bumped into a cutie on the beach!

Yesterday afternoon the sun came out...it was a warm 60 degrees...and the whole family was home ~each busy working on a different chore~ when we decided to take off to the beach! We do that alot, just play hooky, pack up and go! Life's too short not to, right?

What a thrill to spot a cute seal pup on our Delaware beach!

Apparently seal sightings are common on our beaches this time of year,

something I never knew!

There were volunteers from MERR (Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation) there. They were keeping a watchful eye on the pup as she rested....they said she was fine...

just napping....

isn't she so cute?

We are so lucky to live so close to the beautiful Delaware coast!

Hope all of you had a warm & sunny weekend ...maybe even got a sunny nap squeezed in too!

The spice of life!

The sweetest thing about blogville that I love is meeting new friends...meeting a kindred spirit always makes my day!

Meet my new friend Jacquie Rae of Vintage by JacquieRae!



Jacquie has a wonderful etsy shop full of vintage items that I love

~pitter patter~

{sorry, these are mine now...but she has more letters & numbers to choose from!}

and check out the vintage birdcage..solid brass!...

love those little feet!
You can visit her etsy shop here...but wait!

before you go there, you must visit Jacquie's blog!

(click here to visit Jacquie's blog)

Jacquie is new to blogville (remember those days?!) and is having a giveaway to reach out and get to know....you!

This beautiful handcrafted bird feeder she made with vintage fransican tea cup and saucer...

~love that tea cup and that copper stake! ~

spring is in the air!!

So visit my new friend, join in on the giveaway

...and maybe you'll meet a new friend...

and add spice to your life!

xo xo

paula

Announcing the winners....

you read that right...winnerS...as in plural!

You see, I am so absolutely amazed by the response to this giveaway. I never dreamed it would be this big~ I am incredibly humbled by each and every one of you!

Your sweet and thoughtful comments, those of you that posted about it on your blogs or facebook, and those of you who chose to follow my little blog!!

How could I choose just one?? I couldn't...so I decided to do the next best thing and that was to choose two winners!!

(since I've a couple more already made up and ready to add text)

...that was it~

TWO WINNERS!!

so here they are...

First was comment # 49...

"Oh my gosh, these are gorgeous. I'd love to win one. Count me in! Judy"

Congrats to Judy of "French Laundry"!!!!

and comment # 22...

"I'm posting your giveaway on my blog:) Blessings, Linda"

and congrats to Linda of "Coastal Charm"!!!

and to each of you who entered...the biggest thank you from the bottom of my little creative heart!!

one more day to get you're name in the hat!

Hello sweet friends!

Just a quick post to let you know that my planter giveaway will be open till tomorrow morning at 10am...
I know I said it would end today but I'm moving like a turtle today...which is bad news for me (and the family I have to feed tonite!) but good news for you if you haven't already gotten you're name in the hat...so hop over to my giveaway and I'll be back tomorrow morning with the good news!

Cottage White Flower Pot hangers...giveaway!

Well, my new creations are ready for their big debut!....first here is the inspiration photo from Pottery Barn. The first thing I thought when I saw this room was 'I need more plants in my house!'...then ...when I looked closer....

that was it... I was off to the workshop! Some things just happen that way don't they?...you see something and your whole day is completely changed!

I made two....one large size for a 6.5 inch flower pot, one smaller for a 4.5 inch flower pot...

(the large one measures 24"x16" and extends out 9"~ smaller one measures 19"x11" and extends out 6"....they are made nice and sturdy to hold a flower pot filled with dirt & flowers and I'll be shipping them with the shelf unattached, you'll just need to screw in the included screws in the predrilled holes to attach the shelf)

I'm so pleased with how they came out... I think they are perfect for the front porch...on the deck...in the kitchen with herbs... in the bathroom with lavender....just about anywhere!

They are pretty just plain old chippy white but of course I don't plan on leaving them like that...you know me better than that!

But what to put on them???? I began to realize the possibilities were endless...

a number?

gorgeous french text?

awesome Italian text??

there was no way I could choose one....so the only solution is to let the customer choose...

(click on this to enlarge the photo and see them close up)

oh what fun I had playing with all the different possibilities!

So that's how I'll be listing it...as a 'custom ~ choose your own text' item. You'll also get to decide if you'd like more chipping/distressing on it...right now they have 'medium' distressing.

Okay...let's get to the giveaway part!

I'm giving away the smaller one of these to one lucky winner, and you'll get to choose what you'd like on it for text/image. To be entered, simply leave a comment on this post, that will give you one chance....blog about this giveaway or add a sidebar button on your blog, that will give you two chances to win (be sure to come back and comment that you did that so your name is in the hat again). It's open to the US & Canada and will end on Wednesday, Feburary 23rd...sometime in the evening I'll get a winner via random.org.

Good luck to all & thank you for stopping by ...your freindship is such a treasure!

ps...the larger one is listed in my etsy shop!

pss...even if you've won one of my giveaways in the past...you're still included! :)

Linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday:)

Happy Vday ... & ... a PB inspired upcoming giveaway!

