Sara's Sweet Surprise

I thought you'd like a quick idea for the traditional gifted bottle of champagne or cider. This is a nice change from the festive printed gift bag. A "no sew" project, allowing all the items used to be repurposed. Wine/Cider Bags Take a tea towel (of your choice). Fold it in thirds with the wrong side out. Bind the end with cording, narrow ribbon, or a rubber band. Get the cord as close to one end as possible without it slipping off. I wrap the cording a couple of times to secure it. Make a small bow with the loose ends. Invert the towel. Set your bottle inside the pouch. Stand the covered bottle up and secure it with a bow or band. Embellish it with an ornament, antique broach, french lace doily, etc., preferably in items that would appeal to the hostess. The top of the towel can be left up or rolled down to form a collar. May you be surrounded by those you love this New Years Eve! Happy 2009!

It's the last weekend before Christmas. The last weekend for scratching off the remaining names from your Christmas list. There's just one problem.. SNOW! IN OUR BACKYARD! SNOW! EVERYWHERE! Poor St. Francis only has snow to offer. Don't fret, little critters we've filled the feeders to the brim and added a few apples for an extra sweet treat. I had gotten so far behind on all Christmas Festivities, the thought of where to begin was overwhelming, so I didn't. Until... my hubby said "did you know there's a snow storm heading our way by Wednesday?" It was late Monday night, when this news flash blind sided me. I replied (casually). "How long is it going to last?" He gave me a long sigh with a soft even longer moan. Then utters, "probably through Christmas possibly New Years!" Me, now in a panic state exclaimed "that means I have Tuesday to get A-L-L my shopping done! ONE DAY-ALL MY SHOPPING -DONE!?@#!$?! Well, that wa...

Pretty in pink. This year I staged my table with floral (opened) suitcases. It reminded me of the trunk shows I've attended. Lots of pink, glitter, chiffon, and vintage tags. My hubby did manage to squeeze in a spot for his garden cottage stones. I didn't get a picture before he sold out. I was happy for him. He worked in the summers heat creating each garden stone. My Patisserie I've got a detailed pic next. Here's a closer look at my latest inspiration...sweet rolls, calorie free! Created from a tea towel. The consensus was most customers were going to keep them as faux pastry, rather then unfurling their rolls to use the towels. They're very easy to assemble. If you have any interest in making them, let me know. These are the vendors seated directly behind us. They sold unique glass and wire wind chimes. My neighbor has a tree filled with these chimes. They glisten in the sunshine and perform together when a breeze moves them. It sounds like a choir si...

Happy Thanksgiving I'll be spending the holiday with my visiting family. We'll be dining at the Washington Quay, overlooking the Columbia River, for Thanksgiving. Yea! No cooking, and especially no cleaning the turkey carcass aftermath. It'll be a nice change not trying to clean up in a Tryptophan haze. I'm participating in a holiday show on Saturday. The event will feature over 200 local artisans. It's always difficult to keep from spending my profit at the show. I'll be back on Monday with pictures to share.

It's been a fantastic ride! I appreciate your patience in waiting for the reveal of winners. It allowed me the time to gather and invite all the girlfriends over to enter my Parisian Give Away. So lets proceed with the drawing of two winners. Paw picked by my beautiful assistant Angel. I present the box with the eligible candidates . Angel reaches in for the winners My kitty is Content with her selections, now hands me the names to make the announcement. The winner to receive the Girlfriend (eco tote) with all 25 sweet surprises , is........ . A Bite of Country Cupcakes ! The winner receiving the Eiffel tower lamp is........ . Decor To Adore! Girls, email me your addresses so I can get your winnings into the mail. That brings us to the honorary winners. Hmmmm, what? I've had a few visiting BLOGGERS that have given me the privilege of placing my blog (link) unconditionally on their blog rolls. This gracious act has touched me deeply. I would like to send you a Girlfriend...

A few weeks ago my hubby said, "Hey, I've got some vacation time I need to use up. How'd you like to go to the beach?" Well, after I regained consciousness, I jumped into action. Cat sitter, check. Light timers, check. Neighbor on recycling-garbage detail, check. Several suitcases packed later we were on a road trip to our favorite beach in Lincoln City, Oregon. We stayed at the Moon Breaker, a house that has been my heart breaker since it's always booked. Somehow a cancellation entitled us the honor of staying at this beachfront home. YAHOO! This was our first stop.... Factory Outlet Mall Where a girl's wish list is granted Okay, I'll admit it. I was a little preoccupied with the shopping, and I forgot to take pictures. No worries; I'll take some as we drive away.... Not as easy as I thought. At least I photographed the most important one. Isn't it amazing what feats a gal will go through to get a shot for her blog. This was taken at 20mph balanc...

The eleventh hour We had quite the Halloween haunt with pint sized witches, vampires and ninjas topping the evening off with a grand total of 130 treaters! The action usually begins around 5pm. So , we were a little nervous to find the streets and sidewalks were emmmpty at that time. Since there wasn't a ghost or witch in site, we decided to sit down for a quick dinner. You guessed it. The minute we sat down to eat, the doorbell rang, and so it began. The winner of best costume was a young gentleman dressed up as a magnet covered in baby chicks. He was so funny as he proudly announced his title The CHICK MAGNET. As I was passing out the goodie bags, an unexpected visitor appeared from the crowd, a chihuahua dressed up as a bumblebee. I squealed with delight. She was Bow-WOW Bootiful! I wish I could have gotten pictures of these treaters, but there was something eerie possessing our camera last night. Unexplainable phantoms kept appearing in our pictures. What's in...