I've Been Tagged!

Image by Believer9

O.k., I've been "tagged" by the lovely Ananhook. My task is to tell you 10 things about myself. This is a little out of my comfort zone but that's o.k. You're a great group of people and I'm sure you won't be too hard on me. ;)

1. When I was I was in pre-school I remember going door to door in my neighborhood with a little red wagon full of tiny frogs. I sold them for 5 cents a piece! I was a small business owner even then. ;)

2. I moved 12 times growing up and went to nine different schools. My Dad wasn't in the service, we just had a bit of "gypsy" in us.

3. When I was in elementary and junior high school, I was a bit of a trouble maker. I loved to talk in class, get into water fights in the halls, sing loud on the bus, etc.....every teacher's and bus drivers nightmare.

4. I'm married to my best friend and have three older kids. They're 22, 20, and 17. I got married when I was 12. Just kidding.

5. I've had some troubling neurological symptoms over the last 8 years. Doctors think it's MS (Multiple Sclerosis) but we're just waiting for more evidence on my MRI.

6. I love ART and CHILDREN and have taught art classes in the past. I teach about famous artists and then we create projects based on that famous artists style.

7. One of my favorite things to do is to take country drives. Even before I had a camera, I just loved taking a drive with my windows rolled down and the country music turned up...yes, I like country music. lol.

8. I love coffee, cheese, and chocolate!

9. I hate hotel sheets and I'm nervous about extreme heights.

10. I love everybody and make friends easily....hope that's not bragging.

Have a great day, friends, and thanks for listening to me ramble. xo

Pastel Petals

One thing I love about assisting Rachel Follett in curating for her online gallery, Lovely Clusters, is that I get to spend waaaayyyyy too much time browsing Etsy to find sellers for the site. One seller I discovered a few days ago is "Pastel Petals". Their work is so delicate, whimsical, and romantic. The designer of this beautiful jewelry is from Singapore. Here's what she says about herself and her shop:

"I'm just a simple woman, who loves making beautiful things since young. Glad that I found Etsy, a little space to share my handmade creations.

My other loves:

*Dogs, my heart always melt when I see a puppy. My first dog was a Bichon Frise, still have many vivid memories and will always remember her fondly.

*Travel, my favourite destinations so far, Venice and Japan.

*Nature, from simple things like a cool rainy day, to the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. My wish is to be able to see Aurora Borealis one day.

*Music, all kinds, mostly soft rock, ballads, pops, retro, new age etc.

*Dance

If you have a free moment and want to get absorbed in beauty, check out her Etsy Shop!

Just A Girl Thing

Good morning! Are you getting back into the swing of things today? My husband was home for two weeks during the holidays and went back to work this morning and I'm all set to get going on this blog again. ;) Hope your Christmas and New Year's were happy and memorable.

The photos above are from a series I'm working on (and selling) in my Etsy Shop. It's been so much fun planning these out! My daughter (somewhat reluctantly) models for the photos. By the way, I'm going to be lowering my shop prices later today so they'll be more affordable. ;)

Thanks so much for dropping by.....I'm looking forward to posting some cool things this week and, as always, I love reading your comments. Have a great new week!

HAPPY 2010!!!

Image by Me

Just had to drop by and wish all of you a Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 is filled with lots of good things for you.....happiness, good memories, dreams fulfilled, and good health. Thankyou so much for your kind comments and support over the past year. You're such a great group of people. xoxo See you here next week! :)

Have a Joy-filled Holiday!

Image by Me

Well, I did a little bit better at posting this week. lol. Thanks for your patience.....I promise I'll pick up the pace in 2010. ;)

Hope your Christmas is filled with JOY and special memories. Take care and see you after the holidays, sweet friends! XO

Holiday Appetizers from Fresh 365

Happy Holidays! I am Erin from fresh365 and Vicki has so graciously
asked me to share a few holiday recipes with you. Each year, my family
celebrates Christmas Eve with an all-appetizer menu, which is a big
hit. The recipes below are two of my favorites and I hope you will
enjoy them as well. Thanks for having me Vicki!

Baked Holiday Brie
serves 4-6

1 brie cheese round (about 8 oz)
1 T maple syrup
1/4 c fresh cranberries, chopped
2 t fresh thyme leaves
1/2 t grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 400F. Place brie on a baking sheet. Pour maple syrup
over top, and add cranberries. Sprinkle with thyme and orange peel.
Place in oven and bake 25-30 minutes, until brie is soft when cut.
Serve immediately with your favorite crackers.


