Small Delights

"A multitude of small delights constitutes happiness."
~Charles Baudelaire


I look forward to these every Spring.
Cadbury Mini Eggs.
Mmmmm....
My absolute most favorite candy.
Aren't they such a lovely little sweet?
I've seen them in the stores for a few weeks,
but in an attempt to "be good", I hadn't bought any.
Until today.
I felt I deserved a little treat.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, filled with small delights!

Swap Stuff

Hi Friends! Ugh. We've had quite a week here. A nasty stomach bug made its way through our house. We are all feeling better now, luckily! I am soooo ready for Spring!

I have a bunch of fun photos to share with you. I recently participated in Artsy Mama's "Things That I Love" Swap. I was partnered with Melissa Danner. She is FABULOUS! I met her briefly at Silver Bella and she was just such a doll. I was thrilled to be her partner. She loves fabric and has amazing sewing skills!!! Look at this adorable fabric heart banner she made me! LOVE the embroidered letters.


And this pillow!?!?!? Absolutely lovely! She is so talented. I think I jumped up and down when I saw it! It is sooo perfect. So me.

She sent a bunch of other fun little goodies too... a vintage box filled with pretty ribbons, a sweet little bluebird, a yummy candle, and a little embroidery kit. THANK YOU SOOOO much Melissa! Truly a fun swap!


We have very similar tastes, so it was a blast to put her package together!
Here are some tea towels, a lunch bag, some fabric bundles, and a ceramic birdie that I sent to Melissa.


And this was the handmade item that I sent to her. A heart wreath covered in ribbon and vintage lace, embellished with some felt flowers. I've been dying to make one of these since Charlotte Lyons had posted directions on how to make them on her blog. Such a fun project... I love how it turned out. Need to make one for myself.


The "Petite Inspiration Box" Swap that I had hosted just wrapped up. I completely forgot to take photos of the ones that I made before mailing them! Yikes! But here are the lovelies that I received! Clockwise from the top are Kathy's, Elyse's, and Jennifer's! Another great swap! You can visit our Flickr Group HERE to see LOTS of other amazing boxes made by the players in this swap!

This blog post is my 200th!!! What a fun journey it has been! Thank you all so much for your kind words, inspiration, support of my shop, and just being great "blogging friends"!!!!
Hugs!!!

The Inspired Nest ~ Art & Treasure in Brimfield

Here is the news that I've been dying to share with you!!!!

My sweet friend Heidi Wallingford and I have been working on this project for the last few months.
I am pleased (and soooo excited) to announce The Inspired Nest.


We've seen and attended some fabulous events all over the country, but there never seem to be any in New England. We want to provide an opportunity for the artistic and social interaction of like-minded women in our area. Heidi and I will be hosting art retreats, creative gatherings, and weekend getaways throughout the year. (Of course, you are welcome to come even if you live outside New England!!!)


Our first event is "Art & Treasure in Brimfield", which will take place on May 15-16th. We will spend Friday shopping at the famed Brimfield Flea Market in Massachusetts. Heidi has spent many years scouring the market and will share her favorite sources for artsy treasures to use in your creative projects. We will then be treated to a fabulous dinner, after a long day of shopping!


Saturday will feature a full day of amazing classes, all with a bird/nest theme. Heidi and I will each be teaching a class (the above photo is a sneak peek of my project), as well as Crystal Hanehan. Crystal is an amazing vintage inspired artist. I am such a huge fan of her work, and am absolutely THRILLED to have her join us! A yummy luncheon, and Vendor Faire will also take place.

We've created a separate blog just for The Inspired Nest, that you can find HERE. Be sure to check it out to see the fabulous classes and other details of the event.

Registration is now open! Click HERE to register!
Spaces are limited!
We hope you will join us for this fun and creative event!!!

A Taste of Spring + A Surprise

Wednesday was such a beautiful day. The temperature soared to 60 degrees, which is very unseasonable for February in New England. I try not to complain too much about the weather, because I really do like living here and enjoy all of our seasons. This winter, however, has had me wanting to pack my bags and move somewhere where it is warm and sunny all the time. It has been SO cold, and there seems to be a snowstorm every few days. Things changed on Wednesday, and I was able to go outside without my wool coat. Wooohooo. I even broke out the flip-flops (just to wear around the house). Heehee. Our taste of Spring is now over, but it was just soooo nice. It will be here for real in no time.


Which brings me to the surprise! This lovely lady and I are up to something. Something BIG, something FUN, and something VERY EXCITING. I can't wait to share! Early next week, we will spill the beans! You won't want to miss it!

I also need to announce the winner of the One World, One Heart giveaway!
The winner of the $50 gift certificate is:
Holiday Queen

Since there were SO many comments (over 450! WOW!!!), I added a second prize of a $25 gift certificate. The winner is:
Stephanie

Thank you all so much for entering!!! What a fun event!

Cuppycakes

I really hate to start each blog post with "things have been so busy here", but it is true! I need to get back into blogging more regularly. So, that is my plan. :)

We recently celebrated my Littlest One's 2nd birthday! She actually had 2 parties, since we have a big group of family and friends. She had a blast! We did a cupcake theme, as you can see. Lots of pink, lots of sweets!


Here are the invitations that I made.


The cupcake part lifted out of the liner to reveal the event details.


Here are some cute cupcake favors. Each one of these holds half a big bag of M&Ms!!! I saw the idea for these in the May 2008 issue of Parents Magazine. you basically fill a baggie with candy and tuck it in a paper cup to resemble a cupcake. These could be foofed-up into something really cute, with ribbons, tissue fringe, etc. I just was running out of time! Yikes!


Some chocolate pops we made. We did iced cupcake cookies too, but I guess I didn't take a photo. I'm pretty sure that all of the kids had enough sugar by the end of this party!!!


I have definitely been on a cupcake kick! These ornaments weren't for the party, but for Natalea's Valentine's Ornament Swap. Such a fun swap... you can see all of the other lovely ornaments from the other players here.