Friday, April 30, 2010

color love {dark teal}

this is one of my personal favorite colors. enjoy!

{ dark teal }






if you would like to suggest a color for an upcoming {color love} post, please email me:
thesweetestpetunia {at} gmail {dot} com

{ angel face designs + winner! }


We have a (randomly chosen) winner for the $30 credit to Angel Face Designs!

The winning number was #23


Congrats to Sandy!
{I'll be emailing you shortly}

If you didn't win, be sure to shop Angel Face Designs using the discount code "petunia" for 15% off your order - the discount won't last forever, so use it soon!

AND
Be sure to stop by on Monday for another special {and super fabulous} giveaway!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

{ have a seat }


I like silhouettes.
I think they are very chic and elegant, but they can also be playful!

So, in my search for inspiration for a set of cards, I decided that a silhouette would be a good idea.

I just printed off a picture of a chair, cut it out with some tiny scissors, traced it onto some patterned paper, cut it out 3 more times, and layered it onto a simple card.


How do you feel about silhouettes?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

{ I Wish... }


...that I could magically become an organized person. Because I really do want to be one.

...that I could see my sweetheart more than a couple times a week.

...that I had $100 to spend on Etsy right now. :)

...that somehow, someway, playing Brahams' Waltz in A flat will become easier.
{and yes, practice makes perfect, but I'm not very patient}

...that I had some coffee + creamer. Somehow we are out of both at the same time. Yikes.

...that I could sew a skirt without totally ruining it. Because I did that last week.

...that I could be confident about me.

What do you wish?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

{hello}

I was planning on getting a lot of blogging done this morning.
But then I spent about 40 minutes searching Etsy for Mother's Day presents.

Whoops.

So yes, hopefully tomorrow I will get a lot of blogging stuff done.

In the meantime, be sure to enter the Angel Face Designs giveaway.

And you could watch this movie:


I watched it last night and it was SO good.
I wasn't ready for it to end. :)

Until tomorrow!
{fingers crossed that I can get organized and get things done}

Monday, April 26, 2010

{angel face designs} + a giveaway!


::this giveaway is now closed::


Angel Face Designs is filled with beautiful jewelry - handstamped, personalized and SO cute.


Heather (who I've gotten to know through blogging and Twitter) is the owner/designer/creator of Angel Face Designs. She's really sweet!

{Heather and her gorgeous family}

I especially like her line of Firefighter/Police/Military Love Necklaces.


Perfect for showing support for your dad, husband, or anyone you know who serves in these capacities.

Heather was kind enough to send me an adorable "sew much to do" necklace:


Cute, huh? It's very well made, and came to my mailbox in nice little packaging; Heather even included a small polishing circle to keep the necklace in great shape!

Heather is offering all of my readers a 15% discount on purchases from Angel Face Designs - just enter the code "petunia" when you check out.

She is also giving away a $30 shop credit!

Would you like a chance to win?
Open to US only, please.

-take a peek at Angel Face Designs and let me know what you'd spend your credit on! {first MANDATORY entry}

{leave your email address so I can contact you!}

For extra entries:
{leave a seperate comment for each}

-visit Heather's blog and leave some comment love.
-blog about the giveaway
-tweet with the link

This giveaway will end on Friday morning (the 30th). The winner will be chosen using random.org.

**I was sent a necklace to review, but recieved no other kind of compensation. All opinions are honest and my own.**

Friday, April 23, 2010

{winner!}

Lauren Nicole
 
The random.org number was...
 
#20
 
Classicly Amber!!
 
Congrats to Amber + many thanks to Denise for this lovely giveaway!

color love {periwinkle}

this {color love} post inspired by the crush. blog

{ periwinkle }






{this is my favorite of the set. adorable!}

if you would like to suggest a color for an upcoming {color love} post, please email me:
thesweetestpetunia {at} gmail {dot} com

Thursday, April 22, 2010

{zebra print}

I love when other people know I'm crafty.

Because then I get questions like...

"Can you fix this dress for me?"
"Oh, you can figure out how to make boutonnieres, right?"
"Will you make a headband to match this dress?"

And really, I don't mind. I like helping people. I like doing things. So it all works out.

