Well gang, the first Alpha Stamps Kit - Doorways Swap is due today.
If you missed this kit make sure you don't miss the February kit, it will be announced on the 3rd and oh wow it is fabulous!
So, which door would you pick?
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Valentine Goodies On Sale
Okay all of you that have been holding out, now is the time.
All Valentine related items in my Etsy Store Glitter Tart Designs are now 15% off
And yes, that even includes my brand new Collage Sheets.
So head on over and clean me out :)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Valentine Tea Cup and Beaded Spoon Swap ~ Art Share
One of my favorite swaps that the Marie Group does are the Tea Cup swaps. This time it was a Valentine Tea cup and Beaded Spoon Swap.
This time I was partnered with the Wonderful Wendy of Bliss Angels
Tea Cup - As this is Valentine's Day let's make it cream/white fine/bone china tea cup with red or pink roses.
We also had to make a hand-beaded antique silver spoon. Beads should match the cup and include at least 1 heart bead/charm. This part scared the begebies out of me. I am not very good with beading and had never even heard of a beaded spoon. But I signed up anyway.
Please also include a gift of tea, chocolate and/or lace.
Wendy gave me all 3 plus more!
Yep, check that out individually wrapped with flowers, butterfly's and twaul.
Wendy really made me feel special, which to me is exactly what Marie Antoinette's Mail Art group is all about.
Thank you Wendy!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Saw it on Pinterest & Did It ~ Monthly Linky party reminder
Hey Gang
Just wanted to do a quick reminder of my upcoming Linky party, only 2 weeks away now!
So I thought I would do a sample post.
I Saw This (link to original pin) on Pinterest
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| By The Lettered Cottage And I did it!  
I got my paint from Home Depot instead of Ace (we don't have one of those) and found the letters at Micheal's
My jar wasn't nearly as cool, no handle, but it was still a good size for floral arrangements.
 However when I went to make another one, it was winter and I placed the jar outside to spray paint it. Either it was too cold or I didn't let the layers dry completely but the paint ran and wasn't nice and smooth. I don't have a photo since it hit the trashcan, wish I had made one :( It very well might have been considered a Pintrosity (one of my favorite blogs) See so simple and fun, now you all know about a new pin, a new blog and how I interpreted it. only 2 more weeks! |
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Scavenger Hunt Sunday
Last year, at the most inopportune time, my camera died and with the help of a very good friend, a professional photographer to boot, I bought a new fancy camera. But I must admit that I have not used it to it's full potential, heck I probably haven't even used an eighth of it's potential.
So this past week when I was blog hopping for the Build your Blog hop I ran across a photographers blog and discovered Scavenger Hunt Sunday. To me this was a great opportunity to stretch my horizons and hopefully learn something new.
So without further ado, here are my entries for the 1/27 Scavenger Hunt.
BLING
This is a shot of a roll of Rhinestones that I have, I cropped in close using photoshop but didn't alter the colors in any way.
FUZZY
Meet my Studio Cat, Sugar. I went back and forth about this photo, keeping the wood frame in or not, I really like the black behind her, don't know how that happened. To me this shot is pretty but I know it shows how much of an armature I am, just don't know how to fix that.
FABRIC
Okay, I must have taken a billion fabric pictures. And I wasn't pleased with any of them. I wanted to show off all the different patterns and textures but really all I ended up with was a mess. I selected this one because I cast a shadow on the lower left hand side and because of the black hole in the upper right. This shot was taken at close range into a drawer full of fabrics.
LACE
Close up of a bunch of lace bits that I have in a box, color enhanced in photoshop.
WOOD
This was my favorite shot to take and the most difficult for me to choose from. To me the collection this week is all about texture so I went with a close up from a pile of wood we have outside. I love how the evening light turned the wood a bluish hue.
I'm not sure I learned anything this week, I really just went out and took pictures. Please feel free to criticize/critique my photo's I want to get better. I did have fun and plan to participate as much as I can.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Victorian Fringed Valentines Day Card
A few years ago I received a wonderful reproduction of a Victorian Fringed Holiday Card. I instantly fell in love with the romantic card, not just because of it's look but also because I just have this image in my mind of what it would be like to be handed one of these by a Butler. Like in The Count of Monte Cristo when he sends out his invitations.
