Wishes and Thanks

It's been an amazing year on so many levels ~ from learning new skills to making new friends and the projects... oh my, the projects.  So I'm just hear to say a very humble thank you to all of you for making this year so memorable and blessed. Of course it had it's share of struggles and heart-ships, don't they all, but this world we share in blogland has a way of turning mud into honey and I'm always so grateful for that gift.

image from jacquielawson.com

Life is always filled with so many possibilities so here's wishing you a New Year filled with embracing those moments and an unending supply of inspiration and love, seasoned with laughter!

Best,

New Prefab Themes

As I've been working through my prefab themes to switch everything over to work with the newer Blogger templates I've also been taking the time to create a few new prefab themes. This was one part of my work that I let fall to the side with the increase in custom projects last year. I'm happy to be putting more focus on this part of creating ~ I always have so many ideas flying around in my head that it's nice to let a few out.  So here is a sampling of some of the new themes you can find under the Themes section...

Cotton Delight

I originally created this theme as a subtle backdrop for the blog I use to create screenshots for my tutorials.  After several requests from followers I've now published this for public use.

 Fanciful Filly

 I've wanted to do a horse theme for such a long time and am happy to finally have a start. I'm looking to add more color selections of this in the near future.

Winter Wonder

 I was a bit ashamed of the meager offering I have for winter themes so this is hopefully the first of several new ones to help us warm the winter months and chance those wintery blues away.

Providence

 This theme was a custom reject ~ yes, I actually get those from time-to-time.  A giveaway winner decided to keep her own blog theme so all of the elements are free including the banner.

I'll have more coming in the future as I continue to work my way through the sea of themes and backgrounds.  I hope you enjoy these new looks and all the goodies they include!

Best,

More Cookies With a Little Helper

My oldest son was in town with his family visiting over the holiday this week. We enjoyed a modest Christmas filled with good food and company.  With the absence of my granddaughter it happened to find a new helper, my grandson. 

 

  

Not even 2yrs yet, he's already pretty handy with cookie cutter and especially liked collecting them. 

 

It seems more of the flour found it's way onto his shirt than the counter...

 

and the end result were some pretty darling treats...  

 

~ most delicious of all, him...

I hope you're having a wonderful week and enjoying your own precious moments!

Best~

Merry Christmas

For all of my lovely friends and followers who celebrate, here's wishing you a very ~

image - jacquielawson.com

Best,

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,

Custom Order of a Different Sort

Over the past six weeks I've had the pleasure of working on a very lovely custom order set.  A new customer had visited my Etsy shop and fell in love with the "Delicate Walk" bracelet ~

...her hope was to have me create a coordinating necklace.  I quickly got to work contacting the focal bead artist, the most amazingly talented Zuda Gay, to see if she could create a matching focal pendant. These type of flower focals can be tricky because the artist uses polymer canes and once the original color combination is used up it can be tough to recreate.  Fortunately Zuda was able to accommodate my request and within a short time the new focal had arrived.

From there it was a matter of coming up with some coordinating side beads.  I original made the side beads I used in the bracelet but being without a proper torch or annealing kiln these days, I needed to find an alternative source.  Fortunately there are a few beading artists I like on Etsy and so within a few weeks several custom lampwork bead orders began to arrive.

The assembly was exciting and fun ~ it's wonderful to see a project you've worked on for some time, finally all come together.  The end result is this matching set that both the customer and I love.

I hadn't realized how similar these type of projects are to the custom order blog themes I create but they too possess the ability to create something truly special for someone and to connect with the person I'm creating for ~ I think in this crazy busy world we share, that's a true gift in itself.

Best,

Painting!

Wow! I had no idea painting could be so much fun!  Sure I've touched brush to canvas before but honestly it's been so long I really can't remember the last time. I recently picked up this great little starter kit which included a selection of acrylic paints and 9 small canvases.  It was an absolute steal at 50% off and since I've had painting on my mind over the past several months I snatched it up.

Those canvases have been all but screaming at me lately so I finally took some time over the weekend and gave it a try.  Here are a sampling of my first attempts...

I had fun including different elements ~ for example the painting below is titled "Break-time" and includes espresso coffee grinds and pomegranate rose tea.  I have a collection of rose petals from my garden so I included a few of those and one is even heart shaped...

I think I love mixing colors the most ~ it's just so much fun to watch the swirling colors mingle and blend to create new shades and patterns.  The bottom one is titled "Winter Rose"...

This one is my son's favorite, probably for the dark browns and greens with vintage imagery and watches, he's always favored that style...

Now the trick is figuring out how to properly photograph them ~ it seems I don't have a white wall in house (hmph!) but I hope to get that figured out soon.

I want to thank Angie of Artangel and Lisa of The Wright Stuff for all their help and tips on getting started with this medium.  Both of their work have served as strong inspirations to me in the past and I really appreciate all the help with answering questions and offering up creative advice ~ thanks ladies!

Best~

New Trinkets & Happy Holidays Sale!

I just finished creating a new selection of my handmade key holders and I absolutely love how they came out!  That shimmering beauty in the bottom right corner already sold...

That's because I'm holding my Happy Holidays Sale with 30% off everything in my Etsy shop!! It's a great time to save BiG on all sorts of goodies ~ from a new blog look to custom print images, like business cards and event banners, or one of my fabulous handmade treasures. 
You can even save on gift certificates! 

