Some Valentine Freebies

Isn't he a dream?? Oh that picture sure made me laugh out loud, so much so that my son came upstairs to see what was so funny....



These all came from Heidi at Shabby Chic Papirskatter Looking through her archives makes me happy!!

Finally....it took me about 15 tries.

I have finally found my background. I love the green blue agains the pink that is usually in my pictures. What do you think? It came from Hot Bliggitty Blogs, they have hundreds of great ones too. So there are different parts of my blog from different places, you can click on the buttons to get linked up, here's the list, Shabby Blogs, Cutest Blog on The Block, The Background Fairy and now Hot Bliggitty Blogs!!! All awesome, All had something I liked.

Cheers and have a happy Friday.
Viviana

Mid Week Day Dreamin'

I'm usually way too busy with kid/child related things to actually get things fixed/organized in my house, let alone paint and even re-decorate, but it's usually in mid week, that I start to daydream about what I would love to do to my little house, maybe ove the weekend when I have some spare time (RIGHT?!),I dream of the rooms need a splash of loving colour and what my dream deck and garden would be .... I call it My Mid Week Day Trippin' or Dreamin', depends on who I'm chatting with.


I was hanging out at Rose Petals and Rust, and got dreaming of having my own little cottage, like the one she is building in her yard. Unfortunately for me, I have a tiny yard and being in Calgary, Alberta...it's much too cold for having an outdoor playplace...so I have to settle for the dreary basement or the spare bedroom.

This is sort of how organized I'd like it, like a little store (check out the rest of that room here).

This closet space is quite appealing too. Check out Karen Russell's blog for more on her incredible perfect scrap space.


One of these index card holders would rock too, imagine the possibilities?!



I picked the spare bedroom.... It's slightly bigger than the walk in closet, it's not at all like the dungeoun of a basement, and it does have a window, BONUS!

So far, it looks like an office
and not a great place for inspiration or creations, however, I am bound to make it work. I've started by moving stuff around a bit, and removing the huge sliding closet doors our of my way. Hopefully it's a start, I will recreate this space into something I love to work in. I think my family is getting mighty tired of eating meals off the coffee table, or fighting for a spot to eat with my growing pile of projects on the dinign room table.
I have to figure out how to combine both spaces into a small room, so far I've only got about 1/2 of my stuff, and I'm still trying to place things where they will work...
obviously I will move that from the window!

Wish me luck. in the meantime, check out this lovely little thrift store find, $1.50!!

Wondering what I should use it for? It is bigger than the average train case, but not as big as a suitcase either. It is a lovely little find!

Cheers,
Viviana

I just remembered you haven't seen this yet!!

Our Christmas cards we sent out this year, isn't he lovely. That is my first attempt at a collage card, I haven't really done many, but I love browsing through blogs such as Last Door Down The Hall, Cemerony Share, Sugar Lump Studios and Aletered Geisha's Crafty Musings to name a few.
I was going to use a vintage picture because there is so many cute ones out there, but instead I used a picture we took early this winter, that's my son out in our front yard. I printed it out in sepia, onto coverstock, and printed out wings, heat embossed crowns. I used a reduced printout of vintage sheet music from Graphics Fairy. With a little rinbbon and a quick stamp, Voila!!
Now, because he is only 5, he let me do this, because I am sure any older and he'd probably think I was nuts putting angel wings and a crown on him, for now he thought it was so cute, and didn't mind the world looking at it.
I did keep one and framed it, so every year from here on we can bring it out during the winter!!

BTW- Hello to all the new followers, wow 5 overnight last night, you all rock!
Have a great week everyone!

Cheers,
Viviana

Now This BLOG is FABULOUS!

