Good Morning!

I woke up this morning and made myself a java concoction with hazelnut coffee, a large swirl of Reddi-Whip (whipped cream in a can), and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. It's my new favorite way to wake up in the morning. And don't you love my new mug from Target?

This little box of sweet inspiration came over the weekend from my swap partner Hope. It's the first Petite Inspiration Box I've received from participating in Speckled Egg's swap of the same name. When I opened the package and saw this box I thought to myself, "Who even cares what is inside cause this box is gorgeous!" But eventually I did come to my senses and opened it and this is what I found:

What a sweet sparkley greeting all wrapped up in waxed paper and pink seam binding. Hope's attention to detail really is exquisite.

And look how neatly she has everything all tucked in. Lots of vintage treasures were inside that tiny box. Thank you so much Hope!

And another hug goes out to my friend Elizabeth who bestowed this wonderful Friends Award on little ole me! The sentiment behind this award is, "These kind bloggers aim to find friends and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement." Isn't that exactly what this world of art blogs has opened up to each and every one of us? So many friendships have been formed with people we might never have connected with if it weren't for our blogs. How lucky are we?!!! :)

A Pretty Little Christmas Tour of Homes

Welcome to A Pretty Little Christmas Blog Party! The 'oh so talented' Heather is our hostess and wait till you see her delightfully cozy home all decked out for the holidays. . .you definitely will fall in love with this girl's style. Also Boomama is hosting a huge Christmas Tour of Homes as well, so let's get going...there's lots to see!

This year I've decorated our home in cool icy tones of pink, aqua, silver and white. Much to my DH's dismay, I have ALOT of Christmas decorations and a NOT SO BIG house, so I never have enough room to put them all out at one time. I still do my gingerbread tree in the kitchen, a snowman tree in the livingroom, and a Paris themed tree in my family room. But the rest of the decorations usually vary from year to year, which I kind of like as it breaks up the monotony each year.
I love, love, love mercury glass and anything covered in silver glass glitter. I got these goblet style candle holders at Homegoods to use at my daughter's wedding last month. The flickering candle light creates a wonderful glow when they are lit. The glitter deer is from Target. The mercury glass tree is from Michael's. And the best part is I didn't even have to polish my sterling silver tray, because I think the tarnished finish suits the mercury glass very well.

These vintage tinsel trees sit in a grouping on top of my grandmother's baby grand piano. A string of mini white lights weaves it's way through the display. I am so obsessed with tucking those small $1.47 strings of 50 Christmas lights all through the house.

This sweet little angel is new this year. She was displayed on top of this wispy wreath in the store and I couldn't resist buying them both, just the way they were. Now that's what I call a smart shopkeeper who knows how to double her sales!

This pink organza stocking is another Homegoods find. Both the color and the layers of ruffles at the top are what caught my eye.

If you need to sit and rest a while, you can do it in this wicker chair in my 'studio annex.' Since my daughter's wedding, I have taken over her old room and am using it as an extension of my studio. Unlike my original studio space, I am trying my best to keep this one tidy. So far, so good...but then it's only been a month since she moved out!

I adore the sparkley aqua color of this tree. Most of the ornaments on this tree are new this year, either made by "moi" or handmade by talented friends.

JOY has been my word for this year. . .I can't seem to help myself when I see that word pop up wherever I go.

I keep this little guardian angel out all year long. I got her at a tiny local craft show a many years ago. She is made by a textile artist who uses vintage lace on everything she creates. I have her hanging on a small quilted memo board that was also handmade by another crafter I know.

Pink snow cottages and a vintage aqua Santa ~ what could be better than that?

More mercury glass and a wee pale pink bottle brush tree trimmed in pearls.
This creamware pitcher holds pink and aqua vintage glass bead picks ~ very festive indeed!

A darling mica covered ornament made from a kit designed by blogging friend and fellow Joli Paquet artist, Beth Quinn. FYI - Due to popular demand, Joli Paquet will be returning after the first of the year. Check back here in early January for all the details.

An aqua clip-on glass candle ornament "lights" up the night. . . . . . . . . .while a bottle-brush tree balances atop a snow covered aqua glass ornament. This is my version of a 'contemporary' Christmas tree, using a glass and silverplate tiered cookie server loaded up with silver glittery ornaments, pinecones and glass balls.
Well, thank you so much for stopping by. . .if you want to see a lot more of the Pretty Little Christmas homes, then click here. I'm on my way out the door now to visit some of my friends places too. . . .who knows, maybe we'll bump into one another along the way! Enjoy the day!

