Happy New Year!

Hogmanay
Edinburgh, Scotland

Shabby Pink Pegs on Scrapscene

Well, what a lovely surprise...Google alert this morning showed that my handpainted Shabby Pink Spotted Rose Pegs were mentioned on the Scrapscene website, The Who's Who of Scrapbooking!

Scrapscene

Thanks Angie!

Happy Holidays To You

Baby Announcements for Oliver

First stop was Etsy to buy these super fun Blue/Lime Green Polka Dot Blank Boxed Notecards from boxedcards. Gorgeous, shabby robin's egg blue exterior with white spotty dots and a cheery lime interior.



I happened to have a brand new eBay baby details stamp on hand for card making (little did I know the first use would be for our new little one) I believe it's called Baby Arrival and it's from Holly Pond Hill by Susan Wheeler



Next I finally got to place an order with an amazing Etsy & LolliShop papercrafter, whose work I simply adore;

SunshineandRavioli

She made the sweetest It's A Boy! embellishment tags for the card fronts. I just love them!

The final cards all ready to go out...



Welcome to the planet little Oliver!

Oliver has arrived!

Dec 13th
2:08 a.m.

7 lbs 12
20" long

Oliver Robert

Top 10 Requested Teacher Gifts

Picture Books in Winter available from theseasonalcottage Etsy shop.

Hot off the press! This tidbit was nestled in little one's December elementary school newsletter. Just in case you're not sure what to get or need a few last minute ideas...

Top 10 Requested Teacher Gifts

1. Books

2. Gift Cards

3. Board Games

4. Stickers

5. Stamp/Stamp Pads

6. Coffee

7. Fun Magnets

8. School Supplies

9. Fun Pens & Pencils

10. Food

LolliShopping!

LolliShops is a brand new venture that is just over a week old. Started by owner Sadie Lou Who , it is an online marketplace boutique for all things shabby chic, girly, pink, and sparkly.

And yes indeedy, I went LolliShopping on opening night. It was sooo yummy to see all the pretty pink and shabby goodies being loaded into people's shops! One by one they went, like candies dropping into a jar at the sweet shop. You know how there are things that you save to faves and then there are things that just call out to you...



First I went for a Glittery Pink & Green Cottage from Julie at Pieceful Bits and it was an honor to be her first customer. She blogs here . It arrived in no time in beautiful paper with some extra goodies and a nice note. I love it! It reminds me of a gumdrop or cotton candy and has inspired me to start a little Christmas cottage collection. Sadie Lou Who of LolliShops has called these "Sugar Shacks" and it suits them perfectly.



Next I saw a Faux Very Cherry Pink Cupcake from Jenni B Originals I think I might have been her first customer too. This is the sweetest and arrived pink and perfect along with a real pastel marshmallow twist candy that little one loved. I don't know how she makes these so delicate and yet hard-as-a-rock but everybody in my family wanted to know if they could eat it!



I've since been back LolliShopping (last night-after pining for it all week) and picked up this darling little Pink Shabby Sweet Cupcake Stand Pedestal from Darlene at Cherry Heart Boutique to display this cupcake year round.

Have YOU been LolliShopping yet?

Jack Frost

"Have you ever noticed a tree standing naked against the sky,
How beautiful it is?
All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness
There is a poem, there is a song.
Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.
When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with
The music of many leaves,
Which in due season fall and are blown away.
And this is the way of life."
- Krishnamurti

----------------------------------------------------------



"Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one."
- Helen Bayley Davis, Jack Frost

Christmas Cards

Well, it looks like I've started blogging. It's a snowy Wednesday afternoon outside my window in Northern Illinois. We're headed straight into the holiday season; fasten your seatbelts!



Yesterday, I finished making Christmas cards with some supplies that I found on Etsy. Started with a set of black toile cards from eBay and added some paper from Michaels and then finished them off with Elle and the Snow Dove Tags from belleandboo.

The envelope seals are going to be these sweet little Christmas Tree Stickers from BrambleberryLane

The tags came prepared with those pretty ribbons that I just tied into a bow and used sticky dots to attach. It might have been nice with grommets or brads but I was afraid they would be too front-heavy and swing open when they were hung up.

They're done, signed by hubs and the two boys, and ready to go. Little one went artistic with a few and did his best snowman, gingerbread house, and polar express train drawings on the insides.





I worked a bit on some baby announcements (trying to stay ahead of deadlines this Christmas!) but more about those another day.

UPDATE: Dec. 4th what a coincidence! belleandboo are Featured Etsy Seller today