Giveaway: Anirtak Jewelry

Happy Friday everyone! If you're an employee of the state of GA, happy furlough! I hope, if this recession has forced you to take time of with out pay that you are sleeping in (I just woke up) and that you are having either the laziest day of your life, or the most productive. I haven't decided which I'll have yet. This post was the first item on the "to do" list.

Here to help celebrate the weekend, we have anirtak offering a pretty sweet giveaway. Anirtak is run by Katrina, and I have to say that after she contacted me about a possible giveaway, I could not stop visiting her etsy shop and daydreaming about all of her lovely little pieces.

Courtesy of Katrina, I now own the piece that stole my heart, and made me think of my first pet. I wear this piece constantly!
The Baby Lone Hopper Necklace $16.50


Here are a few of my other favorites...
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend Necklace $14


Cops and Robbers Lariat $12.50


Snippity Snip Scissors Necklace $10


For our giveaway, Katrina is offering a SET (not one, but two items worth $20)...
Fallen Leaves Lariat


AND
These whimsical, asymmetrical, perfect for autumn matching leaf earrings.


Now, if you're afraid you won't win, but must have a piece of this well made, gorgeous jewelry, Katrina is offering 10% off to ANY D&OC reader for the duration of the giveaway! Simply enter "Downandout10" in the message to sellers, and she'll reimburse you via Paypal! These pieces make perfect gifts, so DO take advantage of the discount!

How to win the leaves set, including a lariat and earrings? (Up to 3 entries!)
1) Visit anirtak and leave a comment telling me what you favorite item is... (1st entry)

2) Are you a reader/follower/member of D&OC? Great! You get a second entry. Simply say, "I'm a reader" and if you're not, why not sign up via that little "followers" widget? (2nd entry)

3) Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway and let me know you did! (Third entry)

Helpful links:
**Shop
**Blog
**Twitter

Good luck to you and Happy Halloween (I stink and don't have a costume yet, bleh)!
Have a great weekend!
xo,
Christina

Candy colored objects and a winner

Thank you all for participating in the surprise giveaway by Red Hot Pottery! The winner of this lovely gift set is... #24- Claire from Gugaw (Claire was actually a giveaway sponsor, if you remember!) Congrats Claire! Thank you to Red Hot Pottery for a offering such a beautiful prize to the winner. If you haven't already, be sure to drop by the lovely shop. Those heart bowls are still making my heart go pitter patter.
~
I adore these candy colored images I've happened upon while perusing this wide world of internet goodness. I hope they'll make you smile.

via here


via here {via beauty comma}


via Lola's Room {via oh, hello friend}


via Lola's Room


via Lola's Heart


via Lola's Room
Tomorrow is my first furlough day where I'm forced to take a day off from work, sanz pay. It's a double edged sword really, but I'm definitely looking forward to concentrating on the shop for a bit (I'm adding some vintage pieces that I'm soooo excited about!).
Be sure to check back in the morning, because we're lucky enough to have not one, but TWO giveaways this week!

Style Inspiration: Juliette Hogan

Everything about Juliette Hogan's Winter 09 collection is perfection, except for the part that she's based in New Zealand, far, far away from me.

I may not be able to get my hands on any of her pieces, but I can certainly use these shots for some styling inspiration. From soft frills, neutral colors, and winter whites, to short gloves and feminine fedoras...

{all photos via Juliette Hogan}
*Thank you to Luphia Loves for introducing me to this lovely designer.
Who wants to go to New Zealand for a little shopping trip?

{Make sure to enter the Red Hot Pottery giveaway. I'll be choosing a winner soon!}

Surprise Giveaway: Red Hot Pottery

This Hump day I have a little surprise for you, but before we get to that, I need to announce the winner of the Cottage Cheege giveaway. According to Random.org, the winner is #54...lovely Lenore from Lenorenevermore! Yippee and congrats! Thank you Marsi for an awesome giveaway. Be sure to check out The Cottage Cheese during this holiday season for unique vintage housewares.

