I saw these awesome vintage number tags from Poppytalk over at It's Simple Love & had to share. I am not sure exactly how I will use them....yet, but I love them!

Download them {here}

How would you use them?

Last Minute Wrapping.

via Lovely Clusters

I actually have all my wrapping done this year...
but I am filing these photos away for next year,
because I absolutely love these pretty packages!

Do you still have wrapping to do?

"12 Days 'Till Christmas Countdown" FREE Holiday Wallpapers!

In the Spirit of Christmas...I am doing a "12 Days Till Christmas Countdown" starting today! Each day I will feature another Christmasy freebie, DIY, idea, recipe etc. to get us in the Christmas Spirit until the Big day on Dec. 25th!

Today, I found these super cute, Free desktop
wallpaper & e-card downloads from Fossil!

12 Days Till Christmas!

Refreshing Lemonade in a Super Cute Dispenser

I found this super cute beehive drink dispenser over

at The Bright Side Project & had to enter

for a chance to win it!!

(You can too until June 9th)

p.s. Sorry I have not been blogging regularly...I have been so busy!

Monday Mash-Up

Tickled Pink

item locations (from top left)

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

See More Monday Mash-Ups Here.

Monday Mash-Up: Craving Coffee

See more Monday Mash-Ups HERE!

Find items (from top left)

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

strawberries, plants & a birds nest.

I am so excited about my strawberries this year!
I planted them last year and did not get a good yield
(which is common the 1st year)

But they are looking great this year

and I can't wait to eat them!

I am also planning on freezing some too!

Also, my azalea bush is in full bloom

& so is the tree in our front yard!

I also planted some broccoli in the garden
& marked it with one of my garden markers...
I can't wait to plant my tomatoes and cucumbers soon!

plus...we saw a little bird fly out of our bush
so we took a peek and this is what we found:how cute is that?
the eggs are the loveliest colors too!

What are you planting this year?

i have a dream.

i would love to own a

sweet little boutique.

one that features all sorts of

wonderful handmade treasures!
and it would be great to run it

with my best friend Crystal...

maybe even have some sweet treats available too...

What is your dream?

wednesday wish list.

I want these signs so much!!
I would hang them in my dining room & kitchen...
now to get the hubby to buy them...

find it here

find it here

I am redesigning my daughters bedroom
and I totally want these to hang from the ceiling:

find them here

And last but not least I want old pop crates
like the ones in this picture:

See more wish lists here.

What are you wishing for today?

save the date.

I love this new necklace! I happen to think the name is pretty clever too ;)

This is perfect for brides, new mommies,
anniversaries or any time you want
to Commemorate a special date!

I made this one for my best friend: she plans to give it to her soon to be sister in law who is getting married on May 1st!

The save the date necklace is now available in my etsy shop !

chalk pots & garden markers.

as promised, i have finally finished my next project! and i have to say i am very pleased! i love being outside in my garden & flower beds so this project was very fun for me!

{introducing: chalk pots}

these would make great gifts...especially for Mothers Day!
Another thought i had was using them as favors or
decorations for bridal or baby showers.

terracotta pots painted with chalkboard paint.

so fun to write on
you can write & erase as many times as you want!


{introducing: garden markers}

these hammered...distressed...hand stamped spoons
make perfect garden markers


you can use them in your garden
{as i have to mark my chives}
or in your potted plants

they will both be available in my etsy store very soon!

in search of inspiration.

i am always in search of inspiration for new designs....i will also be unveiling some new designs very soon!

here is what i am finding inspiring today:

via
viaviaviaviaviavia

What inspires you?

shrimp & strawberry salad.

the other day i bought some fresh shrimp, cleaned & deveined it all myself! {pats my own back} then i mixed up this marinade:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

then i sliced up some fresh strawberries and after the shrimp marinaded for a half hour, i put them on the skewers and grilled them & topped our salads with them! i also made an Italian dressing with oil, red wine vinegar and an Italian seasonings packet.

it was so yummy!

on a bad note: we found out my daughter is allergic to shell fish :( she didn't eat any shrimp, but she had some of my salad that the shrimp was sitting on...not fun. she developed hives all over the bottom of her face & neck. but she was ok...just no more shrimp for her. plus, my internet is not working right...it took me forever just to do this post. So i am a little behind on doing the posts i want to...so as soon as I get it up and running right I plan to do some jewelry & crafty project posts!

i love lavender.

picture 1 picture 2 picture 3 picture 4

i absolutely love spring and summer...love the sunshine and outdoor activities...and most of all i love my flower gardens! i love planting new things, playing around with color, watching as all my plants come up again and again...

i love cutting the sweet lavender...drying it & displaying it in my home!

i love visiting the local nursery and this little farmers market called sweet water farms that sells locally grown produce and flowers! last year i bought 3 lavender plants from there and fell in love! it looks and smells so lovely!
this year I plan to line my cobblestone walkway with lavender! i am so excited about it! i am hoping to have my walkway up to my front door look something like picture #2.

i am also working on some new design ideas featuring my metal stamping and lavender...hmmmm what could it be? stay tuned! ;)

What are some of your favorite flowers?

the zoo i drew.

we love going to the library! it is so close to our house that when it is warm outside we always walk. reading is one of my favorite things & i love sharing the love of books with my kids.

they have so much fun picking out their books & i so enjoy reading to them! the zoo i drew is a new favorite! look at the wonderful pictures:

What do you love doing with your children?

tiny dancers.

how cute are my tiny dancers? after dinner one night we popped in our frank sinatra cd and showed the kids how to dance. they were so into the whole thing!

as my mom always said, "it's the simple things in life that make you happy."

i then decided this was the perfect picture to send out as valentines to our friends & family.

what makes you happy?