Valentine’s Day Giveaway~ Happy Hearts

Over the past few weeks I have been sharing several Valentine themed craft tutorials. They have included:

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

I “PINE” For You Candy Containers

Be My Valentine Chocolate Bars

I also showcased the new Valentine corsages I added to my Etsy shop.

With each little creation that I made I set a few aside in a box. I also collected and gathered fun little treasures to add to the box. They include a vintage hanky and paper doilies, a groovy match box that has been redecorated and filled with tiny treasures, heart shaped post its and sweet hand made tags so you can share the love.  Here is the Valentine Happy Hearts Giveaway.

A close up of the giveaway corsage nestled in a sweet heart shaped container.

The altered box of chocolates holds several other sweet goodies inside.

Those with a sweet tooth will not be disappointed!

 Everyone is eligible for this giveaway. However, if the winner does happen to be an Adorable Person (aka “follower”) they will receive some extra sweet secret surprises added to the box.

Please leave just one comment about what you love.  

If you want to blog about the giveaway, you may leave a second comment for an additional entry.

I will select a winner on Wednesday the 9th so that the package can be mailed out to the winner in time to celebrate.

UPDATE: The Random Number Generator has selected Debra from Common Ground. Congratulations and have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy hearts!

Laura

Make sure you check out our Metis Linens Blog~ Fabulous French Friday to see what yummy goodness awaits you there. 

Linking to:

How Sweet The Sound

A Thankful Giveaway From Me To You

I love giveaways~ I love to host giveaways, I love to participate in other people’s giveaways and of course I love to win giveaways. Can I admit this?
Before announcing my latest giveaway I would like to give thanks for some mailbox happiness I have been blessed with of late. See this collection of goodies?
I was the lucky girl to win the October giveaway from darling Emily at Jones Design Company. Mrs. Jones is truly creative and is always working on something fabulous. I have to say that the framed picture of the acorn print and the little silver pitcher are truly my fall favorites. The sweet little wreath is now part of a fall vignette and the broach adorns a favorite sweater. She has a darling shop where you can find some of these delightful treasures for yourselves. Thank you Emily
My luck continued…

Many of you are familiar with Fifi O’Neill of Romantic Country fame. She recently hosted a lovely giveaway on Chez Fifi and the stars somehow aligned and I won. Such a collection of treasures! I can’t wait to hang the stocking up in the guest bedroom and the old fashioned broach now adorns a pillow. You may have also heard that Fifi has a new book coming out. I have already ordered mine as I am SO excited!

So in the spirit of pay it forward I am hosting a “Thankful For You” giveaway.
Just a few things to help you with your Thanksgiving holiday.
Leave one comment below for the “Thankful For You” giveaway. I will select a winner on Friday 19th.

UPDATE: The random number generator has selected April of Whatever Is Lovely as the winner. Congrats April!

Be blessed,
Laura

Can we SQUEEZE just one more thing?

Granted, I have a truck and it is filled with really lovely things. But this image made me laugh because Andrea and I are feeling a bit like this regarding the amount of beauty that we have packed up for the Metis Linens kickoff  occurring this Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the Rose Bowl Flea Market.

I don’t think anyone can get any luckier than 10~10~10.

We will have price points to fit everyone’s budgets.

Skeleton keys~ spooktacularly bootiful!

Lovely letters.

Dried organic lavender from France.

For those who live far away, over at the Metis Linens blog, we are having a sale on darling zinc tags and garlands. They are perfect for stringing up outdoors as they won’t corrode or rust.

 

I am so excited for the chance to meet all of you that are coming to Rose Bowl. I’m off to pack.

 

See you soon,

Laura

PS. You still have until tonight to enter the FAB FRENCH GIVEAWAY.

The Grand Giveaway Part 1

Have I kept you guessing?

My email inbox has been flooded with inquires. Let me answer a few.

Are you ending the Decor To Adore blog? No.

Did you win a show with Oprah? Not yet.

Are you opening an online shop? Not right now, but there is a strong possibility in the future.

Are you closing your design business? No, I will always continue to design.

I recently wrote a post that described how I had come to to the path upon which I am currently standing. I imagine that many of you have made the choice to live your lives more authentically by choosing to listen to what your whispering heart is saying.

  A very dear friend of mine, whom I actually met through blogging, shares many similar heart stirrings. At the very essence was our love of all things authentically French. Over the course of many months we decided that we wanted to share our passion for vintage and antique French linens and fancies with others .

“Oh yawn!”, you might say “This has been done to death.” But you should know me by now. There has to be a twist~ a delicious something different.

We will offer authentic French merchandise, of the utmost quality, for very compelling prices.

