Shabby Giveaway!

Janet is giving away a cool $100 gift certificate to her store Shabby Fufu!!! Please click here if you'd like to visit her beautiful blog full of shabby goodness!

Beautiful 100th Post Giveaway!

Polly of Sassafras Stuff is having a beautiful giveaway in honor of her 100th post!! Click here to visit her blog and enter!

Giveaways!!!

Oooh! Suze from Junque Drawer Chick is having 3 days of giveaways!!! This photo is from Day 1, so hurry on over to enter to win The Vintage Housewife package!

Do you love Shabby Chic as much as I do?? Well then, head on over to Shabby Addict for a fabulous giveaway! You can browse the shop and find that perfect shabby something and also be entered to win an awesome $100 gift certificate for Anthropologie or $75 to Shabby Addict!

Also, Lifestyle Crafts is giving away a an L Letterpress Combo Kit , valued at $150, plus your own custom printing plate!!
Click here to enter this Awesome giveaway!!

Ellie from A Little of This and a Little of That is giving away a simplehuman sensor soap pump!!!
Please click here to visit her blog and enter for a chance to win this amazing soap dispenser! :)

Birdhouses Galore!

Here are my new birdhouses! :)

This first one is an ornament and made it to the front page of Lollishops.com!!!!

These can all be found for sale at http://splendidlysweet.com :) Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful day!

Another awesome giveaway!

Would you like to be the proud owner of this gorgeous creation?

What about these?

Or this?? :)
Then head on over to Rose Petals and Rust for a chance to win them all! And be sure to congratulate Stefanie on 200 followers!! :)

Two Wonderful Giveaways!

Dawn, from The Feathered Nest, is having a giveaway honoring her 1200 posts and 400 followers!!!! Please click on the above picture to visit her blog filled with beautiful handmade vintage style gifts, home decor and tutorials!

Also, Lyneen of I am... Dreaming of Castles is having a Blogaversary Giveaway!! Just look at all the Ephemera in this pack that she's giving away!! What a wonderful treat- so hurry and visit! :)

More Swap Stuff

Hello :) This weekend I was very busy making things! I only have a couple pictures of things, though. Some are the things I made for the Pay It Forward, but I'm not going to show them until everyone gets theirs!!



This is my Christmas Shop Row House for the ArtHaven swap! I just love how this turned out!! The paper is from Doodlebugs- of course!!! (They also made the black paper with candy on it that I used for my Halloween banner) Gingerbreads + Doodlebug = Awesome!! With all the little gingerbread men floating around, I just had to make a girl :)


And this is my Ace of Diamonds card for the Deck of Cards swap. Very blingy!!
Thanks for visiting and hope you have a wonderful week!

EZ View Desk Giveaway!!

Do you want to be able to store your craft supplies in as little space as possible while still being able to view them? Then this giveaway is for you!!! Please visit Just me My Soldier and our 2 little chicks for information about how to enter to win an EZ View Desktop!

PLUS! Get entered to win the GRAND PRIZE of an EZ View Craft Desk!!!!!

Hurry!! Giveaway closes Dec. 11th!! GOOD LUCK!

Christmas-y Pictures - Yeay!

Hello :) Can you believe it's the third day of December already?!?!?! Today is my daughter's birthday. She turns 10 today! Actually, 3 minutes ago! Happy Birthday Rachelle-Maria Celestial!!!!

This week, I've been busy doing surgeries at work. Honestly, I was very nervous at first- ok, it took me 2 years to try to do one by myself!!! Um, maybe 2.5. But I have finally got it! It takes a LOT of patience and steady hands to be able to work with such tiny things. For example, think of making a tiny hole in something with the circumference of a single piece of thread and then trying to put something the size of a pipe cleaner into it! It seems nearly impossible!! But I've finally done it- not 1, but 4 times! Ok, on to crafty goodness :)

Here is my glittery, blingy, pearly, Christmas-y birdhouse- unfinished!! I set a white snowbird on the perch, but didn't snap a picture of it before I brought it to the auction at Thanksgiving. My b/f's family has an auction every year- everyone who comes to dinner brings a gift or two to donate to the auction and we all bid for each piece. The money raised goes to families in need at his grandmother's church for Christmas! This year, we raised $513!!!! Isn't that just amazing??

