BellaBrina Boutique

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

2010-12-09T07:05:00.002-05:00

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
I wish that we all are happy and healthy. I would also like to have us all together.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?
We open one present on Christmas eve and it is PJ's for the kids to wear on Christmas Eve.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
A French Villa! lol

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
Baking cookies, watching movies, hot cocoa with the kids.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
Pac-man, Donkey Kong, Q-bert!
6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
Making pizzelles.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?
Disney

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
Zumba Wii, Glee wii, Epic Mickey Wii

The first episode is up!

2010-03-17T12:50:00.001-04:00

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Check out the first episode of the DIY Dish! While you are there please enter their wonderful giveaways.

Our New Baby Boy!

2010-03-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

Our third child was born on 2/16/10, a Mardi Gras baby! We have been dealing with the ups and downs of having a newborn in the house again. Our two little girls have been very loving so far with their baby brother, we are so proud of them! Here is a picture of our newest addition!

2010-01-05T16:31:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all it isn't too early to start thinking of Valentine's Day and what cute things you can make for your little loved ones!

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New Winner

2009-12-30T14:14:00.002-05:00

Ok we have a new winner for the YCMT ebook. It is Vince, please contact me with your email within 48 hours. Thank you to all who entered.

Christmas Dolls

2009-12-29T13:49:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture of the 3 dolls that I made for Christmas. They were made to look like my two daughters and my niece. The girls loved playing with them on Christmas morning and it was well worth the time to make them to see the three smiling faces!

New winner of YCMT ebook

2009-12-27T15:03:00.002-05:00

We only had one winner of the ebook from YCMT contact me sooooo.... Tatjana is our new winner of the Believe pillow ebook from YCMT! You have 48 hours to contact me with your email address or another winner will be chosen. Congratulations!

2009-12-22T07:09:00.003-05:00

Ok everyone here are the two winners for the Believe Pillow ebook from YCMT:

Debra.pp
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:6
Timestamp: 2009-12-22 12:09:34 UTC

and
Cindy
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:1
Timestamp: 2009-12-22 12:11:20 UTC

Cindy has been emailed and Debra has 48 hours to email me or another winner will be chosen. They will receive their ebook soon!
Thank you to all who entered!

2009-12-21T08:59:00.001-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

2009-12-21T08:25:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Gifts

2009-12-16T15:48:00.002-05:00

So this year I've decided to make Handmade dollies for my two girls and their cousin. They are 5, 4, and 3. I thought that this would be a cute idea and that they could always have something made by their Mommy / Auntie. I'm going to use the Kimberbell Kids doll pattern from YCMT and make matching outfits for the dolls as well. Today I cut out all 3 of the dolls bodies and a couple outfits. They even came with a pattern for panties! I'll post pictures when I'm done so you all can see how cute they (hopefully) turned out. Have you made anything for Christmas this year?

Great Holiday Giveaway from YCMT

2009-12-15T14:01:00.008-05:00

There are some great things happening over at You Can Make This this holiday season. Here is a quick peak at what they had to say:

With the holidays just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to showcase some quick and easy gift ideas you can give to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and oh yes…even your family! You can enter to win eBooks from http://www.youcanmakethis.com/ and learn some fun new techniques, tips, and ideas not only for the people on your list, but also creative ways to decorate your home! You Can Make This has created a free download for some fun gift tags. Each of them coordinate with ideas found as part of the DIY Gift Giving Series videos that can be found at www.youcanmakethis.com/blog , as well as designs and patterns found at http://www.swakembroidery.com/ and http://www.youcanmakethis.com/. You can also enter to win hundreds of dollars in gift certificates just for watching the videos that are part of the DIY Gift Giving Series and answering a question on the You Can Make This blog!

The best part about this is that they are allowing me to giveaway two, that's right TWO of the Believe pillow patterns by Kimberbell Kids. Look at how cute this is in the picture above! Wouldn't the pillow make a great gift for someone you love? All you have to do to enter is visit the You Can Make This Blog and then leave me a comment here telling me what your favorite idea was from the DIY Gift Giving Series (mandatory entry). Sound easy? Well it is! Want another entry? Then tell me what you want Santa to bring you for Christmas for your second entry. Boy am I in the Holiday spirit, for a third entry tell me your favorite Holiday Tradition!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry that you complete. You will also need to leave your email if it is not connected to your profile so that I can reach you. Contest ends at noon on Monday December 21, 2009. That will give you a couple of days to make a last Christmas gift! I will choose the winners randomly at that time from all valid entries and email and post their names. The winners will have 48 hours to claim the prize or I will draw another name.

