Thoughts from Alice W.

Just Because...

Don't you love getting flowers "just because"? I know I do. And the other day the love of my life brought these home for me...just because...

so I thought I would share them with you too...just because ;)

I am delighted that so many of you are participating in my Spring Renewal Giveaway! You can still participate by commenting on that blog post (below this one), posting a plug for it on your blog with a link to that post, and by purchasing goods from our Art, Home, and Life collections (lots of new items have been listed and are going to be this week!). Thanks to all of you who have already done so!

Have a beautiful week ahead!

Spring Renewal Giveaway

It's about that time again...for cleaning and organizing...stashing away the winter coats and clothing...enjoying the fresh air and long walks outside...and also...for a little giveaway from Painted White. In honor of the generosity shown to me from all across the globe, and the continued support and patronage of my business and this blog...it is my chance to give back. I have pulled together a simple gathering to bestow upon one of my readers.

The photo below shows what is included in the first giveaway {yes, there will be two...one larger that is open to all continental US residents...and the second smaller is open to everyone no matter your location...more details below}...

When I was a young girl and would go to stay at my dad's house in the city, he would often take my sister and I to our still favorite shop, Parkleigh...which had a delightful treasure trove of curious goods, treats, and bath and beauty products. My favorite section of the store was the Crabtree & Evelyn shop. I would browse through the pretty scented items, oohing and ahhing each one. My favorite was Lily of the Valley...and it still is...so you might be wondering why I am giving away Nantucket Briar here...but I will tell you. When I went out to pick up something special to offer here...I was drawn into Crabtree & Evelyn and knew I would find something delightful. I was going to go with Lily of the Valley, until I turned and saw the Nantucket Briar wall. It was the packaging that drew me in ;). Pale blue, soft floral pattern...simple and serene. It is the type of product that you would want to display in the bath...and doesn't need to be hidden in a closet. Then, when I smelled the lotions and fragrances...I was smitten. It is delightful! And I am sure that you will think so too!

The winner will receive the following Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar products:

100 mL Room Spray

100 mL Hand Therapy

184g Foaming Milk Bath

200 mL Scented Body Lotion

{a $50.00 value}

I also wanted to include some handmade items...so the winner will also receive one of my very own altered bottles. A tiny vintage glass bottle tied up in vintage lace and gray ribbon, and adorned with a vintage button. Inside...sprigs of dried Eucalyptus, white beads and buttons, and a hint of lavender.

I have also been working on some new paper projects created with hand dyed papers. I love repurposing anything, and since purchasing a new coffee maker that does not use filters, we were left with a large 500 count bag. I had forgotten about them, until recently when I started to see them used for creative means. This got me to thinking of what I might do with mine...I hand dyed these "paper posies" with tea and pale pink coloring...and created this pomander ball...

The ball measures about 27" around and hangs from coordinating seam binding ribbon.

{and if you end up not winning but want one of these, I will be offering them in the shop just as soon as I get a few more made up...as well as individual posies.} The winner of this larger giveaway will also receive a Painted White gift certificate good for $15.00 off any $25.00 purchase from our art, home, and life collections.

Now, for the second giveaway...I decided since I do have a few followers from Australia, Canada and the UK, as well as other countries abroad...that I would have a smaller giveaway, so that those lovely folks could participate as well. The second winner will receive a single tea dyed paper posy and a Painted White gift certificate good for $15.00 off of any $25.00 purchase from our art, home, and life collections.

So here is how it will work...to enter either of the above giveaways simply leave a comment on this blog post. Then one week from today, Friday April 3rd, I will draw two winners. The first name drawn will win the larger giveaway if she/he reside in the continental US. If the first name drawn ends up being someone outside of the continental US, she/he will automatically win the second, and an alternate name will be drawn for the larger giveaway. All purchases made now through next Friday, at Painted White, in our art, home and life collections, will also automatically be entered into the drawing...so shop to increase your chances to win! You can also increase your chances by mentioning this giveaway on your own blog if you feel so inclined. Please feel free to use any of the above images in your post about it and link back to this posting, and be sure to let me know when you have, so that I can note to count you twice!

