'BAG OF TAGS' GIVE-AWAY on Sunday April 10th!!

Hi! Sorry I've been away for a little while but I've been working on some large orders and had to devote all my concentration to them. The exciting news today is that I'm hosting a Bag of Tags Give-Away as my Easter gift to those who follow my blog!!! The winner of the give-away will receive 5 sets of tags---Your Choice of any of the designs in my Etsy shop (click on the link to my Etsy shop at right the side of my blog to have a look at your choices!) To qualify all you need to do is sign up to follow my blog. On Sunday, April 10th at 9 pm I'll put everyone's names in a hat and draw for the winner!! I'll post the winner here on my blog on the evening of the drawing and you can let me know your contact information and which tag sets you would like! Shop for your tag choices ahead of time because my Etsy shop is closing for spring vacation on Monday April 11th. So that's my fun news for today! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend I hope to see you here for the Bag of Tags Give-away!

Some new items on Ebay this week!!

Hi! I wanted to post just  a few photos of some of the tag sets I recently listed on Ebay. There's a lot of French, shabby chic, postal ephemera (one of my favorites!) and LOTS more to choose from. I have so much fun making these tags. Thanks for stopping in and my wishes to you for a wonderful day filled with smiles, laughter, and happiness!

A lazy spring day by the Ashley River

It almost seems surreal that a tranquil view like this coexists with the devastation in the aftermath of the disaster in Japan. My prayers are going up for everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. I hope everyone here is having a blessed day and enjoying the beauty that is so abundant around us! I took the photo above while enjoying a quiet moment at a Charleston plantation. I'm crafting like crazy this afternoon because I have Etsy and Ebay orders to finish this weekend. I did have a chance to upload my very first video on Youtube today featuring the mini album I'm crafting for my grandaughter. Doing my first paper crafting video was a goal I set for myself for this year and I put it off because I was intimidated by the whole process, but I finally did it!! It wasn't easy though. I had technical difficulties (lots and lots of them) so the video quality isn't good, but at least now there's no place to go but up:-) Take a look at it if you'd like to, but go easy on me--it's my very first try:-) I added the link to my Youtube channel on the right column of my blog if you want to view it. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you're having a beautiful and relaxing weekend!!    

A Beautiful Day!

It's another new day! I love the morning because everything starts over and it's filled with anticipation and potential. That probably sounds cliche (okay, it totally sounds cliche) but it's so true!! I never end up finishing everything I put on my daily 'list' because I tend to plan as though there were about 100 hours in every day, so I just cross my fingers, hope for the best, and hit the ground running:-)) I like to assess and revise my plan as I go through the day by crossing things off and adding them to tomorrow. That's my technique for sustaining the illusion that I'm actually accomplishing my goals-- and you can borrow that from me if you want to--it really works! I'm celebrating today by sharing a vintage image of this sweet little girl. I thought her pretty bouquet of white flowers was the perfect way to welcome spring. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed and wonderful day. 

An Evening to Remember

Here are the prom pictures--aren't they a great looking group of young people!! The tall young man with the the stunning beauty in the blue gown is my son:-) This is seriously the nicest group of kids ever. I may be just a tiny bit biased, but I happen to know 7 other sets of parents who agree with me completely-LOL! May your day be filled with love, laughter, and blessings!

Hi to Everyone! Well, prom was a complete success! All the kids had a great (and safe) evening. It was a super late night and we're all still recovering here at our house:-) My husband was pulled over by the police on the way to the midnight breakfast. He didn't use a turn signal when he switched lanes and they thought he was a drunk driver. He ended up just receiving a warning once it was realized he hadn't been drinking so thankfully no expensive ticket or points on his license (big sigh of relief!!)  I'll post a couple of photos from prom soon, but for now I have another vintage image to share. This charming old ad is from 1890. How fun is this! I'm off to Mass but I wanted to check in to say hello and wish everyone a wonderful day!

Hi! Today I'm sharing a photo of the 'Once Upon a Time' album I made for my grandaughter. It's not actually finished yet. I got it to this point so we could take it to Disney World and get character signatures in it, and now that the trips over I'll add the photos and finish the embellishment of the inside pages. I am having so much fun making this and I can't wait to take it to her when we go to see them over Easter! My plan is to do a youtube video of this album when it's complete. I've never done one before but it's a goal I've set for myself this year:-) Well, I'm off to charge my camera and video camera. My son is going to prom tonight--I'm so excited about it!! He's going with his date and 3 other couples. We rented them a limo for dinner and prom, then afterward all the parents will meet them for a midnight breakfast for all. I know they'll have the best evening ever! I hope anyone who stops by my blog is having a beautiful day!

Camellia Japonica

Whenever something isn't just right in life I like to seek out a quiet natural setting. Whether it's a forest, the ocean, a mountain stream, or simply the wooded trails in our subdivision, it helps me to find peace, balance, and perspective. Today I have a photo offering of one of natures miracles, this white Camellia Japonica flower. I took this photo at Middleton Place Plantation and wanted to share it with my friends here on my blog. I hope it will bring you a small measure of peace and and a smile to your heart. Warm wishes for a lovely day to you!

Hi and Happy Wednesday! I give tours at the Nathaniel Russell House on Wednesday so it's one of my favorite days of the week. This is the time of year tourists begin flocking to Charleston. I had people from France, Finland, and Canada in my groups today. We meet people from all over the world and it's soooo much fun! I have a great vintage image to share today. I have a collection of the old pamphlet style cookbooks---this one is from 1925. I love the vintage colors of the cover art. I hope anyone who stops by to read this is having a great day too! You should sign up to follow my blog. If I get at least 10 followers I'm going to have a give-away to celebrate that I'm not the only person who visits my blog:-) I hope you enjoy the cookbook image and can use it in some of your art. I think it would be a perfect embellishment for  a recipe album!

I re-opened my Etsy shop today and started adding my new items for Spring! I really struggle to get good clear photos. It gets really frustrating sometimes. I like to blame my camera, but alas I know it's probably my own fault--I can never hold the camera still enough:-) It's definitely gotten better since I started to use a tripod. Here are a few pictures of my latest listings. I'm really excited about Spring and Easter and am having a great time crafting for the season. Have a great evening!!