Artisan Crafts Web Roundup: My Latest Favs

So, I have been browsing the web lately, checking out websites of folks doing the handcrafting thing. That is, making beautiful items and selling them to the public, with little marketing and no mass manufacturing. I thought I would share a few artisans that are piquing my interest.

1. Sweet Baby Cakes
To be fair, this is my website. I have been making diaper cakes for family, and after seeing the local businesses that sell them, I thought I would throw my hat into the ring. I don't use rubber bands, and always place full-sized baby products inside my cakes. Prices are reasonable, and I ship all over the U.S!



2. Yarny Things 
Ok, so for those who think crocheting is for old ladies in a nursing home, making doilies, you are so wrong! Crocheted and knitted accessories are the best, especially in the winter, and I have just stumbled on what I think may be my favorite baby hats ever! This is the Etsy (not Regretsy, lol, sorry I couldn't resist) shop of Susan Sibley. Her scarves are gorgeous (love the ash gray and pink one, going to pick it up before fall for myself) and seriously, the baby hats are too cute! Love the prices and photography is pretty great too.

3. CW Fashion Cameo Jewelry

This is the site of a true artisan jewelry maker, specializing in cameo rings, bracelets and pendants. I received a ring for my birthday, the one to the left (Three Muses) and was wowed by the quality for such a reasonable price. She makes these rings by hand, no major tools or mass production, and offers cameos made from agate, and other materials. All products are available in genuine silver or gold, and in any size you need, at no extra charge! I about lost it when I read that, cause all of my rings are usually special order, which means expensive. Not so with CW. Check them out if you love elegant and unique jewelry made with extra attention to detail.

4. Heather Elizabeth Designs

If you love New Orleans, if you love the south, if you love gorgeous jewelry and funky home accents, then this is the place for you. Heather creates custom jewelry using local logos of companies long since closed, photos of our famous architecture (such as St. Louis Cathedral) and street signs, to name a few. I am buying some of her night lights as gifts for Christmas this year, I love them so much (this is after I buy some things for myself of course). She isn't super expensive, but her prices aren't too unreasonable, as the quality looks superb.


If you are crafty, and make things that are beautiful, start selling them on the Web! In fact, I decided to do just that! Got my own site up and running, and darn proud of it too. If you make fantastic stuff, let me know, and I will be happy to share with others!

What's for Dinner: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Stew and Cornbread

I gotta get to work today, and yep, it's another slow cooker kinda day. I have some leftover chicken in the fridge and this is my favorite way to use it up. You can add any veggies or meat to this you like, and the wow factor is that the cornbread cooks in the slow cooker on top of the stew! Yes, I know, amazing!

Ingredients:
1 pound or so of cooked leftover chicken (rotisserie, baked, whatever you got in the fridge)
1 15-18 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's Honey)
1 cup frozen corn
1 onion, diced
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix (or your favorite mix)

Directions:
In bottom of small slow cooker, mix together all ingredients except corn muffin mix. In separate bowl, prepare mix as directed on box, and pour over stew mix and spread evenly. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for 5. Serve with some shredded cheddar on top and a nice salad.


The Verdict:
This is really good! It is great to put a whole meal together in one pot, and the flavors are awesome! This is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers, as you can add potatoes, peppers, etc. to it.

Gelish Manicure: Update

Ok folks, so it has been awhile since I had my Gelish manicure, and I thought I would let you know how it stood up to my hardcore lifestyle. First, the polish lasted 15 days, and on the 16th day, it started to chip. And chip, and peel, and essentially fell off on its own for the most part. After a few minutes of finishing the peel that started, my nails were bare of polish. And my nails looked like crap.

If you have ever had an acrylic full set done, imagine how your nails look after they are removed. Yep, like that. My beds were cracked, peeling, and thin. I immediately began to soak them in cuticle oil, and filed the nails down and applied some clear polish to protect them. I am uncertain if this happened due to overzealous filing prior to application, or because the manicurist did not use enough Gelish foundation base, or if the product just does that.

