Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures~
Henry Ward Beecher
this beautiful little booklet of quotes and sketches
I thought this lovely verse was the perfect
choice to begin this post~
Spring is here!
a time for rejuvenating our spirits
and renewing our
energies~
Spring is the season of
new beginnings~
fresh buds bloom,
and animals awaken~
the earth seems to come to life again.
farmers and gardeners plant their seeds~
temperatures slowly rise
as the sun's warmth
brings us all
outside once again~
simply stated --
this has been a long and miserable winter.
~
I am so happy to once again
feel the warmth of the sun on my face~
some things I love most about spring~
~~
bird songs
the smell of fresh cut grass
tender blooms on shrubs and flowers
longer days~
and the chance to play in the dirt!
~
growing up,
I used to love to make mud pies with my sisters.
we would decorate them with flowers
and set them in the sun to dry.
~
even now --
I am always happiest,
when at the end of the day
I have had the chance to play in the dirt.
spring cleaning~
throwing open the doors and windows
~
the chance to refresh our home
after this long, long winter
flip flops~
and brightly painted toes!
watching our kitties basking in the rays
from the sun~
driving down the road in my
brand new car (!!)
the wind blowing on my face
(the radio turned up loud!)
~
(after 10 years, I finally gave in and bought myself a brand new Subaru Outback.
It was about time -- my Subaru Forester had almost 250,000 miles on it!)
all the different shades of green
in the fields, and the forests,
and the farms~
green is my favorite spring color!
and my most favorite thing about spring~
~~
this opportunity to thank you all for
the love and support
that you send my
way~
xoxo
my "thank-you" giveaway is all about
spring,
and nests
and beautiful things~
A very special celebration
just for
YOU!
Listed below are all the wonderful things
that are to be gifted in this giveaway~
~
to enter --
simply leave a comment
on this post,
and perhaps share
something that you love most about
Spring.
~
if you would like to share this giveaway
with you friends
(on your own blog or on your facebook page)
~
you can leave another comment here
telling me that you have
shared the love!
~
this contest is open to all of my
readers and followers
regardless of where you live!
~
the winners will be announced
at the bottom of this post
on June 21,
the summer solstice.
one lucky winner will receive one of my
Woodland nests~
these nests are made every winter
for those on the waiting list~
~
this year I made an extra one
to share with you!
My friend Sidney Hanner
makes gorgeous jewelry~
Sidney's unique nest necklace designs
are simply stunning.
In addition to her beautifully crafted nest,
she adds vintage buttons and beads to the chain
making this a necklace like no other!
this beautiful necklace
was created by Sidney just for this giveaway!
~
your necklace will arrive in this
beautiful crafted special
gift bag
~~
if you would like to contact Sidney
about your own custom made
necklace~
you can email her here-
howmyartbeats@yahoo.com
(for the period of this contest- until June 21-
Sidney will be offering a 10 % discount
on her custom made nest necklaces)
(just mention in your email that you saw her creations on my blog)
you will love this
"Anthropologie" inspired handbag
that I found just for you~
~~
This beautiful vintage handbag was made by Margaret Smith, Gardiner Maine. These handbags are highly collectible, known for their quality and lively designs of nature and florals.
Margaret Smith first began making beach bags and totes that were sold in specialty stores in the 1940's. By the 1950's and '60's she added handbags and was selling out of Bonwit Teller of NYC, where her line was highly sought after.
this lovely little "mini-book"
of garden verses and quotes
was specifically designed for this giveaway
by my friend
Sue Kosec
each page
has it's own special design
and garden verse
~
you can email Sue here-
kosec@sbcglobal.net
my dear friend Marsha,
hand painted her special nest design
on this
beautiful teapot
and cups
~
one of you will win this
beautiful set!
Marsha's talent is amazing!
I love her beautiful nest design!!
~~
you can find some of Marsha's other lovely
hand painted designs
for sale in her new ETSY shop.
~~
To help you celebrate the arrival of Spring -
she is offering FREE SHIPPING
in the US on her hand painted
creations!
My friend Jill makes the most
exquisite needle books
~
beautifully embroidered and felted-
with amazing details
such as her gorgeous beaded flowers
and stunning designs
One of you will win a gift certificate
allowing Jill to custom design
your own beautiful
needle book.
~~
You can find my friend Jill
at her blog
~
and at her ETSY shop
Are you starting to feel the love?
~
my sincere and heartfelt gratitude
for all the kindness and love
you send my way!
~
more special surprises
for you--
keep scrolling!
This gorgeous little pitcher
was created specially for this giveaway
by my friend
Cynthia Crane.
One of you will win
this beautiful and unique piece of pottery~
Cynthia's own design,
embellished by her special
whimsical painted flowers, birds, and butterflies.
Isn't it gorgeous?
~
you can find Cynthia at her blog
~
you can find her pottery ETSY shop here
and her ETSY shop for
Also from Cynthia's creative artistry-
a collection of bluebird items
~
these beautiful note cards
and~
a little bluebird book marker
bluebird button
petite flower buttons
~
someone will win this entire collection of
bluebird items created by
Cynthia Crane.
(the little bluebird figurine is not included in the giveaway)
and lastly~
my friend Marsha created these precious little
hand painted nest tags
~these precious tea stained gift tags
are accented with a variety of beautiful
ribbons and trims
someone will win a set of 10
little hand painted
nest gift tags
~
you can find more of Marsha's
nest tags in her etsy shop
~
(free shipping too!)
NOW do you feel loved?
xoxo
to summarize-
the following items will be
given away to lucky winners on
June 21
~
(the names of the winners will be noted below by their prize on June 21)
please make sure in your comments that your email address
is available
~
6/21/14--Update -- winners announced
This contest is now closed.
Woodland nest
Nest Necklace
Vintage Margaret Smith purse
Mini-book of garden verses
Hand painted tea pot and mugs
#48 Bonnie Larson
Coupon for custom designed Needle book
#110 Audrey ?
Bluebird and flowers hand painted pitcher
Bluebird collection-
(notecards, book marker, buttons)
Hand painted nest gift tags
~~~~~
I'll be back in a few weeks with some lovely spring photos of the Biltmore Estate -- we visited there a few days ago while the tulips were brilliantly in bloom~
Love,
Vicki