This week I made this adorable headband:


So fun, right?!
It's for my {future}* niece, for her birthday.
Her grandma {my future* mother-in-law} made her a dress with zebra print fabric and hot pink accents.
Now she has the perfect accessory!


I really hope she likes it. :)

What have you made this week?

*just a note: when I refer to my {future} family, it's actually my sweetheart's family. hopefully that's not too confusing!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

{to do list}


-drink water!
-laugh at yourself
-sew something
-"tinkle the ivories"
-cook + bake
-hug me :)
-write it down
-coffee break
-take a picture
-make memories
-say "I Love You"
-smile!

What would your list say?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

{organizing}

Gussy

The ever-fabulous Gussy kicked off her Gussy Biz Tips yesterday with a post about organizing.
It is good stuff.
You can read it here.

I just spent about an hour cleaning out/organizing my Gmail account.
Organizing takes time, but I think it's worth it.
Makes life easier!

Which part of your life do you wish was more organized?

Currently, my crafting and sewing supplies could use some major help. :)

Monday, April 19, 2010

{Lauren Nicole Gifts} + a giveaway!

Lauren Nicole
 
Have you ever visited the Lauren Nicole Jewelry & Gifts site? It is chock-full of beautiful jewelry, monogrammed gifts, and even a little something for the pet in your life!
 
Denise {the owner} ever-so-graciously sent me a piece to review. As soon as I opened the adorable pink-lidded box, I loved it!
 


Isn't it beautiful?

It's a Victorian Wax Seal necklace, and it's just perfect for me. I wore it over the weekend, and I'm not the only one who loved it! Personalized {and I love personalized jewelry} with my initial and the beads that I chose, it can be dressed up or down. It's just wonderfully made, as well. :)

And guess what?
Denise is giving away a necklace just like this to one of you readers!
You'll be able to choose the initial, two beads and the chain length.

Open to US Residents only, please.

How can you win?

Visit the Lauren Nicole site and leave me a comment telling me your favorite piece {this is a mandatory first entry}. Please leave your email address so I can contact you.

For an extra entry, blog/tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment.

This giveaway will end on Friday {the 23rd} and the winner will be chosen using random.org.

Good luck!

I was sent a necklace for review, but recieved no monetary compensation.

 

Friday, April 16, 2010

color love {fuschia}

apparently the color "fuschia" is open to interpretation...when I searched it, many different shades of pink came up! hopefully you enjoy my choices.

{ fuschia }







If there is a color you'd like to see featured in a {color love} post, please email me!
thesweetestpetunia {at} gmail {dot} com

{s.d.g. winner!}


The winner of the S.D.G. giveaway is...

#10  Natalie from Natalie's Sentiments

Congratulations to Natalie and many thanks to Meredith for providing the giveaway!

Natalie, please send me an email when you see this :: thesweetestpetunia {at} gmail {dot} com

Thursday, April 15, 2010

{unique oppurtunity}

The other day I got an email from CSN.
Ever heard of them?

Well, it's a site that has all sorts of stores.
Seriously, you could probably find anything there, even the kitchen sink!
They have corner tv stands, artwork, hand bags...really anything you could think of.

{it's pretty overwhelming and fun to browse around there!}

I will be doing a review here shortly of some cute little baskets. Can't wait to try them out! I love using baskets to organize. Thanks, CSN!

{button, button}

Who's got a button?



Grab my button for your blog!



Well, now I do!

Many, many thanks go to Bailey at b's {blog} boutique for whipping up this adorable button for me. I've been in need of a button for quite some time. Problem - solved!

So if you enjoy reading The Sweetest Petunia, would you consider grabbing my new button and putting it in your sidebar? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know if you do. :)

{at some point I will host a giveaway just for the people who post my button on their sidebar. not sure when, but it will happen eventually!}

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Forget Me Not {a book review}

Forget Me Not
by Vicki Hinze

Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He’d failed to protect his family.

Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace.
 The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts


{my thoughts}

I love a good mystery. There's just something about a problem needing to be solved, all the clues coming together, finally reaching the end and figuring out whodunit...if it's a good mystery, I will probably enjoy reading it. Forget Me Not did not disappoint.

