Welcoming 2013: The Best of Both Worlds

Yep, it's pretty cool living in the mountains of Southern California.  The photos below were both taken within the same 24 hours!

Home: last day of 2012.....don't let the door hit ya.

Ocean Beach Pier on New Year's Day....that perfect rose was just. there.  Just. Cool.

Good things are on the way here, stay tuned...

Happy New Year!

Zeroing in your Goals

                      Robin Hood Statue, Nottingham   source

Happy weekend!  I haven't been posting lately, but I've been busy!  Day job is crazy busy and full of exciting projects, and I'm really zeroing in on the direction I want to take my Etsy store and this blog.  More on this in the future, but I will say, I think just jumping out there and starting even when you are not sure where it will lead you is a wonderful thing.  I love the way things seem to be falling into place this year.  Are you experiencing this as well? 
Today I'm going to be spending time creating some unique Art Deco designs (hint), but I do want to take a moment to say thank you to Canadian artist Meghann at Little Studio for a very generous feature of BelleCosette on her blog.  To see the feature, click here, and be sure to browse the rest of her blog and her Etsy store, I know you will enjoy meeting her! 
Thank you also to Etsy member Anna Herrmann for including my Leopard Cuff Bracelet in her most recent Treasury.  She's a college student with an amazing eye for vintage and retro finds.  Be sure to get in her circle!

Free Ephemera, Pure and Sweet

I have a sweet little bit of advertising ephemera for you today, and also some exciting news to share.  My Etsy store was featured on wonderful blog called SouthernScraps!  See the feature here.  SouthernScraps is written by Fonda, a fellow blogger and Etsian.  Be sure to check out her shop here, she makes beautiful cards, jewelry and other gifts.  Thanks so much Fonda, I've had some great sales this weekend, including one of the items featured, and an order all the way from Norway! 

There's nothing on the back of this card.  I'm thinking that it is for starch for clothing (I do remember my Mom starching my Dad's uniform!), I guess "pure & sweet" would be a way to advertise starch??  What do you think?
To download, just left click on the image, and when it appears in a new window, right click on the image and choose 'Save Image As' and it will save it to your computer.
Have a great Holiday weekend!
~ BelleCosette

Colbalt Blues

What's on my radar this week?  Colbalt Blue!  I still don't have any blue in my home decor, but at least I can appreciate it elsewhere...and someday I will do some blues.  Now, in clothes, nature, and anyplace else I'm loving these deep blues.  Here's a sample of some of my favorites from my:
                                                            Colbalt Pinterest Board
                              Doors

    Belize

Gotta have some Blue Suede Shoes (and snakeskin)!

                             An BelleCosette Cuff to match...

Are you thinking of trying a new color outside of your usual comfort zone?  Let me know, let's be brave together!

Are you going to do something about this?

I love photos that beg for a caption!  Van took this with his telephone.

Finally, some rain!  This has been such a non-winter so far.  It usually snows on Valentine's Day...we'll see.

Project Happiness

 “Find a happy person, and you will find a project,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, positive psychologist and author of The How of Happiness.

source

....Then I am delirious!  DH surprised me with another trip to the craft store yesterday.  So much to do!  I have several new jewelry designs I can't wait to get to.  I'm currently obsessed with deep bright peacock colors and I'm going to be doing some metal stamping. 

What is your favorite current project?

DIY Family Calendar Tutorial

I have a nice and easy tutorial for you today!  I was inspired by a DIY Calendar I saw on Pinterest a while ago. (source ~ Please visit this Etsy shop if you want to purchase a great calendar!)  This is a little different than most tutorials I like, because it is made with new items, but that is because my DH gave me Michael's spending money for Christmas (awesome, right?).  I know you can get creative and make something similar with found items!  Here we go!

Here's what I started with:  A framed cork board, stick on letters, stamp & ink, calligraphy pen, wedding bookmark thingies, hole punch, thumbtacks, drill, screw in hooks.  I never used the scrapbook page that is pictured, I originally thought I would modge podge the paper over a piece of wood until I found the framed cork board, remember, I was splurging!

