Etsy

Hello!
How is Everyone today? Ive been gone a few days {SORRY!}, because Ive been crazy busy with interviews for.....A NEW JOB!!! You know, after being out of Corporate America for so long it is going to take some time to transition into "work Elaine" mode. Sure, Ive worked here and there at Vintage in Morris and loved it but now I am going to have more serious resposibilities and I have to admit I am a little nervous! I came to a point in my "Homemaker" life that I am ready to be outside of the home a few days a week. I need to interact with adults, and also give Phil some time to be alone with Geovana more.....they need that Daddy Daughter time without Mommy always around! haha
Thankfully I was able to look for some "fun" jobs that I would enjoy doing and I cannot wait to tell all of you about it BUT since it isn't set in stone just yet you have to wait....a little longer!
Since I have been in and out of some awesome small businesses this past week, I wanted to share with all of you a few of MY favorite small businesses, on Etsy! You all know my favorite stores are in Morris and I don't know if you have been there...but if you haven't been shopping in Downtown Morris, you should go! There are so many hidden gems!

Today though, I would like to focus on my favorite Etsy shops!! I have been shopping Etsy for about 4 years and have had amazing experiences with different shop owners and their products. I have a few I shop from religiously and a few new ones that I have to share because their work is just beautiful. So, here are my favorite Etsy shops! *in no particular order*


Flea Market Chick
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FleaMarketChick?ref=pr_faveshops

This shop is actually a branch of my girlfriend Traci's downtown Morris shop, Whimsy. Her things are amazing and typically one of a kind! She specializes in that perfect Shabby Chic vintage inspired decor. She also has a beautiful selection of clothing, jewelry, and accessories. I love her etsy shop because it speaks to a wide range of shoppers and her things are so adorable I had to share!

The PolkaDot Posie
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepolkadotposie?ref=pr_shop_more

The name just says it all! What lady doesn't love Polka Dots?! The products showcased in this shop are just beyond adorable and the owners are 2 of the sweetest ladies out there! I have known Jen for as long as I can remember and along with her mom Jan, they built the business from the ground up! Their attention to detail is superb and my 2 current favorites are their clutch and their tote! This is a wonderful shop for gifts, for that hard to buy for friend or parent!!

Ruby+Stella Home
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RubyandStellaHome?ref=pr_faveshops

This is a top 5 Etsy shop in my book! Jennifer the owner designed and made ALL of my gorgeous new bedding and drapes and I can't even begin to tell you how in love with everything I am! Besides the fact that her sewing is IMPECCABLE, her customer service is off the charts. The turnaround time is very fast and her prices are low and competitive. Her presentation is just so cute and unique...which was reason enough for me to purchase from her a second time. Everything came wrapped in twine with a handwritten Thank You note and the most amazing smell ever! I know she is also open for custom work so keep her in mind!

Clean Spyria
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CleanSypria?ref=pr_faveshops

Are you toying with the idea of going green with your laundry? Email me! Ive been green with ALL household cleaning products, etc for over 4 years and its no gimmick! It has totally 100% changed my life and my health and this shop sells one key item for living green. Wool dryer balls. They are the go to item to eliminate costly, chemical ridden dryet sheets and let me tell you, her woolen wonders make everything soft and fluffy and like new every wash!

RoCo Creatives
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RoCoCreatives?ref=ss_profile

Sandy with RoCo Creatives really does go above and beyond for her cutomers! She is your one stop shop for invitations, announcements, etc. I have used her numerous times and she does stunning work! Ive also seen a one of a kind wedding invite she did and it was gorgeous. Her ecclectic whimsical style is so unique and really adds the WOW factor to your event. Besides all of that, shes a great friend and one of our old neighbors so I have seen first hand the incredible things she can create!

 

SD Marie Jewelry
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SDMarieJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more

If you are looking for Unique, well made custom baubles you should check out this shop! I have the most adorable necklace from her shop and the prices were awesome! I cant wait to use her for a couple upcoming gifts! Initial necklaces are all the craze right now and she does a beautiful, handcrafted job! Check her out ;)

PaperJack Studios
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaperJackStudio?ref=pr_shop_more

Caroline is another LOCAL shop owner! She's in Gartner, Il and specializes in custom painted furniture and adorable handpainted wooden letters. I have numerous pieces from her shop including 2 refinished chairs! She always has a booth at the 3 French Hens market in Morris and showcases her beautiful work on Etsy and Facebook. The letters would be perfect for a baby's room, or in a living room. So many different ideas and options. I adore her, and she has been so accomodating with all my purchases! If you have an old piece for furniture hanging out, I bet she would redo it for you!

