Happy post-Valentine's Day to...

Paula Bakies


Your name was chosen (by my youngest, Ben) as the winner of my Valentine’s Day giveaway! I will get in touch with you to deliver this custom-made Seashell pillow from my design collection. As promised, I have posted the remaining items on my Etsy shop and will be adding other items from my design inventory throughout the week. Thanks to everyone who entered and who have been following my blog : )

xo Yvonne

Valentine's Day at the Stevens Estate

My Valentine’s Day gift to the Estate:
Newly designed side chairs with estate monogram
and a reversible coordinating table cloth.
(check out the before shot here)
Acorn Interiors: upholstery and table cloth
Threads Couture: embroidery
TaggArt Studio: painting

Last night I enjoyed a special Valentine’s Day reception at The Stevens Estate in North Andover (thanks for the invite goes to the lovely estate manager, Laura Gifford). There was a delicious meal catered by A Day to Remember (I wish I had taken some pictures of the elegant presentation of the food, but check out their website for some mouth-watering visuals ... yum!) and a local band, Music Street, played some jamming tunes. As one of the decorators at the estate, I decided to celebrate the evening by offering a special prize to one lucky guest ...

Many guests dropped their business card or a complimentary raffle ticket into this glass hurricane with the hopes of winning a chic and delicious Chocolate High Heel Shoe (filled with chocolate truffles!) that I picked up at The Chocolate Truffle in Lynnfield (other Massachusetts locations include Reading and Winchester).

And the winner is ...
R. Smedile!

*I will give you a call to arrange pick-up*


For those of you who did not win, pick up a shoe of your own (or a pair!) at The Chocolate Truffle. They have lots of great goodies for the Valentine in your life or when you are in need of a chocolate fix. Tell them you read about them here : )


For another chance to win a special prize, there is still time to enter my Valentine’s Day Giveaway. The contest ends February 14th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be announced on February 15th. Good luck!


– Me with my Valentine –

Today’s post sponsored by ...

Beth Hylan Design Studio
“Love Letters” Trunk Show 2.13.10

We reflect those who surround us ...

I picked up another orchid on Thursday. I didn’t plan for this shot to come out as dramatic as it did, but I love when something unexpectedly good happens! Another good thing that happened yesterday was that I was mentioned by Boston designer/blogger Linda Merrill during yesterday’s Skirted Roundtable podcast! Linda, Joni and Megan discuss the pros and cons of blog giveaways (be sure to enter mine which ends at 11:59 pm EST on Feb. 14th and theirs which ends on Thursday, Feb. 18th ;) I was happy to be one of the lucky winners of their last giveaway. Who doesn’t like to win a prize??? I must admit, I have not outgrown my love of receiving a good present!



A card that I found at Pier 1 that I had to have ...
I always say that I am the Queen in this house of all boys,
although most days I feel more like the maid!

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to think about who we love to spend time our time with (and then reward them with chocolates, flowers and sparkly items!) When you like to be around someone, they bring out the best in you and right back at them. I love that I am “meeting” new people in the blog world that are inspiring me with their posts. I especially love when someone posts about a topic I have been thinking about. And a lot of the time I find myself writing a post that has been influenced by the posts of others that I have been cyber-absorbing. Thank you to everyone out there who has been sharing their talents and their stories. It is nice to be “surrounded” by so many sparkling individuals!

Love letters show ...

I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking today. I took these photos on Saturday at Beth Hylan’s “Love Letters” Trunk Show at TaggArt Studio in Wakefield. I am always amazed at the unique ways that Beth combines vintage paper, jewelry pieces, and other odds and ends to create miniature works of art.

Precious.
Charming.

Adorable.

Signs of affection by Mary Taggart

Call Beth at 781.246.8552 to check on the availability of items pictured in today’s post. To be informed of upcoming shows visit her website to sign up for email notification. And if you are feeling creative, check out the schedule at TaggArt Studio (I will post a series of photos of my own “artwork” soon!)