I stuck the letters for each month on the frame--I made sure there were enough J's, and that they would fit on the frame, but as far as spacing, I just free handed(gasp!) putting them on!

The letters have just a hint of sparkle ♥

I had to drill pilot holes for the screw in hooks because the frame was super hard.  I set the board aside and started work on the cards.  I think this is where you can really personalize this project with your own design style.  First I punched the holes on top, then stamped each with a pretty fleur~de~lis, and then wrote the dates and names with a calligraphy pen.  You can include anniversaries, holidays, any special date.  I made plenty of blanks for each month.

Call your Mother! 

Those are old pics of me and my Mom...Yes we look exactly the same today!!  I love these photo corner "thumbtacks", because they: A) look cool, and B) don't put a hole in the picture!!

If you are inspired to make a calendar of your own, I'd love to see it!
~ BelleCosette

These are a few of my favorite things...

,,,and you are of a certain age if you are singing the song from The Sound of Music.  I want to share a few special things from home every now and then for Home & Family Day.  I only took a few pictures today because it was really dark and cloudy, but I hope you enjoy these.  Most of my home 'decor' is made up things that have meaning.  I think of the style as Arts & Crafts, but I'll certainly break that rule for something I love. 

This is a vintage, possibly antique checkerboard passed down from family in Pennsylvania.  I love the colors, and the way each square is a separate piece of wood, but most of all, the authentic worn patina.  So many things are faux distressed (which I'm NOT turning my nose up at!), but I really appreciate the beauty of an item that is worn from real use!

A beautiful handcrafted clock, this is definitely arts & crafts, one of the few things I purposely bought just for the style of it, but I like that is made in America by an artist.

I love this Ansel Adams photograph not just for it's content, but because Kevin and I went here for a weekend and Yosemite Valley actually looked exactly like this that day.  We went into the little museum store, bought the poster and had it framed.

A couple of rustic signs from a local gift shop.  I love decorating with photographs and words.

I really do like many different styles.  If I had a house with lots of rooms I would decorate each one in a completely different way.  What is your favorite decor and how do you decide how you will decorate...by color or time period, or?
~BelleCosette

What to do when you don't have enough time

I  am enjoying the new challenges, opportunities and knowledge that I've been given this year.  The one thing I'm not enjoying is a constant undercurrent feeling in my mind of never having enough time.  Time to read, study, do, create, share and enjoy.  And don't forget time for all of the things I have to do, and not resenting the time it takes to meet my responsibilities. 
Have you seen those wall stickers of quotes?  I could use one of those with the quote below. 

                                                                                 source

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Theresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
 –Life’s Little Instruction Book
Oh, and they didn't have Google.  What is your most effective time management trick?
~BelleCosette

Middle Aged Love Letters & A Cure for the Monday Blues

It's Glitter Pile Sunday, time to relax and enjoy a few things I can across this week.  There's this great site called Retronaut that has cool "time capsules" in history.  It's a place to visit more than once, there's just so much to see.  Here are a couple of things that caught my eye, along with a great post from 'hey amber rae'  about defining why you do what you do, and how to make sure you are doing what you love.

Middle Aged Women of the Sixties:  Lots of great photos.  What I don't like:  They look waaaay older than me (I think), and I am certainly "middle aged".  what I like:  they are all so perfectly put together, and they all seem to have some sort of cocktail next to them.  How civilized.

http://www.retronaut.co/2012/01/middle-aged-women-1960s/

With Valentine's Day coming up, here's a story about a 100 year old love letter found in a chair cushion.  Who cares what the letter says, this makes me me feel much better about my housekeeping!

http://www.retronaut.co/2011/03/200-year-old-love-letter-found-in-chair/

Check yourself with this post, a great way to start off the work week:

http://tumblr.heyamberrae.com/

Have a fabulous Monday, there are rumours of snow coming our way!

~ BelleCosette