Today is International Day of Peace

"Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."

U.N. Resolution  via http://internationaldayofpeace.org/about/background.html

 

With the world in such a tumultuous state most of the time, it’s becoming much harder to find peace, but peace is possible.

Peace is not something tangible, it costs nothing, and it is attainable for anyone. Peace is something that comes from within and we are the only ones who can bring peace to ourselves and others.

In honor of Peace Day, lets set our egos aside and spend today finding that inner peace and sharing it with the world.

Meditations and yoga are just a couple of things that can bring inner peace, but it doesn’t stop at the end of the a meditation or yoga session. We can continue bringing peace into our lives by biting our tongue a little more, sharing love where we can, and having hope in our world and its people.

Finding that peace within yourself is the first step to changing the world.

Etsy treasury

International Day of Peace ~ September 21st

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  Adjustable 14 Karat Gold F...

  WireNameMike

  $29.99 USD

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  Peace on Earth- vintage gl...

  soradesigns

  $28.50 USD

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  GIVE PEACE A CHANCE and AL...

  theloveshop

  $25.00 USD

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  Kanji Peace. Vintage Chin...

  clpstudio

  $48.00 USD

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  Grandpa's Vintage Glob...

  briefmoments

  $22.00 USD

  favorite

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  PEACE Mixed Media Collage ...

  catalyst54

  $40.00 USD

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  PEACE - Om, elephant, lotu...

  BeadsBySam

  $23.99 USD

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  Recycled Map Paper Garland...

  MaisyandAlic...

  $14.00 USD

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  Wedding Puzzle Guest Book ...

  BellaPuzzles...

  $200.00 USD

  favorite

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  Peace Sign Necklace

  sissysstash

  $16.00 USD

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  Sterling Silver 'PEACE...

  sommerjewelr...

  $35.00 USD

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  Peace Sign Canvas Messenge...

  HappyFantast...

  $68.00 USD

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  ONE LOVE JAPAN pink giclee...

  Runway541

  $25.00 USD

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  set of 4 DOVE Peace Love B...

  greatwallsof...

  $20.00 USD

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  PEACE & HOPE NOW -Vintage ...

  PixelGallery

  $30.00 USD

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  Give Peace a Chance - Vint...

  no9images

  $15.00 USD

Speaking of new projects….

If you read my previous post, you already know that I am thinking of new projects and you may have sensed the itch to start preparing for the holidays.

So as I was submitting some new ideas for eBooks, I found some fun little projects on one of my favorite download sites. Check out what they have in store for fall projects!

After you get your fill of new projects to start, why don’t you share them with me. I would love to see what you are doing these days!

I am also thinking of sharing some projects here on the blog, so if you have some ideas or some projects you want to share, contact me!

Falling into Fall

The temperatures are falling, the apples are falling, and soon it will be the leaves falling from the trees. Sadly, summer is nearing the end. The kids are all returning to school and my thoughts are beginning to turn to inside projects. I have been cooking much more and even thinking of new sewing projects.

I have finished another eBook that I think you will love. This is a kid size seat belt cover! It’s available in my etsy shop. And I am on to new projects.

Here is a peak at my latest eBook

With that said, now that your thoughts will be turning to inside projects soon as well, think of making some of these for your kiddos or grandkids for Christmas!

Technorati Tags: abbychase designs,seat belt cover,kids,children,projects,sewing,simple,ebooks,diy,do it yourself,holiday sewing,christmas,gifts,girls,boys,men,women,moms,dads

Some visual therapy…

After a stressful month, I have been finding it hard to get back to my old self. I find myself wandering through the days in a weird zone, feeling little and that is not like me. I am a very passionate person, but I haven’t been able to stir that old passion…. until yesterday that is.

It’s been a long time since I have created a treasury on Etsy. Since they switched over to the new treasury system. So yesterday I decided to create a treasury and it took off from there. I found something that really touched me deeper than most of the things I had tried lately. I don’t know if it is the pure eye candy that you can find on Etsy, or if it is searching for the right products that fit into the current mood that I was feeling as the creator and presenting it in one lovely group of items that speak from my heart.

Whatever it is, it worked! I felt some passion and my creative gears started feeling inspired and rejuvenated. Now, I won’t go as far as to say that I am my old self again.

