Summer Lovin'

I'm drooling over this new etsy shop that I stumbled upon today. Tortilla Girl is feminine, breezy, summery and absolutely lovely. I'll let you drool with me...

Chaumont Sleeveless Linen Dress

Impressionist Ink Linen Skirt

Soft French Lace Bag


Promenade Dress

Christmas in July Sale - 20% Off Everything

Merry Christmas in July! I love Christmas in July, not only because it is just another excuse to shop (like I need an excuse) but also because it is a great chance to start shopping the sales in preparation for the holidays. I'm excited to announce that Designs by Vanessa is participating in its first ever Christmas July sale! Type "ChristmasJuly" in the message to seller box at checkout on Etsy, wait for the revised paypal invoice before paying and you will receive 20% off your purchase. This offer expires 7/31. Looking for more Christmas in July sales? Check out all of the Etsy Blogger sales HERE.

Yummy Low-Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches

If I had to eat the same thing for the rest of my life, I would hands down pick ice cream! Unfortunately, because I know exactly how many extra hours I would have to spend on the dreaded elliptical, I try to stay away from it. I recently discovered a new low-fat way to make your own yummy ice cream sandwiches. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients
Fat-Free Cool Whip
Low-Fat Graham Crackers

Directions
1. Spread 2 tbsp Cool Whip on a graham cracker square and top with another graham cracker square to make a "sandwich". You can make as many as you want.
2. Wrap individually in wax paper or foil, place into ziploc freezer and freeze.
3. Grab out of freezer and enjoy your yummy dessert!

For the ultra fat-free ice cream sandwich, check out this adorable felt creation by BeckyM:

Summer Loves

My Summer Loves:

the smell of sunscreen
reading a good book by the pool
outdoor concerts
pedicures
girly sundresses
flip flops
my birthday in July
summer vacations
gelato
strappy sandals
fireworks
outdoor photography
walking around barefoot
margaritas
travel
watermelon
cherries
not having to wear a coat
picnics
sunglasses
summer nights
trips to the zoo
weekend trips
swimming

What are your summer loves?

The Dolly Dress by 3ampoems

White Strapless Bubble Dress by larimeloom

White As Snow Dress by sarahseven

Birthday Proposal

Time for an Etsy Blogger Blog Carnival (say that 5 times fast) and the topic is to blog about a favorite birthday memory. Hands down my favorite birthday memory is from just 3 years ago…

Hubby made dinner reservations at one of my fave downtown Austin restaurants and when we walked outside the restaurant there was a horse drawn carriage waiting for us. Hubby is actually a pretty romantic guy (yes I used “romantic” and “guy” in the same sentence…there is hope) so I just thought this was part of my birthday surprise. As we were trotting along and the sun was setting, Hubby asked me to be part of his family (how cute is that). I think my first response was “are you serious?” and then he pulled out the ring and I knew he was talking business!

I feel a little bad for future birthdays because how in the world can they compete with a proposal?! This so would have been my cake topper if I had seen it while I was planning...

Love Birds Cake Topper by Middleburg

If the Shoe Fits...

This month’s Etsy Blogger Carnival asks us to blog about our favorite fairytale and parallels to real life. Hands down my favorite fairytale is Cinderella. She’s fashionable, has a shoe fetish, awesome friends and marries a prince. What’s not to love?!

As for any parallels to my own life, I'm not so sure...

As awesome as my best friends are, they are not mice.

I wasn't raised by an evil step mother.

A Fairy Godmother never gave me fabulous clothes.

Turning into a pumpkin or not, I would never leave my favorite shoe behind.

Cinderella Vinyl Wall Art by HouseHoldWords

Go Green

With Earth Day quickly approaching on April 22nd, I am inspired for Designs by Vanessa to go green! I vow to phase my packaging material from bubble mailers to earth friendly recycled padded envelopes. In searching online for eco-friendly mailers, I found Dolphin Blue. Their packages and labels are made using only post-consumer recycled materials and are printed using only soy and vegetable-based inks. I also love that they donate a portion of their profits to environmental non-profits.

How will you be going green?

Check out these GREEN earth-friendly items I found on Etsy:

Reusable Coffee Cozy by Bagel Creations

Recycled Coin Purse by Thinking Mama

You can find more eco-friendly advice and ideas on the Eco Etsy Street Team Blog:

Happy National Craft Month!

The Craft & Hobby Association has declared March as the National Craft Month. They are challenging us crafters and non-crafters to take the Craft Night Pledge of crafting one night a week with your friends and family. By participating in just one craft per week, there are many therapeutic benefits to be gained including reducing stress and promoting self-care through relaxation.

The "Craft Night Pledge" is easy, beneficial and affordable:

• Saving Cash: A family of four can save more than $150 a month by having a Craft Night at home instead of going to the movies or out for dinner.
• Interaction with Children: Parents can help their school-going kids keep up with the latest fashions with a DIY craft night at home. Personalizing lunch boxes, t-shirts, jeans, headbands and more.
• Couples Crafting: Spend more time together painting photo boxes, personalizing throw pillows, or making affordable gifts for family and friends.
• Memory and Relaxation: Young professionals can unwind and bond with friends while creating customized jewelry or scrapbooks with pooled materials - saving cash and improving focus and memory.

I'm taking the Craft Night Pledge, are you? Don't forget to upload your creations to Flickr and tag your items with "Craft Night" so others can marvel at your crafts.

