Happy Holidays

No matter where you are or what you are celebrating I think it is a good idea to ask your self- Why am I doing this? What do I love about it? What could I do to feel better about it? Is this a priority for me?

If you love the beauty of the season try and bring that to whatever you do... If you love the peace of the season try and hold peace within you no matter where you go... If you love the socializing of the season find extra little ways to spend time with those you care about.

Be present and if you don't love it, if it doesn't feel good or isn't really a priority don't do it. If you find yourself doing something out of obligation or expectation; take a moment to stop and think about it; you can still decide to do it if you choose. When it is a choice it is more enjoyable and less likely to cause resentment later.

I have been finding my self doing this more often this year than ever before and I have been feeling really good about Christmas this year, I hope you are too.

Thank you!

I was lucky to stumble upon the tutorials over at http://plumroselane.blogspot.com that easily showed me how to set up a feedburner and a subscribe button to my blog. The generosity of knowledge and kindness of people is very inspiring. I love that no matter how dificult I think something will be to learn that I can always find someone online who is able to make it seem simple. Thank you to all you generous, kind, knowledgable people out there in blogland... you know who you are. Does anyone have any stories to share of how blogging has helped them?

Inspirational rooms

May your walls know joy; May every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility.
Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey, 1995



When you do not know what you are doing and what you are doing is the best -- that is inspiration.
-Robert Bresson



Drive a nail home and clinch it so faithfully that you can wake up in the night and think of your work with satisfaction,a work at which you would not be ashamed to invoke the Muse.
-Henry David Thoreau



Basically my wife was immature. I'd be at home in the bath and she would come in and sink my boats.
-Woody Allen



The best way to keep children at home is to make the home a pleasant atmosphere and let the air out of the tires.
-Dorothy Parker

Home interprets heaven. Home is heaven for beginners.
-Charles H. Parkhurst

I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?
Jean Kerr

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.
-Source Unknown

all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
Dale Carnegie

When all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;
Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away;
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.
When all the world is old, lad,
And all the trees are brown;
And all the sport is stale, lad,
And all the wheels run down;
Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and maimed amoung:
God grant you find one face there,
You loved when all was young.
-Charles Kingsley

With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow - I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud.
Confucius


Home -- that blessed word, which opens to the human heart the most perfect glimpse of Heaven, and helps to carry it thither, as on an angel's wings.
-Lydia Maria Child

Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room.
-Harriet Beecher Stowe

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
-Johann von Goethe

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
Steve Jobs

Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.
Paul Rand

My home...It is my retreat and resting place from wars, I try to keep this corner as a haven against the tempest outside, as I do another corner in my soul.
-Michel de Montaigne

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.
-Charles Dickens

All of these beautiful images came from the following blogs:
http://www.maisondeslilas.blogspot.com/
http://www.beautifulthingstoshare.blogspot.com/
http://www.fanciful-fanciful.blogspot.com/
I recommend you go see what else these lovely sites have to offer. I know I enjoyed several hours browsing around. I just had to share a few of my favorites of their inspiring images. I still haven't replaced my camera so this is one way to post with pictures anyway.

Junk it...

I don't know if you've seen that movie called Mystery men but in it was a woman who said Junk it in a memorable way. I loved that movie. I was watching hoarders the other day and couldn't resist getting up and cleaning and organizing and I've been at it for days now. My teenagers have been my semi willing accomplices in Junking things. The dust has been flying and I've got to say the house is much cleaner than its been in a while. I love Mr. Clean magic erasers they work great. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging very much lately what with my camera stolen and all the cleaning, organizing and junking we have been up to. I'm going to try to get into a more regular routine and blog every other day at least even if all I've got to talk about is cleaning. What are you all up to lately? Done any spring cleaning?

A Gift Wrapped Life Giveaway...

The lovely blog A Gift Wrapped Life is having a Mother's Day Giveaway, and like everything on that blog it is gorgeous. Beautifully packaged in purple and gold, scented with lavender, rosemary and white mint, items perfect for a Mother's Day gift.

