new year declarations

I have declared to my family that 2010 will be THE YEAR OF FUN (thank you, Rock Band) as well as THE YEAR OF THE CITY (kicked off by a day trip to Philly)!

Let's see how some first ideas fit the bill for my DECLARATIONS!

Key
+ = for sure
- = not so much

I want to . . .

Photo source: MarthaStewart.com

Go to Tinsel Trading Company in New York City

+ The Year of Fun + The Year of the City
So far, so good

Show the boys around Boston
+ The Year of Fun + The Year of the City
We'll save this one for warmer weather



Continue to make pretty things
+ The Year of Fun - The Year of the City
Could also be called Continue to waste matches

Photo source: Sugar*Sugar

Transform the Girlie Office into more of a Girlie Studio
+ The Year of Fun - The Year of the City
But we'll still call it the Girlie Office



Pursue being published for something creative even if it's kind of out of my league
+ The Year of Fun - The Year of the City
This would be fun enough to count for both declarations

Photo source: Country Living

Add some curb appeal to our home
+ The Year of Fun - The Year of the City
I love my town and so I am very okay with this being a - for The Year of the City



Lose weight
- The Year of Fun - The Year of the City
Portion control, you say?


Thank you for staying with me on this kind of punchy post. Thank you also very much for your heartfelt and encouraging comments on my previous post. xo

From my cottage to yours, warmest wishes for a New Year filled with health, happiness, good times and fun adventures!

xo

this and that and this and that

Long post alert! You might want to grab a hot cocoa for this one.

presents
I thought this would make a fun(ny) opening image. It is my new elfin door and lantern directly from my Christmas list. When the backyard is not so slushy, we will hang them at the base of a tree. Ever since I was little, I have always loved the idea of elves, fairies, or mouse families living behind wee doors.



While I'm showing presents here is a stack of favorites. (I believe they are all from Amazon)



swap
Around Halloween I read this about myself at the sweet Mary's Meanderings blog:

I had never been involved in a swap before though Elyse over at cottage is always talking about swaps. Of course Elyse has things that people are just loving to have so I can see why they would want to swap with her!!!

I was so tickled when I read this that I asked Mary if she would like to do a little swap together. I don't think either of us were thinking about the approaching holidays but we happily planned our exchange. My treats from Mary arrived on Christmas Eve!


Click to enlarge

Mary assembled the most wonderful assortment of pretty and unique and thoughtful things.



Test tubes! I think these are so cool when filled with glitter and mica. I found cork stoppers and am going to have fun filling these for experiments in the shabboratory. (tee hee)



Lip balm from Mary's shop. Did you know that Mary is a beekeeper? She is one cool lady!



A personalized packet of seeds from Mary's garden to mine.



Love this vintage ornament



This note touched my heart. It was attached to a box of mini hotel sewing kits. So fun! Thank you so much, Mary!

such pretty treats



I was the lucky winner of a giveaway from Jessica at Such Pretty Things. I GASPed twice over my win because Jessica blogs about amazing shopping trips to NYC (although even her Target runs are made pretty amazing) and I knew that whatever she put together as the prize would be stunning.



Jessica packaged everything so artfully that I am thinking of keeping it as-is, maybe placing it in a frame or shadow box.

tinkering



My enjoyment of decorating small matchboxes continues. I have just loaded up my shops with les petits tiroirs. Ooh la la!


a quiet FYI
I actually have some heavy things going on regarding my Mom that I choose to keep out of my blogging life. My blog is a happy place for me and I do want to keep it that way. Please just know that all of these "pretties" are much more than that; they bring bright cheer on dismal days, as do your sweet and thoughtful comments. thanks always. just wanted you to know.

xo

my fab four

I hope that everyone is still enjoying the holiday season. As for my own Fab Four, we are munching on cookies in between long rounds (er, sets) of playing Beatles Rock Band. The boys started playing at about 7:00 a.m. and after "one more song" we'll break for dinner.



Not only are my husband and I enjoying listening and playing to the music we loved as 'tweenage Beatlemaniacs but it's awesome to introduce favorite music to our sons in such a fun and interactive way. It is also heartwarming to see the boys singing, tapping on the drums (instead of on each other), and appreciating music. It's true family fun.

