being romantic

First, a heartfelt thank you to everyone for your blogger's empathy on my previous post. Multi-talented author and designer Gabriela Delworth even reached out to offer advice and help and lead me to a new header idea that I am at work on. Thank you also to the fabulous Ravelrer casapinka! I am always warmed by the generosity and camaraderie here in Blogland. It's a special place.

I must also thank Jacqueline deMontravel, Editor of Romantic Homes for asking me to be amongst this year's round-up of Romantics for the Valentine's Day issue.


An eraser

My first thought was, "Me?!" I don't have a hammock that swings besides a rose garden, I don't even like candles. But then I realized that what my home is filled with is humor: warm, fun humor that I share not only with my husband but with our two boys.



It's humor that adds playfulness and charm to the things we do everyday. Like serve meals on silly plates.



Place flowers in jars and buy dish soap because the packaging makes me happy.



It's a lovely issue through and through and I'm not just saying that because I also have a tutorial. Although that fact makes me extra happy, too.

Look for other bloggers in the issue such as sweetie pie Cynthia of Cynthia's Cottage Design and her 10 steps to a French Country kitchen, and Romantics Janet Coon of ShabbyFuFu; artist Jo-Anne Coletti; and my popcorn pal, Sharon of Pansy Cottage & Garden and Launch Your Creativity.



xo
elyse

tinkered blog

Last night during dinner my husband thought I looked stressed. He was right and so I excused myself to enjoy some blog-visiting time. I began my little session by opening my own blog and was met with this image! (I added the "yikes!" for this post)



- I am not at all technical
- I had won a blog makeover a few years ago and had barely changed anything since
- I wanted to act quickly

I began to putter around. My blog had lost it's rose favicon, it's banner, it's charm. At one point, my Members gadget was reset to 0! My heart pounded. It felt like I had lost my diary or even worse, dropped it in a puddle and stood watching as the ink ran.

Within an hour or so of tinkering, it was back to a new normal with a few changes -- the biggest being renaming my blog tinkered treasures.


When I started my blog, I named it "cottage" because at that time I daydreamed about owning a shop and that's the name I envisioned. My marketing background compelled me to add a tagline so I came up with Tinkered Treasures for Your Home. Somehow Tinkered Treasures became me and my "brand" and as I opened new accounts with Etsy, Twitter and Facebook, I used it instead of cottage. Soon, others referred to me and my blog as Cottage/Tinkered Treasures so when I lost my banner yesterday and typed "cottage" in its place it didn't feel quite right; I soon deleted it and typed in tinkered treasures instead.


my mascot: the tinkering troll

So, a new year, a new blog name. No banner but hopefully a bit more streamlined and thankfully, all of my sincerely Treasured Followers.

xo
elyse

first post of the new year

Reading many 'Best of 2011' posts and articles has prompted me to revisit my own year in review. How about you?

Last year ...


I began to write full articles for publication. My first assignment was Marie's aqua dream of a cottage for Romantic Country magazine
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followed by writing about and even photographing my own home for Cottages & Bungalows.
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Note: The very-top image was taken for the upcoming February issue due any day now!



I became a Contributing Writer for Romantic Homes
{post}



and finally made it into Artful Blogging!
{post}



I didn't get a ton of home projects done but I did manage to paint the armoire white with aqua stripes,
{post}



try some ideas,
{post}



take some photos,



and tinker!


image source: koralee of bluebird notes

2012 finds me happily writing, making project lists (and trying not to overwhelm myself), swooning over ladders, and continuing to be a fickle pickle when it comes to decor -- still vacillating between cheerful/vintage style


image source: tracey of french larkspur

and the wonderfully subdued and simple French/Nordic.



January also finds me window shopping quite literally for another to hang indoors (the one pictured was just $15 at an antique store backed with a $10 sample of wallpaper).



and thinking of (re)covering the dining room table again!
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For me 2011 also saw a quick rise in the popularity and use of Facebook. I know I can be found at my Tinkered Treasures page whenever I have a snippet of time. However when time allows, there's nothing like sitting with a hot cuppa and visiting inspiring blog friends.



Think I'll brew a cup of tea and grab a cookie or two and fit in as many blog visits as I can right now!

Wishing everyone a 2012 filled with good health, love, happiness and oodles of inspiration and creativity!

xo
elyse

whistle while you ...

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today thinking about all of the projects I want to tackle in 2012. Writing, tinkering, organizing, painting. Some projects I'll be starting, others finishing.



Before I get ahead of myself, I thought I'd just take a minute to slow down ...



and post some photos I took a month or so ago.



Of course this is the tinkered version of Snow White and the Seven+ Dwarfs.



Also known as a Cupcake Girl and Spool Sprites in "Tinkerese."



{Do you add a/your name to your photos? Sometimes I add my name, other times "tinkered treasures"}



I have always loved fairy tales and childrens' books and even studied illustration for a bit.



When I breezed by Rapunzel by Sarah Gibb at the bookstore recently, it was GASP at first sight. Luckily I added this lovely book to my Christmas list in the nick of time!



The retelling of the tale is wonderful and the images are absolutely beautiful in their detail.



Perhaps Snow White will soon have a fairy tale BFF (FTBFF?).

Another item to add to the list?! ;)

xo
elyse

nestled all snug

When they wake up, it will be Christmas.

From the sweet last page of our final-must-read-each-Christmas Eve-book I'll Be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie (yes -- that Holly Hobbie).

Wishing you all the magic of the season!

xo
elyse

last-minute gift bag idea

I want to share a quick idea that came about when I had just enough time to package teacher/school/bus driver presents but not enough gift bags. What to do?



I gathered red and white items: white lunch sacks, red and white baker's twine, gift tags and this fun set of assorted cupcake papers in three sizes from Ikea.



Next, I did a practice run of laying flattened and folded cupcake papers over a closed sack and liked what I saw!



Finally, I looped a length of baker's twine beginning from the back of the sack, stapled everything securely and added a gift tag. {At first I punched holes and strung the twine through but it was difficult because of the many layers.}



And now off to run some elf-errands!

Wishing everyone a very lovely, very happy and very healthy holiday season!

xo
elyse

keep calm and jingle on

It is a wonderful time of the year but sometimes it can seem almost daunting to me as I try to fit in every holiday activity I want to do in a matter of a few weeks. Not to mention that we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas (although there's really not much to do for Hanukkah except peel a lot of potatoes and apples). There are special cookies and crafts and decorations and shopping and cards. I've been trying my best to simultaneously keep up but still take it slow to savor the magic of it all. In the past week I have been sure to make time ...



for tea and treats with friends and was sure to use my favorite things



to decorate a village of gingerbread and dust it with a storm of confectioner's sugar



and make Gumdrop Guys with my boys



(More fun than building with Legos. Sticky but fun!)



to add comfort on the cheap, like these chair pads from Dollar Tree.

Me: So, how much would four of these cost?
My sister Betsy: Four dollars.
Me: Really? They're only a dollar???
Betsy: Really.
Me: Sold!



to decorate with unlikely things like eyelash glitter yarn as garland ... everywhere ... and Cavallini & Co. gift tags



to fill jars with glitter, salt and cupcake toppers, and gum drops and candy canes

{Meanwhile, I am thrilled to be writing a feature story about the beautiful home of a dear blogging friend -- details to follow!}



There's still much to do in the days ahead. Here's to keeping calm and relishing it all!

xo
elyse