3-Minute Roasted Red Pepper Dip
serves 6-8

2 roasted red peppers, chopped
20 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 c crumbled feta cheese
1 T olive oil

In a small bowl, combine roasted red peppers, olives and feta. Drizzle
with olive oil, and carefully mix together. Serve with crackers or a
toasted baguette.

**********

Thanks so much for this DELICIOUS post, Erin. I'm definitely going to serve this on Christmas Eve/Day! :0)

Do YOU have a holiday recipe you would like to share? Just leave it in the comments section! xo

Happy Monday and an Announcement

Images by Me (I still have a Buy One Get One Free Sale going on if you want to check it out!)

Good morning! Yep, I'm still alive and kicking and have not fallen off the face of the earth. ;) It's been extra busy around here because of the holidays and boomerang kids' moving back home. Also, I just haven't been feeling that great. Really tired, headaches, etc. How have YOU been? I hope you're doing well. I've missed the interaction with you and plan on posting more this week. I did want to let you know, though, that after this week, I'll be taking a couple of weeks off from blogging. So much to do right now! But when I come back, we'll be diving right into the SPOTLIGHT ON PHOTOGRAPHERS series. I'll be announcing a "Call for Photographers" in early January and then feature photographers at the beginning of February. I had to change my original plans to feature them in January because of how crazy it's been around here! lol.

Here's something else I wanted to let you know about. In January I'm planning on opening another Etsy Shop where I'll be selling vintage home decor! I'm kind of excited about the shop name I came up with, too. In the ol' days a popular phrase was "Too Much Sugar for a Dime". I'm going to shorten it a bit and call it "Sugar for a Dime". I plan on offering things at a very affordable price and just thought this phrase was so cute. Anyway, I'll start the shop opening off with a GIVEAWAY of a lovely vintage item (to be announced) and a special guest post.

Have a great new week, friends, and please come back tomorrow to find some delicious holiday appetizer recipes by Erin from Fresh 365.

Happy Monday Morning!

Photo by Life Love Paper

Hope your weekend was just what you needed and that you have a great week ahead! I appreciate all of you so much. xo

Here's a short quote (not sure of the author) that helped me out of a slump recently:

"Get out of your head and into your life!" Isn't that a good one? Way too much analyzing can go on in our brains, when really what we need is to get out there and LIVE. ;)

Holiday Home Tour ~ Sadie Olive

Sorry about the smaller photos...I'm going to see what I can do about enlarging them, but just wanted to get this post up. ;)

A few weeks ago I did a post about Sadie Olive Etsy Shop. Well, I wasn't surprised to discover that her home is just as gorgeous as her shop. What do you think of these photos?! I'd hate to have photos of my Christmas decor placed beside hers, I'll tell you that. ;) Sara, the owner of Sadie Olive and of this beautiful home, has a definite eye for beauty and a real talent for creating charming vignettes.

I did a holiday color post recently for Etsy and the question I asked there was "what colors will you be using for your holiday decorating this year"? So, I'm going to pose that question to YOU. Which colors will you be using in your home for Christmas 2009? I'll be sticking with the traditional red, green, white, gold, and silver but plan on adding more elegance through glass ornaments and white textiles (inexpensive, of course). Sara's home was my inspiration for switching things up a bit this year and for adding more elegance to our home for the holidays. ;)

Happy Friday!

Any plans this weekend? I think we're going to hang our outside Christmas lights, decorate the tree, and set up the last of the holiday decorations.. My husband gets really into lighting up the house each year, which I love. ;) Also, I'm hoping to sneak away with my two daughters and get a little Christmas shopping done. We live about 20 minutes from the cutest little town....one charming shop after the other.

Enjoy my Flickr. faves for the week, and if you want a closer view click on this link and then on each individual photo for an even closer look and to learn more about the photographer.

I've got some fun things planned next week including a tour of a BEAUTIFUL home. Take care and see you then!

Create, Love, Laugh

Good morning! How's your week been so far? We're having some sunny days here in Seattle so that definitely brightens the mood.

Have you heard of "Create, Love, Laugh Photography"? I'm in awe of her photos. They're so nostalgic and have such an inviting vintage feel to them. I love the SOFT MUTED TONES she uses, too.
Here's what the artist says inspires her:

My work is inspired by everyday life, my travels, and my childhood. I love experimenting with light, color, composition, and textures to create work that captures a peaceful and nostalgic feeling.

A few things that inspire me:
-light through tall trees
-fog
-dusk
-meadows
-cool breezes
-friends and family
-chocolate chip cookies and banana muffins
-farmers markets
-the ocean
-the Sonoran desert
-new places
-infinite views
-fine details
-life

If you have a free minute today, browze through her beautiful shop. She's having a HOLIDAY SALE, too!

