Tulle!

Alright...so this blog is going to be the MOST interesting yet! It's about TULLE!
So the tulle that I use for my tutus is...
Made in the USA!
Made of flame-retardant, diamond weave nylon.
Made in over 40 colors!

Run cursor over tulle swatches and it will show the color name!

The tulle colors are pretty true to picture, but if you have any questions let me know!

The Big Climb

The Ladies and a Man - Jacob, Tammie, Me, Casey and Dannette

The view from the street looking waayyy up!

Jenifer Weis and her little angel, Makenzie

Makenzie!

So for all of you that have forgotten...I did the Big Climb on Sunday March 22nd to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was quite an experience to say the least. I did have the support of my wonderful team...Tammie, Casey, Dannette and Jacob...so thank you to my team! We all finished in well under 30 minutes, which is faster than we had all imagined. After "training" on the stair climbers we thought that it might take 30-45 minutes. And boy was it alot easier to climb on the fake stair climbers in the nicely ventilated Mieko's Fitness club! And as I complain I remind myself why I did this and the many things that I do NOT have to deal with on a daily basis, such as cancer. As you climb each step and make it to a new floor, pictures of survivors and those that were not as lucky, were pasted to the wall...a constant reminder of who and why you are there. Each step was harder and harder...I started out with my carefully picked out songs on my iPod, songs that would help lift me up and keep my energy. Little did I know...no matter which songs you choose...music doesn't really help THAT much...I think that I was hoping that it (the music) would physically pick me up and carry me to the top, how lucky! So like I was saying, each floor was harder and harder...I thought that by the 20th floor that I was not in any way going to make it to the top. I kept telling myself that I had to finish, if a 98 year old man could do this then by golly I could too. And the 50th floor hit, I was done...physically and mentally done. It was hot and the air was stale. But only 20 more to go, I had to do it...though I wasn't sure if someone was going to suddenly find me laying in the fetal position and have to carry me up! By the 60th floor I was going to stop, no way was it going to happen. I then turn the corner to see the picture on the 61st floor. I must tell you that a quarter of the way through I stopped looking at the pictures, I was just looking at my feet and yelling at them to keep stepping...left right, left right, and so on. Well...on the 61st floor I did look up...and saw Makenzie. I failed to mention earlier that I met a wonderful little 2 year old girl named Makenzie. She found out at the ripe old age of 16 months that she has a type of Leukemia. Can you beleive it?! Her story touched me in many different ways. Having a daughter, not much younger than Makenzie, hit me...how easily things can turn. Having this beautiful little girl go through such horrible horrrible treatments and feeling so icky most of the time. It is so unfair. Eventhough she has what she has...she is still a sweet little girl with such a big heart. Meeting her, a week or so before the climb, was a highlight of my day, week, year, life. She is such an amazing little girl! Yes, i'm sure i've said that already...but it is true! And her mother, Jenifer is an amazing person as well...so I can see where Makenzie gets it from. So...seeing her picture at the 61st floor kind of gave me a jolt...again, I am doing this for her and for all of the other sufferers of Leukemia and Lymphoma. I did make it to the top...22 minutes later. I was very happy to peroid make it to the top but to also do it in 22 minutes. Seeing this building from the outside, looking up from the ground, was very intimidating. And seeing the view from the very top was amazing...a 360 view of Seattle. We live in such a beautiful city! And...silly enough my biggest fear was riding down in the elevator. Though I did grin and bare that as well!

So that was my experience with the Big Climb! I am so very glad to have done it and will definetly do it again next year. Though...I will do some actual training! Our team ended up raising almost $2,000! Thanks to our friends, family and workplaces!

You can get more info about the LLS, or make a donation, at http://www.bigclimb.org/ and for some more info on Makenzie check out http://www.makenzieweis.com/.

Thank you so much for your support!
Amanda :)

view from the top:

lady d's garden of lavender

lady d's is a beautiful store in the mill creek town center. she carries everything from lavender cookies, saches, candles, lotions, and hats, shirts...and of course...lavender tutus, as well as many many other things!! donna opened this store in honor of her daughter heather, who loved lavender!

did you know that lavender is a natural moth and flea repellant? and that lavender helps with nausea and headaches? and that it is part of the rosemary family and that you can cook with it?

