Full Moon

I usually take note of full moons ~ it's hard not to really, they're so beautiful and difficult to miss. The moon has always been a point of mystery to me and when I traveled gave me a sense of comfort and bearing. I remember visiting Australia and feeling horribly displaced because the moon's geography looked so different; gone was the familiar face I've seen all my life.

Do you see the"'man in the moon"? My son insists it's a dinosaur, no doubt due to a popular movie trilogy he grew up with. I've always seen the man ~ magickal and enchanting as a child and a bit sad and weary as an adult. Funny how life changes our perspective, but he's always been a familiar friend in the night sky.

Today's full moon is special too in that it's a Blue Moon ~ it's the second full moon of the month which doesn't happen very often. It also happens to fall on my brother's birthday today. We don't talk often and haven't seen each other in years but I still wish him a happy day and a wonderful year. So here's wishing him a very ♫Happy Birthday♫!

Enjoy~

Customer Shouts ~ a few "helping hands"

One of my favorite things to do in this business is help others with their blogs ~ whether it's fixing a problem or just making things pretty, it's fun to play the hero. Recently I've had several opportunities to do just that and I'm hear to share a few of those with you today.
The first is a family blog titled Stealing Mom and Other Telling Tales...

There I reset the template, set up my prefab Rose Garden theme and included a few coordiating custom items like her top navigation links, blog signature, and sweet blog badge.

During this project I also designed a new post divider to coordinate with my Rose Garden theme and you can now find that offered for free on the Rose Garden theme page by clicking here.
Next up was this fun project over at Flip Flops & Pop Tarts...

There I set the template with an extra wide layout to accommodate those gorgeous photos she shares about beading, art, and classes. Dawn selected my Treasures by the Sea prefab theme and I set that up along with a few additional custom items like her two-tier top navigation, blog signature and darling blog badge.
Finally we have Scrappin' Stuff 4 You...

This customer not only needed my help setting up a new template and my Emporium blog theme but also needed a little more personal attention. Being fairly new to blogging we setup one of my telephone tutoring sessions. Talking over the phone we worked through several items she was having trouble understanding and I was quickly able to teach her some much needed info to set her on her way in blogland.
These are just a sampling of the many Helping Hands projects I work on throughout a given month. If you are interested in finding out more about my Helping Hands you can click this link or just contact me.
Enjoy~

Words to Live By~

Recently I lost a friend and sponsor, Tami Lilly of Beyond the Lillypad. This is an excerpt from her birthday wish to me a few months back...

"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living. "Being ALIVE is a gift, being HAPPY is by choice!""

Certainly words to live by and she was like that, always thinking of others, always sharing insights, wisdom, and laughs. It makes me sad to feel there's one less person like her in this world ~ we need so many more.

I miss my friend a little more today that usual ~

A Sunflower

I was hoping to pull a few additional posts together this week but my resources just didn't pan out, so instead I'm posting a few photos of sunflowers from our garden.

Each year my son and I sit and plant sunflower seeds. It's something we've done ever since I can remember. It's his thing in the garden every year and I can't imagine our spring without it.

We've had a lot of mixed results through the years; from birds eating the seeds to squirrels running away with whole heads in their mouths. So it's usually a "hope for the best" while we hold our breath and wait. This year he had an especially successful crop and we couldn't be happier.

It means even more at this age ~ I guess because you don't expect a teenage boy man to sit down and plant seeds with you. That, and you don't know how many more springs he'll be doing it with you. So I guess it's just one of those treasures in life you take while you can get ~ kind of like that sunflower... you know sooner or later it will fade away but you'll always cherish it's beauty.

Flora Bowley Giveaway ~ shout out

I happened upon another wonderful giveaway and just had to share it with all of you. Personally I'm a lover of canvas art ~ whether it's painted or collaged in a variety of mediums, even in print the colors and movement carry over so beautifully! So, imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this fabulous giveaway being offered over at Tara Leaver's!

Tara is gifting a print of this marvelous Flora Bowley painting titled "Release and Grow" and not just any print but an exquisite professionally reproduced one in full color. If her works looks familiar then you may have seen it included in some of the gorgeous offerings over at Papayah!.

