Beautiful Babies Giveaway!!

 I am so excited to host my first giveaway for all my lovely readers!! 
On October 15, 2008 Erica opened Beautiful Babies making mostly crochet blankets and booties. Business was slow as she learned the ins and outs of owning an online retail business. Now, almost 21/2 years later, Etsy has turned a once loved hobby into a full fledged business for this “work at home mom”!! Beautiful Babies was even contacted by a designer from “The Smurfs” movie scheduled to release this upcoming Summer 2011; they requested one of Erica’s one of a kind blankets be sent overnight to Colombia Pictures in New York! The blanket was said to be “perfect” for a certain scene in the upcoming movie.
NOW, DRUM ROLL!!! One lucky reader will get a chance to win one of Beautiful Babies unique, one of a kind, made just for you hats!


Mandatory for Entry: visit Beautiful Babies and come back here telling me which item you like most
Additional (Optional) Entries: (After completing any of the below, be sure to come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so!)
Subscribe to the PATCH
Follow “Loving Motherhood
Follow “The Shores Mom Blog” on the PATCH
Follow “Wee Explorers
(Yes, if you already follow/subscribe to any of the above you may still enter. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each task.)
Give Away Details:
·  This give away will be open until midnight EST Friday  April 15, 2011. The winner will be announced by Monday April 19, 2011.
·  Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, the lucky winner will be chosen at random!
·  Please leave a way for me to contact you in your entry. If I have not been able to contact the winner with in 48hrs another random winner will be chosen.
* In order to enter the contest you MUST leave a comment on THIS post!
To leave a comment scroll to the bottom of the post and click “Post a comment
Disclosure; we did receive a free Beautiful Babies hat for promoting this business. The opinions given are my own and not influenced in anyway by the free product/s given. Although, my opinions may differ from others I guarantee my honesty in all products we have used/tried. 
If you have a product/business you would like us to review please contact me  at amamajourney@gmail.com

Lovely Yarn

So I took these pictures with the intent to post this on Valentines Day (well, that did not happen)!! However, they did come out super cute, and I thought this would still be fun for upcoming “holidays” (St.Patrick’s Day, Easter, etc.)! They would also make great “little gifts” for family, friends, and teachers.

You Need: 
Cookie Cutters (any shape we did hearts)
Corn Starch
Yarn
Water
Parchment Paper
A Magnet Strip (or old advertising magnet would work great too!)

First, cut the yarn into pieces and make the cornstarch glue. Using a sauce pan heat 1/4 c. cornstarch and 1/2 c. water over a low/medium heat stir until smooth (see below).


Allow the “glue” to cool to touch. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet/activity tray. Then place the cookie cutter on top of the parchment paper let your little ones go to town dipping string pieces into the “glue”. Carefully pulling out one string at a time and using your thumb and forefinger to clean off an access “glue”. Lay the yarn inside the cookie cutter. Repeating the process until a thin layer of yarn is in the cookie cutter forming the chosen shape.

Remove the cookie cutter and gently press the shape down. Let dry completely (we put ours in the oven for 1 hr @ 250 degrees). After the drying is compete you can then glue your yarn shape onto a magnet for a fun gift or decoration!!