Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a very Merry (I just typed messy on accident, freudian slip?!) Christmas!  We went small scale this year and it was great!  The kids got enough, we got enough and everyone was happy - even the cat (hey, what cat doesn't like catnip?!)  We even let the kids decorate the Christmas tree this year - that was my idea, I was beat by the time the dang tree was up with lights on it.  I thought it was cute that there were no ornaments from the middle to the top!  Anyway they had a blast and were very proud of themselves.

My plan was to make a holiday tutu this year, but I have been having health issues for the past two months and never got around to it.  I guess I will have to save my ideas for next year!

Rush Orders

Oh how I hate love rush orders!  I love to create awesome tutu's for customer's, but sometimes its hard when I get last minute orders.  I had about three of those in the past week and I was a bit stressed out over it!  The stinky thing was, I didn't even get to take pictures of the tutus to share with you all, I just had to ship them out asap.  On one of the orders, I got to the post office at 4:59 p.m.  Whew!!!  I know other tutu makers charge extra for rush orders, but I don't.  As long as I can still do rush orders, I will, but at some point I might have to rethink that policy!

Thanksgiving

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We always enjoy eating a bunch of great food, oh yeah, and spending time with the family as well :)!  My husband always participates in a Turkey Bowl he coordinates through his work, so he was gone in the morning, then we went to my family's house for the meal.  We were most thankful that my MIL was able to get out of the hospital on Thanksgiving eve just in time to be able to celebrate with us.  She had been in since the first of November, so we were all very happy (most notably, her!) 

Unfortunately, turkey day colors leave much to be desired when it comes to tutus, so I've got no new Turkey Tutu for you, although it would be kinda funny-brown and orange with a feathery bow :).

It's Boutique Time

I've participated in two boutiques this month and I have one more next month so it has been very, very busy around here!  I sold about 9 tutu's so far and 20 cornbags*!  My best seller was Sassy Pink and people seem to really be enjoying all of the sports tutu's.

I'll be explaining the cornbags further in another post.

Recent Sales

Here's a couple of cute tutu's I've sold recently:

NY Yankees to Texas



 Lollipop to Texas

Ladybug to AZ

Sales are starting to pick up as the holiday's draw near!

Happy Halloween!

Well, I hope you all had a very wonderful Halloween with your family.  We usually go trick-or-treating with our kids in our neighborhood and this year was no different.  My goal this year was to not spend any money on costumes and do everything from stuff we had at home.  Fortunately it worked out with my oldest going as a football fan and my youngest going as a baseball player.  I just used sports clothes we had from home.  It worked great!

I've Been MIA

Hello Bloggy Friends!  I am so sorry I've been gone for the past two weeks.  I had surgery last week and am finally getting around to catching up on things!  Whew, being unable to care for your family and get your normal chores done is hard on everyone.  My boys are definitely happy that mom is back in the kitchen!

Anyway, I am back to work and looking forward to a successful holiday season.  I am planning on coming up with a few super cute holiday tutus.  Let me know what Christmas color combos YOU'D love to see :)!

Halloween Tutus

Looking for a cute and original Halloween Costume for your little princess?  I have lots of tutus that would make an excellent start for your Halloween costumes! 

Here's my newest creation specifically designed for Halloween 2010:

Tinkerbell














Ladybug (or Minnie)














Snow White














Bumble Bee

Looking for something else?  Just let me know, I do custom work!  All orders made by October 22nd will be delivered in time for the big day! 

How Cute is This?!

This little girl has a super nice mommy that entered into one of my giveaways and won the tutu of her choice.  She chose Lemon Burst and as you can see by the look on her face, I think she is in love with her new tutu bug tutu!!  I try to do giveaways once a quarter, so look for the next one in early January, as I just finished my last giveaway a few weeks ago :).

14 tutus on Clearance - $13-15 shipped!

I still have some tutu's left over from new tutus I created while putting together my website.  All prices INCLUDE shipping.  Save up to 60% off here:

If interested, please email me at melanie@tutubug.com with any questions or with the tutu you are interested in purchase.  I will send you a paypal invoice and once payment is received, I will ship within 24 hours!

