Bucket Hats!

Back from Vacation and can't wait to get back to work!

Just before leaving I finished this little blue toddler bucket hat.

I will be posting these in my Etsy soon!

I love these hats. Perfect for the Arizona sun.

My son doesn't like to wear hats but he LOVES these.

Here is my son sporting his cool new hats.

I also have 3 more cutesy little applique onsies in the works! Oh my goodness, I can't wait!

CC on Jaime's Precious Peas: Review and Giveaway!

Y'all gotta go check out Jamie's Precious Peas blog! It is a great blog with reviews about children and women's products and services. There have been some great reveiws and even greater GIVEAWAYS! (as in free stuff, yippee!)

I was lucky enough that she stumbled upon my designs on Etsy.

She has just posted a review and giveaway for Cantaloupe Corner. I am so happy that she loves my designs. It makes me smile to know that other people love the same things that I love! Thanks Jamie's Precious Peas!

So Lovely , Jacaranda Designs

This beautiful Antique style necklace could be yours!! It is being given away by Jacaranda Designs. Go see her Giveaway HERE.





Also, I had to show off these beautiful Earrings. There are so many things in this shop that are just beautiful! I could see myself wearing all of it! These were one of my very favorites.
Sweet Pea Cream Pearl Vintage Style Earrings

She is also a member of the Busy Mom's of Etsy. Beautiful Jewelry Jacaranda Designs!

Featured Seller: Me! Cantaloupe Corner

Today and Tomorrow are Cantaloupe Corner's days of the Busy mom's team "Marketing Blitz".

My shop is still so new and I know that some of you would like to know a little bit about me, Jenifer, the face behind Cantaloupe Corner.

Tell me a bit about your mommy life: I am the proud mommy of 2 sweet boys. One just turned 3 and the other is 9 months old. We live in Mesa, Arizona, aka “the valley of the sun”. I spend my days picking up matchbox cars and choo choo trains and cleaning up dirty socks and spilled applesauce. I sing the Thomas the Train song and the ABC song at least 10 times a day and I can’t get enough of it! During naps and after bedtime I work on my Etsy crafts. I really enjoy taking my boys on little adventures. We go to the zoo, the library, many different parks, the mall, or just on a walk down main street. I’m so glad I get to stay home with my boys. I wouldn’t trade it for anything! As for me, I am a crazy crafter, I will find one hobby, stick to it for about a month and then completely switch hobbies. This year I’ve done a little cake decorating, a little photography, some polymer clay jewelry, a bit of quilting and sewing, home decorating, painting, gardening, etc. You get the idea. I just want to know how to do everything!

Tell me a bit about your shop and your creations: I design shirts for little ones and thier moms. I do dye remover stencils and appliques. I make my own designs and hand cut each stencil (seriously). I started making my stenciled shirts about 2 years ago. I started making shirts for my boys and then for my friends and family’s children. Then it hit me, “maybe other people would love these shirts as much as I do!” So, I started my Etsy shop so that other people could enjoy them too. I just added appliqués to my shop and I am having so much fun coming up with new designs. So FUN!

Any time saving tips for juggling a business and motherhood? I take advantage of every second of the day. If I find five extra minutes I’ll quickly take care of something that needs to be done. I also do as much as I can while my kids are asleep.

Fun Stuff:
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? I can’t resist a hot cup of cocoa with mini marshmallows in the winter, in the summertime I opt for herb tea, strawberry is my fave!
I am addicted to…. Besides etsy? I’m addicted to brownies! I am a hopeless chocoholic. I also am addicted to “projects”. I always have to be busy doing something.
If you could have one super power…. I would read minds. Just think of the possibilities!
If I were to catch you grooving it would be to… Depending on the day of the week it would be Jack Johnson, Mae, or some other laid back “chillin’” music, or almost anything on the classic rock station (Led Zepplin, and Heart are my faves). When I’m with my kids we jam to silly songs about trains (check out “Choo Choo Soul”, it’s great).

Drum Roll Please. . . And the Winner is. . .

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Cherry Blossom Shirt Giveaway! There were just about 100 entries! We wrote out all of the entries, put them in a jar and mixed them till we were dizzy. My son picked the winner this morning.

Now without further ado. . . The winner is. . .

ERICA!

Erica said: "I love so many of your designs, so it's hard to pick just one. I think the Fleur de Lis and the Future Rocket Scientist are my favorites....oh, and the swirly cupcake onesie!"


Congrats Erica! You are the proud new owner of a Cantaloupe Corner original!

