Sunrise Children's Hospital Fundraiser

I know people have a hard time getting through some blog posts so I'm going to post this at the beginning, so if you don't want to read more you don't have to.

I feel the need to do a fundraiser to get MUCH NEEDED books for my local children's hospital Sunrise Children's Hospital. There are children there that basically live there. They need books📚 to escape to and learn from. Away from screens and machines and things they have no control over. I want DESPERATELY to help them with that. I am NOT doing it to earn money. I do receive a small commission, but that's not what is driving me. I want to help children. THAT is my goal. THAT is what drives me. Any money I earn will go toward books for my kids or the kids at the hospital. 📚 My goal is $1000 in books! We can do it!📚

So. Here's how it works:
You can help in one of two ways.
1. Purchase books for the kids in your life. Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, just because. Books are ALWAYS a great idea! For every order you make, Usborne Books & More donates 50% of that in books to the Hospital. (i.e. You purchase $50 in books, the hospital gets $25 in books!)

📚You can go HERE to purchase books

2. If you don't want to get books for your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, students, neighbors, etc. You can donate $$ instead! 150% of any money donated goes toward books for the kids! (i.e. You donate $50, the hospital gets $75 in books!)

📚You can donate by sending money to my Venmo - @Denitapearl

You can go to the Facebook group page to get info on books, recommendations and more HERE

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Now that I have that out of the way, I can get into the WHY! Just bear with me for a minute.

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I do too much. I take on too much, I don't say 'no' often enough, I don't slow down. It's a fact. Something I'm working on, with some success. Sometimes.

3 1/2 years ago I started my journey with Usborne Books & More. I fell in love with the books as soon as my friend introduced them to me. For those who don't know, They are children and young adult books that are educational, fun, non-commercial & well-made. They have products for children ranging from Newborn to Young Adult (although I enjoy most of the YA books myself!). I became part of the Direct Sales community. It brought me out of my comfort zone. I approached friends and strangers about books I was/am passionate about. My children fell in LOVE with all the books as soon as they were introduced to them.

I already had my Etsy shop, but because I closed it down for a few months to have my 3rd child, it slowed WAY down, almost to a stop and it took a couple years to start building it back up, so I decided to try direct sales. I didn't close my shop, so I was doing both. All while having 3 children at home. After a couple of years with UBAM, I found that pushing wasn't my strong suit and I would rather sell my own product at vendor events and online - even though I never stopped loving the books.

So I stopped doing Home & Facebook Parties. I didn't stop 'selling' or being an Independent Consultant, because I love my books. I have sooo many! But I had to focus on other things. During the last 1 1/2 years of not being as active I have done the following (some I started doing before that):

~Joined the Las Vegas Crafters Guild and did more Crafting Events
~Started Selling my Homemade Chocolates through Facebook and at local events for every major holiday and some in between
~Sold Senegence (Lipsense and more products) for a year, which I still love and will probably sign up to do again in the near future
~Started doing Paint Parties
~Did a Kids Art Summer Camp
~And lets not forget raising 3 children and a husband, holding church callings, dealing with life, depression, and all the other things life throws at us.

Like I said, I do too much.

But Usborne Books & More has never been far from my mind. And neither has the fundraising part of it. The generous, amazing fundraising that can CHANGE LIVES. 

THAT is my WHY. I want to change lives. I know I have 3 kids to do that with. But I want to do something that MATTERS outside of my family. I want to be the one who helped a little girl or boy feel better because they found a book they LOVE and got over their fear of the next surgery or next poke, or at least they got to escape from their problems and have an adventure in their mind. I want to serve as my Savior served. I have decided that the best way I can serve is by using my talents. My love of books is one of those talents.

So, if you've stuck with me to the end, now you know WHY.  I will do the fundraiser for as long as it takes to get books for the kids. I hope we have amazing success and I can give them boxes and boxes of books. But that all depends on you. I need shares, likes, comments on Facebook and Instagram to help spread the word. Tell your parents, grandparents, friends. Help spread the word that we can all make a difference in a child's life. One book at a time. 📚

Humboldt Sweets Is Here!

*I am not getting paid or compensated for this post. This is just me and my need to express my love for baked goods and wanting to support Small Business!*

Yesterday me and a couple of my amazing friends went to a new Bakery Shop in town. It's new to Vegas, but it's been in California. They no longer have their location there, which is their loss and our gain!  I know one of the head Bakers, so I knew it would be absolutely amazing, but then I tried it.

W.O.W!

These are not for the feint of heart my friends! They are massive and massively delicious!

Cheddar and Bacon Quiche with Toast, Raspberry Jam, Applesauce, Salsa and Sour Cream

Takes up almost the whole plate!

