holiday goodies under $25*

i was going to create a new post all about the gifties you can have from rosita, but realized, hey! i've done that already. so, maybe you haven't read it before, or maybe you need a refresher. here ya go:

*with the exception of custom canvases, all gifts are $25 or less. how awesome is that?!

some people start shopping for holiday gifts in july, some people wait until dec 24th. whatever people you are, check out some of these goodies, that are sure to brighten anyone's (holi)day! the best part is, you get custom fun without breaking the bank!

i always say, let's bring back the written word! ok, i don't always say that, but maybe i'll start. because, everyone loves finding something fun amidst the junk mail, so why not stuff some stockings with some fun notecards? personalized. thank you. an assortment. your choice.

have kiddos? then, i'm sure grandma and grandpa would LOVE this personalized desk calendar full of pictures of the little ones. no kids? i'm betting the hubs would love gazing at you instead of staring at that spreadsheet!

if photos are too personal, but there's someone on your list who realllly needs a calendar, i've got ya covered.

how about a little art to fill some wall space? dream up an idea, and i'll put it to canvas. or, have a favorite saying framed for a wall. personally, the crosses are my favorite (prolly the NM roots talkin'). or, there's always the ever-popular hand cut name framed up to match a room or nursery. (rosita updated her site so you can see all the workshop's goods)

if you're looking for more stockin' stuffers, magnetic clothespins are super cute and perfect for hanging fun things in lockers, or on the fridge. (a picture of robert pattinson, por ejemplo...)

and, every girl's crazy for a little hair bling.

many of these items are sittin' on my shelf waiting for the perfect home, or we can do a custom order. to receive gifties in time for the holidays, you gotta place that order before december 15th.

gift wrapping (with gift tag) is available on all items for an additional $2.

in case you were wondering, there are less than 30 days until christmas! yikes!! oh, yeah - and order your holiday cards! (do i sound like your mother? eat your vegetables!)

good clean fun (favor tutorial)

as promised, i'm back to show you how to make your own personalized hand sanitizer favors/gifts. 

what you need:
hand sanitizer (i found 3-packs at the dollar tree)
your labels (printed on label or sticker paper)
paper cutter/scissors
glassine bag (or tissue paper)
ribbon/twine/yarn/twist tie

gather your gear | cut your labels down to size | peel off the old labels | 
stick on your new labels | wrap 'em up with a pretty bow | and, give 'em away

see how easy that was? now you can go make your own!

initially (a tutorial)

wanna do the easiest tutorial ever? like seriously, easiest ever? that's the spirit! let's get started.

letters, initials, words, words, words are all the rage these days, and i've got my fair share adorning the casita. frankly, when i walk by the letter aisle at the joann's, michaels, hobby lobby persuasion, i'm hard pressed to resist dumping a few in the basket.

so, next time you're at one of the ol' crafter supply shops, don't resist the urge. pick up one or forty letters.

bring those bad boys home, and give them some color. if it isn't obv by now, black is my signature culuh. (my culuhs are blush and bashful).

then, find something around the casita with a sweet design you can use as a stencil. like, oh, i don't know, the mat from the front door. what? there's inspiration everywhere, i tell ya!

then, give those bad boys another shot of color. silver? my otha signature culuh.

and, they's done! let 'em dry, then hang 'em. or, prop 'em on a shelf or desk. or string 'em from twine over the beddy bye. you decide.

see how easy that was? hardest part is waitin' for 'em to dry. and, aren't they just the cutest things you ever done seen? mmhmm. thought so. of course, i could do it for ya, if you need me to.

and, i've since used that doormat on numerous other projects. poor thing's so confused as to its lot in life.

what y'all been workin' on? got any cool tutorials for moi?

holiday gifts and goodies under $25*

*with the exception of custom canvases, all gifts are $25 or less. how awesome is that?!

some people start shopping for holiday gifts in july, some people wait until dec 24th. whatever people you are, check out some of these goodies, that are sure to brighten anyone's (holi)day! the best part is, you get custom fun without breaking the bank!

i always say, let's bring back the written word! ok, i don't always say that, but maybe i'll start. because, everyone loves finding something fun amidst the junk mail, so why not stuff some stockings with some fun notecards? personalized. thank you. an assortment. your choice.

