A {Pink} Christmas...

1. via 'Alkemie'

2. via 'Real Simple'

3. via 'Alkemie'

4. via 'Better Homes & Gardens'

5. via 'Cafe Cartolina'

6. via 'Better Homes & Gardens'

And please enter this week's giveaway for a calendar from 'Lola's Room'!

Giveaway {Lola's Room Calendar}

This week marks the end of the giveaways for the time being... I'll be taking a break over the Holidays and will likely be introducing one giveaway a month (rather than one a week) in the New Year... And trust me friends, we're ending the year off with a bang!

The photographs from 'Lola's Room' make me dream of an eternal summer... And with the cold weather bearing down around us, summer is nearly always on my mind... This week, Cassia of 'Lola's Room' is offering a mini calendar of the winner's choice from her shop (valued at $30 US) + international shipping...Win a piece of that eternal summer to keep you dreaming all year long!

{Shop}

{Blog}

{Twitter}

{Flicker}

 This giveaway runs from December 13th to 19th at 7pm (EST)... The winner will be chosen and announced on Sunday, December 19th

1. Visit 'Lola's Room', look around and choose your favourite piece 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, December 19th... Please check the blog on Sunday to see if YOU are the winner! Enjoy... Please help spread the word and a dear thank you again to Cassia of 'Lola's Room'!

Cassia has also taken the time to answer a few questions:
What does a perfectly ordinary day in your life look like?
"I get up early with my two year old son. We have breakfast then prepare to go out for the morning. Every morning is dedicated to him. We meet friends, go to the park or go to the library. At lunch time we come home to eat and play for a while then my son has his three hour nap while I work. I use this time to edit photographs, pack prints and note any orders that were made overnight. The early evening is spent cooking my sons dinner, bathing him and putting him to bed, with help from his dad! Some evenings are work related but my fiance and I put aside a few nights to watch films and spend time together."

What time of year most inspires you?
"It has to be summer, I love the bright sunshine. Everything seems more colourful and the longer days are definitely good for photography."

What do you think of as comfort food?
"My comfort food is tea and toast, they go perfectly together. I am a foodie so anything goes."

If you could hop on a plane, without giving one thought to your budget, where would you go?
"New York! I have always wanted to go. In fact I would love to travel around America, my big dream."

What are five things you would like to do in the next five years?
"Have a baby
Get married
Move to a bigger house
Work hard so my business grows
Travel"

{Sixth and Main} Giveaway Winner...

Congratulations to Ally, the winner of this week's giveaway with 'Sixth and Main'! Thank you to Myan and all those who participated and stay tuned for the final giveaway of the year!

Weekend Project {DIY Candy Poppers}

How do you like the new winter look my friends? And please take the time to check out the new winter playlist... Just click on a song to begin playing! Enjoy!

It's been all about gifting around here this week... And with the Holidays just around the corner, is this idea for DIY Candy Poppers for 'Style Me Pretty' not the sweetest idea? I'm definitely going to attempt these for our annual Christmas Eve dinner! Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend my friends!

And please don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar from 'Sixth and Main'!

A Visit to the {Royal Ontario Museum}

Tuesday was a wonderful day... Jay took another much appreciated day off work and we took the girls for a subway ride downtown (Let's face it... That's all Brennah really cares about!) to visit the 'Royal Ontario Museum'... I love history and just last week I heard a commercial on the radio advertising the Terracotta Warriors Exhibit which is ending January 2nd! It's been on my bucket list (if you can call it that) to someday see the Terracotta Warriors... While we didn't get to see all 8000, we did get to see 10 up close and personal... Amazing! Of course, we couldn't take any pictures of the warriors... But trust me, the visit was worth it!

The day was perfect... The ROM now has a really good restaurant and so much to look at! And if you live in the Toronto area, I highly recommend you try to see the Terracotta Warriors before they're gone!

And finally, don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar from 'Sixth and Main'! 