I'm pretty upset

Yesterday my purse was stolen with my cell phone, camera, keys, schedule, adress book, id, my kids id, library cards, nail file, lip gloss, tic tacs, gift certificates, George Thoroughgood concert tickets, and other stuff that I feel naked without. It is a horrible feeling and an expensive hassle to try and get things replaced. I'm pretty grumpy now so I'm going to bed early for me to read and snuggle. I hope many of you had a better Easter weekend than I did.

Movies

Mmmmm lovely... Coco Chanel movie with Audrey Tatau was a beautiful movie about Coco Chanels younger years. It was very interesting and the costumes and sets were fabulous. Watch it! Here is the "Coco Before Chanel" - Official Trailer [HQ HD] for you to get a sneak peak from Youtubes watchCulturetainment.

I also watched the movie Fame that was made in 2009. Here is the official trailer for Fame from hitfixcom on youtube.

My favorite part of Fame was that my 16 year old son enjoyed it so much he sat and folded 7 loads of laundry while watching it. Yay!

Teacups and an Alice Video from youtube

Green, gold and gorgeous.




Unusual shape, I think this one is very old.



Feminine and flowery.



Another one that reminds me of Grandma Oelrich. I'm pretty sure she had one of these tucked in her cupboard. She seemed to favor teacups decorated with scenery.



Wispy Grey leaves.



Pretty purple flowers.



This is one of the sturdier teacups, but still pretty.

One of my favorites.

Peachy Pink swirls.

The teacups are reminding me of a tea party in wonderland today so I'll leave off with this clip.

Many people seem to have found inspiration from the latest Alice in Wonderland craze. This is a very creative video from gallantandkeen on youtube.

Gift Exchange Fun

So I was browsing around and found this lovely blog
http://adventuresinloveandhappiness.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-favorite-things.html.
They are having a Favorite things gift Exchange, doesn't that sound like fun. I decided to sign up so that I can share some of my favorite things and recieve someone elses in turn. Maybe you would like to join to? You have until April first to email Nicole and tell her that you want to participate.

I won a pretty spiral bracelet...

in the one world one heart contest. It finally came and I eagerly opened it. It looked pretty, I went to take it out of the bag and it fell apart. One of the threads must have broken on the way. I'm going to try and see if I can figure out how to fix it. It's a lovely plummy purple and white in a spiral design bracelet. Thank you Jackie Lewis of Jax's Beads for your lovely prize.
P.S.-If you have any tips on how to fix it let me know as I have never worked a stitch like it before.

My Son Jordyn's Very Short Story

I woke up to the sound of whirring and felt confused and freaked out in the head because I didn't know where I was or how I got there. I groggily opened my sleep encrusted eyes and saw viscuous dirt, food and other weird crud encrusted tar black, and taco explosion yellow slime that resembles the underside of a neglected old fridge. I'm laying uncomfortably propped up with my head and shoulders against a crumbling cardboard box and smell the remains of old vegetables, other food and rust. Dim, yellow lighting coming from behind the fan on the tiled moldy ceiling illuminates the aged yellow plastic walls. I turn my head towards the sound of water dripping tck... tck... tck... tck... against something that sounds of plastic or rubber. I look towards the sound and see a shelf stocked full of fly ridden meat. I retch, gagging and swallowing to stop myself from spewing chunks. Looking away from the disgusting cuts of decomposing flesh I see a rusty red and silver metal door. On it in black sharpie are the words, "You lose."
( He would like feedback please. )

Movies

Lately I've been reading and watching lots of movies. I had a week off of work and wasn't feeling great so I spent alot of time at home sleeping and whiling away the hours. I watched one on Youtube called Kitty (1945) that was charming, the story was interesting the acting good and the costumes were amazing. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWhlvrqcuVg&feature=PlayList&p=B9447683C3F47391&index=0 . I also watched Whip It which was a cute and inspiring story. I am not a rollerskater and never have been. I've never been a tom boy and dislike bruising. After watching this movie I almost wanted to try and ignore all that and go be a rollerderby girl. Hahaha. You can see a trailer for it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQGPdXnb2Gg . I also saw Couples Retreat which for the most part was pretty bland, although I got a couple of laughs out of it. Watched Public Enemies too you can see a trailer for it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJUIeYb28Vk . Its about Dillinger and was overall an entertaining movie. I enjoyed the costumes and sets, but it dragged on pretty slow towards the end and wasn't overly memorable. I read a book about Katherine Hepburn that was charming and interesting, she was an amazing woman. I also read a book called A Complicated Kindness it was a very interesting read told from the perspective of a teen mennonite girl and it tells how she copes with growing up when members of her family keep going missing. It was worth reading and I'd recommend it.

