Gift from an Angel~

I just received the most amazing 'gift'! My sweet friend Angie of Artangel has been participating in a Pay-it-Forward challenge in the month of April ~ basically she's offered a selection of her gorgeous creations for free through her Etsy shop.

Today was the last day and her offering was this gorgeous "Love" painting/collage. I'm a huge fan of my dear friend's work and have been collecting her pieces over the years.

When I heard she was offering up this gorgeous piece (one of my very favorites) as her last PIF, I just had to stalk her shop and sure enough, I got it!! Whoot!! I'm now the new owner of this fabulous Artangel creation and just couldn't be happier!!

So a huge thanks to the Angie for choosing to participate in this give-forward event and the angel who helped me click that buy button at just the right time♥ What a wonderful gift after this l-o-n-g week!

I'm sure you'll want to view more of Angie's gorgeous creations like this newly finished piece "Unwritten Poem" ...


I just love all the intricate details she includes in her work! This piece along with another will be appearing at an open exhibition in the UK this week, so here are the links to visit her blog and shop ~ www.artangeloriginalart.blogspot.com & www.Artangel.etsy.com to find out more.

Enjoy!

Brighter Days...

Well it's been quite a week and in the end I've learned so much ~ nothing like learning our lessons out here for all to see but really that was one of my lessons: "Wait until you know something is certain before blogging about it." *wink* I'm back to working from home and that's ok ~ while I really enjoyed so many aspects of it, that particular job wasn't meant to be.

I honestly can't thank you all enough for your support ~ both in the news of getting the job and then when I reached out for some much needed 'friend-love'. Your comments of encouragement, love, and support are always so empowering to my sometimes weary soul. I only hope I can be the same for each of you. Thank you♥

On a happier note, my Spring Giveaway is still going on through Sunday. All you really have to do is leave one comment to be entered so here's the link: www.plumroselane.com/2012/04/giveaway-time.html I love giving treats to others (who doesn't, right?!) so please enter if you get a chance.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Enjoy~

Image credit: I can't recall where I found this image so if you know who credit goes to, please let me know so I gave it ~ thanks♥

This Week...

is difficult. I wanted to post something but just wasn't sure what to write ~ I just know you guys always make me feel better. It's kind of like that safe place where you can let your hair down, be with friends, and share smiles, tears and hugs.

You ever have one of those days... or weeks... or years... where you just can't seem to catch your breath. Yeah... me too.

I had high hopes for this week but it's just chalking up to be so tough. Here's hoping you're all enjoying a much better week ~ I miss you guys.

And on a happier note ~ don't miss a chance to enter my current giveaway for a chance to win... see the post below.

Giveaway Time~

It's time once again for a new giveaway and what better time than with the ushering in of spring we've seen around here these past few weeks. So let's celebrate with a smattering of spring inspired goodies, whether you're entering into this season like my northern hemisphere friends and followers, or welcoming cooler days ahead like so many of my lovely southern hemisphere friends down under, it's a great time to welcome in change with a nest of giveaway goodies!

Prizes

First prize will be the choice of any one of the handmade key holders from my shop...
Second prize will be this selection of seasonal digital images including my new "editable-printable" versions which are perfect for inserting your own text for personal labels or tags...
And finally I'm offering up one $10 gift certificate good toward the purchase of anything in my shop...
One unique winner will be selected for each prize.

How to Enter

First be a Follower and leave a comment on this posting ~ that will gain you the required entry for a chance to win one of the prizes.
More Chances to Win~
Now I know some of you LoVe to earn more chances so you can select to do one or all of the following to gain more entries. Each will give you an additional entry as long as you come back and leave a new comment for each thing you did so.
Post the button below on your blog's sidebar* or blog about the giveaway to share with others...

<center><a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL Spring Giveaway" src="http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy344/plumrose-lane/Badges/PrL-Spring_Giveaway.png" /></a></center>Just copy the code below the image into a Blogger html/java script sidebar gadget or see this tutorial for help to install.
Visit and "Like" my Facebook business page:
http://www.facebook.com/plumroselane

or if you've already done that then befriend my personal Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/sharonfromplumroselane.
Visit and Follow my Twitter page: http://twitter.com/plumroselane
Visit my Etsy shop and add it to your Favorites and/or your Circle.
Still Hungry for More??
Yes, I know some of you just love more chances so here they are! For those of you who just can't get enough and want even more entries, this part if for you ~ If you've done all of the above and still want more entries then simply visit each of my wonderful Sponsors listed below:

Memory Bound
CraftingGranny's Card Shack
Beyond the Lillypad
Austin.Accents
Shabby Chick Gifts

Visit their link and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know one thing you saw while visiting that you absolutely loved. It can be something they have for sale or a particular creation they made. Just something that lets me know you visited and stayed for a time.
Do this and you'll receive 3 extra entries for each sponsor you visit!

Wrap Up

Ok... that's about it ~ *just be sure to checkout the rules section for more detailed info on my giveaways since these are only open to bloggers who have a functioning active blog that's designed for more than just entering giveaways.
The giveaway will run through Sunday, April 29th and I will announce all three winners in a follow-up posting so you can watch for that. In the meantime have fun and enjoy life's changes as they come!
Enjoy~

A Job...

as in, I got one! Yep, me... I got a job ~ a 'real' job! It's been 6 1/2+ years since I began working from home and I simply couldn't be happier to get back out there and spread my wings a bit.

So... what will I be doing you might ask? I will be working as the Website Manager for a high end retail store in Pittsburgh, whoot! What won't I be doing?? Working seven days a week anymore, whew! This schedule has been a killer and I can't wait to have a little more free time on my hands to spend with family and friends. Heck, just being able to relax a bit and not worry so much about where my next sale will come from will be wonderful.

