Just a few of my favorite listings...ETSY:Candy clippies, EBAY:sweet floral knot dress

I was searching for Candy accessories to go with an outfit for my little Kambria....Take a look at what I found on ETSY. I just had to share this wonderful find here. Everything this seller makes looks so delicious! Take a look for yourself...this designers work is AMAZING!

I can't wait to get my order from her...check back to see what I am working on to coordinate with these tasty clippies!

http://www.daisyrosesb.etsy.com/

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27708046

I also must share this adorable knot dress by my friend, Heather, the designer for Kaytes*Kloset. What is not to love about this dress! I love the floral print fabric, the little hat, and the vintage handkerchief apron. There is no reserve on this auction, get in on this auction now! This is the perfect dress for a sweet little summer portrait. This is truly a one of a kind dress, Beautiful work Heather!



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=120445588713

Boutique custom Fancy Nancy Euro inspired "Feliz" dress

June is the time for Graduations...my sweet little Kambria just graduated from Junior Kindergarten. Of course we had to have a fancy dress for the occasion. The "Feliz" dress pattern, is perfect for a "Fancy Nancy" dress.

Maybe you know the kind of dress I am talking about...lots of ruffles, bright colors, full of twirl, something that says, "this is a special day!"

My little girl just loves bright colors, lots of them all together in one outfit. This dress was no exception, Kambria picked out her coordinating fabrics from my fabric stash. Here is a peek at what I put together for her special day.

We decided not to wear the pettiskirt on this day, since her graduation celebration included an introduction to the "big kids" playground known as "Camelot". Kambria did not want to get her "Fancy-Nancy Pettiskirt" caught on the playground equipment. We will be shooting more pictures of this outfit with the pettiskirt in next few days.

Kambria's teacher, Miss Monica, also informed the children that they would need safe and sturdy footwear to play on "Camelot" so Kambria opted to wear her soft pink converse high tops to complete the ensemble. (Ensemble, is a fancy word for outfit!)

We will shoot more pictures for the ebay and etsy listings later in the week. If you are interested in having this dress custom made for your little girl, please contact me, as I will only be creating a few of these dresses.

I really like how the appliques turned out. They are so very detailed and coordinate nicely with the "Fancy Nancy" print fabric. I think this would make a very special Birthday dress for any little girl, especially if you were hosting a "Fancy Nancy" themed party.

I will be listing this dress custom made in sizes 2T through girls size 6x on ebay and etsy in next few days.

Amy Butler print Canine Couture double dog dare to be different Matching outfits for little girls and their 4 legged friends. Art of the Craft Studios

As many of you know, I belong to a few design groups on EBAY. I have had the opportunity to get to know some really creative people in these groups. This post highlights one of those artists who like her designs is truly "One Of A Kind"....Take a look at these pics, and you will see what I mean.

You just have to check out her ME page on ebay:

http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=artofthecraftstudios

It's just too bad that my energetic German Shepard won't allow us to dress her in such a cute little outfit. I am sure my girls would love to dress her up like this!




Wouldn't this make the cutest little portrait set?

Okay, now that I have teased you with the pictures of these super cute outfits, you might be asking, " Where can I find these to purchase?"

I am just doing my little bit as an American Citizen to help the economy....here ya go! Click on the links below, to check out Gioncarla's Ebay auctions.

Canine Couture:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290317389251&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&viewitem=&salenotsupported

The little girl's outfit:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290317437795&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&viewitem=&salenotsupported

Gioncarla, "Your designs ROCK"

Mistletoe Ranch Kids - Minnie Dot - Mouse Applique twirl dress on Ebay

I have this sweet Minnie Dot twirl dress ending today!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160334191591

Kambria's Village Studio Easter Photo with the live baby lamb

Happy Easter

Here is a peek at Kambria's Village Studio Easter photo. Yes, that is a live baby lamb! Kambria just loved the little lamb, she even gave it sweet little kisses. The folks at Village Studio are very talented. The staff there is very friendly, and their work, is nothing less than AMAZING!

Take a look at their blog, and you will see what I mean....

http://villageportraits.info/blog/

What will we be serving for Easter Dinner at the Mistletoe Ranch? Wild Turkey Anyone???

What will we be serving for Easter Dinner at The Mistletoe Ranch?

Wild Turkey Anyone???

I came home from dropping the kids at school this morning, and this little guy was just walking around our driveway admiring the wild flowers. So I went to grab my camera...

I guess these wild turkeys must know they are safe here at the Mistletoe Ranch. They seem to not be too afraid that they might end up as the special guest at Easter Dinner.
I think that I will order a Honey baked Ham to serve for Easter Dinner. This guy looks like too much trouble to prepare.

New ETSY listing! Cat Hat twirl dress with apron

Just listed in my Etsy store. Come take a peek!

Cat in the Hat Custom Twirl Dress with apron

Sorry that I have not been very attentive to my blog lately...I will try to get caught up...

Trying to catch up a bit.....March 2, was Read America Day, commemorating the Birthday of

Theodore Gisele, better known as Dr. Seuss. A special day such as this deserves a special outfit of course. Here are some pictures showing Kambria in her "Cat in the Hat" outfit, complete with coordinating bows.