Lovely old china teacups

I collect them. They are so delicate, and charming. I bought this one from a lady who was selling a box full. She didn't love them but I did. I bought several from her.




I can't remember where I got this one, but isn't it lovely. The details inside of the cup are such a sweet surprise.



I think I bought this one for cheap at the St. Vincent de Paul store. I've never seen another one like it. I love the dandelion seeds inside and memories of making a wish and blowing.



I can't remember where I got this one.



This one I bought from Value Village. Every time I see it It reminds me of my Grandma Oelrich who passed away years ago. She had a modest collection of tea cups and this was one of the patterns she had.



I only have a few teacups that I've collected the bread and butter plate for as well. This one came as a set from the WIN (women in need) store downtown. It is a very fragile, and dignified looking set. I imagine it was used on old ships like the Titanic.




This one would have been a favorite of my other grandma I'm sure. She passed away years ago and she was Irish. It is also a good time of year to bring it out and use it. Happy early St. Patrick's Day.



Isn't this a sweet set. When I look at it I imagine a bunch of little girls having a tea party. It is very delicate and feminine.



This one is over the top decorated. Gold and Roses all over. I hope you like this peek at part of my collection. If you like them let me know and I'll happily share somemore of my collection with you.

An Alice in Wonderland Giveaway...

If you head over to http://faeriemooncreations.blogspot.com/ you have the opportunity to win these very lovely Alice inspired goodies.

I recieved the sweetest little goose today!

I got another package, Yippee! This goose came in the mail today. Isn't she darling I won her in the OWOH contest from http://www.followingtrolltracks.blogspot.com, she came with a tiny book and a brush for her fluffy fur. On that note I'll leave you with this, which I think is from Mad men, though I've never watched it. It seems like a show that I would probably like.

Love! Love! Love, the Treasures

Yesterday, when I came home from work, I had a postal pick up notice waiting for me. I was so curious wondering what it would turn out to be. I decided I'd go pick it up today before I went to work. I was very excited and couldn't wait to see. When I got to the post office they gave me a box that was plastered with very many stamps-see above-have you ever seen so many on one thing before? How cute is that! This box came all the way from Fulks Run VA USA. As I ripped through the extremely well taped edges of the package with my keys I was wishing I'd thought to bring my camera along for the ride. Unfortately I didn't think it out well enough ahead of time for that. But still ripping through tape. Finally I got the middle flaps and one end seperated and decided to see if I could fit the treasures through the space I'd created. I reached in and felt - bubble wrap! Much bubble wrap came out of the box and then I felt something solid in some tissue paper (YIPPEE!). I unwrapped the small tissue papers treasures to unfold these:




A gorgeous Celestial Seasonings magnet ( I have one that matches so now you've given me the beginning of a collection), some lovely crystals ( As soon as eldest son saw them he wanted them, two striped feathers, a pretty napkin ring and a delicate white napkin.
I also found these treasures wrapped in tissue in the box: a heart shaped tea ball, a little packet of mango tea, and a lovely smelling purple tea light. Nestled near the bottom was this pretty little cup and saucer with little blue flowers made in Germany.




I want to say a huge thank you to the blogger at http://www.artfullyooglebloops.blogspot.com/ who put so much time and thought into making this a delightful OWOH gift. I'm going to go make a cup of mango rooibos tea in my new tea cup while wondering at the kindness and thoughtfulness of you!

Giveaway!

Fantastic Giveaway at http://www.whitelinenlavenderfield.blogspot.com. Gorgeous items of appreciation from a creative and generous blogger.

Zendalas, Olympics and Goodies.

Wow, neat stuff. I am inspired and relaxed after watching this, maybe you will be too.

