Everyday Beauty

Happy Earth Day and Happy Birthday {to me}!!!

 

I know I'm suppsosed to be taking a blog nap.....but today is my birthday! And I really wanted to show you what my friend Holly surprised me with.

Gosh, I just love it to pieces. I gasped when I opened it. She doodled all sorts of little pictures of things that are meaningful to me and wrote Italian words {mother, friend, wish, rose, family, love, baby, home} all around the center oval. So much thought and detail and time was put in to this gift.

 

I'm going to put a picture in the middle and frame it for my craft room. I really can't even tell you how much this means to me. It's better than anything that could be bought. Thank you Holly.

On a slightly different note, since I share my birthday with Earth Day....I wanted to just say one quick thing:

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD. {Gandhi}

I never really blog about these sorts of topics, because the last thing I want to do is come off as preachy or as if I'm an expert in this area {I'm NOT!}. That is not my intention, and I am a big believer in "to each her own" and doing what is right for you, in your own time. But I am very passionate about this, and since it's Earth Day, I thought it was appropriate to post this simple little paragraph here. The more we spread the word and the knowledge, the better off we will all be. We are what we eat, plain and simple. And we only get one body and one life to live.

Would you like to know that the food you're putting in your body and in your precious childrens' bodies has not been sprayed with toxic chemicals and laced with antibiotics and hormones? Of course. Who wouldn't? If we want to see a change, we have to be willing to make a change. Start small. And the laws of supply and demand will go to work for all of us. The more we demand and purchase whole, organic foods, the less they will cost, and they will become more readily available. Maybe eventually the government will overhaul the FDA so it actually protects and informs consumers. Wouldn't that be something?

Try and do just one small thing today to make your life healthier and our world a little cleaner.  If we all made a tiny change, the impact would be enormous.

Happy Earth Day!

And now, I guess I should get out of my pajamas since it's 11:30 am. George and I are going on a date tonight. Dinner without kids...what's that? Can't wait!!!!!

Taking a Little Nap

  

I've decided to take a bit of a nap from blogging. It won't be too long, I don't think, but I need a little breather and some time to focus on other things right now.

On a shop note, I have decided not to sell the bookmarks after all. I apologize to those who may have been interested in purchasing one. I did, however, list a few new things recently. You can find them all right here. There are some very cutie cute cute tags and postcards depicting pastel cakes, petit fours and other confections, as well as new colors of my favorite velvet leaves and medallion flowers.

I don't plan to be gone too-too long....

xo andrea

Paper Doll Journal

I hope everyone had a happy Easter! We had a nice time here at home, complete with an Easter egg hunt and entirely too much chocolate. {at least that is what my stomach is telling me}. Thanks for your sweet comments about my boys and their Easter bunny picture. Amazingly, neither one was freaked out by the bunny!

I have shop updates coming this week, which will include the bookmarks. I'll post about it here first.

Anyhoooooo.....onto the topic at hand! These are pictures from a Paper Doll Journal I finished this past week. I'm participating in a round robin with Lori, Heather and Holly. Each of us created a journal and a couple of pages, and then passed the journal on to the next person so she can add more pages and pass it on to the next person, etc. Once they have all worked their magic in my journal, I'll get it back and get to see all of the beautiful art each one of them created. Such a fun concept for friends.

This is the cover of my journal. I found these 1960's paper dolls on ebay, and thought they were the cutest things. The pale green frame is a page from an antique photo album, a flea market purchase.

 

I bound the pages together with ribbons and lace and added some trinkets to the ties... a button, a religious charm and...

 

...a velvet strawberry.

Here is the inside cover where each person will sign her name and do whatever she wants to the little rectangular frame. The metal things are vintage officer pins that say "member", "trustee", etc.

 

I used one of my baby pictures for mine.

This is the adjacent page I made, using my mom's baby picture. I think she looks like a "doll" here.

 

The circus/carnival theme is totally in my mind lately, so I went with it.

I had planned to go with all neutrals but didn't like the way it looked at all. When in doubt, ADD HOT PINK! My new motto...  :-)

 

A tiny "mom" flag atop the circus tent.

 

On the inside of the back cover, I did a little "the end" page with a poem about friends.

And now it's in the hands of the US Postal Service, on it's way to Heather. I just received Lori's beautiful book today {wrapped up so pretty by the way, Lori!} and will start working on it this week.

I can't wait to get my journal back in a few months and see what each person created! Meanwhile, it will be so fun to receive each of their journals and do a little cut and paste in them.

Happy Easter!

Avon Calling

So, I thought we'd continue on with a new edition of my Useless Collections. Does anyone remember these? If you're in your thirties or older, and your mom or grandmother ever bought or sold Avon in the late 70's or early 80's, this post might take you for a stroll down memory lane.

Some of these were actually mine when I was little, and some were acquired about 8 years ago when I became obsessed with figural lip gloss containers. Obviously, back then, I had a lot of free time! But they're cute, right? How sweet are the ice cream sodas? I wish they'd start making these again. I think they would sell oodles!

 

Even the boxes they came in had pretty neat graphics.

 

These cookies were always favorites. But the Sunny-Shine Up Egg is cute too.

 

Ice Cream Cone Lip Pomades.

 

This one is called Berry Nice Lip Gloss Compact. I have another one of these that I dug all of the old gloss out of, cleaned it up, and then I refilled it with my own new lip blam. I keep it in my purse....like I'm 5 years old. lol...

 

The Tasti-Mint was the hardest to find for some reason.

 

Chocolates!

 

Funburger.

 

#1 Hit Record......appropriate for the late 70's / early 80's. So funny.

 

This peanut is "mood" lipstick that turns pink or red when you put it on.

 

Frosty blue eyeshadow anyone?

 

These came out later....80's for sure.

 

I forgot to add this one and had to go back and edit! My dad is a coin collector, and he bought me  one of these when I was little and we were visiting one of his favorite coins shops. The owner had some of these for sale in his glass case. I remember it vividly. I guess there must be real copper in it since it's oxidizing.

The ones below contained suntan lotion. Sunana Banana, 14 Carrot Tan and Orangatan. I cleaned out and refilled the banana with sunblock, and we take it to the beach. Mario loves this one.

 

Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder around here. I do collect some strange things, I'll admit. Now, in my defense, I no longer collect these! I just can't bear to part with them.

Sunday Kitchen

I was in the kitchen this morning photographing some new products, and I just got a little carried away. I knelt down on the floor next to kitchen table and took a picture of my morning cofffee and journal. And the hyacinths I cut from the garden. A simple centerpiece that perfumes the whole house.

A pile of our napkins.

A stack of teacups on a shelf. Along with an egg I kept for myself. {since I didn't keep any last year, my basket was looking pretty sad!}

Looks a bit fuller this year.

These are the ruffles on some prize ribbons I have to put away with inventory. Still sitting on the kitchen table. I WILL put these away today. The goal is to clear off the counters today. It's a tall order!

Aprons hanging on the wall.

Let us not forget the beautiful refrigerator art. W is the letter of the week, didn't you know?

I made some more bookmarks and I think I'll sell a bunch. They, too, are on the kitchen table. It's a wonder we can eat there.

I'll package them in One Hundred Wishes cotton pouches.

I'll spare you the other kitchen photos... {dirty dishes, bananas smashed in Sam's high chair, etc.} You're welcome!

I hope your week is off to a lovely start!