I have been lifting ideas, images and inspiration from this blog for a few months now, so I suppose it's time I gave her props and shared with all of you how fabulous Cathe Holden and her blog Just Something I Made really is.
I have used no less than 6 of her tutorials and ideas in my own household, and that is really amazing since I always thought I has some great things going.
One of my favourites and latest finds deep in her archives is this, which I will share with you because I'm sure she won't mind, and I am using today. I have tons of fabric and leather renmants lying around in piles and in drawers, last night I gathered them up and I am in the process of printing the pdf file for Organizing Fabric Renmants as we speak (I'm multi-tasking!!). It is time to get them rolled up and sorted in my newly acquired giant drawer filing cabinet.

You can get the PDF format labels to print yourself from her tutorial.


Another one of my favourite tutorials was this one,

called Leather Mounting Plaques, using the free pdf file (which you can get from Cathe's blog)
I made a few brooches and it gave me the idea for using some die cuts for a similar look.

I have too many charms and just wasn't sure what to do with some, so this was a perfect way to make unique gifts and items for my Etsy Shop.



For my next project (as soon as I get my sewing machine back) I will be making this!

I happen to have a few placemats in a blue flower print, which I picked up more than 5 years ago for 10cents each at liquidation world. I'm tired of squashed tissue boxes in my mini-van, and using this idea will save me from the frustration of muddy/slushy boot prints on my kleenx next time I go use one. I will eventually post a picture for you all to see the finished product.

Anyhow, if one day you find yourself bored and looking for some wonderful inspiration from a great designer, go visit Cathe at Just Something I Made, you'll find yourself lost in her blog for hours!

Due to Lack of Interest....

I am cancelling this giveaway and donating the handmade Heart wall decoration to Hearts For Haiti, which will sell it with 100% of proceeds going to Helping the Victims of the Haiti Earthquake.
I think this is better and it goes to a great cause, so if you are interested , it will be available for sale on ETSY.
Cheers,
Viviana

Shabby Chic BLOG CANDY, you know you wanna!!

I told you I was gonna do a giveaway, so here it is!

It is free to enter and I will ship the wall ornament anywhere in the world!
I am giving away a very pretty wall ornament, great for Valentines, but even better for forever right? I hand painted with a victorian green, and the wooden beads are painted a soft pink. It has sparkle and glimmer and music and a pink flower with gold leaves on a sweet crepe paper rosette.



I just need you to leave me a comment on what you think of the heart, and also must be following me too. I will use a random number picker for the results. The giveaway will be open until January 27th, which should be enough time to get it to anyone before Valentine's Day (except if you live in Timbuktu).

Cheers,
Viviana

Listing Valentine's Finally!!

Without a fast computer, it all takes me forever to do, but slowly I am getting some cards and valentines listed in my Etsy store, Yay! What do you think?

It's Never Too Early For Love

Just thought I'd share, can't remember where I got these from, they've been in my collection for a long time now, so enjoy!

Cheers,
Viviana

Roses, my favourite flower

For a long time, I used to say sunflowers or violets were my favourite flower, maybe for fear of sounding too cliche, but after so many years of admiration, I decided that a rose is my flower of choice, it always had been. I got my first bouquet of roses from my good friend Renay many years ago, she thought it fitting for my birthday, which happens to be on Valentines day. Since then, it's not been often I've received a rose, but I love them, and actually, feel so sad once they start to wilt, that I am happy to not any at all rather than suffer the pain of watching my beloved rose die and dry up. With all the amazing vintage images and postcards out there for me to find, they fulfill my needs when it comes to the beautiful rose.

I came across this great website, called Vintage Holliday Crafts, She has a very sweet collection of images, and I loved some of the roses, which I will share with you here today.




Please read her terms of use too, for if you are grabbing them to use for your crafts. Remember to click on the image so that it shows you the actual full size, before right clicking to save it.



