VOTE FOR MY PURSE IN THE VEGGIE HARVEST CHALLENGE!!

Head on over to the EtsyVeg Blog and vote for my Cable Knit Purse in the Veggie Harvest Challenge! And check out all the beautiful items from other EtsyVeg Members!!!

VOTE HERE!

Meet Tony!

My cat Tony has been featured on the EtsyVeg Blog!   Click here to meet him!

New Item in the Shop!

I just posted a brand new item at Kittens Mittens! Cute, purple snowman mittens! They are super warm and soft, and would be a great winter accessory or Christmas gift idea! Enjoy! :)

Winter is here!

Which means Christmas is just around the corner! My roommates and I put up our Christmas tree over the weekend and decorated the house to look nice and festive. We're going to be hosting a potluck and Secret Santa gift exchange with some friends next week, so we had to liven the place up a bit! 


Of course, the tree wasn't even up for a day and the cats knocked it over, breaking 3 or 4 ornaments.. hopefully it will remain standing for the duration of the holiday season!!








It's also been getting really chilly outside this past week. We've seen a bit of snow here in Mississauga (just outside of Toronto), but nothing like what they have seen south west of here in London, Ontario. Over 80cm of snow all in one storm!!

It's definitely time to start bundling up and keeping warm! Don't forget to keep up with your Christmas shopping on Etsy! Visit my shop at http://kittensmittensshop.etsy.com

Happy Holidays!!

New Turtle Friends!

I visited a friend of mine last night and met a couple new turtle friends! Their names are Bitey and Meany, both named by her three children! They learned quickly not to stick their fingers in the tank!

They love swimming around the tank and there's a big rock they can climb onto and bask under their heat lamp! They are getting pretty big, so it's a bit of a struggle for them to pull their big shells up onto the rock, and sometimes would go splashing back into the water!

 

They get along quite well together, and have a fish friend as well named Sucker Fish! He helps a lot in keeping the tank clean, and sometimes gets carried away and starts cleaning the turtles' shells! I definitely found the turtles more interesting to watch than the movie we had on! 

My First Treasury!

I have just created my very first Etsy Treasury! It's called A Blue Christmas, and features only members of the EtsyVeg Team! Take a look!

New Recipe - Black Forest Biscotti - YUM!

I have made this a bunch of times and thought I would share the recipe! It's from the cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of dried cherries
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, lightly oil a baking sheet
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cherries and water just to boiling, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and well combined. Blend in the eggs and
almond and vanilla extracts. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Drain the cherries, place them on a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture, and then stir them into the egg mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. With a rubber spatula, fold in the wet ingredients until the dough is uniform and holds together when pressed with lightly floured hands.
6. Use the spatula and your floured hands to scoop the dough onto the oiled baking sheet. Form the dough into a 12-inch x 3-inch diameter log shape; then press down on the log, flattening it to a thickness of
about an inch. The length and width of the flattened log should be about 14 x 4 inches.
7. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the dough is firm and just slightly brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the log to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice crosswise
into 3/4 inch pieces.
8. Lay each biscotti cut side up on the baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip them. Cool completely on a rack and then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. (but they won't last that long!!)

Enjoy!! :-)

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY!

To celebrate Black Friday, I am offering 15% off any item at Kittens' Mittens! Just enter coupon code BLACKFRIDAY during check out! This offer is for NOW & THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!

Etsy Knitters Treasure Hunt

Get 10% off your winter warmers with the Etsy Knitters Team Treasure Hunt! With everything in our stores from handmade accessories to heavenly handspun yarns, you are sure to find great gifts for all!

To qualify for the discount in participating stores, simply find FIVE listings containing the Etsy Knitters Treasure Hunt graphic (search EtsyKnitters Team) and convo EtsyKnittersTeam or JayCeeOriginals with your list. The Treasure Hunt will run from midnight November 25th to midnight November 30th.
The small print:
1.You must correctly identify 5 listings containing the image displayed above.
2.The 10% discount is good for one transaction in ANY participating store.
3.A unique discount code together with a complete list of the participating stores will be provided once your entry is verified.
4.Only one entry per person/shop please.
5.The Treasure Hunt is open to ALL.

