Friday, December 31, 2010

Goodbye 2010

2010 was an extremely good year for me, both in my personal and online worlds. I've made many wonderful new friends, had a very exciting celebrity encounter, and have a lot of new and fabulous things lined up for 2011 including an inclusion in the February issue of Brides Magazine and a fabulous (but currently secret) collaboration in the works.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very prosperous, safe, happy, and ~ above all ~ a healthy New Year.

...and I will, once again,
try to give this blog much more attention.
My dear followers deserve it. 



Printable New Years New Wine Label by printyourparty; 2011 Calendar - Year of the Rabbit by brookewoolley; Double Banner Garland by BekahJennings; Happy Year set of 12 gift cards by PikakePress; Drink Straw Medallions by GoAgainstTheGrain; Paper Masquerade Mask by poorlittlelamb; New Years Eve Miniatures by Janit 1700s Paris Inspired Cupcake Toppers by PaperScissorsCake

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Hoot Hoot Hooray!

I'm always trying to find new ways to re-invent the wheel (the pinwheel, that is). Not so easy. I mean, why mess with something that is already so whimsically perfect? But I am always looking for that new shape, new colour, new pattern, and new hubcap (that little thing in the centre that gives it personality). Recently, I was inspired by several Twitter friends to do a sweet little owl themed pinwheel. This one is in Princess Pink and Semi-Sweet Chocolate but Baby Boy Blue would also be a great alternative. Look for them in my Etsy and Artfire shops when I re-open in September.



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Thursday, July 22, 2010

It's Thursday Already?



Another week almost over. Where does the time go? Oh, I know, very slowly when you are trying to make one of these Japanese origami Kusudama flowers. I'm currently trying new paper crafts in order to use up my mountain of paper scraps (and hopefully turning them into something good enough to list in my new Etsy shop this fall) and thought I would try my hand at origami. I thought these lovely little flowers would be a good place to start. They are incredibly time consuming and I've spent alot of time watching the glue dry, but I think it turned out pretty cute. I fear these may become addictive!



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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

I Made It! {Blog Party Thursday}

It has been awhile since I've joined the party - so glad to be back this week! My Etsy and Artfire shops are officially closed in order for me to spend some much needed R&R with the family and to also think of new ideas to refreshen the shops when they re-open in September. But, it's not going to be all fun and games. I've also opened another Etsy shop, "Twirlie Whirlies, too" (as if one wasn't enough) and intend it as a place to deal with my growing mountain of paper scraps. My first project was to repurpose the scraps from these long ago sold pinwheels into something as equally beautiful - paper rosette embellishments.

How did I do?


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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Happy Canada Day!

As Canada Day winds down for another year, I can hear the "pops and whistles" of the firework celebrations beginning. Before I put my feet up, here is my tribute to Canada by way of Etsy.
Enjoy!

digital collage sheet - planfstudios, Canada House - thelittlereddoor, cupcake toppers - apaperbuffet, baby leg warmers - BarefootClips, fine art print - Raceytay, pacifier bib - SwaddleinCloth, blankie - SuperflyLullabies, wool acorns - SewnNatural, holiday stocking - rikrak


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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Sherbert

I've been so incredibly fortunate to have had my shop items be included in so many fantastic Etsy treasuries. This one entitled "sherbert" by PaperFinds is one of my absolute favourite to date.

It's perfectly Summer. Yummy!
PaperFinds may be found at:

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Monday, June 14, 2010

So Sorry To Have Neglected You

Dear Blog;



I am so sorry that I have been neglecting you.



I promise to make time for your no matter how many convos are waiting to be answered, no matter how many tweets are waiting to be twitted, no matter how many orders need to be made/packed/shipped/marked as shipped, no matter how many times the Canada Post "Ship-in-a-Click" doesn't work, no matter how many meals my family needs to eat (3 right?), no matter how many loads of laundry need to be finished (started), no matter how many times I need to take Sebastian to the playground in one day, no matter how many pinwheels I need to make, no matter how many times I need to chase Baby Bunny out of the garden, no matter how many plants need to be watered, no matter how many nervous breakdowns I have ...



You do know that I still love you, right?




"I'm an Ass" card by AJKArtistry on Etsy


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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!



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Saturday, April 3, 2010

Happy Easter!



Wishing everyone a blessed Easter.

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Thursday, March 4, 2010

It's My Party and I Made It!