First off, I wanted everything in there. My stomach and my wallet would not allow that, so I settled for trying a few things. They are such large portions that you can share! Or eat some there and box them up and eat the rest later! Really. I bought a cinnamon roll (I also bought a Coconut Cream Danish for my husband, and an Eclair for us all to share, as well as a couple Day Old 1/2 price cookies and Lemon Bars) to bring home to the family and my daughter had 1/8 piece of it. You could easily divide it into 1/4 for adults. They have several different varieties of Cinnamon rolls. This one is topped with Cream Cheese Frosting. *drooling now* We at breakfast there, which made me feel less guilty for the other items bought. My friends got the Danishes and I got the Quiche. The Quiche didn't just come by itself either. It came with HOMEMADE Bread, Raspberry Jam, Applesauce, Salsa and Sour Cream (the Sour Cream wasn't homemade, but everything else was!) Legit people! So amazingly delicious! The bread and applesauce brought me back to my childhood. My grandma make the best applesauce from her apple tree. This was just as good! The bread my friend makes - to die for! Tammy (one of the owners) make the jam and applesauce herself. She is also a delightful person! Check out their Facebook page HERE

Those Cinnamon rolls are HUGE!

Bambi with her Cheese and Bacon Danish with Bacon Gravy

Cheese and Ham Danish with Bacon Gravy

A Head Baker and his lovely wife (my friends Eric and Bambi Sevy)

Maple Bar! Again taking up the whole plate!

I only ate a few bites of the Maple Bar at the restaurant because I was full from all the yumminess, but you can bet I finished it after I got home! 😋

I don't even know what half the names are of these. My heart stopped at the Maple Bars. haha!

They have some handmade chocolates items there too! And coffee for those who like that stuff. ;)

At checkout they offer the items they made the day before at half price! Scones, cookies, Lemon Bars, and more (hopefully not too much more! We want them to sell out!)

Their GRAND OPENING will be after the New Year. I can't wait! Here is an article you should check out! https://vegas.eater.com/2019/9/30/20890604/humboldt-sweets-move-henderson-opening-october-2019

Guy Fieri had been to their previous location and loves it, they have even been on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives!

December Pop N' Paint Party

One of the reasons I re-started my blog was so I could get my artwork and home decor 'out there.' So of course I need to add my next party on here!

If you are interested please fill out this form HERE

I LOVE doing paint parties! And one of the owners of Pop is supportive of me doing it at their amazing shop! If you haven't been there, it's an adorable little Pop Shop that sells Pop (and other drinks. In the winter they do Hot Cocoa too), Cookies and Pop Corn. There are hundreds of different combos of drinks you can get! My FAVORITE is Butterbeer! It is sooooo good! For you Non-Harry Potter fans, It's a butterscotch drink. This one consists of Root Beer, Vanilla Cream and Butterscotch Flavor. Y.U.M! *great now I want to go get one* 🙈

Here is their website so you can check them out! Click HERE They are in Henderson and the South West, but I only teach at the SW location.

So in between Pop N' Paint Parties, go enjoy some yummy treats with your family! They have specials during the week and you can go just to hang out and play games if you want! It's great!
Have fun! And let me know if you go and what you think!

Some of My New Items!

In August I discovered how to make my own Pallet Frames with the tools I have (a Miter Saw and a Palm Sander) and I got so excited! I went a little crazy over the last couple months, between pre-made pallets and plaques and homemade ones! Here are some that I made. Some I still have, and some I've already sold. I plan on putting some, if not all up in my shop, but not until after the New Year. I have one more event on December 7th and then I won't be doing any more until spring. Speaking of...

 At this event I will have my Homemade Chocolates and my Home Decor. This will be my LAST event with chocolates, so this is your chance to taste the yummy goodness, unless you want to do a class (more on that later!)

Here are a few things that might be there that day:

I don't have any Golden Knights decor at the moment because it all sold, but I may make a couple things for this event. These were fun

 It's hard to decide what quotes to do, because everyone is different. So I chose a few that spoke to me.

 I found a quote similar to this that I loved, but I tweaked it and also added some chalkboard paint to the back!

I love patriotic decor, so whether it's Christmas, Easter, or Independence Day, I have my Americana out!

I have a few Americana that aren't even pictured that I love, but you get the picture. ;)

 Snarky quotes are fun. I think I sold all of these, but they are so fun aren't they?

Another reversible one! Anyone that knows me knows that I love multi-functional decor. I will have a whole separate post about those babies, but don't you just love things can be used in more than one way??

 Maybe I should keep this one...