{And don't forget...if you don't have a blog...be sure to leave an email where I can notify you if you win!}

Best of luck to each of you and I sincerely hope the winners enjoy these simple offerings and that all of you enjoy the refreshing renewel of spring!

Till next time...

 

{the giveaway is now closed. thanks to all who participated.}

Gratitude. {and a little bit more}

Grat"i*tude\, n. [F. gratitude, LL. gratitudo, from gratus agreeable, grateful. See Grate, a.] The state of being grateful; warm and friendly feeling toward a benefactor; kindness awakened by a favor received; thankfulness.

That pretty much sums it up. Exactly how I feel right now...overflowing. I have such deep, deep gratitude for each and everyone of you who left such heartfelt and loving comments for me here, and for the many emails that both made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes with their touching words. Kindness awakened by a favor received. Such beautiful words...and the positive words and reassurance given to me yesterday, certainly awakened my soul to see the beauty and love out there. I can hardly express in words how I felt receiving each and every comments...but please know...each one touched me. And as I stated in the previous post...you are the reason I do this.

And being so filled with gratitude, I have something special coming later this week for you...so please check back for that...I don't want any of you to miss it! I think it will be something you will like...

But...in the meantime {I know what a tease am I!}...I wanted to share some other happenings over the past couple of weeks...

First...my sister-in-law had a birthday on the 13th. She is not only the loveliest woman, but also has such a beautiful sense of style and creative soul. I wanted to give her gifts that would really mean something and inspire her with her own artistic journeys...{she gave Josh an amazing work of art for Christmas that I simply must show you at some point...it is stunning...created with vintage finds and bits of nature}.

I found this really pretty vintage jewelry box at a sale sometime ago...just waiting to use it for something special. I knew the colors would be perfect for Rebekah....golds, yellows and browns...

It has many little compartments...which got me to thinking of perhaps filling it with little bits of "creative inspiration"...so that is what I did. I set to work finding treasures in a coordinating color palette...that could inspire her and perhaps one day become embellishments in her own creations.

Included were buttons, beads, vintage and new jewelry parts, vintage charms, seashells, feathers, vintage watch parts and clock faces {Joshua's contribution}...

...trims, a vintage bottle adorned with lace and buttons and filled with Lavender...Scrabble tiles spelling out "create"... 

I tucked an old photograph, vintage Victorian greeting, and Flinch number cards for her date of birth in the back, as well as a few more trims, and some rick rack.

 

It was filled to the brim with creative inspiration...all with her style in mind...

Then of course...it needed to be gift wrapped...

{The box on top held a vintage necklace I found for her}. I took an old linen and wrapped it like an envelope around the box, and pinned it together with a vintage hat pin and white fabric rose. And voila. What better gift to give than that of inspiration! And it can be accomplished for relatively low cost for those of us trying to save money these days...as inspiration can be found in the simplest of treasures...once you start to look...

I hope to give more gifts to inspire in the future...and the best part...if you are like me...it is so much fun pulling it all together and creating something beautiful with little bits of this and that!

The other "news of note" is not so much of the inspiring kind...but the furry, Cairn terrier kind...

Poor little Renoir had a torn nail last week on his back foot, and we ended up having to take him to the vet to have it cut. It was so sad to hear him yelp as they cut it...it seemed to last forever. Then the doctor came out and said..."Boy, he doesn't like to get his nails trimmed!" She said the first yelp was for the hurt nail...the rest...{for which I was cringing listening to in the waiting room} was just him complaining about getting his nails cut! That was a relief. But...he did get quite a bandage...and lots of babying around here...

He is completely back to his old self now...but I just had to share these photos of my baby with a bandaged foot!

Well, thank you again dear friends, for your love, support and encouragement! You ladies are the best. And don't forget to come back later in the week for the special surprise!

Till next time...