I found myself a little too busy last week to participate in Everything Etsy's "I Made It" Thursday night blog party but I thought I would quickly show a new listing in my shop this week.
~
I've had this paper from the BoBunny "It's My Party" collection for awhile now and have made other paper goodies out of it but not pinwheels. So when my lovely customer Darlene ordered a set for her 5 year old son's birthday, I thought it would be a great opportunity to list them in the shop.


What do you think?


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Monday, February 22, 2010

Sunshine Blog Award


Awwww! I just found out this morning that I received the "Sunshine Blog Award" from the lovely lilymom at Etsy Shops I Love. What a wonderful surprise on a dreary Monday morning.
As per the rules of receiving this honour, I must now choose 12 recipients whose blogs I find positive and inspirational to pass along the award too. This is going to be no easy task as you can see the list of blogs I follow seems endless. But, I will do it (although it may take a few days or even a week). Check back again soon to see who I have chosen.

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

I Made It!

As most of you know, I have been following Everything Etsy for quite some time now and the talented husband/wife team of Tim and Kim have recently updated their blog with a brand new and incredibly fabulous new look! The blog includes many new features and fun stuff including buttons, business advise, and SWEET (Simply Wonderful Everything Etsy Team). Tonight I learned that they will be hosting weekly Thursday night blog parties in order to promote new handmade items. It is a great way to discover new artisans, Etsy shops, and blogs.
I have decided to submit my most recent Etsy shop listing called "Definition". It is so new that I don't even have all five of my photographs posted yet (the sun has not shown itself here in over a week!). Definition is a set of 12 mini pinwheel cupcake toppers made from the salvaged pages of a vintage American Heritage paperback dictionary. Well, it is vintage by Etsy's standards - I used it in high school, does that make me vintage too? Either way, it was falling apart and needed new life breathed into it. 60 some odd pages are being used to fulfill a custom request for a lovely lady who is throwing her mother (a former librarian) a huge birthday party in April. How fitting! The rest I hope to use as pinwheels, tags, in inspiration kits, and anything else I can come up with.

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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Treasury Love


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Friday, January 29, 2010

Blow Me!

That just says it all!

3 Wishes Candles


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Treasury Time!

Ok, I am seriously going to have to get around to making one of these. Until then, I will continue to enjoy everyone else's (especially if they include me - lol!!!)

This one, "Zebra Polka Dot", is by Posh Pixels - one of my favourite Etsians and she is a sweetheart to boot!

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Saturday, January 16, 2010

Treasury Time!

Here are a few more lovely Etsy treasuries that I would love to share.
"The Circus is in Town" by lacravatteduchien

"Thank You" by craftedbylindy

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Better Late than Never

It's been a few weeks now. The joy, glitter, and magic of the holidays past are now a distant memory. The decorations are down and safely packed away for another year. The once beloved Christmas tree, all sparkly and fresh, now sits in a snow covered heap at the side of the house waiting for its "walk of shame" to the curb Thursday night. Gifts have been returned, worn, watched, or listened to. It's over, right?
~
WRONG!!!
~
Christmas came once again for me early this afternoon in the form of a brown paper wrapped box postmarked December 9th, 2009 from Charlottesville, VA. Joy oh Joy! Could it be? My Brown Paper Package Exchange gift? This package was assumed lost but now, here it is in my lap, begging to be opened!
~
And open it I did. Slowly, carefully, and with great anticipation. I gave it a little shake to see if it's contents appeared to be in one piece. A little dusting of candy cane powder tickled my nose - the smell reminiscent of Christmas past.

