Saturday, February 27, 2010

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!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Giveaway!


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

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

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.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

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.

Monday, February 15, 2010

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.

Monday, February 8, 2010

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.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

I love contests

Visit Pretty Shiny Sparkly - The #1 Blog for All Things Pretty
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.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

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!

Friday, February 5, 2010

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.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

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.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

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.





Monday, February 1, 2010

Sculpy Results




Here are those heart beads and the finger I made the other day. I'm trying to figure out what I should make from them.