A Fresh Look...Take Two

Last week, many of you were so kind to come and compliment the fresh new look of my site. I was very happy with it and enjoyed it for the time being. However, a comment or two ended up coming in, that were of a criticizing nature...and not positive about it. I know in my heart that the design came purely from innocent intentions on my  part, to create a softer, "whiter" and cleaner look over at Painted White. This intention was questioned, however, and I felt that my integrity was also being questioned. This hurt. Deeply.

The site owner whom they were specifying it replicating, is actually, a friend of mine, and we do converse from time to time about life and design work, among other things. She felt that the design did not encroach upon her style or site, and believed that I was not trying to be anything but myself with my site and business. Even with her very positive reassurance, my confidence had dwindled, and I was reminded how much words can affect us.

The comments in question, came from bloggers whom I have never visited, and whom I believe are not regular visitors here...so they do not know me or my heart. I am still saddened as I write this because it has changed my feelings toward blogging. Until now, I have thought of this place {perhaps naively} as one of safety, encouragement, friendship, and where we uplift each other. Now, I am not so sure...and it will take a bit of time to get back to my old "blogging self."

Even though this was a harsh reality of life, I decided to try to look at it from a positive angle. I do not like the thought of even one person questioning my integrity, so I decided over the weekend to take a second look...with fresh eyes. This gave me time to reconsider the entire revising of the design, and helped me to realize that incorporating the newer version with the previous design may even be a better way to go. So that is exactly what I did. I even showed it to the site owner whom they referenced...and she gave full compliments on it and encouraged me not to lose confidence in spite of the negativity that I might face.

The second "fresh look" is up now...and I hope the rest of you enjoy it! I am still finishing up all the details, but for the most part it is good to go.

And I  want to note, that if you happen upon this blog, and don't like what you see or read, you should simply move on...and save your effort on writing a negative comment, to perhaps a positive note that you can leave on the next. {And any and all negative or criticizing comments will be quickly deleted}.

But for the rest of you...my dear friends and followers...I want to say thank you...to all of you who have made this blogging experience one of encouragement, kindness and generosity these past two years.

You are the reason I do it.

Till next time...

Nesting...

First of all...I must say thank you...a heartfelt thank you...to all of you who left such encouraging and uplifting comments on my last post. And thank you to all of the wonderful women who emailed me to tell me you feel the same...and for reminding me that I am not alone! I hope that by sharing my experiences it can help remind us all that we are all in this together...it's not a race or a contest...we each have gifts and abilities...and should remember when visiting others that it in no way diminishes our creativity or ideas...or means that "everyone else has it all together"...we are all in the same boat!

These past couple of weeks have been so refreshing for me because of such realizations and spending time reconnecting with my own muse. I have actually started tackling a huge project that I have meant to work on for about a year now {yikes!}...that being the organization and cleaning out of my studio. It is a large room {the master bedroom of our townhouse} and is filled to overflowing with supplies, would be projects, decor that has moved from the main living areas, and just general junk! I am about a third of the way through it and look forward to creating in my fresh clean space very soon. In the meantime, I have taken over the dining table for the past couple of months...and here are a few of the projects I came up with there...using items I found at arms reach...{our dining room is loaded now too!}

I have had nests on my mind...the one in the photos here is an abandoned nest that Josh pulled out of a tree for me last week..the same day we went on our "exploring excursion" for Renoir's birthday. It is my first "real" nest...and is so precious. The intricate work that goes into these inspired some of my latest work. One day while looking at my collection of vintage crochet thread balls, I came up with idea to turn them into "nest baskets"...this one is my favorite...in shades of white...simple...natural...

This design spurned on more thread spool "nests" in the same color palette. I was delighted to find in my collection of vintage thread spools, these natural white ones...

I also decided to play with color for a few...while the majority of my aesthetic is of a more neutral palette, I can't help but smile when I look at this one....I love the mixture of the yellow with a splash of red and the pale blue...

And green and pink have always been a favorite color combination of mine...with lots of vintage embellishments...

All of these "nesting" creations can be found in the shop! I hope you enjoy!

