Request a baby birth greeting from President Obama! With this being a historic presidency I thought it would be a great keepsake to add to Little Peanuts scrapbook. I do have to admit I was a little underwhelmed when it arrived but it’s neat to have none-the-less.

You can also request them for weddings, 80+ birthdays and retirements.

Here’s how you can get one too.

Send a letter to:

The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington, D.C. 20502-0039

Include in the letter:

-baby’s name

-birth date (dd/mm/yyyy)

-baby’s address

-your name

-your phone number

Just make sure you send it within the baby’s first year and that the recipient is a US citizen.

More info here.

If you follow us on Facebook, you know I’ve recently become fond of robots. This weeks favorites pays homage to my little obsession.

First row: Robot buttons, Robots in love card, Robot laptop sleeve

Second row: Dancing robot girl tee, Love machine robot shirt, Robotto necklace

Third row: Needling robot plush, Robot wall decal, I love coffee robot

Do you have a Facebook or a Twitter account? If so, today is your lucky day! Become an embe Facebook fan and Twitter follower for your chance to win some handmade goodies!

It’s that easy…all you have to do is become an embe fan/follower by March 5 and you’ll be automatically entered to win an embe handmade item – one item each for Facebook AND Twitter! To fan/follow us, visit:

http://www.facebook.com/embeshop (or use the link in our fan box on the left sidebar)
www.twitter.com/embeshop

Already a fan/follower? You’re automatically entered! Want to increase your chances of winning? Refer your friends! Your name will be entered additional times if your friends let us know you referred them to our giveaway. For Facebook, just have your friends comment that you sent them to us on our page after following. For Twitter, have your friends retweet with @embeshop and @yourname.

Facebook fans have the chance to win one pair of our popular sk8er booties (retail value of $25)!

Twitter followers have the chance to win an adorable baby kimono sweater (retail value of $36)!

Fan/follow us today and don’t forget to refer your friends to increase your chances of winning!

Become an embe Facebook fan and Twitter follower by March 5 and you will be automatically entered to win an embe item. embe will be giving away two items – one for each social media site. All fan/follower names will be collected and randomly selected by our kids! Winners will be notified by March 10.

I have a thing for purses. While I love the thought of adding a bright splash of color to an outfit, I tend to return to neutral colors because they can go with practically anything. These are just a few of my favorites.

First row: Luxury silk clutch, Misty morning purse, Pleated shoulder bag

Second row: The true romantic pouch, Bird and cherry blossom vinyl purse, Messenger diaper bag

Third row: Tweed shoulder bag*, iPod case, Slouch hobo bag

Recently I’ve seen quite a few posts on the Etsy forums about how to get Google Analytics setup on to Etsy accounts. Being a visual learner myself I created this pictorial. Happy tracking!

First thing you’ll need is to setup your Google Analytics account/profile

Find out how from Google Analytics.

During setup you’ll want to note (as per Etsy):

• When asked for your ‘Website’s URL’ enter Etsy’s URL (www.etsy.com)
• When asked for your ‘Account Name’ enter your Etsy shop website address (shopname.etsy.com)
• Hit ‘Continue’ when you arrive at the page titled Analytics: Tracking Instructions

Next, get your Google tracking ID

If this was the very first time you setup your analytics you’ll see your Tracking ID right away after completing the previous step. If you had previously setup your analytics, logon to Google Analytics and go to your profile for your Etsy store. Select your site from the list.

Your tracking ID will show up as below. Note that it will either  say “http://etsy.com” or have your full shop address.

(Click on the image to view larger)

Copy or write down this ID.

Finally, drop the tracking ID onto your etsy page.

Click on Options (1) under Shop Settings on the left navigation.

Then click on Web Analytics (2).

Enter the tracking ID you copied earlier into the area in the step above into Web Property ID (3)

Click Save (4)

(Click on the image to view larger)

After clicking the Save button. You will see a confirmation page with your tracking ID (image below).

(Click on the image to view larger)

You should be able to start tracking  your views 24 hours later!

If this helped you please comment and let me know how it went.

Get ready for Lunar New Year with these fun paper crafts!

Origami tiger from Origami-club.com

Red tube firecrackers from Kaboose

*Images are from their respective sites.

This weekend my family will be celebrating two occasions…Our Vietnamese New Year (a.k.a. Lunar New Year) and, of course, Valentine’s Day! This year is the Year of the Tiger which is one of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese calendar. Here’s a little description of those who are born in the Year of the Tiger:

Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be extremely short-tempered, however. Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. sometimes Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs.

We will be visiting family and presenting them with traditional gifts and will also be attending a festival at church that is bound to have lots of games, music and food! This will be my son’s first time to really enjoy this holiday! He’ll be showered with lucky money too (bills put into red envelopes that is a symbol of luck and prosperity)!

For Valentine’s Day, we’re planning on taking our son out to lunch and just spending good ‘ole, quality time with him! We started a tradition last year of getting him a stuffed animal for Valentine’s Day (He got Raffey his giraffe last year that he just adores). So we continue the tradition this year with a red dog named Aldo.

Happy New Year – may the Year of the Tiger bring you joy, peace and prosperity!

Happy V-Day too…give your loved ones a call and an extra kiss (I got a faceful this morning!).

Add a little note to your Valentines Day gift with our love heart card! The card measures about 3×3 inches.

Download card

Note: I cutout the envelope from the template then traced it onto scrapbooking  paper.

The photo on the card itself are of these darling crochet hearts from Vouge Kntting I made for the Little Peanut to give to her daddy this Valentines day.  If you’re a crocheter you still have time to whip up a few! It took me about 40 minutes to make three and that’s including the embroidery time.

A few of my favorites to get you in the mood for Valentines day!

First row: Little dusky pink ninja earrings, Tiny wee hoot owl, Valentine badges

Second row: Candy Valentine boxes, Love in bloom pendant, Blue turquoise and flower necklace

Third row: Wool owl pillow, Printable owl card, Fuzzy felted wool bowl

Fourth row: Retro rose ring with crystals, Wee monster, Wooden star house lovebirds

This is one project I wish I had thought of myself.

I saw these adorable heart-shaped paperclips from How About Orange… last year. The best part is you can do it yourself bending the paperclip at the midpoint.

Visit the original blog post for the photo tutorial.

Perfect for Valentines day!