I opted not to post a pic, as it was really awful and I also ahem, forgot to capture that image. In any case, I am handling my own manicures for a month or so to let my nail beds heal, and I may attempt to have another gel manicure at another salon, just to see if the results are the same. Stay tuned....

Special Education Resources for Parents

Though I am not a paid advocate, I am certainly a pretty vocal one when it comes to my daughter's education, and other parents often ask me where I get my information. To be honest, there is so much more to special education law than the little parent's rights guidebook handed to you during an IEP meeting. To that end, I want to share with you the many different resources I have found since my journey into the world of special education. Some of these resources are specific to Louisiana's special education process, and others are national, but please be sure to explore them all, as there are many issues that overlap, regardless of where you may live.


Wrightslaw
A fantastic site run by Pete Wright, a special education attorney. Current case law, Q&A on specific issues to families, and many articles on the IEP process. Pete has also written some of the most comprehensive books on special education law, and hosts conferences to teach parents how to navigate the system. I attended one of his conferences, and it was a life-changing event for me.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
A central source of information on disabilities in infants and children. Focused on both IDEA and early intervention programs as well. Spanish information available.

Louisiana Parent Training and Information Center
A statewide resource that offers training to parents seeking to better advocate for their child's education. Advocates from the center may also attend an IEP meeting with a parent to assist in the process. Offered are self-guided trainings, online pajama trainings, and on site trainings available, with a quarterly newsletter and other resources. One of the best places to visit for info, in both English and Spanish.
***Every state receives federal funding to support similar centers. For a listing of centers nationwide, please visit:
http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/ptis.htm

Louisiana Partners in Policymaking
Partners in Policymaking is a national leadership training program for people with developmental disabilities and parents of young children with developmental disabilities. It provides the most current knowledge about disability issues and develops the competencies necessary for effective advocacy to influence public policy at all levels of government. As a graduate of this program, I can tell you I have never learned more, embraced the concept of equality, and felt more empowered to make a difference in the world than I did during my time in Partners. You must apply and be accepted to the program, but believe me, it will change your life.
***The national Partners in Policymaking website:
http://www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/

These are just some of the many resources that have been invaluable to me as I navigate the world of special education and disability advocacy. Please remember, every state has a Department of Education, and usually a website. Don't be afraid to actually check them out. If you have a question and your local Dept. of Sp. Ed. is not helping, call the state. You have a right to as much knowledge as your child's school team in creating the best outcomes for your student. Good luck!

What's for Dinner: Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Cabbage, Apples, and Prunes

This is my slow cooker version of a recipe by Clotilde Dusoulier, a blogger whose website, Chocolate and Zucchini, totally changed my world. She cooks with fresh seasonal ingredients, humor, and a lot of heart. For a Parisian, that's huge (just kidding Clotilde, I promise I don't call them Freedom Fries). The original recipe can be found at here at her blog, Chocolate and Zucchini, a fantastic foodie wonderland. In addition to this recipe, her Nutella ice cream is fantastic and her yogurt cake is my base for all cakes I bake now. Check her out. Seriously.

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, or pork roast of your choice (boneless)
1 small head of red cabbage, sliced finely
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 prunes, cut into fourths
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced, with skin on
1/4 cup red wine (I use Syrah)

Directions:
Place roast into bottom of large slow cooker. Mix together cabbage, apples, and prunes, and arrange around the roast. Sprinkle on seasonings on both cabbage mixture and and roast, and pour wine over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for around 5. Stir cabbage mixture to combine seasoning and wine before serving. Serve with a spicy brown mustard like Zatarain's Creole Mustard, which you can find here, and a fresh salad and bread.

The Results:
This is a unique dish, both sweet and savory, and is really interesting if you have never combined the ingredients before. The mustard is a must, and I really enjoy this dish a great deal. Spud likes it too! It is an autumn staple in my home, but I do enjoy it any time of year.

