :: Part 1

I grew up with old movies. My love for them followed me into adulthood, and I'm very blessed to have a husband who has grown to love them as much as I do. As a matter of fact, that's all we watch. Call us old fashioned, but we love them. Since so many people aren't really into older films, I thought it might be fun to compile a list of our favorites and share them with you. I've tried to refrain from including the super-obvious classical choices, and instead share movies that are, to my mind at least, slightly less known. Today's list (part 1 of 3) is full of drama, suspense, and even a little bit of romance. Of course there are some laughs too, because who doesn't want to feel cheery from time to time? Or all the time for that matter.

Wait Until Dark (1967) :: thriller staring Audrey Hepburn & Alan Arkin :: Forget "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Audrey does an incredible job portraying a blind woman who's husband unknowingly brings home a doll containing drugs. The ensuing debacle in her home keeps me on the edge of my seat every time! Make sure to have a pillow handy because it will be needed during the final scene to absorb your screaming.


The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) :: western starring Jimmy Stewart & John Wayne :: Jimmy Stewart plays a new lawyer who finds himself entangled with a powerful criminal when his stage is held up in the Old West town of Shinbone . While he and Wayne's character differ in ideals, their concern for the territory ultimately unites them against a common enemy. 

Charade (1963) :: comedic thriller starring Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn :: Recently widowed, Mrs. Lampert finds herself pursued by her husband's deranged killers as they attempt to recover stolen money that they believe to be in her possession. Lots of character twists (and a killer soundtrack by Henry Mancini) make this a fun film!

The Quiet Man (1952) :: romance drama starring John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara :: Sean Thornton returns to his boyhood home in Ireland and finds himself irresistibly attracted to a fiery woman whose brother disapproves the match. The landscape in this film is lush and gorgeous, and we always love the combination of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara!

St. Valentine's Day Shop Update.

The shop is all stocked for Valentine's Day, and not a moment too soon since it's only a few short weeks away! Valentine's Day tends to get overlooked around my house since the hubbs and I share a birthday just the week before. Needless to say, I'm pretty proud of myself that I remembered to make a few lovelies for the shop! Hope you find something to love.

  

Little Miss Valentine

 

Sweetheart Headband

Sweet & Tart Wee Bow Clip

Valentine Bunting Clip

Pretty Horses.

Left: Growing Horse Print

Right: Two Horses Fine Art Photography Print

I think all little girls fall in love with horses at some point, and deer aren't usually too far behind. Isn't this print by Leah Duncan too cute? And what princess wouldn't love to have these two pretty horses watching over her while she sleeps?

Changes.

 

::Tiny Bunting Necklace:: 

You may have noticed some layout changes here on the blog. Both my husband and I are pretty new to the whole design and coding thing, so my website has been redesigned three times in the last five months. The latest design went live late last night, and while the blog still needs some tweaking I wanted to work on cleaning it up a bit. I'm so excited that the URL is now blog.ordinarymommydesign.com! Hooray! I know, it's totally the little things.

Taste Tested, Mommy Approved.

If you haven't tried Etsy's new taste test feature yet, you should. It's a fun way to explore and find new treasures! The above items are just a few of the delicious things (some of them old favorites) that were the result of my last taste test. Click here to view this treasury list in its entirety, and to explore each of these shop further!

Pinwheel Party Sandwich Recipe.

Did you know that the first of my sisters is due to have a wee one in March? I'm super excited although it makes me sad that she and her husband live a few hours away. Her baby shower was this past weekend and I put together some pinwheel sandwiches for the festivities! I also ate quite a few. They're so yummy! A favorite past-time of mine is creating my own recipes, and while I can't say what the cookbook instructs about these delightful little treats, I thought I'd share my own recipe with you.

The following recipe is great for parties, as it makes 80-90 pinwheels sandwiches. If you choose to use multiple types of lunch meat, I prefer not to mix them into the same sandwich as it can overpower the taste of the spreads.

You will need:

• 3.5 ounce bag sun-dried tomatoes

• extra virgin olive oil

• salt & pepper

• 12 ounces cream cheese

• 3-4 scallions (green onions)

• 12-14  tortillas (10")

• 2 pounds lunch meat

• romaine lettuce

Tomato Spread (can be done ahead)

Pulse the sun dried tomatoes in a blender with a good drizzle of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until no large chunks of the tomato remains. It won't be smooth, but should be even in appearance with very crumbly, small tomato pieces.