Have a Happy Handmade Holiday!

Knitting Season!!

So knitting season is definitely in full swing! Between working on items for my shop, knitting Christmas presents, and potentially putting a few items in a craft sale at work, I might end up with knitter's carpal tunnel syndrome!! Luckily a few co-workers have started up a craft group at lunchtime a couple days a week so I can get some extra knitting time in!

Speaking of the workplace, have you noticed that your hands get chilly when you're stuck at your desk typing all day? Why not try some fingerless wristwarmers? They will keep your hands warm and still allow you full use of your fingers for typing!

These purple wristwarmers are a perfect way to keep your hands warm at work or even while you're driving! Check out these and my other warm, winter creations at Kittens' Mittens!

I'm featured in a Treasury!!

So yesterday I was featured in my very first Etsy Treasury!! Check out the Take the Chill Off with Icy Blue Treasury where my Snowman Mittens are featured!

I'm so excited to have been chosen amongst such pretty items! Thanks again for featuring me! :-)

Spooktacular Savings from the Etsyveg Team!!

Come Haunting with the Etsyveg Team October 27th-November 2nd, 2010! EtsyVeg kicks off the EtsyVeg Spooktacular today, with creepy savings and a frightfully fantastic shopper giveaway!

SPOOKTACULAR SAVINGS
EtsyVeg's vegan and vegetarian artisans are celebrating Halloween with special treats abound, from discounts to free shipping to free gifts! Shop the participating shops listed below to save big!

* 3 AM Art Productions- BOGO on all art prints/photography

* Au clair de la lune

* Blackbird and Peacock

* Crickets Creations Handknit Scarves- $5 off anything tagged "Halloween"

* Gardenia's Garb- 10% off any item tagged "Halloween"

* Jen O'Connell Paintings and Original Artwork- free shipping

* JFIllustrations- free shipping

* Kimbas Critters

* Lalu Jewelry- 15% off

* Maple Ash and Oak- 15% off

* M's Knits and Things- 15% off all scarves

* Mumbot Shop

* Palafox Studio 23- free shipping

* SilentLotus Creations- 15% off entire shop, plus free shipping over $25 and free gift over $40

* Starfirewire- Free Shipping and Free gift


GHOULISH GIVEAWAY

As part of our ghostly event, EtsyVeg is hosting a giveaway in which lucky shoppers will receive scarily fabulous handmade prizes from our ghostly talented artisans! All shoppers who make purchases from EtsyVeg member shops participating in the Spooktacular (see list above) are invited to comment on the EtsyVeg Blog. Include the link to the item(s) you purchased and your Etsy shop name or email address so we can contact you if you're name is drawn, and you will be entered to win an incredible prizes ( a random number generator will be used to choose winners). Winners will be announced on November 3rd!

Extra Entries: Earn one entry for every shop from the list above that you purchase from (please comment separately for each shop)!

Throughout the Spooktacular, check the blog daily for updates, featured artisans and their screamingly awesome handmade creations, and more! Please email us with questions at etsyveg@gmail.com . And Happy Halloween!

New Favourite Recipe!

I have recently really gotten into cooking, and I found this recipe on the Chatelaine website of all places and it's just awesome! I've been vegetarian all my life and this is a great take on lasagna if you're sick of plain old vegetarian lasagna. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but it got eaten way too fast by myself, my roommates and my boyfriend! They all loved it!

