Decking The Halls

Merry Christmas Eve!

As promised, I am going to share with you many of my Christmas decorations: some old, some new, but all with special meaning. I took lots of pics around my living room, dining room, hallway and staircase- where most of my Christmas decorations have been placed.

Here are close pics- and a little history of some of them. Soon I will be back to show you overall shots.

I'll start with the Santa mug. My husband and I went to the Bahamas on our honeymoon. While shopping there, he decided to look at the Royal Doulton mugs... he loves the presidential ones. As he was looking around he spotted this mug: the 1983 Santa. We both were drawn to it, and he made a comment about how great it would be to have that for our kids to grow up seeing. I remember well the impact that had on me as we were newly married and starting out our lives as husband and wife: envisioning little children- our little children, forming wonderful Christmas memories and traditions! We decided to get it, and had it very carefully packed for the trip home days later. It wasn't long after, that I found out I was pregnant. And our baby was born in December and came home to our tiny little apartment with a tiny little "Charlie Brown" tree. And, this Santa mug.

My husband and I have a tradition: we add at least one decoration- weather it be a large one or just an ornament or two- to our Christmas collection each year. Two years ago he brought this beautiful angel home. Isn't it great? (I actually leave it up all year on my piano.)

Here are a couple of my favorite music boxes. My mom had a collection of them and it got to be so large that she started giving us one each year. These are two of them.

Our Lenox Nativity. Mike and I saw this about 5 years ago on one of our little antiquing excursions. I don't know how old it is (don't think it really is, despite the fact that we found it in an "antique" store), but we both loved it. We hemmed and hawed over it for a long time, as it was a pretty big splurge for us at the time. But we have never regretted it. It's so pretty!

And here are a few framed stamped Christmas collage things (what do you call these?!) that I made. They were such fun. I did a stamp camp where we made them one year.

And while I am showing you things I made, here are some of my cross stitched Christmas pillows. My dear friend Maryann taught me how to do cross stitch, but I never could figure out how to sew, lol! So she actually did all the pillow assembling for me- and backed them with beautiful fabrics. I love all these pillows. I made most of them during my pregnancies when I had to be on bed rest. And the fact that my wonderful friend (more like a sister to me) played such a roll in the making of them makes them mean even more. (Note: the santa in the chair with two other pillows in the 3rd pic is the only pillow I did not make.)

Gee, it's been many years since I have done any cross stitching; kind of makes me want to get back to it again ;-)

And here is another one of our "antique finds":

My Mom used to have a beautiful Steuben glass bowl that she'd put beautiful old ornaments in at Christmas time. It was her dining room table centerpiece, and it was beautiful!

I have several of ornaments that were my Mom's, Grandmother's and even some of my Great- Grandmothers. They are super fragile and many that I just would not dare to hang. Mom's bowl idea was perfect. So, for years I searched for a nice bowl just for this reason. One day we spotted one that seemed like a good shape and size, but it wasn't clear. It was a very faint lavender glass. Very pretty. Yet I wasn't sure it would work for the ornaments. But Mike decided to go back and buy it for me as a gift, and as it turns out, it works wonderfully. Don't you think?

I love this little angel. I remember when I was a very little girl, I asked my mother if I could put some decorations in my bedroom for Christmas. She only gave me a couple that year; this being one of them. This angel, and a little plastic nativity ornament (I actually still have that, too).

But I not only remember being so happy to receive it, I also remember being heart broken when I dropped it and a wing broke off. I was devastated! But, my big brother Rich, as always, came to my rescue! He assured me he could fix it. He was probably all of about 8 or 9 at the time, but he had this "expertise" about things like that, and went right to work repairing my little angel.

The glue he used has since yellowed a bit (it shows a little in the back) and yet that actually adds to it's appeal to me, as it brings back the memories of my dear brother lovingly fixing my special little angel.

This was one of my mom's two nativity scenes. She referred to it as the "creche". I believe she had it since at least 1950, maybe earlier. And every year she put it on her front hall table under a big wooden eagle topped mirror. The very table that it sits on in my house, under that same eagle topped mirror. A few of the pieces of the nativity set are chipped, even broken. But I still love it. Not only does it hold many memories or me, but for all of my kids who remember it at their Nanna's house.