Boy Names!!!

2009-11-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Well we have found out that we are having a little boy for our third child. The girls are so excited to be having a little brother! Our only problem is that we can't think of a great name so we need your help. We would like a unique name that isn't being overly used and one that showcases my husbands Italian heritage. We have come up with Rocco and Enzo but are stuck after that. Help us out and give some suggestions please!!!

Winner!

2009-10-25T08:20:00.002-04:00

I know that you have all been waiting to see who the winner is for the Not-so-scary Halloween giveaway from YCMT...here we go!

True Random Number Service
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:21
Timestamp: 2009-10-25 12:20:00 UTC

That means that the winner is Erica she said... My daughter is going to be pebbles flintstone to match me and my hubby :) Congrats to Erica and a big thank you to all who participated!

Not-so-scary Halloween giveaway!

2009-10-13T19:11:00.003-04:00

Well everyone here is another great giveaway from You can Make this! I was able to review the Fancy Filled Tutu ebook and let me tell you it was great! I have actually used this ebook in the past for my daughter's birthday party. I made tutus for the children to wear and take home for the Fancy Nancy theme party we had! The ebook is easy to follow and has many pictures to guide you through the process. You can Make this is offering a great giveaway that includes all of the following ebooks! Fancy Filled Tutu with Bonus 40 Tutu "Recipes", Pumpkin Polly Appliques, Paper Piecing Project: Pumpkin Patch Pillow, Frayed Applique: Too Cute to Spook!, Little Miss Spider Applique Patterns, How to Applique the Easy Way, Hocus Pocus Patterns, Just a Little Something for a Happy Halloween Table Runner This is a $50 value!

In order to win you need to answer the following questions. You will receive one entry for each question answered, please be sure to leave a separate comment for each response.

1. What are you dressing up for this halloween?

2. What is your favorite all time costume you had for halloween as a child?

3. What are your children dressing up as this year?

4. What is your favorite ebook from You can make this?

5. Become a follower of my blog

Please leave an extra comment for each entry that you complete. You will also need to leave your email so I can reach you if you win the giveaway. Contest ends at noon on Saturday October 24th, 2009. I will choose the winners randomly at that time from all valid entries and email and post their names. The winners will have 48 hours to claim the prize or I will draw another name.

Vote Please!

2009-10-06T15:09:00.002-04:00

Hello all! Please take a moment and head over to http://family.go.com/princess-picture-contest/who-is-the-fairest/pumpkin-for-a-carriage---not-us--20001/ and vote for my girls! We are trying to win a trip to disney. Thank you so much for helping us!

Go Family Fishin’ - Printable Card Game

2009-08-13T08:40:00.003-04:00

Ok so how adorable is this!?!? What a great idea for a family that has small children. This is a great way to help those little ones recognize their family members and match their names to faces. This is even better if you have family that lives far away and are only seen occasionaly. Of course who wouldn't love to have their picture on a set of cards!

The best part about this is that it is located in the What's new section of You can make this which means you can download this and make it today. Go ahead click on the links at my sidebar and try something new today!

Summer Cleaning???

2009-08-04T16:47:00.002-04:00

As I sit here taking a break from cleaning the mess that we call a house I wonder...How did it get like this? Just a few weeks ago we had all the carpet in the house replaced and cleaned out all of the bedrooms and living room. We then had a garage sale to get rid of some of the clutter. It seems like we never did put everything away though. Of course with two small children as you clean the mess continues! My girls love to play dress-up so we have a toybox designated for just dress-up clothes and items, I wonder when they will learn to put the clothes back inside when they are done! So does anyone out there have any good tips for me on how to keep everything tidy after I've cleaned? I would love all the advice you can give! Well....back to the kitchen for more cleaning...UGH!!!

Guess What!!!

2009-07-20T12:48:00.000-04:00

Get your free online pregnancy calendar from WhatToExpect.com

Winners!