Welcome to the City of Dionne!

Have you heard of the blog, City of Dionne? If you haven't been there yet, you need to pay it a visit! Beautiful custom illustrations, gorgeous images and collages, and a lighthearted carefree mood. I discovered Dionne's blog recently when she won my photos on The Brightside Project. Oh, btw, Dionne just celebrated her 29th. birthday this week if you want to leave her a b-day message. :)

Have a great day, friends! I really enjoy your comments. xo

Monday Morning Inspiration and a HOLIDAY SALE!!!

Image by Me

"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands." Richard Bach

Such a good quote to remember. When you're in the middle of a difficult situation, it's hard to imagine that good could possibly come out of it. But, usually (and sometimes it takes a while), that's exactly what happens.

Btw, I just wanted to let you know of the HOLIDAY SALE I'm having in my shop, Simply Hue Designs. IF YOU BUY ONE PRINT YOU GET THE SECOND PRINT FREE. This way you can get one for yourself and one for a gift for a friend. :)

Beautiful Photo Galleries by Rachel Follett

Today I want to introduce you to several galleries that my friend, Rachel Follett, has put together on Flickr. She is so talented at finding gorgeous photos! Make sure you have some spare time to browze, because it's addictive going through the photos she's selected. O.k.....here goes! I'll give you the name of the gallery and one photo from each. When you click on the link beneath the image, you'll be lead to the gallery page to view other photos under the same topic.

GALLERY #1 ~ "GOING SOMEWHERE" ~ Photo by Simple Tess

GALLERY #2 "CHAT OVER TEA" ~ Photo by Patricia Snook

GALLERY #3 ~ "LONG VIEW OF GATE"~ Photo by Miss V

GALLERY #4 "PLAY ME A TUNE" ~ Photo by pony_tail

GALLERY #5 ~ "RUFFLES" ~ Photo by Such Pretty Things

If you take some time to visit Rachel's galleries, come back here and let me know which one's your favorite. :)

Nostalgic Photography by Jane Heller

Good morning! How's your week been so far? It's zipping by fast for me and it's hard to believe that tomorrow's already Thanksgiving. We're celebrating it at our house and there's still so much I need to do! I went grocery shopping yesterday and forgot about 10 items off my list. Do you ever bring your grocery list to the store and forget to look at it, or is that just me? lol.

The beautiful, nostalgic images above were taken by Jane Heller from Jane Heller Photography. I'm just in awe of her talent. Her images are filled with nostalia and fun and are so feminine and romantic. These are a few of her Christmas photos, but there are many more to see when you visit her shop! Jane has photos for children's rooms, food photography for your kitchen, vintage sewing photos, and even photos for a lady's boudoir. Here's how Jane describes her work:

"I am inspired by... the nuances of everyday life, the small details that go unnoticed, light and shadow, humor and sadness and pretty much everything in between!"

If you live in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving, what are your plans? I'd love to hear about them. Are you having the traditional turkey and stuffing or do you switch it up a bit?

Whatever you do, have a great day tomorrow and I'll see you here on Monday! xo

Guest Post: Red, Green & Yellow Mood Board

Hi everyone! My name is Rachel and I am guest posting for Vicki today. Vicki loves the color boards I post on my Design Lovely blog so I decided to do one for hers. I chose Vicki's lovely "Evening Cup" photo as my color source of inspiration.

Row 1: Country Living, Simply Hue
Row 2: Our City Lights, The Indigo Bunting

These three colors can be found during the holidays but also often times in nature and anytime of the year. I think that is why I am so drawn to them. They are so cheerful and pretty! I hope you like my color mood board and I will be back again next month with another post. Thanks for having me and a lovely day!

Monday Morning Inspiration

Image by Me

Here's a quote for your Monday morning. Hope your day is a good one!

"May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.” Author Unknown

Anthropologie for the Holidays!

Image via Platinum Blonde Life

Image via Kamby Bolongos

Image via Platinum Blonde Life

Image via Elena 777

Good morning, everyone. I've missed you! I'm finally back after a two week blog break and I think I'm mostly caught up with things (are we really ever "caught up", though?) and can start blogging away again. ;) Hope you're doing well and that your Thanksgiving is an extra memorable one.

To start the week with a bang, I thought I'd dig up some holiday Anthropologie photos. The only one that I know for sure is current, is the top photo. The rest I found on flickr. and they may be from past years, but any Anthropologie holiday photos are good enough for me.

