And The Winner Is.....

Wow, what a fun time I have had visiting so many new friends! I found so many fun new blogs!This was my 1st give away and I was overwhelmed by the response. I did it the old fashioned way. Filling out the names on a square of paper for each chance. Look at all the names!

I stirred them up outside of the basket then stirred them again in the basket. I am glad I did it this way. It added to the fun for me. I was so nervious. I was the only one here so I had to pick the name. And The Winner Is Karena from http://artbykarena.blogspot.com Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who became a follower I hope you stop by often and leave me a comment! Have a great Memorial Day.

Give Away Update

I will be very busy Saturday and Sunday photographing a very large soccer tournamen, so...
I won't get to draw my name until I get home Sunday evening after 9:00pm. I would love to tell you that I am so dedicated to all of my blog fans that I will come right home and make my announcement.

But

I will be photographing from 7 am to 7 pm and the temps will be near 90 degrees. I just have a feeling I will be exhausted.
I shoot Monday again at 7:00 am so my plan is to announce my winner Monday as soon as I get done with my teams.

Don't you just love suspence and drama?

Until then have a great holiday weekend!

Fetching Fannies

Warning!!!

I don't want to offend anyone

so

Please don't be mad if you don't appreciate the image to follow. (Nakedness in art)

While enjoying a beautiful day browsing the Springfield Antique Extravaganza with my BFF, I came upon this fantastic print!I began to laugh, then I stopped to appreciate it and laughed some more.

It made me feel so good about myself. I wanted so much to purchase it and put it in my bath room.

Ladies, someone, somewhere, someplace in time a man appreciated a more full figure! Being 50 isn't bad. I love how I feel about where I am in life now and I am having lots of fun so what if my body looks just like this naked. Someone, somewhere, some place in time thought I was beautiful and painted me!

Antique Extravaganza!

This Weekend is the spring Antique Extravaganza in Springfield, Ohio. My friend and I have been going to this antique show for the last 10 years at least. We also go to the one they hold in September. This has been the best spring one weather wise in a long time. Warm temps and lots of sunshine! Usually it's cold and wet. Do you need a rooster in your front yard?

How about this cute metal chair planter?

Personally I like this skinny church.
We did pass some cozy looking chenille bed jackets that I thought I might pick up for chilly evenings when I sit in bed perusing my favorite blogs. But then we passed this lovely jacket and thought it might be a bit more stylish!

It had a cape like styling and it fix perfectly! It would surly keep my shoulders warm. The vendor had me try it on and my friend Becky had me put on her sunglasses for effect.

What do you think?

Um, I'm thinking not.

This next booth was my favorite! I loved all of her items.
Her shop is Romantique Boutique

she is located in Waterford, PA.

Love, love, love it!

Beautiful. I imaging love letters here.

She has scrumpcious laces!

Cute embellishments on a vintage photograph.

Lovely, Linens.

If you see something you like you can call Mickey at 814-590-7010





I really liked this next booth to. They are called

2 chicks & a truck

you can find them at trosel1@fuse.net
I only took 2 photos because I talked to long

but I purchased a cute little chair I'm sharing in a bit.

They did a great job styling their booth space.

Here is the stuff I brought home. 2 linen tablecloths to cover the sofa cushions. Cooper would ruin my sofa because he messes these up often enough. 3 doilies. ( forgot to put one in this photo. It's on my mantle already) My cute little chair and a pin cushion.

The little blue and white doily fit perfect under my Meakin salt cellar.

Here is everything added to my mantle vignette.

I love my little chair. It has all the colors of everything I have displayed here!

I get to be in the July extravaganza with my handmade Etsy group. I will be busy making new stuff to sell until then. I'm very excited. Don't forget to check out the Cottage Charm Give away!

http://twiceremembered.blogspot.com/2010/05/4th-annual-cottage-charm-giveaway-event.html
Check out all the other blogs participating here.

Charming May Give Away

Here is what I am giving to one lucky person!

It’s time once again for The Twice Remembered Cottage Charm Giveaway!

I was visiting the site and thought I'd love to participate too!

It’s a multi-blog, month long event beginning Saturday, May 1st where bloggers give away on their blogs items they feel exhibit “Cottage Charm”. Anyone can join at any point in May before the 29th. On May 29th, all participating bloggers will announce their winners and post it to their blogs. An ongoing list of ALL the giveaways and participating bloggers is maintained at Twice Remembered during the entire month of May. The list grows and grows the whole month of May as bloggers add their Cottage Charm Giveaway to their blogs. All the winners will be drawn on the same day: May 29th. You do NOT have to have a blog to join in the fun, just an email address. You do NOT have to host a giveaway to participate.

Here are some close ups of my items. I have my rules to enter at the bottom of these photos if you think you would like to win.

This is a digital image of an 11x14 digital painting I did which is printed on watercolor paper.

