It's a bel monili giveaway!

It's March!

Spring is mere DAYS away, and I am THRILLED to announce that bel monili has partnered with Common Ground to offer...

A $30 bel monili gift certificate!

Click

HERE

to enter

Good luck friends!

Fantastic 14: Day 8: Pinstrosity

I am fairly confident in saying that everyone has at least heard of Pinterest by this point. Many of us will readily admit to spending FAR too much time "pinning"; happily perusing amazing pictures of projects, decor, fashion, beauty, and everything in between.

 Pinstrosity is a blog where readers can submit their Pinterest project "wins" and "fails". I look forward to their Monday through Friday posts and tips. 

If you do choose to submit a project, remember to rate it with the Pinstrosity GCT Fail Scale, which gives a surprisingly accurate level of success/fail.

There are two girls behind this hilarious and educational site (they have dubbed themselves "Pinstrositeers"). The introduction from their website says, " Emilee and Marquette have been inseparable partners-in-crime since the summer of 2006,but this is not where the adventures  began. Before this time their families had been connected for years ensuring that these two girls would grow up in the same town, go to the same church, and enjoy the same family activities, including, but not limited to, their mothers crafting lifestyle (it runs in the family, these ladies are cousins along with being best friends). After a stint of being roommates, the two have continued to embark on escapades of epic proportions. Together they have been to the beaches of San Diego, the Enchanting Land of New Mexico, and the Deserts of Arizona, ranging from mountainous camping trips, American history tours and any and all sort of girlish silliness. A day out with Marquette and Em can include anything from Jane Austen-esque movies and nail polish, to perusing the hidden depths of the Antique Mall, to oohing over anything orange, or even inner-tubing down a river of mud." 

Sounds like my kind of girls.

Here are just a few of my favorite posts:

The Droopy Earring Holder

Hangover Cookies

Cloth Mannequin/Jewelry Holder

There are some wins, some fails, and a lot of fun! 

Make sure you follow the Pinstrosity Blog, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and of course Pinterest. Happy reading!

Fantastic 14: Day 7: The Cottage Market

Have you been to The Cottage Market?

If not, heed this advice:

Go there. Now. RIGHT NOW. Bookmark it. Read every word of it.

What you will find is an amazing array of DIY ideas, free (!!!!) graphics and downloads, decorating tips, and overall gorgeous-ness for the heart and home.

Andrea, the blog's author, shares this simple statement:

"Hi there!  My name is Andrea and I welcome you to The Cottage Market.
In life I am wear many hats...Mom, Wife, Friend, Daughter, Friend, Fur Baby Mom, Doxie Rescuer :)  and oh so many others.  The Cottage Market is a little extension of me where I share fabulous finds...fun craft projects...vegetarian and baked recipes...vintage treasures...simple decorating and organizing tips and so much more.  I hope you drop by...just know that the door is always open for you and if you want to chat or have a question for me you can always find me at TheCottageMarket@gmail.com I love hearing from you."

 The Cottage Market shares adorable graphics gratis on a daily basis, making this blog a must-follow for anyone with even the tiniest interest in ephemera.

Hungry? Visit The Cottage Market's impressive gallery of recipes for inspiration and ideas to last you the rest of your meal-making days.

I invite you to follow The Cottage Market blog, and while you're in the visiting mood make sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Happy reading!

Fantastic 14: Day 3: juNxtaposition

There are oh so many wonderful things I can say about Jeanne of juNxtapostion!

For starters, she is one of my closest, very best friends. Jeanne is someone who I can talk to for (literally) hours on end and yet STILL not have enough time to cover it all.

Jeanne has worn many hats over the years; at the present time, she is the expert of all things "wordy".

 juNxtapostion is THE source for the Original Typewriter Key Necklace, which has been sought after world-wide. It doesn't stop there, though...visit the juNxtaposition website where you'll find typewriter key bracelets, stamped silverware handles, bubble necklaces...it's all so exciting.

Visit juNxtaposition at any major event, and you'll see something like this.

Pretty impressive, huh?

JuNxtaposition's blog gives you a sneak peek into the wonderful and exciting world of travelling across the country. Her photos share with you the eclectic mix of new and old, pale and bright...all of the interesting things that make this country a great place to live.

And...today might be YOUR lucky day! juNxtaposition is running a Pin It to Win It contest on Pinterest! Click on the photo below, the re-pin it to your board as an entry. The winner will get to select a bubble necklace of his or her choice. Yea!

I invite you to check out juNxtaposition's blog, and follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. You'll be glad you did!

31 Days, 31 Reasons to be Thankful: January 31: Friends

Really...where do I even start with this.

I am, without a doubt, the friend-wealthiest person I know.

What I am about to share with you is a mere slice, a small sampling of some of the people I love. It is in no way a full representation; for those who are not pictured here, please know that I am honoring you in my heart (...ok, or we have a picture and it was bad. There, that was brutally honest.).

As I try to write this, I can't really even come close to being able to name all of the people I love so dearly, so completely...the people who make my life good.

I have friends that have been in my heart since childhood...

Friends from college...

and graduate school.

Friends from jobs I've had...

and places I've lived.

I mean, really, how lucky can a girl be?

If ever there was a reason to drop to my knees and thank the Lord for something, 

friends are it. 

My friends feed my heart and soul. As long as I have them, I know I will never go astray. 

There will never, ever be enough words to express my thankfulness for the friendships I have. New friends, old friends, friends near and far, business friends, work friends...I've got it all.

