Monogrammed and Fancy Keychains!

I have a new item in my etsy shop! I have created monogrammed and fancy keychains!! I love working with glass tiles and I love making keychains, so I combined the two! I only have 2 keychain styles for sale right now but I will be making more this week and posting on etsy.

I have these 2 right now:


This one you pick your monogram and I make it up for you. I will also be releasing this same pattern in a 1" round glass tile drop soon.


I love the brilliant blue and lime green ribbon on this keychain! Such lovely colors, especially after a gray winter!

Hope you like them--more to follow!

The King's Speech

The yummy Colin Firth portraying King George VI in The King's Speech.

John and I went to see this movie last night and it was absolutely wonderful!! I think it is the best movie I have seen this year! I know it is only January, but another movie would have to be pretty darn good to top this one! I love Colin Firth's acting and he isn't hard on the eyes either (LOL!!) and Helena Bonham Carter was very good as the Queen Mother-Queen Elizabeth I . Geoffrey Rush was just phenomenal in his role as Lionel Logue.

The story line is this:

The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.


Colin Firth playing King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter playing the Queen Mother in The King's Speech.


Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue

There is so much more to this story than that short little line above that I found on line! You just felt very good after you left this movie. So get up and go see this wonderful film!!

The Party!!

Friday night was Megan's 30th Birthday Party and what fun we all had! She asked everyone to dress in cocktail attire and most everyone did. All her friends love to dress up! There were about 35 people at the party and everyone had a grand old time!! John, Jenny, Kevin, Ken and I set up everything at the beautiful clubhouse in Megan and Ken's neighborhood clubhouse. It was great there was a kitchen to prepare everything and then a huge open room with wood ceilings and crossbeams. The clubhouse is only over a year old and it was perfect for the party! Here are some pictures of the evening:


Megan and John before the party started.


Megan and I before the party started. My eyes had started to close when this picture was taken, I really didn't have too much to drink!!! It looks like it though doesn't it. There wasn't any other pictures of Megan and I and I wanted to post one.


Jenny and Megan chatting during the party.


Megan socializing with all her party guests!


This is the wonderful cake Jenny made for Megan. She did an awesome "girlie" cake for her sister!

Jenny and John during the party.


Jenny and Kevin. You can see Jenny's baby bump just starting!!



This was the bottom half of one of the centerpieces Jenny and I made for the tables. I sprayed branches silver and one this one I had fancy cutwork circles and I wrote Megs, Megan, 30th and Happy Birthday in silver glitter. I then hung the circles all over the branches, so the glitter reflected the light. Megan loves sparklie, glittery things so hence the glittery fancy circles!


There were pink, black and white balloons in all the corners of the room for the birthday girl!


1st photo board Jenny made was pictures of her and Megan growning up. She also put a saying on the board "Born Sisters, Best Friends by Choice".


2nd Photo Board Jenny made was photos of Megan from Birthday to present day.


3rd Board Jenny made was Megan with her friends at different times in her life.


Before the party started John was in the small storage room bringing out tables and he found this Easter Bunny headpiece, so he just had to try it on and model it for us!! The girls were laughing like crazy!!

As you can see, we all had a wonderful time and it was a great way to celebrate Megs 30th birthday!!

It's Party Time Tonight!

Tonight is Megan's 30th birthday party at the beautiful clubhouse in her neighborhood! Jennifer and I have been planning this for a little while now. I've got everything I need to cook or prepare done and I'll be leaving work at 4 today to set everything up. Thank goodness my son-in-law offered to pick up the cake! What a big help that was!

It should be a great time!

Happy 30th Birthday Megs!!!

I cannot believe 30 years has gone by this quickly! John and I were 26 and 21 when Megan was born! We have seen this lovely little baby of ours grow up to be a beautiful, young woman. I can remember like it was yesterday the day or I should say night she was born. Megan arrived at 11:55 p.m. on January 27th. She was 8 lbs. 11 ozs. and hungry! She didn't really cry very much and she was a great baby. She never had her days and nights mixed up after we brought her home from the hospital like alot of babies do. She was really loving when her little sister, Jenny was born 2 yrs. and 4 months later. I think she actually thought Jenny was her baby doll. She used to bring me diapers for Jenny when she needed them and stood over her little sister to make sure I was changing her right! Then Megan went off to grammar school and loved it, then high school and loved that, then off to college and she really loved that. She graduated college with her Interior Design degree. We were all so really proud of her. That is an extremely hard course, much like an architectural degree.


Megan got married to Ken almost 3 yrs. ago. She was a beautiful bride! It was really hard for her father and I to "let go".

I hope you have a wonderful birthday today and party tomorrow night Megs!! You deserve it! Happy Birthday sweetie!! Love you tons!

Jewelry Party tonight!

My youngest daughter, Jennifer is having a Lia Sophia Jewelry party tonight. She has been to a few and she bought me a pair of earrings from a party for Christmas this year. I wear them all the time (when I'm not wearing my own creations that is). Megan, my other daughter is going too! Should be a great time!

