Inspired by {Valentine's Day}

 You can download this lovely print at 'Eva Black Design'

Bee's Knees & Cat's Pajamas...

 Postcard Set from 'The Black Apple'

Moving Announcements...

via 'Jack and Jane Paper'

via 'A Sea of Ink'

via 'Whisker Graphics'

via 'Courtney M Designs'

via 'Melanie Linder'

Giveaway with {The Little Happyshop}

I first came across 'The Little Happyshop' three years ago when I was looking for a first birthday card for Brennah... Since then, I check back often to see what Ruth is offering in her joyful little shop! For this week's giveaway, Ruth has offered $45 in Singapore dollars (that works out to nearly $35 US) to spend at 'The Little Happyshop'... There are so many whimsical and wonderful things to choose from... And just in time for holiday shopping! Head down the page to find out how to enter this beautiful giveaway!

{Shop}

{Blog}

Ruth has taken the time to answer a few questions:
What does a perfectly ordinary day in your life look like?
"Oh, I love ordinary days. My kids wake me up (they're early risers) and I get them ready for school -- Elliot's in kindergarten, Shanae's in pre-nursery. We walk to school, which is just a couple of minutes away from where we live. Then it's back home to sip on my latte and off to work! I reply emails, pack orders, and ooh-and-ahh at the new items on catalogues, and work out which are best to bring in for my store. I punch in figures, do some basic accounts for my gifts distribution company Happy Things. On a good day, I try to organise my physical inventory too for Happyshop, which is challenging b'cos I recently moved, and my home-office space's halved. I also work on a couple other things, like real estate, so I spend some time making calls and researching the market for my clients. Work consumes me till about mid-afternoon, when it's time to get the home ready for the family: house-cleaning and cooking! I walk the kids home sometimes; other times my husband picks them up en route home from work. Then it's playtime, dinner, cartoons, storytime and bedtime. I like to watch TV late into the night (Mondays and Tuesdays are my current favourites: CSI, Fringe, Mentalist; House re-runs all weekday midnights). If there isn't anything riveting on TV, I usually try get some more work done before calling it a day."

What time of year most inspires you?
"Christmas! Love love it. Creatively, there seems to be more inspiration everywhere: I love reading the magazines, adoring the fancy ads and commercials, and thinking up of fun things to do and daydreaming up my next pet project. On the family front, my husband's work is winding down (he's a teacher), and we spend more time with our kids outdoors: the zoo, the park, the beach ... I love the Christmas mood everywhere, and shopping gifts for the family. I get a lot more ideas for my work and my life, and feel recharged for the new year. Pity Christmas is just one day!"

What do you think of as comfort food?
"Ah without a doubt, all of my mom's cooking! She was a working mom, but she always made sure we had great tasty meals on the weekends and on special occasions. As a kid, I loved tagging along to the trips to the market and helping her cook in the kitchen. I have vivid memories of standing in a corner with all those bags of meat and stuff, waiting for her as she zipped quickly to the last stall to get the last thing on the list. I started asking from her recipes of my favourites after I got married eight years ago -- Asian dishes like stir-fried yellow noodles, stir-fried bee-hoon (rice noodle), claypot chicken rice, braised duck, popiah (a wrap filled with turnip, shrimp and other yummy stuff) and broiled chicken wings. The day my mother passed away (she had leukemia), I couldn't grapple with the fact that she was really gone, and I turned to cooking to remember her. For the two days, I cooked and brought my favourites to the funeral palour, to share a meal with my father. I choose to honor her this way because among others, this represented her love for me, and it's a way to relive the connection I have with her."

If you could hop on a plane, without giving one thought to your budget, where would you go?
"My first thought: Nagoya. It's the fourth-biggest city in Japan. I loved my trip to visit Shinzi Katoh sensei and his wonderful team last year, and wish my trip could have been longer! I basically zipped in and out of Nagoya in a hurry, cramped in as much as I could, but just simply didn't get to explore as much as I would have liked. I'd have loved to take time to sit at one of the pretty cafes that I saw in town, and maybe ask to view the nice garden at Shinzi Katoh's office, and spend some leisure time visiting the Nagoya Castle and museums and art galleries. I'll definitely bring my new Sony baby along this time and go snapping crazy at the sights and sounds. The food's great, weather's fine, and shopping is always rewarding. Just thinking about this makes me happy."

What are five things you would like to do in the next five years?
"Raise my children to be happy and confident people, expand my distribution business, play the violin again, start sewing again, and finally send my thousands of family photographs to be developed (printed) for my album collection."

This giveaway runs from November 1st to 7th at 7pm (EST)... The winner will be chosen and announced on Sunday, November 7th

1. Visit 'The Little Happyshop', look around and choose your favourite digital design from the shop... Come back here and leave a comment along with your email address, mentioning your favourite item...

2. For an additional entry, link to this giveaway on your blog, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

3. For an additional entry, tweet about this giveaway on Twitter, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

4. For an additional entry, link to this giveaway on Facebook, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

5. For even more entries, POST again (Blog, Twitter, Facebook) at any time later in the week, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

* YOU MAY ENTER UP TO FIVE TIMES FOR FIVE CHANCES TO WIN!

In order to keep offering these fantastic giveaways, I need to get as many comments (and visits for the sponsors) as possible... Please help me spread the word so we can keep a good thing going!

