15 dozen and counting.....

of these yummy soft ginger cookies! I had a cookie exchange on Thursday that I baked 10 dozen for and another tomorrow that I need 5 dozen!

Delish and oh so easy!



INGREDIENTS

* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup margarine, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1/4 cup molasses
* christmas sprinkles


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in Christmas Sprinkles. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

A Star is Born....

...or should I say, A Store is Born!



I have just opened a second shop on etsy...Betty's closet.

This shop will be stocked with fabric and other fun crafting goodies that I find. I have a stash of vintage patterns I will be listing here as well as some vintage trims and Andalucia ribbons.

So how does someone named Kristen who has a store named gock's frocks open a store named Betty's Closet you may ask??? Well...a little history is in order.

I originally chose the name - gock's frocks as my maiden name is Gocker and it was my grandma, Betty Gocker who taught me to sew MANY years ago!



when I would go to her house and we would work on a project together we always went to the closet in her sewing room to gather our goodies...pins, measuring tape, patterns, fabric, thread and more...Betty's Closet.

Thus...a store was born!

Call Me Crazy!!!!!!

Winter Sale on etsy

skirts $20-$25
dresses $35-$40

Holiday Ready to ship collection!

The Toasty Warm Collection

just listed on etsy....

a ready to ship collection of warm, cozy fleece hoodies for boys & girls! Free Shipping on this collection!

Popcorn for the Holidays!

a friend just sent me this video - very funny but makes you wonder what is coming out of your phone!

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
Uploaded by sassiere

Cyber Monday hits etsy!

Free Shipping today only on EVERYTHING in my shop - also...buy 2 get a 3rd item 1/2 off! Have fun shopping!

The end is in sight........

These pictures were taken in my living room on Saturday before I embarked on a crazy endeavor....cutting & shipping 46 bolts of fabric and 16 rolls of ribbon! My family was kind enough to let me take over while I finished the job....yesterday I managed to send out about 40 packages and today between making the stuffing and other turkey day dishes, I plan to finish up my task!

WHewwww.....

Etsy Treasuries....

etsy has a feature that allows you to make a collection of 15 of your favorite items organized around a theme - these are called treasuries and they choose one of these to be the photo on the front page. It can be a bit of a challenge to make one but i was lucky enough tonight to have my timing just right!

I have recently joined a new street team on etsy - etsy treasury team and my selections for this treasury came from members of my street team.



click the link below to go to the treasury but keep in mind it is on etsy only for a couple of days!

le beaujolais nouveau
est arrive treasury

I also have an item in a treasury right now that is almost one of the hottest treasuries on etsy!



ho ho ho treasury

love the red & green!

Looks like I've caught the fever....

....for Twilight!

I gave in and bought the first 2 books today...I had read Twilight a couple of months ago but had not gotten around to getting the next one...sometimes with a good book series I can't get past the 1st or second book because I think I fear finishing them all and having nothing to look forward to....

I did this with Harry Potter - LOVEd the first one, read the second but waited on the third...the fourth was not yet out & I did not want to finish 3 with nothing waiting for me...but alas...life got in the way and I never did pick up #3....

so, the same thing started to happen with Twilight...I read the first one...compulsively, obsessively, without stopping....but could not bring myself to read #2 because it meant I was one book closer to the story ending...do I make any sense???

well...i gave in today and bought 1&2 and plan to indulge my vampire Forks fantasy this weekend...while online tonight I came across this twilight quiz...who are you???


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Holiday Fun on ETSY

I have been busy listing some one of a kind holiday designs in my etsy store this week. These are ready to ship...check out gock's frocks on etsy for some fabulous holiday fashions!

In the Spirit of Giving this Holiday Season

I am helping spread the word about a seriously ill young lady, Marielle. I have come to know her mom Lisa through my adventures in the boutique community online... Please click the link below Marielle's picture to see what you can do to help this holiday season....

Whew.....

Holiday Shoppes are over...while it was a long 3 days + 1 day to set-up it was a lot of fun!



I need to thank my fabulous helpers without whom I could never have done it...Jocelyn, Amy, Susan & Erin - you gals ROCK gock's frocks! A big ol' smooch to all of you!

I also had a great time meeting other creative ladies...Stephanie ...my neighbor and amazing painter and Charlotte of Hand Candy Mitten fame as well as one of my "imaginary" friends that I made online but had never met!

Renee & her darling daughter Sierra paid me a visit on Saturday & put a HUGE smile on my face ;)












Jocelyn, Susan & I enjoyed a little down time Saturday night!



I was feeling just a tad tired....




thanks again to all who stopped by my booth...I am already looking forward to seeing you again next year!

Halloween Fun!

phew....what a day yesterday was! I have been so busy sewing for my show on the 7th that I left Halloween costumes until Halloween day...maybe I was secretly hoping they would spot something at the store that they wanted to be & I could BUY them a costume instead....only Eily bit a bit on that one...opting on Thursday to be a DJ rather than a witch.



so the final sewing tally yesterday was....completed 25 tutus....made 3 pairs of knit pants for halloween costumes...2 capes..1 tunic & 1 beard!

Leo went as a viking....aaarrrghhhh!!! (or is that what a pirate says???)



and Klem...bless his heart...went as a character from one of his favorite book series..Rangers Apprentice. I loved that at 11 years old he still wanted to dress up & really got into his character. e is snuggled up on the couch in his cape as I type watching saturday morning cartoons....that alone is worth the energy put into the costumes yesterday!

How Boys Model!

a recent modeling shoot with my boys produced these lovely photos!









just a bit different than the girls!





and yes...these hats will be available in my etsy store soon!

Blow Out Sale!

just SLASHED prices on ready to ship items in my etsy store AND I am offering free shipping! Help me raise the $$$ to pay for my booth in 2 weeks!

here are just a few of the goodies!

What's for dinner tonight????

well...actually I made this last week but it was such a hit I wanted to share with everyone!



I substituted butternut squash for the acorn squash....MMMM MMMM good!

Find the recipe here.

Sharing some show goodies.....

I have been chaining myself to my sewing machines the past few weeks as I prepare to do my first show of the holiday season. I am participating in the Holiday Shoppes sponsored by the Junior League of Syracuse. The show details can be found here.

I am very excited but a bit unsure of what to expect. I thought I would share a few of the goodies I have finished for the show...







I just love to photograph my daughter and her friend...trying to capture those glimpses of sweet innocence and childlike delight in the littlest things....