To enter just visit this link: http://taraleaver.com/2012/08/flora-bowley-giveaway/

Enjoy~

Dean Designs Giveaway ~ shout out

I'm just giving a quick shout out to my lovely sponsor Dean Designs who's currently holding a fabulous giveaway. It's not just any giveaway but actually her very first which makes it even more exciting.

She's gifting a lovely handmade "pursky & earring set, pictured below as well as a gift certificate to her Zibbet shop.


So stop on over to Dean's Designs for a chance to enter and win some of her gorgeous handmade creations!

Enjoy~

End of Summer Sale!

I'll be honest ~ I almost shutter at the thought of summer ending, I mean really, where did spring go??

Still time has a way of marching on, whether we like it or not and so it's time for another fabulous sale here at Plumrose Lane. I do like offering these savings because I know many of you wait for them and they're a great opportunity to snatch up some colorful goodies; like a new prefab banner or a lovely treasure for a special friend...

So here are the details ~ now through August 21st you can save 25% off everything in my Etsy shop. Just visit www.PlumroseLane.etsy.com and enter coupon code: SummerEnd2012 to save

Enjoy~

Time Away

I recently had to migrate over to a new computer and so that meant time away from my desk and work. Some of that time was spent out in the yard visiting with my garden and some napping neighbors on our front porch. Here are a selection of shots I captured from that time...

I've never seen these before and they're pretty creepy to see peeking out of the ground but I believe they're a type of fungus

Our visiting neighbors ~ brother and sister, they're simply adorable

Colorful Yarrow from my garden

I hope you're finding your own quiet moments of beauty this week!

Enjoy~

Fundamentals of Color ~ week 1

This week at Ai we began a new class studying the Fundamentals of Color and it's certainly one I've been looking forward to as I simply L♥Ve color! It was fascinating to learn about how color affects our decisions and buying habits and I completely identified when they discussed how it affects our moods as I feel such an emotional connection with color.

Our assignments included several color studies, ending with a monochromatic composition using the same hue with high and low key variations. Here is the low key version~

I chose to create a funky retro cityscape as I've always loved those scenes and this was loads of fun to create. It was simple and yet adding those little touches like the lit windows and street lights was simply delightful.

So that was this week's study in color ~ I hope you're all enjoying your own 'color-filled' week!

✻1000th Giveaway Winners✻

Yes... just as the title says, I'm hear to announce the winners for my 1000th Followers Giveaway, whoot! I simply couldn't be happier or more excited for everyone!

I want to thank all of you who participated in this event ~ it really means so much that you took the time to visit and Follow/Like my wonderful sponsors. Honestly, they're a huge help in enabling me to create and provide gorgeous images for blogland & beyond and I'm blessed to have them!

So without further adieu, here are the winners for this giveaway....

✻First prize of the "Rocket Science" woven wire bracelet goes to Magaly Guerrero of Pagan Culture!

✻Second prize with her choice of any key holder from my Etsy shop goes to "(Angie or Angela)" of Lilac Wolf!

✻Third prize of a $30 gift certificate to my Etsy shop goes to Elizabet of Dark is the Night Tonight!

A huge CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS to all of you!!

Enjoy~

In Peace

Rest in peace my dear friend, customer and sponsor ~

Tami Lilly

I will miss you, your creativity and your love for life.

School Update

I've just finished up one of my classes and wanted to share a bit of what we did. This class was title Fundamentals of Design and I found it really enjoyable! I was honestly amazed with out much I learned; about elements of design and the use of color. Through out the schedule classes we worked on several projects and here is a sampling of some of the work I created...

In the beginning we were only able to use black and white so that more attention was paid to the aspects of designs.

For this assignment we were to create a design that utilized strict formal, radial, or crystallographic symmetry, translation: it had to look the same on all sides, and I chose to create this organic composition.

Next we were to create an asymmetrical layout and I chose incorporate some of my existing design elements, namely the cute stockings from "Adventures of the Striped Stockings", to create some extra movement.

At this point we were able to introduce gray into our designs as we studied textures and depth ~ these are the two patterns I created for that study.

