Cold Outside

Well we survived another shot of winter and although is it frosty and very slippery outside I am busy inside working some magic to get spring in here. Flower pots are being painted and the wooden tulips are very cheery. Some new additions to the baby sweaters and blankets brighten that section up really quick. St. Patrick's Day decorations are in the window and the silk daffodils are in the planter out front, now if Mother Nature would just play along things would be great.
Right now with money being tight shopper need to be very selective where and how they spend their money and I realize that. That is why I try to keep the prices as low as possible. Everyone needs to find a gift for someone at one time or another during the year and hopefully I can help them out with some great items at a good price. People appreciate handcrafted gifts, they say you went that extra mile to get them something special. That doesnt mean you need to pay an arm and a leg.
I have also been busy working on some furniture pieces. Nothing too big but maybe you just need to add an accent piece to a room or maybe change the look a little. We might have it here. Come on in and browse around and if you don't see what you need, never be afraaid to ask I just love custom orders.
We are getting ready for a Art weekend here in Montello March 14th and 15th. There will be local artists showing off their fiber art as well as demos and specials through out town.

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Sweetheart of a weekend

This morning we visited with Christine Bellport on NBC15's Morning Show. What a wonderful way to get news of all the upcoming activities this weekend. From The Women's Club and Historical Society Bake Sales to the Chocolate contest and Valentine Dance and couples Pool Tournament. So much to do. I just cant think of anything better than strolling through town and nibbling my way from one shop to the next eating chocolate. We hope to see alot of the community who has been home bound due to the ice and snow out and about this weekend.

Sweetheart of a Weekend

is coming up fast. Feb.13th the shops will stay open late to help those last minute shoppers find just the right thing for their sweetheart. From flowers and jewelry to signs and sporting goods. Montello has something for everyone. Here at Pattibears we have been busy painting and making the jewelry and candles perfect for the personalized gift.

Saturday morning the Chocolate contest will begin at 9am and run until4pm so all you bakers, candy makers and just tasters be sure to stop at the Garden Center and join us! The Valentines giveaway is going on now until Feb 14th , so get your entries in to win any or alot of great prizes. One grand prize winner will be chosen!

NBC15 time set

I will be appearing with Christine Bellport on Friday Feb. 6th at 6:10 am on the MorningShow. We will be discussing the upcoming Valentine event in Montello and the new itemscoming into the shop. Also the Chocolate contest. Entries of chocolate in any form will be tasted and voted on during the day Feb. 14th what a way to spend a cold February day in Wisconsin !

We are really starting to see cupids in our sleep. The shelves are filling up and red and pink are everywhere. I am looking thru cookbooks for the perfect chocolate recipe for the contest on Feb14th. What could be more perfect and make you feel better than being a taste tester in a chocolate contest. Come on out to Montello and join us.

working hard......

It is still cold here but, the snow has ended and hopefully we can get it all cleared before the cold sets in. This is just one of the new items I am adding. Would'nt this look cute on your little one?

Widget

Cold and Icy

This is last years window .....watch for the update!

It isn't bad enough that the economy is so slow. Top that off with icy street and sidewalks and snow everry couple of days. Small shops like those in our town are closing on a daily basis. But, hopefully if we can stick it out, provide good prices on our items and some fun incentives we MAY just make it through.

I am busy getting ready for Valentines Day, I was invited back to NBC15 to preview all the great items we have and to build on that and get some traffic to our town, I am going tro go to each business and take some photos to give the viewers a better idea of all Montello has to offer as well as here at Pattibears.

Right now we are running a special drawing in the shops and one lucky person will get the grand prize of gifts from each shop! Feb. 13th we will stay open late and let those last minute shoppers get their gifts and even some gift wrapping. Feb. 14th we will have a chocolate desert contest as well as wonderful refreshments and treats in the shops for those who stop in to shop or enter the drawing. So, even if you don't need a Valentine gift........ Stop by say hello and enjoy some refreshments and enter, enter at each shop because each shop will have its own prize as well as one in the grand prize package so , who knows you could win all over town!

Stay warm and watch those icy walks but please stop in and say hello !

Scrooge hits Montello

Sometime after 7pm on Thanksgiving night and before 9 am on Friday a SCROOGE snatched one of the white Christmas trees from in front of the shop. It's not bad enough that the city didi'nt get the decorations up in town yet, or that the banners announcing this weekends event weren't put up. NOW, the tree was STOLEN ! Someone must have really needed a tree bad and the funny part is, if they had asked I would have given them one of the many we have in the shop. So....Merry Christmas anyways and I hope the rest of the season goes better than this first holiday weekend!

Upcoming shows and events

Things are beginning to look alot like Christmas around here. The windows are trimmed and there are snowmen and santas in every corner. I am busy painting for 2 upcoming shows and a tv appearance. On top of that we have Holiday Happenings Thanksgiving weekend here in Montello and I have a make it , take it ornament activity going in the shop as well as refreshments and direstions to all the other thinhgs happening that day in town.