have kiddos? then, i'm sure grandma and grandpa would LOVE this personalized desk calendar full of pictures of the little ones. no kids? i'm betting the hubs would love gazing at you instead of staring at that spreadsheet!

if photos are too personal, but there's someone on your list who realllly needs a calendar, i've got ya covered.

how about a little art to fill some wall space? dream up an idea, and i'll put it to canvas. or, have a favorite saying framed for a wall. personally, the crosses are my favorite (prolly the NM roots talkin'). or, there's always the ever-popular hand cut name framed up to match a room or nursery. (rosita updated her site so you can see all the workshop's goods)

if you're looking for more stockin' stuffers, magnetic clothespins are super cute and perfect for hanging fun things in lockers, or on the fridge. (a picture of robert pattinson, por ejemplo...)

and, every girl's crazy for a little hair bling.

many of these items are sittin' on my shelf waiting for the perfect home, or we can do a custom order. to receive gifties in time for the holidays, you gotta place that order before december 15th.

gift wrapping (with gift tag) is available on all items for an additional $2.

in case you were wondering, there are less than 60 days until christmas! yikes!! oh, yeah - and order your holiday cards! (do i sound like your mother? eat your vegetables!)

Easiest Salsa...Ever

when you're from new mexico, you always have 3 things in the house - green chile (from hatch, duh), jalapeños (the hotta, the betta), and salsa (no, pace is NOT salsa). so, as i was whipping blending up the latest batch of salsa, i thought you, my 3 readers, might want the recipe. yes, yes?

it's the easiest thing you'll ever make. promise.

first, grab the goods (diced toms, jalapeños, garlic salt)

dump it all in the blendy

give it a whirl (chunkalicious) or two (saucalicious)

QA time - give 'er a taste and tinker with the salt and jalapeño ratio, if you gotta (try not to eat the whole batch straight from the blendy)

i know you'll be keepin' it all to yourself, but here's an idea for ya! toss it into a mason jar, slap a cutesie tag on it and give it away to yer friends.

EL RECIPE-O:

EASIEST (and most deelish) SALSA EVER
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (or 1 can diced toms and 1 can rotel)
1/4 - 1/2 cup jarred jalapeños or 1 fresh jalapeño
1 - 2 Tbsp garlic salt
toss it all in the blender and mix to your favorite consistency.

now, you may be thinking, where are the onions? (barf) or i need me some cilantro in my salsa. (double barf) well, i don't like either of those things, so they got no bizness in my salsa. but, hey, you like onions and cilantro, g'head, toss them in, too.

if you wanna make a mean salsa verde, just substitute the diced toms with a few tomatillos. (dehusk those bad boys before tossing them in tho; maybe give 'em a rough chop, too.)

after you make your batch, come tell me all about it. how'd it taste? what'd ya substitute? give me all the deets.

You Dig?

for vali day, my sister ordered (me to make) cards to go with the trinkets she gave out at sweet p's play date that day. the bag of goodies was stuffed with healthy snacks and a shovel...hence i dig you. isn't that the cutest? i know love day was weeks (months!) ago, but i wanted to share the cuteness.

and, to tell you - i dig you!

Gifts for Every Occasion

in honor of baby sister's birthday today, this post is full of gift-y things you can order from rosita designs. and, they work for every occasion - birthday, mother's day, wedding, just because. you get the idea.

pretty much, if you have something to celebrate, we can work together to create an invite and maybe decorations, and then i can whip up a gift for you to give. (insert smiley-face here) if you are interested in ordering something, email me. some items are in stock (hair flowers, cards, canvases). and, you know, i'm all about the custom.

for the new babies or kiddos birthdays

for the fashionistas

for the writers on your list

good for everyone

and, promise, these items will be added to the website soon.