For everyone else, I will be doing more giveaways in the future so keep checking back! Thanks for making my first giveaway a success!

Featured Seller: Sassy Stampin Divas

Check out their sassy studio here.

Tell me a bit about your mommy life:I am 32 years old, married to Eddie (an electrician) and we have one child, 4 year old Alexis, who will be starting school next year. I am a stay at home mom so I love spending my days with my daughter. I am fortunate that my mother and father live very close by, so Alexis gets to spend a lot of time with her Mamaw and Papaw. I spend a lot of time on the computer during the day designing and networking. Of course I have to stop several times to keep my eye on Alexis and fix lunches and of course to have playtime. Our design studio is in my mom’s house so we work on our designs and Alexis still gets a lot of attention from us throughout the day. It takes a lot of team work to try to run a business and raise a child.

Tell me a bit about your shop and your creations: My mom and I started our Etsy shop in January called Sassy Stampin Divas. Even though we have only been on Etsy a few months we have actually been in business for about a year and a half. Prior to starting our Etsy shop we began our website http://www.sassystampindivas.com/
The Sassy Stampin Divas specializes in designing digital scrapbook pages and photo birth announcements. Together my mom and me were creating a personal digital scrapbook page and found that we seemed to have a knack for digital scrapbooking. With our new found hobby I thought, hey I think we can make a business out of this. So from there our scrapbook service business was started for those of you that would like to have a scrapbook but don’t have the time to create one for yourself. As our business ideas progressed we decided to expand into creating photo birth announcements. We feel that Etsy is a great way to reach out and find new exciting customers for our business, so that is when we launched our Etsy shop.

Fun Stuff:

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? teaI am addicted to….chocolate

If you could have one super power….I would want to be invisible.

If I were to catch you grooving it would be to…Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah”

Last Day to Join the Giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter my Cherry Blossom Shirt Giveaway! Click here and put your name in! http://cantaloupecorner.blogspot.com/2009/06/cherry-blossom-shirt-giveaway.html

Featured Seller: Nilma Hunter Creations

Come see Nilma Hunter Creation on Etsy HERE.

Tell me a bit about your mommy life:I am a home schooling mom of a 15 year old girl (9th gr). On July 2008 I quit my 12 year job to focus on my teenager. It has been the best decision; I never thought it would be so easy to adapt to a full time mom position. Now my daughter is creating her own jewelry pieces and she helps me at craft shows (for a small fee of course). She is also very helpful around the house and I love her very much. I feel so blessed to have a supportive husband. I am supportive towards his surfing as he is supportive of my endeavors. I guess is an exchange.




Tell me a bit about your shop and your creations:Lately I haven’t had much time for my shop; I’ve been so busy creating and finishing my daughters school year paperwork that I am lucky if I can renew some items. Soon summer break starts and my daughter will be busy with her daily summer acting program, thus, leaving me free to work on the shop and chat on the forums. I can’t wait!Each time I sit at my work bench, my mind tickles with new creations. I love working with a variety of materials and creating pieces that reflect the Hawaiian life style. The challenge of custom orders are exciting.



Any time saving tips for juggling a business and motherhood?Lol, Go to sleep with the chickens and wake up with them. I go to bed at 8:30pm and wake up at 4:45am. In the morning I can get a lot done while my daughter is still a sleep. `

Fun Stuff:

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? Coffee in the morning, tea before bed and hot chocolate when it’s cold (never in Hawaii)

I am addicted to. . . Jesus and craft shows.

If you could have one super power….I would be with my mom, dad, my husband and daughter every day. My mom and dad live in Brazil.

If I were to catch you grooving it would be to…Worship music

Featured Seller: Chicken Tattoo

Our next featured shop carries just the sort of things I love: clothes for little babies and toddlers! She has some cute appliqued onesies, custom sewn outfits, personalized items, and more! Come see her shop here!



Tell me a bit about your mommy life: My mommy life is amazing! Peyton is 10 months old and doing something new and exciting every day. During the day I work full time for an architect and then rush home to see Peyton at night. She’s an amazing little girl who always keeps me happy and laughing. Motherhood is truly awesome!

Tell me a bit about your shop and your creations: My shop kind of started on it’s own. I would go to sleep at night and find myself thinking of all the stuff I still had to do around the house, had to do at work the next day, etc. Next thing I know I would have wasted precious sleeping time thinking. So I needed a hobby that could help gear my brain down at night so I could fall asleep. Sewing does just that for me. Peyton goes down for the night and that’s when the crafting begins. It’s quickly become somewhat of an obsession for me and at times the housework slips because I just have to finish what I’m working on! ChickenTattoo is a conglomeration of mine & my sister’s creativity and it’s inventory is ever-changing.

