Mailbox Monday: January Goodies

HOORAY!
I had five peeps link up for January's Mailbox Monday!

Bernadett got a lovely necklace.

Lisa got a lovely package from Knitty Bitties.

Andrea (of Knitty Bitties) got LOTS of happy mail!

Larissa got a FANTASTIC package from a gift exchange.

Holly got her awesome Christmas Cards!

Thanks for linking up friends!
Come back next week for a new month!

My Funny Valentine & Her Zebra Bows

This is my little Isabella.
She is two going on fifteen.
Srsly.
She wore this fun outfit on Sunday and
I decided at 9am on Sunday morning she needed bows to go with it.
Luckily, we have 11am church this year!

Today she insisted on wearing it again, so I snapped some pictures.She loved wearing it to Costco,
and waving at people from the shopping cart,
like she was a beauty queen on a parade float.

And then she was done!

Sunday's Spunky Sponsor Spotlight: Froggy Girl Designs

I am so excited to bring you my first Spunky Sponsor Spotlight!

And I am ESTATIC to have Froggy Girl Designs as my very FIRST sponsor!

This is what Mika
- the wondermom of 5 little tadpoles behind Froggy Girl Designs -
has to say about her darling products:
"Froggy Girl Designs was born out of a desire to provide affordable boutique style clothing and accessories to my customers. My products are designed to last through the years, able to be handed down among generations. I pride myself in quality workmanship for a price that the average family can afford. I love to do custom work, and will work with you to create that perfect item for your special little ones!"

I must agree - her clothing designs are definitely items you'll want to hold on to
and pass down from generation to generation.
Her fabric choices are {amazing}.
Her designs are {darling}.
Her prices are {fantastic}!
The entire shop just makes me smile.

Look at some of these lovelies . . .

(you know how I {ADORE} cupcakes)

In addition to a cute clothing line,
she also has
WRISTLETS

FROGGY FIX-IT RICE BAGSSNAP AND GO WALLETS
Along with lots of other fun things!
I hope you'll check out Froggy Girl Designs shop on Artfire.
What's your favorite???
You can also find Mika on Twitter and read her cute blog.

Froggy Girl Designs will be here later this month for a GIVEAWAY
you won't want to miss!

Saturday Shout Outs: Handmade Valentines & Garlands Edition

Happy Saturday friends!
First things first - the winner of the Two Lilies Boutique $15 shop credit
is #24 Jana!!!
You lucky duck!

Email me within 48 hours to claim your prize!

We had almost 70 people link up this week to
TOO Cute Tuesday!
I'm so glad you keep joining me each week!

This week it's all about handmade Valentines and garlands!

Jenny has one for your pirate lubbers!!

favecrafts: blog has a fun felt cutie

Stacy has one after my own bow-lovin' heart.

Debbie didn't use these as a Valentine,
but I think they'd be perfect to give away.

Onto the garlands . . .

Snowflakes from Our Seven Dwarfs
Felt hearts by Sweet Bee Buzzings
(since my garland idea was a FAIL this year - I think I'll do this one)

Little Eme has a fun crepe paper rosette garland.

Sew Woodsy's is scrap paper-tastic!

I can't resist the red burlap by The Preppy Strawberry.

And this has nothing to do with Valentines or garlands,
but it's just rad! And I don't need a Silhouette! LOL
Thanks Jane of All Crafts!

Don't forget to enter the Whisker Works Giveaway!

Funky Friday Feature: Catie's Garden

I'm so excited about starting Funky Friday Features!
And my first feature is such a cutie!!!
Her name is Catie and she's the creative force behind Catie's Garden.

She started making darling hair accessories this past summer
to try and raise money for a camp she is going to this year.

I think she is super talented and I think it's awesome
that she is using her creative know-how to
earn her own money for something wants to do.

She has several different flower types to choose from.

ORGANZA

FABRIC
And her HEADBANDS are adorable!

This is what Catie says about her shop:
"I've been making flowers since this last summer, I love to share what I love with others. I started saving the money that I got from my shop to go to girls camp, but my Grandmother was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer and I have been sending the money from the shop to her to help pay the medical bills. I am thirteen years old, I spend most of my time making flowers and experimenting with different fabrics and different colors when I'm not in school. I almost always list 3-5 flowers on Etsy every Saturday."