Friends = Love!

I just received an e-mail from a very dear friend of mine in NY. She said the sweetest, nicest things in that e-mail. I wrote her an e-mail back telling her so. Some people can just verbalize their feelings so nicely. She made my day! It is gray and rainy here so this was a wonderful day to receive something so bright and cheerful. My friend has been through so much in her life and for her to still be able to tell people how wonderful they are is just amazing to me.

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends in my life both here with me and cyber. Do me a favor and tell your friends how much they mean to you in the next few days! It just might brighten someone's day and I know it will bring some sunshine into their world!!

I would also like to say how much I value your friendships! You all are the greatest!!

Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

I really enjoyed this book (which I listen to on a BOCD from my local library)! This book was great because the whole book was set here in Charlotte! I knew the places the author was talking about and I have even eaten at Cabo Fish Taco in NoDa. Here is a review from the Barnes and Noble website:

In a house under renovation, a plumber uncovers a cellar no one knew about, and makes a rather grisly discovery -- a decapitated chicken, animal bones, and cauldrons containing beads, feathers, and other relics of religious ceremonies. In the center of the shrine, there is the skull of a teenage girl. Meanwhile, on a nearby lakeshore, the headless body of a teenage boy is found by a man walking his dog.
Nothing is clear -- neither when the deaths occurred, nor where. Was the skull brought to the cellar or was the girl murdered there? Why is the boy's body remarkably well preserved? Led by a preacher turned politician, citizen vigilantes blame devil worshippers and Wiccans. They begin a witch hunt, intent on seeking revenge.
Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan -- "five-five, feisty, and forty-plus" -- is called in to investigate, and a complex and gripping tale unfolds in this, Kathy Reichs's eleventh taut, always surprising, scientifically fascinating mystery.
With a popular series on Fox -- now in its third season and in full syndication -- Kathy Reichs has established herself as the dominant talent in forensic mystery writing. Devil Bones features Reichs's signature blend of forensic descriptions that "chill to the bone" (Entertainment Weekly) and the surprising plot twists thathave made her books phenomenal bestsellers in the United States and around the world.

I love a good mystery and this one fit the bill! I love Tempe Brennan-she is feisty as the review above states. I love the fact that most people in the book value her knowledge. If you are looking for a good forensic mystery this is your book!

Bed Linens I love!

Yesterday while I was putting clean sheets on our bed I started thinking about what type of bed linens I really love. I love linen sheets and high count cotton sheets. I am by no means a bed linen snob only allowing certain kinds of linens to grace my bed, but lets face it we spend alot of time sleeping and it is always nice to have a comfy bed to sleep in! Once I thought I had found the sale of a life time-600 thread count queen size sheet set for $25.00! Yes, it was too good to be true! I opened the package and the bed linens felt so scratchy, they couldn't possibly be 600 count sheets. I looked at the tag and yes the outside packaging was very, very wrong they were 200 thread count. I was needless to say highly disappointed!

I started looking online and I found some really beautiful bed linens. Here are some beautiful bed linens I found that I really loved and thought I would share with you:


These pale blue and white sheets are my favorite! I think blue is so relaxing and this blue is just beautiful!


This Blue and beige bed linen set is just gorgeous! If I had a bedroom like that I would feel like a Queen sleeping in there!


These bed linens are called The Court of Versailles and are made from linen. Linen is wonderful-we had linen sheets when we stayed in Ireland and they were so soft. I love the headboard and lamp in this picture too!


I love the coloring of these bed linens-very calm and soothing.



I love flowers so these bed linens caught my eye! The flowers do not overpower the white, they look so delicate. I just might have to order some of these!


I love green and this hint of green and white sheets to me are really beautiful! I love the scalloped edge stitched on the pillow cases and the sheets.


If you are looking for a little tropical feel, these sheets fit the bill. They remind me of Summer, which right now seems far away!

What ever bed linens you love, I hope you enjoyed looking at some of these favorites of mine!

My Valentine Mantel

I love Valentine's Day!! I brought out some of my red decorations and decorated the mantel in the living room. Here is the whole picture of the mantel:



Last year I participated in a Valentine's Day Swap. This is the beautiful "love" banner the person sent me!



This is the right side of the mantel, just keeping it simple:



This is the left, just using my mercury glass candle holders, my mercury glass votive candle holders and my red etched-glass votive holders and some red berries:



I have had 2 red etched glass votive holders for quite a while now. I love to use them at Christmas and Valentine's Day!


I will buy some red and white roses for the dining room table and the kitchen table, but it is too early for that just now.

So how are y'all decorating your house for Valentine's Day?

New Sparklies on Etsy!!

This afternoon I got creative and made some new bookmarks. I had a special order for one of my friends to complete and after that I had some ideas. Here is what I created:


I loved creating this Valentine bookmark. The ribbon is white satin with a sheer white stripe on either side. Down the middle are sparklie red hearts. Perfect for Valentine's Day or any day!!