2T Arizona State University-$13

4/5T Bumble Bee - $15

2T Dallas Cowboys - $13

2T Greenbay Packers / Oakland A's - $13

4/5T Blue Chocolate Truffle - $15

2T Chicago Cubs / NY Giants - $13

2T Phoenix Suns / Clemson University / Auburn College - $13

4/5T Pink Bubblegum - $15

4/5T Tropical Breeze - $15

12-18 mos University of Florida - $13

2T Chicago Bears / Denver Broncos / Syracuse-$13

2T University of Texas - $13

12-18 mos. Washington Redskins - $13

12-18 mos University of Michigan - $13

Good Reads



Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

I just finished the trilogy, Humger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Wow!  That is the only one word phrase I can think of that *attempts* to sum this series up and that doesn't even come close to describing how unique, interesting, creative and just plain GOOD these books are!  I tried to summarize this book to my mom the other day and she was like, "huh?!?" so I will leave it to the publishers over at Scholastic to explain it better:

'Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.



Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.'



HAPPY READING!!!





And the Winner is...

The tutu bug giveaway winner is #37, which is Jaime from From My Kitchen to Yours.  She chose the Dallas Cowboys tutu from the sports collection. CONGRATS, Jaime!!!

Start of Football Season 2010 = tutu bug Giveaway!!!

In honor of my new sports line and the start of the 2010 football season, I am hosting a tutu giveaway!!  The winner will receive a free (shipping included) sports tutu from my website.  If your team isn't on there, I will make it for you!  All entries must be received by Monday, September 20th and a winner weill be chosen via http://www.random.org/ on Tuesday, September 21st.  Here's how to enter:

Required:

1-Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment telling me which sports tutu is your favorite or which sports tutu you'd love to see (1 entry).

Optional:

2-'Like' me on Facebook (1 entry).  You can click on my Facebook button that is in the right column of this blog.
3-Post my giveaway linking back to my site on Facebook (2 entries).
4-Blog about my giveaway linking back to my blog (2 entries).

For each entry, you MUST post a comment to this blog letting me know which step you completed.   If the entry is worth 2 entries, please be sure to post twice.  I want to be sure you get that second chance to win!  Thanks and goodluck!!

Giveaway Scout

Ever heard of Giveaway Scout?!  They automatically scan thousands of blogs to bring you the latest blog giveaways, sweepstakes and contests!  You can visit them here and sign up to receive daily updates on blogs doing giveaways! 

I Love My Breadmaker!

Anyone out there have a breadmaker?  Well, I technically don't have one, but I did borrow my mom's about 2 years ago and I think she's forgotten.  Who am I to remind her that I still have it out on loan?!  Anyway, one thing I LOVE to make with it is homemade pizza dough.  I also make homemade sauce and this is now a weekly family tradition.  Every Friday or Saturday night I make sure to create pizza for my boys.  I always make two pizzas.  The first is plain cheese for the boys and the second is half mushroom (for me-yum!), all pepperoni and sometimes sausage too.  So yummy!  Anyway, if you have a breadmaker, here's the recipe I use:

In order, place the following ingredients into your bread machine:

1 c. beer or water (I use water, I don't really drink, so never have it on hand)

1 Tbsp. shortening (they do have organic shortening out there, if you don't do the trans fats)

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

shake garlic powder (opt)*

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (opt)*

3 c. Flour

1 1/4 tsp. yeast

*These two ingredients really add some flavor to the dough

Set bread machine on dough or if you don't have that setting, for 2 hours.  The dough should have a 25 min preheat delay before mixing begins (this is included in the 2 hours).  When cycle is complete, remove dough from pan and split into two.  Roll out both circles on floured surface and place on pizza pan or stoneware.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Par bake the dough for 6-8 min (watch for bubbles in the dough and use a knife to break as necessary).  Remove from oven, place sauce (see recipe below), ingredients, cheese, and more ingredients on pizza and cook for 5-8 more minutes.  You really need to watch it so it doesn't burn or undercook.  So worth it, though!  Cut and enjoy!

Sauce

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp olive oil

Dash Ital seasoning

Pinch of sugar

Simmer above ingredients for 2at least 20 minutes in saucepan.

The finished products...

Book Review

Who doesn't love a good book.  Now that we are in the throws of summer and if its hot like it is here - can you say 110 degrees, anyone?! - there's nothing quite like turning the a/c down low and curling up with a good book!  The book that I just finished reading today called The Bomber Boys, written by Travis L. Ayres (pictured taken from his website, http://www.thebomberboys.com/)  is one I have read twice now.  It is an amazing work of non-fiction that tells the story of five different B-17 airmen during WWII and the harrowing tales of survival they encountered while fighting the Germans.  I am not a big history buff at all, but there is something so touching about these men, what they did for the world and how it forever affected their lives and those around them.  The book has five different stories of men within separate bomber groups and their stories of survival as they each worked towards their 25, 30 or 35 missions which equalled a ticket home.  As the war began, crews were required to complete 25 missions in order to go home, but as the war dragged on that was increased to 30 then ultimately, 35 missions.  Although this sounds easy, 55% of all aircraft were lost in action and over 95, 000 airmen lost their lives in this war (and a total of over 418,000 US servicemen lost their lives).  The men that enlisted and fought bravely are true American heroes!  If you are looking to read about some amazing men, I would highly recommend this book!! 