Books. I love old books. Especially children's books. So, what could be better than old children's Christmas books?! This is part of my little collection, most of them being the very books my Mom read to me as a child. Included are some of my childhood classics: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas; Tall Book of Christmas (Granny Glittens and her Amazing Mittens was my favorite story!); Christmas Is A Time For Giving; and my most favorite A Christmas Story by Mary Chalmers. Not sure that was actually a "classic", but it was surely my favorite. A tiny little book; I've never seen one since. If you ever do, be sure to pick it up and look through it. It's darling! (I opened it to show you how adorable the illustrations are.)

I have a huge record collection. Yep, I still have- and play- record albums. As a matter of fact, I first laid eyes on my husband in a record store. That's where we met ;-) Anyway, we had so many records. So when we married we decided to sell our duplicates. Over 600 of them! And we still have probably 2,000 LPs. Many, naturally, are Christmas albums. And my favorites are the ones from the 50's and 60's. Not only do I love the music, but so many of the jackets (record covers for those not old enough to know, lol) have such awesome vintage artwork and pictures.

Probably not surprising, is the fact that I also love vintage sheet music. And Christmas music is no exception ;-) Some of mine was my Mom's or Grandmother's. Some I have bought at antique stores. But it's all great, don't you think? I love putting it on my piano and on my antique brass music stand. It looks wonderful!

So there you have a look at many of the things I bring out each year to "deck my halls"! I will show you full pictures of the rooms in my next post.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at and reading about my Christmas treasures. As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by! I'd love to read your comments!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

How To Wrap A Cat For Christmas

I know, I know. I told you just yesterday that I had found my favorite Christmas video. However....

This is soooo cute! I just love this cat! For all you lovers of fur legged friends I just have to share this.

I'll be back later and show you a few pics I promised of some of my house decorations. We did not get them all put up this year, but the house is definitely not lacking in the Christmas Spirit! :-) I'll try to get some good shots to share with you.

I hope you're getting all accomplished that you need to do this week, but managing to enjoy the season as well. I'll say to you what I have to keep reminding myself: In the process of over- doing (because we all tend to over-do!) just be sure to remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place! Have some laugh, giggles, good cheer and share love with those who mean the most to you- and even those who don't!

Thanks for stopping by today; I'll be back a little bit later!

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

I think this may be my favorite You Tube video of the season. You may already have seen this, but in case you haven't I just have to post it!

I had not heard of "Flash Mobbing" before, but I love it! After watching this I searched for more and found some other really fun ones, but this one still tops them, in my book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Note: I found that once you start playing You Tube videos, if you double click on the video it will play full screen size. Just hit the "esc" button on your keyboard when it's over.

Wasn't that awesome? Makes me want to hang out in malls all month in hopes of being flashed! Woops- that didn't sound right, lol!!! But I think you know what I mean :-) Or even to do the "flashing"! Wouldn't that be fun?!

Well, it's a rainy day in Southern California- again! Oh, how I want our typical warm and sunny days back! I am just going to stay inside all day with Christmas music playing and wrap Christmas presents, address my Christmas cards (yes I am running late!) and maybe even do some baking. I'll take a few pics of some of my favorite Christmas decorations in my house to share with you. Gosh, I can hardly believe Christmas is only 4 days away!

Thanks for stopping by today. Please remember that if you leave me a comment (thank you!), it will give you an entry for THIS drawing. But do be sure to read the "fine print" on the rules. Particularly the part about mentioning which prize you want to be entered in for ;-)

Have a wonderful day today!

It's a Jolly Holi-dog Celebration!

I've got a couple of wonderful Christmas videos to share with you. (Check back tomorrow for another fun one.)

The first is with my dog lovin' friends in mind. It's about the cutest thing I have seen in a long time!

It reminds me of the wonderful William Wegman video Faye's 12 Days of Christmas (If you have not seen it, it's a must for you to check out!)

So take a minute to watch, laugh and enjoy. And PLEASE- consider adoption for your next fabulous pet. Thank you!

Last Minute "Little Somethings" Gingerbread House Gifts

No matter how far in advance I plan, or how many extra little gifts I have on hand, I always seem to run short at Christmas time. That is one of the many reasons paper crafting is such a good hobby. At least I can whip up a "little something" for someone- or, in this case., several someones! And it also makes it easier to "justify" all my supply purchases ;-)

Recently I made these for my Daughter's birthday, so everyone could take one home after the party.

I had seen the Sizzix Gingerbread House Die at their warehouse sale last month, and hemmed and hawed over it- wondering if I'd ever actually use it. I decided not to buy it. Then, when I returned back to the sale the following day (you don't think I could resist going back for day two, do you?) I was overcome by temptation. I just could not resist. And boy am glad it was still there! I am just loving these, and they are so super fun to make!