Tuesday November 25th I will be in Oshkosh at the Aurora Hospital Holiday Show. It runs from 6 to 4 and the assortment of vendors is just wonderful.

Thanksgiving Weekend in Montello

Refreshments all around town
Cranberry Cook - Off at The Garden Center
Drawings for Gifts Baskets
Carolers and 5pm Tree Lighting
Gift Certificates Available
November 28,29, & 30th, 2008 Open House Hours Friday 9 to 5 Saturday 9 to 6

Sunday 10 to 4

Take a step back and enjoy the holidays thru the eyes of a child! The way it was meant to be !

December 12th at 6:40 I will be on Channel 15 NBC in Madison to show some of my items and talk about the upcoming Trunk show in Madison.

Visit me and other talented etsians and the second annual wisconsin street team holiday trunk show.when: saturday, december 13th from 5pm to 9pmwhere: lazy jane's cafe, 1358 williamson street in madison, wisconsin... complimentary hot apple cider (from the orchard of one of our vendors!) and champagne means fun and good times. plus, the first 30 guests will receive free bags o' swag

At Pattibears we are busy making some new items for this years gift giving and decorating. The Gingerbread and santas are well under way with some new ornaments in the works. Window displays are under way to make Pattibears look like every little ones dream. We will be having an ornament make it take it Thanksgiving weekend so we hope to see alot of our locals as well as old and new friends drop in. The cocoa and cider will be hot and each morning we will have FREE coffee and muffins to get the shopping day off to a good start! Hope to see you there !

Montello is getting ready to celebrate the holidays like they should be!
Take a step back and enjoy the holidays thru the eyes of a child.....the way it was meant to be!
Visit local downtown shops and share in the refreshments, friendly service and small town atmosphere that you can find here in Montello. Personal service and those special touches the big chain stores no longer give. From gift wrapping and one on one help finding that JUST right gift to strolling carolers and hot cocoa or cider and delicious cookies and snacks all with a smile and Happy Holidays wish!
Grab the family and friends and come to Montello Thanksgiving weekend November 28, 29 and 30th and enjoy the season. We will slow down the pace and take the time to make every moment count!
Friday 9 to 5
refreshments and Black Friday specials throughout town
Saturday 9 to 6
cranberry cook off at the Garden Center
enter your favorite recipe in the contest by 9am that morning or Taste and vote on your favorite!
Door prizes and refreshment all around town
Make and take ornaments at Pattibears Place
City Tree Lighting at 5pm followed by coca and cookies

Thursday

It is Thursday already and the shop is undergoing some BIG rearranging. Hopefully with the Oktoberfest advertising and some wonderful fall specials I can get some good sales this weekend and next. I have been busy trying out new pumpkin recipes for the Pumpkin cook-off and have one to share. It turned out great and was pretty easy.

Pumpkin bread recipe with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin purée
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
Preparation:Grease and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin and oil.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; add pumpkin mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 2 loaves of pumpkin bread.

I am not quite sure if this is the one I will go with yet, I have a couple more to try over the next week before that most important decision is made LOL

Well, back to my cleaning and painting. The Dress-Me Welcome Frinds need pumpkin outfits painted!

Last minute touches

I am trying to finalize my choices for the upcoming PUMPKIN Cook-off. This is not an easy task. Last years entries were delicious and I took third place. This year I am aiming for the top. Not to be beaten by one of my granddaughters who are also entering or my daughter who once again is entering our family favorite pumpkin squares recipe. Ladies from all over town enter their favorite and best Pumpkin recipe, whether it is a cake, pie, cookie that dsoesnt matter as long as it is Pumpkin. People drop in and taste test all day and vote on their favorite. I am going to gain 10 lbs just testing to get to the final recipe LOL.

At the shop I am busy looking for some new patterns that are gingerbread men. The personalized families are painted and ready for final touches and I have just about caught up on the recent online orders. With weatherrmen calling for more snow than usual I have found a few more places to list my items online and maybe keep me busier this winter. Etsy, indiepublic and silkfair. The Dress-Me Welcome Friends are always dependable year round so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I realize that money is tight , so with my prices being reasonable and an assortment of gift ideas and home decor I am hoping to at least coast thru this winter.

Harvest Fest is over

Saturday started out with rain and a pretty gloomy outlook. But, as the morning went on the rain let up and a few crafters braved the elements to set up in Daggett Park. There were not as many scarecrows decorating local businesses as we would have liked but the scarecrows and cornstalks were up on the lightpoles around town to set the scene. The apple contest was delicious as always. Three winners were chosen and I have to say I was not one of them. So I will try again next time. We had our weekly meeting this morning and have decided to have a cupcake walk along with oktoberfest since it falls on National cupcake day! That should be tasty.
I have decided to do a few local craft shows and am in the middle of a great order for my solar lit logs. A new customer Cindy who raises Yorkies has ordered three logs with pictures of her yorkies on , they are coming along pretty good. I am then going to have to get down to painting outfits for the Dress-Me Friends as those orders come in quickly.

