Belt Buckle Give Away

Did this get your attention????   This is a few from Cindy’s private stash… But, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month my friend Cindy is having a give away for the belt buckle below. 

So click HERE (or on my sidebar where her button is) & if you want to pass on the word….  You have until September 29th to go register to win.  And… while you’re there tell her Happy Birthday as her BDay is also 9/29 & I think she should celebrate all month.  Have a great weekend.
HUGS!     Charlene

I’m LATE! I’m Late!!!!

And LATE seems to be the story of my life lately! I wanted to share another adorable gift that came from another precious blog buddy Kris Hurst. Kris & I met last spring in Savannah when we attended Petticoats & Parasols. Having bought some Halloween CD’s from her the year before I knew what AMAZING work she did. Kris LOVES HALLOWEEN & during the event everything she did had a touch of Halloween added yet, everything was beautiful. I want to show you what I mean… Here is a couple of her creations. Her Parasol was done using a different panel with a Halloween Image or Vintage Witch.

And then there was her mannequin that sported an ADORABLE Halloween Costume!

Yes, I told you she was on top of her Halloween Game! Let’s look & see what was in my package.

Here’s a better look at a few of the tags!

And would you like to see where I put them?

That’s the wreath over the guest room potty. I thought all these cute additions just made it so much more fun. And as long as we are here in the guest bath let’s see a few of the other Halloween decorations (the little witch is also from sweet Kris).

I wanted to share just a few of Kris’s photos from her blog. They show the amazing work that she does. I did order the Halloween Calling Cards from her (with my name of course).

And then a few things she created using her Halloween 2010 CD that she sells on her Etsy Shop.

Go HERE & visit Kris today to revel in the WONDER & order goodies for yourself HERE! Please tell her Charlene sent you. And THANK YOU again sweet Kris. Stay tuned for photos from the recent Gilded Life Art Event that I went to last weekend. Have a beautiful weekend. HUGS!

Charlene

It's ALL Karen Valentine's Fault!!!!!!!!

IT'S ALL KAREN VALENTINE'S FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I'm stickin to it!

Do you remember when I had Karen(same as Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage) of Valentine Design create my new LOOK for my blog? Well, when we were talking in the design part of all this process she would say "do you like......(whatever she was talking about)" & I would say "where I don't see what you are talking about". And after much further discussion we came to the realization that my monitor, which was quiet small" did not display all the wonderful things that many blogs have on the side of their design. She teased me that "THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD OUT THERE YOU ARE MISSING GIRLFRIEND" Well darlin.... not anymore. This weekend I went out & splurged on a new 34" monitor (can I send you the bill? hee hee just kidding). What are ya thinkin now girlfriend? I'm thinking there is a lot of difference between a 17" & 34" monitor. The only good thing I can say about the 17" one... it was free. But, it is gone & I can see sooooooooooooooooooooo much more! Karen was right! Speaking of Karen... Are you ready for the Where Bloggers Create II Party coming up this coming Saturday June 19? Click on the button on my sidebar for more information if you don't know about it. Karen had this event last year & it was wonderful! I only posted about my jewelry design desk because my regular studio was a mess... Well.... I tried to get out of participating this year for the SAME reason! For the most part I am an excellent housekeeper & my house is ready for company any time. But, the studio for some reason is ALWAYS a mess. It's like this is the one room I let myself slide because I can shut the door & no one sees it including myself!

Did you think this was it??????????? WRONG!!!!! Oh how I wish this was it. But, this is Karen's studio from last years event. NEXT YEAR BABY!!!!!!!!!!! I'll blow your socks off.

Sadly, below is my disaster. I am ashamed & embarrassed because blogs are supposed to be PRETTY. I kept telling Karen it's a mess! I can't do it. And she said "GET IN THERE & WORK ON IT". Did I start early enough to do everything I wanted to (strip off the wall paper, get some cute pieces of furniture)? NO! But, next year Ms Karen you just wait & see.

Sad So SAD! SHAME!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is my workspace... It is a disaster of piles & sacks. They just SLIDE from piling. Such a large easy space to DUMP STUFF when you come home. Shut the door & walk away! SHAME!!!!!

Unfinished projects everywhere. And HOW would you know what you own????? YOU DON'T!