~
Now for the surprise. I was contacted by a very talented artist, Chris, who runs Red Hot Pottery concerning a possible giveaway. I immediately fell in love with Chris' work (she was recently a featured seller on Etsy) and just knew you would love her work too! The only issue is that the Friday giveaway slots were all snatched up (weeheee!) so we decided that an impromptu Wednesday giveaway would be in order.
I think this work speaks for itself...
Tall Love Birdies Vase $60


Set of 4 Ice cream bowls $68


Extra Large Heart Bowl Set $72


These pieces are simply beautiful and all of these pieces would make amazing gifts for yourself or (if you must) someone else.
Here's what you can win:
GIFT SET Heart bowl and bath salts gift box $36


Winner will receive your choice between a WHITE or BLUE bowl and one pound of Deep Forest Mineral Bath salt. You can read about the details of this product here.

all photos via Red Hot Pottery

The winner will be chosen Thursday afternoon so the giveaway will only be open for a bit more than 24 hours!
How to Enter?
Simply leave a comment after visiting the shop and tell me what you like AND tell me which color bowl you would choose if you were lucky enough to win!
Good Luck!!!
**Shop
**Blog
**Facebook

Shop Talk

Sometimes I wonder how I find the time to do anything with my Etsy shop. Working a non-related, office job kind of puts a damper on the creative goals. Alas, I've been a busy bee and here are some new creations...
Golden Pine Cones...for your ears $10

Royalty...a purple hairpin trio $14


Mini Orange Mums...stud earrings $6


Mini Vintage Floral Cameo Earrings in brass settings $10


Mix and Match...vintage bird hairpins $9.50

{all photos via D&OC etsy}
I've decided to announce the Cottage Cheese winner tomorrow morning and I have a little surprise for you tomorrow as well, so don't miss it! (*wink, wink*)

Shabby huh?

After making my first pair of shabby chic inspired earrings, I thought I'd explore why it is that I that I've never really discussed shabby chic interiors. I think I'm shy about this French inspired design style because it's SO unlike something I would choose for my own home. I've searched and searched and come up with some examples I really like: they're mostly neutral and you I tried to stay away from the pink + baby blue color scheme that's so typical of these types of spaces.

Here, the addition of a modern, streamlined lamp adds a sense of dialogue in the space. The juxtaposition gives relief to the overall frilly feel of the space.

via home.uk

Ok, so this space has a mild dose of pink+blue, but look at that wallpaper!

via French Bedroom Company

The term "shabby chic" is quite the misnomer. The style is quite ornate and the whimsical details are everywhere, including the molding.

via The French Bedroom Company

Pale yellow works especially well as an alternative to pink.

via Lucyina Moodie

The generous use of textiles is a must to create a comfortable, shabby chic space. This includes draping fabric over tables and chairs.

via Martin Cederblad

Don't forget the chandeliers! Creating a romantic ambiance with fanciful lighting is a must.

via decor8's flickr

Sticking to a neutral palette, allows you to play with layers of detail without a space getting overwhelming. How beautiful is that bed?

via decorology's flickr

This lime and aqua combination is stunning and modern (yet still shabby chic!)

via Design is Mine

Finally, if you must have pink, make sure to add plenty of patterns including gingham and toile.

via here
What do you think about these spaces? Where do you stand with the shabby chic aesthetic?

{hurry and enter this weekend's giveaway if you haven't already!}

Gift Giving: Fred Flare

We all have those people in our lives that we simply CAN'T shop for. Perhaps they take a bit more creativity than we're willing to expend, or maybe they're just never happy with the gift you buy. Either way, this is why we have shops like Fred Flare. If you're stumped, I DARE you not to find a gift here, even if it's completely silly and you know that difficult individual won't be happy, at least you're giving a gift you enjoy! Right?!

For the newlyweds...
Jonathan Adler salt & pepper muse $44


for anyone who wouldn't mind wearing a toilet around their neck...
toilet necklace $95


for the co-worker that always has something in his teeth...
breakfast floss set $12


for the "white elephant" gift exchange...
Farts $14.95


for the owner of a plate wall...
tweet dinner plate set $40


for the nostalgic video gamer...
Atari Video game kit $40

{all images via Fred Flare}

I personally like the "Farts" book and may need to get it for our coffee table. (Oh-I'm sorry. Did you mistakenly think I was above posting fart paraphernalia on this blog? HA!)
You can check out this season's previous gift giving installment here.

A Peek

Here are a few shots of our Sunday and...
me, gleefully happy with my new Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt that cost me $16 at the vintage shop...

a gorgeous pomegranate, split in half and completely exposed...


B mercilessly devouring the nutritious pomegranate...


goofy Bella, sharing loose hair with the floor and furniture...


and, finally, the ever stoic Kya sporting a new haircut (she's happy inside, I promise).

Did you enjoy your weekend?

{don't forget to enter this weekend's giveaway to win your choice of a vintage candelabra or a vintage camera!}

Autumn leaf

I hope you're having a lovely weekend...

**here


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**here


**here


**here

I'd like to hold onto Autumn for as long as I can. It's my favorite season and I can already feel it slipping away...

{enter this weekend's giveaway here}