I decided to put some liquid applique on them for "snow", but I've had my tubes for a couple of years now and it has yellowed a little bit. (Ewww... yellow snow? On gifts? I think not, lol!) So, I got out my favorite glitter, Stampin' Up!'s Dazzling Diamonds. I know, I will use any excuse to sprinkle some of that on just about any project, haha. But seriously- it totally fixed my yucky colored snow dilemma!

Then I thought maybe the heart on the house would be even cuter if it had some sparkle too. So I used XMas red Stickles. So pretty!

I was almost finished when I decided a little Christmas tree would be a cute addition. I had to do a lot of searching through my stuff before I came upon this adorable one. It's from a Sizzix strip die, and just the right size. I added some gold Stickles on it for the lights, and I just love it. Then I added gold Robin's Nest dew drops for the door knobs. And they were done. Well, ready to be filled anyway.

I put red and green tissue paper in them and then filled them to the brim with candies: Hershey kisses- milk chocolates in Christmas colored wrappers; Candy Cane Hershey Kisses (have you tried them? They are sooo yummy!); Candy Cane salt water taffy; Toffee and Almond Hershey Nuggets; little Belgian chocolates, and mini candy canes.

They were such a hit!

So... guess what my husband asked me to make for him to take to a bunch of people he works with?

I'd better get back to work... I need to have them all finished by tomorrow night so he can take them to his Christmas luncheon on Tuesday ;-)

I hope you like my gingerbread houses. Don't forget to leave a comment so you'll get an entry for the prize drawing (see last post for all the details- and be sure to specify which prize you want to be entered for).

Thanks for stopping by!

GIFTS UNDER MY CHRISTMAS TREE GIVEAWAY

Okay- I'm ready to give away some blog candy!!

As I said in my last post, I would be doing a couple of giveaways. I will do one with my crafty followers in mind, and another one geared more towards my readers who love all things "vintage".

As I mentioned before, due to the high cost of international shipping, I will only be able to send these prizes to a winner in the United States. And because that really has been bothering me, I gave it some more thought and came up with an idea so that my wonderful blogging friends from other countries can still be part of this giveaway. I hope you will agree that this is a great alternative to spending a lot of money on shipping- should the winner be from outside the U.S.

Before I give you the details of the giveaway prizes, please let me first tell you about my "alternative prize":

I have decided that anyone can enter. But if you are the winner of either of the prizes and not a U.S. resident, then you may choose from the following list of charitable organizations and I will make a donation of $25.oo to one of them for you. These are all organizations that I'd love to donate to and each one has a special place in my heart for personal reasons. I can not imagine that any one of my wonderful followers wouldn't agree that these are great places to contribute to. So please take a look at them and if you would also consider making a donation yourself I'd be thrilled! Here are my choices and a little bit about why I picked each one:

Charleston Animal Society For those of you who know me or have read my blog for some time, you know this has been a tough year. My wonderful brother Rich (who was also my husband's best friend) died suddenly and unexpectedly last Christmas Eve. He was just 54 years old and in the process of moving here to live near us.

When I (being his "next of kin") got the phone call from the coroner telling me the news, I was in total shock and disbelief. But, when reality finally hit I was consumed not only with sorrow and grief, but worry and concern about Rich's 2 precious cats. He lived with them only; they were his "children". They were also with him when he passed and it was very traumatic for them to lose their owner and suddenly have to be caged and taken to a shelter. But the wonderful people at the Charleston Animal Society were the ones that took them and cared for them- and went to great lengths to see that they both made it safely all the way across the United States to come live here with my daughter. This was the most important thing I could do for my brother and they were so instrumental in assuring that the kitties were well cared for and taken to the airport and carefully sent on their way here.

The Arthritis Foundation I have learned a lot about arthritis from this organization and it has been very helpful to us. One of my children was diagnosed with a form of arthritis called Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis. It can be a very debilitating disease. My son has not been able to attend school for nearly two years now. He has been on chemo for over a year. And he's had to endure over two years of intense physical therapy. It's been quite an ordeal, but it's finally paying off! He is actually going to return to school next month! And having had this website and resources that have been provided through the Arthritis Foundation has been extremely helpful. I really would have felt so much more confused and alone had I not had them to rely on.