But, the process has begun. The sorting & cleaning & purging. The wall paper is here for this time but, after spending the time in here I have this past week I AM OVER IT! AND IT IS OUTTTTTTA HERE! My space is looking much better & I will actually be able to work on my swap projects for my upcoming Les Sirenes Art Event. Yes, Cathy that is next... getting out the glue, glitter, & shells to start creating the Mermaid treasures for this will be a treat.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad to get off that UGLY story & move onto something beautiful! Have you seen the Carolyn Westbrook's Book called HOME? Well, she has written a new one & Deborah of Common Objects has a Give Away where you can win a copy HERE. Be sure & rush over to put your name in to WIN! Good Luck.

Have a great week my friends & I hope I didn't scare you to death!

Silly me... at the end of this post I had put two Give Away/Event posts & forgot all about my sweet friend Riki's Give Away HERE . AND IT IS A GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!! After the loss of her precious fur baby & constant companion Chester... she has been in a "healing" mode. And trust me sweetie I know how long & difficult that road is!!!! So go by & see Riki, sign up for this beautiful box that she has made (let me tell you she is an amazing artist & has been featured in Somerset Magazines MANY times) & show her some blogger love. Bloggers are some of the most amazingly sweet supportive folks out there. LOVE YA Riki!

And here is the post that I did before this little brain slip.

As promised, I wanted to share a few of the goodies I have picked up at the different places I have been hanging out. I am sorry but, somehow the loading of the photos got out of order (does that ever happen to you?) & I can't seem to move them after the have finished loading. Let's begin the shopping flurry...

These sweets are just 2 of a set of 11 cut crystal stem pieces I picked up at Suzie Q's Antiques in Fayetteville, TX. I went into her tiny adorable shop after my class with Diane Cook a few weeks back. These hand blown beauties beckoned to Hubby & I. If you know me well, you know he has an antique bar that he loves to collect treasures for. These are tiny at about 3.5" tall. The one on the left was purchased for our Violet Liquor brought to us from our neighbors from France. A little in the bottom of this glass & filled with champagne.... YUM. The other is for his Pear Liquor. You say "Pear What"? Look at the photo below & see the bottle with the full sized pear in it. Again brought to him by Pierre. This is a very STOUT liquor at about 90 proof. The bottle is put on the tree when it is in the flowering stage. It then matures & is pulled off & the liquor is filled into the bottle & capped. You must keep it full at all times so the pear stays immersed in the liquid. So... refill bottles come about every 6 months. Tiny glass are a good thing with this LIQUID LIGHTENING!

And this beauty was picked up last weekend on our way to Diane's house. We stopped at Nothing Ordinary in Belleville, TX & found this vintage RUBY glass cocktail shaker. It is a beauty! It is a large size & I can't wait to see what he SHAKES up in this!

And this is a strange photo but, it is what I bought when I visited Linda of Willow's Nest Farm in Burton, TX. Again, it was the weekend we were down for Diane's class & we stayed at the B&B in Round Top (check previous post for more on that). Linda said this was from a Neiman Marcus Store & she had it sitting on the counter of her little studio. I SEE BOTTLE CAPS & JEWELRY... what do you see? I will be setting up an Etsy Shop in the near future but, if you are interested in a few of these BEAUTIFUL crystals before then let me know.

The glue has failed & they are coming off the base. There are three different sizes.

While in Tyler a couple of months ago Hubby & I picked up these two pieces of Royal Winton. I have seen photos in magazines & have always thought this pattern was so CUTE! It comes in green & yellow. Although I prefer the green it was not available in this cute small (about 9" tall) Tea Pot or the Mild Jug at this store. A girl has to JUMP on opportunities. And Hubby was with me & while I was hemming & hawing over the purchase he said "What is my rule"? Answer: "When you see something you love BUY IT because I don't want to hear all the complaining when you go back & it's not there"! Now that was "cleaned up" version of what he says but, you get the drift. Sooooooooooooooooo SOLD! Problem solved.

Milk Jug

And dog gone it these next two photos are reversed too....SORRY! This shows the close up of the amazing Cut Crystal Hard Cider Pitcher we bought at the shop in Belleville this past weekend.

