A Bushel and a Peck

I Am Off

I am really excited to start the new year getting together with good friends and talking shop.

I leave tomorrow for the Altitude Design Summit.

It will be four days of dinners, sessions with amazing bloggers/shop owners, brainstorming, creating, parties and even a little thrifting on the last day.

It will be rooming with Melissa and Alexis.

Alexis was pretty much the highlight of France..except for the other things like flea markets, gorgeous chateau, incredible food, Paris...but she still ranks right up there:-)

Melissa I have only known online and I am thrilled to spend "real life" time together.

My good friend Christy will also be joining us.

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.

I am blessed to get together with creative women often but this will be a special trip for me to truly focus on my business and time for me to hopefully figure out some hard decisions I need to make.

I am having some growing pains with my business (and I do know that is a good thing) but I need to really think about where I want it all to go.

You all know how much I don't want to take away from my family...so...how do you grow and stay true to the things that are most important?

Maybe you don't grow..or you figure out something really creative and amazing:-)

I know that my house will go to pot, my kids will eat sugar for the next four days and no one will bath or even get out of pajamas....but...I will be wearing cute clothes, hanging out with creative people, drinking wine and eating food that I DID NOT HAVE TO A MAKE!!!

See you at the end of this week!

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Don't forget to enter HERE for The She Art Workshop!

I also wanted to remind you that the last of the Winter Collection is in the shop.

I will not be making anymore (time to focus on the spring line).

The bonus is that I am offering FREE SHIPPING for the rest of the week.

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I would also like to thank each one of you that have been praying for Joanne.

Yesterday seemed to be better..if you can say that right now..but they didn't have to make any hard decisions and that is good. 

Curtain Call and a Giveaway

I wanted to let you all know that I have stocked my shop with the last of the winter line. 

This will be the final curtain call on the winter line and then all my attention will be on the spring collection.

There are so many new things I am working on and I can't wait to reveal the new line in April.

Until then...if you have had your eye on a camera bag or one of the other purses this will be your last chance to pick one up.

What is in the shop is all that is left.

I have also marked down significantly any vintage items that were original to the French Brocante Collection.

I am also offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed this week only      (January 16-23)

Once you place your order I will refund shipping.  Wish there was an easier way to do it on Etsy but there isn't.

On the giveaway front....

 My friend, Christy Tomlinson, has generously offered one of my readers admission to her new online e-course, The She Art Workshop.

How can you not want to take it just by this beautiful piece???

Christy is one of the most creative people I know and you will love this class!

 The She Art Workshop is a 3 week e-course the begins February 28th! In this workshop, you will learn how to create unique and detailed girls, as seen in my art projects! I will also share with you how I create my backgrounds, textures, and layering styles on canvases and other surfaces! You will walk away from this class feeling confident in creating your own personalized" She Art" projects as well as having learned  new art techniques you can use in other mixed media projects!  The She Art Workshop begins February 28th. Registration starts today and ends February 27th! 

I love Christy's art!  

Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win tuition to the workshop.

You can register for the workshop HERE and her inspiring blog is HERE.

The winner will be announced on January 24th.

Thank you, Christy!

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I also wanted to give you an update on Joanne....She so desperately needs your prayers.  Things have continued to decline.  I can't imagine what her family is going through.   Her sweet husband has been giving updates HERE. 

She Wanted To See The Beauty All Around Her

There will always be negative things in this world but when we have our hearts open...our eyes open...

There is still so much that is lovely, joyful and beautiful.

Somedays the beauty is all around you and so obvious.

 Then there are the days when it is harder to find and it becomes a choice.

I want to see the beauty all around me....even on the hard days.

This is one of my new pieces.

You can find her here.

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Thank you for all your prayers for Joanne and her family.

You guys are amazing with the most incredible hearts!!!

If you want you can follow all her updates by following her husband on twitter.