CHOC Hospital Oh my goodness! I LOVE this hospital! I am there (at least) on a weekly basis and have never had anything but a great experience. The care and treatment my child(ren) have been given is among the best I have ever witnessed in health care. The doctors, the nurses, the entire hospital community treat you with such kindness and respect. I can not say enough good things about them.

CHOC (Children's Hospital Of Orange County) does AMAZING things for the kids! Check out their blog it is awesome! They had Ryan Seacrest there not long ago, and they have lots of other celebs and athletes visit the kids. There is the Disney CHOC Walk and other Disneyland related events, and there are therapy dogs and all kinds of things for kids and their families. They even do a prom for the kids who can't go to their high school proms due to their illnesses! It's amazing. (Caution: be sure to have tissues handy when viewing the website and the videos!) This place will touch your heart!

Autism Speaks and TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) Having autistic children myself, this is naturally an area near and dear to my heart. When we got our first autism diagnosis, we hardly had any idea what Autism was. We had barely heard the term "autistic". I remember trying to get information on it and looking everywhere for help. There wasn't much. Back then I did not have resources available to me like these. Boy, how things have changed! And the numbers have changed, too. The rate of autism diagnosis is astounding. I don't doubt that everyone reading this knows someone or at least "of" someone affected by autism. Living with autism is hard, to say the least. And treatment is crucial. Both of these organizations are wonderful, and therefore made my list.

Samaritan's Purse I wanted to include an International organization on this list, and this one I know is fabulous. And there are sooo many areas you can chose to donate to. Please check out their website. You will see how far a donation of only $25.00 can go, weather it is to feed, clothe, educate, give medical help to or even provide a source of income through farm animals to a needy family. If you are not familiar with Samaritan's Purse, please take a few minutes to check them out. It's really a fabulous organization.

Okay- I know this is only a handful of places and so many others are so deserving as well. I hate to leave so many good ones out. But these are among the ones that top my list and that I would like most to donate to. Maybe when I do my next giveaway I can add some others ;-)

Now, for the two prize packages:

(click on the pics to enlarge)

First, piled up beneath my Christmas tree are the gifts I have for those of you who are my stamping/scrapping/crafty friends:

I realize Christmas is only a week away and you won't get these things in time to make any Christmas items for this year, but I just had to include some Christmas things! Besides, if you are like me, you like making Christmas things ANY time of year! Also, many of you will likely be scrapping your holiday pics in the coming months, so some of these things may help you with your pages.

Here's what is included:

Coluzzel Nested File Folders

Stampin' Up! On Board Bitty Book

Small scissors

Oriental Trading Company set of check book covers for altering

Marcella K Embellishment Kit: 3 tubes of blue glitter, brads and gems

Box of 3 yards assorted blue ribbons

Funky Fiber Fringe Yarn

Sizzix Sixxlits Decorative Strip Die: Gingerbread Men With Hearts

Sizzix Simple Impressions Embossing Folder: Christmas Lights Border

Sizzix Simple Impressions Embossing Folder: Ornament

Chipboard book and hardware rings

Teresa collins Tag Book

Wacky Tac Adhesive Sheets

Bag of Papertrey Ink Vintage Buttons

Making Memories Button Brads

Pack of mini Jingle Bells

Magnetic strips

3 spools of ribbon: Poinsettias; White Grosgrain with words "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire" with Christmas trees; and Burgundy velvet

3-Pack of Stampin' Up pens

3 Wood mounted stamps: Stampabilities Christmas Tree; Rubber Stampede Cardinal on Branch; and All Night Media Small Snowflake

Lace: 3 different kinds: 1 is 3 yards long and the other 2 are each 2 yards long.

Another shot of all the crafting goodies:

And here is what I have for my "Antique/Vintage" fans:

Sorry if the pics are kind of dark. I have very dim lighting near my Christmas tree, but the flash whited it all out too much. Hopefully you can get a pretty good idea of what the things are like, though.

(Any tree decorations you may see are not included, lol) ;-)

I had such fun collecting things for this give away!! That pretty aqua colored bell is an old salt shaker. And it really rings, too :-) I have been buying vintage salt, pepper and cheese shakers to store my old hat pins and stick pins in. I also make stick pins and when I sell them, the shakers work great for displaying them. Hat pin holders can be very expensive and hard to find, so I have found these work really well. I thought it would be fun to pass one on to you :-)

The picture frame does not appear to be very old, but I thought it was pretty, and kind of "fit" in well with the other things.

The "Happy New Year" postcard is old, though! Isn't it darling?