Cream Cheese Spread (can be made ahead)

Be sure to let the cream cheese soften just a little so that it will be easier to mix. Dice scallions and mix in well with the cream cheese. (Pretty easy, huh?)

Pinwheel Sandwiches 

To build sandwich, cover a tortilla with a thin later of cream cheese mixture. Then place slices of lunch meat (turkey is always a favorite) in a thin layer, leaving about 1" of cream cheese exposed at the far edge. (This cream cheese kind of glues the tortilla closed when rolled.) Place leaf lettuce across the center of the tortilla (from left to right, or right to left), and spread some of the tomato mixture along the lettuce. You are now ready to roll! Starting at the edge closest to you, roll away from yourself. Press firmly as you roll the far edge, making sure that the cream cheese seals the edge. Before you slice the actual sandwiches you'll have to cut away either end to prevent from getting two misshapen and half-empty sandwiches. I always put these scraps in a bowl to munch on: waste not, want not! Now cut the log into approximately 1" slices. You should get 6-7 pinwheels out of each tortilla.

Please enjoy! The sandwiches are best when served the same day they are made. You can also trim away the left and right edge of the tortilla before assembling instead of during the assembly process, but I like the little snack it provides when trimmed after the tortilla is filled and rolled. 

Happy Monday!

Goals for the Coming Year.

 ::calendars by 1canoe2::

Never, in all my life, have I sat down and actually written a list of New Year's resolutions for myself. This year however I thought it would do me some good to set a list of my goals down on paper so that I can watch throughout the year as they get crossed off. I love that feeling. So, here they are, my goals for 2011.

1. brainstorm creative ways to market to my target audience   

2. buy new eyeglasses (haven't been able to see well with mine for about 5 years now)

3. create lots of fun memories and new traditions with our little family

4. figure out awesome new packaging for my products

5. lean more on Jesus for contentment

6. paint our downstairs living space (really excited about this one!)

7. get more involved with blogging

8. figure out my mailing list

9. continue purging our storage spaces

10. work on being able to focus and exercise better time management

What resolutions or goals have you set for yourself this year?

Happy Owls.

If you've been around the shop during the last few days you've probably noticed a new line I introduced at the beginning of the week. In the past it has made me sad that my owl ornaments were seasonal, and I wanted to find a way to keep those sweet owls near me all year long. The idea to add feet and make them figurines had planted itself in my head some time ago; I let it fester in there, turning it over and over, and weeding out potential flaws. I drew some sketches. I thought some more. Finally I was sure that I was ready to give it a go. The end result is something that I am proud of and really, really love. I hope you do to!

1. Little Miss Cheery

2. Mister Stormy 

3. Mister Ordinary

4. Little Miss Valentine

Creative Solutions for Organzied Bookshelves.

 :: Lino Block Printed Fabric Bookend ::

Living in a small house, it seems to become necessary to rearrange some part of our living space yearly. Especially considering that when we bought our house we only had one child, and now we are blessed with three. It is definitely a challenge, and I try to approach it with an open mind to see if I can come up with any creative solutions.

We recently found ourselves in need of a matching bookshelf for the one already in the nursery. Considering the fact that in the summer the nursery will need to be converted into our son's room, we thought it would be foolish to put another shelf in there as it will need to be moved in a few short months. After much thought it was determined that the only other place in the house that would accommodate two bookshelves was the living room. This required downsizing to a smaller speaker system (which I was more than happy to do- the old system had two big speakers), and disposing of a older sound system that was no longer working properly.

My biggest fear was (and still remains) being able to keep the shelves clear of clutter, and the toys and books arranged in a somewhat pleasing manner. About six of these cloth boxes by ClosetMaid are helping us to conceal toys, games, and puzzles, and I gathered a couple of other odds and ends from around the house to hold smaller items. I also put some Kraft paper to use by wrapping an old shoe box to store some of our school supplies.

I'm still brainstorming ways to make our shelving units more attractive and functional. I would love to hear your awesome space saving and organizational solutions!

Year End Donation for 2010.

 WorldVisionGifts.org 

Yesterday I was pleased as punch to make my end of year donation to WorldVisionGifts.Org! Thanks to my lovely customers I was able to purchase two sheep, a goat, ten ducks, four chickens, one rabbit, and ten fruit trees for needy families in underdeveloped countries. All for just under $500.  Better yet? World Vision accepts payments through Paypal. What could be easier? Next year, when you are trying to figure out what to get that hard-to-shop-for person on your list, purchase a gift in their name and they'll receive a personalized card with information about your donation.

Happy New Year!