Canvas the Area

back when i had my open house, i dappled in some mixed media art on canvas. i had some out for sale, and a few sold, but what i really hoped would happen, did - custom orders. and, now it's a common item shipped out of the workshop. i've made them for wedding, birthday and just-for-me gifts, baby rooms, dining rooms.

i LUUUUUV these. LUV. it's pure get-yer-hands-dirty, handmade goodness. and, i can live for days on the high i get when i deliver one, they open it, their eyes light up, and they say I LUV IT! buuuut, the process is super nerve-wracking for me. (cuz i'm a nutjob.) ask mr. man. poor guy's constantly called to the workshop to talk me off the ledge and have (one-sided) conversations like this:

'do you think this should go here, or here? i'm really nervous they'll hate it. it's going on a wall in their house. they trust me to do something they're going to like. does it look like a third grader made it? what if they hate it. they're going to hate it.'

my sweet cousin LOVES horses and barrel racing, so her mama ordered this to match her lime green and zebra print room. (note to self: work zebra print into decor somehow)

this order was for mother's day. a sweet quote mixed with the colors of mama's house.

a bare dining room wall, a list of favorite lyrics and a cool idea led to this triptych. (that's for carrie.) talk about nervous nelly. i mean, it's going on their dining room wall! everyone who comes to their house will see it! a few deets: the door to the house is a map of ohio, where mama's from; mama, daddy, and 3 kiddos = 5 birds in the tree; 3 windows for 3 kiddos.

 

she collects hearts, and she's crazy creative, so she ordered some artwork for her craft room. only criteria: use reds and lots of hearts. success? we'll let her weigh in...

i used their invitation and maps to tie the couple's love of travel into this 'lovebird' wedding gift.

still with me? the possibilities are endless, really. i'll make one for you - order up! don't worry, i'll add them to the website soon - that project is underway.

Holiday Sweetness

I know this is isn't a cooking blog, and I leave that stuff up to my sister, but as I was whipping these up for a cookie exchange recently, I thought of you. And, how you might need the perfect gift for friends who stop by during the holidays. Plus, this recipe is super delicious (and, super easy), and it's sad that I only make it once a year.

Making holiday candy and cookies is another tradition in my family. One of the things I remember most about the holidays are all of my mom's Christmas tins overflowing with all sorts of holiday goodness. Chex mix (trash, in my family), butterscotch haystacks, divinity, and of course, this toffee.

The Toffee's cast: 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp karo syrup, 2 Tbsp water, 1 cup chocolate chips, 2 cups whole nuts, 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans work, I used walnuts)

Bring the butter, sugar, water & Karo to a boil and cook about 7-8 minutes. If you want to use a thermometer, you want the mixture to be at 290 degrees. If you don't want to use a thermometer, we've decided that if you start a timer for 7 1/2 minutes as soon as the mixture starts to boil, you're pretty much perfect. Just make sure the mixture is brownish, and not butter colored.

Remove from heat and stir in nuts. (See how the mixture is more "caramel" colored?)

Spread the toffee onto a cookie sheet with the back of a wooden spoon, and pour your chips over the mixture.

Let them sit for 2 minutes and then spread them over the toffee with the back of a knife. (Little bit of trivia: chocolate chips don't lose their shape when they are heated!)

You can top the toffee with chopped nuts, or leave as is. Sometimes a little time in the freezer helps before you break them apart.

For the perfect little gift, break your toffee apart, put a few pieces in a cute bag, and tie it with a festive holiday tag for all your nearest and dearest friends. (There's the design piece, right?! Gift Tag!)

Or, throw some wax paper in one of your Christmas tins, and keep them for yourself to enjoy over the holidays as an anytime snack.

Hugs & Happy Holidays to you all!

Recently

Some days I feel like I don't get much done, and then I stress out, and worry that I'm not blogging enough, marketing enough, doing enough. So, as I was looking through pictures to edit for the website, I realized I have actually gotten quite a bit done in the workshop recently.

In fact, I think I've designed something for almost any event or happening there is, and I know you'd love to see them, right?

There have been weddings

babies born (great idea here: they used the white space on the back to have the announcement double as a thank you note)

new addresses to announce

kiddo parties

adult parties (kiddos can't have all the fun!)

new mommies (great way to keep your identity when you become a mom)

new business ventures

and gifts to give

Phew! Next time I'm feeling less than productive, I'll just head back here to feel better about myself!

The holidays are coming up - time to start thinking about your parties and cards. And, gifts. If you're looking for something custom, one-of-a-kind, let's have a little chat.