Pay It Forward--A Spring Surprise!

Doesn't Spring make you want to get out and do a little good?


I recently made a new blogging friend, Suzie, who blogs over at Living Between the Words.  She is participating in a fantastic little blog project...Pay It Forward 2011!

You can get involved too!
The first five people who comment on this blog post will receive a handmade gift from Till Death Do Us Part.

In return, you must first write a blog post explaining Pay It Forward 2011 and send out five handmade gifts to your commenters.  It's a great way to make new friends and share handmade love....we all love handmade, don't we?!

"It's not the size of the item that matters, but the spirit 
of paying it forward."

Let's Pay It Forward!

Giveaway with Cotton Breeze and The Tattered Tag!

Would you like to win this?

This is a trinket tray from my Etsy shop, Cotton Breeze!

Christina of The Tattered Tag is currently teaming up with me on a giveaway for this Silver Paisley Trinket Tray.

Please visit HERE to enter this giveaway, which ends this Wednesday!

P.S. I'm also linking my blog up to The Newbie Party over at Debbiedoos!

New Etsy Items

Here are two fun items that I recently added to my Etsy shop, Cotton Breeze!



First, a shabby blue and white trinket tray

This photo gives you an idea of how cute they look displaying items!

Second, a red and white yarn wreath

I think this looks adorable displayed on a chair!

And last but not least, a Fleur de Lys decorative tile.

I love this shabby tile standing up or lying flat.

It looks great on one of the trinket trays!

Please visit!

New Etsy Items

For a lazy weekend post, I thought I'd let you know what items have just this past week been added to my Etsy shop, Cotton Breeze.

Black and White Vintage-Style Trinket Tray.

I love the mix of toile, damask, harlequin, and sheet music patterns.  The black and white looks so strinking paired with something red. 

Silvery Paisley Trinket Tray

The cool winter colors and paisley pattern are so very stylish and look positively elegant!

Fleur de Lis Trinket Tray

Shabby and French.  Tres chic!

Fleur de Lis Serving Tray

Pairing it with whites and silvers brings to mind a lovely French cottage at breakfast.

Please visit my shop here!

New Year's Resolutions

As a child and well up into my college years, I was a faithful writer (and sometimes keeper) of New Year's resolutions.  I've let go of that tradition these past few years, and while I realize that unrealistic expectations are not healthy, I love the idea of fresh starts and new perspectives and renewed strength.  And in many ways, 2011, being my first full year as a wife and the keeper of a home, it makes all the more sense to begin this near year with some clear goals.

1. Put my faith first.

It is by God's grace alone that I live and breathe.  He deserves all the honor and praise I can give Him.

2. Prize my marriage.

We have been married seven months.  I have moments every day when I realize what a novice I am at this.  But I firmly believe that these are the days that will set the precedence for our marriage, and I am determined to treat every moment, good or bad, as a privilege.

Not all my resolutions are quite as "lofty"....

3. Finish this afghan.

It's so lovely and the perfect color for spring.  I started it right after we married when we were temporarily in Des Moines, and it's over halfway finished. I put it aside in all the moving chaos that ensued, but it needs to be finished within a few months, at least!

4. Grow a vegetable garden and get serious about canning/preserving.

I've always had a flower garden, but I've never tried my hand at vegetables (which is a shame, because my family farms!).  This year, however, I (fingers crossed) will be building raised beds to combat the poor quality soil in southern Mississippi and growing our own vegetables.  I want to be committed to thriftiness and health.

5. Craft!

I've loved to make things my whole life, and it's a joy to be able to fill my home with handmade things.  I never want to let that hobby fall by the wayside.  It's fun, relaxing, and usually economically a smart idea.

6. Be committed to my Etsy shop.

This is my first "business" endeavor, and I am realizing that maintaining it takes daily work. I don't want to let it fall by the wayside.

7.  Last but not least, above all....

May none of us ever forget it!

Happy New Year!

What Have I Been Doing?

After months of faithfully blogging nearly every day, it feels exceedingly odd to be blogging only every five or six days for these past few weeks.

Why is that?

Well, to make a very long story short, car trouble (along with hard-to-find parts and a difficult repair shop) has kept me in Georgia while my husband took a rental back to Mississippi to return to work.  Since I am without some of my blogging necessities (my computer!), frequent posting is impossible.

I have kept busy though, tinkering around with some wooden trays I found on sale at Steinmart (3 nesting trays for 12.99!).

(I apologize for the picture quality....they were taken on my cell phone.)

The trays look lovely dressed up with a little scrapbook paper and sealed with Mod Podge.

 

Then I decided matching coasters would be fun too!

This tray, I painted white and stamped, and I also stamped the coasters.  They all turned out lovely....tres French!

 

I love the shabby, worn look that resulted, and the colors are perfect together.  All of these items will appear in my Etsy Shop (eventually!).

P.S.  Look over at my sidebar to see what parties I'm linking to!

Framed Candy Dish

Mixed in among shopping for Christmas, wrapping the gifts, putting the finishing touches on our Christmas decorations, and getting ready to "go home for Christmas" with my husband back to Georgia to visit our families, I've been working on some items for my Etsy shop, Cotton Breeze.

I found this frame at Goodwill for a few dollars. The color was quite unimpressive. 



Besides....I've always thought most anything looks better with a nice coat of white paint.  Nice and bright!

I cut a piece of cardboard to size and covered it with pretty blue toile fabric.

I love this candy/nut dish I found a few weeks ago at a local antique store.  I wanted to display it in a unique way, so I glued it to the fabric inside the frame.

I love the way the old wood frame soaked up the paint unevenly, leaving an aged, worn finish.

And who doesn't love the charming scenes of toile?

Please visit my Etsy shop for this unique piece and more.

P.S. I'm linking this post to K.I.S.S., Trash to Treasure Tuesday, Take a Look Tuesday, Teach Me Stuff Tuesday, Pajama Party, Treasures and Trinkets Thursday, White Wednesday, and Get Your Brag On.  See their buttons at their permanent home on my sidebar!

I Am Pleased To Announce...

...the opening of my Etsy shop, Cotton Breeze.  

Cotton Breeze offers affordable handmade home decore items with a distinctive farmhouse and cottage style. My goal is to create treasures that combine Southern flair and timeless charm.

I am so pleased to be able to be able to pursue this endeavor, largely due to the invaluable inspiration I have gained from all of the wonderful and creative bloggers I have encountered since starting "Till Death Do Us Part" just a few short months ago.

Some of the items for saleare things I have blogged about creating, and some are items I made just for the shop.  I will definitely be adding more items in the coming weeks, and I'm pleased to say that since "opening my doors" last night, I already made a sale! 

Here are a few of the items currently in the shop:


Shabby white trinket tray

Shabby white framed candy dish

Black and white square dishes

I am so grateful for all my blog friendships, and thank you again for all of your support of this blog and most of all, for your tremendous inspiration!

This post is linked to