Purple Duckling's Tale Feature Friday

This week, I wanted to focus on Purple Duckling's Tale - adorable Zel's blog! She goes to school in Nebraska and her blog is filled with photos of lovely settings, fun fashion and, sometimes FOOD! I was actually lucky enough to meet with her for breakfast when she came down to Florida a couple of weeks ago. She even brought me some gorgeous things from her home in Indonesia (I'll feature them when I do an outfit post sometime).

She is such a sweet and fun person and it comes through in her happy blog! Definitely add it to your must-read list!

Here is a pic of her visiting with my baby when she came down! That girl definitely knows how to pick cute accessories... ;o)

And the Oscar (or dress) Goes To...

So, this post will be concerning three items:

1. The results of my giveaway

2. Reception and giving of Stylish Blogger Award from the lovely Clara over at Via Margutta

3. Highlighting Kate Gabrielle's very generous giveaway at her blog Scathingly Brilliant

1. My darling niece, Ainsley, picked the winner for the fab Shabby Apple giveaway! And the winner was...

Michaela! Thank you to all who entered the giveaway!

2. Thank you so much, Clara, for the Stylish Blogger award! Clara has a wonderful blog about classic film and music - everyone should read it!

I have to post seven things about myself...

a. I love sweets entirely. In fact, I think I could exist completely never eating anything savory again, were it a healthy option. I love food period, but sweet food, ah, l'amour.

b. I can do a mean Mary Poppins impersonation (not a "mean Mary Poppins" a "mean impersonation") and fairly good Ariel and Aurora ones as well.

c. I used to do improv comedy - like in the show Who's Line is It Anyway? when I lived in Seattle.

d. I am a pianist so one would assume my hands would be quite picturesque... well, I'm afraid I keep my nails very, very short so that I never can do anything fancy with them. Once I got a manicure, painted all the nails very prettily, and my boyfriend at the time said my fingers look like I'd stuck them in Jelly Bellys. Sniff.

e. I used to work at a chocolate shop making chocolates. I'm not joking. It was amazing.

f. I have two dream wardrobes - safari-themed and aviatrix-themed. I really think I could be satisfied with my wardrobe were it almost entirely comprised of khaki pants, boots, and creme-colored button-down shirts.

g. I can't handle having short hair. I just chopped it all off a month or so ago and am already trying to pull, pin and twist it up into ponytails and buns. It's a sickness.

I also nominate seven others for the award! And they are...

a. Flying Down to Hollywood

b. Purple Duckling's Tale

c. Francy's Flicks

d. Spilled Milk

e. Just Add Glitter and Stir

f. Scathingly Brilliant

g. Pretty Little Pictures

Thank you again, Clara!

3. Aaaand, dear Kate Gabrielle has an amazing giveaway at her even more amazing blog (Scathingly Brilliant) - a $50 ModCloth gift card! So get on over there and enter!

Help JapanFeature Friday

Heart for Japan art print by ElephantDancing

Small Ooak Handbag from ciaobela

Original art by Katy Wu

Freshwater Pearl Birdnest Necklace from MenuetDesigns

Ramona the Geisha art print from Flapper Doodle

Chocolate chip shortbread cookies from Scrumptulicious

In honor of Japan, I wanted to feature some of the amazing shops that are raising money to help with the tsunami/earthquake disaster in Japan. I love that these creatives took their time and talent to help others. Many of these people are just teeny operations so every sale counts and the fact that they are willing to give up their revenue is wonderful and brings hope!

So, feel free to go on a shopping spree this weekend! There are a lot of shops that are doing this - I simply searched "Japan earthquake" on Etsy to find some of these.

Shabby Apple Feature Friday and Giveaway!

This week I'm featuring the gorgeous women's dress boutique Shabby Apple! I love shops that use creativity when creating the photo shoots for the dresses and Shabby Apple does an amazing job - making me crave dresses that aren't even my normal style! They also have a marvelous variety of shapes and colors - keeping me browsing for hours.

This Feature Friday is extra-special because Shabby Apple has been nice enough to let me host a giveaway! I chose this dress to get us in the mood for summer... I love the color and fit looks like it would be flattering on pretty much every body.

To enter the giveaway, you simply have to leave me a comment. That's it. Hip hooray for simple giveaways!

However, if you want additional entries (and who doesn't, I ask you?), you can:

1. Like them on Facebook (there you'll get special deals and news about them - totally worth a like - and worth two entries)

2. Tell me which style icon you can imagine wearing this dress

3. Sign up for my email newsletter

4. Tweet about it or mention it in a blog entry

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, March 23rd and the winner announced the 25th.

So, there you go! I'd love to have a ton and a half of entries so please don't hesitate to pass this along!