I ended up bidding on some great things, too! Sometimes, people will wrap their items, so it's a guessing game as to what's inside. But are surprises fun? :)

I had been looking for more of these tiny birdhouses to no avail, but I finally found some more at AC Moore on Sunday!!! So I snatched up 6 more :) My blog is going to be all blingy birdhouse-d out by the end of the Christmas season!! (Ok, and maybe after that, too )

This is my Christmas ATC for the ArtHaven yahoo group :) Kewpies(!!!!!111one) are my favorite!! It's so funny- I don't like dolls too much- they scare me- but I looooooove Kewpies! So, no Kewpie dolls for me... just adorable pictures of them! lol :) They are sitting in front of my favorite wintry song- Baby It's Cold Outside! Ok, I seriously could not find a digital image of the original vintage score, so I tried to improvise with distress ink. Eh- it's cute anyway :)

Lol- and another tribute to my favorite song :) This is the fat book page I created for Robin's Fat Book Page Swap in Winter Whites! I can't wait to get my book!!! I have gotten one peek so far at one of the pages done by Mary from Green Paper and hers is just stunning!!!!!

For this page, I used a snowflake stamp and flocking powder to create the white snowflakes in the background. Originally, I had mixed the flocking with glitter, but I put too much glitter in the mix [(and then couldn't get it out!!) and had no more of that kind of flocking] and the the images ended up coming out too rough. I wanted the snowflakes to feel soft!!! So I decided to go with the flocking powder by itself. Then I made the medallion out of creamy flocked vintage wallpaper and topped it with a cream colored paper rose. This was set on top of a silver glitter snowflake and attached to my homemade flocked paper. I printed out the sentiment and cut it into a banner shape then glittered the edges. Added the silver and white pom pom trim to the bottom of the page and yeay, done! After doing this, I realized how hard it was only being able to work with limited colors!! For some reason, I don't seem to have very much cream and white embellishments in my stock! Cream millinery seems hard to come by... If you know of a great place to get some, would you please pass on your secrets!! :)

And lastly, here is my Joy banner for another ArtHaven swap! It looks much better in person- the snowflakes behind the glittered letters were misted with a pretty light blue perfect pearls mist and they're so pretty when the light hits them the right way. Couldn't get enough flocking, so I flocked the spots and ears of each deer :) The vintage lace gives it that super girly look, as do the pretty pink and red papers! Speaking of which... I think these papers are from the Basic Grey line- Eskimo kisses. Isn't is sweet?!

I hope you've enjoyed my little update :) Thank you for stopping by!! Be careful shopping out there, and may you be blessed with good parking spots! lol :)

Giveaways Galore!!

There are soooo many blog giveaways going on right now!! I can't believe it!! Makes me want to have one of my own lol!! I think I will! But I have to make it, first :)

I've added a bunch of wonderful blog giveaways to my sidebar. Many of these were found by Dawn at ~The Feathered Nest~!! Please visit her blog to see even more giveaways!

Not only will you be able to enter the giveaways, but you might just come across someone new who inspires you! I am thankful not only for the chance to win gorgeous things, but also for the chance to meet someone new through their blog. I have to say, that's the best part!!

Hippity Hoppity- Happy blog hopping!

Link-y!!!

Oh wow, do I have a great link for you!!! My friend, Angie, posted this link in our newsgroup and I am passing it on to you!

http://countdown.tentwostudios.com/

Here, you will find one digital image sheet per day until Dec. 25!! And these are beautiful, quality images!! So hurry!

Bluebird Giveaway!

Hop on over to Koralee's blog, Bluebird Notes, to see beautiful posts!! And she is also having her first blog giveaway! Be sure not to miss your chance to win these gorgeous items...

A Long One!!

Oh- it's been so long!! I have many updates and lots of pictures! Are you ready? Here is one of my latest creations.