I promise more pretty posts as soon as there is some good sunlight for photos (and believe me after a swap, a giveaway win and new creations, I have some cute things up my sleeve to share).

Until then: Peace, love and rock and roll. And cookies.

Okay, just one more song . . .

xo

warmest wishes from me to you

I want to wish all of you the happiest and healthiest of holidays!

Blogging continues to be a daily gift to me, one always brimming with warm thoughts, smiles, GASPs, understanding, friendship and boundless creativity. Thank you so much for your always appreciated visits, sweet comments and inspiring posts.



cute
I saw this adorable idea (and the one below) at Martha Stewart (or Marty Stew, right M?) A must-try! How very Shoemaker and the Elves !



I also want to show you the little tree in our playroom. I am amazed it hasn't been knocked over (yet)!



Okay, well sugar cookies and countless other things await!

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

xo

seasonings greetings

Here is a quick and easy "recipe" for a snowy vignette from me to you:

1 empty jar
Salt
Glitter, mica flakes and beads
Cupcake toppers

Add ingredients, keep flat and enjoy

{Details at my December '08 post just add salt}

xo

you've got comments

If you have visited my blog a few times, you probably know that I love the movie You've Got Mail. What you might not know is that many times after watching the film I schedule a hair appointment and bring a print-out of Meg as Kathleen Kelly.



I should've worn a cardigan! (It's been a while since my hair was this short but I am liking the change and it takes less time to blow dry.) Anyway . . . Below you will find one of my favorite posts from last winter. Hope you don't mind the rerun.

xo

the personality of the ornaments



Greetings from snowy Rhode Island! Saturday we took down our Christmas tree. My boys turned the somewhat daunting task into a game by sorting out their favorite ornaments. I did the same and realized that I am gathering quite a cute collection of little snowmen. Being a blogger, of course I had to take a quick break to snap some photos!

It's funny because looking at each snowman individually in these pictures, they seem to have their own personalities. This guy above looks very friendly: "Good to meet'cha!"

(Okay, I hope I am not sounding too crazy. Maybe I should've waited to do this post until after breakfast!)


mild mannered and welcoming



sweet and bashful


a nice kid


busy


shy and would sound like winnie-the-pooh


a bit goofy but funny

Okay, time to eat! xo

[Original post date: 1/12/08]

dilly dallying

I could ramble off a long list of things I should be doing, could be doing, would be doing, but what am I doing? Sneaking in a little time to make more les petits tirois*!



I plan to use some for packaging little surprise treats for friends



and will also list some on my online shops soon (maybe in sets? any thoughts?)

• • • • • • • •

Tinkered Tip: Easy gift tags


Small shipping tags from an office supply store + stickers + glitter + ribbon = quick, easy and festive


Sources: Tags: Staples; stickers, glitter, glue, ribbon: Michaels


Sources: Gift wrap: Target; candy canes: Bob's Candy Canes

Okay, back to the list! Perhaps I'll begin with baking something because other tasks are made nicer when the house smells yummy!

xo

*I received some of my very favorite comments at that post and thank you all so much!

being a copy cath

Did you know that you can order fabric swatches for free at
Cath Kidston? GASP



I am still stuck on the way this table looks, wrapped like a present in cheery, durable oilcloth. Turns out, oilcloth can be a little pricey so I thought I'd see if Target had anything to play around with to try out a similar look. Good ol' Target: vinyl tablecloths for $5.99.



I trimmed the oblong tablecloth and wrapped my table top, securing the sides underneath with masking tape. What do you think?

For anyone noticing and wondering about the red plate in the background . . .



It holds what's left of our gingerbread house.
For I-Spy fans: Can you spot Rudolph's girlfriend Clarice?

Moving on . . .



M from Tales from an OC Cottage had the most amazing post about filling make-your-own ornaments with paper. I thought how this could make a lovely teacher's gift.



and added strips of scrapbooking paper and printed text in red and green.

It's fun to see how one idea can spark another. This happens all the time with blogging and it's just the coolest!

xo