I know that I will probably never be who I was before the accident with my daughter and I can accept that, but to find a new place of comfort within my self and my life would be wonderful.

So the first treasury I started with was this one… I was inspired by the warm summer days and the colors just drew me in.

Once I finished the first one, I knew I had to create one that went back to my roots. Etsy has some of the most amazing designer of children’s boutique clothing and the photography is simply enchanting. So I filled my treasury and my soul with these lovely bits of visual therapy. Some of the designers are some that I frequently designed with in the early days of Etsy and the late days of eBay.

Finally, I was so caught up in the beauty of the photography and the items in Boutique Kids treasury, that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. As I was reading before bed, I read something that inspired me to create one last treasury before I went to bed. This one is called Contemplate the Flowers. If we could all spend more time living our lives like flowers and just allowing things to be what they are, we could find more happiness in our lives and therefore, my inspired treasury:)

Who knew I would find so much pleasure in gathering snippets of other designers’ items for sale and creating a collection that is cohesive and visually appealing, but I did! I found great pleasure and peace in this and I wanted to share them with you.

Technorati Tags: photos,treasury,etsy,lovely,children,summertime,summer,ladies,feminine,berries,mint,white,cream,green,boutique,dresses,boys,girls,custom,designer,flowers,dreamy,healing,peace,therapy

Where is Summer?

As I sit here writing this blog post, I can hear the thunder rumbling outside and the rain pounding down. I know that moisture is a good thing, but all things in moderation. Right?

I found this picture in my archives. It’s from last summer when we were enjoying lovely warm temperatures and days of sunshine. I long for summer and a more moderate season.

While I wait, I think I will start some new sewing projects. The girls need some new summer dresses!

Technorati Tags: summer,constellationphotography,water,sewing,reminessing

Gratitude…….

I received an email today asking me if gratitude had benefited my life……

Gratitude has played a big role in my life for some time now and it has changed the way I look at the world.

A couple of weeks ago, my family experienced one of the most traumatizing experiences we have had in our lives, and gratitude was one of the things that pulled me through. To pay it forward, I wanted to share my experience with you and share the ways that gratitude has helped us through this trying time.

Two Saturdays ago, my daughter was almost killed and it was a huge blessing that everything turned out the way that it did. So what am I grateful for?

Well…. I am grateful that my husband was in the right place at the right time. I am grateful that he didn’t think before he acted and that another friend was there to help. I am grateful for the family that pulled together to help in the time of need and that the best surgeons and doctors were on call that night. I am also grateful that God gave me more time with my daughter and that I have this opportunity to re-evaluate my life and priorities to make more of each day and each moment.

My daughter’s life was saved and she will recover. My family is still whole and we can find a way to move past this trauma. I am so grateful for my family and the life that we have together. I choose to see the world through new eyes and find the good in things.

Every dark cloud has a silver lining. (Proverb)

 

If you have had your life changed by gratitude, please pass it on. You can also share your gratitude on the Gratitude Log.

What can you get for 5 bucks?

There’s not a lot you can get for 5 bucks anymore is there? A gallon of gas is almost 5 bucks, a couple cups of good coffee will run you over 5 bucks. Maybe one of those pre-made pepperoni pizzas will be 5 bucks (before taxes of course!) But you can get the eBook pattern to make these. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or how about one of these seat belt covers for your car?

 

 

I remember when I was a child and my grandma would give me a quarter and tell me to get something for myself. Ha, could you imagine that now? I don’t even think they sell penny candy anymore. Life has changed and what was a quarter is now 5 bucks and today you can get these two awesome patterns for just 5 bucks!

Tell your friends, plan for the holidays in the not to far future, or just give yourself something to do this summer:) Whatever reason you like to sew, now is a perfect time to try the pattern you’ve been waiting to try at an amazing price!

Now available on your Mobile Devices!

Over the past couple of months I have been working to format my eBooks to the Kindle formatting, so that I could download them to my mobile phone.

I have Adobe’s PDF view on my Android, but I also wanted to be able to download them to my Kindle and I am pleased to announce that my eBook patterns are becoming available on Amazon Kindle! It’s been a bit of a time consuming task, getting them transferred over to Kindle, but well worth it.