I have been working on a few other projects as well...getting some digital collage sheets created with my own personal ephemera and graphics. Being a web designer I am constantly adding to my collection of vintage ephemera, scanned in items, and cut outs from my own photographs. So these sheets are filled with rare items {not images you could find elsewhere for free on the internet like so many collage sheets I see for sale} and a lot of time goes into their creation so you are sure to get the best. They are filled with some of my favorite images and graphics and are currently available for use in personal art projects as well as art for sale {but not digital works or designs - I do have plans in the works to get some digital graphics added soon {with commercial use available} so be checking for those if you are interested in digital scrapbooking, or graphic, blog, or web designing}. Visit our Digital Studio to see the latest additions!

I have also listed a couple of Easter/spring themed blog banners...so if you like to switch things up for the holidays stop by to check them out!

Till next time...

Reconnecting...

Inspired by nature...life...the world outside...all things I have found myself drawn to lately.

Perhaps it began with the computer woes from last week...but I have felt the urge for awhile now...to get back to what's real...tangible...the scents, the sounds, the curiosity...

While blogging is one of my passions, lately I felt it weighing on me a bit...almost as if I am living my life "for my blog" and not the other way around. I find myself traveling to so many inspiring blogs and instead of leaving feeling inspired...I have left feeling down, feeling like everyone else has it "together"...has life the way it "should" be. 

In my mind I know this is not the case...and that all of of us only reveal as much as we are comfortable. I ,too, choose not to focus my posts on the less than desirable aspects of life...and focus on the good...the beautiful...the inspiring.

Over time, however, I have come to realize I have sadly neglected my "real" life...and have lost my original inspiration.......life. 

I know that life is a balancing act...and mine has gotten a bit off balance these past few months. Which is why, when the computer incident occurred, {under which normal circumstances I would have felt devastated...terrified...lost...handicapped in some way} now came as a welcome relief.

I was ready to let it go for a bit...and reconnect with life...

Working at home and in a cold climate keeps me indoors for days on end...but last Sunday...Renoir's birthday {when the computer failed}...I decided to go out...to do something that Renoir would love...

Explore...

These photos represent some of what we found that day...

It was very cold out...only about 25 degrees...but there was so much beauty to behold...

So, all of this is to say, that if you find I am away for awhile, or stretches at a time, just know that I am reconnecting and refocusing my priorities. I will still be blogging and will still be visiting all of my favorite spots of course....but without the "pressure" that I had been feeling before...

After all...there are so many adventures waiting to be had out there in this beautiful world of ours...just ask Renoir!

Till next time...

Computer Woes...

***UPDATE***

I'm back in the cyber world...at least...a little! We have our computer back and access to email again...{and blogs...yay!}...but our computer had to be completely reformatted so I lost many of the programs I use for design work. So...until those are reinstalled I cannot proceed with any design related work. But, I can process regular orders on the site again! I will put notification up on my site when everything is back to normal and design work can proceed as usual. Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes for us!

***

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to let you all know that our computer is on the fritz and is not currently working. We are having it looked into {and experiencing severe computer withdrawal}...and hope {and pray} that it will be back up and running later this week. This means, however, that I won't be able to check emails, get orders out, or read all of your blogs for a little while. I apologize profusely for any inconvenience this causes any of you {especially those waiting on design work....you will be my first priority when I return!}. Hope the rest of you have a better week ahead!

A Girl's Best Friend

Hours of relentless barking at the neighbors {or dogs on TV}...

Countless cherished items lost to a chewing fetish...

Too many pee stains on the carpet to count...

Thousands of dollars in expensive vet bills...

Three years with the most lovable and faithful companion a girl could ever have...

Priceless.

Happy Birthday Renoir! My favorite little man turns 3 today...and we are going to celebrate! Here are some fun photos of Renoir from the past few years...

 

"Sorry Mom"

  

Sporting Dad's sunglasses.

 

Watching the world go by.

 

Napping on his "cat" perch.

  

Stealing Mom's seat to check his email {ha!}.

Going for a ride.

Bonding...three years ago...when we just barely knew each other but our love was already so very strong.

Will share photos of the day's festivities later in the week! Off to kiss my birthday boy!