Nothing makes me swoon more than cut crystal (or vintage lace/linens, buttons... don't get me started) & when we saw this we were excited. Hubby had almost bought me one of these for Christmas & I KNOW the price tag for that. YIKES could scare you with the truth. But, we saw this marked "AS IS" Yes, it has a slight crack you can hardly see, running along the handle it does not go all the way through & since we don't plan to use it much (& we will be sure to support it) we had to have it. The total price was $795.00 LESS than we saw it at Christmas. A DEAL FOR SURE! Yesterday I was on the phone talking to my Les Sirenes roommate Cathy & told her that my shells had arrived for my creating of SWAP GIFTS. I had to order them. Cathy was appalled at the idea of paying for shells. I told her I AM A FRUSTRATED MERMAID LANDLOCKED HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS! She laughed until I told her I paid OVER $100 for my shells. SHOCKED! FLABBERGASTED she was. So, the promise to show her what $100 buys in shells.... no enhancing done for this Cath just the ugly facts. Now, if I ever get my studio clean (Yes, Karen Valentine I AM WORKING ON IT) I will start with the glue & glitter for Mermaid Creations for Les Sirenes Art Event. Now, Cathy are you truly appalled?

Have you ever been in a Sorority? Well, my sweet friend Karen (another Belle from Petticoats) has created our very own! And if you click HERE you can learn how to be a part. She is having our "RUSH" party on June 25th. Hope to see you there. A beautiful bracelet Give Away by Jody. This little treasure was made as a "Healing Gift" after loosing her Momma. She made this & is giving as a gift & says that in doing so she is the one who has been blessed with healing through sharing. What a precious idea. Hurry over to enter HERE Have you been to see the beautiful things Rebecca has on her Blog? She is so talented. On June 13th she will draw a winner for her Give Away for this sweet sachet & painted sewing drawer. Go HERE to enter.

I hope all of you enjoyed seeing my new treasures & I hope these Give Aways will be fun for you. Also, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. HUGS!

Postal Bliss!!!!!!!!!!! Packages Keep Arriving!!!!!

Where have I been???? Mother has been here for TWO WEEKS!!!!! YIKES!!!! Love her but, my ears hurt & I am having serious Blog with drawl. Bottom line I MISS MY FRIENDS & all the POSITIVE, beautiful things they talk & think & create! Being POSITIVE & surrounding yourself with POSITIVE is sooooooooooooooooo very important! My mailman of 12 years retired this month & I don't care for his sub but, TODAY when she rang my doorbell I liked her a lot better! There was my box for the FALL SWAP I did with Margaret of The French Bear! Do you know Margaret & know of her AMAZING works of wonder? Oh JOY! I couldn't wait to see what was in the box! And above is the first peek.

All the little packages & those sweet vintage images to tease me.

The first thing I opened was this tiny SPARKLING gold crown with a little envelope that says "you rule". This was wrapped in the sweetest hand made hat box stamped all over.

And here is The French Bear himself wearing his crown of GOLD! Isn't he the sweetest thing? Margaret used the most wonderful fabric to MAKE him. It looks just like soft golden fur. Can you believe she hand makes these little treasures? His features are absolutely perfect in every way.

And, a box of HAND DIED buttons with a HANDMADE VELVET PUMPKIN PIN CUSHION! I just can't stand the excitement of telling you how OVER THE TOP CUTE THIS IS!

Remember the little RED Christmas package?

Well, how the heck did that image get flipped around????? It wasn't like that in the photo when I loaded it but, I have NO IDEA how to fix it sooooooooo, sorry but, turn your head to look because it is VERY cute! And yes, Margaret I BELIEVE!!!!!!!

This sweet ornament was also handmade.

MY STASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't it all MARVELOUS? Also, not shown close up is the sweet hand painted metal heart & cute decorated clothespins. THANK YOU DEAR SWEET MARGARET!

And what is this? The invitation to the Open House for Winnie & Tulula's bit bash! Theresa at Garden Antqs Vintage had her amazing Give Away a couple of weeks agao & my $50 gift certificate to her shop at Winnie & Tulula's came in the mail Saturday. Yippeeeee I know I will love that little shopping experience. Also, enclosed in the envelope from Theresa was a gift card to Starbucks!!!! Gotta love that A LATTE! Hee Heeeeeeee. Thank you so much my generous amazing friends!!!! Have a great week & I promise I will be a bit better about posting now. Hugs~ Charlene