My gift to you: enter to win my Valentine’s Day giveaway! Feel free to share the love : )

A blogger's Valentine giveaway ...

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature
and embroidered by imagination.

– Voltaire

Dear Readers, I am giving away a small token of my affection in honor of Valentine’s Day 2010! On February 15th one lucky follower will be chosen to receive a decorative item that I personally designed (the sewing, however, was left to a professional!)

To enter this sweet giveaway there are three rules:

1. Be an official follower of my blog

2. Post a comment saying which of these items is your favorite and mention where you might use it

3. To receive the giveaway item, the winner (who will be chosen by a random drawing) must provide a shipping address in the United States. If the winner resides outside of the United States, there is a separate prize (but still feel free to comment on which item is your favorite).

Here are the choices ...

Choice Number One:
A pair of vintage tea towel pillows. Tea towel fabric on front with pink chenille on back. Down-filled, trimmed in red. Zipper at the bottom.

Choice Number Two:
“Monkey Love” Bundle

One banana-yellow down-filled bolster ...


wrapped in a snuggly child-size throw designed with a playful monkey flannel on one side and a brown faux fur fabric on the other. Bonus: one monkey mask.

Choice Number Three:
“Best Friend” Framed Fabric Art

Choice Number Four:
Seashell Pillow (Shells on front, blueish-green fabric on back). Made with indoor/outdoor quality fabric, zipper on bottom, welted in a vintage seafoam green and white striped fabric. Poly form pillow insert.

And if your name is chosen and you live outside of the U.S., you will receive three matted wallpaper prints (shown above in shadowbox frames – sorry, frames will not be included in prize shipment).

The deadline to post your comment is 11:59 pm EST on February 14, 2010. The winner will be announced on Monday, February 15, 2010. Winner must then provide shipping address to me via e-mail in order to receive chosen favorite. Items not chosen by the winner will be listed for sale on Etsy. Good luck and thanks so much for reading my blog!

xoxo
yvonne

Fresh paint, fresh flowers

Dear Blog: To make up for my recent absence, I am posting some flowers for you. There is nothing like citrus-y orange and lime colored blooms to brighten up a winter interior! And just to show you that I am committed to keeping my promises, I am also posting photos of my first end-result for Resolution #4: I will set aside time to tackle at home design projects.

The most difficult part of this project was just dedicating the time to prep, paint and clean-up. When I take everything out I have to be sure to leave ample time to put it all away before my little whirlwinds get off the bus ... or there will be consequences!

Now isn’t that much better?



I haven’t gotten around to Resolution #5: update family photos (the boys are about three years older than they are in these photos) but I am working on it!

I used a pair of bunny bookends on either side of this grouping of three square vases to make this long and low arrangement. At the bottom of each vase I added river stones to hold the stems in place. It almost looks like the bunnies are out in the garden!

Is anyone else dreaming of spring about now???


There is great blog I have been following, written by Australian interior designer Anna Spiro titled Absolutely Beautiful Things that showcases a different arrangement of flowers on Fridays, views from her shop Black & Spiro, and other design inspirations.

Visit her musings-from-down-under
for a real visual treat : )

Have a good day!

It must be love ...

Vintage paper art and
jewelry by Beth Hylan


You know it must be love when all you do is think about the next time that you can be together.



You know it must be love when you want to share everything that is important to you.




You know it must be love when you start to feel lost without the other.



You know it must be love when you make up reasons to spend time together.


I have been feeling lost without you, Blog! Please forgive me for abandoning you for over a week!!!! I have been thinking about you constantly. There has been so much going on that I want to tell you about, but I just need a little more time to get my thoughts together. Please don’t leave me for another! Knowing that you are out there really means a lot to me ...

xoxo
Yvonne



Beth Hylan Design Studio

“Love Letters Trunk Show”

Saturday, February 6, 2010
Noon to 4pm

TaggArt Studio, Wakefield
781.246.8552