Monday, July 27, 2009

Shop Update

Well, we're back from vacation. I have to admit I've been a bit neglectful in adding new bags to my Etsy shop. Life has been busy lately. . .my daughter recently turned five, my hubby just had a birthday and now I'm having a yard sale this week with several friends and neighbors. I've always had the philosophy that family comes before my business and tried to stay true to that. I feel my kids will only be young once and that was the whole purpose of me staying home from work. I want to be able to enjoy the little moments and be able to have an impact on their lives on a daily basis. With that said, you may notice times when my shop or blog haven't been updated as should be. It just means my attention was focused on my family because it was needed. Don't worry, I'm always on time with delivery and communication. I know how important that is and I appreciate each and every one of my customers. You are what makes Camille Star. I believe there are seasons in our lives for a reason and this is our family decision during this season. As I get ready to send Camille to Kindergarten this Fall (yikes!!) and Jonas to preschool, I know we'll be entering a new season, one where I'll have a bit more time to devote to my passion and business.

So while I'll be working a yard sale this week, I'll still be answering messages and shipping bags. I also have new goodies to add to my shop next week. I've made some minor changes with major impact to the Stacked bag and the Colorblocked bag. Changes I think you'll love! I've also started fabric shopping (one of the fun parts of my job!!). So stay tuned!

Thanks for being great customers and supporting Camille Star.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Vacation Time!!!

It's that time of year when we head out East for our family vacation. The kids get to visit Grammy, Pop-Pop, and their cousins. They also get to attend Vacation Bible School which Camille absolutely loves. I'm hoping Jonas will enjoy it just as much since this will be his first year actually participating in a class. Should be very interesting since he's my "shy guy".

We're looking forward to the beach and relaxing together. I also love to use this time to visit my favorite fabric shops in New Jersey, reflect on what's working or not with my business, and dream up new designs. So in the meantime, my Etsy shop will be closed July 10th-20th. Hopefully I'll have lots to add once we get back!

Hope you're having a wonderful Summer!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Yummy Stuff


We love berries ~ blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, you name it. My kids will eat them all day long. So we were very excited to find a "pick-your-own-strawberries" farm right down the road. We have our very own strawberry patch right in our backyard, but come on, you can never have enough! :) So we set out on a Sunday and picked a bucketful. We've eaten them with every meal, made freezer jam, froze some for smoothies, and just made Berry Cream Cheese Bars. They are oh so yummy!

First, here's the recipe for freezer jam. It is soooo much better than jarred stuff from the store.
FREEZER JAM
1 packet freezer jam pectin (I used Ball. You can find it in the baking aisle. There's two packets per box.)
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 cups of berries (you can use any combination of berries)

Combine pectin and sugar in a bowl. Crush berries in blender until desired consistency (some people like it chunky, I like it smooth). Blend berry mixture with pectin mixture and stir for three minutes. Then let it sit in the container for half-hour on counter. Put in freezer for later or store in refrigerator and use for up to three weeks.

I used some of our thawed jam for this Berry Cream Cheese Bars recipe.

Hope you have a great Fourth of July!