..i know some great people..

I really do. And I wanna mention them, because tooting someone else's horn is fun :)

First up is my pal Miss Nymfie. Me loves her :) One day we are totally going to hang out in real life. I'm working on it Nymfie, just keep the crafting table warm for me :) She bestowed this great award on me..

You know you gotta pass these awards along, so this award goes out to all of the ladies participating in my Halloween Swap. You girls rock, and I cannot wait to see what all of you create! :)

A few weeks ago Marichelle had a giveaway on her blog for this book, and I won..

The book was supposed to come from the publisher. But apparently they forgot about me. So Marichelle sent me a copy herself! How sweet is that? It wasn't her problem, but she didn't want me to be disappointed. Thanks Marichelle, you're awesome :)

And then last, but definitely not least, Brittany had a giveaway on her blog as well, asking what everyone's favorite cupcake flavor was. Mr. Random picked my number, and I got this pretty little package in the mail..

It was so pretty! I almost didn't want to open it.. almost. This is what that beautiful wrapping contained..

Woot! I love baking, and I love Martha. So I definitely love it when you put the two together :) But it didn't stop there. Brittany felt bad for not getting it to me sooner. (Um, I wouldn't have complained if it came on Christmas Day without a cover, lol!) But Brittany is a sweetheart, and took my answer from her giveaway, and sent me this..

Are you seeing what it says on that card? Do you know what magicalness comes from the Bangarang Bake Shop?

Cupcakes in a Jar! Be still my heart. What you're looking at right there is a strawberry cupcake in a jar, mailed to me, ready to devour. It gets better..

Look at all. that. frosting. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot! I mean, bigger than your average cupcake. I actually ended up sharing a couple of bites with the hubbo.

So I just wanted to tell you ladies thank you for being great people. Sometimes "thank you" is under-appreciated, because it's said so much. But I really do mean it, from my little heart. Thank you :)

..faerie folk..

Ti Kanae was a wee little faerie with blonde hair and a climbing ivy dress. She lived in a little house by a small brook..

She spends her days collecting fruits and nuts, and baking the most delicious pastries.

Ti Kanae is known as the best baker in the forest, and she loves sharing all of her treats with her neighbors.

Ok, so I'm living vicariously through a faerie :) But seriously, isn't that artwork and those miniatures just awesome? I didn't create them. Click on the pictures to be taken to the respective artists' pages.

And if you haven't, go check out FawnDear's blog for the Second Star to the Right Blog Party :)

..swap giveaway-luckygirlgoods..

Remember when I bribed you with goodies to get you to sign up for the 13 Days of Halloween Swap? Well, I'm coming through for you :)

**You have to be a participant in the Halloween Swap to win this giveaway, but there is something for every reader at the bottom!**

This week's giveaway is from Luckygirlgoods. This is an awesome shop, and she has some super cute things for Halloween. Here is what Cari has to say about Luckygirlgoods..

"Luckygirlgoods is my second etsy shop created to inspire and supply you with goodies to create amazing things. I try to keep the shop filled with lots of vintage paper, beautiful ribbon, handmade paper crafts, and lots of other unique supplies. I'm always on the lookout for unique items for myself and love to share with you any extras I come across."

Cari is giving away a set of her beautiful Orange Crepe Paper Flowers! These are perfect for all of your Halloween crafting. Cardmaking, scrapbooking, altered art, etc. Each flower is almost 2 inches in diametere. They are accented with a copy of vintage sheet music and genuine silver glitter.(It will actually tarnish)

These would be great for any Fall or Halloween project.

And as a bonus, Cari is offering ALL of my readers (not just swap participants) a 15% discount on all purchases to Luckygirlgoods and to her other store, Luckygirlgifts! Just mention in the notes that you found her through Koala Fuzz, and she'll send you a PayPal refund. And if you get a chance, go check out her beautiful blog. There is inspiration for days there!

*How To Win*

To enter, visit either the Luckygirlgoods shop or the Luckygirlgifts shop, then come back here and tell me something that you love.

For a 2nd entry, follow Cari's blog and come back here letting me know you did in a separate entry.

For a 3rd entry, make a purchase from either Luckygirlgoods or Luckygirlgifts and then come leave another separate comment!

You have until Sunday, August 30th to enter! :)

..another rainy day..

But I'm still not complaining about it. At least I don't have to cut the grass, lol.

All partners were assigned for the swap. I think it went really well. I tried to pair people up based on their likes, interests, and all that jazz. I was also a little sneaky, and asked what crafts they do the most, and what they wish they could do. Then, I paired someone who was good at a certain craft, with someone who wishes they could do that craft. That way they might get things that they couldn't necessarily make for themselves. :)

My partner is Kendra, and I am really excited. Go check out her blog, look at her awesome stuff. Is her jewelry not beautiful? All of her pearl stuff and her tree pendants are my fave :)

Now I'm off for a consultation. What better to do on a rainy day that spend it helping someone plan out their dream day? :)

Peace, love and koala fuzz y'all!