A Gift Wrapped Life Feature Friday

All images found on A Gift Wrapped Life and originally found here, here and here

There are few things that make us humans happier than gifts - both giving and receiving. And a gift that is beautifully or interestingly wrapped takes the gift from the "Ooh gift!" level to the "Oh. My. Gift." level.

I have this, really quite sad, delusion that I'm a great gift wrapper and buy fancy ribbons and double-sided tape only to end up with a (I hope endearingly) clumsily wrapped gift. But at least I try, right?

A Gift Wrapped Life is the Paris, the chocolate mousse, the sauvignon blanc of gift wrapping. Endlessly inspiring and a complete feast for the aspiring gift-wrapper's eyes, this blog is one of my favorite reads.

What do you think? Are one of those talented enough to make the wrapping as special as the gift?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

The Limb is Mightier Than the Thumb Feature Friday

I don't know if a movie should count as a Feature Friday (I originally planned for it to only be about blogs and shops), but hey! I make the rules on this here blog! So, I am featuring a movie I watched last night and loved! I'm sure you all have seen It Happened One Night before but it was the first time I'd ever seen it and it made me wonder why I hadn't already watched it a million times.

It is so funny, so sweet and super sexy. It's about a rich strong-willed heiress and a brash newspaperman on a road trip from Miami to New York - hijinks and romance ensue, of course! Both Claudette and Clark are so appealing and the dialogue is adorable!

This is one of the best scenes in the movie and hopefully will inspire you to watch it!

Any films you recently watched that you wish you'd seen before?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

Joined at the Hip - Babyette Feature Friday

First here, second here, third here

I have only been a mama for just over four months and I have to tell you, doing things, anything, is difficult when you are carrying a baby. Here's the other thing - babies like to be held. All. The. Time. Which is completely wonderful because there are few things nicer in this world than holding a baby. So I have been completely addicted to my ring sling given to me by a dear friend. She got it from the Etsy shop BabyEtte and I have used it to take my baby grocery shopping, on walks and even to Disney!

So if you or any friends/relatives have a baby, these are beautiful - unique colors, very sturdy and they even have decorative stitching! Which is your favorite?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

Q's Daydream Vintage Feature Friday

I know that probably most of you already know the ever-fashionable and adorable Quincy of Q's Daydream Vintage but for those of you who don't, she's my feature of the week! She was one of the very first blogs I started reading and never fails to have gorgeous pictures, lovely settings and amazing fashion.

If you fall in love with a dress she features in a post, be sure to jump on it! I've waffled several times and then visited her Etsy shop and been too late!

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

Where the Rubber Meets the Paper: NorajaneFeature Friday

First from here, second from here, third from here and fourth from here

Okay, I know this is stationery week no. 2 but, really, just look at these stamps from Norajane's store on Etsy! I picked four of my favorites but there are sooo many different designs.

How many kazillion ways could you use these stamps? Letters, shopping lists, love notes, recipe cards, whatsoever ye useth paper for... Perfect!

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

Crow and Canary

Cards and calendar pics from her blog. Delicious!

Stationery = Bliss, no? And a blogger who works as an agent for stationery artists? Blog = Bliss.

Now take that bliss and add giveaways and you get Crow and Canary blog. I met Carina during my famous Christmas Card Swap of 2010 and have been lucky enough to even win one of her many generous giveaways. If you are as much of a stationery addict as I am, you'll adore her blog. You must check her out. She even has an amazing giveaway RIGHT NOW of the calendar I pictured on my blog.

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

Britney Lee's Fabulous Art

First print here, second print here, third print here

I seem to be drawn (no pun intended) to cat-loving artists. Either that, or cat-lovers tend to be great artists. Either way, another of my favorite artists is Britney Lee of Britsketch. Her art is so quirky, fun and spirited! Here are three of my favorites!

What do you think?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

P.P.S. Be sure to let me know which Beatle songwriter is your favorite! I'll be covering a song by the winner in a song sketch!

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

This post has nothing to do with David Bowie but this is a lovely photo, don't you think? From here

So, New Year, new blog (ish)! I've decided to make a couple changes to when and what I post:

1. Song sketches are now on Monday. There will now be Music Mondays!

2. I'll be posting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - Friday will be a time I feature a blog or Etsy seller or something... Feature Friday! So be sure to check back and see if you're featured! If you have a new change or sale or something, just email me and I'll try to work it in the schedule. Mi blog post es su blog post.

3. On Wednesday, I'll be posting up an opinion piece and finding out what you think... What-do-you-think-Wednesday! (Okay, that may be pushing it but I love alliteration!) I'll also be posting a poll.

Well, that's the only two changes for now, but... yay! Have a wonderful weekend and see you on Music Monday!

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!