Also my favorite Canadian Ice Dancers won the Gold medal at the Olympics! Yippee, I'm so happy. They are fantastic and surely deserve it.

I wanted to make sure all my winners from OWOH know that I've sent out their packages and I hope they get them soon. Also; I had won some things myself and I just found out I won another that I had not realized. So I'm feeling very lucky today. I will be sure to post them as I recieve them so everyone can admire my newest treasures and the artists who made them.

Wow!

The the olympic ice dancing was incredible tonight I loved Canadas dance. It was very beautiful, passionate and precise. You can see them dancing this dance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLkyufEhpec&feature=related at the Canadian Nationals, but they were even better tonight. They danced a flamenco on ice and between the seering hot gazes and dramatic costumes they drew me right in and convinced me of their desire. Must remember to watch again tomorrow to find out if they stay in the lead. I really enjoyed the Americans routine too, it was a bollywood routine. I didn't feel that it drew me in as much as the Canadians tonight though, it didn't seem as emotional. It was very energetic and interesting though.

Too bad for us Canadians in the Hockey tonight. USA kicked our butts 5-3. I watched some of the last half although I dislike hockey, this was a special exception. I got caught up in everyones excitement at work.

Very Cool Idea for Easter

I was browsing around and found this neat idea for decorating Easter eggs with no mess. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for some silk ties to try this out. You wrap the eggs in colorfully patterned silk then in cotton and boil them. The color and patterns transfer to the eggs. Now, how clever is that! You can see the whole process at http://www.marthastewart.com/article/silk-tie-easter-eggs have fun collecting silk to try this out. A couple things to be wary of - make sure you use a glass pot or a pot that you only use for crafts so that if the dyes used on the silks aren't food safe you aren't ruining your pot. Also for the same reason, I don't think its a good idea to eat these eggs. They will be beautiful decorations though.

Pretty Beads Contest

Barbara Lewis the talented lady over at http://paintingwithfireartwear.blogspot.com is having a giveaway you should go see. She has beautiful stuff and a great new look. Check it out!

Winning Bracelet

I've finally finished the bracelet for the winner of the OHOW giveaway. I'm sorry it has taken so long, it has been a hectic week. But finally here it is.

The winner requested blues and greens so this is what I came up with. Its very bright and sunny looking and I coiled the sterling silver wire into swirls that seem to resemble waves to me. I hope Antonella; the winner, likes it.

One World One Heart Winners

The One World One Heart Contest has been so much fun. I have frantically been trying to enter on as many blogs as I could. I won three times, and can't wait to see my prizes. When they arrive I will share them with you. In the meanwhile I have three prizewinners to announce:

Third Prize (Geometric Hematite Bracelet)went to - Bleubeard and Elizabeth
Second Prize ( Bright Heart Jewelry Set ) went to - Pea
and First Prize ( Silver Bracelet with custom colors) went to - Antonella

Congratulations to all of them. I've emailed all of the winners and will be mailing them out soon. I am now going to get down to making Antonellas bracelet, she picked blues and greens to go with her silver bracelet. Now that the contest is over I should have lots more time again and will hopefully be doing lots of creating and blogging. I'll show you what Antonellas finished bracelet looks like before I mail it off.

Found a Design Quiz

I found a neat quiz over at www.homegoods.com/hgh1_quiz.asp it tells you what your design style is. This is what it said about my design style:

Trianna, you are an Elegant Classic
you have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty, things that are well crafted, and family heirlooms. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a formal layout give order to a room, and hence your home is refined and calming. You are not taken in by the trends of the moment. You go for things with a timeless appeal, and appreciate old-fashioned virtues like manners and handwritten notes and making a home that is welcoming for others.

You value order. you feel happiest if your home is well organized. You understand that when your house is in order, your mind feels clearer. Rather than a lot of meaningless objects or overly-designed items, you are happier with a few well-placed things. Your home is your respite from a busy life. Try to avoid letting things into your home that you don't really love.

It also said that my happy home colors were cool light blues, deep blue, pale plum and light teal. Other than the plum, I like them all.

I think it did a pretty good job figuring out my design style. It asked for my zip code and I tried and it accepted 12345 as I don't have a zip code living in Canada. Maybe you'd like to go check it out?