And check out the little suitcase! I just love this! No, that's not "old" either, but it is vintage/ retro looking. And perfect to put some vintage/retro jewelry in! I have included some faux pearls, a couple of pins and 3 pairs of clip on earrings. Fun stuff!

There's also 3 yards of old lace trim, and TONS of old buttons. I love old buttons. Maybe I should have included them in the craft giveaway, but I found them at an antique store, so I put them here.

I have also included a pretty vintage hankie. I love the colors of the flowers on it. I figure a lot of you could use something that makes you think of Spring about now. I watch the news. I know how brutal the weather is in many parts of the world is right now! ;-)

And last, I have a very small tea cup and saucer. I'm not sure how old it may be, (the woman I bought it from said it was an antique, but I am not sure). But it's Victorian looking and I thought it was a cute addition to this collection.

So here are the details on how you can win:

There are different ways to enter, and you have multiple ways to earn more chances.

First, leave a comment on this post. That will earn you an entry. NOTE: (This is the tricky part) You can only win one prize. Please be sure to tell me with each entry which prize your entry is for!!! If you wish to be entered for both prizes, you can earn an entry for one prize and an entry for the other prize. BUT, you must specify which prize each entry is for! If you do not, your entry will not count.

If you are a follower of my blog, mention that and you will get another entry (one time only).

Become a follower and you will get an entry.

Grab my blinkie, put it on your blog and tell me it's up! This will get you 3 bonus entries!

Mention this giveaway on your blog, with a link to this post and you will get another 3 entires! (One time only.)

Then, for every day until the drawing, you may get one additional entry per day by commenting on whatever is my most recent blog post (even if I have not updated/posted again since your last comment).

The drawing will be on Sunday, December 26th. I figure that with the let down of Christmas being over, maybe a win will brighten the day for a couple of you ;-) Plus, this gives you 8 days and 8 chances for comment entries. And don't forget about the additional entries for being/ becoming a follower; sharing this post on your blog, and for grabbing my blinkie. You can get a total of 15 entries- but be sure to specify which prize each entry is for!!!

Okay- that's it for today. I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think if this giveaway and the prizes- and adding entries up for you :-)

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Antiques, Boutiques and Blog Candy Giveaways!

I am back! And I have missed you :-)

I have so much to share with you, including the fact that this is post #99 for me! And I have not forgotten that I promised that I'd have celebration giveaways for my 100th post.

We'll chat about that more, but first I want to show you a little bit of what I have been up to since my last post.

As you know, I love flea markets, antique shows, estate sales, etc. My husband and I have been partners in antiques hunting since we first started dating (about 30 years ago!). And we still love it.

Although I did not happen to take pics at every place we've been to the last couple of months, I did take some. Hopefully you'll have fun seeing some of my favorite recent West Coast jaunts :-)

The first is at the Long Beach Antiques and Flea Market. We went on a very cool and cloudy day (unusual for Southern California). It was nice though. We never got too hot or sunburned, which is often a risk while outdoors around this part of the state!

It wasn't too crowded, either. I had fun, but will admit: I am not the kind who likes to rummage through a lot of "junk". I know, one man's junk is another's treasure. Well, my treasures usually are not among junk, lol. This place was fun, but a bit on the rustic side for me.

There was a little bit of this- no, I'll correct myself: A LOT of this and a LOT of that...

And my husband even found one of his favorite dealers. He specializes mostly in military items and all kinds of weapons. He has been seen on t.v. on the Military channel and other shows. He really knows his stuff. Very fun to talk to. He actually has a shop down near San Diego, and my husband takes our teenage son there and they have a great time. When I first met him in his store several months ago, I found out he knew my brother. Small world, huh?

I think the space above was among our faves. This guy had a great set up. Best visual there, we thought. A really great collection of antique and vintage sports related stuff. Not really my "thing", but I have to say we really enjoyed it anyway.

And what's a flea market without the popular "Shabby Chic"? There was lots of that.

So... that was one place we went to in the last couple of months.

