and the winner is...

Drum roll please....
 
Remember my giveaway?  Yeah, I know, that was a while a go... It sorta took me a while...sorry I'm late...do we detect a theme here of lateness, but the winner is...........Nancy of Nickel Nook.
Congratulations!!  Nancy will be receiving a box of goodies...I thought that a box of someone else's stash is always fun....let's see what you can do with it, girl!


Blessings,

It's a Pleasure to Meet YOU!

I am so excited to be a part of Vicki's "Grow Your Own Blog" party!  Woohoo!  I thought that I would tell you a little bit about myself:
I love to shop AND I ADORE pink!



I collect a few things...
such as books (this is a great one)...
 
 Foxes (no, not the real thing ;0)



Dolls ( I love to make and collect them)
 (this is by a dear friend of mine, Char).  She has been featured in PRIMS (you go girl)
Dress forms (a girl can never have too many)



 I love to laugh


I kind of like coffee...a lot!



 I love perfume (and, I still believe in miracles)
 
I adore roses (and quotes)
 

My word is "hope" and I place my hope in Him
 
This verse is the name of my blog.  I believe in hope and encouraging others.  I have a heart for women who have endured challenges in their lives and have worked to overcome them.  I am inspired and humbled by many as they share their stories. 
Thank you so much for stopping by!

I will have a drawing for a giveaway.  It is a surprise.
It is such a surprise, that I am not even sure what it is yet....but, I am pretty sure that you will like it.

Blessings,

I'll be back

Don't you just love Arnold?!
Just a note to tell you that I will be back...need to do a few things. Thank you for stopping by and ALWAYS making my day.  I won't be gone long..ttfn

Luv ya. Mean it!
Blessings,

dare to make a difference

                                    i found it here
Perhaps this is a good New Year's resolution...

Blessings,

A New Years Blessing for You

As we say goodbye to 2012 and look toward the new year with hope, my prayer is that you will be blessed with His richest blessings!
Here are a few quotes I found to bring in the New Year.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan  (Frankly, I'm not a New Year's kind of girl, so I'm usually in bed by that time).

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce (I love this one...maybe I'll do more in my art journal for this one)

I Am the New Year
I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose. I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."

           i found it here
Blessings,

Isaiah 66:9

 
                                                   i found it here

Blessings,

Home for the holidays

 

Here is one of my creations.  She was a gift at one of those white elephant gift swaps - you know - the ones where you can steal someone else's gift?  It is fun unless you are the one that gets it stolen AND you really WANTED it.  I have been to three of those this month...sigh...=0)
Today we are posting about being home for the holidays and I cannot wait!  I love being home!  One of the things I would tell my boys when they were young is that home is a nice place to be.  One day we had gone to run some errands and we were just rounding the corner to our home and my oldest son 9 about five years old then) said, "There's home... a nice place to be."  It made my heart swell.
I hope you have a very blessed Christmas and that you can "be" with your loved ones even if it is in your heart.
Linking today with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Blessings,

Radiance

 

One of my students had this on her notebook and her brother in law had created it for her.  I just love the writing and how it was colored.  Of course, Mrs. Lewis had to ask if he would make her one.  Oh yes, I cannot wait to get it!  I looked up the meaning of the name "Esmerelda" and it means "emerald".  That would fit.  This young lady is a gem.  
In keeping with quotes, here is the quote for today:  Proverbs are mental gems gathered in the diamond districts of the mind.
Blessings,

Marvelous Monday

I am so far behind and I'm workin' like crazy.  Hmmm....perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew...again...
Anyway, just a note to say that I will be by soon!  Thank you for always stopping by and blessing me with your wonderful comments.
Here is a peek at some of what I have been doing...
 This is a repurposed clipboard with rhinestones on the clip and I used scrapbook paper and clippings from magazines on the actual board itself.

 This I love!  I have wanted to do some carolers for a couple of years now and I finally did.  Like me, they are a work in progress.  I am going to two parties and need a $10 gift to bring, so I am bringing these.

Thank you so much for taking a peek.  I hope you have a Marvelous Monday!


Blessings,

Deck the halls

Deck the halls with boughs of meee Holly, falalalala lala la la.
I'm getting ready to go and deck the halls
  

                  i found it here
 It was a little heavy, but I got it inside.

 Now, tell me, what do you think of this wreath?
 
              i found it here
 I wanted to make sure that when I showed people how I decked the halls, that I was also decked out.
Festive, don't ya think?

               i found it here
Tell me honestly, is it too much?  Does it hide my hips?

This one really is from my home....I decorate in pinks and greens, Victorian, angels, and anything along that theme.
Thank you so much for stopping by.  I have to go now, because I have got some shopping to do.  Please be sure to tell Beverly at How Sweet the Sound "hello" and Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

newlywed advice

I gotta admit that I am a quote-a-holic.  Is there such a thing?!  I love quotes.  Every day, I begin my classes with quotes and ask the students what they think each quote means.  This year has been fun trying to post quotes during the weekdays and I appreciate so much your staying with me and laughing or sharing your thoughts with me.  I have about three more weeks to come up with more quotes to share.  Let's hope I can stay with it until the end!  I think you'll like this one.  It cracked me up. . .it's advice you might give to a newlywed . . or not. . .
Are you ready. . .

Drum roll please. . . .

The first 50 years are the hardest. 
  
                              I found it here
 Doesn't that just crack you up?  See?  They are laughing. . .
Blessings,

and the winner is...

 

I am so late posting this - so sorry!! The winner of the giveaway I had in November is Jillian with Bella Rosa Antiques.  I hope you love it, Jil!  Thank you all so much for participating! You really do make my day with your kind words!

In keeping with my daily (almost) quotes, I found one I thought was fitting....it made me laugh anyway...
"I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."  (ROFL because I would be the jolly one)
Blessings,

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 
                                                             I found it here
Just stopping by to bring you some Christmas cheer!  Now please stop by and visit the other Pink Saturday participants - especially our lovely hostess, Beverly!
Blessings,

Pinterest Christmas

 I thought I would show you some of the great ideas that I have found on Pinterest in case you were feeling bored this month of December. (you know that was a joke, right?!)
I just need to find a cloche to do this one.

          i found it here
Isn't this a cute idea.  It reminds me of what I did one year.  I wrote in gold metallic (the names of friends I had invited over for a Christmas tea) on some ivory colored satin balls. I tied a gold bow at the top and presented them with their own personal ornament and ended it by saying: The ornaments of a house are the friends who frequent it.  Cute, huh?! =0)

             I found it here
Love this look
 
          i found it here
and last but not least

                 i found it here

Blessings,