I was a little confused as I read the first chapter, since it doesn't really reveal anything about the woman who becomes the main character. It doesn't tell much about who she is, why the bad guys are after her, etc. But it works in well when she has amnesia and doesn't know, because you discover right along with her.

This book was a page-turner for me. I really wanted to read it as fast as I could, because I just had to find out how everything fit together. And I didn't feel lost by the end of the book; I knew what was happening.

So if you're on the lookout for some suspenseful reading, you might want to pick up Forget Me Not. It might be just what you were looking for! :)

{photo source}

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

{new blog things}

I have been so busy here lately.
Sometimes I feel like all I do on the computer is answer emails!
But I'm trying to finish all of that up so I can spend more time blogging. :)

That being said, there are a few new things on the blog that you might want to know about.

If you look up at the top, right under the header, you'll see that I've added pages :: simple things like About Me, Blogs I Like, etc. There's even a page where you can find links to all of the {color love} posts. So if you get bored, that's where you should browse {and there are some great blogs to be found under Blogs I Like}.

In other news, I have giveaways scheduled every week for at least the next 3 weeks - yikes! It's going to be fun, I promise. They are all giveaways that I would personally love to win. :)

So, hopefully I can corral my inbox and resume normal blogging soon!
Thanks for sticking with me on this crazy ride called {life}.

While you're here, be sure to enter the s.d.g. giveaway!

Monday, April 12, 2010

{s.d.g.} + a giveaway!

S.D.G. {short for Spire Design Group} is a place where you'll find uniquely crafted gifts and accessories. And I have to say, I think it's a pretty cool place to be!


If you stop by, you'll find a fun selection of zipper pouches, clutchs, phone/camera pouches, eyeglass cases, even coffee koozies!


S.D.G. is run by Meredith, and I asked he to share a little about herself:

About me?? I grew up in a small town in Indiana. I am an only child and very close with my family. I married the love of my life that I met by chance on New Years Eve in 2000. He was in the Air Force for 5 years and that allowed us to move around and live in some really great places. After he got out of the military, we moved back close to home and love it!! We have the sweetest dog ever named Oliver (who is also my assistant). And we are hoping to have babies VERY soon!!!! VERY SOON!!! I love interior design, reading, drawing, sewing, making jewelry, singing, dancing, being with my family and friends, shopping, cooking, baking, watching movies, reality tv, laughing and making others laugh. I'm pretty deep!! HEHHE!!!

{Isn't she too cute?!}

I learned to sew when I was about 9. I was in 4-H and I took sewing. I made this super cute elastic waist skirt. After that, I rarely sewed, attempted to make doll clothes and random "cozies" as I called them. They were basically two peices of fabric sewn together and I would put them over something, like a toaster!

I got a sewing machine 3 years ago for Christmas to make curtains and random things for our house. I made one set of curtains and never used it again until last fall. I started sewing pillows, which turned into bags. It was really a way for me to pass time while my design business was slow during the holidays. I would sew all day and never even look at a clock, it just relaxed me so much and I loved what I was doing. My husband suggested that I try and sell them on the internet. I thought he was a little crazy, but was willing to give it a try. And that is how it started! I call my second business SDG (short for Spire Design Group). I have sewn over 170 items since I started it. I am currently selling from my website as well as doing craft shows in Indiana. I love it! It is a great way for me to be creative, a perfect second job.


All of Meredith's items are just adorable, and I think her prices are good.
If you'd like a unique gift, you know where to go!

Also, Meredith is giving one of you a $14 credit to use at S.D.G.!

To enter, please visit Meredith's site and leave a comment about your favorite item. This is a MANDATORY entry. Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

For extra entries:
{leave a seperate comment for each entry; otherwise it doesn't count!}
-Follow Meredith on Twitter
-blog/tweet about the giveaway {be sure to link to this post}

This giveaway will end on Friday morning {the 16th}, and the winner will be chosen using random.org. Many thanks to Meredith for making this giveaway possible!

**I did not recieve any compensation for this giveaway, I just like supporting handmade.**

Friday, April 9, 2010

color love {mint green}

This edition of {color love} suggested by Meg.

{mint green}







If you would like to suggest a color for an upcoming {color love} post, please send me an email:
thesweetestpetunia {at} gmail {dot} com