Busy Week

At our Morning meeting of The New Monttello Group we discussed the fund raiser form for the school. A meeting is set for next wednesday to show it to the school and see if it is something they can work with this season. It is a great idea to have the local fundraiser for the schools, people can come in to any of the shops and see what they are ordering before they have to order. The local businesses can make sales as well as the school earning 30%. We discussed this Saturdays Harvest Fest activities, the corn stalks are being cut for display on the downtown light poles, Bill has a tent that can be put up on Friday afternnon for some of the crafters. By placing this event at the waterfall park it can be easily seen no matter what way people come into town. Bright blue barrels will be placed around town for a food drive to help fill the shelves at our local food bank. With winter coming soon and heating costs higher all the time the need for the food bank is growing all the time. Are abusinesses are also making scarecrows for a contest to be voted on by our shoppers during harvest fest.
Back at the shop I got things ready for a rock painting class at noon. Gingerbreadmen are drying and will be on hand for this weekends event. Hopefully we can get people into the shopping spirit this early in the season to try and catch up from the very slow summer.

Middle of the week catch -up

The weekend was amazing.. The weather was perfect for families to come to the City Park and enjoy all that was going on. So with this event behind us I am busy getting ready for Harvest Fest ... downtown.
As I paint to try and get a little ahead before I set off on my great adventure.
My daughter has booked us ( her, my 10 year old grandson and myself) on a wonderful train trip to Washington DC. I am so excited and my granson has our 3 days there all mapped out. Tour busses, George Washingtons House and his favorite .....The Library of Congress !!!!
I have always wanted to take a train trip to be able to sit back and enjoy the sights ( PS I dont drive ) and this will be fun to not only see these sights for myself but through his eyes.
As the paint dries I am busy looking for activities for the kids to do at Harvest Fest as well as some new crafters and vendors. Then I still need to find that prize winning apple recipe. At my house we take these contests seriously, I have won, two granddaughters have won, my daughter and grandson have all taken first , second or third in a contest. They are tough to beat !!! If you have a good apple recipe please leave it in a comment I could use the help or any harvest fest suggestions

Final Prep for Father Marquette Days

The park is a buzz with workers all volunteers getting ready for this weeks event. Here at Pattibears we were in charge of crafters for the event. Right up until the last minute we are accepting crafters, ( with such a big park, space is not a problem). Yesterfays appearance on Madison CW Channel 57"s Daily Buzz with Emmy Fink turned out so well and hopefully will let all of the Madison viewing area see just what Montello has to offer. Emmy and her crew came to Pattibears Place to start the day , but then also visited the historical society, city park, of course the waterfalls and did an amazing job. So for the rest of today I will be painting away to fill the walls for this weekends visitors. Not only can they come to the park and get some great food and see the crafters and BINGO, but they can stroll downtown and see what the local shops have to offer. So, I am off to paint hoping to get alot done while the weather is so perfect!

Tuesday Tutorial

Creating Vacation Memories
By: Rachel Paxton

My daughter and I recently had the opportunity to spend a week at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We were totally overwhelmed with all the things there were to do, and I had no idea how we would ever be able to remember it all.

We decided to put together a scrapbook of our Disney World memories. We wanted this to be as inexpensive as possible, while at the same time creative. Before we left on our trip my husband's mom gave us some scrapbook pages she got from our local craft store that already had Disney World characters and themes throughout them. So we knew we wanted to put together a scrapbook of some kind.

While visiting the Animal Kingdom in Disney World, we were browsing through one of many gift shops, gawking at the incredibly high prices. While looking through the photo albums I happened upon some discontinued scrapbooks that were marked down 50% to only $8! I couldn't believe our luck. It was spiral-bound with animal designs imprinted on every page. Perfect.

So we brought home the album, photos we had taken, and we already had scrapbooking pages to liven it up a bit, but it needed something else.

I had also saved whatever memorabilia I could think of, like plane tickets, the credit cards you get to open your hotel door, the meal vouchers we had received, our luggage tags, post cards, and our theme park passes. All of these items combined (with a little imagination and some glue!) make up a very inexpensive memory (less than $20 total) that will last a lifetime.


Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit www.crafty-moms.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

This article may be reprinted for free so long as the author's resource box is kept intact and all links remain live and clickable. The Article Source must also be included. All rights are reserved by the author.

another apple recipe

I have bee trying new recipes in hopes of winning another ribbon at this years Harvesy Fest on September 13th. As I try them out I thought I would share them here.
Servings:
Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition Information:
Protein: 4g; Fat: 3g; Carbohydrate: 21g; Fiber: 3g; Sodium: 134mg; Cholesterol: 18mg; Calories: 121.



Low in cholesterol and saturated fat, thee scrumptious homemade muffins are much healthier than the average store-bought variety.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and finely chopped Golden
Delicious apples



Method:

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease twelve 3-inch muffin cups or line with paper liners. In large bowl, combine both flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In medium bowl, beat buttermilk, oat bran, brown sugar, oil, and egg until blended. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold in apples.

2) Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan 5 minutes; remove from pan and cool on wire rack.