Goddess of Jewelry
http://www.etsy.com/people/GoddessOfJewelry

Last Mother's Day, I was totally lost on what do get my Mom; Because really, what do you get someone that needs nothing? I egan searching Etsy and stumbled upon this shop and knew right then and there exactly what I would be getting! I loved the final product so much, I ended up ordering 4 more for my sisters and I. It was a very dainty silver chain necklace with 7 clear crystals hanging off. Just like the necklace Carrie Bradshaw wears in Sex and the City. It was the perfect number of beads for our family, and such a beautiful unique gift. Needless to say, my family of girls loved them and they turned out perfect. This shop is an A+

$5 French Market
http://www.etsy.com/people/5dollarfrenchmarket

Currently, this shop is on "vacation" catching up with orders....and it makes total sense why! This shop is TO DIE FOR!!! If you have a vintage, shabby chic obsession like yours truly this is the perfect place for you. I am dying to throw a baby shower for someone so I can use these awesome ladies! I ordered a ton of ribbon trim etc for them for MY shop a while back and was overly inpressed with their things. From price to quality they are a 5 star shop! Add them to your favorites, or signup for email notification for when they return so you can scoop up some of their things....you wont be sorry!

And last but BYFAR not least!

Snazziedrawers
http://www.snazziedrawers.com/

Now, SnazzieDrawers DOES have an etsy shop, but to be honest ordering from their website is the ultimate just to see the site and photos alone! This has and always will be my goto shop for patterns and tutorials. She single handledly has taught and trained me on SO many different flower and bow patterns and I wish I could meet her and give her a bear hug! I simply cannot gush enough abou her customer service, her attention to detail and her dedication to helping others acheive their "dreams" through crafting. She has been a true contributor to my success over the years. So, if you are ever looking to get into the hairbow biz scoop up some of her patterns for sure!!

Those are my top 10 favorite shops!!! I hope you take the time to explore each one, and purchase local. Especially in these trying times, the small business is the way to go for so many things!
If you have any questions about any of the shops listed feel free to email call or text!

Until next time friends, Xo

Antique

All my fellow generation Zers out there.......Were officially considered Antiques. Thats right, if the roadshow came through town we could be worth some money. Although, not all of us are in the best condition ;) I never really think about my age that often. I feel good, still have as much fun as my teenage and 20 something sisters and chase around a vibrant 3 year old all day....I dont feel old or look old (at least I dont think so) Yeah, yeah I need to lose weight but who doesnt these days?
Phil is competing in a weight loss program at work and has dropped 25 pounds since December 15th. I want to punch him everytime he walks past me for looking so good!!! People will ask me how old I am or how old I was when I had Geovana and I almost have to count on my fingers because I really can't remember that magic number too often!

Back to being "old" Do any of my fellow 80's babies feel the way I do? As if we were skipped over and forgotten about? HAHA I know my baby boomer parents still feel young as well but really, theyre a year away from 60 and looking back I thought they would be 35 forever! I remember being at Church camp the summer between Junior and Senior years and thinking 30 was SO OLD and so far away! Not so much anymore, my 30s have so far been the best of my life! Wouldnt ever want to relive the 20s (except the ending where I married the love of my life and had Geovana) and wouldnt wish my teeneage years on my worst enemy.....ok maybe Taylor Swift because that little B ruined it for everyone! haha

The whole reason for todays post is because this morning I was reminded how old I REALLY am.......This next tidbit of information may or may not blow your mind....you should sit down.

** If the show Friends were still on the air.....Chandler and Monica's twins would be 9 this year, Phoebe's triplets would be 14, Emma would be 11 and (brace yourself) Ben would be 18!!!! Does any of this even seem real?! I honestly feel as though Friends just ended yesterday but then I catch Courtney Cox on Fallon and am floored by how much work she has gotten done and how OLD she really looks! I cannot even watch Cougar Town because her plastic face totally creeps me out!

As much as I love being the age that I am and love that "age isnt a number" I still cannot get over how fast time really does fly. Its as though were living in fast forward. I swear when I went to bed last night it was 2007 and BAM! I wake up and its almost FEBRUARY 1st, 2013. My child who I no longer can even remember being a "baby" is in school, coming home talking about days of the week and writing the alphabet and I still want to cuddle and nurse her as if she is 6 months old! Where does time really go? I cant imagine what my working Mom friends are feeling because you are go, go, go 24/7!!

I think its time for me to slow down, kick up my feet and reminisce because before we know it were going to be sending Miss GJ to college and wishing Netflix still had Friends Season 1 available!