Any time saving tips for juggling a business and motherhood? Is this even possible?! I have found that maximizing my time at work has helped at home. At times, I’ll even cut out patterns on my desk while on lunch break - talk about obsession!

Fun Stuff:

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? Coffee first thing in the morning followed by sweet tea the rest of the day.

I am addicted to…. Family vacations! My husband, dog & I traveled often before Peyton was born - to the mountains and the beaches (a luxury of living within 4 hours of each). Now that Peyton’s been added to the mix nothing’s changed except the amount of luggage we have - a drastic change!

If you could have one super power…. To be able to pick the lottery numbers! I’d love to be a stay-at-home mom with Peyton and her future siblings!

If I were to catch you grooving it would be to…Keith Urban. I have an unhealthy obsession for that man and his music. Admitting it is the first step to recovery, right? ;)

I'm in love with appliques *sigh*

I have always wanted to do those cutesie little applique shirts and onesies that sell for a million dollars on the internet and in little boutiques. They are darling!



It is time to add a new, exciting, element to Cantaloupe Corner. And since I vowed that I would keep my shop lead free (which basically means No paint or dye) I decided on appliques!



I've been sewing most of my life so it was the obvious choice :)


Here are my first ones I posted in my shop. Printed appliques! No paint or ink involved here. The designs show up where I have removed the color from the fabric!

I still giggle everytime I finish one of these. It's like MAGIC!


Tea Party Onesie


Dino Onesie

I love this one. It is a cupcake done on cute pink Amy Butler Fabric. Almost sweet enough to eat!

Floral Swirly Cupcake Onesie

I also added some traditional style appliques with Cantaloupe Corner Flair!

Pirate Ship Onesie

Mod Dot Flowers Onesie
(my new fave!)

I LOVE black and white prints.

The best part about all this is that now I have a new medium for my art!!

I have a new one started already that will be posted this next week. It is fun and colorful!

I think I am in love!

Come see them in my shop here!

Thank you FFF's (friends, fans, and followers)

Whippy Cake Sweetness

If you haven't heard of Whippy Cake you really need to check it out! She is doing a giveaway full of sweetness! Here are the treasures up for grabs:



-Whippy Cake Charm & Earrings of your choice
-Wipey Case
-Flip Flops in your choice of color & size
-Twilight pendant or Bracelet
-Bib & Burpie Set {Girl}
-Rag Doll
-Thumbkin
-$25 Whippy Cake Credit
-50% off 1 Item

And here is her Etsy Shop full of great items for babies and mommies!

Featured Seller: Wovenstones

Check out Wovenstones' shop here

.
Tell me a bit about your mommy life:I have one son who is now 15. I have always been a stay at home mom and in the last 5 years I have been a stay at home homeschooling mom. After our first year I realized that my son didn’t need me hanging over his shoulder when he did his schoolwork that I had better find something to busy myself with while I stayed near to help him when he needed it. Voila, jewelry making came into my life! A homeschooling mom in my support group was seedbeading, she taught me what she knew, I was hooked and it has just taken off from there.

So I make jewelry, sketch new designs anytime I can, and plan projects around my son’s activity and homework schedule. You can often see me at the park when we meet with our support group making some jewelry item while I chat with the other moms. Now that I have a creative outlet, my house is not any cleaner than it was before but I am a happier mom!

Tell me a bit about your shop and your creations:If I had to describe my work with one word it would be weaving. Not just weaving wire as with the Viking Knit or weaving with seedbeads but weaving multiple techniques in with each other. I have just scratched the surface with this and am always looking for new ways to bring multiple elements together to create something that is one of a kind. Sometimes I think my shop looks like a mishmash because there are so many different techniques mixed up together but that’s really what I do – I try to mix it all up to create something new.My first love is seed beading but here in the south it’s just not so popular. So I keep working on it as art – because I truly think it is art – adding new pieces here and there, but I went into wire wrapping for its sculptural aspects, its versatility and its popularity.We are still building our shop, learning better methods for the photography, and marketing. We really enjoy the response and feedback we get on Etsy, from shoppers and other shop owners.

Any time saving tips for juggling a business and motherhood?I am not very good at the juggling but I would say if I have learned anything, for me it works to break projects down into smaller parts so that I can make progress on them as I go through the day and the week. I also keep several notebooks and sketchpads around the house and with me when I am out so that I can jot down notes of projects and drawings so that I don’t have to try to remember everything in my head. I also set goals for myself, especially if I have a show coming up or a showcase on Etsy. I write down what projects I want to complete and put it on the refrigerator so I that I can plan and execute my next step. And because the whole point of my business is to express my creativity, I always try to set aside time to just experiment with a new idea or technique – that’s where the fun is!