Well hello there friends!

First...happy valentines day!!!

my favorite valentine's card....so pretty and....
source: abcddesigns on etsy

so romantic, don't ya think? ....hee hee...ain't love grand?

okay...from naughty to nice here we go.... I've been busier as all get go working on a new design...it's just hours from being completed and when it is done...I'll be back to offer one of them in a give away...here's a couple of photos from Pottery Barn that inspired this new design... just to get you thinking.....

hmmmm.... what could it be?..... I can't tell....not til I get it finished... maybe one more day:)

see you then!

just a little bribery~

not all bribery is bad, right?

This one won't hurt a bit, I promise.

It's a call for photos~ I'm looking for photos of your sign that I can add to my online galleries.....

like these....

thank you Darlene!

thank you Kathy!

thank you Barbara!

Okay...here's the bribe:

Email me (paulasmall@comcast.net) a photo of a sign you've purchased from Castle & Cottage,
or one that you received as a gift or
even one you won in a giveaway...

and I'll promptly send you a coupon code for

10% off in my etsy shop!

This coupon won't expire~ you can use it any time! If this goes well I'll keep it going at least through Feburary, but the coupon code you can use whenever!

I know, technically it's not a 'bribe'...but it feels like it and I got your attention didn't I?

Getting organized with Evernote & a cottage muse giveaway!

Since 2011 began, I've been struggling with my one teensy-weensy perennial resolution~
getting MORE organized



Each and every New Year it is the same...clean out files, sort, compact, ditch and try again to be more organized....try a new method of staying organized.

Well here it is, only Feburary 3rd and I think I've got it accomplished! Yippeee!

Let me tell you what I found... (thanks to Meylah for the introduction!)
Evernote. Their motto is 'remember everything' and so far this is true.

Since joining...(oh about 24 hours ago!) I've managed to get all my digital files into one place.
This is a huge feat for me...when you have your own business, digital files that you need to keep handy can become overwhelming. Evernote has simplified this for me in a way I never thought possible. I've compiled so far about 80% of my sign business 'stuff' and when that is done I'll move on to adding personal and life 'stuff'.

Evernote isn't brand new...it's been around since 2008, so you may have heard of it. But, if you haven't it is definately worth checking out.

Here's a little on how it works, or should I say how it works for you...
- capture anything. Chances are, if you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it. Type a text note. Clip a web page. Snap a photo. Grab a screenshot. Evernote will keep it all safe.

-organize it all. Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made searchable. If you like, you can add tags or organize notes into different notebooks.

Then, if you're really tech savvy- you can access your evernotes from your mobile device. Just imagine how handy this would be when your out shopping and realized 'if only I knew the ingredients I needed from that new recipe'.

Think about all the files you've created, be they bookmarks or image files when surfing the web and blog hopping...all the ideas that you've come across and saved- most to be lost and never seen again! With Evernotes, you'll be able to put everything into one place, neat and tidy and sorted for you. It is amazing.


They have a free version which allows for so many uploads (I used that up in about an hour!) but the premium version is only $5/month. Think of it as a 'cleaning lady' for your mind- and goodness she's cheap!

Okay....enough of my rambling on that.

Now...be sure to visit Sandi at A Cottage Muse ...she's celebrating her one year blog anniversary and is giving away a Castle & Cottage custom sign!

Good luck and big hugs to everyone!

Pink Valentine Etsy Treasury~

Couldn't pass up the chance to share a beautiful Etsy treasury!

'pink valentine' by gorgeouslittlegems

On the Wings of Love. Vintag... alicewphotogra... $12.00	Blushing in Pink ouma $840.00	Louise, delicate filigree ea... InmostLight $16.50
Misty Morning in Pink - 8x8 ... donnageissler $30.00	I Do Cupcake Sticks - Ivory ... vintagetwee $5.00	Solid Natural Perfume Mini, ... IlluminatedPer... $17.50
Dancer on the Beach 8x10 Fin... lucysnowephoto... $25.00	Modern Valentine Wooden Hear... indobaytextile... $8.75	Light Pink 38 x 19 mm Preci... bobbeads $7.99
Create 8x12 Fine Art Photogr... CocoCherie $25.00	Tiny Dancer clairelafaye $465.00	French PATISSERIE sign shabb... castleandcotta... $36.00
so in love, (5 x 5 fine art ... GabrielleKai $15.00	Pink Balloons 5x7 Fine Art P... SilverHorsePho... $15.00	Paris Photo Collection - 8x1... littlebrownpen $60.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

thanks to everyone for helping lift my spirits on my Winter blahs post! I did get out into the sun on Sunday~ we actually played tennis for almost two hours! It was still a chilly 46 degrees but the sun was bright and it was just what I needed~ sorta gave me hope that spring can't be too far off!

I hope all of you in the line of this latest blow from Mother Nature are staying safe & warm!