The winner will be randomly chosen and posted HERE on the blog on Sunday, November 7th... Please check the blog on Saturday to see if YOU are the winner! Enjoy... Please help spread the word and a dear thank you again to Ruth of 'The Little Happyshop'!

Giveaway {Good Frau}

I'm more than thrilled to introduce you to Emily of 'Good Frau'... She designs simple, eye-catching custom invitations, cards and birth announcements... Emily has graciously offered this week's winner ANY digital design plus twenty 5x7 prints or thirty 4x6 prints... A value of $50 + shipping! Isn't that fantastic?

{Shop}

{Blog}

{Facebook}

Emily has taken the time to answer a few questions:

What does a perfectly ordinary day in your life look like?
"I get up and "check my stuff," which includes my e-mail, Facebook, Google Reader and a couple news sites. Then I work on whatever Etsy stuff I have to work on until my 3-year-old wakes up. Many days include a trip to the "print store" as we call it around here, to either look at proofs or pick up completed orders, or both. Otherwise, I just hang out with my cute kid."

What time of year most inspires you?
"I always love Spring because it means winter is far away! But I might choose fall if it didn't mean winter was on its way. I am looking forward to the crisp air and all the fun things that go on in the fall. I really feel like going to a football game. Any football game."

What do you think of as comfort food?
"Mashed potatoes and gravy. And when I am pregnant, Spaghettios."

If you could hop on a plane, without giving one thought to your budget, where would you go? 
"North Carolina - Outer Banks. I have lots of family there, but I haven't been since I was a teenager. I love it there so much and I really want my husband and my little boy to see where my family is from."

What are five things you would like to do in the next five years? 
"1. Have another baby (in process).

2. Get my own professional printer so I can have more control over my business (right now I have them printed at a local shop, and they do a really great job, but it would be nice to be able to just print them up and send them when I get print orders)
3. Take more Zumba classes and maybe even learn to be an instructor (after #1 is accomplished).
4. A Mediterranean cruise would be nice!
5. And I want to be skinnier in my 30s than I was in my 20s. :)"

This giveaway runs from October 11th to 17th at 7pm (EST)... The winner will be chosen and announced on Sunday, October 17th

1. Visit 'Good Frau' and choose your favourite digital design from the shop... Come back here and leave a comment along with your email address, mentioning your favourite item...

2. For an additional entry, link to this giveaway on your blog, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

3. For an additional entry, tweet about this giveaway on Twitter, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

4. For an additional entry, link to this giveaway on Facebook, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

5. For even more entries, POST again (Blog, Twitter, Facebook) at any time later in the week, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address...

* YOU MAY ENTER UP TO FIVE TIMES FOR FIVE CHANCES TO WIN!

Comments have been a bit down... In order to keep offering these fantastic giveaways, I need to get as many comments (and visits for the sponsors) as possible... Please help me spread the word so we can keep a good thing going friends!!!

The winner will be randomly chosen and posted HERE on the blog on Sunday, October 17th... Please check the blog on Saturday to see if YOU are the winner! Enjoy... Please help spread the word and a dear thank you again to Emily of 'Good Frau'!

Yesterday Was Quite the Day...

Yesterday was quite an eventful day... Despite a massive headache (bah), there were a few big things that happened...

First, I added some new one-of-a-kind vintage necklaces to the shop... I'm pretty excited about these... I've been feeling awfully inspired lately... It's been really fun to try my hand at something new!

I was featured as this week's staff pick on 'Pingg' (for which I won $50... How great is that?)

I won a month's run of an ad on 'Wedding Chicks'... Scroll down and check out my wee little ad under 'Wedding Essentials'... I'm in some pretty good company over there!

And the first issue of 'Joie' went live... Check out page 48 for my full-page ad...

What a day it was... Did anything exciting happen in your world?

And don't forget to enter this week's giveaway with 'Cute Tape'

New at the Shop... Greeting Cards!

I'm MORE than excited to introduce a Sunny Collection of Greeting Cards... Now in my Etsy shop!

Love is in the Air...

1. Love 8x10 Fine Art Photograph from 'Kristybee'
2. Handmade With Love Printable Labels from 'Eat Drink Chic'
3. Love Cotton Candy Print from 'Made by Girl'
4. Lace Votive Holder Project Idea from 'Martha Stewart'
5. Hello Lovely Card from 'Pink Mist Industry'

I ❤ You...

1. Flower Bud Heart Onesie from 'b. children's wear'
2. Doxie Love Valentine Pillow from 'Persnickety Pelican'
3. Postcard from 'Nice'
4. Double the Love Yarn Heart Wreath from 'Itz Fitz'
5. Vintage Blanket Heart with Lavender from 'Betty and Roland'

I ❤ You...

XOXO Valentine's Pencils with Tag from 'Simplesong Designs'

Cutie Valentine Heart Hair Clip from 'Cuties 4 U'

Belongs to You Mini Triptych from 'John W. Golden'

Heart Wreath from 'Maddy & Me'

Recycled Love Notes from 'Little Cat'

Brennah's Second Birthday... {Presents}

Brennah was lovingly showered with gifts... We are slowly teaching her to be thankful... It sure doesn't come naturally... But she's getting there... And she surely is excited!

A LOVELY handmade pillow from our dear friend, Jess... Isn't it wonderful? She always showers my girls with beautiful handmade lovelies that I know they will treasure forever! Thanks Jess!

Happy New Year...

Happy New Year's Cards from "Two Pooch Paperie"