Jikana Damaru

Everyday is a Holiday Giveaway

I'm so pleased to announce a giveaway of two gorgeous prints from Everyday is a Holiday, one being the above featured "Cupcakes" print plus another of your choice. Also, the giveaway is open to readers worldwide!

Everyday is a Holiday are Jenny Heid and Aaron Nieradka, a duo of artists from the New Jersey Shore. Their designs have graced the pages of magazines such as Country Living, Country Home, Woman's Day Decorating Ideas, Design New Jersey, Romantic Homes, Somerset Life, The New York Times Magazine... and they were featured on NBC's Today Show with Matt Lauer.

Daily, they add to their growing collection of very personal artwork which draws upon their love for vintage collectibles, old fashioned bakeries, holiday decorations, vintage wallpapers, fabrics, and ephemera. I am in love with their pretty "Vintage Inspired Pink Stand Mixer" print and the sweet "Cupcakes" print which would look great in my new kitchen.

To find out more about this fabulously cute couple check out their adorable blog, Everyday is a Holiday.

Old Fashioned Desserts by Everyday is a Holiday

Die cut pink cake by Everyday is a Holiday

Apple Pie A La Mode by Everyday is a Holiday

To enter this giveaway, please visit Everyday is a Holiday and then leave a comment below this post letting me know which print you would choose. The giveaway ends on Saturday, March 12th 2010 at 10pm (GMT) and I will randomly select and announce a winner on Sunday, March the 13th.

To increase your chances of winning this fabulous prize, you can gain one additional entry for doing each of the following:

tweeting about this giveaway
blogging about it
following/subscribing to the Torie Jayne blog

For the first two, please leave a comment below with the link to your tweet or blog post.

This giveaway is open to readers worldwide.

Good luck and have a sweet day!

Me Time!

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Have a gorgeous weekend everyone!!!

I am heading HERE tomorrow which I am very excited about!

Time for relaxation!!!

x S.K.K x

Baking Macarons

This week in my series of posts, "Friday Finds", I bring you a selection of pretty baking equipment with which to make macarons.

Have a sweet day!

This week I'm grateful for... mundanity

When I was younger I used to shy away from routine and what I perceived to be a boring life. I would do anything to avoid conformity and frowned upon anything I considered to be 'establishment'. I'm a reckless, challenging person at the best of times but there was a patch in my life there where I felt out of control and I thought I loved it.

How wrong I was.

A quiet family life has brought me more happiness than I ever could have mustered as a young punk. My life is fun, funny, interesting, satisfying and rich. It's the same old me, but with a new level of maturity and an appreciation for what some people know from a much earlier age than I: being proud of your lot and content within it are two of the keys to great happiness.

So, this week I'm grateful for...

1. Mundanity - not the profanity I always expected it was. There is loud joy in quiet contentment.

2. Flowers - and the beautiful bearer of them.

3. Sparkle shoes - you make my youngest daughter dance.

So, what's making you smile today? Grab my I'm grateful for... button from my sidebar if you like, add your I'm Grateful For post below and please add a link back to me in your post. Then pop over to visit other bloggers who are spreading a little sunshine. Happy weekend to you!

[Image by thimble and violet]

My Theme Song

The gorgeous Claire over at Scissors Paper Rock asked a question this morning...

What would your theme song be?

Songs are so powerful and so many mean a lot to me! Growing up in a house full of music I have come to love and adore every genre of music. From classical to R&B to musicals to country! I love them all. Choosing my theme song would normally be hard but I stumbled across this divine song last year and fell in love! It has everything I love about music in it! Slow soulful melody yet it builds up to a little funky beat! The lyrics are what I love the most! I swear this song could be called - Sarah's beliefs - how true are the gorgeous lyrics! They are everything I live for, stand for and believe in. Just gorgeous!!! I would play this every morning and life would be perfect! It really puts life in to perspective and reminds me why I am here and how I should live each day!!!

So Claire...here is my theme song...

Have a beautiful Friday everyone!

x S.K.K x

Macarons, macarons!

This week on "Wonderful World of Etsy" I bring you a selection of gorgeous Macaron Art.

Have a sweet day!

Wearing Clever Clogs

I'm taking a break from my Difficult People series. It was all a bit... difficult. In its place, I'm introducing a new Thursday series called 'Wearing Clever Clogs'.

One of the things I love most about blogging is the way my imagination sparkles when I see what other people are creating. There are so many fine design, art and craft blogs out there and I would like the opportunity to swim in the fountain of their inspiration (so to speak). So I'll be asking them a few choice questions about their work and life and linking to some highlights on their blogs.

I am looking forward to opening up the creative blogging world to a wider audience via Maxabella loves... So join me next Thursday for our first installment.

Aaaand... to whet your appetite, here are five links to five brilliantly easy to follow tutorials:

1. Sweet little fabric flowers to brighten up a gift from How About Orange

2. Magical tissue pom poms from Imperfectly Beautiful

3. Don't sew a No-Sew Tutu from Design Mom

4. Hang a Dancing Hedgehog cut-paper garland (how can you resist!?) at Alyoops

5. Make a pinwheel or two at Yellow Songbird

Maybe we can, maybe we can't. But it sure is fun to find out!

Do you enjoy making things?

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PS - just in case my 'Pay It Forward' five are wondering where I am... fear not. I will be making your 'something' and sending it to you by the end of the month. I'll email you for an addy.

[Image via weheartit, let me know if it's yours!]