Thank You and Welcome!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in my giveaway last week at Southern Scraps--and welcome to all of you new followers from said giveaway! I hope that the winner truly does enjoy her necklace, because it was made straight from the heart--and I'm not just saying that, this has been one of my favorite items to work on. :)

Speaking of giveaways, thanks to Southern Scraps my blog has now surpassed 150 followers--hooray! To celebrate such a wonderful occasion, I'd like to offer a giveaway of another one of my creations--but I need YOUR input--what item/type of item would you like to win this time?? I'm excited to get to work on it! :)

Vintage Vinyls

My favorite music ever? CLASSIC ROCK! What can I say, I was totally born to Rock 'N Roll! Maybe it's because it's the music I remember listening to as a kid--driving in the car listening to KISS or Chicago's greatest hits, or head-banging to Bohemian Rhapsody or Come Sail Away with my mom--I just love it, and now my little brother's love it too (Bon Jovi and ACDC are playing the majority of the time we hang out together). So, when I came across a vinyl record mold, I just couldn't resist!

Rock and Roll all night with some flaming KISS earrings!

Or some classic Beatles vinyls?

and of course, to honor the great classics we can't forget some awesome Platinum Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Earrings!

Last, but certainly not least (in fact, these are MY FAVORITES!), some Hot Rod Red ACDC Vinyl Earrings:

Rock on friends! :)

My earrings were featured!

Bloom Where You're Planted

Not too long ago I spent a weekend at my Grandma's house--she just had open heart surgery, about a billion complications, some more surgeries, and about two weeks in the ICU. Fun times--I was asked to stay with her to help, but when I got there she was up and about and doing (to me) ridiculously well--I couldn't believe it! She's one tough lady, that's for sure. I think the saddest thing for me was that she was just getting ready to plant many of her flowers the day she went into the hospital--my Grandma always has the most beautiful flower garden, she just loves gardening--so I know she was discouraged a bit that she hadn't been able to complete her planting yet. However, as I was doing dishes one afternoon I discovered this gorgeous hot pink hollyhock flower growing outside the kitchen window:

Isn't it just GORGEOUS?? I love the bright color--and this thing is HUGE!

I went outside to check it out, and upon closer inspection I realize that this plant isn't growing quite like I originally thought--these aren't the best pictures ever, but if you look closely you can see that it is growing out of the window well!

Yep, all the way down there--several feet I might add--is the start of this beautiful flower--growing up and out of the window well into the sun! My Grandma informed me that she hadn't planted this particular flower (obviously), but it had grown up on it's own, and she left it where it was because it was just so amazing and beautiful.

So, besides that I pretty much just though this flower was awesome, there is a moral to the story of course: I feel like there are so many things in life that are out of my control, and as a control freak and perfectionist this is very troubling at times--I want to help, I want to initiate change, I want to make the world a better place--these are all wonderful desires, but there are some things in life that honestly are out of our control--you can't make life perfect, there will always be things and circumstances that we may not like yet are completely out of our hands. However, that doesn't mean that "Life sucks, then you die" (a favorite quote of mine, admittedly); you can enjoy life, and you will never be denied any joy or blessing, no matter how bleak your circumstances may seem, just as long as you keep trying--Look at this flower? Falling into the dark, cold rock bed of a window well probably wasn't the ideal circumstance and placement for it, but did that stop it from growing into an amazing and beautiful flower? It's the most beautiful flower in the entire garden! So, as cheesy and cliche as it sounds, the saying continues to hold true: 

BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED. 

And I would like to add that it doesn't say GROW where you're planted, or SURVIVE where you're planted--those things are easy; what's hard but what is definitely most important and most fulfilling in life is to BLOOM where you're planted--it is very clear: BLOOM. Don't ever think that you can't do it--because you can, and you can do it beautifully. Do your best, and in the end it will all work out.

Only a Few Hours Left!

Today is the LAST day to enter to win my Lovely Ladybug Bib Necklace over at Southern Scraps--the giveaway ends in only a few hours, so hurry over there for your chance to win!! 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

I Won Something?

You know, with all of these craft blogs and whatnot out there, I'm continually entering amazing giveaways nearly every day (speaking of which, have you checked out my current giveaway??? CHECK IT OUT!)--however, I was completely surprised to discover that I actually WON one of them! That's right, I really did--I won a giveaway over at Simply Cadence, and that sweetheart Jaclyn sent me this lovely patriotic bandana for my dog:

 I know these aren't the best pictures ever, but Vera hasn't been feeling too hot today (hopefully she didn't ingest any more mushrooms--those seem to be her favorite, mushrooms, grass, and poppies...), but in celebration of pioneer day, she got to dress up, even if she did just sleep all day.

 But see how cute it is? Thanks Jaclyn! :)

Want to Win a Fabulous Bib Necklace? Come visit me over at Southern Scraps!

Okay friends, I know I've been scarce on the blogging lately--but just so you know I still love you, I've made you a special treat!

 Say hello to my latest creation--another beautiful bib necklace! (okay, I might be a little biased, but I was quite proud of it) and thanks to my friend Fonda over at Southern Scraps, this necklace can be YOURS! If you haven't had a chance to visit Southern Scraps before, now is your chance--Fonda has the most adorable blog, with all sorts of ideas and creative posts--seriously, she has SO much, sometimes it makes my head spin as I'm trying to decide which project to try first!--and you should see her Etsy shop as well, she makes the most beautiful cards I have ever seen, full of so much color and detail! She is amazing--and she has been kind enough to feature my work on her blog this week, including a fabulous giveaway of this necklace!