First, I painted this shelf pink and then went over it with white pearl paint to give it pretty shimmer. Then I decorated each side with sweet pink flowers with pearl stamens and added pearl strands to them. Then I slipped a string of pearls underneath the pegs and lined the top edge with yummy pink millinery posies. You can find it here :)

This piece I painted white and then layered on a champagne colored pearl. Then I put pearl strand around the top edge and accented the heart with them. Shiny beaded ribbon completes this piece for a simple, but pretty look.

These shelves were therapeutic to make. Many of you know that last week wasn't so well- as we had to go to two wakes and one funeral. A lot of moping around the house and staring at the TV went on, so we didn't get too much done. But I was able to get some time in my craft room and was grateful for the play time.

Here is a picture of the altered Rolodex card I made for the ArtHaven swap. I made 16 of these! This was my first attempt at making these crepe paper medallions!! Honestly, a couple of them did not turn out as perfect as I wanted them, but I was already about 2 weeks late getting these out!! These were more difficult than I thought they would be- I don't have a sewing machine, so I had to use some double sided tape and pray for the best :) I don't think you can tell from the picture, but there are tiny surprises on each card... you'll see when you get them! :)

This is the Ace of Hearts card I came up with for another ArtHaven swap. LOL- I loved the idea, but this too, was more difficult than I originally thought it would be!! Lace is so finicky... And lining up the pattern of the paper took some time to get just right... It's always the littlest things!!

This is the ATC I made for the Cutest Pumpkin ArtHaven swap. At first, I didn't like how it was turning out because it was just the words and pumpkin graphic, but then I had the idea to do some embossing and added the colorful flowers and sparkley rhinestones. And added pom pom trim and that tiny spider (which took forever to cut out!!)... and I think it looks pretty cute all finished.

In other news, I won another blog giveaway!!! This one was from the Lollishops blog. Sadie was giving away an original piece of artwork by herself and Design Team Kits that had been mailed out to Lollishops very first Design Team! I couldn't believe I won!!!! Actually, there were 3 chances to win and mine was the last number chosen, so I didn't think I would be receiving a piece of artwork, but then THIS came in the mail!!!!

Isn't the angel Dollie sooooooooo cute?!?!?! I love how she made this look like a couch. The paper in the background is gorgeous too!

And here is the Inspiration Kit:

I love, love, LOVE that tiny yellow velvet flower. Ummm, so much so that I had to purchase some... These came from the Tin Tiara on Lollishops also known as Christopher Pines on etsy.

And then... My popalicioustoo order arrived!!! Actually, it came right after I went to the funeral and was a wonderful surprise. Andrea makes sure to include "some surprises" with each order- but I have to say, she outdid herself!!! There were over 5 yards of pearl flower strands, vintage jewelry, those gorgeous white bells, tiny pink bears, tiny pink clothespins, gorgeous purple ribbon flowers, little cherubs, two extra dachshund magnets, and foot long white lily of the valley with pearl strands! And these were all included for free in my order!! If you need craft supplies, Andrea is definitely someone you want to buy from. Her prices are excellent, she sells items I haven't seen elsewhere- like those beautiful gowned girls- and she is one of the most WONDERFUL people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And she loves dachshunds (like ME!!) and does dachshund rescue. A portion of your sale goes to fund dachshund rescue through Almost Home Dachshund Rescue and All American Dachshund Rescue.

I also recently got this order in the mail from Angela Harris. I was sent to her Etsy shop by Tales from an OC Cottage. And obviously, I couldn't resist!!!! Well. It was for a good cause!!! Proceeds from these tags went to support Operation Christmas Child. There are still 4 sets left in her Etsy store. Such a great price around $7 for 3 tags and 2-3 pieces of vintage jewelry!

Now for the house... If you haven't heard, I've moved! From a duplex into an actual house! We couldn't believe we got the house at such a low price per month (we're just renting). It was only $15 more per month than what we were paying for the duplex. And it is a 4 bed, 1.5 bath house! Yes, too much space, but it's ok if the heat bill isn't too bad (crossing fingers!). Here's a picture of my pink feather tree all lit up.... These two gorgeous birds came from Walmart!!! Can you believe it?!?! And only $2 for each!!! They have soooo many ornaments there- super pretty ones!- for only 1 or 2 dollars!! Again, this tip came from Tales from an OC Cottage.... I have to stop visiting her blog before I go broke!!! LOL

Here is a picture of our living room... I was able to decorate for Christmas- and then I realized how nothing really matched each other! You can kind of see my awesome curtains!! lol I love them :) They're a light beige taffeta with brownish colored embroidered roses. I got them at Burlington Coat Factory for only $25. Matt thinks they're too light because they almost get lost in the wall... I have no decorating sense- do people decorate with light colored curtains??? Or are they usually darker?