The first item that welcomed me into the box was a lovely, handwritten note card. On the front a photograph of some wool, indicating to me that the sender must be a knitter. That made me smile. My late mother was an avid and amazing knitter and I have so missed her homemade gifts over the past 10 years.
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The card read "Merry Christmas! From Maya H. - I put a letter in your box but you might want to read it AFTER you open your gifts." How fun! I later discovered that the letter would give me a little history and insight to the gifts she chose.
~
And how beautifully wrapped were these gifts? Gorgeous red and white ribbons which I will surely keep and wrap gifts with this Christmas (maybe even Brown Paper Package Exchange gifts). Lovely red tissue and adorable penguins. I love penguins!
The first item I opened was this gorgeous knitted Christmas dishtowel with a fabulous ornament design and a sweet and adorable little knitted winter hat. Now, if my beloved Gage kitty (who passed away 2 1/2 years ago at the age of 16) was still with me, he would have been wearing that hat for sure! But, I do have a fabulous snowman decoration that I put out for the holidays and I think he will look particularly jolly in this hat!
And the knitted gifts didn't end there. Without even knowing it, Maya has just filled that 10 year void for me and I finally have something new to wear this winter. The lovely handwritten tag read "Handspun Alpaca & Rayon - Hand Knitted Herringbone Scarf". Amazing. Just unbelievably beautiful. I later read in the letter that Maya spun the greay Alpaca wool herself and that the cranberry yarn was salvaged from a thrift store find. She then knitted the two into a gorgeous scarf in a herringbone pattern and it is lovely. She even included a sample of Soak for me to keep it looking it's best.
~
The next gift was also a lovely stack of origami papers. Maya wrote that she had tried to make me an ornament but it didn't turn out so well. She mentioned that since I am into paper crafts that I may wish to try my hand at making a crane (instructions were provided). uh - YEAH! I've always wanted to try - I think that may call for another blog post in the future.


Ok, so how yummy does that look? I had read about this peppermint bark on Maya's blog and being the candy-addict that I am, I was really REALLY hoping that this would make it to me intact. I was a little concerned when I opened up the main package and found little bits of candy cane EVERYWHERE (I mentioned the dust, right?). But, Maya had expertly packed everything and the clear bag that the bark was packaged in was placed in another lovely gift bag with tissue. Good thing because the clear bag did split open on the one side and some of the delicious treats did try to escape to no avail. The bark is absolutely amazing! I have been snacking on it all afternoon and leaving a deliciously sticky trail on my keyboard as I type this. Sebastian and Max will have to beg me to get any of this confection.

~

The recipe is from Brown Eyed Baker and you can find it here. And the sweets didn't end there. I also received four fabulous packages of cocoa and two of sipping chocolate. I love it when I am able to try brands that we don't have here in Canada. The cocoa is called "Sweetridge" and I have two Dark Chocolate and two Peppermint. Perfect! The sipping chocolate is by "Bellagio" and the packaging is gorgeous. Tiffany blue and chocolate brown. I cannot wait to come inside from a cold night of snow fun and cozy up with one of these babies.
Also floating around in the box was a pamphlet from "Nan Rothwell Pottery" located in Faber Virginia. This pottery shop looks so charming, I hope that someday I have the opportunity to visit. I was kind of hoping that the cocoa was an indication of what would be in the final package. I wasn't disappointed. Look at the gorgeous mug and spoon rest that Maya chose for me. I have no doubt in my mind that I will use this everyday and I will particularly appreciate a place for my dirty spoon rather than the sad piece of paper towel I usually use.

~
A little more history about Nan Rothwell - she is a friend of Maya's and was introduced to both her and her wonderful craft though her father. Apparently Maya's Dad first met Nan when he was young and she had given him some of her "rejected" bowls. Maya remembers using these bowls growing up.
And finally, last but certainly not least, the handwritten letter from Maya. It was written on lovely paper and included all of the history and thought behind all of the gifts you have seen. Everything I have received today from Maya will be treasured but I think this letter especially will be tucked away somewhere special to be found later on. It will remind me of this "Christmas in January" and the kindness of others who, like me, wanted to extend their spirit of giving to a stranger this holiday season.
~
Please take the time to visit my new friend Maya on her blog and read a little about her, the dogs she loves, and her art.
Thank you Maya!

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And Another....

This sweet Etsy Treasury was put together by one of my favourite shops (and the sweetest shop owner ever!) ThreadRare. It is called "Dirty Limericks" and I am not really sure why although she did ask everyone who viewed it to post their own favourite dirty limerick. This was my submission from "The Second Printing of Improper Limericks: An Original Bawdy Collection (1998)":

On the internet they found romance,
That put both in a hot sexual trance,
But each had a gripe,
About having to type,
With a hand stuck down into their pants.



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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Treasury Time!

We are very fortunate to have been included in two fabulous Etsy Treasuries this week.

The first , "There is no snooze button...", is by noabrumberg and featured our Classic Botanicals mini pinwheels.




The second treasury, entitled "Giggles and Cupcakes", is by MySweetBird and included "Congratulations, it's a ..."
~

Thank you!
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