That Crazy Cat!

I'm a cat person, always have been, always will be.  I grew up with lots of cats and a few dogs, but for some reason the cats stole my heart.  I know some people think they are sneaky, aloof or unfriendly, but I beg to differ!  We currently have one furr baby, whose name is Emme.  She is a Ragdoll (seal bicolor) and has the cookiest, craziest personality and is such a sweetheart.  Ragdolls are very large, laid back cats that don't have a mean bone in their body.  They are big, furry, floppy and have the most beautiful blue eye's you've ever seen!  You can read more about Ragdolls here.  

OK, back to our kitty...Our cat is pretty hilarious.  First of all, she plays catch.  Yes, she has this little crinkle ball (which is falling apart & I can't find a replacement) that she plays fetch with.  We throw the ball she goes running and sliding across the tile, pics it up with her teeth and brings it back.  So cute.  She is also our resident exterminator.  We live in AZ, so we have lots of gross spiders and bugs.  She finds them and chases them until we can run over and kill them.  She likes to dismember crickets, yep that is one of her past times!  LOL. Something else she does that I think is pretty crazy is that she can catch flies Mr. Miyagi style!  She will stalk it until she catches it.  It is crazy to watch!  She'll follow it around till it gets close to the sliding glass door and then she'll jump up and catch it with her front paws!!  Then she somehow manages to eat it.  Gross, I know, but hey we no longer need a fly swatter!  OK, on to some cute stuff.  She loves to sleep  up on the computer desk while I work and she loves to jump up on our bed for morning cuddles.  If you don't pet her, she will use her paw to very gently touch you on the arm and give this tiny squeak of a meow to let you know, "Hey, mom and dad, I need some love over here!"  She also LOVES to sleep in and chew on boxes.  She also has perfected the Ragdoll flop - which must be taught by momma Ragdolls, as they all do it - they like to sleep on their backs with their legs all splayed out.  It is hilarious.  Finally, she loves to greet our company.  She runs out, rubs up against them, gives them a sniff and a lick then trots off.  So bizarre, I seriously think she's half dog, but I promise you she smells MUCH better and never drools....well, unless I get out the Temptations cat treats!

So, as you can see, I love cats, especially MY cat.  So here's some pics of our beauiful girl...

Up on the cabinets.  Ragdolls are not supposed to be big jumpers, she obviously didn't get the memo!

The crinkle ball.  It's nasty, but I can't find one even remotely like it!

How can you not love a face like that?

Helping me pay bills.  If she could only get a job! 

Sleeping in daddy's XBOX box.  I swear it looks like she's smiling!

She was relaxing in the rocking chair while we watched a movie. 

Helping big brother sort the LEGO's. 

Here is one of her glamour shots (No, I did not pay for these!  She came with a whole set of them!)  She got these at about 6-8 mos old.  Notice how light she is in these pics compared to some of the newer ones - it takes 3-4 years for them to fully mature.  Her real name is Sweetshadow Whispurr of Echoglen.  Yeah, she doesn't come when I call her that! 

She even got to meet the class hamster.  Squeakers wasn't too excited, but Emme was lovin' it.  One time it got out of its exercise ball and she cornered it until we got there.  What self control, she didn't even take a nibble! 

The Ragdoll Flop. Chillin' in little brother's room.

Razmataz

I just completed making this Razmataz tutu for a friend of mine who bought it for her 3 1/2 yo daughter.  I was delighted to see two pictures come in within hours of her getting the tutu!  I love how this little princess has the biggest grin on her face!!  It was over 100 degrees when this photo was taken, which goes to show you how happy she was with her new tutu!  She is such a doll and looks so cute in her new

Razmataz tutu!

