While gathering last minute items we recieved a wondeful surprise package. I say we because it was for Shelby, but Mommie enjoyed it every bit as much!
My dear, sweet, amazing friend Natalea and her daughter sent this incredibly fun box full of birthday goodies. Miss Shelby and Miss Scarlet have never met, but we know that they would be great friends, just like their Mother's! The entire box was lined with this pretty pink crepe paper. Yummy!
Shelby went for the big S first. Natalea made this great piece that absolutely looks like mosaic tiles. It is actually pieces of fabric cut and glued together and then decoupaged onto a paper mache letter. It is so clever and so perfect to hang over Shelby's craft table in our new studio!
The goodies kept on coming. Shelby opened this hand sewn card. It is so vintagy sweet along with these other pieces that will be great to add to her scrapbook.
It didn't take Shelby long to zero in on this box. I think children can sense when there is candy near by. She really started getting into things. The birthday flashcard on this pink box was perfect to top what was inside.
My dear, sweet, amazing friend Natalea and her daughter sent this incredibly fun box full of birthday goodies. Miss Shelby and Miss Scarlet have never met, but we know that they would be great friends, just like their Mother's! The entire box was lined with this pretty pink crepe paper. Yummy!Shelby went for the big S first. Natalea made this great piece that absolutely looks like mosaic tiles. It is actually pieces of fabric cut and glued together and then decoupaged onto a paper mache letter. It is so clever and so perfect to hang over Shelby's craft table in our new studio!The goodies kept on coming. Shelby opened this hand sewn card. It is so vintagy sweet along with these other pieces that will be great to add to her scrapbook.It didn't take Shelby long to zero in on this box. I think children can sense when there is candy near by. She really started getting into things. The birthday flashcard on this pink box was perfect to top what was inside.
This is the prettiest and yummiest lollipop I have seen in a long while! This is a Bubble Gum flavored pop from One Hundred Wishes. It tastes as good as it looks! Shelby enjoyed this all afternoon and has half of it left over for tomorrow. She loved holding that pop and it was fun letting her indulge on a little early birthday celebration.
Last, but not least, were this pair of bright pink, sparkly hair clips. What special gifts. You out did yourself, Natalea! From the wrapping, ribbons and handmade gifts we so appreciate you remembering our sweet Shelby Girl on her 3rd Birthday! Shelby and I both thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. You are a great friend!
Mom and Dad arrived from NJ today to celebrate Shelby's birthday and Mom came in with this box of sweets. They may not be real, but they are every bit as wonderful!
This is a box full of tiny crocheted cupcakes that Mom whipped up to give as favors at Shelby's party on Saturday and lots of tiny strawberries with pearls for me. I am going to use a few on some necklaces as charms and the rest we will be putting up on Etsy! I may have to get Mom to make some cupcakes for our shop, too!
Well, I hope you enjoyed the start of birthday week. I will be posting the main event over the weekend. Until then, wish me luck on piping the icing on the cupcakes and for creating a fun party for 8 little girls.
This multipak includes 1 Jack-o-lantern tag, 1 ghost tag, 1 pumpkin tag, 1 witch tag, 1 scary cat and 1 flying bat tag. There are 6 tags in total per package. The tags range in size from 5.5" to 3" in size. 
Find these fun tags at 
Here is Lee and I during her last visit this past June. She is the gorgeous one on the right in the
This book was published in 1909 and it is in wonderful condition. When I looked at it more closely, I noticed that the last owner left a few things inside.
This is an old newspaper clipping entitled "The Sensitiveness of Flowers." There is no dating on the paper so I can't tell how old it may be.
The illustrations in this book are so lovely. I look forward to scanning and using some of these images in my artwork.
I found these at the local flea market from a man that said he bought them at auction at an old estate in Macon recently. There were 5 different editions in the packet.
This one is dated December 5, 1891. They appear to be original documents. They are so wonderful. The articles and all of the illustrations are just fantastic. Here are some pics of some inside pages.
I haven't gone through all of them yet, but I may have to find a way to share these images with those that may be interested for their artwork. The 2 birds will work on that.
The puzzle includes several cards to follow for putting the puzzle together to make different pictures. 
There are quite a few last details to be finished. The final coat of paint, the banister upstairs, the landscaping around the building, finishing the surrounding fence, getting the pool table set and balanced and of course all of the decorating!!
This is the view of the front of the building. The garage door needs to be finished and the new driveway poured. There also will be shutters on the window facing the front that will match our existing house. It is coming out so beautiful and I can't wait to show you al the inside. When the inside is finished I will share that with you, too. Until then, I am focused on Shelby's up and coming 3rd birthday.
We first went to dinner at Shoki's Japanese Steakhouse in Macon. We enjoyed a fantastic and entertaining meal with lots of shrimp, filet mignon and chicken. Yes, there were drinks involved. 
From left to right: Marla, Annette, Suzanne, Myself and Stephanie. What great gals! 
Madison is one of Georgia's old southern towns with 35 century homes still standing and being cared for. As we drove through we passed such lovely old homes with big colums and wrap around porches. Our next trip, we will spend time photographing these beautiful homes and be able to share them with you. This trip we drove stright through into the historic square of Madison where all of the shopping and restaurants are. As you can see from the picture above, the town has been wonderfully maintained to keep its old charm.
This was our first stop out of the car and it was my favorite shop. It is called Briar Rose and it is filled with cottage chic and victorian finds. She had lovely furniture, pretty tassels, gorgeous lamps, and all kinds of pretty things you just wanted to take home.
Many shop keepers spend just as much time on the outside of their shops as they do on the inside. This antique shop had such pretty flowers. Walking the streets of Madison was such a treat. The building facades and benches and urns full of flowers made it so much more enjoyable.
This is a new Inn in Madison called the James Madison Inn. We were told how lovely it was so we went in to check it out. It is a small Inn with only 19 rooms. It reminds me more of a boutique hotel, but they have done such a beautiful job. Here are some pictures of the inside.
I loved this art hanging on the wall. It went so beautifully in the stairwell here. I failed to get the artists name. After leaving, I thought that this may be a great spot for Don and I to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary in September. 
Down the street from the Inn was Scoops. This was the cutest shop filled with ice cream and lots and lots of candy.
Here are the girls enjoying their treats. April (in the middle) tried one called Birthday Cake and it looked, smelled and tasted just like cake. It was too sweet for me, but perfect if you are a kid!
We headed out after our ice cream to a few more shops. At each street corner are these lovely signs. They have listed all of the shops and in which direction you can go to find them. They are so pretty.
We walked this last side of the square to get back to the car and it was so pretty with the old buildings, large columns and brick sidewalks. We had a great time in Madison and will be going back soon. If you find yourself in central Georgia any time, make this one of your stops.
I added a postcard image to the back. I didn't add too much to the back so you could still admire the color of this lovely find. It was fun to make. We will have this in our Etsy store soon. 