I have more that I didn't take great pictures of, but these were just a few that I need to get out there. I am proud of the work I have done, especially with limited tools (oh how I yearn for a Table Saw of my very own *sigh*), and I hope others can appreciate and enjoy them too!

Chocolate Pre-orders!

**Click HERE to order chocolates!**

For almost 3 years I have sold Homemade Chocolates. I started making them over 10 years ago and I have loved adding recipes to my repertoire over the years (now up to over 20 varieties). Many people suggest I start selling them, so I started doing so! It was great and hard and rewarding and depressing and wonderful. It has been a blessing to my family to have a little bit extra to the income, and has helped in so many ways!
   But every time I made chocolates to sell at an event, I became depressed when they wouldn't all sell. I would sell them at a discount after the event and they still wouldn't sell and I would go into a depression thinking something was wrong with me. I know that isn't true or logical, but that's what depression is - illogical, but so real (and a topic I could do a whole different post on!). So I decided that wasn't healthy and I wanted to get away from that. So I made a hard decision.
  I just announced Monday that after Christmas I would no longer be doing events or large holiday orders. I will still do special orders, and make them for friends and family, but not in large bulk orders. For now though, I want to focus on my family and my true passion - art. I was asked, though, if I would do chocolate classes, for adults or children. So much yes! I LOVE teaching (hence why I do Paint Parties!), so I will have a post on that with details if you would like to learn how to make your own chocolates!
   But first, Thursday kicks off Pre-orders for my last Holiday Chocolates Sale.

Here are a few FAQs and important things to know.
Q:   What is the difference between a Pre-order and ordering once they are made?
A:    Pre-ordering is your chance to pick and choose what YOU want in your dozen boxes (or 1/2 dozen bags). Not only that, but pre-orders help me determine what chocolates to make. If Twix are not ordered during pre-orders I will not make them. If you do not have a preference of what chocolates are in your boxes or bags, then you can order when they are ready, you just don't get to choose how many of what chocolates are in the assorted boxes.

Q:  When are Pre-orders?
A:   Pre-orders are from November 21st - November 30th Payments are due by the 30th.

Q:   How do I pre-order?
A:   There are a few ways! You can message me on Facebook or Instagram, you can order from my posts on FB, you can text me, call me, or email me! Just make sure I reply back to confirm!

Q:   Will you do special requests?
A:   YES! During pre-orders you can request a different type of chocolate, or even a chocolate that is not listed! But only during pre-orders.

Q:  Will you have a Black Friday or Small Business Saturday Sale?
A:  YES! I am working on what those might be, but I WILL be offering something special on one or both of those days.

Q:   Do you make Gluten Free Chocolates?
A:   YES! Most of my chocolates are Gluten Free - Celiac Friendly. I have family and friends that need to eat GF, so I make sure I have those available. I have a list above of the chocolates I'm offering and the ones with a star* are NOT GF. The rest are!

Q:   What if I miss the Pre-order time? Can I choose what goes into my box after the cutoff?
A:    Yes and No. If I haven't boxed them (before the 12th), you can choose what goes into your box, BUT only from what I am making. I will not add another chocolate after November 30th. For example, you want 3 Milk Caramels, 3 Scotcheroos, 3 Snickers and 3 Cakebatter in a dozen box. No one pre-ordered Snickers, so you can't order that chocolate, but you can have 4 of each of the other 3 or another chocolate that was pre-ordered.

Q:   Payment options?
A:   I take PayPal, Venmo and Cash. I can always make arrangements a different way, but those are the quickest for me.

Q:  When and where do I pick up?
A:   December 12th - 18th at various times chocolates will be available for pickup. Most pickups are from my house, which you can email me or contact me through FB or Insta for my address.

Q:   Do you ship?
A:   YES! I will be shipping for Christmas orders! They will ship around the 12th. Shipping costs will depend on the quantity ordered. I ship Priority USPS so it will get there as fast as possible without costing too much. Between $8 and $18 is my estimate.

Q:   How long do your chocolates last?
A:   They last anywhere from 1 month to 3 months depending on your will power and where you store them. They can be stored in the fridge and/or freezer to last longer. Most chocolates can also just be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a month (with the exception of Cakebatter and Oreo Truffles. Those are best stored in the fridge until they are ready to be eaten. Not required, but recommended).


Whew! I think that's about it! If you have any other questions please to hesitate to ask! I am here for you! Let's make this last order a great one!

REVAMP TIME!

It's the end of the year and I am already making some big changes for the New Year! I will be posting more on my blog about the products and paintings I am working on or have finished. I will have schedules of Paint Party openings, Pop N' Paint Parties and more! Make sure to sign up to get emails when I post so you don't miss out! I will do an occasional giveaway and don't forget BLACK FRIDAY is coming up!