~great news - still time to sign up~

that's right, Tammy of Beatrice Banks has decided to extend THE GIVEAWAY till May 3rd

so you still have a chance to sign up for $125 in gift certificates from etsy sponsers and ebay

~including one from moi~

don't miss out on this one!

this weekend Tammy has featured Kelly from Til Death do us part, Kelly is another of the etsy sponsers in the giveaway. Be sure to check out her blog and etsy store

she makes cool things like this

and this

have a great weekend, we were promised sun but it's cloudy and threatening rain, again, sigh

...the yard work must go on!!

Tracey

~kind etsy comments make it all worthwhile~

Any etsy seller will tell you that receiving sweet comments is so encouraging. This is the kind of comment that makes it all worthwhile...

Subject: Love my Pitcher

Just wanted you to know that I love the rose decorated pitcher that my sister bought me for my birthday! It arrived in perfect condition. I had actually featured it in a treasury...and then she bought it as a surprise for me. Thanks also for the lovely sachet! You made my day extra special!

here are a couple more:

My table runner was made for me in the perfect size. It's as perfect as can be. Thank you so much for your fast and friendly service!

Absolutely GORGEOUS! Fast Shipping and Excellent Communication! Thank U for a PERFECT ETSY Experience!

~a little kindness goes a long way peeps~

Tracey

~q & a with the sweetest blogger ever~

over the past month, I have gotten to know a sweet blogger through a giveaway she asked me to be a part of

she is just the sweetest, most genuine person and I was thrilled when she agreed to answer some of my probing questions for a feature on my blog

So, let me introduce you to.....drumroll please........

~Tammy of Beatrice Banks~

What prompted you to first start blogging?

I first started a family type blog but it didn't take long to see that it was more about my house and hobbies than about my family. I was interacting mainly with home decorating style blogs which inspired me to move in that direction. After a few months of blogging, I started a new blog, Beatrice Banks, where I could combine everything I love and whatever strikes my fancy.

What inspires you on a daily basis?

Jesus Christ, my family, blogging and reading. I find if I keep it in that order, the inspiration flows.

 

Being a mom is evidently a huge priority in your life, how do you balance the demands of family, work, and life with your creative pursuits and blogging?

Blogging has been a good teacher of discipline. I had to learn how to balance my time all over again when I added blogging in the mix. There were days when blogging consumed me. So I finally set some rules for myself: 1. No blogging on the weekends. 2. Limit evening blogging to once or twice a week. 3. Plan my daily schedule the night before. If I know there are major chores to be done or I have to work, then I decide if or when, and how long I can blog the next day.

My biggest personal challenge is keeping up with exercising. My biggest blogging challenge is keeping up with posting and commenting. I tend to give 110% in everything I do. Blogging is one area where it's ok to give 50%, exercise is not. Still working on that.

I love that you post so many inspiring photos, be it pillows, sectionals, window seats! How would you describe your decorating style?

Most of the photos I post are the style(s) that I love. My house is probably a good mix. It's transitional, as in, transitioning into more of the style I desire. We move a lot and things don't always work at the next place. I only have 3 pieces of furniture that aren't second hand. I buy things first because I like it and second because it's cheap. I'm learning to hold out for things that I really love but... that takes time and I'm not the most patient person in the world when it comes to decorating.

 

What dreams do you have for your blog?

Some days I dream of having a mega blog with thousands of followers. Other days I don't even know if I want to blog. My time is more valuable than my blog. Time is a bigger investment than money. You can never get time back or make more of it. So you have to look at the return for your investment. Maybe I'm just slow but I could never keep a high pace of blogging everyday unless I viewed it as a job. This would defeat my purpose of blogging. If my blog took off in a big way, I'd have to rethink everything. As long as I'm having fun, I'll keep blogging.

 

What have you loved best about blogging?

It's a cliche, but meeting nice people. I've really made some solid friendships. And of course, I love the inspiration and ideas. Better than a magazine and a lot cheaper!

~Thanks Tammy~

Wow I made her work hard, didn't I!! Told you she is a sweetheart and I'm sure many of you can identify with much of what she said, I sure can!!

As part of Tammy's fabulous $125 giveaway she is featuring my etsy store this weekend over at her blog

~hop on over and take a look~

Tracey

photo credits as per Beatrice Banks blog

~feature over at Beatrice Banks and giveaway~

Tammy over at Beatrice Banks has written the cutest feature on my etsy stores here

 

thanks Tammy!

come back tomorrow when I have a chatty q&a with Tammy

 

 

 

you still have time to enter the fabulous giveaway -  gift certificates to 5 etsy stores and 1 ebay

 

for a grand total of $125 shopping fun!!

