Thinking of those in Christchurch, New Zealand...

..and thankful my brother and his family weren't there at the time. They were supposed to go to Christchurch the next day...for business...right there in downtown. I'm thankful...very thankful...that their business was the day AFTER the big quake and that they were safe at home in Blenheim at the time. We talked to my brother via Skype (do any of you use Skype?...it's wonderful to actually talk with and see someone half way across the world) last night, and the news of the devastation was disturbing. My heart and prayers certainly go out to those who have been affected by this.

New Zealand's Quilt Symposium--Please Vote!

My sister-in-law, Debby, is an amazing quilter. I don't quilt in any shape, form, or manner...BUT I greatly appreciate the work that goes into them. She is not only an expert quilter, but has a website Quiltfever , invented a tool (for sale on her website) to make Mariner's Compass Stars super fast and easy (the Starwhiz--the YouTube demo is HERE), and is an instructor. She will be a tutor at New Zealand's Remarkable Symposium in Queenstown (probably one of my favorite cities in the world--beautiful place!) this April. Well, she submitted an entry into the symposium's on-line postcard quilt challenge. Will you stop buy and vote for her entry? She really has done a fabulous job. The picture on this post is her entry. Here is the link to the page in order to vote--CHALLENGE.

Teacup Trade from Me

Sharon at Faith, Hope, and Cherry Tea sponsored a teacup trade on her beautiful blog. I had wanted to share both what I gave and what I received on this post...but my dear partner has been delayed. So...I will just share what I sent her in this post. I sent a small parcel, actually, but thought that it has some very pretty things. The first thing, of course, is the teacup. This was a teacup from a friend...which has now been passed on to a new friend...that being Dolly from From my Cherry Heart, of course. She likes roses and pinks and burgundy colors...so I thought this would be just to her liking. Next, one must have pretty napkins in order to have a proper tea...and these are some of my favorites...pretty in every way.

Of course, you can't have tea without, well, without tea...and this box of yummy Raspberry Royale tea I thought would make for a wonderful cup (and I like the color of that box too!)

And finally, I sent along a little treat from my Etsy shop--a pretty vintage image pin featuring a tumbling basket of roses with lots of glitter.

It was fun to put all of this together and send it off. Thanks, Sharon, for such a wonderful idea!

Dreaming of the Tropics?

Well, I am! Burrrr...this Wisconsin morning is a frigid one. I did an Etsy treasury called Destination Tropics featuring all sorts of tropical-themed goodies (including a very cool Steampunk pineapple and a grass skirt). I'm featuring the pretty guilloche parrot pin (above) that's available in my shop. Click on the link Destination Tropics if you'd like to see the whole treasury--and enjoy all of the warm breeze thoughts that go along with it.

Dug Out...and New Old French Stamps

Well, we are finally dug out from our winter storm here in Wisconsin. I have been here at the house for several days (weeks, it seems). Thankfully the roads are driveable now and the kids have violin lessons today...oh, and it's Dad's birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad) which means out to supper tonight...and it's mid-week prayer service tonight after supper. So, needless to say there are plenty of reasons to get out and about today. Can you tell I have a touch of cabin fever? The snow IS pretty, and it smells fresh and clean. Next month is March which means spring. The sun is almost up, and it's a beautiful (albeit frigid) day....trying to stay super positive here!

Speaking of being positive...Mom acquired a GREAT amount of old stamps recently. There are many US and many foreign in the mix. There are also many quite old ones. Some she has are just exquisite--they are like miniature works of art. She was super kind to give me these pretty, colorful, old French stamps (she knows I like French things) to "play" with (thanks, Mom). I'm not a talented paper/scrapbook/altered art person like so many of you out there and therefore haven't figured out what to do with them yet other than knowing that I really want to create with them. Inspiration will strike, I'm sure, probably at a most unusual time. Perhaps today's fresh, cold air will clear my mind and an idea germinate.

Vintage Style Valentine Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Grace Wong #7 for winning my giveaway! You were chosen by random.org (even though I still haven't figured out how to get that small random pick box saved then cropped then uploaded on here--trust me #7 won!). Thank you to all of you who visited and entered.

New Moo Mini Cards

Well, I took the plunge and joined in with the many people who buy Moo Minis. I really do like the regular sized business cards better--they look professional and, well, have the whole picture on them. Since I can get twice as many Mini's for less money...I thought it would be worth the try. They didn't turn out so bad after all--even with their partial pictures. That matte finish is just great, and you can't beat the service. I'm pretty pleased.