Party Time

Miss Heather from Pretty Petals is having a party on December 15th! Sounds like a fun time to me. Why don't you come too? You can sign up by clicking here. See ya there!!!

Happy Belated Birthday!

Yesterday (November 2, 1755) was Marie Antoinette's Birthday and sweet blogger Joy from Cupid's Charm hosted a birthday soiree in honor of the Queen's special day. With all the commotion of water flooding my house, it completely slipped my mind to post my pic. I hope you all will forgive me for being a little late. And if you want to treat yourself to lots of yummy and luscious eye candy, go on over to Joy's blog where she has a list with links to all the party participants! Happy Birthday Marie!!!

And The Fun Continues. . .

OMG! Wasn't Lori's Snowman Box on the Joli Paquet Blog the cutest? I've seen boxes like that in the stores and am thrilled to know how to make them myself now! Thanks so much for sharing this technique with us Lori.

Angelina Mast is posting a yummy family recipe today over at Joli Paquet. Go on over and see for yourself right here and be sure to enter Cindy's Giveaway while you are there!

I can't believe the mess we came home to tonight after making a quick trip up to the cottage. Evidently a pipe connection broke on our water line in back of the washing machine resulting in a huge flood in my laundry room, utility room and hallway. Needless to say, my family room looks a cyclone hit it with all the stuff draped all over drying out! I have two fans are working overtime and I am hoping that the wood flooring in the hallway isn't a lost cause. The way things look around here you'd never believe that we are having a wedding in the family this Saturday. I'm hoping my handy DH will be able to fix it before he goes to work tomorrow so I will have some water to mop the floors with disinfectant cleaner! Update - Good News! My hubby was able to get the part and fix the pipe before going in to work this morning. Now it's up to me to clean up afterwards.

No Tricks, Just Treats!

Happy Halloween to everyone! I hope you have LOTS of treats ready so that the little goblins don't get ya! I can remember as a child how the excitement of Halloween was always such fun. That is if you don't mention the amount of times that it was cold or rainy or both here in the midwest and we had to cover our costumes up with winter coats. Bummer! Definitely not quite as thrilling as running up and down the streets, going door-to-door in your spiffy pirate costume or pretty princess ballgown. But the end result - big bags full of candy - was the same, so who's complaining?

And if you're too tired to get out the carving knife to turn your pumpkin into a Jack-o-lantern, you may want to try your hand at virtual pumplin carving here.

And after all the spooks are finished haunting your house, don't forget to visit the Joli Paquet blog. All the wonderful glitz and sparkle begins tomorrow - November 1st!!!! Lori Karla from My Fairie Window has something fabulous lined up to launch our special holiday event.

Campaign for Creativity

I found this on Donna Downey's blog the other day and it really hit a chord with me so I thought I would share her message with all of you. Donna says, "Inspiration and possibility are everywhere...it can be found in everything we do, share and see. The possibility is our part in manifesting it into tangible art. All we need to do is open our hearts and eyes and listen to our creative voice. The challenge is to learn to embrace your creative potential and let it free to guide your art . The power of our passion to create is the gift we all have to share."

Let's all join Donna in this personal Campaign for Creativity and share this message with others.

The Secret Is Out!

Ok! Ok! now that I have peaked your curiosity I cannot keep the secret any longer! The exciting news that I teased about in the previous post is some holiday fun for YOU! Remember last year when there was this wonderful, glittery online event called Joli Paquet? Well, it's happening again THIS year and it's going to be better than ever! My sweet friend Cerri has organized a terrific group of artists to share tutorials, recipes, giveaways, holiday tips, decorating ideas, and more with you on the special Joli Paquet Blog. And the best part is that anyone will be able to access the blog throughout the entire month of November for FREE - our gift to you!

Just like last year, Joli Paquet will also hold a Holiday Kit Event during the weekend November 14-15th! Each of the artists listed below are putting together some fabulous holiday themed kits for you to purchase and create with.

Cerri Campbell - Little Pink Studio

Cindy Gilstrap - Junque Art

Beth Quinn - Beth Quinn Designs

Donna Layton - Under The Red Roof

Brandy Faulkner - Brandywine Boutique

Lori Karla - Faerie Window

and me!

So feel free to add the Joli-Paquet button below to your blog with a link to the website and help us spread the word! Remember, the fun begins November 1st!

Remember This?

Quite a while ago I showed you these sneak peeks of a "special project" I was working on with a group of very talented ladies. It was all hush-hush back then (and still is... sort of) but if you click here you can see a little peek of one of the books that we all worked in. We are all over-the-moon with excitement as you can imagine!

