Sharing, Swapping and Shopping!

I find that all bloggers are so creative and whether it’s assembling a lovely vignette (VS!), a savory pie, quilt, or anything else, we all enjoy the process of making and sharing. Some of us even have our own little cottage–or make that–cottage style–industries. Now that I have my own little cottage industry, I understand that thrill of when people like what I like to make. Packaging it all up is half the fun.

I recently treated myself to a pair of the most sparkle-y earrings ever from Lucky Girl Gifts. How sweetly they came packaged in a wrapped match box with two wish tickets! Thank you, Cari!


I love a good business card. Whenever I have been part of a swap or a customer, I always hang on to the cards. Here is what I have collected so far. The "frosting" card is actually a tag from pearly beads but I love the look of it.

Click to enlarge

Here’s my own little set:


I just became aware of a shop called Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods and it's actually in Rhode Island! I haven’t been yet but will definitely go soon. The website looks beautiful!


Would online window shopping be called screen shopping? Browser browsing?

See you soon for Pink Saturday!

xo

And the winner is ...

Before I announce the winner, I want to give a great big thank-you to everyone who entered my ThinkSpring Give-away. Your comments about what you like best at my Etsy shop are so helpful and encouraging to me, and it was so nice to "meet" many of you for the first time. Thanks again!

And now, the winner, as selected by random.org is ...
Suzie Q of Suzie Q - A Work in Progress Congratulations! I will be wrapping up all of this and sending it to you.


Keep on thinking Spring! I will be participating in my first Pink Saturday this week if anyone would like to stop by and say hello!

xo

Enter My ThinkSpring Give-away!

Today a little boredom provided some inspiration. It’s February vacation week and my boys have no school. This morning as I stared at the calendar wondering what today’s big plan would be, I noticed that tomorrow is the 20th. For some reason I remember that makes 2 months since starting my Etsy shop, Tinkered Treasures. Sounds like a reason to hold a give-away to me!

Not only is it fun to win a give-away but for me it is so much fun to pack things up and make the recipient feel like they just got a present. That’s what I aim to do with every Etsy order – I wrap things in tissue paper and ribbons and always enclose a note and small gift.

If you read my blog you will know that I recently took part in a wonderful swap, just bought myself a big ol’ pack of glitter, and have been yearning for spring. So, I am combining all of this into my ThinkSpring Give-away.

The winner will receive:

• a 4”x4” picture frame that I have painted pale spring green, decorated with floral scraps that hangs from a green polka dot ribbon; framed is decorative paper embellished with glitter (including the first-ever use of my new glitter including the glass glitter!)
  
• 3 of my cottage clips in pale colors
  
• Your very own treasure box, just like the ones from the swap, filled with fun little springtime crafty items
  

To enter please visit my Etsy shop, Tinkered Treasures, return here and leave a comment on this post about your favorite item at my shop for sale. This part is just for my own “research.”

I will close the give-away on 2/24 and announce the winner on Wednesday, 2/25.

xo

More give-away pics:

cottage clips


inspiration box


a sneak peek


think spring!


"cheep cheep" means "fun fun"

Give-in to Glitter!

I have become quite smitten with glitter and am starting to amass a collection. I love glitter’s small, neat containers and how their brilliant, tiny contents catch the light.

The Michaels near my home has a beautiful set of fine glitters called the essential colors glitter set. There are twenty-four 0.37 oz vials of glitter. Vivid shades with names like charoite, kunzite and verdelite. On my all-too-regular jaunts to Michaels I would “visit” the set, unwilling to pay its price of $29.99. But yesterday there was a 50% off coupon and now a set is mine, all mine!

For my birthday my oldest sister indulged me with a glass glitter sampler from Tinsel Trading Company. It’s all so precious that I haven’t even opened one container yet. I know I won’t be as wasteful with it as I am with my glitter from the kids’ craft aisle: letting the shaken excess scatter on a paper plate and then discarding much of it. The glass glitter is like fine gold. (Um, I'm beginning to sound like my "mascot" the troll!)

To me there is something about glitter that takes me back to doing crafts as a child in school. The ooh-and-aahs of making something sparkle with a simple outline of glue and an outpouring of glitter. This still holds true for me today, even if I now refer to the color as say, carnelian instead of red.

xo

Big Inspiration in Petite Packages

I just wrapped-up my very first blog-organized swap: The Petite Inspiration Box Swap. It was put together by Heather at Speckled Egg. Heather placed signed-up swappers into groups of four. We had to decorate the outside of sliding matchboxes, fill them with “artsy goodies” and mail them to our three partners by February 6.

I was in Group 9 and got to meet Kathy, Jennifer, and the coordinator herself, Heather! We sent emails to introduce ourselves and to share color and craft favorites.

I really enjoyed decorating the boxes to give and gathering treats to fill them. After looking at my swap-partners’ blogs and seeing their amazing talents, gulp, I hoped that they would be happy with their boxes from me. (I feel so new to all of this!)

Here is what I put together:



Here's what I got!


Each one is absolutely beautiful!

~ Inspiration from Jennifer ~





~ Inspiration from Kathy ~





~ Inspiration from Heather ~





Thank you so much to Heather for all of her effort and for the wonderful swap. Thank you again to my swap partners for the most wonderful treasure boxes. Consider me inspired!

xo

Just Because

About a week or so ago, in the midst of a real family trauma, I received a sweet little email from MaryJane of The Beehive Cottage. She asked what my favorite colors for my kitchen are. I answered: pale mint green, pale pink and white.

“PERFECT! Thank you! Have a wonderful week.”

What are you up to, little bee?

“Something simple, practical & sweet!”

Hmm?

Friday afternoon there was a padded envelope covered in cute stamps waiting for me. A keeper, for sure.


Inside it were three lovely dishcloths with an adorable card attached, the reverse reads:
Just because!


Way across the country, MaryJane can only imagine what this gift means to me. The dishcloths are beautiful!



If you read my blog, you will know that I am constantly awestruck at the warm support and encouragement I find whenever I blog. Of course, like any friendships there are laughs, inspiration, sharing and tears.



Love, your friend,
elyse
xo

Greetings!

click to enlarge
We're having another snowy day here in the Ocean State and while the outside view is very pretty and I know that winter is essentially just beginning, today I am longing for warmth. Actually, heat: that feeling of hot sun on your face when you're lying at the beach.

Until then, I will make a hot cup of
get some good hugs, and enjoy the warm, friendly comments from all my pals here at Blog Island!

xo

Photo: Block Island, RI

Today's Top Story

Why yes, those binoculars are made from toilet paper rolls. Read on!

One spring as preschool was coming to a close, I thought, “What will my boys and I do all summer to keep busy and have fun?” Wanting to provide stimulating experiences without the expense of a formal program, I decided to start my own camp. Armed with a background in advertising and public relations, I was compelled to package the idea with a catchy name, a logo (note the "binoculars"), an itinerary, even a song! Over a power-lunch of burgers and milkshakes at a local restaurant, my boys and I decided we would name our venture Camp Cricket.

I wrote an article about how I went about creating this camp and other groups (including a winter afterschool club), and it is today's headline at Kidoinfo.com titled: You Really Can Do-it-Yourself: Forming Camps and Clubs.


Visiting a local fire station

I'm thrilled about having this article posted today. I hope you will read it and that it will spark ideas for any of you with young children in your life.

xo

ps
As I was re-reading my post, I realized how similar some of this sounds to my newest adventure, Tinkered Treasures!