2009-05-29T15:02:00.002-04:00

Thank you to all who have posted! Here are the winners of the fabulous ebook from You can make this! Kristy and Rajee! Congatulations to you both, I hope you enjoy your win!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

9
Timestamp: 2009-05-29 19:00:29 UTC

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

7
Timestamp: 2009-05-29 19:02:07 UTC

Giveaway Extension

2009-05-21T16:13:00.001-04:00

I will be extending the deadline for the Personalized Pillow ebook from You can make this to next Friday the 29th. Thank you for your understanding and good luck!

Personalized Name Pillows e-book Giveaway

2009-05-15T12:44:00.008-04:00

Well it is finally here! Our first giveaway! I am so excited to be doing this particular giveaway because I absolutely love to make hand-made items and You can Make This. The nice people at You Can Make This asked me to review the Personalized Name Pillows e-book from Kimberbell Kids. I immediately said yes because I knew that my two little girls would love to have one of their own. This is a great item that looks like a million bucks but costs you very little.

The great thing about ebooks from You Can Make This is that you can easily download your item from a secure website and begin creating tonight. The Personalized Name Pillow book includes the pattern, alphabet upper and lower case cut-outs and easy instructions. What more could you ask for? Pictures? Why yes there are photos that go with each step to give you a better understanding of what you are doing. This ebook is written with the beginner in mind but has the opportunity to showcase the advanced techniques as well. I have made two of these pillows for birthday gifts. The hardest and longest part of the whole process was choosing the fabric! Everything is explained well and all directions can be followed easily. Do you have an embroidery machine? They also have the same ebook at their sister site SWAK embroidery with the alphabet as embroidery files! What a time saver, this author thought of everything!

You may be wondering what is YCMT? Here is a brief description taken from their website:

YouCanMakeThis.com was created by a stay-at-home mom who wanted to provide a place where women could learn how to make items for their homes and families. The site is unique because the eBooks and patterns are written by "everyday" women. The step-by-step format of the eBooks enables even the most craft-challenged person to experience the satisfaction of creating something beautiful.

YouCanMakeThis.com provides easy to follow how-to eBooks on a variety of projects. The eBooks feature detailed step-by-step instructions and photos that walk you through the creative process. Popular categories include clothing creation, quilting, crochet, jewelry, home decor, and more.

In August 2008, YouCanMakeThis.com was awarded outstanding website by iParenting, a premiere Disney media group focused on parents and families.

I love this site so much as well as its sister sites SWAK embroidery and You can quilt this that I have their links on my sidebar. Click on them to check them out and sign up for their newsletters to receive many different types of freebies! While you are there make sure to take a look at the other ebooks offered by Kimberbell Kids.

Would you like to win your own copy of the Personalized Name Pillow that retails for $6.95? Great! I have two copies to give away to blog readers from YCMT. To enter the contest please follow all of the rules below, numbers 1 and 2 are required before any other entries will count.

Tell me who you would make the Personalized Name Pillow for and why.
Go to You can make this (links are on my sidebar) and tell me what other item you would like to try.
Make a purchase during the contest period at YCMT and let me know what you bought.
Become a follower of my blog.
Sign up for their newsletter and receive many free gifts! (I love mine)
Blog about this giveaway with links back to BellaBrina Boutique and YCMT.

Please leave an extra comment for each entry that you complete. You will also need to leave your email so I can reach you if you win the giveaway. Contest ends at noon on Friday May 22, 2009. I will choose the winners randomly at that time from all valid entries and email and post their names. The winners will have 48 hours to claim the prize or I will draw another name.

Free Redbox Code

2009-05-04T16:11:00.001-04:00

Today's free redbox code is BT73H9 Go ahead and rent a movie!

Giveaway!

2009-04-29T12:23:00.002-04:00

We will be hosting our first Giveaway! I will be posting more details soon, so check back often!

The Big Spring Contest at Dad Blogs

2009-04-16T14:40:00.006-04:00

Growing up my family never had a swingset. It was always fun to go to a friends house who actually owned their very own set...I always wished it was me! My father always took us to the park to play and we would have the best times swinging and sliding all day long, but nothing beats that "backyard swingset".

Now that we have two little girls of our own we know the importance of playtime. It is wonderful to have the girls running around the backyard, chasing balls and playing with sidewalk chalk. Both girls love to have their daddy push them on their swings and the squeals of delight that shake the neighborhood are proof! We currently have a swingset that was given to us by our neighbor after their children grew too old for playing with it. It does the job...the girls love to swing and slide regardless of the way it looks or how old it is.