Gelish Manicure: Review

For those not in the know, there is a new nail treatment making the rounds called Shellac. It is a gel based polish system, requiring each coat be set by UV or LED lamp, creating a lasting bond that can last for several weeks, without peeling or chipping, and requiring no acrylic overlay to get a great look and strength. It is removed with an acetone soak, and will not damage the natural nail like an acrylic set.

I have been dying to get a Shellac manicure, and found a local salon that said they offer them, so I made an appointment. I researched the Shellac brand, and when I got to the salon, I was disappointed to see that they do not use Shellac, but another brand called Gelish, from Hand and Nail Harmony. I declined a full manicure and asked that they just do the polish job, to see if I like it.

The manicurist begins by lightly buffing my nails and pushing back my cuticles. She then applied the foundation coat, and I placed my hands under the UV light for 30 seconds. Two coats of color (I selected Hot Rod Red) with a 30 second light setting between each coat, and a final top coat, with 2 minutes under the light to set the polish layers. Afterward, she used a pad with an alcohol solution and rubbed vigorously over each nail to remove the components of the gel that makes the nail tacky. Some cuticle oil, a hand washing, and I was done.

The verdict? I loved the fact that my nails were hard as glass upon completion, no drying time needed. The color is perfect and the time it takes to polish them seems no longer than a typical manicure. The shine is beautiful, and two days later, no chipping or peeling has occurred.

I am disappointed that the salon claimed to use Shellac when they don't, though most reviews of Gelish tout the same results and if one wished to use the product at home, the cost of the polishes are cheaper for more product as well. Also, the salon did not paint close enough to my cuticle, which will require a trip back sooner, and there are bubbles in some of my nails, as a result of a too thick coat. So while I will not use this salon again, as long as I get a two-week wear out of the polish, I will happily look for another establishment when needing a Gelish or other gel manicure. That is, until I buy the UV light and products myself. I do enjoy doing my own beauty treatments, and love the challenge of learning something new.

Cost of mini manicure: 15.00 plus tip, for full Gelish manicure: 28.00 plus tip. As I understand it, prices vary all over the country.

Here is a pic of my nails, please disregard the freakish alien claws that appear to be my hands. Will post another pic in two weeks to update:

IEPS, Extended School Year, and Resource Rooms, Oh My!

For those of you with children with developmental disabilities, it's that time of year again. The end of the year Individualized Education Plan must be written for next year. A determination must be made for Extended School Year Services. And for Short Stack, a move into Kindergarten (seriously, where in the hell has the time gone?) and a decision as to whether resource supports are necessary for her to meet her goals for the program.

I am honestly dreading this meeting next month. I have already learned that her school wishes to give her 60 minutes of in-class resource instruction, which is under the direction of a special education teacher, but in addition to that, another 60-90 minutes of pulling her out into a resource classroom, with only children with disabilities, to help her learn. This is in addition to two sessions of speech therapy, which take place outside her class, one session of occupational therapy, which takes place outside her class, Adaptive Physical Education, which takes place outside her class, and Applied Behavior Analysis therapy which also takes place outside her class (NOTE: We are paying for ABA, not the school, don't get excited, you know they suck on that type of useful therapy, sorry folks). So my question is, when exactly will she be in her general education classroom, learning with her peers? When she says the Pledge of Allegiance, goes to lunch, and gets in line to go home?

So, that is a tricky issue, as her teacher thinks resource is a helpful thing she should start out with, not build up to as needed. I love, no adore her teacher, her school, most of the staff and those who love to teach Short Stack, but I gotta stand my ground. I am sorry, but that just isn't going to work for Short Stack. Any sort of additional pulling out of her classroom that has not been proven to be necessary will not be written into her IEP because "that's how we handle it with other children" or "more instruction is better for her, in a one on one setting". Not a good enough reason, even if everyone thinks it's a good idea. I would like to see her excel with the minimum accommodations needed, to get her learning and growing as close to a typical child as possible.

So, if you are facing your own issues with end of year IEPs, tell me about it. What's working for you? What have you done to make it an easy transition? What issues have you stood your ground on?