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

I make tutus, yes, we all know that.  I have a guest bedroom that has been converted to the 'tutu studio,' which by the way is a pain to clean out when we have company, but I digress!  Anyway, all of the cutting, prepping and packing happens in this room, so it boggles my mind how I find bits of tulle ALL over my house.  I mean everywhere!  A lot of times I will find it stuck to bath towels after they come out of the dryer.  Never have I had a bath towel in my front bedroom, how does this happen?!?  Another time, I was out with my friends and one of them was like, "Uh, you have soom tulle on your boob."  Once again, how does this happen?!  But the one place I found tulle that I thought was extra crazy was on my front porch!!  I was sweeping the front porch, why, I am not quite sure, as I think I've only done that like twice since living here :), when I look down and see a piece of purple tulle stuck to my welcome mat.  I had to laugh at this.  I tried to sweep it off, but it was good and stuck, so being the lazy lady that I am, I just left it there.  I figure my guests ought to know they are entering the tutu zone, which comes with the hazard of possibly walking out of my house with tulle stuck to their rear-ends, in their hair, on their shoes, orLord knows where else!  I never know where I'll find a piece next, it's like I'm playing a little game of hide and seek with it.  So to the tulle, I say, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!!"

New tutu bug Offering....Tinkerbell!

Oh how I love this new tutu!!  Every little girl has dreams of being a princess or fairy and this tutu fits the bill perfectly!  I ordered some green tulle for a sports tutu but new it would be the perfect color for a Tinkerbell inspired tutu.  I came up with this super cute tutu, which I of course named, Tinkerbell.  It is made up primarily of an emerald green tulle with a few strips of apple green tulle in there as well.  It is completed with a two-striped sheer organza apple green bow.  I made this tutu in a size 2T for my website and am offering this extra tutu at a discount of $15 shipped!  Please email me at melanie@tutubug.com if you are interested. 

Beef Skewers

Oh how I love beef on a stick!  This super simple recipe is simple and yummy.  I purchase London Broil steak when it is on sale and have the butcher cut the meat into 1/4" slices.  This will help with a LOT of the prep work so I highly encourage you to do the same.  I also buy 2-3 steaks at a time and make a little assembly line with the marinade, then freeze the beef in the marinade so when I take it out of the freezer, it is marinating as it thaws.  For side dishes, I usually serve with white rice and brocolli.  And surprisingly enough, my picky eaters actually eat this!  Anyway, here's the recipe:

Beef Skewers

Serves: 4

2 lbs (approx) London Broil Steak cut into 1/4" slices (each slice will be about 3-6" long)

1/2 c. Soy Sauce

1/3 c. Vegetable oil

1/3 c. Brown sugar

1-2 tsp. Fresh garlic (or more if you like) or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. Ground ginger

Combine soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in ziploc bag.  Add meat and mix to coat.  Place in fridge to marinate for 8 hours or overnight or put in freezer for future use.  Take wooden skewers and saok in ice water for 5 minutes.  Then skewer beef of sticks and grill on medium for 3-4 minutes a side.  Serve over rice with a side of brocolli.

Leftover beef is great in an Asian style salad the next day.

Purple Platinum

What girl doesn't like a little purple and platinum in their life?!  I had a client who wanted a tutu as a gift for her flower girl and wanted it to match her wedding colors.  Her colors are going to be purple, platinum and cream.  This is the custom creation that we came up with.  The final product turned out soo cute!  I hope that I get a picture soon of the little flower girl wearing her new tutu!

Back to School

I usually post about recipes and tutus and other bloggers, but today I want to share what's on my heart since my boys went back to school this week....

Yesterday was the first day of school for my boys.  My oldest started 3rd grade and my youngest started Kindergarten.  On the first day of school, parents who do 'drop-off' (instead of bus or before/after school care) have to walk their kids to class.  So I drop off my oldest, as he's been through this before and then bring my youngest to his Kindergarten class.  He walks right in, sits in his chair and starts his worksheet.  Doesn't say see ya, good bye, love ya, nice knowing you, NOTHING! 

I just stare at him and think, holy cow, all I have done for the past almost 9 years is stay home with these boys and do everything for them.  I remember those first *miserable* sleepless nights (I don't care HOW much you love that baby, getting no sleep just plain sucks!) to the first teeth, first steps, first words, first tantrums, first day of preschool, first trip to Disneyland (about 3 weeks ago :)), and now, my last child is now in Kindergarten going to school all day.  As a SAHM, much of your identity rests in that role and of caring for those kids day in and day out.  When you're in the throws of diapers and spit up and tantrums, you think it will never end, but I promise you it does.  As I sit here typing this, the house is quiet, the tv is off, no one is yelling for me to wipe their bum (that'll be after school-ha!) or make them a snack.  And I have to say that the quiet is in a sense, defening.  I know in a few hours they'll come home and it'll be back to the usual, but for these quiet moments, I feel a little lost.  I know with time I will get used to the quiet, to the grocery shopping in peace, but yeah, I definitely can sense that one *HUGE* chapter of my life is over and I am about to embark on a new, wonderful and different journey now. 