Springtime is wonderful around here because we have been stuck inside the house for all of winter! We love taking walks and of course swinging! Our dog Sophie loves to run outside and be chased by the girls. That is why we would love to win this playset! We would love to have a safe place where the girls can play and we can keep an eye on them. I would love to give my children the things that I couldn't have when I was a child. I could see my girls playing with their cousins on this set. Their birthdays are both in June and this would make such a great birthday present for them! To top it all off a camera to comemorate the occasion! What a great giveaway!

If you would like to win the Three Ring Adventure playset by Kids Creation and a Cannon powershot SD 1100 digital elph camera, head over to Dad Blogs to enter the giveaway!

Good Luck!

Redbox Code for Monday

2009-04-13T13:33:00.001-04:00

Hello all! Here is the redbox code for today...J89LA2 Remember that it can only be used today for a free Redbox rental! Enjoy!!!

Boutique Angels Charity Launch

2009-03-23T16:00:00.010-04:00

It's that time again, the time to help those in need and be an "Angel". As you may or may not know, I am one of the many talented designers of the Boutique Angels.

The designers of the Boutique Angels Charity Organization will be listing on ebay Monday, March 23 through Sunday, March 29. You can click here to be taken to my auction for this event custom Pirate Princess overalls as seen in the picture above.

The amazing thing about the Boutique Angels is that 100% of the proceeds of this auction go to the Children's Tumor Foundation so open your hearts and your wallets. Please search Boutique Angels Charity during the week to find many wonderful auctions.

You can click here to find out more information about the Boutique Angels. Let me know what you like from the auctions!

Free Redbox Code Anyone?

2009-03-16T15:57:00.002-04:00

Have you every tried the Redbox rentals? You know those big RED machines that are popping up everywhere? Well my family just loves to choose movies and at $1.00 a night who could go wrong? As long as you return the movie by the next night you just pay $1.00 per movie per night. We end up getting one "kids" movie that the girls pick out and then one for the "adults" to watch later!

If you haven't tried them out then today is your lucky day! Here is a free code for Monday that expires at midnight 2GR4N8, as long as you return your movie in one day your rental is FREE!!!

Have fun deciding which movie to rent! Let me know what you picked!

2009-03-09T12:29:00.003-04:00

I can't wait to see what they have in store for us!!! Leave a comment and tell me what you think it will be!

2009-03-05T14:11:00.002-05:00

Ok for all of you ladies out there have you heard about SheSpeaks? You may be asking yourself what is SheSpeaks?

"SheSpeaks was created by a woman just like you who wanted to give all women a forum to express their opinions and connect with others.It is now a community of smart and insightful women who come together to share our opinions and see the power of our collective voices in action.SheSpeaks gives you many ways to have a say, including... testing products to inspire the companies who created them, writing your opinions on our blogs and discussion boards, creating your own product reviews, or getting expert advice on a range of topics to keep you in-the-know. And the best part is... we promise to never charge you a penny."

I am a member of this group and boy have I had a number of great things to review! I've had Ore-Ida steam and mash potatoes, Sinupret for Kids, Ghirardelli and even the Food Network! All you need to do is sign up and then they will send you "tests" based upon your evaluation survey. You can then choose to be involved or not...it's up to you!

Go ahead and join what do you have to lose when FREE stuff is involved?

You Can Make This

2009-02-28T10:44:00.005-05:00

Ok, I'm ready to come clean...please don't judge me... I know I have an addiction. My addiction is to the website ....... You can make this. I absolutely LOVE everything that they do. There are so many ideas and great ebooks to help you master the art of sewing, jewelry making, bow making, baking, handbags and the list goes on! Whatever you need you can find on their site! Oh and don't get me started on the 'I made this' section of their site! So many people out there are making such wonderful items for the important people in their lives. Take a look at my slideshow below for some of my successes with patterns from their site.

Please do me a favor and click on one of the links at the right to see how You can make this will change your life! You can receive a $75 FREE (nothing is better than that!) bundle package when you sign up to be on the newsletter list. You will get 1 online YCMT episode on “Making Initial Tees”, as well as 8 ebooks on a variety of subjects- all for free! They also have a 2nd newsletter, all dedicated to the world of sewing. It is called the, “You Can Sew This!” newsletter. Those who subscribe to this will also receive 5 FREE, exclusive projects to download. Their newest newsletter is for the crocheters and knitters out there.