..last day of sign ups!..

Today is the last day sign-ups are open for the 13 Days of Halloween Swap! I can't wait to send out partners tomorrow. Everyone who emailed me to sign up should have received a confirmation reply back. If you didn't, then please let me know. I do not want to overlook anyone. Also, if have a Flickr account, I have the swap Flickr Group set up. Feel free to chat in there! Share ideas, give sneak peeks of what you might be sending to your partner, or talk it up about Halloween stuff. Remember, you have to keep up the communication in this swap. That is very important. I'm so excited about this swap, and I'm working hard to make sure it's a success for everyone. I would really like to have regular handmade swaps here.

I'm very excited that I got a new iPhone. I had a little mishap with my other one about a month ago. But I sold that one (yes, it sold even though it was shattered!) and bought a new one the other day, yay! :)

And, I managed to get Lori's row done for the Row Robin quilt row swap. She wanted her rows to be blue and yellow, and just have a happy feel. Other than that, she left it up to us. So this is what I came up with..

I see Blue Jays hopping around my backyard all the time and they make me happy, so that's what I made for her row! Seeing them in a row makes me want to do a whole quilt of birds like this. I hope she likes it :)

Now I'm off to start cleaning house. We spent all weekend kayaking and playing outside that my house has been neglected :)

Peace, love and koala fuzz y'all!

..why is the dickens so painful?..

"It hurts like the dickens!" I say that a lot. I said it earlier when I gave myself a 2nd degree hot water burn on my thumb. I thought maybe it was a Southern thing, then I realized I had heard it in several old english films. I had to look it up..

dick·ens (dknz)

n. Informal

1. A severe reprimand or expression of anger: gave me the dickens for being late.

2. Used as an intensive: What in the dickens is that?
3. A word used in exclamations of confusion; "what the devil"; "the deuce with it"; "the dickens you say"

Well there you have it folks. Didn't think I'd be giving English lessons today, did you? :)

On the 13 Days of Halloween Swap front.. we now have 20 participants signed up, woot! I know we can get 5 more people in the next 4 days. I just know we can!

On the wedding cake biz front.. I went and paid my $400 for the vendor space at the Bridal Fair. I jumped in.. I'm committed. If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it right! :) I'll let you know how it goes :)

On the crafting front.. I've been too busy with getting cake stuff in order. I'm so behind! I HAVE to finish my Row Robin rows tonight. And I have to work on some mermaid stuff for another swap. I'm kicking the hubbo out of the house so I can get some work done! :)

And to leave you with some bling, I want this..



It's the Limited Edition Diamond and Black Sapphire Hello Kitty pendant. They only made 100 of them. Me wants it. Me doesn't want to pay $195 for it, but me wants it :)

..rainy tuesday..

Woke up to showers this morning. We needed it, but now the sun is out and shining bright. I might just get to cut my grass today after all :)

Things have been crazy around here. I decided to take the plunge and go head first into the cake biz. I mean really put myself out there. Because of that, I've had phone call after phone call lately! I'm so not complaining. I'm already pretty much booked up for October. Which is awesome! :D I think I've also decided to have a table at the Fall Bridal Show which is in a month. I'm a little nervous about that though, for a few reasons..

1. The table fee is $400. Granted if I made just two orders from the show, I would make that money back.

2. There will be two other major cake tables there. Two businesses who have been around a long time, and until me (heh) they were pretty much your only choice for cake around here. I'll be the new kid on the block, and I don't know how well I will be received.

3. Since it has only been in this year that I've really focused on the business, I don't have tons of pictures to show. Silly me never thought to take pictures of all the cakes I've been doing the last FOUR years! But, I've told recent clients that I don't really like having a book, because I don't want them to feel limited by what they see. I am all about customization and individuality when it comes to designing a cake.

4. It's gonna be a LOT of work. I'll have to have at least 2 display cakes, plus enough petit fours to feed at least 500 people. Mom will help me, and she will also help me run the table but sheesh :D

So.. I'm about 97% sure I'm gonna do it. It just makes me nervous :D

On the swapping front, we have 16 people signed up so far for the 13 Days of Halloween Swap! Yay! And you can see we've gained a couple more prize sponsors too. And these sponsors are giving away some cute stuff! If we make it to 25 swappers, I'll add 2 more prizes. So go tell all your friends. Let them know they need to do this swap. It's gonna be fun :)

And I'm a loser and haven't done anything crafty lately, so I'll leave you with some fashion eye candy. I am in love with you, J. Crew..

All photos courtesy of jcrew.com

..i'm bribing with treats..

Just wanted to let you know that there will be prizes given out during the 13 Days of Halloween Swap.

And of course only swap participants will be eligible. Sooo.... go ahead and join. You know you wanna :) You can see the prize sponsors listed on my sidebar over there on the right!

