Do you have hearts all over your home these days? My favorite new display is the clay heart my granddaughter Ally made, my collection of heart necklaces, and the beautiful mixed-media canvas Shannon of Shantilly made for my birthday. From my heart to yours . . . have a happy Valentine’s Day! ♥
Yes, after wishing I could win my own Origami Owl giveaway last month, I received one for Mother’s Day from Tiffany, Jeff, Miranda, and Brody! It has a chocolate locket with crystals, an “Inspire” plate, a gold chain, and a crystal dangle. Inside the locket were four charms that Tiffany decided were “so Kathy” . . . a cross, heart, Grandma heart, and laptop. How sweet is that??? And then I got to choose five more charms! It was SO hard to decide, but I finally picked out a sewing machine (no surprise there!), purse (to represent outings and adventures), coffee cup (since I always have one an arms-length away during my work day), piano (since I used to teach lessons and perform), and running shoe (but mine is pink . . . and I’m running my first-ever 5K this fall!). THANK YOU, dear family, for the lovely gift . . . I’ll cherish it forever. And be sure to check out Tiffany’s Origami Owl shop if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for someone you love. ♥
Thank you SO much to everyone for entering the Origami Owl Blogger Locket Giveaway and for all your lovely, encouraging comments. Seriously, every time a new one popped up, I said to myself, “Oh . . . I hope SHE wins!!!” But the time came to draw one name out of the hat, and the lucky winner is . . .
Jeanna of Drama Queen Seams!
Congratulations, Jeanna! As soon as you email me your mailing address, I’ll send your prize and Tiffany will send the extra charm you chose—the crystal clear crown. And for all of our other blogging friends . . . thank you again for your enthusiasm and support for small businesses, and feel free to contact Tiffany at thehootsuite@gmail.com, her Facebook page, or her web site if you have any questions about creating your own Living Locket or becoming an Origami Owl independent designer. You’re the best! ♥
My lovely art teacher daughter-in-law Tiffany just became an independent designer for Origami Owl. Have you seen these amazing “Living Lockets” yet? You choose your locket size and design, fill it with hand-picked charms, and (if you like) add plates, dangles, and tags. Then you either purchase a chain or wear your creation on a chain or ribbon you already own. They’re absolutely beautiful! So Tiffany and I put our heads together and came up with a “blogger locket” giveaway that we think you’ll love! It includes:
You can see close-ups of all the components below!
To enter this giveaway, you only have three easy steps to follow:
(1) “Like” Tiffany’s Origami Owl Facebook page here. (But if you’re not on FB, no worries! You can still enter by skipping to Step 2! :))
(2) Go to Tiffany’s Origami Owl web site and find your favorite charm here. (Click on “Charm Collections” on the “Living Lockets” page.)
(3) Leave a comment below telling us you’ve liked the FB page (see note on Step 1) and what your favorite charm is.
That’s it! A week from today (Monday, April 8) we’ll draw a name out of a hat and announce the winner right here at Pillows A-La-Mode. And not only does the winner get the blogger locket, but Tiffany will mail her the other charm she chose, too! So please join in the fun, and thank you for visiting Origami Owl today or anytime from my Shop Love! page above. ♥
P.S. I forgot to mention that Origami Owl’s packaging is amazing—a drawstring bag for the tag and a “fortune cookie” made of kimono fabric to keep your locket in, all delivered in a cute little take-out box! Oh, and Tiffany has also put together a Shutterfly book with design ideas. You can check it out here.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have a little story to share. For me, it started with this sweet post from Claire of The Penguin Theory about an amazing artist from Portugal named Sandra. When the Etsy community learned that Sandra had faced a great loss, they banded together for a fundraiser sponsored by Esther and Estella of Star of the East (with an Etsy shop here) who invited fellow artists to make a donation toward a raffle with more than 50 Etsy items as prizes. The response was overwhelming, and I know all the winners are just ecstatic! Others have ordered items from Sandra’s own Etsy shop called Azulado, where I found this gorgeous ceramic heart. It arrived this week just in time for the holiday, beautifully wrapped in a handmade box tied with ribbon. Please visit Azulado when you get a chance (and also Etsy angels The Penguin Theory and Star of the East) from this post or anytime from my Shop Love! page above. Love and prayers to you and your family, Sandra! ♥
OK, blogging friends . . . don’t be mad at me . . . but I somehow won another amazing giveaway! After much anticipation, this GORGEOUS button ring made by Dawn of Junebug Jewelry Designs arrived in the mail. I absolutely love everything about it! I also love following Dawn’s blog and seeing all her unique, beautiful necklaces and earrings, which she sells in her Etsy Shop called Designs by JuneBug. Please take a moment to click on her links, and you can find easily find Dawn from now on in my Shop Love! page above. THANK YOU for my lovely gift, Dawn! ♥
My newest Shop Love! post is for my blogging friend Wendy of Clouds N Cups. I ordered these lovely vintage earrings and jeweled bracelet, and Wendy graciously added in the necklace that matches the bracelet because she wasn’t 100% satisfied with how a coupon I had went through (which is now fixed, of course) . . . that’s SO kind of her! Her creations are even more lovely in person, and she has many more one-of-kind earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings in her shop. Click here for Wendy’s blog, here for her FB page, and here for her web site/shop. Thank you, Wendy! ♥
PILLOWS A-LA-MODE 