So I ask you, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR????? Get out there and have some fun! Then you can have the same addiction as I do! Let me know what you think.

Oh when the Saints...

2009-02-24T13:38:00.005-05:00

Happy Mardi Gras as the French say or perhaps Fat Tuesday to all you none French speakers! I hope that you have a chance to eat a little King's cake or throw a few beads today. We had a great time celebrating in class today by making masks, wearing green/gold/purple, getting beads and doubloons and of course EATING!!! Don't party too much today but if you do...make sure to have fun! Eat a lot because tomorrow starts the Lenten season!

Baby it's cold outside!

2009-02-22T18:23:00.003-05:00

Nothing warms you up on a cold winter's day than a pot of chili...or maybe soup...or even pizza. Homemade pizza is the ultimate dinner in our house. I love the way it smells when it is cooking and how the aroma just fills up the whole house! Yummy I can't wait for it to be done. Of course I know that when we have pizza in our house it also needs to be bath time as well. My girls seem to get sauce in ever little nook and cranny! (My husband too!) Messy kids are just too cute as long as there is a bucket of water nearby! What is your favorite cold night dinner?

Love Day

2009-02-13T14:14:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to take a quick moment and wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. My girls have been making their cute little hearts and filling out their princess valentines in anticipation of this day. My oldest tells me everyday..."You know what I want to give you for Valentines Day mommy?....Hugs and Kisses" What more could anyone want?

Snow Ball Fight!

2009-02-04T15:34:00.003-05:00

Well today started off snowy...the kind of day that makes you want to stay inside. Unfourtunately that was not an option. Off to work I went with the car skidding all over the place. It took 45 minutes for a 20 minute drive, I'm done with winter.

At work the electricity goes out and we are stuck without power and of course that means HEAT as well! We finally sent the kids home around 11:30. I'm done with winter!

As I sit here and watch the snow pile up 3in...5in...7in... all on top of the 10 + inches that we got last week I think ...I'm done with winter!

It's not that I don't like the snow, it is really beautiful and of course makes everything look fresh and new, I'm just ready to go outside and play with the girls, or just take a walk and not have my lips turn blue. I would love to use the Irish Smoke barbeque pack that I won from Jamie's Precious Peas and have a big party with the grill fired up... I'm done with winter!

They've predicted that it will be 10-18 inches by tonight of fresh snow, great for big fat snow balls and snow families. How do you beat the "stuck inside" blues? Are you done with winter!

Back to the Grind!

2009-01-05T12:35:00.006-05:00

Well today was the first

day back to school for the family. The girls have been enjoying their time off with Daddy and Mommy and had a little trouble getting up this morning. We had a wonderful Christmas with our families so I thought that I would share a couple Holiday photos. The girls are wearing their PJ's that I made for Christmas morning. The patterns are from www.youcanmakethis.com CarlaC's portrait peasant dress/top and SewSensible's Boutique bottoms. I also made the matching dolly nightgowns for their new babies! As you can see I do have a "little stocking stuffer"! You can also see the girls and their cousin at Disney on Ice. They enjoyed themselves thouroughly!

Last Day of School

2008-12-19T15:01:00.005-05:00

Well today started off with a big ice storm wich closed down a bunch of schools in the area. This would have been great except that we had my daughters pre-school Christmas program today. We braved the roads and were of course rewarded with her singing her little heart out! Nothing warms my heart more than to see her little smile beaming and making sure that my husband and I are watching. Her 2 year old sister joined in with the singing from the seats and definately ate too many cookies afterwards!

I finished the teacher craft aprons that I was making for her teachers yesterday, you can see the picture of them here. I can't wait to make some more of these in the crayon version for little kids. You can find the reversible crayon apron pattern at http://www.youcanmakethis.com/ . I also bought some fabric to make matching outfits for my girls christmas presents. The "matching" part will be with their Fancy Nancy dolls that they are going to get. I'll post those when I'm done! We just love Fancy Nancy here! Who wouldn't love that sweet little girl and of course she speaks in French! (great since I'm a French teacher)

Well I'm off to sew, Enjoy your holidays and your families.

Welcome

2008-12-11T13:26:00.004-05:00

Welcome to my first blog entry! I'm really excited to be starting a place where you can see what has been happening in our house. Please enjoy and check back often!