That terrible dark spot above the mantle is not my camera nor your eyes playing tricks on you!! It is really bad!!! So I went and bought stuff to make a feather wreath with to cover it up. Boy, I didn't have any idea it would cost so much!! It was about $9 for the styrofoam, $9 for each of the boas, and $4 for the bird to put on it... I could have bought one already made for less than that! Lol Live and learn I guess :) I am not done with it yet, but I'll be sure to post pictures when it's done.

Here is a picture of the vintage hobnail milk glass lamp that was left by the previous owner. (And yes, those are my cherries curtains in the background!!!)

Ok... just one last picture and I have to say goodnight!!! Here are my vintage dachshund salt and pepper shakers!! Aren't they cute kissing? :)

Lol- I just realized how many links I had to add in here :) I like to do this so you might find other blogs and stores you're interested in too! That's how I've learned about many stores and blogs I visit, so I'd like to return the favor!! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Blog Candy Blowout!!

Ok, I can't keep this one all to myself! If you'd like a chance to win at several amazing pieces of blog candy (like this awesome piece shown above!!), head on over to Lynn's blog- Trash to Treasure Art! Trust me, you won't want to miss this giveaway!

This One's For You, Penny!

Hi!! My name is Binki and I live in Mommy's craft room. I'm a chinchilla and very cute and soft if you can catch me! I like to bounce around the room, but I don't think Mommy is going to let me do that in here because there is too much stuff I can get into. I have huge ears and can hear really well- especially when that dog, Bella is coming around... she tries to jump on my cage to bite me and scares me sometimes, but I know I can beat her up with my sharp teeth!

Today I'm going to give you a tour of Mommy's craft room- or OUR room, rather, because Mommy's friend, Penny Duncan of Penny Duncan Creations wanted to see pictures of where we work! Mommy says Penny is one of the most giving, wonderful persons she knows and that she also creates beautiful artwork she shares on her website that you should go peek at if you're a fellow art lover!

Are you ready for the tour?


Here is Mommy's brand new addition to her craft room!! She won this banner from Suze at Junque Drawer Chick. Isn't it soo pretty? You can see better pictures of it at http://junquedrawerchick.blogspot.com. Mommy was gushing over it as soon as she got it. It had everything she loved, she said! She said she couldn't believe what an awesome giveaway gift it was. And said that Suze makes THE most AMAZING mosaics ever! Mommy doesn't even really like mosaics, but she just LOVES the ones Suze does with their sweet pink and shabby chic look. Maybe she will get one for Christmas :)

Oh... would you look at that mess! Mommy sure is messy sometimes. She has to put all her spools of ribbon and yards of lace in boxes because she doesn't have anywhere else to store them. Oh, how I'd love to get in to those boxes and chew them up!

Mommy bought this wicker shelving from a garage sale for $15! It looks so tasty!

Mommy stole this idea of using an over the door shoe system to hold color coordinated loose ribbons and things from a bunch of people on the internet!! That thief!

Sorry for the dark picture. Mommy's new banner is hanging up over this window and she has a turn-y embellishment center on top of a file cabinet that holds all her cardstock and paper scraps. I like to imagine myself bouncing off the walls and knocking all this stuff over so I could then chew on it all!! What heaven!

Here is a snippet of Mommy's feather tree she was gushing about not too long ago. She couldn't believe she got it for $29.99! She said most of them are $70 and that she was lucky to find this one. I think feathers would tickle my nose.



These are pictures of Mommy's messy table where she glitters and feathers everything she touches! Soon, I think I will be covered in glitter, too! Ahh!!!

And this is my home!! I hope you enjoyed the tour. I am very sleepy and think it's time for my nap now. Nighty night!