So just stop by my Etsy shop at  www.PlumroseLane.etsy.com and pick up some gorgeous goodies (even if it's a treat for yourself ~ you know you deserve it!) and best of all they'll still arrive in time for Christmas!

Enjoy~

Customer Shout Out!

Once again I have the pleasure of giving a few shout-outs to some recently completed projects.  These are always so much fun because not only do I get to show off some fun themes I've been working on but I get to introduce you to some really wonderful creative souls!

Projeto Corujinho

First up is this theme created for Projeto Curinho.  Now if htat title sounds a bit foreign, it's because that's Portuguese.  Not many of you may know that I lived in Brazil many years ago so this project was extra special to me.  This blog theme was created around a charitable cause ~ offering golfing lessons to underprivileged children in Brazil.  Visiting the blog you'll see photos of the children having fun and it's easy to see how much this special project means to all of them!  I was honored to have an opportunity to work on this theme.

The Johnson Family Live

Next we have The Johnson Family Live ~ a delightfully homey blog centered around family, fun, and food.  If you've ever had a project just flow then you'll understand how happy I was when this one simply fell together at every turn.  The end result is a wonderfully elegant yet down-to-earth theme that offers a cozy backdrop to this fabulous family's life and adventures.

Bonnie's Heart & Home

Lastly we have Bonnie's Heart and Home ~ it's funny how some themes just seem to take a bit longer, not because of any one particular aspect or cause but simply how putting the individual theme plays out and this theme was one of those. Starting on our journey nearly a year ago, Bonnie and I worked together to bring her personal vision of home and spiritual beliefs together in one lovely theme.  The outcome was a multifaceted theme that fits her lovely style to a tee.

As always a huge thanks to my wonderful customers, not only for selecting me to create for them but for allowing me the honor of bringing their personal visions to life ~ it's always such a pleasure! I do hope you'll take the time to visit each of these wonderful blogs and comment and Follow ~ it's one of the ways we can reach out and make this blogging community a little more friendly and personal. 

Enjoy~

Print-Your-Own and Save!

Did you  know I offer print-your-own cards, labels, tags? Yep, for most of us time, money and the environment are all precious commodities.  I love these sets because you buy them once and print them over and over again so they save on all three!

Many of come in an EDiTaBLe format too ~ this is where you can actually type your own message, title or name on  the image and then print them out.  It's super easy and you can use them over and over again.  They look wonderful and so elegant!

You can find a wide selection of these goodies in the "Print-Your-Own" section of my Etsy shop.  Here's the direct link to my shop for those of your using portable devices: http://www.PlumroseLane.etsy.com

Enjoy~

Supporting & Sharing

A few weeks ago I posted about my dear friend/customer Linda who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.  I can't thank you enough for all your prayers and messages on her behalf.

Linda has just started her treatments and as is the case in this day and age, has written a blog post about her first chemo treatment.  I find it so amazing that we really don't  have to travel down any roads alone anymore. With a few clicks of a keyboard we have the opportunity to share our stories with others. This not only helps us 'get through' tough times but it can serve as a beacon for others who are going through similar situations. What a gift.

Linda's sharings are heart warming and humorous and I'm sure you'll find them the same. If you'd like to keep up on her progress and leave some supportive comments you can visit her blog at this link: http://www.stealingmom.com/

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

New Seasonal Themes

There must be a good 25 themes roaming around my brain at any given time.  It's not that I don't want to set them free, it simply boils down to a lack of time.  So you can imagine the resounding cheers from my muses as I've finally created some new themes ~ what a delight to finally set a few free. Themes that is, not faeries.  And it's just in time for holidays too which is great since I can't remember the last time I created a new prefab holiday theme!?!

So here's the new assortment of seasonal goodies, just in time to spruce up your blog...

Glitter and Ice

Country Christmas

Blitzin'

 

...and hopefully I'll have a chance to set a few more free in the very near future, we have to beat Santa's sleigh now! To view the individual themes simply click on the images or titles above.

Enjoy~

Tutorial Revisions and Update

One of the trickiest parts about blogging over these past years has been trying to figure out how to offer snippets of Html code within my blog posts. If you've ever tried to do this it's a real headache because our blog posts are written in the same language so a simple snippet of code inserted within a blog post can easily be mistaken as part of the posting itself. It's been an especially big stumbling block with my most recent tutorial How to: Setup the Picture Window Template.  I feel awful for any headaches my previous tutorials have caused as I try to offer helpful assistance, not additional headaches.

The good news is that thanks to Rajib over at Techncom I've finally successfully overcome the issues, whoot!  Now, my tutorials will include the required Html code directly within the postings so there's no more cumbersome downloads and additional files to hassle with.  So if you've tried my newest tutorial, How to: Setup the Picture Window Template, and struggled in the past please give it another try.  You'll find it works great now without the error messages.  I even had it successfully tested by a novice with no Html or blogging experience and they were able to successfully setup and modify the "Picture Window" template, whoot! 
Here's the direct link for those of you using your mobile devices: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-setup-picture-window-template.html

Enjoy~

Thanksgiving and a Lens

One of the big treats for the holidays is spending time with my daughter-in-law.  With  her innate artistic abilities she fits beautifully into our outside-the-box family.  She's currently studying for her degree in Photography and so you can imagine what an added bonus her talents are around the holidays.  Her is a small selection of her wonderful imagery... 

welcoming...

entering...

 

smiling...

baking...

refreshing...

waiting....

playing...

conspiring...

 

clowning...

 

jumping...

catching...

sharing...

lifting...

 resting...

Best~