 This particular necklace has been one of my favorites to make, because I was able to try several new things on it--first, these tiny little pearl-centered flowers:

 and a glittery hand-cast and hand-painted polymer clay ladybug--I just love these!

 Last but not least, I've recently discovered these ruffled flowers--I just love them!

So, here's your chance to WIN! Visit my shop and then head over to Southern Scraps and leave a comment with your favorite item!

For additional entries (leave a comment over at Southern Scraps for each):

Follow my blog!

Follow Southern Scraps!

Like Tinkeranniebelle on Facebook!

Like Southern Scraps on Facebook!

Share a link to this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT OVER AT SOUTHERN SCRAPS FOR EACH OF YOUR ENTRIES! 

That's six chances to win--SIX!--Giveaway ends Thursday, July 28, 2011 @ 5:00pm EST--so head over to Southern Scraps NOW for your chance to win! :)

Thanks again to Fonda and Southern Scraps for featuring me today!

What I Wore

I'm just LOVING the sunny weather!!! I especially love that it's not 100 degrees out there--just nice, sunny, warm, and colorful--and I just LOVE dressing to match. :)

My incredible TinkerMama made this beauty for me--ADORABLE, right?? I have the best mother ever. <3

Thank Goodness

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Check me out over at Sawdust and Paperscraps!

Hey guys! I'm spending the day with Sandra over at Sawdust and Paperscraps celebrating Christmas in July!--come check out my guest post, I'm sharing a tutorial of one of my zipper flowers!

The Sky is Falling

I realize I haven't posted for quite a while--sometimes life just throws more at you than you expect at one time--here's my excuse for the week:

• Desktop crashed
• Wireless internet is down
• My sister and new little niece came to visit!!! (okay, this one's a happy excuse)
• Working on tutorials and giveaways (stay tuned for awesomeness!)
• Working on inventory for an upcoming Etsy openhouse (exciting!)
• My bathroom flooded
• and last but not least, the sky is falling...

Oh yes, I am quite seriously, the sky really is falling--sort of anyway--I woke up Monday morning to find that the ceiling just outside my room fell down. How that happens, I'll never know... but now there is soggy insulation all over the place (Vera desperately wants to eat it), and now my living quarters now smell not unlike a swamp. It seems that when the sky is falling, the clouds being to rain--and when it rains, it pours. So, apologies for my absence in the lovely world of blogging, but I will be back... eventually...

That's life,

I tell ya, I can't deny it,

I thought of quitting baby,

But my heart just ain't gonna buy it.

~Frank Sinatra

Reality

I really should be getting some sleep (Vera is persistently scratching at my leg to remind that it is past her bedtime), but if I go to sleep tonight, that means that tomorrow I must wake up in reality, and the smarties will be gone--this week has felt like something far from reality in a way. I have spent the week playing with my sister and my new little niece (whom I met for the first time this week!), and to be honest it didn't feel out of the ordinary at all; it felt right, like this is how things have always been. I know that tomorrow I will want to call her up thinking that she just lives on the other side of town and can come and chill with us, but she will be on a plane heading back to China (okay, Michigan, but right now it feels like China), and I will be sad as I reminisce what fun we had this week. I hadn't realized how much I missed my sister, and how much I will miss my little niece now that we have become acquainted. Sometimes reality sucks. So for now, I am in denial...

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. 

 ~Philip K. Dick

Dear Carolyn: I am coming to visit you--this is no longer a request, it's a necessity. ;)

What I Wore--One Tie Just Isn't Enough

Once upon a time I somehow ended up with a garbage bag full of ties... being female, what do I do with all these ties? I mean, you can only wear one at a time, right? WRONG! I figured--what the heck? Why not wear ALL of the ties--besides, they all were so wonderfully coordinated together, I just couldn't separate them--thus, came one of my FAVORITE outfits of all time!

I always wanted a skirt made of ties--and now I finally have one! It's so much fun to wear--for some reason, wearing that many ties at once makes me feel all business-like and sophisticated, yet surprisingly flirty and feminine... not sure how neckties accomplish such a feat, but somehow it works. 

 But of course, being me, I couldn't just leave it at a skirt--I had to add a few accessories. First, the tie wrist-band watch:

 and my personal favorite--the neck-tie messenger bag!

 

 So much fun! I just love ties--I still have a few more, maybe I'll come up with something fun to use them for. A ridiculously good-looking male friend of mine asked if I could make him a suit out of ties--how awesome would that be?! I never thought of such things, but now I'm envisioning all sorts of ideas, and it's rather tempting to try it out--I just love the idea of repurposing--there is no end to the creativity!

So, in the spirit of creativity on a budget, here's the breakdown:

• Shirt: Old Navy clearance rack
• Necklace: made by my cousin
• Earrings: Rue 21 clearance rack, $1
• Ring: Shopko clearance, 75 cents
• Watch: Repurposed watch head and neck-tie band
• Shoes: Payless clearance (and unfortunately these ones were NOT the best idea--cheap comes at a cost when the adorable-have-to-have-a-pair-of-bright-red-pumps only come in a shoe size two sizes too small... my feet may forgive me one day)
• Nylons: ebay
• Neck-tie messenger bag: Made by my amazing TinkerMama, gifted to me for Christmas
• And of course, the awesome skirt: Made by me!

The shoes may have been painful for me, but Vera was sure enjoying them as a pillow--the things my little Yorkies use to take a nap...