 

have a happy day:-)

 

Tracey

 

~chippy paint love~

yup, it was love at first sight

i wasn't even shopping, not really...

then i spotted this chippy old mirror

i walked away...

...and then i walked back

...and then i finally went inside

it was a wonderful chippy old window

several layers of paint

with the mirror pieces already fitted

how could i pass it up?

so home it came

and i gotta tell you

~i'm still in love~

and while we're at it, here are a few shots of my spring mantle in progress

old books tied with twine

an old canning jar with rusty zinc lid 

i found these number tiles in a thrift store, have no idea what they were meant for

but i do love them in this old jar

architectural what-not

wire crowns with sparklies

two sweet little birdies chatting about my chippy mirror

a little bit of easter - vintage easter shadow box with fuzzy bunny

and a vintage mirror behind

isn't this little guy sweet, even if his eye has rubbed off!

little bunny egg cup in robin's egg blue, made in Japan

i have a little more up there than i usually do, but it's interesting right!

of course it would all look so much nicer on a white mantle

right hon??

mr keeper always gets a little worried when he sees me starting to move things around...

you'd think he'd be used to it after all these years

a little fluffing keeps a gal happy after all!

~I'm linking up with Kathleen at White Wednesday~

she's got some great chippy paint going on this week too!

Tracey

~don't forget to check out the giveaway on my sidebar~

~my easter chocolate woes~

anyone else having this problem?

i have to keep replenishing the easter egg hideout

the worst was when i bit the head off the bunny

seriously peeps, who does that!!

and then I ate up the rest of him too

can anyone tell me why chocolate tastes so much better in a bunny shape?

 

the marshmallow eggs, so yummy

good thing it's just another couple days.....

Tracey

~sweet robin tags by Carla~

Carla is one of the sponsers in the fabulous giveaway over at Beatrice Banks

she creates gorgeous cards and tags like this

and this

and this

you can win a $20 gift card to Carla's etsy store, Cards by Carla

and there will also be a $20 gift card to my etsy store raggygirl

~$125 in gift card giveaways~

if you haven't signed up yet hop on over, there's still time!

Tracey

~fab romantic giveaway over at Fiona and Twig~

you have to check out this fab giveaway

at Fiona and Twig

you get this

(Romantic Country)

and this

does it get any better??

be sure to check it out!

Tracey

~etsy sellers tip~

okay peeps, this one took me a while, most of you probably had it figured out already

when you sell an item in your store, and you want to list the identical item again

 (which is an awesome feature etsy added)

there are two options

~relist item~

~copy~

well, i was always hitting ~relist item~

but here's the problem, it shows up with as many views as it had prior to selling

don't know about you, but when I relist I like a fresh, blank slate

so hit ~copy~ instead

you have to hit "next" a couple times and then "finish", but you get a listing that looks brand new

and i think it keeps the store looking fresher and updated

any thoughts??

courtesy of the graphics fairy

Tracey

~burlap and blue~

don't forget to check out the humungous giveaway I'm participating in

over at Beatrice Banks

~a cool $125 worth~

each week Tammy is featuring one of the giveaway sponsers

and this week she's featuring burlap and blue

these are some of the wonderful goodies you could choose from Linda's stunning etsy store

so hop on over and sign up!

Tracey

~shabby vintage ruffles goin' on~

remember the pillow cover i showed you here

 in that gorgeous~romantic~ floral rose~ vintage~ linen?

well, i just couldn't leave it alone, i had to create a ruffley version

i think they would look sweet together on a wicker sofa or porch swing

shabby and springy and super comfy

~larger than a throw pillow, but smaller than a bedding pillow~

the perfect size to sink back into with a glass of lemonade....

.....happy spring - the sun is finally shining here today, yay!

Tracey

PS. don't forget to check out the awesome giveaway on my sidebar

~back on the block - and giveaway~

hello peeps

did you wonder where i was??

just enjoying some

R&R (rest and relaxation)

and some

S&S (sun and swimming)

with my

fabulous family

it was wonderful!!!!

but now it's back to reality AND catching up on all my wonderful blogging friends

first up I just have to tell you about a fabulous giveaway I'm a part of

there are fantastic gift certificates up for grabs from 5, yes 5 etsy sellers

plus an ebay gift certificate

which all adds up to $125 in giveaways

doesn't get much better than that peeps!!

imagine having all those packages show up at your front door

 ~ swoon~

so head on over to Beatrice Banks and check out Tammy's fabulous blog and giveaway and meet all the other fab sponsers

she'll be featuring a sponser each week

okay, okay, need to find a word other than fab.....

have a fab day "etsy window shopping" !!!

Tracey