I have had this Dr Seuss character fabric for some time now, just waiting for the right design. Kambria helped to pick out the coordinating fabrics, she is really into the polka dots lately. This design certainly is colorful and fun, just like my little Kambria. She enjoyed showing off her outfit to the other classes at school with our principle Dr Amadio...I understand that Dr Amadio loves to see Kambria's custom made outfits. Hmmm, I wonder if Dr Amadio would wear a custom outfit like this.....hmmmm. I will have to ask her. As promised, here are some pictures of my little cutie!

Kambria enjoys clowning for the camera.

This dress is full of twirl

Beautiful sights on my commute to town, Covered bridges, Oak trees, blue skies, snow dusted mountain tops, moss covered granite boulders

I am very lucky to have such a beautiful commute. Here are a few pictures I took the other day on my way to town to pick the kiddos up at school.

I have a little bit of a commute to town. I thought I might share some pictures of what I see everyday on my commute to town. At times I wish that I did not live so far out of town. Then I think if I lived in town, I would miss out on these beautiful sights that I take in every day on my way up and down the hill to town. As I drive these mountain roads I listen to NPR, national public radio. NPR is the perfect pairing for my scenic drive.

The Covered Bridge off highway 168

I have always thought it would be cool to have this as the entrance to my drive way. I wonder how many other covered bridges are in Fresno County?

Beautiful blue sky through a majestic Pine tree.

Huge granite out croppings make the landscape around here very interesting.

Green Pasture with several different Oak tree species.

This Oak tree is just one of many I pass on my drive to town. I think Oak trees are wonderfully interesting with their curved and twisted branches.

Below you can see the moss covered Granite boulders amidst the dormant poison oak. YIKES! I will stay out of there!

I can almost imagine little forest fairies living in here.

I hope you enjoyed my little photo adventure today. I will be adding more later, so check back!

Father - Daughter Dance: 50's sock hop, custom made poodle skirts, car hop costume and more!

Flashback to the 1950's....Our school hosts a Father - Daughter Dance every year. This year's theme was a 1950's Sock Hop. Naturally, I had to custom make outfits for my 2 girls.

Katiana chose the traditional poodle skirt, with a twist....She wanted a Cat on her skirt instead of a Poodle! I always tell my children, "It's okay to be different, everyone is an individual", so Katiana's skirt was appliqued with a black kitty cat instead of a poodle.

Kambria chose a 50's "Car-Hop" costume complete with black and white checkered hat and matching collared shirt. Kambria wore one of her pettiskirts underneath the full-circle pink satin skirt. To complete her outfit I added a cute little apron complete with pink and white poodle applique.

I also had the opportunity to create matching Mother and Daughter poodle skirts for my friend Sharla and her adorable daughter Gigi.


I made their poodle skirts out of hot pink satin. I think the color is perfect for this fun loving family.

I made several different Poodle Skirts for other girls at the school. I had so much fun creating these skirts. I will most definitely offer these Poodle skirts on Etsy and Ebay, especially once I start with Halloween 2009 costumes.

Are you interested in a custom created outfit for a portrait or pageant???

Please contact me, I just love creating custom outfits.

More pictures of custom outfits by "Mistletoe Ranch Kids" coming soon!

Blackberry Mickey Mouse Waffles: Breakfast for the Mistletoe Ranch Kids

Well, it is the weekend again, and that means spending time with family at a nice relaxing breakfast. This past Saturday we enjoyed "Blackberry Mickey Mouse Waffles" with a fair amount of whipped cream, it is the weekend after all!

I have learned from experience that a four year old will need the dietary guidance of an adult when powdered sugar and whipped cream are involved. In this instance, the resident "Dad" at the Mistletoe Ranch does not qualify as an adult. He must also have assistance when preparing a waffle, to prevent the over use of whipped cream! See example below!

This is how our waffles looked, smiling up at us from the plate just before they were covered in yummy whipped cream, blackberries, fresh homemade blackberry syrup, and powdered sugar.

First we began with a little whipped cream....

okay, maybe just a little more whipped cream...

Maybe a tiny bit more whipped cream so the berries will stay put....

Ooooh, don't these Blackberries look delicious. I purchase these at Trader Joe's, they always have the best fresh fruit.
You have to have someone sample the berries, to make sure they are ripe... Oh, here is a lucky volunteer!

This little volunteer taster, needs to go have her hair put up in a ponytail, and I think she will need a bib too!

That is much better! It makes the clean up easier after breakfast. We won't have to use the power washer!

Yummy!

Sunday Morning!!!

Sunday morning we had scones.

I baked a fresh batch of "Orange infused Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones" This recipe was inspired by my love of dark chocolate. This is definitely a weekend recipe, since I could not feed my kiddos chocolate then send them to school.

This delicious adventure began with an oatmeal scone recipe....I like to think that a recipe is just a guide line. I like to change things up in recipes a bit, to suit my tastes. This recipe made 16 scones......

And then there were none!

I still need to work a bit on this recipe before I release it here. I want you to have the best possible result if you decide to give any of my recipes a try in your kitchen.

Finally, I am working on several sewing projects that I hope to feature here in the near future....hmmmm, maybe midweek......