{Adieu Autumn}

Today is a very exciting day... Head on over to 'Oh Hello Friend' for a special discounted offer from {The Ardent Sparrow}... Quantities are limited! So excited to be a part of Danni's '12 Days of Cheer'!

December is here... It is time to say 'Adieu' to Fall...

Saying good-bye to Autumn is okay... It really is... Because Christmas is JUST around the corner! SIGN-UP today before Noon for the First Annual Gift Exchange!

1. Day at the Beach

2. Castine, in the Grass

3. Autumn Flowers

4. Wedding: Mindy + Kyle

5. Daniel Farmer

6. Perfectbound Photo Shoot

7. Sweet Photo Babies

8. Hello, Autumn

And finally, don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar from 'Sixth and Main'! 

The First Annual Christmas Gift Exchange!

Tomorrow is the final day to sign up for The First Annual Christmas Gift Exchange! Please visit the ORIGINAL POST for all the details and to sign up to take part... Enter before tomorrow at Noon so you don't miss out! It promises to be very exciting... And to get you in the mood, a little inspiration!

And finally, don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar from 'Sixth and Main'!

1. via 'Country Living'

2. via 'Design Shimmer'

3. via 'Giver's Log'

4. via 'Tiny White Daisies'

5. via 'Creature Comforts'

6. via 'Oh Hello Friend'

7. via 'Shim + Sons'

8. via 'Townmouse'

Giveaway {Sixth and Main Calendar}

I'm really thrilled to have another calendar giveaway this week... This week's winner will get to choose a beautiful fine art calendar from HERE or HERE! Myan of both 'Sixth and Main' and 'Myan Print Shop' takes such pretty, dreamy photographs... Don't you think one of her calendars would make the perfect addition to any table top?

{Sixth and Main}

{Myan Print Shop}

 This giveaway runs from December 6th to 12th at 7pm (EST)... The winner will be chosen and announced on Sunday, December 12th

1. Visit 'Sixth and Main' OR 'Myan Print Shop', look around and choose your favourite piece from either 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, December 12th... 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 Myan of 'Sixth and Main' and 'Myan Print Shop'!

And don't forget to sign up for the First Annual Gift Exchange HERE before Wednesday at Noon!

Myan has also taken the time to answer a few questions:
What does a perfectly ordinary day in your life look like?
"my day has to start with coffee or i can't function. :) then i do yoga/meditation to get grounded before i start my "work" day. after that i answer emails, package orders, harrass my 3 cats, run to the post office and then i edit photographs until my hubby comes home. then it is time to eat dinner, and chill for the night. really boring i know!"

What time of year most inspires you?
"autumn is my absolute favorite season but since we moved to l.a. it has been quite some time since i have seen a proper autumn. so i try to recreate it myself at home with everything pumpkin. art & photography wise, definitely winter. especially a cold moody day at the beach."

What do you think of as comfort food? 
"cupcakes. hands down, a big fluffy vanilla buttercream cupcake! along with hot tea with a splash of rum. ;)"

If you could hop on a plane, without giving one thought to your budget, where would you go?
"oh such a tough question! it would be between england and argentina. but if i didn't have to care about a budget i guess i would go to both! :)"

What are five things you would like to do in the next five years?
"more photography, more painting, be a mom, move back east and learn the cello."

{Honeytree} Calendar Winner

Congratulations to Nancy, the winner of a perpetual calendar from 'Honeytree'! And thank you to Lupen, for offering such a lovely calendar! Stay tuned for a new giveaway beginning Monday at 12 am EST!

And don't forget to sign up for the First Annual Gift Exchange HERE!

Wool Felt Roses at {The Ardent Sparrow}

There's still lots of time to order in time for holiday delivery (December 13th to the US and December 16th within Canada)... If your still looking for a little something special, head on over to the SHOP to admire these brand new sweet little wool felt roses... Perfect in earrings and rings!  

Get 10% off by entering the coupon code "Holiday10" during checkout! Enjoy!