THANK YOU for seeing me all the way through to the end of my 31 Days blog series! Through this journey I have had a chance to reflect on myself and all of the wonderful things I have to give thanks for. Today, on my last day, it is with a joyful heart that I give thanks for all of you, my newest friends, and look forward to the exciting things that are still yet to come!

Today, how will you honor your friends?

"Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends."  

-William Butler Yeats

31 Days, 31 Reasons to be Thankful: January 30: Books

Ever since I decoded my first word, I have been a reader. I LOVE books. 

If I had to name an all-time favorite, it would have to be The Lonely Doll. I was mesmerized by the graphics...real photographs that were set up with the doll and the bear in intricate scenarios (although I'm not sure if I knew they weren't real!)

 

When I was in my 'tween years, my favorites were Sweet Valley Twins.

I think I had every book in the series. To this day, when I come across these books at thrift shops or other junk treasuries, I struggle to not buy them. 

Believe me, if I had more space, they'd be mine again. I'm not ruling anything out for the future.

As an adult, a speech-language pathologist, a teacher, an artist, and a human being, I can now intelligently reflect upon my love of books and give the proper credit for my language and vocabulary development. One of my most treasured compliments is when someone tells me that I am well-spoken; mastery of language is indeed the key to mastery of life.

I didn't spend hours at a time in front of the television; rather, the words on the page came alive in my mind and my imagination. Would you believe that now we actually have to TEACH children imaginary play? Yeah, looks like all of those e-readers (hint: your kids play games on them. I know...they come to school and tell us all about it!) can never quite fill the shoes of a good old fashioned paperback.

Today, friends, I am thankful for books. New, old, big, small, fiction, non-fiction...I love it all.

What is your all-time favorite book?

"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read." -Abraham Lincoln

31 Days, 31 Reasons to be Thankful: January 28: Organization

Everybody who knows me knows this:

I LOVE LITTLE DRAWERS.

I have a wonderful collection, but it's never quite enough. I suppose this goes along well with my business; beads, bits, and bobs fit quite well into these little beauties.

I love that feeling of pure satisfaction that comes with  finishing up a really great organizational project. For me, those projects always involve little drawers.

My gift-giver had painted this for me...I thanked him and promptly painted it white

Last year, a friend gave me a GORGEOUS set of the perfect little drawers: 20 letter-sized metal drawers (2 rows of 10) that house my beads, vintage flowers, antique earrings, lace, ribbon...you get the picture. This same friend gave me a gorgeous library card catalog for Christmas, effectively beginning my hunt for more of these gorgeous little drawers.

 

My $35 shining star

This past summer I found a magnificent 15-drawer card catalog for sale, complete with stand, for a mere $35. It was one of those breathtaking moments at the flea market where you look around to make sure there is no one closing in on your find...I handed that cash over like it was on fire.  

I love having things in order. I think that, if my physical surroundings are organized, then so too must be my life. Well...that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Do YOU love little drawers? Share your crafty organizational love stories with us!

31 Days, 31 Reasons to be Thankful: January 27: Senses

This is an ode the sensory system: a true work of art in itself. The 5 basic senses, sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, are what we has humans have come to rely on for every single function and activity in our lives. Take away one of the Big 5, and you've got trouble.

Without sight, I would not be able to see all of the beautiful things that exist in the world.

It is my sense of sound that lets me hear music, voices, laughter...all things that I love.

 I certainly am a foodie, and without my sense of taste, a well-prepared meal would be reduced to a simple perfunctory task. 

Admittedly, my sense of smell is often hampered by my severe allergies...but I treasure the first whiff of my hyacinths blooming in the spring.

Where would I BE without my hands? My sense of touch is a precious commodity...each and every day I am using touch to craft, create, make, cook, drive, perform daily living tasks...the list goes on.

Today I am thankful for my mostly functional and completely relied-upon sensory system.

What beautiful things have YOU sensed today?

"We think of our eyes as video cameras and our brains as blank tapes to be filled with sensory inputs."  -Michael Shermer

31 Days, 31 Reasons to be Thankful: January 26: Memories

As I am writing this, I am looking at the sweetest picture of my grandparents at their 60th anniversary party. For those of you who might not know, I call my grandmother Bubbie and my grandfather Jeddie.

Bubbie and Jeddie, celebrating 60 years of marriage

Bubbie passed away in the summer of 2011 about 6 months after she was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. Jeddie is still with us, though in the year since Bubbie has been gone he seems to have begun to reveal his true age.

Looking at this beloved picture, I do not feel sadness. Yes, I miss Bubbie: she was my best friend. She used to tell me what we were best friends from Day 1, which is true. I am the oldest of their grandchildren, and was first born (albeit by a month and a half), so that pretty much put me at the top of the pecking order. What I do feel is a yearning for days gone by. I laughed out loud thinking of some of the funny things Bubbie and I used to do, and the stories Jeddie told us as children.

Memory is a funny thing. Physiologically speaking, it is commonly believed that the memory "lives" in the Hippocampus, deep inside the brain. Some new theories say that memories are coded here and then move out to the frontal lobes for the long term, but that's a topic for a different post (again...thank you grad school for my knowledge of the brain!). I think it's remarkable that this little section, deep down inside where it can be most protected, is where our memory "lives". Seems to be nature's way of telling us that our memories are among some of our most precious commodities.

Today, I invite you to take a moment and rejoice in precious memories you hold...they are the intangible treasures that make our lives uniquely savory and special.

What memories have you created today?

"So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good."  -Helen Keller