This was one of my favorite creations! I ordered these homemade cupcake lampwork beads from a very talented artist on etsy! I added the tiny red glass bead on the top,like a cherry.


This one I named Cherries Jubilee. I love cherries and I thought this was a fun bookmark!

I had alot of fun creating these today. Tomorrow I'll be making and posting more bookmarks and some earrings and maybe a necklace or 2!

Everything about Friday is Fabulous!!!

This has been an exceptionally long week for me both at work and at home. I am tired!! Everything about today is wonderful! It is the last day of the week, we usually get to go home a little early, I'm having my hair cut and highlighted tonight and John and I will be watching a movie after I am done with my hair appt.! I need the weekend away from my job right now-everything has been so intense!! I am really thankful for my job and love what I do but lately I don't know what is going on but it seems my office is the place to be and to leave all the work in!!

So this





Plus this



Plus this



Equals this



Everyone have an awesome and fabulous weekend!

A Perfect Day!

I am here at work buried under a ton of work, mountains and mountains of it! I know I shouldn't but I started daydreaming for a bit. I was thinking about what my perfect day would be if I could just escape this madness for just a little while. Here are a few things I came up with:


I would love to spend some time in Bora, Bora. That isn't going to happen, but what a lovely dream that is!


I would love some nice warm sun and warmer weather to appear so I could have some tea outside, like in this picture. I miss sitting at the picnic table in the courtyard, having tea and just plain enjoying my surroundings!


Reading would be at the top of my list also! I could combine the tea outside with the reading. That would be some perfect time for me that's for sure!


Last but not least is knitting. I have really enjoyed creating things for people! I have been working on some gifts for people and just the joy of seeing their faces when they open up their present is priceless! Knitting for me is very relaxing and almost Zen like, very tranquil!

Well that is just a few things I would love to be doing right now. But now reality has settled back in and I better get the cobwebs out of my mind and get working on these mountains of work!!

Everyone have an enjoyable day!!

Butterfly flutters!

As most of you know my youngest daughter, Jennifer is pregnant. She is due 7/17. Yesterday we had knitting group after work and she told me she is starting to feel my grand baby move around!!!! She said it is like a butterfly fluttering around her stomach. It started me thinking about when I carried her and I distinctly remember the very first time I felt her move and also when I felt Megan moving around! What a glorious time to feel the very first movements of your unborn child. It just brings a smile to your face when you figure out what it is. This is a long list of "firsts" Jenny will be feeling, but what a lovely one!

I really need to start knitting some things for this little one! I'm waiting for Valentine's Day when Jenny and Kevin find out whether they are having a boy or a girl. Can't wait!!!

Ready for Spring to Come to Charlotte!

We have had some weird weather this winter! Charlotte has been cold, we've had ice and snow and just about everything in between. I decided to "Spring" up my blog! If I can't have Spring then I will create it! Blogger has been giving me some hard times with sizes of things and I don't know why, but I think I have the kinks worked out.

I guess we should be thankful for some cooler (sometimes down right colder) weather because during this summer I remember complaining about how hot is was! I am ready though for the flowering trees to grace Charlotte, the birds to begin chirping their Spring songs, baby birds, going outside without a coat or sweater on, sitting outside on the patio or porch, etc., etc. Yesterday while I was at lunch, I noticed the Bradford Pear trees around the restaurant all in bud!! So I hope that Spring will be visiting us soon! Everyone hang in there!

Back from Fayetteville!

Hi Everyone! I got back from Fayetteville this afternoon. I had a wonderful weekend with Angie! She is so sweet!! Friday night we went to this wonderful Italian restaurant in downtown Fayetteville. It was truly awesome!! I had Penne ala Vodka Sauce with Shrimp, which was divine! Angie had lobster ravioli (she was so nice she left me sample it and it was soooooo good!!!). We went to a lovely tea room in Pinehurst, NC on Saturday and then drove over to Southern Pines and walked along the streets and stopped at shops along the way. I bought a wonderful smelling bar of soap called Coastal Verbena and a pottery butter dish. We had a great time!! That night we thought we would go to the movie King's Speech. We got to the theater in plenty of time but there was a mix up in the time of the movie. Online it said it was 7 when in fact it was 6:30! We decided we didn't want to miss the first half hour of the movie so we went to a local restaurant and had burgers. I left right after lunch today and made it home by 2:30. It was a really easy ride home.

I had a wonderful time and want to thank Angie so much for her hospitality!!

Tomorrow I'm headed to Fayetteville!

Angie is the one on the right in the back row.

Tomorrow I am only working half a day because I'm going to visit my friend, Angie in Fayetteville! We are having a girls weekend, which is much needed! I met Angie through a Very Vintage Summer Swap that Heidi from Foxglove, Fabric and Folly had last year. When Heidi paired us up we both thought Heidi made a mistake and put our own information under the others name!! Almost everything was the same! Then Angie came up from Fayetteville and we went up to Penny's house. Penny is from The Comforts of Home blog. We really hit it off! We have so much in common! I am so excited about getting away. I'm sure Angie and I will have a great time!!