wonderful time

i couldn't resist creating one more little doodle before we turn the

calendar page to reveal a new year......

here's looking forward to lots of wonderful things to

doodle about in 2010!!

my heart goes out to you.....

i'd like to thank you for all of the wonderfully heartfelt Christmas and anniversary wishes that you've left for me and my little dutch boy! i can't begin to tell you how much i appreciate your visits to my little blog.....and your gift of friendship is certainly at the top of my list of "most favorite things"!!!

thank you from the top, middle and bottom of my heart for all of the love and happiness you share with me! please consider yourself hugged in a very big way!!!

i'm also sending out mega-thanks for your tremendous support of my etsy shop this year!!! it's because of your confidence in my artwork that my blessings journal was nominated and accepted into the etsy voter last week (thank you to all who may have seen this and voted!!). and now i'm thrilled and honored to have been selected as part of the group of runners-up and have my journal featured in the member's choice gift guide!!!

i'm as giddy as a schoolgirl over this!!! thank you SO much for helping me to dream these artistic dreams, and actually see them come true.....

you are the absolute BEST!!!!

you can see more of the etsy gift guide here and the member's choice guide here.....congratulations to all those participating!!

inspiration monday

it's twenty-five years later and this little dutch boy.....

is still loving, honoring and cherishing,

is still painting silver linings on clouds,

is still as cute as a little bug,

is still providing inspiration galore,

is still making me laugh,

is still my best friend,

is still the beat of my heart,

is still, and will always be, the love of my life.

thank you, sweet little dutch boy, for making every day a

happily-ever-after-day!

i love you!!!

Merry Christmas!

wishing you all of the beautiful things of Christmas!!

many blessings to you, xoxox

O Christmas trees.....

and so this is Christmas......north florida style!!

inspiration monday

time to get out the paper........traditional holiday wrapping, brown craft, the comics section from the sunday paper, recycled brown grocery bags, freezer paper, computer printer, colored tissue, torn apart catalogs, etc......

and the ribbons........traditional ribbon on the spool, twine, jute, raffia, thin strips of colored paper, thin strips of torn fabric, burnt out strands of lights, fabric ribbon, lace, grosgrain, yarn, etc......

and the tape, scissors, gifts to wrap, a nice mug of hot chocolatey happiness, holiday music, and your favorite wrapping buddy......

it's time for a good ol' fashioned wrapping party!! bring on the inspiration goodness!!

making a gift card holder

this is the video version of a gift card holder tutorial that i posted last year. these card holders are really easy to make, and you can create them in a jiffy!

here's a better look at the holders that i created in the video....one thing that i forgot to mention is that rounding the corners of the outside flap gives it a nice finishing touch!

have fun!!

for a larger format, you can watch the video here at you tube!

warm wishes

today i wish for you a moment to just sit......

with your feet up.....

and wrap your hands around a warm mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows floating on top......

and feel the peace that's around you.

santa cutie

my sweet bloggy friend patty schaffer designed these absolutely adorable santa cuties.....and in the giving Spirit of the Season, she's offering them to all of us!! all you have to do is download the file, print them off, and cut them out!! thank you, patty, for your sweet generosity!!

head on over here to create your tags and give patty a big holiday-thanks-a-bunch-shout-out .....and click here to see patty's other fabulous paper products and designs!!

inspiration monday

i always look forward to decorating our Christmas tree because it's just like taking a walk down memory lane. every year when i pop the lid on our box of ornaments, it's almost like opening a time capsule!

some ornies are handmade by ourselves (this blue polka-dot ball is something that i created about 15 years ago during my "ceramics phase").....

