Holiday Gifts - the cookie project

I've been busying myself with crafting an assortment of holiday gifts this year. It's been an especially tight one for my wallet which might mean cutting back on quantity but fortunately not quality.  This year a selection of family and friends will be receiving white boxes filled with homemade cookies.

I mentioned my cookie project a few weeks back and have since added this wonderful holiday magazine, A Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Candies, to my recipe repertoire.  It's been a super resource as I've worked my way through their extensive collection of tasty treats. My personal favs are the Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies (shown below), if you close your eyes they taste just like Milano cookies, minus the nuts, yummm!

The boxes I mentioned are now jam-packed with tasty treats and soon to be on their way.  I chose to do several layers of different cookies within each box and placed wax paper between the layers, adding in a few miniature Vanilla Butter Cookies with green and red icing for a colorful surprise.  I lined the boxes with a vinage-y printed tissue paper and finished them off with this printed announcement on the top.

Here is the actual announcement image which you're welcome to click on and save to use in your own holiday treat packs.

I have to admit I almost felt like Martha Stewart which made me laugh but in truth I'm so happy with how everything turned out.  It's amazing how a little extra work can enable us to make such a lovely and personal gift.  I think that's the best part about handmade ~ there's so much added "soul" put into everything we create. That's the fun part about sharing with other crafter/artists too, we understand what's behind the creation and appreciate it even more.

Best,

Some Fun ~ a Holiday Giveaway

I know the mood has been a bit gloomy around here lately... and I just couldn't be more appreciative of all your love and support ~ so I thought it might be nice to give a little back and have some fun at the same time!

Since I didn't get a chance to post a monthly giveaway and you're all so wonderful that I wish I could gift each and everyone one of you, I've decided to hold one fabulous giveaway with a selection of several lovely prizes ~ just in time for the holidays too! So here are the details, there are loads of ways to enter and win but first the prizes...

~The Prizes~

First Prize - Bracelet~
Some of you may not know this but long before I dabbled in Graphic Design I was a published Jewelry Artist. You could find my colorful handmade bracelets and key holders in jewelry stores, boutiques, and I loved participating in the art show circuit during the warm summer months as well. While time doesn't permit much playtime these days I still enjoy creating with lovely artisan lampwork beads and winding wire when time allows. And so one lucky winner will receive this one-of-a-kind wire wrapped bracelet...

Second Prize - Scarf ~
Next up we have one of my original woven fiber-wear scarves. My hands are seldom at rest but sometimes my mind likes to take a break from the computer and so when I'm relaxing I can often be found weaving one of these colorful delights...

They're luxuriously soft and super warm and one lucky winner will have their choice of any one they like from my Etsy shop.

Third Prize - Keyholder~
The next prize is one of my original wire wrapped key holders...

These key holders are incredibly whimsical and fun to use either as a keychain with a handy spring hook for hanging on your purse or if you're really hard on your keys they make beautiful sun catchers by hanging in your window and come with an alternative suction cup. One lucky winner will receive this prize.

Forth Prize - Gift Certificate~
Next up is a $20 gift certificate good toward the purchase of anything in my shop ~ yep, you can use it on digital images, some fabulous custom business tools, or toward some of my new trinkets and treasures ~ whatever you like! One lucky winner will receive this prize...

Fifth Prize - Digital Holiday Pack~
Lastly we have a selection of seasonal goodies which include three lovely vintage label sheets in red, green, and blue along with a set of my holiday bookmark/tags...

These all work so beautifully for seasonal gift giving and craft making and add that elegant personal handmade touch. One lucky winner will receive this prize.

So let's see... that's a total of 5 prizes ~ pretty sweet! Now let's move on to you enter...

~To Enter~

The first step is a must so I know that you've entered and every other step is to gain more entries if you'd like so enter as much or as little as you'd like, the choice is yours.

❀Be a Follower of this blog and leave a comment on this posting if you want to be entered for a chance to win. (Be sure to include your blog address or email so I can contact you if you win.)

❀Follow my Facebook page for an additional entry and leave another comment.

❀Follow my Twitter page for an additional entry and leave another comment.

❀Favorite my Etsy shop for an additional entry and leave a another comment.

❀Post the little badge below on your own blog for an additional entry and leave a comment. (And let's be fair... the badge needs to be posted on an active blog and towards the top of your sidebar)

<center><a href="http://www.PlumroseLane.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL Holiday Giveaway" src="http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy344/plumrose-lane/Badges/PrL-Holiday_Giveaway-1.png" /></a></center>

Just copy and paste the code above onto your own sidebar and if you need help, click here to view a a simple tutorial to install the code.

❀And here's the last step with some real fun... For every person you refer to this giveaway, I'll give you an extra entry yourself ~ just be sure they leave your name in their comment here ~ that's a must! So if you blog about the giveaway and 10 people enter and leave your name, you'll get 10 more entries without having to leave any more comments! Whoot!

~Other Info~

The giveaway will run from today through Sunday, December 11th, so all the prizes have time to arrive for the holidays. The winners will be selected by a random number generator and I'll post the giveaway winner names in a follow up posting, about a day or two after the giveaway ends to allow me time to tally up all the entries. All winners will be notified immediately and must respond within a five days of the announcement post or a new winner will be selected in their place. Prizes will be awarded in order as they appear.

So... that's it~ 5 fabulous prizes, loads of ways to enter and win! I hope we all have tons of fun with this and you spread the word too, but most of all I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated! Good luck everyone!

Enjoy~

More Magic - gifts of the heart

Following on the heals of the magical blog party I just participated in I have some personal magic of my own to share... this is the type of magic where generosity and kindness prevail in the form of lovely friends and gifts.

The first I would like to mention is this beautiful painting sent to me by the wonderful and talented Lisa of The Wright Stuff. Lisa titled this painting Plumrose. I can't begin to tell you how insanely gorgeous this painting is in person and wish you could see the detail for the hair to the hauntingly beautiful eyes. I love, love, love this piece and am thrilled beyond words to own one of her fabulous paintings.

The next gift was in the form of a lovely and thought filled gift from my friend Paula of Tattered Gold. I received the most enchanting envelope with beautiful ribbon and handmade adornments which now hang from my inspiration board. Inside was a magnificent quilled card of great sentimental value. I was utterly speechless and completely filled with joy, humility, gratitude and flowing tears. There were two lovely personal notes inside that completely touched my heart.

I plan on framing both of these beautiful pieces so that they will last a lifetime.

Gifts of the heart are truly awe-inspiring. They bring us to our emotional knees making us stop and take pause of the beauty in our lives and fill our hearts with a sense of humility and gratitude. I find this to be the case, not only with material gifts but with the heartfelt sentiments I receive from friends and bloggers. This truly is an extraordinary community of souls who have the power to touch each others lives in such profound ways to bring beauty, love, and magic into our personal worlds. Thank you to these lovely ladies for their immensely generous gifts and to you all for being the beautiful spirits behind the magic in blogland.