Here's a recipe for some awesome cookies...enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Lavender Cookies

1 1/4 cups butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup lavender sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Do not grease the cookie sheets.

Cream butter with sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa, and add to the butter-egg mixture. Whip well about 1 minute. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Mix well.

Spoon plum-sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheets about 3 inches apart.

Bake 12-15 minutes until the cookies look puffy with cracks on top. Do not over bake.

Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack until firm.

They keep well stored in airtight containers in a cool place.

Featured Product:

Queen Mary Lavender Tea

The Lavender Rooibos flavor is a hand crafted blend of organically grown culinary grade lavender with organic rooibos (African Red Bush).
Queen Mary teas promotes tranquility and peace through their calming infusion.

Lil's Lavender Bath and Body Products

Lil's Lavender products are very safe, nontoxic and gentle to sensitive skin. Each product is made using the finest natural ingredients, such as vitamins, herbs, botanicals, natural oils, extracts and minerals. Lil's products contain no mineral oil, no human or animal placenta and no drying alcohol. Lil's products are never tested on animals and no animal by-products are used in them.

Lady D's carries many of Lil's Lavender products. A customer favorite is Lil's Lavender Deep Therapy Hand Cream - a wonderful deep therapy cream with antioxidant for rough, damaged hands--or to keep hands from getting rough and damaged.

Also great for use on knees, elbows, heels or anywhere needing some special care. Enjoy the benefits of Vitamins A, C, D, & E. Many people tell us it is the best cream they have ever tried.

Outrageous Shortbread

Locally hand-made and hand-packed in Kirkland, Washington, Outrageous Shortbread comes in a variety of flavors and pairs well with wine, cocktails, fruit, coffee and tea.

Try our favorite flavors - bittersweet chocolate lavender, white chocolate lavender and vanilla lavender. Made from sweet cream butter and culinary lavender, they are sure to become a favorite item to pick up when you're shopping at Lady D's.

These delectable pieces of lavender infused shortbread sell fast, so hurry in to pick up a bag today!

Purple Haze Salad Dressing and Honey

Purple Haze Salad Dressing is a scrumptious blend of Canola oil, lemon juice, vinegar, tamari, honey, organic lavender, organic herbs and LOTS of yummy garlic. Each bottle contains 12 fluid ounces of dressing. Shake well and enjoy!

The Bees at Purple Haze Lavender Farm produce the most exquisite honey. Because the hives are placed in the lavender fields, the nectar from organic lavender flowers combines with that of other flowers like clover, blackberry & fireweed to produce a unique and subtle flavor. It is extracted without the use of heaters or filters to ensure the taste and nutritional value of pure raw honey.

You can check out Lady D's Garden of Lavender online at www.ladydlavender.com or in the Mill Creek Town Center! You know you're close when you get a whiff of her store...it's intoxicating!

i'm new to this so please be kind!

alrighty...so i am new to the blogging world...talking about absolutely nothing and everything at the same time doesn't come so easy to me! hopefully it comes to me soon though! soo...hi! my name is amanda and i make tutus! i love tutus! they are so sweet and innocent! why do i feel like im at an aa meeting...hi, my name is amanda and i'm addicted to tutus! haha...anyways! like i said in the title...please be kind to me, this is my first time. if you have any pointers or cool ideas please let me know, i definetly need the help...obviously. so the point of this blog is to mainly showcase my tutus and other things that i have come across that i love! for instance...in the hopefully near future i will post some of my favorite stores, such at lady d's lavendar and haley's cottage, both in the mill creek town center. as well as introducing you all to where i work, it's a cool little "gym" in the mill creek town center called bella forme. thanks for listening (or reading i guess) to my very very very first blog EVER and maybe i will get you as a follower! thanks again! oh...and if you ever need a tutu...i am your gal!