 And don't forget to take the time to enter this week's giveaway for a 2011 calendar from 'Honeytree'!

The First Annual Christmas Gift Exchange!

I've been at this blog thing for two and a half years now... And over the years, I've gathered some pretty loyal readers... I enjoy this blog... A lot... It's one of my favourite things to do... And the best part is reading your comments, getting to know you all a little bit! So this year, I thought it would be really wonderful for you to get to know one another a bit better too!

Drum roll please... Welcome to the First Annual Gift Exchange! Would you like to get a sweet little gift, all wrapped up pretty, in the mail this Christmas? Who doesn't like to get mail?

Comment on this post before Wednesday, December 8th at Noon EST, letting me know that you'd like to participate along with your email address

I will then send you an email, requesting your mailing address

On Wednesday evening, December 8th, I will send you the name of another blog reader and her address

You'll then have the rest of the week and weekend to get your package ready

I recommend you ship your gift by Monday, December 13th so it will {hopefully} arrive by Christmas! (Of course we're dealing with the mail here friends, so please be patient with one another)!

What would be fun to send? Wrapped candy, handmade items, small books, stickers, magazines, Christmas decorations or anything you think might help to bring a little cheer to someone else's Christmas... And don't forget... Wrap it up so it looks as pretty as pretty can be!!!

Be sure to include a card with a bit of info about yourself

It's up to you how much time and cash to spend but I think around $25 would be about right

Finally, if you'd like to take a few high quality shots of your package before it ships out and email them to me, I will post some of the photos on Thursday, December 9th!

1. via 'Paper Crave'

2. via 'Art as Life'

3. via 'Oh Hello Friend'

4. via 'Scrapbook Lady'

Any questions? Shoot me an email at rebecca@theardentsparrow.com

I hope I've remembered everything... I'll add more info if need by, as I tend to be a bit forgetful! 

Enjoy my friends... And happy gift-giving!

And don't forget to take the time to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar from 'Honeytree'!

Project Idea {Advent Calendar} Part II

Brennah is pretty excited about our new tree! She's not too sure how it will work... And today is the day... The day that she finally gets to peek inside box #1 to see what's inside!

I filled the boxes with little items I gathered at 'Michaels' and the dollar store! Tiny trinkets including socks, stamps, stickers, chocolate, 'Kinder Eggs', glitter glue, hair barrettes, small wind-up toys and 'Lip Smackers' (which will be Brennah's first... She's going to be very excited)!

As exciting as Christmas is around here, I am constantly seeking to remind the girls the real reason we celebrate... The purpose of advent is to think of the Christ of Christmas... I want that, admist the gifts, to be the focus of our holiday season... So each day, before opening the box, we are going to read the Christmas story... Brennah already knows it quite well... But I'm hoping that it will cause her to stop and remember that it is because of Christ, His life, His death and His resurrection, that we celebrate!

 And don't forget to take the time to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar all your own from 'Honeytree'!

Project Idea {Advent Calendar} Part I

When I was a girl, I loved advent... I loved preparing for Christmas... And I still do! It's my favourite time of year... Several weeks ago, I decided that I would like to create an advent calendar for the girls... I spent most of last week trying to work out what to do... After an evening visit to 'Michaels', it began to come together!

I purchased brown kraft favour boxes from the wedding section at 'Michaels' along with some bamboo yarn, number stickers and some lovely snowflake stickers...

I punched a hole in the top of each of the boxes and strung the yarn through the hole, attached the number on the front and a snowflake on the back... I ended up using a bit of glue for the #'s as they weren't especially sticky...

 All the boxes... All 24, done!

On Saturday afternoon, I sent Jay out on an adventure (in our backyard) to collect twelve branches! It was a bit of an adventure for me attaching all the boxes, but here it is... All finished... 24 tiny advent boxes, awaiting their sweet little advent gifts! More to come on the finishing touches tomorrow!

And don't forget to take the time to enter this week's giveaway for a calendar all your own from 'Honeytree'!