Lazy Sunday Casserole

Its the WEEKEND! Although, Its not our family's "weekend" persay.....Ours is Sunday, Monday.....Anyone else have a hubby or partner that works Saturdays? I don't mind too much, it's normally the day I spend with my Mom and Sisters....today were heading to the "Big City" as Geovana so lovingly refers to Chicago as, for our cousin Isla's 4th birthday!!! I remember the day I held Miss Isla for the first time, and we had just found out days before that WE were pregnant with G! Such an exciting time in our lives! Now, our litte Curly Haired, outgoing Isla is 4 and such a beautiful little girl!

Back to this fabulous tasty CASSEROLE! As simple, as it is delicious! Now, I found the recipe on Pinterest but tweaked it to my personal liking. You can use any kind of sausage you prefer, I chose a hand cased Italain sausage from the local Plainfield meat market Tichlers. If you havent been there.....go! They have great selections and right next door is my favorite little produce spot Peter Rubi's. You can't go wrong with either place, in my opinion. Theyre both located on Route 59 between Renwick and 30. So, I can't stake my claim on this delicious dish but I CAN share it with all of you!! Here it is, Enjoy! Now, these measurements were based on me feeding my family of 4 with lunch's worth of leftovers for the next day :)

Lazy Sunday Casserole

4 sausages. Again, your choice! Maybe spice it up! We're hand cased mild Italian fans
1 pound potatoes. I have used skin on red (new) potatoes, and I also have used canned whole pototoes
1/2 pound Carrots Precut and cleaned organic baby are my FAVE theyre so sweet!
1 large Onions I prefer sweet
1 large bunch Asparagus
any other veggies you want to add. Im not a huge bell pepper fan but thats what they suggest

1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (this is the KEY ingredient!)
Seasonings
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Now, for seasonings I prefer Cavanders All purpose Greek Seasoning or Janes crazy mixed up salt.
Seasoning to me is key. I rarely "mix" my oil and seasonings together and then pour over food. I like to gradually season things for the right "look" It may sound crazy, but I never claimed to be sane people!

First things first......I did all of the prep work in the am so the veggiese would have some time to soak up the yummy olive oil and spices. And let me tell you, doing that was well worth the wait! This dish made the house smell incredible! So I cut everything up. Left the carrots and potatoes in tact but if you are using russest baking potatoes youll want to peel them and cut them in half, then in fourths. I did butter the baking dish because I hate scraping beautiful veggies! The amount of butter was so small you would never know. I never use Pam or any other cooking spray. Besides it being an aerosol disaster of chemicals, I totally think it changes the integrity of the food. So a little butter never hurt nobody ;)

So give that baking dish a good butter bath and toss all of your colorful yummy veggies on in. Now, I used a clear pyrex type pan but if you have metal that will work just as well. I then drizzled the broth and Olive Oil all over everything and hand tossed it a little. then seasoned everything, wrapped the top in foil and stuck the pan in the fridge. There is no rule book saying you need to do this, but I wanted to be organized before Church and I am telling you, letting those veggies soak everything up made a difference for sure!
Then, I browned the meat. I only cooked it for about 5 minutes to seal in those juices and make it nice and golden brown on the outside. I stuck that in the fridge as well. (The meat doesnt get added to the veggies until the very end of cooking)

Baking Time!!
preheat that oven to a nice toasty 450 degrees, keep the veggies covered and pop them in for about 45 mins. If they are fork tender after that time go ahead and slice up the sausage and add it to the pan, leaving it uncovered pop it back in the oven for about 30 mins. WAIT!!! We forgot the key to this dish the delicious, smooth RICH Balsamic Vinegar! Now, I am a Balsamic SNOB and I dont go cheap on this amazing ingredient. I cook with it ALOT and we use it for salad dressing too. SO make sure you put a little extra effort into picking just the right one.
I am a huge fan of Balsamic Vinegar from Modena I.G.P. - Invecchiato. You can order it here online at Gourmetfoodstore.com http://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/oilandvinegar/Balsamic-Vinegar-from-Modena-Invecchiato-details-8176.asp

If you don't care too much about what kind, try Colavita. I think I have seen it at Jewel and Whole Foods. Still delicous!

Ok, back to dinner! Dont want to keep that family waiting! Especially after they smell whats cooking! So, pull that pan back out and drizzle the Vinegar all over. In the end, this is going to almost caramelize the veggies making them sweet and tart and PERFECT!

Cook everything for a total of about 30 minutes, halfway through pull the pan out and use a turkey baster or ladle to pick up some of the juices and drizzle them on top of everything.

DING! were done! Enjoy this awesome SIMPLE dish!

I havent quite mastered the "art" of blogging photos but if you head over to Instagram, and follow me at LAIN21 you can see the finished product!. OR, head over to: http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/lazy-sunday-casserole and check out the awesome blog of the "original" recipe!

Have a great weekend!