Incidentally if you have an online shop and you are interested in bring a sponsor for prizes, e-mail me :)

..13 days of halloween swap..

Ok, so, it's already August, which means that Fall is really just right around the corner. And what's my favorite part of Fall? Why, Halloween of course! So I decided to host a swap for all my fellow Halloween lovers out there. Here's the lowdown..

13 Days of Halloween Swap

You will have 1 partner, and this will not be a secret swap. This way if you ever have any questions, you can email each other. You will frequently browse your partner's blog and any other sites they want to share with you (Flickr, Etsy, etc) so that you can really get to know them and their tastes. I have made many good friends through swapping! You will create 13 individually wrapped packages for your partner, and mail them all off together by October 1st. That gives your package 2 1/2 weeks to reach its destination, plenty of time. The 13 days of Halloween begin on October 19th. Therefore, you will label each package with a date, starting with Oct. 19th and going through Oct. 31. That way, beginning Oct. 19th your partner will have one package to open each day.

Don't let the amount of packages scare you. You will only be spending about $20.00 before shipping. Some of your packages can be small items, such as candy or stickers. You do not have to spend a lot, this swap is just designed to give us all something to look forward to on the days leading up to Halloween. It would, however, be a good idea to make your "biggie" items be one of the last ones your partner would open. You know, the big shebang and all that. :)

Now I have to get all teacher-y and give you some rules. They have been made with all of you in mind though. I want everyone to have a great swapping experience.

*Absolutely no flaking. If you think you can't commit to this swap, then please don't. It's an awful thing to spend a lot of time making a special package for someone, only to not receive anything in return. I know a lot of people charge an "entry fee" for swaps to cover costs should anyone flake, but I just don't want to have to do that. If you flake, you will be added to a "non-swapper" list that I share with lots of other blog swap hostesses.

*Communication is absolutely required. You must talk to your partner and you must talk to me. Leave comments on your partner's blog, chat in the Flickr group, send emails, whatever you want. You just have to keep in good communication with me and your partner. I just need to know you're still out there.

*I know the world is a crazy unexpected force and things come up from time to time. I also know that sometimes a swap isn't the most important thing in your life. But, if something does happen, just let me and your partner know. I am very understanding when I know what is going on. Whether you're going to be a couple of days late sending out (that's why I give it 2 1/2 weeks to get there) or something major came up and you can't fulfill the swap, I HAVE to know. If I haven't heard from you in the week before the mailout date, I will tell your partner NOT to send yours. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to be fair.

*You must be able to upload photos of what you receive. I have set up a Flickr Group just for this swap. You don't necessarily have to upload a new picture every day (but if you want to, please do) but you at least have to post a photo in the end showing everything that you received together. So, one picture or lots of pictures, you have to show what you received.

*You must let me and your partner know when you mail your package, and if you are shipping within the U.S. you must get Delivery Confirmation. It's less than a dollar, and so worth it.

*At least 3 items must be handmade, and they must be nice quality. Don't anybody go slapping a sticker on a sheet of notebook paper and calling that stationary! :D

Now, if you've made it through all of that and you still want to join, then you're awesome!! :D

Here is the info I need from you..

Real full name:

Mailing address (including country):

Email address:

Blog address:

Would you be willing to mail internationally?

What other blog swaps have you recently completed? (include website if you remember)

What crafts do you do the most?

What craft do you wish you could do?

What's your favorite candy?

Do you have any allergies? (smoke, food-specific, etc)

Anything special you'd like your partner to know?

Please send all of that in an email to hayatiggs at comcast dot net

Sign-ups will remain open for two weeks, until August 17th. On August 18th I will post and email partners to all of you. That will give you 6 weeks to put together an awesome package for your partner. I have created some graphics for you all to use if you'd like. You can click on each one to see them in full size. If you need to know how to post the graphic on your blog and have it link back here, then please let me know! These have also been put on the swap's Flickr Group.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask! :)

..hot august day..

Welcome to another month.. they go by faster and faster it seems. Quickie post for today, I have lots of indoor and outdoor work to get done. I managed to finish my block for Bumble Bean's Pixiedust Gather Project. I didn't want to get too crazy since I had a limited amount of fabric. I decided to make a block that I knew I could do, so there would be no ripping or re-cutting involved :)

Sorry for the bad quality of the pic.. hubby has the good camera with him in Wisconsin.

I have 6 weeks left until I leave on my Anniversary cruise with the hubbo. And I got on the scale yesterday and all I could do was laugh to keep from freaking out over the number it spit out. So I made a decision. Starting today, for the next 6 weeks... no bread. I mean that. Bread and I have a love affair, but it really hates my belly and my rear. So none, starting today. I think I can do it. I'm motivated see, because I have this cruise coming up. So it starts today... good thing I finished that entire bag of breadsticks last night, huh? :)