So I decided to host a swap with the Circle of Friends with the theme being Victorian Fringed Cards with a Valentine theme.
So I started with an idea of creating the card and putting it into an envelope to mimic the Count of Monte Cristo Card.
So I started with an idea of creating the card and putting it into an envelope to mimic the Count of Monte Cristo Card.
Well sometimes good idea's don't work. My card was too big and puffy so the envelopes struggle to stay together.
But then the real issues started...I had some pink and red fringe, well when I put it on it looked like a cat had gotten to it and played for hours and hours. So that came off and I had to turn to my standby (or overused) seam binding.
Next came the issue of not liking the layout, I made the card too large for what I intended to put on it :( And since the fringe was already attached it was too late to downsize.
Same problem on the back, the card is too large and everything is way too spread out. In other words I don't like my creation and I'm bummed because everyone else's is really good!
If you are interested in any of the images that were used on this card, guess what, they are all mine. Yep I made every single one and I have them for sale as Digital Collage Sheets in my Etsy store.
Friday, January 25, 2013
The Light Between Ocean's By M.L. Stedman
Synopsys:
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.
The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.
The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
Review:
The Light Between Oceans was one of my Goodreads Book Club Books and an upcoming read for my Library Book Club so I was very excited to read this novel. I had to wait for quite a while to get a copy from the Library but I managed.
Women and Books's bookshelf: read
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A group for adult women to chat -- mainly about fiction but also including non-fiction, periodica...
243 members
A group for adult women to chat -- mainly about fiction but also including non-fiction, periodica...
The Novel starts off in 1926, but really takes place in 1918. So as a reader you get a very brief glimpse into the characters lives, which leaves the perfect amount of mystery. But it also clues you in that something bad is going to happen in regards to the child. Since I have young children I didn't really want to read on but I did and I am glad I did.
You would never guess that this is M.L Stedman's debut novel with all the complex emotions and relationships she explores and writes about vividly.
Tom is constantly struggling between what is right and wrong and his only weakness seems to be his wife Isabel. I have a feeling that there are a number of men and women out there that have this same issue. After all isn't the one you love supposed to be your biggest strength and weakness?
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| The French Cover, isn't it gorgeous! |
The book also explores the consequences of what wanting something too much can do to a person. What is can cause them to do that they might not otherwise do if they were in their right mind. I consider myself lucky, I've never been in this situation but I could understand Isabel and Hannah's struggles with this.
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| Sydney Australia 1922 |
My only criticism of the entire book is that the end is a bit abrupt, all of a sudden it is 6 months in the future. There is no segment break or date header that would have made it not such a whiplash change in direction.
The Light Between Oceans is one of those books that you know everyone is going to get hurt emotionally, but you just keep reading to see who will do the right thing and see who gets hurt the most or least. It frequently reminded me of the Story of Solomon and M.L Steadman even mentions Abraham's Sacrifice of his son Isaiah.
Overall I give this book 4 stars and have had a wonderful time chatting about it with my Good Reads group and I can't wait to discuss it with my Library Book Club as well.
I'm sharing my review with Ricki Jill's ARt @ Home Literary Friday
Come join us, or check out the other good reads.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Saw it on Pinterest & Did It ~ Monthly Linky Party
I am thrilled to announce my latest idea, I Saw it on Pinterest & Did It!
This will be a monthly Linky Party
(if it becomes very popular I will host it weekly)
Basically if you see something on Pinterest and you try it out, fashion, food, art, photography, etc...you can take part.
So you try your hand at some meatballs. Show us the original pin and then show us what you made, tell us how it went and what you thought.
You fell in love with a table setting and tried it out. Show us your rendition of it, tell us where you found the pieces and how much fun the dinner party was.
You knew you had everything in your closet to recreate this outfit, so show us.
Your an artist and were inspired by a tutorial or piece of art you saw on Pinterest. Show us your creation using the tutorial or just the image itself as inspiration.
the List can go on and on
Books
Digital Images used in artwork
Re purposed items
And it's simple, All you have to do is link up to the party The 2nd Tuesday of Every Month. You will have until the end of the month to link up.
The 1st Tuesday of each month I will do a recap.
I think this is going to be a great way to get to know some other wonderful bloggers, to share our best finds on Pinterest, and our worst :) I'm really looking forward to this.
Please take the button and share the news
I will be impatiently waiting until Feb 12th!