THE HISTORY OF ROSES"
(I came across this bit of history, it is quite concise in illustrating how the rose came about to be so loved)

Roses have a long and colorful history. They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. The rose is, according to fossil evidence, 35 million years old. In nature, the genus Rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to Mexico and including northern Africa. Garden cultivation of roses began some 5,000 years ago, probably in China. During the Roman period, roses were grown extensively in the Middle East. They were used as confetti at celebrations, for medicinal purposes, and as a source of perfume. Roman nobility established large public rose gardens in the south of Rome. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the popularity of roses seemed to rise and fall depending on gardening trends of the time.
White Rose of York

During the fifteenth century, the rose was used as a symbol for the factions fighting to control England. The white rose symbolized York, and the red rose symbolized Lancaster, as a result, the conflict became known as the "War of the Roses."

Roses were in such high demand during the seventeenth century that royalty considered roses or rose water as legal tender, and they were often used as barter and for payments. Napoleon's wife Josephine established an extensive collection of roses at Chateau de Malmaison, an estate seven miles west of Paris in the 1800s. This garden became the setting for Pierre Joseph Redoute's work as a botanical illustrator. In 1824, he completed his watercolor collection "Les Rose," which is still considered one of the finest records of botanical illustration.

It wasn't until the late eighteenth century that cultivated roses were introduced into Europe from China. Most modern-day roses can be traced back to this ancestry. These introductions were repeat bloomers, making them unusual and of great interest to hybridizers, setting the stage for breeding work with native roses to select for hardiness and a long bloom season. Many of these early efforts by plant breeders are of great interest to today's gardeners.



Enjoy,
Viviana

Sharing Images from "The Last Door Down The Hall"

The Last Door Down the Hall is one of my favourite places to go when I have time. This blog is not just full of inpiration, she has so many wonderful vintage images, photos and postcards, I just can't get enough. I'm sharing some of the images she has shared with us from a couple years ago, but like with any vintage piece, they are as beautiful today as they were 2 years ago when she first posted them. So if you are looking for a blog filled with inspiration, ideas, creativity, recipes and more....this blog is the place to go.





Aren't they great? I sure hope she keeps on sharing for many years to come!

Cheers,
Viviana

Some thoughts on this past decade and things I've learned.

Wow, another decade just about flew past, I am in awe of all the things we got to experince in such a short span. Some of you may start reading this and decide it is not worth the time to read....stop now and go do whatever it was you were doing before you came upon my note.

I just wanted to share some things I have learned these past 10 years, some were hard lessons, some are just plain life lessons we all go through, all my experinces have brought me here, the person I am today. Each experince has shaped how I see the future and have given me perspective as to what is important to make it not just a good life, but a great one.

1- I do not depend on anyone to give me things, my advice: go out and get them yourself, be proud of what you do on your own, celebrate being independent.

2- I don't have career goals, I have life goals. What so many people invest in their careers, their education and their workplace, I am investing in beining not just a good parent, but a GREAT one. I will not have some fancy university degree hanging off my wall...I will have however, a young man who will be able to look back on what we did and be happy with his childhood.
Teaching him a little common sense and some natural consequences hasn't hurt him any. He is the future.

3- My house may be messier than yours, but I'm ok with that. It is my space our space (Dayday and me), the place where children live and have fun, the place where I create and repurpose, it is a home, lived in and loved, full of our energy, our life and our accomplishments.
It is also the only house I know that has a huge blackboard painted on the wall!!

4- I refused to live in fear and will keep living like that until there is a real reason to fear life . I learned long ago, that when we live in fear of the future, we stall, we freeze, we stop moving forward thus loosing sight of the wonderful things life has in store for us.

5- I have learned to accept that I will never have all the things I want, and that is ok. I will never be financially rich, but I will always have a very abundant life. I will never be the smartest person out ther either, but I have enough common sense to get me through the next decade.

6- A New hip makes life 1 million times more enjoyable.

7- Saying sorry, admitting when I'm wrong, admitting when someone else is right, and being kind, are all things that are acutally very easy to do, and the more I preactice, the better I am at doing them.

8- Depent on yourself to bring happiness into your life, and remember we get what we give right?

9- I refuse to use the word phrase "I am so jealous", it is a horrible state of mind, and it accomplishes nothing. I learned to try to always be happy for other's good fortunes, but never to be jealous or envious of them, we should feel blessed for the things we do have already.