I look forward to getting my life more organized and being on a routine now that the boys are gone.  I have three major goals for myself this school year.  The first is to get up and showered at 7 before the boys wake up.  I used to just roll out of bed when they woke me up, but this was not very conducive to getting out the door and to school on time.  My son was tardy several times last year, which is not good for his academic success and I have no one to blame for that but myself.  Secondly, my goal is to turn off the PC from 3-8pm (when they get home till their bedtime) and also in the a.m. before school.  I have found over the years that the PC is such a distraction from my daily interaction with my boys after school and honestly, they've been fighting over who gets to use the PC every day.  My final goal for this year is to read them a little devotional every morning while they eat breakfast.  I got this idea from my friend Morgan over at Becoming Homegrown and I love how it gives us a few minutes of meaningful interaction during the hustle and bustle of getting ready for school in the a.m. 

Finally, I also feel that these first few weeks of this school year are the calm before the storm.  Next month, my husband starts his MBA program at Arizona State University, which is going to leave me with even more alone time with the boys as he'll be gone about 20 extra hours a week and I know it'll be a huge adjustment for all of us.  Then in January the biggest change will come for me, when I will be starting nursing school and will be gone myself four days a week.  I know that these changes are going to be huge for the boys, but I also know that in the long run these things will only make a better life for them and also teach them about perserverance, setting goals and accomplishing them through hard work and dedication.

In closing, I have to say that writing this has been very cathartic for me and I appreciate you taking the time to read about my journey.  I'd also love for you to share a huge milestone in your life when you knew things had changed forever.....

My Very First Tutu

My very first tutu I ever made (NOT the one you see here :)) was actually quite terrible. I mean this thing was ugly and limp and not full at it.  The best word I can think to describe it is just plain *yuck*.   I was trying to go with sparkly tulle and it just didn't work.  Plus I learned after much research that the tulle with glitter is quite flammable!  I knew instantly that that type of tulle would NEVER be found on a tutu bug tutu!! 

Anyway, back to that *yuck* tutu...I seriously  think I spent $30 trying to make it a well!   Oh and if the price wasn't high enough, I think it took me about 3 hours!!  As with anything in life, I very quickly learned from it what worked and what didn't work.

As you can see from the above picture,  my SECOND tutu, which was subsequently named Pink Bubblegum,  turned out much better than the first - thank goodness!!  This tutu was essentially the start of my tutu business and for that I am grateful.  I love this tutu, as it really is such a sweet and precious tutu and classic in so many ways.  It is my favorite 'pastel' colored tutu and even graces the cover of my website!

How to care for your tutu...

In order to keep your tutu in its optimal form (read:  more POOF, less wrinkle), I recommend following these simple tips:

-As soon as your tutu arrives, immediately remove from box (and admire how cute it is).
-Grasp the waist and give it a gently shake, shake, shake.
-Hold waist and use your fingers to 'comb' out the pieces of tulle that may be wrinkled.
-Store tutu on an adult sized hanger in the closet.

That's all, folks!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My mom has been making this banana bread since I was a little girl.  As an adult, I added the chocolate chips part, because what woman wouldn't want a little chocolate?! It is SO simple, easy and tasty and I get requests for this banana bread all the time.  Now, I have to tell you, this is a secret family recipe that I don't share with just anyone, so you better not tell!  LOL...Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
By: Melanie H.

3-4 black* bananas
1 egg
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 c. Flour
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips (or more, if needed)

Mix first three ingredients, then add dry ingredients.  Mix thoroughly and turn into greased bread pan.  Bake at 325 for approximately 60 minutes.  The time and temperature should be adjusted for your area.  I bake it between 325-350 degrees for 55-65 min, so just keep an eye on it. 

*This is the key to this recipe.  The bananas HAVE to be all black and look nasty.  I once had a friend who tried my recipe, chickened out with her rotten bananas and decided to use yellow ones instead.  Guess what, her banana bread tasted awful!  I promise the black bananas work and you won't get sick.   Tip:  when your bananas get gross-looking, throw them in the freezer and thaw when ready to use.  I pretty much have a pile in my freezer at all times :)!