Some further tips it offered me under the heading Be Party-Ready All the Time!
Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. use naturally fragranted cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just pritzed into the air.
Mood: Nice flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, stock up on some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.
Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts-whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread-instantly!
Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.

What I think: Scent-I have a favorite incense I get in china town that I use often, but some guests are sensitive to smoke, when they come over I just throw a bit of Febreeze on the couch and in the hall closet. Seems to do the trick.
Mood: I don't have overhead lights in my living room so harsh light isn't really a problem. Though I think it would be nice to look into getting a hurricane lantern or two, I think they could multipurpose and be used outside come summertime.
Food: If I kept chips in my cupboard my kids would eat them before the guests got there. I'd rather serve more vitamin packed snacks than that. I like to keep some frozen fruit in the freezer. Blueberries are great because they are good still frozen with a bit of cool whip. Or if I have a few minutes fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate is popular. Or if its teenagers; which around here it often is, flavored popcorn is usually a good bet for a snack.
Drink: I can't do this either, space is an issue here and I can't justify leaving that out for the occasional guest who drinks. I have my drinks all in one kitchen cupboard it works for me. Also I can't keep soda in the house for long with my teenage boys around. I occasionally buy some as a mix when I know I'm getting company. I also usually have some frozen orange juice or bottles of V8 around to use as a mix in a pinch.

I love contests

Pretty Shiny Sparkly is having a contest featuring One Life Jewelry. They are giving away a beautiful charm necklace. Hurry on over and check it out.

Giveaway alert!

The talented lady over at http://www.summersstudio.blogspot.com/ is giving away a bunch of her handmade porcelain beads and they are amazing. Don't miss this chance to win!

Todays Treasures

I went shopping today at one of the local second hand shops and had a great time digging through the bins. I found these great crystals and frames for a song.



Some very soft cottony wool.



A couple of pretty ribbons, and pearl trimmings, some large wooden beads and also in this picture is another look at those pretty little frames.





A rainbow of thread.






This is what I've made from my finds so far. I crocheted some of the soft wool with a shimmering ribbon and a strand of pearl trimming. Then attached some metal clamp ends and a lobster clasp. I'll be putting this choker up for sale in my Etsy shop soon. I think it would look lovely with a mostly exposed neck, in a tank top or halter top. Or maybe with a wedding dress the colors are right and it contains, something old and something new.

Another lovely giveaway

Over at http://rikijewelry.blogspot.com they are giving away a very pretty necklace. They will be drawing a name Feb 8th to enter. You can get up to 3 chances to win, if you comment and blog about the contest.

Welcome on a Magic Carpet Ride

Welcome my fellow bloggers from me, Trianna from Victoria BC Canada. It's time for the One World One Heart Blogging event. This event has been happening for several years now, though this is the first year I will be participating. It came into existance through the creativity of the amazing woman at http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com. This is an exciting opportunity to meet generous, artistic people from all over the world.

I will be offering three prizes to the people who leave a comment below. The third prize is this magnetic hematite and silver seed bead beadwoven bracelet with a vintage button clasp.

The second prize is this set of necklace, earrings and bracelet that I designed using heart beads I made from sculpy and silver plated jump rings connected to form chains. The earrings have sterling silver hand forged earwires.

For the first prize I will make you a glass and sterling bracelet in your choice of colors.

To enter to win this jewlry you need only:

1. leave a comment, include the (1-3) colors you would like to see together in a bracelet with silver

2. leave a link to your blog or an email address so that I can contact you if you are chosen.

3. cross your fingers and wait until Feb 15th, in the meanwhile you are welcome to visit all of the blogs that are participating in this event. You can find the list at http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/one-world-one-heart.html

If you would like to follow my blog I'd be thrilled, and gloat a bit to my family who think I'm a geek for blogging.......but you don't really have to, it isn't required.

This giveaway begins January 25th and ends Feb 14th, I will contact the winners on Feb 15th. Make sure you leave a way that I can contact you!

Good luck and thanks for stopping in and please feel free to check out the rest of my blog here http://triannastreasures.blogspot.com/ . Happy Blogging.