......while some have been created by others

(this cute angel was made using a cotton boll, picked directly from the cotton plant in alabama).....

some have a way of bringing a tear to my eye

(made by our son in day care...was that really almost 20 years ago?).....

some have come from far-away places

(my mom and dad brought this handmade treasure back from germany 25 years ago)......

and then there are those that simply bring a smile to my face every time i look at them

(this was a gift from our dog's groomer.....a clear glass ornie filled with our sweet molly's trimmed hair! it's one of my all-time favorites!!).

enjoy the stories that your ornaments are telling, enjoy gazing at your decorated tree, enjoy the memories, and most of all, enjoy the Christmas inspiration!!

from the heart

my sweet bloggy friend becky shander continues to amaze me with her artistic genius and giving spirit. not long ago, she treated me to this gorgeous little journal created from repurposed dryer sheets and other fabulous materials.....a true treasure, to say the very least! and then this week the mailman brought me this beautiful little parcel.....a precious little birdie lovingly created from the heart, and the perfect masterpiece to hang from my favorite vintage-style glass knob (and where i'll see it and be inspired by it every single day!).

using cotton batting, tea-stained dryer sheets, and a variety of vintage fabrics and lace as her palette, becky reminds that beauty can be seen in the simplest of materials. i love her clever use of jute twine as the "nest", and i must admit that the sweet pearl bead eye, along with her fun stitching here and there, are the perfect finishing touches!

becky, i could never fully express to you just how much you have touched my heart with your generosity in creating this for me! i am so blessed to have met you, and i thank you so very much for sharing your creative self with all of us!

becky shander is an accomplished and published artist.....please visit her here!

i (still) heart my mary janes

my footwear affair with my mary janes continues. i absolutely heart them. i know it sounds strange to be so attached to a pair of shoes, but they make me happy. so when my little-dutch-boy-santa treated me to these mary jane slippers as an early Christmas goodie, the happy continued.....and i mean, we're talking giddy-like-a-schoolgirl-jumping-up-and-down-kind-of-happy!

oh, and they come in girly pink, too. bring on the happy!!

on the front porch

our sweet little neighbor came over the other day to help us with some outside holiday bling. she was in charge of stringing the porch lights.....don't you just love the way the teenage mind works?!! it looks fabulous at night, and i think that santa will be quite impressed (and he will definitely be able to find us!!)!

inspiration monday

this is what happens when i'm supposed to be working on my holiday-to-do-list, but i'm inspired to create a little doodle instead. and it looks like these little friends of lenny have been distracted by playing reindeer games (a la brady-bunch style) instead of prepping themselves to pull that heavy sleigh on Christmas eve! oh well, it's monday.....and a little "inspiration distraction" can be a very good thing!!

a journal and a dancing mango

when i saw this paper, my memory reminded me of a time when my favorite outfit was a pair of stonewashed blue jeans and a beautiful brown suede fitted jacket.....you know, the kind with big leather patches sewn on the elbow section of the sleeves (which kinda indicates how far i'm going back in time!). for whatever reason, these denim blues and brown flourishes really spoke to me. isn't it amazing how one little piece of paper can provide such a random slice of joyful nostalgia?!

and speaking of random, the number 45 was chosen for the giveaway...... which means that darlene over at a dancing mango will be receiving a set of holly jolly note cards!! congratulations darlene! i'll be contacting you shortly for your address!

and thanks SO much to everyone who participated! your sweet comments and support mean more to me than i could ever express!!

i hope you have a fabulous weekend!!

around the house

since this is the first Christmas in our new house, the decorating is going a little slower this year. i'm not really sure where to put things, and well, you know how it goes.....some of the green on our "greenery" from years past is starting to look a little worn and tattered. so when i found this green holiday goodness at michael's the other day (for 50% off!!), i was thrilled! i decided to poke it here and there in a weathered wood wreath......

but instead of hanging it on the wall, i placed it around our shell collection on the round table in our living room. i really enjoy using simple items in an unexpected way.....and i'm so loving the "coastal Christmas" feel of this!!

p.s. there's still time to leave your name in the hat for my holly jolly giveaway!! i'll be randomly drawing a name tonight, so click here to enter!

holly jolly giveaway

it's the first day of december and i can't think of a better reason for a giveaway!! this is a card design that i created last year, and my little friend lenny thought it was high time to get them back out!! each note card is a print of my original calligraphy and watercolor onto white classic linen card stock, and there's a blank piece of confetti text paper inside to give you a smooth surface to write your own message!

this will come to you packaged with six cards and six white envelopes.....and all you need to do is leave a comment (just one comment per person please!)! a name will be randomly chosen on this thursday evening and announced on friday!

you all make my entire year so holly and jolly......and i thank you SO much for your visits, your comments and your sweet bloggy love!! :))

edited: comments are now closed and a name has been drawn! thanks to all who participated!