Now this is cool.... Turn Your Blog Into A Book!

I don't pretend to think that my blog is worthy of 

being book-bound, but...

some of you have blogs that are just

TAILOR-MADE for this!!

My friend Cheryl mentioned this site one day

on Facebook and I was enthralled!

The site is called BLURB and she says her daughter,

a young mother of several children, blogs regularly all year long

about family life, schooling, etc... and then prints it all out in

book-form at the close of each year.

Brilliant.

When you think about it, so many of your blogs are filled with

the everyday -- the precious, sweet minutia of life that

10, 15, 20+ years from now you'll wish you could 

replay, revisit.

Think of how wonderfully everyday life is chronicled here on our blogs ---

what if with the start of every new year, you could just

book-bind your entire year's blogging?

It's the best of scrapbooking and blogging rolled into one!

You end up with a beautifully bound version of your blog 

and you have it for keeps.

What fun!

If you're newly married, just starting a family,

or already well into all that, you just may 

like the idea of preserving your yearly musings 

for "posterity".  

How fun would it be for your kids to thumb through your blog posts about

all their antics, when they're in their 20's and 30's... I think that would be fabulous!!!  :)

Just wanted to share.   :)

XOXO,

Good Friday Morning To You... Can I Pass You Some Banana Bread?

I am still here at home before heading over to attend to 

"shop duties" for the day,

and I thought I'd invite you to my kitchen table for an impromptu slice of

fresh-from-the-oven banana chocolate chip bread

and some coffee or hot tea.

If you'd prefer, I can cook up some Irish oatmeal for you.

Either way, as I sit here on my lap top, catching up on emails,

blogs, and, of course, Facebook, I thought

"Why not open the back screen door and invite my

blog friends in for breakfast??"

I took this quickie picture with my cell-phone so pardon it's

lack of quality.  :)

Yes, I was literally just taking the banana bread out of the oven

and placing it on the metal tray to cool when I thought

I'd just shoot a quick pic to upload to Facebook

to say "Hi" to all my Facebook friends.

So if you're on Facebook with me, sorry for the 

duplication.  :)

And if you are NOT on Facebook..... WHY NOT????  ;)

Happy Friday to you ALL

and please, have as much of that 

banana bread as you want, and take some home

with you, won't you?

I don't need it sitting around here tempting me all weekend!  :)

  

Hey Valentines! Shopportunity's Calling -- PICK UP! :)

Happy Valentine's Day, sweet friends!

You love chocolate, 

roses, 

fancy dinners, 

jewelry, and

all that makes Valentine's Day, 

well... Valentine's Day.

But you know what we ladies also reallllllly realllllly like??

A sale and a chance to swoop in and snag that special something

we've had our eye on forever, but we've been being "good" and putting off.

Sweetie -- it's YOUR DAY today!

For TODAY ONLY, sashay over to THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE and

scoop up some "decor candy" for yourself  

and through midnight take 25% off it all -- 

choose from the newest additions to the store 

or shop the clearance section -- 

it's all included.

Just enter coupon code: LOVE during check out and

VOILA!  It's our gift to YOU!    :)

Forrest Gump said "My mama always said, Life is like a box of chocoloates -- you

never know what you're gonna get."  

Well we say, scoot on over to The Beautiful Life and choose your own

"gift" and know EXACTLY what you're gonna get!  ;)

In other news, real quick, I just have to say there are some

REALLLLLLY cool things coming your way in the shop.

My, oh my....  ;)

And before I head off to be amid the beauty at 

The Beautiful Life, 

let me point you in the direction of  FRECKLED LAUNDRY  blog.

You might remember Jami and Freckled Laundry from 

THIS POST

about doing a fabulous faux finish (that's a tongue-twister)

on a nightstand, making it look just like one of those

incredible zinc chests from Restoration Hardware.

Well, creative Jami just posted about a mantle re-do and in it

she uses one of our

TIN MAN'S HEARTS

inside a bare wooden frame... oh my word... I LOVED IT!

Check this out!

All of Jami's posts are so great -- what creativity!!

Take care, sweet friends.  Indulge in your chocolate, candy, roses,

wonderful dinner, whatever.  And take a moment to 

get yourself a little sumpin'-sumpin' at 25% while you're at it.

And no matter what -- remember 

I JUST LOVE'S YA!  

:)

  

Now THIS is clever! Look at the fun use this blogger/Facebook friend found for paper placemats!!

