she's arrived... my sweet Marie!!

Oh my greatness! She arrived!!! As you probably know, I participated in the Marie Canvas Swap and sent mine off to Alisa last week, and she sent her's to me. Well as fate would have it, we got each other's on the very same day!!! You just would not believe the amazing packaging around this lovely piece! She put so much love and care into it all. Where to begin??!!

When I found the box on my doorstep, I just could not help but tear into it. I am never good at taking photos of the before shots... I am learning to get better at it though. It was amazing! Wrapped in this vintage fabric, pinned with a beautiful vintage brooch and adorned with the sweetest plumes woven together with a beautiful velvet ribbon and my initial made of pearls! This girl thinks of everything!!! Here is the box of goodies:

Here is a closer look at the amazing work she did on this canvas. The shoes, the cake, the German glass glitter initials, the birdcage handmade with the finest of wire, the feathers, the ribbons, the bead work, the fan... OH!

Here are some chocolates she added to the mix. They are made right in her home town and they are just yummy as can be! chocolates fit for Marie herself! They even shimmer!!

And just check out these beautiful French soaps she sent too! I swear, it must be Christmas! The whole box smelled just lovely, like fields of lavender, milk and honey. Guest soaps? I think not! These babies are going in my bathroom where I can smell them every day. Sorry guests... you get the hotel soaps. (well, unless you are Alisa)

Thank you so much Alisa, you are just too much! I cannot wait to see you again in November!

~xo

a wedding, an anniversary and a spoiler alert!!!

So much has happened in the last week and it is bitter sweet to see it all be done.

My best girlfriend in the world got married last weekend... what is it with weddings that turn me into a blubbering idiot? I think the people at the wedding who didn't know me thought I was lamenting my former girlfriend, watching her being married to another. I was just so happy for her, she was glowing!

Without boring you with a bunch of photos of people you don't know I just wanted to share the sweetest wedding cake... Isn't this so whimsical?

My DH and I escaped to the "vines" this weekend and it was amazing! Our 13th Anniversary is Monday so we decided to go to the wine country and celebrate (sans kiddos.) It was wonderful. We so easily forget how important it is to get back to why we decided to share this life together and time really does fly by. We spent a couple of nights at South Coast Resort and Winery and did nothing but relax, eat good food, and drink really, really, really good wine. Oh the sweet nectar of the vines...

We even got to meet Master Winemaker Jon McPherson! It was such a treat! He was the nicest most unassuming man ever, and what he knew about wine would knock your socks off!!!

He was so sweet, he even took me antiquing! And for a guy would would rather act as a human speed bump on the I-5 than do this, it was a super sweet gesture! Here is a photo of La Maison Rustique this weekend... those girls are amazing!

He also carted me out to Matilda's Mouse but we didn't get any photos while we were there, but it was equally as wonderful with Enya playing in the background while we shopped... I love places like these!!!

A view of the Vineyard from our villa and the mountains beyond...

Our Villa in the vineyard (it's the one furthest to the left)

SPOILER ALERT!!! IF YOU ARE ALISA. . . do not read this next part until

after Marie arrives!!!

I participated in the Marie Antoinette Swap hosted by the sweet Maria (of the Junk Drawer). We were to take a canvas size 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches and break it up into twelve squares. Other than following the theme of Marie Antoinette, this was all we had to do. Well, I did break up my canvas and it looked much like an Easter Quilt, UGH! But with much tweaking and totally straying from the directions, I came up with this...

Alisa, this is your last chance to turn back...

The vintage paper is and original scan of an early 19th century French birth certificate. It dates back to 1816 and was used because it refers to “Marie Antoinete” in the center of the document. Could this be the Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France who died an untimely death 23 years earlier… probably not, but it is fun to think so! (got it from an etsy shop)

The old jewel is an old broach I got from and estate sale, the trim on the crown is something I actually bought at an old barn sale… loved the color. The crown is adorned with fresh water pearls. The French cologne label is a little item I bought at Silver Bella Vendor night and at the top of the canvas, it says “Let them eat cake” in French.

Finally, the Marie Antoinette image in the center was created by Hope Wallace of Paper Relics and embellished by me. (I love her work!)

Well, that is it in a nutshell. More later!

~xo

silver bella anyone?

I cannot believe it! I am all signed up for the Bella again in November and through the grapevine I heard that it over halfway sold out in the first 13 minutes of posting registration!

So glad I got in when I did!!!

I signed up for some really great classes and honestly, I still feel like I want to take more classes. Here is a picture from Teresa's blog of snippets of the classes offered.

More than anything else it will be fun to be with my extremely talented girlfriends again!!!

Here we are from last year:

I cannot wait to see who will join in... will you be there?

~xo

old friends and sweet maija

This weekend was so wonderful! I got to spend time with some old high school friends. Normally that isn't such a big deal but when you live 2,600 miles from your high school, getting more than one of them together is a really big deal (at least for me!)

Spending time with them was so very precious. They are links to my past, people who know where I came from and who really get me. Pretty cool.

AND...

A huge thank you to Maija... just look what she sent me for being a runner up in her giveaway!!!

too sweet, thank you so much!!!

~xo