My sweet friend Cerri had to be rushed to the hospital for some emergency surgery the other day. She is back home now and on the mend but if you have a minute, please stop by her blog and send her some good wishes to help cheer her up!

Nothing much new around here. I am going through artistic withdrawal lately as I haven't stepped foot inside my art room for quite some time. All my focus has been on wedding details and although much of those have been creative projects, I really miss playing with my papers, trims and ephemera. I am going to have to carve out some time for myself to create something soon. Of course my head is just swimming with ideas and there's been no time to run with any of them. Isn't that always the way? I'd better start writing and sketching those inspirations down in my art journal before they slip through my feeble mind into oblivion!

Happy Monday Everyone!

TGIF

The assignment for this art journal page was to incorporate sewing and/or stitching onto the page. I planned to have more sewing than actually is on the page, but the thread on the bobbin ran out and I was too lazy to refill it. Of course if you could see the space surrounding the sewing machine you might know why. It's a miracle that I could even find the on/off switch with all the piles of stuff on my desk. Yep, it's a mess again. So "what else is new" you are probably saying ~ and of course you would be 100% correct. My desktop never stays clean and tidy for long, no matter how hard I try. It actually has turned into a dumping ground and I have recently realized that this is an integral part of my creative process ~ how's that for rationalizing? But it truly is, because I cut out snips of this paper with decorative edged scissors, or cut a picture out of that magazine or text from an old book, or a bit from a roll of wallpaper or a length of ribbon and the unused remnants end up all over my desk and eventually get incorporated into a journal page or another collage. And I love that....it's serendipity at it's finest!
Yesterday I was at Michael's for an artist's date {isn't that what author Julia Cameron calls an outing to the art and craft store?} and I ventured over to the Martha Stewart Craft aisle because they were having a sale on all her tools, glitters and adhesives. As I picked up a bottle of my favorite glittering glue {which never clogs, buy the way}, I saw this border punch hanging from the display and thought how pretty it was. I've seen it there before, but somehow it just called out to me this time in an Alice in Wonderland voice and said, "Buy Me, Buy Me." So of course I obeyed and immediately took it right to the check out counter. But it does make a pretty edge, doesn't it? And it is very easy to line up the paper so you can make {as Martha would say} a perfect continuous line of punches all the way across the edge of the paper. You can see my first attempt at this on the blue post-it note above....it turned out so pretty that now I want to punch all my post-it papers.

I decided that my blog needed a new spring look, so yesterday I played around in Photoshop and created a new banner and while doing that I figured out how to get it to appear bigger across the top of the page. It was so simple, but it took a lot of hit and misses until I got it right. See Donna, you aren't the only one who struggles with her blog.

So does anyone have any plans for the Memorial Day weekend? With gas prices at $4.07 around here, we are staying close to home this year. We're getting together with my DH's side of the family tomorrow and Sunday we'll be with some other family members. I think we'll have a cookout at our house on Monday and let everyone else drive out our house for a change. Have a great weekend and don't forget to fly your flag!

Hey, Don't I Know You?

Yesterday while I was out running errands, I picked up a copy of the new Spring issue of Somerset Life (and Somerset Workshop and Memories too). As I flipped through the pages, I was amazed at how many bloggers I found inside. These are blogs that I visit on a regular basis and feel as if I "know" the artists because we have commented back and forth from time to time. It used to be when I looked at a copy of Someset Studios I would marvel and drool over the beautiful works of art. But the names of the artists were only familiar to me from the magazine iteself. Nowadays, it is a rare occasion when I read any of the Stampington Publications and don't find a blogging friend I "know" featured inside. As the song goes, "The times - they are a changing." To illustrate my point, below are some my favorite artists who are features in the current issue of Someset Life, starting with the cover which features Marilyn Healey's vintage bottle of pixie glitter.

Jenny Holiday - Everyday is a Holiday

Andrea Singarella - Velvet Strawberries

Rebecca Sower

Tammy Gilley - Tammy Gilley Studios

Delila Jamaiel - Sepia Art Studio

Susan Tuttle - Ilka's Attic

Sandra Evertson

Tracy Scheurer - Junk 2 Jewels

Julie Collings - Blue Girl XO

Kaari Meng - French General

Karla Nathan - Karla's Cottage

Melissa McCobb Hubbell - Garden of Pink Shadows

Cari Kraft - What Should We Make Today?

Heather Bullard - Present Past Collection

I'm in the mood for a GIVEAWAY, so be sure to check back here on Friday for details! Oh and don't forget - tomorrow is Karla and Beth's Bling Your Birdhouse Party. I'll show you the little birdy abodes I've been working on.