Fun Stuff:

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? Coffee, coffee, COFFEE!! Only if it is fresh, drip brewed espresso or French roast. Gosh we love good coffee at our house!

I am addicted to….Really good French roast coffee, Rice crackers, silver, beads, movies, dogs, and politics, not necessarily in that order.

If you could have one super power…. Oh, man, that’s easy! It would be the ability to stay up 24/7, never needing sleep. I would get so much done that way and truly be a super mom!

If I were to catch you grooving it would be to…I assume this means music. Currently its Donovan because that’s the CD I got for Mother’s Day but my staples are Bonnie Raitt, The Dixie Chicks, The Manhattan Transfer, Leslie Feist, Nickel Creek, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and the B-52’s

Featured Seller: Ozark Scents Candle Co.

Be sure to check out this busy mom's shop here.

Tell me a bit about your mommy life: Hi all! My name is Amy. I am a mommy to 4 little girls ages 13, 7, 3, 2 yrs old. My mommy life gets very hectic because my 13 and 7 year olds are very active in school and sports and then my 3 and 2 yr old just keep me busy like all 2 and 3 yr olds do! J We always seem to have something going on between cheerleading, softball, soccer, and piano lessons. I love the summer times because other than a month or so of softball, we basically get to relax and just spend some quality time together as a family, it's nice! This year for the first time in forever I will only have one child home with me all day as my 3 yr old will be going to preschool! I don't know what our 2 yr old is going to do with herself! She is going to terribly miss her sister. Overall, I have completely enjoyed Motherhood and all it's ups and downs and I feel like it is my biggest accomplishment and I am so proud of our girls

Tell me a bit about your shop and your creations: My shop is called Ozark Scents candles and I opened shop in November 2008. I really started actively selling in January 2009 though. I love making things, always have. I have always been a "crafty" type of person and I love trying new things. I started making candles with my Grandmother and I absolutely fell in love with creating them! I have made all types of candles from paraffin to soy to beeswax and I love them all. My favorite to make and in my opinion the best to burn are soy blend but each wax has it's own great qualities and benefits. I guess that is why I like the blend because it combines all those great qualities into one candle! Soap is where I really get creative, I take a soap base and add what I want to it. There is so much you can do with soap and I love handmade soap, once you use it you will not go back to store bought soap again!

Any time saving tips for juggling a business and motherhood? If there are any tips can someone please let me know! My biggest help by far is my supportive husband. He helps with the kids, does housework and cooks dinner if I have to work. For the most part I try to do all my work for my shop while my kids are sleeping or busy playing together or something. Also, lots of coffee and little sleep!

Fun Stuff:
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? Coffee
I am addicted to….coffee, internet, That 70's Show LOL
If you could have one super power….invisibility, wouldn't it be nice to be invisible sometimes!
If I were to catch you grooving it would be to…anything from the 60's…Zeppelin, CCR, Beatles and 90's bands like STP, GNR, Nirvana. I am a music lover however so I like a little bit of everything. I also listen to kids bop cds a lot! LOL

Cherry Blossom Shirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

So EXCITING!! I am doing Cantaloupe Corner's first GIVEAWAY!!!
That's right.: GIVEAWAY!

I want to thank all of my friends, fans, and followers (MY FFF's) for loving Cantaloupe Corner enough to check out my blog and give me some feedback on what YOU want!





So here it goes. . .



I'm giving away this beautiful "Cherry Blossom" shirt in your choice of color: Red (as shown), Pink, or Black. (comes in XS, S, M, L and XL)


(I don't have picture of finished pink or black shirts but here are the DownEast Basic shirts that I use in pink and black. )

Because of the process I use, the design will be cream colored on the black shirt and white on the pink shirt.

Now, how do you put your name in the pot?


All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post with your favorite item from Cantaloupe Corner! That's it! And you don't get extra credit for saying the cherry blossom shirt is your fave :) sorry.

Earn an extra entry by:

1. Posting this giveaway on your own blog
2. Posting it on twitter! (Let me know where it's posted!)
3. Making a purchase in my Etsy shop.
4. Follow my blog!



This contest ends at 12:59pm (Arizona Time) on Wednesday June 17th. Winner will be RANDOMLY chosen on Thursday June 18th. Good Luck Everyone!


THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to all my FFF's!