Dec 21, 2011 | By Carly J. Cais
Yes, that’s right – I’ve added TWO new colors to the range of faux furs I stock for my tails and puffs in my Etsy store. (And coming in the New Year…BAGS!!)
So many customers have requested black fur, but I haven’t found a pure black faux fur that is as high-quality as my other furs. What I could find, however, is a fur that has a midnight black fuzzy base, with longer light brown/blond hairs sprinkled throughout. It’s very plush and realistic.
Inspired by Prada’s line of brightly-colored fur accessories, I’ve also stocked a Limited-Edition Crimson fur for the holidays! I only have 1 yard of this, so when it’s gone, it’s gone! It’s of the same style of fur as my White tails, with long, wispy hairs. It’s very light and airy.
I’m now offering Puffs, Medium-sized Tails, and Full-Sized Tails in my Etsy shop, in all 6 colors including the new Black and Crimson. 
Please check it out – or send it to your friends if you think they’d be interested!
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 20, 2011 | DIY
Every year I’ll do a DIY gift guide for my blog, but this year, I may just not get around to it. However, crafty sharing community Cut Out + Keep has got a leg up on me with their NINE fabulous guides for DIY gifts for everyone in your life. From Grandma to your kids (and even your cat!) Check out their great ideas for making it a Handmade Holiday:
I’m feeling so inspired just browsing – and now wish I had seen these before I sent all my Xmas packages out! (But of course all these gifts could just as easily be made for another event…Valentine’s Day, Easter, birthday, anniversary…)
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 20, 2011 | Fashion
Every year I always make a slew of treats around Christmastime to give to various people in my life: the neighbors, my son’s teachers, the mail lady etc. This year I tried my hand at making Chocolate Fudge with Walnuts (above left), and was surprised at how simple it was! (I bought Nestle Carnation’s Famous Fudge Kit from the supermarket and I think it was the most hassle-free holiday recipe I’ve ever made! Just add 2 T of butter, mix up the ingredients in the box, and it’s done! Genius.) I added some chopped walnuts for texture and it came out beautifully.
I also made Double-Chocolate Peppermint Bark (above right), which I make every year. This year I tinted the white chocolate green to make it a little more fun and Grinch-like. Recipe is here.
I also made Double-Ginger Mango Shortbread, which I haven’t made since we were living in Hawaii 4 years ago and I found the recipe on the side of a butter box. I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free shortbread cookie mix, which did simplify the recipe a bit, but still…the worst thing about making shortbread is the endless creaming of the butter (I don’t have a stand mixer, so have to do it all by hand). I guess because of the gluten-free-ness, it came out a bit dry and crumbly, but the cookies melt in your mouth with the tiniest hint of ginger and chewy bits of mango in them. I thought I took photos but now I can’t find them; trust me when I write they looked (and tasted) as good as they sound!
Tomorrow: homemade gingerbread cookies, following this recipe and subbing in molasses for corn syrup, as well as adding 1/4 tsp allspice…they always come out perfect and gingerbready when I do that. 
Also: White Chocolate Cranberry-Almond Bark, some of which I’ll give to the neighbors (and some of which I’ll keep for myself!!), and white-chocolate-dipped ginger cookies (I just buy the ginger cookies but they’re still delicious dipped in chocolate!)
In other news, my little boy lost his very first tooth yesterday, and was thrilled to wake up to 2 quarters under his pillow in the little fabric bag he had placed his tooth in the night before. Because of the missing tooth (and another loose one on the bottom), he’s been having some trouble eating, so hasn’t been able to enjoy all the treats I’m making as much as he wants to, poor thing.:-(
What’s YOUR favorite holiday recipe?
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 17, 2011 | Fashion
Hi everybody! So it may have seemed that I dropped off the face of the Earth for a couple days…but in reality I was just working like a banshee on my final projects for my classes. I had a final exam today, and yesterday I had multiple final projects due…one of which took me over 30 hours to complete. Needless to say, for a few days this week I was wandering around with my shirt half-buttoned, wearing mismatched socks, and trying to figure out how I could possibly cram a month’s worth of work into 48 hours.
Amazingly, I did it, finished my projects, did my exam, and I think I did okay.
In other news, I’ve also been working on a new DIY project…a launch of sorts, that I’m really trying to complete and post by Christmas. (photo above) I think you guys are really going to like it!
So please forgive me while I run around crazily to get the last lot of Christmas cards sent off, baking done, gifts shopped for and wrapped, my DIY launch items finished, and take care of everything else that’s going on. My posting *may* be a little spotty for the next week or so, but I am stilll here!
Hope everyone else is staying on top of (or already done with) all you have to get done this time of year…
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 14, 2011 | DIY
I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of trouble drawing straight lines with my non-dominant hand. Whenever I attempt some nail art with straight lines, my efforts on one hand turn out perfect, and the other hand looks all wonky and wiggly. I figured a template or stencil would be the best way to combat this – so I thought why not DIY? These candy cane striped nails are actually a cinch to do, and if you’re using sticky color dots (found at any office supply store), they’re also cheap! No striper brushes or special nail polish required. Here’s how:
You Need:
*sticky dots (or you can using sticky labels, or even tape…anything that will stick to your nails will work)
*base nail polish color (I’m using Essie’s Russian Roulette
from my Secret Santa Miranda from the Portland Blogger Meetup)
*contrast nail polish color (I’m using white, from a Rimmel French Nail Polish Set)
*glitter nail polish/topcoat (I’m using Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Disco Ball
, which contains little holographic flecks)
And…
*scissors
How-To:
1. Paint the base color onto your nails. I had to do two coats to achieve uniform coverage. Allow to dry completely before going on to Step 3). (I couldn’t wait, so ended up making things a bit messy.)
2. Remove 5 dot stickers from the package. Cut each of them into a fringe, stopping the cuts before the edge of the circle. 
Fold every other fringe strip under itself…this will become the stripe stencil for your nails.
3. After your base color is completely dry, place the dots onto your nails, positioning the stripes how you like. For my shorter nails I made my stripes diagonal, like a candy cane, and for my longer nails I used an uncut dot to create the curve of the tip, and then placed the cut dot with the stripes going up-and-down on the tips only. Have fun with it and mix it up!
4. Use your contrasting color of nail polish to paint the stripes. You may have to do two coats for complete coverage. Make sure the stripes are strongly stuck onto your nails or else you’ll get leakage around the edges!
5. After the polish is dry, remove the stencils and finish with a swipe of glitter.
Now if only I had peppermint-scented nail polish…
Happy Holidays, everyone!
xoxox
Carly
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