Mexican Pepper and Bean Lasagna

Cooking time 6 minutes
Preparation time 30 minutes
Standing Time 10 minutes
Baking Time 45 minutes
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
- 2 each red and yellow or green peppers
- 1 large onion
- 19 oz (540 mL) can black beans
- 19 oz (540 mL) can kidney or romano beans
- Olive oil
- 3 cups (750 mL) tomato-based pasta sauce
- 475 g container extra-smooth ricotta cheese
- 2 tsp (10 mL) each ground cumin and dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp (5 mL) chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 to 14 oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 3 cups (750 mL) grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) coarsely chopped fresh coriander (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Core and seed peppers, then coarsely
chop. Slice onion in half. Place cut-side down on board. Thinly slice.
Drain and rinse beans.
2. Lightly coat a large wide saucepan with oil and set over medium
heat. Add peppers and onion. Stir often until softened, 5 to 6
minutes. Stir in beans and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring
often. Remove from heat. In a large bowl stir ricotta with cumin,
thyme, chili flakes, salt and pepper.
3. Spread enough sauce to barely cover bottom of a 9x13-inch (3-L)
baking dish. Cover with 4 or 5 noodles. Don't overlap. Spoon half the
ricotta mixture in dollops overtop, then gently spread as best you can
toward edges. Pour half of sauce overtop, then smooth surface.
Sprinkle with 1 cup (250 mL) grated cheese. Top with 4 or 5 noodles,
remaining ricotta mixture and 1 cup (250 mL) cheese. Finish with
noodles, gently pressing them down. Cover with remaining sauce and
sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Bake, uncovered, in centre of 350F (180C) oven until a knife tip
inserted in centre of lasagna feels warm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove
from oven and sprinkle with coriander. Let stand 10 minutes before
serving.

Almost Mitten Season!

Has it ever been getting chilly out! I had to scrape frost off my car yesterday morning.. Looks like it's almost time to pull out the hats and mittens!

I have been so busy with making custom orders the last couple of weeks! It's been tons of fun, but I definitely feel more pressure to get things knitted and ready so I can get back to making new stuff for the shop. Here is my latest custom creation:

It's Dinosaur puppet/mittens that I custom designed for a toddler. I created orange spikes down his back, and sewed in white teeth all around his mouth. I think they're just adorable, and I have had friends requesting an adult size of them!

A busy week!!!

WOW, has it ever been a busy week! It feels like I've barely had more than a minute to relax! Although, I did get a free evening to go see the new Resident Evil 3D movie with a friend! We've gone to all the previous ones together so it's a bit of a tradition. I really enjoyed it, if only for nostalgia! The 3D zombies were pretty badass though!

So, last week I joined the EtsyVeg team! I have been a vegetarian all my life, and it's something that I really hold dear to my heart. I haven't really had a chance to interact with anyone on the team yet, besides an introduction, but I had a chance to look through some entries of the "Autumn Leaves" challenge and here is my favourite submission so far! Love the colours! I may just have to whip a project up using some fall coloured yarn!

My most recent additions to the Kittens Mittens Etsy Shop include a cute blue toque, and a pair of adorable, green owl mittens. The mittens were super fun to make, and I even sewed shiny sequins for his eyes. My boyfriend helped me take the pictures for these items. It was such a beautiful, sunny day that we were going to go for a hike in the trails by my house anyway, so why not have a mini photo shoot? :) I hope you enjoy my new items!!

New Item Alert!

This is a turquoise hobo bag, just posted on Kittens' Mittens! I really love this purse, it's such a unique shape. It was pretty complicated to make, it involved creating each triangular piece (8 in total), and then attaching it all together at the end. I also sewed in a black fabric lining, and chose a toggle button enclosure. The strap is actually recycled from a different purse, which was worn out and would have been thrown away. The strap was still in great shape so I figured I would salvage it instead of buying something brand new.. it's always good to help the environment when you can!

I love trying to mix and match diferent fabrics and textures, and I think this bag worked out really well. It really is a one-of-a-kind item! I hope you like it, I had a lot of fun making it! :)

Etsy Shop Now Open!!

Hello everyone! I thought it would be fun to start a blog and meet some fellow crafters and artists! I will be posting about my own handmade creations that I create for myself, my friends, and for my Etsy store - Kittens' Mittens! I love to knit and have been for at least 10 years. My favourite things to create are mittens, but I've also gotten into making hats, scarves, fingerless gloves, and purses.

These Snowman Mittens are currently in my Etsy shop! I think the sequins are just adorable, they were a ton of fun to make! Make sure to check out my shop to see the rest of my knit creations!