Next, I will show you what I have come to find is my favorite location. It's not only really easy to get to, but it's always pretty consistent: Nice, not crowded, free admission, lots of close free parking, a lot of stuff but not too much walking involved. And the vendors are all really nice and pretty easy to bargain with. Yet, for the most part I don't even try to ask for a lower price because I think their prices are really reasonable to begin with. And, I don't find there to be nearly as much "junk" to weed through. And this is put on every month year round. Even when it is hot, it's not all that bad. There are quite a lot of big shady trees and many vendors have tents or awnings. I love it here:

And now, I will show you where we had the MOST fun! It was at the Holiday Boutique at the home of our friend Anke (pronounced On- Kah). She is among the sweetest people you could ever meet! A lovely Dutch woman who has a heart of gold. She lives in a big, beautiful old Victorian home and opens it up to the public several times a year to do boutiques which benefit various charities.

We have known her and her wonderful husband Mike since we first started attending our church about 11 years ago. They have been a very, very big part of our congregation for many years- dedicating themselves and their time like few will ever do. They are a wonderful example of devoted, loyal and giving Christians. I admire them tremendously!

One year I actually participated in her craft boutique and sold my handmade cards, candles, and various other things. It was sooo much fun! But it's always great fun just to be a "customer", too.

Here is the outside of her beautiful home:
Isn't it wonderful? I especially love the wrought iron fence, and that awesome front porch.

And check out that clock that's on the side of the house! Isn't that cool? You just never know what you will see at this house- inside or out! ;-)

Behind the back yard is where Mike works on his cars. He collects antique automobiles. Here is one we happened to notice.

Just part of that awesome fence.

And now to show you some of the inside of their home:

All the rooms in Anke's house are awesome. The antiques and the way she has it decorated is just wonderful. Check out this chandelier. It is even bigger than it looks in the photo. I can't imagine having to clean it, lol!

And how neat is this? Her old phonograph (aka the "talking machine") is definitely among my favorites.

Sorry some of the pics are dark, but I didn't want to go around using a flash. There were too many people shopping.

Here is where Anke does her magic! She is an amazing cook/ baker. And she sells her baked goods at her boutiques. For example, you can just get a slice of something and a cup of tea, coffee or cider to eat there, or you can purchase larger amounts to take home with you. Scones, pound loaves, coffee cakes.... they are like none you've ever tasted before. So fresh and delicious. Oh, the smell of all that baking going on was incredible!

We brought home scones and bread. Made with fruit she picked right off her own trees! They were fabulous.

Here's Anke with my husband Mike. He had just finished a scone and cup of tea. That made for one happy man. And while he was eating, I was shopping- worked out great, lol!

And here's another incredible chandelier in the dining room. Again, can you imagine cleaning it?!

Look at this beautiful old Grandfather clock! (I was just sorry I could not fit it all in the picture.)

Heading for check-out. Hopefully they had a lot of business and did really well that day.

And finally, here is my man holding some of the clothes I purchased. We bought a ton of stuff, and the clothes seemed kind of "iffy" to me. Turns out, I wish I had bought two of everything! The jogging suits I got are among my favorites. Hopefully the same vendor will be back again in the Spring. I just love them.

So, there you have it. I have shown you some of the places I have been hunting and shopping, but purposely not shown you what all I have found and purchased. That is partially because some of it is for YOU!

Since my next post will mark 100 posts to my blog, I am going to celebrate with some blog candy. I will have two different prizes: one themed around stamping and paper crafting, and the other around loving all things "old".

I have visited many other blogs for inspiration to help me figure this all out and I have decided on a few things I need to share with you:

First of all, as much as I wish I didn't have to do this, I am going to take the advice given to a fellow blogger by one of her readers: I am only going to make this available to viewers in the United States and Canada. I plan on giving away enough items so that postage outside of those areas could be far more expensive than I can handle on top of the cost of the items. I am so sorry about this, but I hope you'll understand.

Secondly: You may enter both drawings if you wish, but if I pick a winner for one prize, then that person will not be able to win again. So, if you like one prize a lot more than the other, you may only want to enter that drawing.

I am going to have several ways for you to enter so that you can have multiple entries.

Please keep checking here because although I am not yet revealing exactly when this all will be, I will tell you it will be sometime soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe later. But it will certainly be before the end of the month. And who knows- I may have even more surprises in store for you. The only way to find out is to keep your eyes on my blog :-)

In the mean time, I hope you have liked my little "tour of the hunt".

I also hope you'll leave me a comment. I always love hearing from you. As a matter of fact, I'd love ideas about what kinds of things you hope I will offer for prizes. For instance:

Are you a paper crafter? If so, what are among your favorite things to work with?

Are you an antiques lover? What, if anything, do you collect? What do you admire?

You never know... I just might have some things from my stash/ collections you might like :-)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy crafting and happy hunting! :-)