When you sell all kinds of beautiful things that you love,

you know how you would use them, but it's

ALWAYS way more fun to see how your customers 

and others use them!

So one day on Facebook (and my offer from my last post still stands, by the way,

for you to join me on there!) Clarice commented that she had some of the

PAPER PLACEMATS 

we sell (she bought hers elsewhere) and had done a kitchen

backsplash "facelift" with them!

I begged for photos and Clarice supplied!

She just did a blog post on HER BLOG  about the fun project --

you've gotta see it!

(I love the name of her blog -- "Storybook Woods" ... so sweet!)

We both agreed that the minute we laid eyes on this line of products

(the line of beautiful paper products in this series)

we thought "Oh I could use those for a craft project!!"

I'm still looking for time to do mine.

Clarice already did hers!  

Here's a sneak peek!

Enjoy your Valentine's Day weekend!!

You guys hold a very special, big place in MY heart!!

XOXO,

 

Hello, Nice To Meet You. My Name is Ruth and...

Hi... You may remember me.  I'm Ruth.  I write this blog.

(I know, I should use that term loosely lately).

It's nice to meet up with you again!  

:)

(A little fun with a picture of me in Photoshop.  Hint: I'm not the one with the beard...)

Okay, introductions aside, how in the world are you?

Some of you have so sweetly inquired as to whether I am still breathing.  

Thank you.  ;)

I assure you, all is well.  All is CAHRAZY - BIZZZEEEE 

but all is good!  

You know, since there is just SO much to cover 

(too much, really, for one blog post)

I'll chat and fill you in a little 

and maybe you can fill me in on YOU.   

:)

• There is new inventory sitting in the shop just waiting to be photographed and put on the site.  It's shame for it to sit there any longer, so getting it all up on the site going to be priority #1!

• A new batch of Emma Bridgewater is in the works.  Since re-introducing it back into inventory late last year, it has been well-received and I know I sure am glad to see back on the shelves!

In the area of magazines, we just received the really gorgeous
first issue of 2011 of Norway's VAKRE HJEM & INTERIORS magazine.

It's order-able and ready to ship by CLICKING HERE!



BIG JEANNE D'ARC LIVING NEWS, PEOPLE!
READY???
 Price break!!!
Previously, each issue was $32.00...
READY???
The price has dropped to $26.00 per issue!


What do you think???  Pretty great news, huh?
If you are a regular purchaser, this is fabulous news!
And if you've been holding back due to the price tag,
I'd encourage you to jump in -- this is what you've been waiting for!   :)

Jeanne d'Arc Living is wrapping up publication of it's second issue for 2011
and we'll have it in hand for shipping in just a couple short weeks.

Pre-orders for that issue are now being taken online --
it's shaping up to be another beauty!

Snap up your copy by CLICKING HERE!

In other Jeanne d'Arc Living news....
Two things:

1.)  To happily accomodate the MANY requests for back issues of the magazine,
we have order some of every issue they still have copies of -- from 2009 and 2010.
They don't have ALL the issues available, but there are about 7 different back issues
and we obtained some of them all for you!

They will be shipping here in conjunction with issue #2 in a couple weeks.
These back issues will go up on the site shortly.

and

2.)  In talks with Jeanne d'Arc Living, they are still optimistically holding to their
hopes of reinstating shipment of their product range to the U.S. again -- sometime
(hopefully) during the 1st quarter of this year.  That is not a timeframe they can
be completely held to, but suffice to say, we're closer now than ever to getting their
products back in our pretty little hands, and then into YOURS!   :)

We are just particularly excited about that price break with the
magazine itself.  That is just such great news!!

Well, many other "doin's" around here, but my lovlies,
it is almost 1 a.m. here for me and I'm in need of some beauty sleep.  :)

I already know what I'm going to blog about next...
some pretty big renovation about to begin at my house.
Oh yes, let the fun begin.  ;)

Are many of you regular users of Facebook??
I ask because I sure am -- being at the desk so much throughout the day,
I have Facebook open in a tab online all day.
I have gotten to be friends with some of my customers and blog friends
and it is SO MUCH FUN!

If you are on Facebook, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE to look me up!!
We could have so much fun chatting and getting to know each other even better!

I'm on, with my personal, Ruth Harsham page, found
HERE.

And of course there is the page on Facebook for
The Beautiful Life which I keep up with as as well.
You can get to that page by clicking
HERE.

So consider it an open invite to come "friend" me on Facebook --
it'll be fun!  :)

Until again,