WON'T YOU BE MY VALENTINE!

In just a few short weeks it will be Valentine's Day! I do wish Valentine's Day was in a month with sunny weather. It would be so pretty to decorate outside with all that red but here it would just get wet or blow away.

I do love it though, and I will be putting my heart out there, pun intended, by decorating inside with lovely Red, White and Pink. I will be baking Valentine treats too, perhaps this delicious cake.

These Rice Krispie Treat Hearts are adorable!

Even the simplest Valentine looks beautiful like this sweet framed heart you can make yourself.

If you really get into it you could sparkle up a pair of shoes, so pretty.

One day perhaps my prince will whisk my off for a romantic Valentine's Day and I will wear a red dress and fabulous red shoes.

This will be a Valentine's Day with our pups which is okay too.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Mina at GREEN WITCH WITH SPRINKLES for doing such a lovely post about Rescue Dogs Match and putting some cute pictures of my furry babies in there.

 Don't forget to sign up for my VALENTINE'S GIVEAWAY it ends on February 8th.

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!

I have not had a Giveaway in a while so let's do something for Valentine's Day!

 I am going to give away 4 of my Organza Necklaces from my Etsy Shop WICKED FAERIE QUEEN.
Two Peace Necklaces and Two Pentagram Necklaces.  I will also add another little goodie surprise to your package.

There will be four winners in all.

Here are the rules-

Be a follower, new followers welcome that is worth 1 entry.

Blab about it on your blog or post on your sidebar  that is 1 more entry.

Visit my Etsy Shop and favour something that is 1 more entry.

Please list everything in one comment.

Contest is open to everyone and will end on February 8 which is my sweethearts birthday so he will draw the winner.

Good Luck!

 

THE PERFECT BREAKFAST!

 I had my favourite breakfast this morning. Tea with toast and jam.

 

 I just love hot buttered toast with homemade jam. If I do not have any homemade jam my favourite jam is from France. It is called St. Dalfour and it is so delicious. I had the peach today with big chunks of fresh peaches. I love the Blueberry, loads of tiny blueberries fill the tall jar. They have lots of flavours you should try them they are available in most grocery chains in Canada and I am sure you can find them in the U.S. too.

 There is something so comforting about a steaming cup of tea with toast and jam. It is one of those things that takes me back to childhood.

 So delicious and simple. I can have it day and night. It is the perfect food.

Forget the Eggs Benedict or Waffles when you have people over for breakfast or brunch. Serve a selection of homemade jams in little pots with rustic, country toasted breads and lashes of fresh butter.

 Not all jams are time consuming. Try this quick jam recipe from SAVORY SWEET LIFE it's fast and delicious and easy even if you have never made jam before.
 

Another simple jam is Freezer Jam. There is a simple recipe here at ALL RECIPES.COM

                                Images from PINTEREST and ME!

LOSING PATIENCE WITH THE POST!

I have two Etsy Shops, Lucy's Garden and Wicked Faerie Queen. I have had them for a couple of years now and finally I have been getting some regular sales. But I have a problem........a costly one!

There seems to be a big problem with the postal service. In Canada we cannot get tracking for small packages, apparently that is changing soon but then so is the shipping cost. Over Christmas four of my orders got lost in the post. That means not only did I have to refund the orders but my customers did not get what they wanted for Christmas. Even though it is the fault of the post office it looks bad on me too.

Lost packages are not the only problem. For some reason it can take up to 3 weeks to get a package from Canada to the U.S. and vice a versa.

You would think it was being delivered this way..........that was probably more reliable!

Now, I just don't get it. I take the time to wrap my packages very neatly and large enough and I clearly print on the front. I drop them off at the post office and trust that they will be safe. Even if I charged the customer the price for tracking ( which in Canada almost triples the price) they cannot guarantee anything and proving the package got lost is a matter of national security.

There is nothing worse than ordering something that is handmade and waiting day after day and then it never comes. I am at a loss. My husband says it is not worth it and to give up my shops but I love to do my art and I love my shops.

And the late mail problem is not only from country to country, I have sent things within Canada that take weeks. I can only hope that things improve, you would think after all these years the post office would run like a well oiled clock!

A LITTLE PICK ME UP!

I woke up this morning with a cold!  Darn!  I have not had one for a very long time but we visited our son and he, my daughter-in-law and baby had colds.  Trust me it does not matter if there is no contact you will get a cold just being in the same room.  Oh, well.  For all of you out there who are feeling under the weather today here are some cute kitties to cheer you up.

Hope you all keep warm on this freezing day.  See you tomorrow.

NOT YOUR REGULAR PAPER DOLLS!

As you know I adore books. A few years ago I discovered a paper artist named Su Blackwell who make amazing sculptures using old books.

Based mostly on Fairytales, Su Blackwell's sculptures are whimsical and breathtaking.

I particularly like her lit sculptures. How I would love to have her Little Red Riding Hood.

Her attention to detail is incredible. How she has the patience for the tiniest pieces just astounds me.

Her Alice is lovely and one of my favourites is this woman sweeping the woods. You can actually see the leaves blowing.

I would imagine if you could purchase one it would be displayed in a shadow box like these. I like them just sitting out although they would be hard to dust.

Based in the U.K., Su Blackwell's work has been used in British plays like these trees in "The Snow Queen".

She has also been show in museums around the globe with large works like this "While You Were Sleeping".

Although you may not be able to afford or even acquire one of Su Blackwell's fabulous sculptures, you can purchase the images on cards and there is a lovely Fairytale Book.

 Stop by her website to see more of her whimsical piecest at SU BLACKWELL.