As always, they are available in PDF format and if your mobile device supports Adobe’s PDF viewer, then you can download them to your mobile device any time, but now you also have the option of purchasing them for your Kindle or any other device that supports Amazon’s Kindle app.

I am so excited about this, because I hate lugging my laptop everywhere and moving it around with me in the studio when I am creating patterns or using eBook patterns to create new items. So this works wonderfully for me. All I have to do is download it to my phone and I have it wherever I go.

No more making lists when I go to the store. I just look in my phone at the actual pattern supply list and there it is. I can cross reference and make sure I get what I need.

I can’t even tell you how much time this saves me!

Now you can download them immediately too, and onto any device that supports Amazon Kindle or PDF! Just remember, if you want the Kindle version, just go here. And if you want the PDF version, just go here to purchase it and then download it to your mobile device that supports PDF viewer. (You may have to download the PDF viewer from the app store first, but it’s free!)

Right now, I have a couple of the eBook patterns listed in the Kindle store, but I hope to get them all transferred over soon. I will also be formatting all of my future patterns for PDF and Kindle.

I have the Kindle app on my Android and it works wonderfully. I also like the fact that you have the option of running the Kindle app on your home computer, laptop, or mobile device.

I will update when I get some more eBook patterns formatted for Kindle:)

Spreading the word…… My interview on the EtsyTwitter Blog

I was so pleased this morning to see that my interview is up on the EtsyTwitter blog this week.

The interview talks about my inspirations and my ambitions in life and it also sports a discount code for my EtsyStore!

So stop on by and read the interview and Tweet it if you can:)

Thanks!

Technorati Tags: etsytwitter,abbychase designs,blog,interview,etsy,etsy shopping,shopping,abbychase,twitter,eBooks,incognitowallet,incognito wallet,seat belt cover,products

A Scentsy Party…..

My sister just started selling Scentsy and I couldn’t be more pleased! I get to order my favorite wickless wax melters and the yummiest scents while I help my sister earn cash at the same time!

Just to give you a little refresher, in case you missed my history in candle making…. I used to manufacture candles until my 3rd child was born. Then I decided that I wanted to stay home with the kids and making candles at home with small children was not an option, because of the danger involved. So I decided to retire and try something else, (which is when I started sewing).  Long story short….. Since I haven’t been making my own candles and scenting my own waxes, I have had a hard time finding quality scented waxes that have excellent scent throw. Then I found Scentsy and the rest is history.

Their waxes are high quality and the scent throw is amazing! I can start the warmer and within a few minutes the room is filled with the yummy scent and within an hour, it is making it’s way throughout the house. There are so many scents to choose from, that I have to refrain from ordering them all at once. I could easily go broke ordering scent bars;)

The best part about Scentsy, is that they are wickless! Wickless means flameless and flameless means less potential for accidental fires and such. All I can say is, they are amazing and with 5 kids running around, the last thing I need is an open flame!

Anyway, I have decided to host an online party for my friends and followers, because I think you will love them if you don’t already. And if you order online, you get special rewards… Like free shipping and half off items! It only lasts for two weeks, so don’t hesitate to order.

If you haven’t tried Scentsy yet, then now is a great time to try. If you currently use Scentsy and love it, it’s about time you order some new scents or try one of their new products, like the Scentsy Buddy, Plug-In,  or the Room Spray.

 

 

 

 

All Scentsy products and photos mentioned are copyright Scentsy.

Tic-Tac-Toe on the go…..

 

Another pattern eBook is ready for testing!

This time there is no sewing and it’s a great afternoon project.

 

I need 2 testers to go through this pattern. Just leave me comment below if you are interested in testing for me.

Technorati Tags: tic-tac-toe,abbychase designs,pattern,eBook,testers,testing,new,make your own,diy

Thanksgiving project for kids…..

Here is a fun project for the kiddos and it’s cute enough to display on the Thanksgiving table.

All you need is some fall colored pipe cleaner, wiggly eyes, large brown puff balls, craft foam sheets and a pine cone for each pine cone turkey. Use one of the big pine cones like you see in the photos.

Maybe you don’t have any pine cones laying around or perhaps yours are covered with snow already like mine. Then use those cinnamon scented pine cones that you can get at the craft store.