I'd love to share the location but it's a bit hush-hush until I begin next week. In the meantime I'll be wrapping up some of the custom orders I've been working on and reorganizing things a bit to accommodate my new schedule. My Etsy shop will remain open and I'll still be accepting customer orders just not at the workload I was before.

I love the schedule too ~ it's a few days in-store and the rest working from my own little studio, which I think is a perfect segue back into the workplace.

So here's to new ~ and very unexpected ~ beginnings, I'm looking forward to sharing my new experiences with you all I having more time to visit your blogs too!

Enjoy~

PS. Keep your eyes open for that giveaway... I'll be posting it this week as promised, in a day or so!

Recipe for Love

One of the fun steps for collecting info for custom blog themes is when customers share some of their favorite links ~ recently one customer shared some wonderful videos she enjoys on YouTube. I don't often get a chance to peruse YouTube, just not enough time, but I happened upon this delightful treat and just had to share.

I enjoyed it not only for it's visual appeal but for it's charming editing and story telling as well.

Enjoy~

Giveaway Winner and Goodies

Wow, I just found out I was one of the lucky winners over at the 13 Alternative Founry's giveaway, what a hoot! Soon I'll be donning these darling UK earrings ~

they're really cute, aren't they?!

It's been eons since I won anything and funny enough I happen to be in the progress of putting together my own spring giveaway so maybe you'll join me in being a winner soon too!

You can look for that posting next week and in the meantime here's some new wrist candy I just posted in my Etsy shop...

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy~

Sound of a Smirk

Shed Off Old Skin ~ That's the title of my son's new single, just released on iTunes and destined to be a new alternative hit, but then what isn't in this proud Mom's heart! I had the pleasure of creating the album art but this posting isn't about that~

Jesse spent some time in the recording studio with this song and the mix is simply wonderful! He's found a new producer and plans on recording several of his original songs in the studio to come out with an EP ('extended play' for us dinosaurs) later this year. I really love the quality of this song and how it builds, I described it as a full bodied wine and he was pleased with that. It probably shouldn't amaze me that he wrote all the music and lyrics but it does ~ certainly a talent I don't possess.

So if you've got 99 cents to spare and wish to listen to a wonderfully talented alternative artist then hop on over to iTunes and grab a copy of Sound of a Smirk's Shed Off Old Skin ~ here's the link. Oh and if you're someone who enjoys Facebook here's the link to his FB page - www.facebook.com/theSoundofaSmirk.

Enjoy~

The Tuna Fisherman

I have to laugh as the title for this post seems so out-of-character for my blog but way up north in a beautiful area known as Prince Edward Island resides one of my recent customers...
You see it seems a tuna fisherman wandered into my Etsy shop one day a few weeks back and what began as a simple logo revision & business card order soon turned into a whole boatload of work! What followed were a series of projects that have taken up a good bit of my time over the past month or so ~ from a Facebook cover image to rack cards and even large display banners for print, this wonderful customer has had all sorts of interesting projects that have filled my days and a few very long nights.

The projects have been fun, challenging, and oh-so-different from my usual work but it's always great to step out of our comfort zones once in a while and dabble in unknown seas.

So if you happen to find yourself around the beautiful Prince Edward Island area, then look up Mike the fisherman from Top Notch Tuna Charters and tell him I said "hi".

Enjoy~

Happy Weekend

To all of you wonderful friends, Followers, visitors, and passersby ~ whether you're celebrating Passover, Easter, or just a lovely spring weekend ~ I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend from our garden to yours...

Enjoy~

Spring Break Sale & New Goodies

We've finally come upon spring break in our household and I couldn't be happier. The least favorite part of my day is when the alarm clock goes off each morning at 6:30 and my son & I set of to get him out the door to school. For the next 6 days we get a break from this labor of love and simply couldn't be happier, whoot!

So to celebrate I'm holding a spring break sale! The timing couldn't be better as I've just finished creating some lovely new treasures so it's a great time to pick up a gift for a friend or a treat for yourself~

There are a selection of new blog images, new EDiTaBLe-PRiNTaBLe tags & labels, and lovely new selection of springtime treasures, all posted in my shop.

To save 25% off everything in my Etsy shop, simply enter coupon code: Springbreak2012 during checkout ~ now through Monday April 9th.

Enjoy~

New Customer Shout Outs

As promised I have a few more customer shout outs to share with you. These projects were especially unique in that each one stretched my skills and abilities but in the end we're all super happy with the results so here they are...

The Lantern Bearers

Created for a wonderful non-profit organization this theme took several turns during it's creation but in the end the customer selected to go with a look reminiscent of Maxfield Parrish's beautiful painting by the same title. The trickiest part about this theme was creating the lanterns from scratch but I absolutely love the final outcome and their luminescent appearance.

Beyond the Lillypad

Next up is this Etsy shop set and ad button created for Beyond the Lillypad. For this project the customer was looking for something detailed and whimsical, much like the butterfly image in my banner originally for Good Morning Butterfly and so this theme took on a life of it's own as the various images and techniques were 'sewn together' to create an other-worldly environment.

Memory Bound

The last item up is this blinkie button I created for Memory Bound. I usually don't show the many buttons and badges I create but this little guy is unique in that it's the first "blinkie" I've ever created. It doesn't seem to work in this posting but you can see it working there on my right sidebar under the Sponsors section.
I'm really excited to have learned this new technique because it opens up a whole new world of creative fun for me and adds one more item to the plethora of goodies I can offer my customers.

So that's it for this posting of customer shout-outs, thanks so much for stopping and taking a peek and I hope you'll have a chance to stop and visit all of these wonderful sites too! Until next time~

Enjoy!