My scrappy pillow. Made with my mom's vintage buttons and scraps I had .

A set of 4 of my Bitty Sentiment cards. This set features birds at the beach seen out of a lovely beach cottage window of course!

and last, A cute little watering can for your cozy cottage!

Now here is what you need to do.

For 1 entry, just follow my blog and post a comment that you are a follower or a new one.

For 2 extra entries, go to my etsy shop (shown on the side bar) and check out my things. Come back and post what your favorite item is.

That's it! I will put each entry in a hat and pull the winner May 29th and post the winner here. You have up to 3 chances to win! If you do not have a blog, just leave your e-mail so I can notify you if you are the winner.

Now to see all the other wonderful giveaways go to http://twiceremembered.blogspot.com/2010/05/4th-annual-cottage-charm-giveaway-event.html

I am so excited to participate this year. Have fun visiting all the other wonderful blogs!

A Book about Dogs, Love and Houses

I just recently joined Library Things "Early Reviewers" program.
I thought it might be fun.
Well I got a book my first time choosing and what a perfect book it was for me!
Carol's story of her 42 year marriage and the 10 different dogs they had through the years sounded so much like my life!
I have only had 4 dogs and I hope I am a better chooser of breeds than she was at times. Her quick wit with the stories of her dogs made me chuckle out loud many times to where I was annoying my husband. Which leads me to her relationship with Millard, her high school sweetheart! It is so refreshing to read about a real couple. The things they loved and shared and the things they just put up with. Their love was deep and special and I am glad Carol chose to write about their life.
If you love dogs, fixing up houses, antiques and especially have a good long lasting marriage, I think this book will give you a few good evenings of pleasurable reading!
It's available now at Amazon.com or many other book stores.

(note: the real cover has a Jack Russel on the front)

What a Mothers Day gift!

Me and my first baby, Elizabeth!

My daughter who lives in Chicago, going to fashion design school, just gave me the BEST Mothers Day "blog" card ever! I just can't say how blessed I have been with the 2 wonderful daughters God gave me.
I wanted so bad to be a mom about 5 years before God had planned. I cried, monthly for the last 3 of the 5 year wait. I feared I would never be a mom. It was a very difficult time for me but a long lasting, important lesson, I have had to go back to over and over again in my life time. The hope I always come back to is that God wants the Best for us, in His time.

He gave me the Best for sure.

The best husband, the best kids and the best dog.
Everything I am experiencing right now will be OK because He always comes through!

If you want to read her dedication to me you can go here.

http://lizzziekate.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-mothers-day.html

My mom is gone but not forgotten. I owe the great parenting skills (See daughters blog, She said so) to her. She was the best and I Miss her at times when, even at 50, I need help!

I hope all you mom's have a great day.

Dreaming and Waiting on God

I am sitting at a golf course in Defiance, Ohio enjoying the wonders of technology. I watched day 1 of the golf match yesterday of my daughters boyfriend. I had a good day but today for the 2nd round I decided I'd sit this one out and read at the club house. Then I found out they had free wireless! So, I get to sit outdoors, enjoying a beautiful view and a wonderful breeze. Catch up on my blog and check in on friends then read my current book. Can't ask for a better Sunday.

I was catching up on a fellow blogger
thecottagenest.blogspot.com
and was reminded how wonderful God is.

So often we are lead to believe he isn't interested in what we would enjoy, or, we think He doesn't care if we are happy. "He is the mean parent keeping us on the straight and narrow!"
Well Jen reminded me that He does care, and for those of us who are artistic, He understands our need for beauty in our lives. (He made us this way!) Sometimes we need to look closely for it in tough circumstances but He gives it to us. Actually it is all around us. We just need to open the eyes of our spirit and see what He sees!

I have had a very difficult year and have been pushed to the brink several times but I just keep hanging on to the fact that God wants the best for me. It may not be what I think of as best but as I look through His eyes I see things a bit differently. All the things I thought I needed or were important have fallen away and now I live simply and much more at peace since I just live each day in quiet expectation of what he will show me today.

At this time our home is in foreclosure and I wonder where we will end up living? My photography studio is in our home so this loss will also affect where I will work as well as live. Early on I got scared that we would live on the streets. But God has been so faithful and has provided that I am now convinced that He will give us a place to live and a place for me to work in the vocation that He called me to.
Jen, reminded me that His timing is perfect and Good things come to those who wait. If we do loose our home, I would love to have a smaller cozier house. I will live where ever He has for us but a cute little place with a woods and nature would be a dream! Most of the time I feel I don't deserve what I dream. Old negative voices say it won't happen and God doesn't care but I know better.
I live near a wonderful, artistic community that has some of the cutest homes and I would LOVE to live there, BUT, it is a very expensive town. It probably isn't possible with our situation and will never happen. (Negative voices) but you just never know where God wants you, so I am posting a few of the places I dream of living and we will just WAIT on God and see where He takes us!