My 5 and 6 year olds made these and they are so cute!

 

Cookin’ it Up with AbbyChase

I promised a new recipe in my last post, unfortunately the recipe I had hoped to share didn’t turn out like I expected so I have to take it back to the kitchen for perfecting before I share it. However, I did try this recipe the other day and it is super yummy. It’s not something that I will make often, because it is time consuming, but it is a nice treat on a special day for those who have a love for yummy hearty breakfast.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats	1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar	2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda	1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts	3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk	2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla	2 ripe bananas – mashed
3/4 cup raisins (optional)	1 stick butter (melted)

Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and chopped nuts in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients in the second bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they are combined. Fold in the mashed bananas and raisins. Finally, stir in the melted butter.

Heat griddle and lightly oil. Then pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles for on the top and then turn. About 2 minutes on each side.

This is one of the yummiest pancake mixes I have ever made and it really sticks with you. Serve some bacon on the side and enjoy with a big glass of milk:)

Pattern Reveal…..

 

Ok, the final tweaks have been made and the pattern is finished! Thank you to Ashlee of Tweet Baby Designs for testing this pattern last week!

The best part is that they are ready just in time to get your Christmas gifts started:)

 

This pattern is for the Adult Seat Belt Cover like shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see the baby and children’s seat belt covers made available in eBook pattern too, then leave me some comments and I will start working on that right away. If I get a start on it right away, I can have it ready for you in time to make lots of Christmas gifts!

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it’s time for me to get back to work. I have some more things in the works and a yummy fun recipe coming up in the next posts!

Stay tuned,

Mandy

 

Two new items from AbbyChase!

As promised, here are two of the newest items that I have been working on.

I have been working on these cute little seat belt covers for a while now. Since I don’t have any babies anymore, I have to wait until I see my sister and her baby to try them out. So I finally got everything worked out perfectly and they turned out adorable. There are two in the set and they fit perfectly on each of the straps in the car seat. My niece loves hers. Earlier this summer we made a long trip to Washington since my niece had some neck problems, her physical therapist had my sister keep props in her car seat that would position her correctly so she could keep her neck straight and that made those seat belts rub on her neck even more. So I made her a set of these little cuties for the long trip and it made a world of difference for her. I started thinking about how many babies get their neck rubbed on those pesky seat belts and realized that I should make them for sale. That was how they got their start:) I wish I had thought of this when my kids were babies.

Speaking of that long trip….. We took our kids on this long trip too and my kids started complaining about the seat belt rubbing on their neck, so I gave them two of my seat belt covers and they told me I should make them some too.  When we got back, I started working on some smaller “kid size” seat belt covers for them. Of course I was thinking of you when kids tested them and loved them. I am sure my kids aren’t the only ones that need cushies for their seat belts too. 

Both of these items would make wonderful Christmas gifts this year. You can even custom order a whole set for the family in coordinating fabrics! Just convo me in my Etsy Store and we can work out the details.

Well it’s back to the sewing machine for me now. I have some fun stuff for mom in the works. So stay tuned.

Get the baby seat belt covers here.

Get the kiddo seat belt covers here.

Are you listless?

As a business owner, designer, mother of 5, wife, and student; lists are an important part of my day…Let me rephrase that. Lists are the only thing that makes sense of my day and they are critical to my sanity!

Sometimes I will sit down the night before and make out my list of To Do’s for the next day and sometimes I will sit down first thing in the morning while drinking some tea and make my list for the day. I have lists of all types. For example, I have my To Do list, my short term goals, long term goals, bills, books to read, movies to watch, places to see, and on and on. I guess you could say I am a list junkie:) Without my list, I aimlessly bounce from one task to another, but at the end of the day I start to remember the important things that I should have done that day, but forgot because I hadn’t written them down.