10- I will keep on being a woman of my word, when I say I will get something done, I will do it. Wendy, I am bringing you that apple slicer, even if it kills me!!

11- I have realized that there will never be enough time to do all the things I want to do, but I enjoy every minute that I get.

12- I have also learned that not everyone is like me and I am not like everyone else, and accepting it makes life simple, easy and happy!

13- I learned that having a child changes how you view life, and if it doesn't? there is something wrong with you.

14- I have started to teach Dayday about the dangers of what street and recreational drugs can do to you, your body and your life. I showed him YouTube's "Meth Mouth" Video, and have explained to him how Pot, if smoked from early teens, can lead you to a life of depression. I am afraid that if we let the system teach them certain things, it is already too late.

15- I will not become a texter- that is what is wrong with this world in my eyes....most people do not communicate face to face, or look at each other eye to eye anymore!! Everythings is through a machine (though I noticed Walmart took out self serve, but that was for financial reason's, I like face to face tellers better). No wonder so many have relationships are void of emotions, self respect and understanding.

16- I belive that I am a better person alone than in a relationship, thus being single works for me. I don't like feeling sad, anxious, lonely, disrespected, used or unhappy, and every relationship I've had has brought a mixture of those feelings into my life. I am better alone than in bad company, my Mom says that.

17- I am quirky and I like it.

I am probably at the halfway point in my life, and I'm quite satisfied with it so far. I am excited for the future and all the amazing possibilities and adventure I will have, I am excited about being Daydayd's Mom and all the wonderful things the future has in store for him too.
There's probably so much more I could write, but alas, I am not a writter and I have things to do...cardmaking, sewing and maybe some Wii before the turn of this decade, and I only have a few hours left. Let's see what else I can accomplish and learn!!

Wishing you All A Very Merry Christmas

2 more sleeps!!! I am so excited, for my son and all the other children in our families, we celebrate life itself and the reason for giving, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. I hope life has been good this year and it will continue to get better with every passing moment. Take time to be with loved ones and remember that it is not what we get for Christmas that matters most, it is who we get to share the time with that really matters!

I'm patiently waiting....

Wow, do I ever feel restricted now that my laptop is down! I swear you'd think it was my life line, I can't do anything, I can't post my newer pictures, I cannot list on etsy, and I can't get started on some projects, all because my laptop has nearly everything of importance saved in it's infinite memory (or so it seems compared to my steam-punk PC!).
Anyhow, this got me thinking about my dependance on technology. Upon studying this a little further, I realized how far I lag behind most peeople, and my computer dependancy is actually not so bad. I don't text on my phone, nor do I have the desire to learn.....I love to talk on the phone, but would rather be face to face, so I don't call too many poeple either. I have a i-pod touch, given to me by my dear son's Dad when he upgraded to an i-phone, however I don't use it much, sometimes days go by before the thingy gets turned on. I don't have cable or satellite, and I don't PVR, though I keep getting phone calls whith all sorts of offers...I'll get it when it's free! My car does have "onstar" phone, the novelty wore off before the first year was up and they did not roll over the left-over minutes, so I haven't used it since. On-star also offers turn by turn navigation, which I used once and it gave me bad directions, I can't be bothered with getting a GPS device, I'm more of a hands-on-a-map type girl.
As for my laptop, it happens to be the only piece fo really advanced technology I own, funny thing is that it was given to me and has more memory than I will ever know what to do with....I didn't even buy it! My PC is a 256mb Compaq Presario...I'm not even sure the upgrade is still available for such an antique.
Anyhow, I am actually typing faster than the words are appearing on the screen and that really says something about this....time to upgrade the desktop computer or I'm a genius typist!

Cheers and patiently waiting,
(I can't even use my cool little signature I created 'cause it's on my laptop, GRRRR!)

Viviana

BTW, that is one of last years Christmas time pictures.