I hope you'll check her out and leave her some awesome LOVE here!




Also, have you heard about The Blog Guidebook???
It's a great resource for bloggers and blog readers.
You can find lots of blogs on a certain topic in one place.
You need to check it out!
And your first listing is FREE!!!

Tutorial Thursday: Paint stick Snowman

So I planned to share the tutorial for this little guy

back at the beginning of the month.
You know - when everyone was all about WINTER and not Valentine's Day.
But I couldn't find him!
I started making these back when I taught 2nd grade in Utah - so 2001.
Wow! 10 years ago - that is SCARY!

So I emailed all my Utah teacher buds and I was like -
SEND ME A PICTURE! I CAN'T FIND MINE!
LOL
Three had no idea what I was talking about,
but one rad friend said her son just made one! HOLLA!
And she would send me a picture.
Guess what?
I find mine and all my supplies about 2 hours before I got her email.

So here we go!
You'll need:

Paint - red, black, white

medium gauge wire

paint brush

googly eyes

buttons (wood or regular)

ribbon or pipe cleaner

drill or dremel tool

glue gun or craft glue

fabric scrap

I got my paint sticks from Lowe's.
The paint guy was super nice.
I said I wanted to make a project with my kids
and he gave me a handful.
Never hurts to ask!

I honestly don't know the gauge of the wire,
because I've had it since I started making these in 2001.

STEP ONE
Paint your stick - white on the bottom and black on top.
And let it dry.

STEP TWO
Take your fancy drill that your husband
got you 10 years ago when you first made these,
and drill two little holes near the top.

STEP THREE
Decorate!
You can make him cute however you want.
I used colored googly eyes, pipe cleaner, and wood buttons.
I painted the wood buttons black and red - I like how they are 3D.

I also added a little Deco Art Snow-Tex
to the top of the nose and buttons for fun.
But you could just add white paint for a similar effect.

To paint the mouth, I take a round top pin,
dip it in the paint, and then press straight down.
Practice on paper first :)
Glue a piece of ribbon or pipe cleaner where the
white and black paint meet to make the hat brim.
And a fun pom pom for some pizazz.
Tie a scrap of fabric around his neck for a scarf and he's all decked out.
STEP FOUR
Make the hangy wire thing!
Poke the end of the wire in through the front,
leaving enough to wrap - and secure.
Make the drop as along as you want -
then wrap around a pen or pencil to get the loops.
Finish off on the other side.
I used my wire pliers to wind it around

Now you have a fantastic little Paint stick Snowman to hang
and be January festive!

I'm linking up HERE!!!!

Fine Print:
Please feel free to use this tutorial for your personal use. Please be kind and give credit where credit is due. Any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me.

Want It? Win It! Wednesday: Whisker Works

***CLOSED***
Woohoo!

Who's ready for a giveaway - Valentine's Day style??
Well, Whisker Works is here to give it to you!

I'm sure you've seen Amber's work somewhere,
whether at a wedding you've attended, on Facebook, or maybe on Fox News!

You know Amber has to be awesome, because she has a MUSTACHE PHILOSOPHY!
"Male and female, young and old, these silly mustaches and lips bring friends and family together in a hilarious way. I'd call that a successful ingredient for any celebration."

Awesomespice.

Amber has generously offered to give away - The Coquette!
I have a Valentine's Day Party
coming up and I think it would make the perfect photo op!

Do you WANT IT?

Well, you can WIN IT!
If you want to win
then here is what you need to do!

MANDATORY ENTRY

(this MUST be completed for any other extra entries to count)

Follow Funky PolkaDot Giraffe and through Google Friends Connect and leave a comment telling me you're a follower and which item at Whisker Works you can't live without.

Be sure to leave your email address as well so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries:
(You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any extra entries.)

1 Extra Entry: {LIKE} Mustache on a Stick on Facebook. (leave 1 additional comment)
1 Extra Entry: Follow Funky PolkaDot Giraffe on Twitter and Tweet: (leave 1 additional comment)

Holla! @funkyPDgiraffe is giving away Lips on a Stick from Whisker Works - perfect for Valentine's Day http://bit.ly/9SYs31 #mustache

This GIVEAWAY will end on Tuesday, February 1st at midnight PST.

1 lucky reader will be selected using Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email or a new winner will be chosen.

Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you.