Any plans to visit Anthropologie this season? Instead of giving gifts this year, our family's decided to spend a full day celebrating the holidays together. One stop I plan on making with of my daughters' will be at the Anthropologie store in Seattle. I doubt if we'll be able to get more than a pair of winter gloves or something small, but I'm excited just to look at their beautiful holiday decor! (I'll tell you more about our family Christmas plans in another post.)

Have a great new week! It's good to be back. xo!

Happy Monday!

Image by Me

How are all of you doing? Last week was crazy for me and it looks like this week is going to be the same way. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to take another "blog break" this week. Sorry about that, my brain is just not firing up any creative ideas lately. Everything's fine, just a lot of activity in our home with boomerang kids' moving back in (along with their dogs!). I'll be back next week after the dust has settled a little. ;)

Take care of yourself and have a wonderful new week! xo

Monday Morning Inspiration & a Winner!

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Good morning....how was your weekend? Do anything special? I had a fun day spent with my Mom on Saturday. We went to two craft fairs, an antique store, and out to lunch. Then we went back to her house for a game of Scrabble (my Mom loves Scrabble) and she beat me by a landslide! Aw, well.....it's just a game, it's just a game. lol.

O.k., now to announce the WINNER of the beautiful original painting by Deanna Pamenter. Drumroll please! The winner is LANA from Lanalou Style! Yay, Lana! I'll pass your contact info. on to Deanna and you can let her know which of these gorgeous paintings you would like. Thanks again, Deanna. :)

Hope your week is a good one, everyone. I'm looking forward to sharing some cool things with you! xo Here's a quote for your Monday morning:

“LEARN from YESTERDAY, LIVE for TODAY, HOPE for TOMORROW.” Albert Einstein

Spotlight on Artists ~ Final Day

Image by John-Morgan

Awww, the Spotlight on Artists is over. I feel just a little bit sad but also so encouraged by the week we shared together celebrating ART and ARTISTS...it was great! A big THANKYOU to all the artists that contributed and to all the readers who left such kind commments for them. :) (Btw, every comment you leave today will be added to the pot for the GIVEAWAY!)

On Monday I'll announce the winner of one of Deanna's original paintings. Have a great weekend and I'll see you then!

Featured Artist ~ Shirae Sela

Her Shop ~ Shira Sela

"I am an illustrator and designer. I work with both traditional and digital mediums and I love to use inks, pens and markers as well as various graphic and illustration softwares."

My work was featured in:
Home Companion Magazine
Juxtapoz website
Swide magazine by Dolce & Gabbana
Modish
Shak in Style
Casa Sugar
Sweet Station
Illustrativo
Mixedplate
Poppytalk
We Covet
Indie Fixx
Cool Mom Pics
Cutable
Wishing Willow

Featured Artist ~ Heather L. Young

Her Website ~ FL Young Studio

"While I received my BFA in illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design, I've never been one to stay inside a box for very long. I love to learn new techniques and take on new challenges....be it a mural installation, wood working adventure, what have you. For the moment I'm completely obsessed with food illustration, but I always have one eye open for a new and interesting endeavor."

Featured Artist ~ Suyumbike Guvenc

Her Website ~ Suyumbike Guvenc

"As a graphic designer I'm living & working in İstanbul. I've been painting with different medias. I love using different materials and photography in my works because that makes me search for new things all the time.

I can describe my works as an inner look into my feelings and universe more than specific concepts. Believing that art is the most important way of communication opens the universe."

Featured Artist ~ Katy Gromball

Her Shop ~ Katy Gromball Her Blog ~ Katy Gromball

"I cut and stick papers since.. I can't remember how long i've been doing this!

I love using precious Japanese papers, threads and illustrations of the 1950s.
I draw my inspirations mainly from Music.. and coffee that I drink far too much.

I live in the rainy east of France, with my freaky family: ema (the dog), mariane (the best sister & friend in the world) and jude (my lovely husband).

You can find more about my work here: http://www.katygromball.blogspot.com/

I do my best to create a sweet and cosy place, where I hope you'll feel good.
So, don't be shy, stop by and say 'hello'."

Spotlight on Artists ~ Day 4

Image by Art By Christi

Well, here we are again! lol. I hope you're enjoying your mini tour through a virtual art gallery. I'm loving it! I also appreciate all of your kind and generous comments. You're such a nice group of people. ;)

I've made one small change I wanted to let you know about. Instead of announcing the winner of Deanna's GIVEAWAY tomorrow, I'm going to announce it on Monday. I just want to make sure that tomorrow's artists receive as many comments as the other featured artists. ;) Thanks for understanding.

O.k., go and enjoy today's amazing talents!