Craft Therapy

I’ve recently been asked what made me open up my shop and besides the obvious answer, that my designs are too fabulous not to share with the world and they will soon make me a millionaire, my shop has been a great stress reliever and much needed creative outlet. As I’ve written in my blog before, I work in the child welfare field and have recently started a new adventure as a family counselor. After a stressful day I love being able to lock myself up my studio for a couple hours and create something. Besides being amazingly therapeutic, I can also support my sometimes expensive craft habit with what I make from my shop (something my hubby appreciates!).

Valentine's Day

I've had my share of crappy Valentine's Days but any holiday that celebrates love with pink hearts can't be all that bad, right? I must say that since meeting my hubby, Valentine's Day has quickly become one of my favorite holidays. I now have another excuse to buy a cute outfit and shoes (as if I needed an excuse). My husband's b-day is the day before Valentine's Day and he always manages to plan something romantic for us. This year we'll be in Seattle for a quick weekend trip. The hubs has already made reservations at a romantic little Italian restaurant for V-day (what a good man!) but I'm clueless as to what I should plan for his b-day...any Seattleites out there?

What are your V-day plans?

V-day roses my hubby got me last year...

Don't forget to enter the Valentine's Day Giveaway that I'm hosting!

Designs by Vanessa: New Year's Resolutions

1. Reinvent: Part of this is creating a new line of jewelry/papergoods but also photographing my items in a different way. Check out my new designs and images in my etsy shop and let me know what you think.

2. Blog: My goal is to blog at least 4-5 times a week.

3. Create: I hope to add a new item in my shop at least weekly...hopefully more often. So far, so good. I just added these pink birdie tags today:


My personal resolution's are always the same: Eat Healthy, Workout...blah, blah, blah ;-)

What are your goals for 2009?

Mmmmm Cookies!

Traditionally my mom and I bake lots of yummy cookies every year around Christmas time. This year is the first year that I'm not traveling home for the holidays because not only does my hubby have to work but this is also our first Christmas in our new home so our families are coming to us. I couldn't let our cookie tradition die so I spent the morning baking. I made yummy oatmeal raisin cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, chocolate chunk cookies & caramel turtle cookies. Ok I feel like I need to hit the gym after typing all of that lol! Don't worry, I'm giving most of my cookies out as gifts this year.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
7 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Beat butter and shortening until soft and creamy. Gradually add the sugars and beat well.
Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
Combine flour, soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture beating well after each addition. Stir in chips and nuts.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until done. Remove to wire racks to cool.

My job as an adoption recruiter...

Time for another blog carnival post! The topic for this week is to blog about your work outside of etsy.

I’m an adoption recruiter, which basically means I help find families for hard to place children in the foster care system. My job is so much more than a job to me- it is my passion. Yes, it can get stressful and the concept of not bringing my work home with me is foreign to me but I love it. Whenever I tell people about what I do their first reaction is usually “Wow you must see and hear about some pretty horrible stuff! I don’t know how I could do that job”. Yes, I do hear and see some pretty horrible stuff that no child should ever have to experience but more than that I have the privilege of working with the most amazing and resilient children!

I think the majority of people have a skewed idea of what a “foster child” is. A recent study by the Dave Thomas Foundation showed that the majority of people erroneously believe children enter the foster care system due to juvenile delinquency. False, False, False! Children enter the foster care system through no fault of their own and because they were victims of abuse or neglect. Let me tell you a little bit about what a “foster child” is from my 6 years of experience. A “foster child” is simply a child who wants to be loved and wanted. I currently work with mainly teenagers and it is difficult to watch them lose hope and to hear them say that no one wants them. Another common comment I get is “Teenagers need families?” Yes, teenagers need and desire forever families. Think about how many times you have called your parents from the time you turned 18 until now. I’m 26 and I still very much need my parents.

The children that I have worked with have completely changed my perspective on life and have made me a better person. One of the kiddos I work with recently with made me a “Best Caseworker Certificate” and that paper covered in crayon is more valuable to me than any diploma hanging on my wall.

You can contact The Dave Thomas Foundation for more information on the adoption process. You can also browse some amazing portraits of just a handful of children in the Central Texas area waiting for forever families in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas (click on "portraits").

I'll leave you with a music video about adoption by country singer Wayne Warner in collaboration with the Dave Thomas Foundation and The Heart Gallery. Break out the tissue!

Now you know my need for a creative outlet ;-)

Purple, Purple & More Purple!

The blog carnival topic for this month is to "pick your favorite color and show it in your work"...that's easy for me!

My favorite color is purple, some may call it an obsession. Growing up I had a purple room, literally my walls were painted lavender. In college, my microwave and television were purple and now that I'm married I've managed to slide in a few purple vases and throw pillows into our living room. :-) So, naturally I use a lot of purple in my designs. Here are just a few of my purple designs that can be found in my shop:

Click on the pics for more info.

The significance of a backpack...

I’m an adoption recruiter in the Central Texas area and I have the privilege of working with several children who are waiting for a forever family. We had our annual backpack drive for children in the foster care system today. Something so small as being able to pick out a brand new backpack is not something that these children take for granted. A teen boy who was with his adoptive family came by the backpack drive today to donate a brand new backpack. He told us that when he was in the foster care system that he was given a pink hand-me-down backpack to take to school and he had to color it black with a marker so that he wouldn’t be made fun of. I loved that this child felt that it was so important to come by and donate the backpack he never had. We will be letting children come and pick out their own backpack next weekend at a back to school party. I can’t wait!

One of the kiddos I’m working with really wants a lime green backpack with stars on it so I’m on the lookout for that! ;-)

***From August 15th - August 22nd, 25% of my proceeds from my Little Birdie Cards will go to buying school supplies and backpacks for children in the foster care system. ***