With the next study we were to take what we learned about depth and textures and create a realistic composition that utilized a one or two point perspective. I chose to tackle creating curtains and a wood floor for this stage setting. Several of my classmates felt sorry for the little boy until I reassured them that he was just a zombie looking for some fun playtime on stage.

This last piece was for my final project ~ we were to come up with a composition that utilized all of the design aspects we had learned and included color. I chose to create an image to replace the one I've been using in my banner since that was originally created for a customer. I love how it came out and am looking forward to getting it in place just as soon as I can.

We're beginning a new class today, Color Theory for Web and Multimedia, and I hope to have more chances to post as the course moves along rather than packing it all into one posting. I think this class will be fascinating and I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Enjoy~

One Thousand Followers Giveaway

Recently while checking into my blog I realized the Followers count was quickly nearing one thousand, holy smokes!! If you'd asked me two and a half years ago what I expected I can tell you I never would have imagined what an amazing journey this would be. This road has been filled with so many blessings; from the absolutely a-m-a-z-i-n-g friends and customers I've made and met to the incredible projects I've worked on.

Few know that many of the customers I work with have suffered great setbacks and heart ships, from victims of physically debilitating illnesses to emotionally devastating circumstances, they are an amazing group ~ each with a heart of gold trying to find a voice in this crazy online world. My job has been a blessing ~ truly. To enable these wonderful people to find a fitting backdrop for their stories in blogland or their small online businesses is nothing short of a delight and I am always immensely grateful. You've all been so wonderful! It's hard not feel as though this road has been paved with the wonder and beauty that only a divinely inspired journey could be.

To show my appreciation to all of you I'm holding a fabulous giveaway! It's a celebration of this creative journey, a way to say thanks to my wonderful (and creative) sponsors, and jam packed with goodies. So read on to find out how to participate for loads of chances to win some special creative treasures and have fun!

The Goodies
First prize is this fabulous handmade Woven Wire Bracelet titled "Rocket Science" featuring a wonderful artisan Lampwork focal bead by IrinaS. These bracelets are a huge hit in boutiques and art festivals and they shimmer at every turn. Their eclectic asymmetrical design and shimmering crystals make them a real eye catcher.

Second prize is one of my woven wire key holders ~ winner's choice! Yes, the winner will have her choice of any key holder listed in my Etsy shop ~ so you can pick and choose based on your favorite colors and elements (just like my custom themes, whoot!)

Third prize is a thirty dollar gift certificate good toward the purchase of anything in my shop. This is a wonderful gift because it can be used for so many different things; if you love my seasonal blog themes ~ pick up a selection of coordinating banners! Always wanted one of my custom themes? Save more than any sale through the year! Want to play with all of my digital collage sheets? Yep, you get the idea!

To Enter
Follow each of the steps below for chances to win and be sure to leave a comment for each item so all of your entries will count. Enter as little or as much as you like ~ it's up you!

1. Become a Follower of this blog and leave a comment on this posting

2. Visit each one of my sponsor's links below and either "Follow", "Subscribe" or "Like" then return to leave a comment after each one ~ each sponsor's visit will gain you one entry for a total of six entries.

Angels at My Door - Like
Austin Accents - Like
Crafting Granny's Card Shack - Follow
Dean Designs - Follow
League of Champions - Join Newsletter
Memory Bound - Like

3. Grab the badge and share it on your own sidebar ~ then let me know you did. (be far, it can't be buried at the bottom of a dead blog and yes... I check)

<center><a href="http://www.PlumroseLane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="1000 Followers Giveaway" src="http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy344/plumrose-lane/Badges/PrL-1000th_Follower_Giveaway-x150-1.png" /></a></center>

4. Post about it on your own blog ~ then come back and leave a comment so I know.

The Rules
This giveaway will run until Friday, August 10th midnight EST. Winners will be announced in a followup posting and will be contacted via email or blog comment. This giveaway has the same rules as all of my giveaways which basically are that you have to be an active blogger, with an active blog, and a functioning profile (picture included) to participate. To read more about the rules for this giveaway you can click here.

Thanks so much to all of you for joining, spreading the word and making this such a wonderful journey!

Enjoy~