Thursday, February 24, 2011

You Are A Star

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Though the world can seem like a tough and hopeless place these days, take YOUR day and make the very best of it. Add fresh flowers to your home, eat a favorite food, take some time to read a good book or flip through a favorite magazine. Be good to yourself. YOU are a star! A bright and shining star!

((Hug)) yourself. Sounds corny, but give it a try. Tell yourself YOU are special.

Yes you are…

special….

special…..

special!

Take peace in knowing that you are loved and blessed.

1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now these three remain: faith, hope and love...




Sunday, February 20, 2011

flowers for everyone … and the winner is….

P1010149 Thank you to everyone for entering the CSN giveaway! One….

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…beautiful soul was chosen…

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…and I am certain she will find something for her LOVELY Texas home….

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……and I can bet a dollar she will have fun shopping, too! Kathy Sue (Tina's sister), you are the winner! Congratulations sweetie! I will email you the code for your shopping pass soon.

For everyone else, the flowers are for YOU! Wishing you a beautiful day filled with love, happiness and maybe a little color peeking out in your yards!

xxoo

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Filling In The Blanks

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Over the years I have collected antique ship pictures and decided to do a little grouping with several of them. The empty bedroom wall was beckoning for a little attention: “Do something with me! I look so bare!”

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Ok…….it’s hammer time! (And yes, I have MC Hammer’s song in my head right now: Can’t Touch This! …whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop – and because I am such a dork, I added it to the playlist for today’s post! Yeh, it’s like that! Word!)

Breaking it down and busting a move:

To make the grouping, I started with the big picture in the center and worked up and around, making a little random grouping. I like random.

My son calls this corner the traveling vignette.

I like that!

I oftentimes wonder what life was like back in the day of traveling on these old clipper ships. What was the experience like? To imagine the sounds of the ship’s hull creaking and moaning as it maneuvered over the rough seas, taking her passengers to destinations all over the world.

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How incredible the captains were to meticulously navigate to their point of landing. And they didn’t have any of the fancy stuff to do it with! Amazing…

…..off I go into the wild blue yonder…. ahoy!!!

csn suitcases

BY THE WAY….

if you haven’t done so already, be sure to CLICK HERE to enter my giveaway for a $75.00 CSN gift card!! The stacked suitcases decal is just one of thousands of things you can purchase on their website. The giveaway ends on Sunday, February 20th.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Would You Like Something Cute, Sexy or Naughty For Valentine’s Day? It's a Valentine Giveaway!!

CSN Paris Pillow

Well, if you do, then you will want to enter my giveaway! I am honored and thrilled to offer you a CSN gift card for $75.00 to spend on their CSN sailboat decalswebsite!! All of the photos on this post are from the

Wall Art And Decor

at CSN.

CSN has so much to offer customers and this is just one section that I am most fond of. What does CSN stand for? Well, for Valentine’s Day, how about….

CSN terrier pillow

CUTE…….

CSN bowls

CSN rococo chalkboard

csn black and white coasters

csn pillar candle black and white

csn suitcases

….SEXY…..

CSN vernon throw

CSN bedding peacock

CSN bedding mallorycsn baroque candlestick in blackCSN bedding

CSN Temi Throw

…and a little naughty!!

CSN Kiss Me Pillow

All that you have to do is leave a comment on this post to win. Plain and simple. Please leave me your email address as well so that I can contact you should you win.

If you would like a second chance to win, you can post this somewhere on your blog and let me know if you did. However, if you do this, leave a second comment in addition to the first one.

The winner will be announced on Sunday, February 20th.

I recently won Marcia’s giveaway on her blog for a CSN shopping card. Do you know I am still trying to decide what to buy!? So many choices! There are beautiful items for your home on their website. Thank's for the LOVE, CSN, and for allowing me this wonderful chance to offer such a beautiful giveaway!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

houses should be lived in…



….and dogs should be on sofas!


Well, that is the what my dear friend, Wave, says. She made the wonderful little stitched piece for me and I just could not agree with it more – and neither could Duhgall and Fiona – hence this is why we do not have light colored furniture.


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Ok, Fiona….


you can sit on the couch, but laying on the laundry pile will just have to stop. I know….who can resist that sweet look?


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

from loving hands……

……..came these beautiful creations!!

Let me share with you some very special works of art…..

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..that came in the mail last week. My friend, Judy Clark, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, blessed me with these beautiful handmade pillows and other sweet things that she made! Judy’s work is no stranger to blog land as she has gifted many of our blog friends – you can read about some HERE and HERE. Above is the scottie pillow that she made out of black ticking and polka dot ribbon. **I like the way the other dogs are checking him out! By-the-way, that little vintage Vogart pillow was handmade by our friend, Kathy. She had it for sale in her ETSY shop…..but not for long!!

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Judy is a talented interior designer and seamstress and has been sewing for years and years. She is going to open her ETSY shop soon, too. (I will post the link when she does.) Judy not only sews beautifully, but she makes furniture, like the red scottie wheelbarrow filled with her little hearts. (Note: Fiona will be pleased that a white scottie came in the box!!) The cute Wade scottie figurine was a Christmas gift from MISS JEAN. I think he looks cute with his new wheelbarrow…… ;)

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Judy made the little angel from a domino, some wire and small spindles. She goes perfectly with the wood heart that I bought at Target. I like to attach things to the switch on my lamps so that when I go to turn them on, I can find the switch without fumbling around in the dark.

Below is a scottie heart pillow that is tied onto a hook on the entryway hall tree. Thank you, Judy!!

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Have you been over to Jane’s blog? Jane lives in England and has a charming blog (Jane and The Happy Crow) where she shares about her adorable paintings, life in England and her fabulous vintage collections. Jane, along with several of her friends, were recently published in the UK’s Country Living magazine – click HERE to read about the article. And you should see Jane’s studio – oh. my. goodness! It is fantastic!!!!

Jane had a giveaway on her blog and guess who was blessed? Yes indeedy, moi. Last week I received Jane’s parcel that was filled with all kinds of wonderful treats, like this little tin made with old papers, vintage flowers and a little girl with butterfly wings! love this!!!

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Thank you, Jane!!

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That’s it for today……but before I leave….

I also wanted to say thank you to all of you who emailed me and also left comments on my last post. We all walk down unfavorable paths in our life – there is no way around it. For Jean: I am sorry about your Mum…..my heart goes out to you. You asked “how do you get this peace” and I have to tell you it is through scripture, God’s words. When I feel overwhelmed, anxious and cannot breathe, I sit down and have a quiet time – or a time out. Taking the time to be still and to pray really helps. If you would like to chat, you can always email me.

Blessings to you all……

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Seeing The Brighter Side of Life Through Faith

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Through our sufferings in life, we can either wilt like a desert flower, or we can persevere, shine and grow through faith….

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…and through faith, build character and hope.

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And hope doesn’t bring us to shame, but can only make us strong.

Building faith, through loss, only strengthens our spiritual relationship with our Father.

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God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as a gift, as a comforter. I like to think of the Holy Spirit as a warm and soft blanket that is draped over our shoulders to give us peace and comfort in our most sorrowful of times.

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Don’t let the hardships in life pull you down. Instead, seek out our Father for peace and for guidance. He is always there for us; in time of joy and in time of sorrow. I am a witness of His merciful love – for not too long ago, He draped that warm blanket over my shoulders to comfort me in the most difficult of all days. I am here, my friends, to tell you that He is there. I AM a witness of His glory – of His love.

The sun will never set on my love for our Father.

Never.

Peace…..always and forever……me.

(Romans 5:3-5)