Men

I can't believe its January 25th already! Today marks Day 1 of me blogging! Believe me, I am nobody special and by NO MEANS do I feel as though I am an expert on ANY of the topics I plan on writing about....but they are all my passions and reasons for my zest for life so stick around, I promise not to disappoint! I must however warn you......I am a tech-a-holic, meaning I live on my cell. Emails, texts, etc all through the phone world SO my grammar, punctuation and spelling will probably look as though I'm a second grader....What did we do before autocorrect and swipe?

 I have been jotting down ideas, and brainstorming on WHAT my blog would be about and I decided....Me, my life! I want everyone to get to know the real me, and my hobbies, and my passions and what it is I REALLY do everyday.....for those of you that think its lounge around and eat bonbons prepare yourself! I think on the average day I sit 30 minutes total, and thats including bathroom breaks (which I try to extend as long as possible, sometimes to the point where my child sends out the search team because shes lost my scent!) That doesn't make me better or worse then the average working Mom, it just makes me human....also just wanted to clear the air for the disbelievers ;)
I'm just a normal, boring, stay at home Mom with an obsession for BAD reality TV and crafting until my fingertips are burnt and raw. I am going to share Craft-Junkie secrets, Recipes (did you know I LOVE BEING GREEK!) and other little tidbits of MY life that I think may make yours, a little simpler. So sit back, RELAX, grab a glass (bottle) of wine and welcome to the Wild Ride we call life.......
ME IN A NUTSHELL:
Elaine Griparis.Born August 21,1980 (I am seriously getting over the hill people)
Married to Phil, the (secret) love of my life for over 17 years!!!!!!!!
Mom to Geovana Jae, funniest 3 year old Ive ever known thus far
Caregiver to Murphy Brown, CoCo Brownie, Reese Pieces, and Richard....My Father in Law
Homemaker, Carpooler, Crafter, Master Chef, Laundromat owner, Hairdresser, Personal Stylist, and Teacher. And I wouldn't trade it for the WORLD!

They say you create your own destiny, your reason for being on this Earth and I believe mine was to be exactly what I am. A little bit of wit and alot of sass makes me Elaine and Godwilling, the reason my husband is so madly in love with me! I definetly give him a run for his money EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I like to think of it as "Keeping him on his toes" (He likes to think of it as torture)

My Silly Philly Cheesesteak Pet Peeves--Updated January 25, 2013 (addition of the nickname to spare me the Evil Eye when he reads this)

Leaving the toilet lid up......because cleaning toilet water on the floor after an 11 month old puppy drinks out of the bowl, isnt my idea of a fun night.

Nail biting.....OK, it's just GROSS! Doesn't he realize WHAT is under those nails?!

Electric wheelchairs running into my furniture.....you may think this one is unavoidable but you're wrong again! Can't we just ask (nicely) that he drive SLOWER? And is it REALLY possible to move the furniture any further away?

Flossing.....or the lack there of. Its a daily thing babe, DAILY. Just do it

That funny sound he makes when he INHALING his food.....its as if he was the pipsqueak growing up in a family of 10 where they had to fight for food in order to not starve. Nope, it was just him for a LONG time after his older, half sister moved out. Noone to fight over table scraps with.

The excessive loads of laundry he alone produces, Is it MEDICALLY necessary for you to change your underware 5 times a day? You aren't a toddler pottytraining you know!

Seriously though, all jokes aside I wonder every second of every day how I got so darn lucky with this one. Years of "bad ones" led me right back to the ONLY ONE. The only guy in my past besides my Dad to ever show me unconditional, eternal Love. For those of you that don't know our history, Phil and I met when we were 15. My parents had hired him to work at their White Hen Pantry (remember those?) and it literally was 'love' at first sight although it took me a good 12 years to admit that....out loud. In the summer of 1997 I went to Europe and he ever so calmy told my Mom, "I am done mopping ....and by the way, I'm going to marry your daughter one day." I think about that moment in time daily, and Thank God for every second I have gotten with Phil since. October 17, 2007 marks the day we decided we couldn't live without each other and haven't been apart a day since then. All those peeves are just dust in the wind when you get down to it. This guy NEVER complains, NEVER has raised his voice and comes home after being gone for 10 hours and keeps working. Dishes, laundry, child duty....whatever it takes. I sometimes find myself taking him for granted....I must be a nutjob because this guy would literally do anything for me and I'm whining about toilet water on the floor. Thus is life, we whine moan and complain which gets us nowhere and then we Thank God for the life we have been given. I speak for most women here when I say Thank you. Thank you for being those amazing husbands we wrote in our diarys about, we lit a candle at church for, and we prayed each " first date" would turn into. Cheers to Men! OK, don't show this to Phil.........

Happy Friday readers, until we meet again!