With that said, lists are extremely important to me, but equally important is keeping my list manageable. There have been many times when I have so much that I want to do and I will write it on my To Do list. Pretty soon, my list is two pages long and totally impossible to get finished in one day. I work on a few things and the list eventually ends up mixed up with some papers in my inbox. I later find it (usually when I’m filing) and can cross off a couple of items, but nowhere near enough to call it complete. This gives me a sense of failure, because I cannot complete the list, it frustrates me and causes me to feel unnecessary stress. So my solution to that problem was the “long term” and “short term” goals list. That is where I write down the things I want to get done, but they are not pressing at the present time. The other solution to the problem is to make much smaller To Do lists. The To Do list is for stuff I need to get done TODAY only and stuff that I know I can actually accomplish in one day. This way I can check them all off, complete them all in one day and not feel overwhelmed. Looking at a much shorter list in the morning gives me confidence that I can actually complete it and it also gives me ambition to get started on it.

That’s another thing…. It’s much easier to accomplish a lot of things in a day if you start with the first thing. If I grab my list and go over it while sipping my tea first thing in the morning, I find myself accomplishing most of my list before the kids even get home from school!

If you want to print a copy of the list shown above for your personal use, feel free to print it from my Flickr photos.

Fall… Winter… Holidays… Already??

As I stood outside today, waiting for the bus to pick up my Kindergartner, I looked up on the hill behind my house and realized that the entire mountainside has changed. Fall is here! I can’t deny it any longer, FALL IS HERE!

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Fall, but it never lasts long enough here in Idaho. Before we know it, there will be snow on the ground and it will be freezing.

So I always enter Fall with a little apprehension, but the time has come, Fall is in full swing and it’s time to embrace it!

With that said…. The Holiday Season is quickly approaching and I am working on some really awesome stuff for you guys!

The past 3 weeks, I have been working hard to get some new things ready for your Holiday Gift Giving season and I am pleased to say that I have another eBook pattern that will release later this week. I also have some new items that I will be listing in my Etsy Store that will be perfect for gift giving and I am trying to narrow down a couple Create-a-Long projects that I can post here on my blog.

So, as I hurry through my never ending To-Do list trying to get lots of things ready the holidays, I am open for ideas and suggestion on what you would like to see from AbbyChase  this holiday season. Do you want more eBook patterns, so you can make things yourself? Or would you rather I make some things that are ready-to-ship for the holidays?

With all this talk about holidays and giving, it puts me in the mood to give:)

So leave me a comment and tell me what you want to see from AbbyChase this holiday season and I will pick one random comment to receive my newest eBook pattern FREE!

The secret is out………….

As promised……… The latest eBook pattern in the AbbyChase line is finished!

 

Ok, so it’s not actually available yet, but it’s ready for testing. I am looking for one or two more testers at this point. Just leave me a comment if you want to test it:)

I need it tested this week and tester spots go quick, so sign up fast!

 

Thanks,

Mandy

User Reviews….

I had the pleasure of reading a user review of my Incognito Wallet eBook

on the Above All Fabric blog. Ashlee from Tweet Baby Designs had so many nice things to say about the pattern. I was actually blushing a little;)

If you were wondering whether to buy the Incognito Wallet eBook, be sure to stop over and check it out. There are some great photos of the wallet she created too!

 

And if you are looking to make a bag to match, check out this one.

 

Oh, and before I go…. I have a little secret to tell you.

I can’t say a lot, but I have another eBook almost finished. I hope to have it finished this weekend. So keep your eyes peeled. I will be looking for one or two more testers.

Great news for mommies and photographers!

The kids are back in school now, which leaves me some free time to blog and get some loose ends tied up. I have been working on some new patterns and eBooks, but with the kids all running around, I never found enough minutes in the day to finish them up.

Now with all this time on my hands, I have managed to finish up the eBook I was working on over the summer and get another one started!

It all started with me…. I needed a new bag that was cute and resembled my style, so I started working on a new camera bag for me. One that would have pockets inside and a padded divider for my lenses. I loved it and used it all the time. Then I had a request for a diaper bag just like my camera bag. So I made another bag like mine in a cutesy baby print for the new mommy to be. After that, I have had several requests for more diaper bags.

So this brings me to my latest eBook:) I know there are many many mommies and photographers out there who can sew and would rather make their own, so I created the new Camera/Diaper Bag eBook. The testers loved it and it is now available in my etsy shop!

Wait, it gets better…

For a short time, I am offering it at a super introductory price. So all you DIYers get over there and get your copy.  You could even make it to match your Incognito Wallet!

Well, it’s off to getting things finished up for me. Hope your day is sew great!