Now you’re sitting up straighter aren't you?

So, who is my partner in divine? I am absolutely thrilled and honored to reveal that it is Andrea Drexelius of French Basketeer fame. Mademoiselle Drexelius is well qualified. She studied art history at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris for three years. But more importantly she has a heart as big as Europe. If you read her blog then you know she has recently returned from her home in France. She also lives part of the time in Southern California. Her home there will be featured in a 14 page layout in the upcoming November issue of Romantic Homes magazine.     

 

Her recent trip to France unearthed the most delicious treasures we eagerly want to share. Would you like to take a peek?

Antique Grain Measures

Lovely old curtain rings 

 An antique drum that would be wonderful transformed as a light fixture.

Then there are the stacks upon stacks of vintage and antique French linen and laces. This will be our specialty, which gave the company it’s aptly titled name.

Métis is made from a linen and cotton mix most often used in French antique and vintage sheeting. It is a wonderfully soft, yet very durable cloth. It has gained popularity in recent years as an upholstery fabric and has been featured quite prevalently in design magazines such as Veranda, Romantic Homes, and Country Living. The sheeting often sports breathtakingly beautiful monograms.

 

We have already begun putting the finishing touches on a new blog that will showcase this glorious fabric and  other fine French treasures in more detail.

 

Each month we will offer a different theme. For Octobre it will be Homme~ French translation~ “Man”. The month will focus on the rich offerings of France which have a masculine feel~ perfect for a cozy fall. The selections fit well under a fun term industry has coined: “Mantiques”. 

Fencing masks

So where can you find Métis Linens? The wonderful Oma Talley, of Cargo and Company, in Costa Mesa will be devoting space to Métis Linens. There will soon be a feature post on her store to adore very soon. There are also a few other stores and online shops that we are in initial stages of partnering with.

In addition we will be at the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday, October 10, 2010 in the antique section. If you have never been to this thrilling market, now is the time.

Now on to the giveaway!

Laura

The Grand Giveaway Part Deux

Now that the secret has been revealed in the previous post let’s celebrate this fantastic French venture, Métis Linens, with a glorious giveaway.
How would you like a bit of fall to arrive via a beautiful basket on your doorstep? Let’s make it even more fabulous by filling it with classic French favorites.



We begin with a French osier (reed) basket. My partner, Andrea, profiled these beauties in a recent post here.  I can’t say enough wonderful things about this basket. I purchased a few osier baskets while living in Europe almost a decade ago. Even with heavy use my reed baskets are in impeccable condition. They are a rare find here in the United States.



Next, comes a lovely and heavy vintage cotton sheet. It is adorned with the most breathtaking monogram. I have written before how you can make almost any monogram your own. It just takes a bit of tongue in cheek creativity. For instance, this monogram, WRM could stand for Wildly Romantic Marriage. My dachshund thinks that it should stand for Rudi Weiner Majesty. You can have loads of fun coming up with your own titles.



Of course France is famous for its lavender. Métis Linens has found a brilliant source for organic dried lavender. It is so wonderfully fragrant.
A heavily embroidered piece of linen that I found years ago in Strasbourg needed a bit of love. Lavender sachets were a perfect choice. One sachet will arrive in your basket.



You’ll also receive some organic bath salts featuring French white kaolin clay, Mistral soap, a sweet copper mold, two lovely ceramic bowls and a vintage necklace that features French lovers in fall colors. This giveaway is open to everyone.



There is a second giveaway for those who wish to blog about the Métis Linens giveaway. The winner will receive six lovely French vintage damask napkins. They have a wonderful feel and are generously sized.



This gift will arrive tied with a vintage piece of rayon seam bidding and have an added touch of antique metalwork. Just leave a second comment with your blog post or side bar link that features the Métis Linens giveaway.



Our third giveaway is a wonderful set of various French vintage hand towels, napkins and damask fabric that can be used in a variety of ways.



To qualify for this giveaway please become a Nos Chers Amis (our dear friends) aka “follower” of the Métis Linens blog and then leave a comment here. This blog is still in its infancy and we are feverishly working to add many special touches to it. Andrea has already written a few wonderful posts for your enjoyment. 


A quick recap~ there are a total of three giveaways.
1. The basket and its contents is open to everyone, just leave one comment.
2. The damask napkins are for those who wish to write a post or place a link on their sidebar announcing this giveaway. Leave a  second comment with the link to your blog.
3. The third giveaway is for those who become a Nos Chers Amis, aka “follower”, of the blog Métis Linens. Please come back and leave a comment here.



All three winners will be selected on Thursday, October 7, 2010.
Bonne Chance!
Laura
UPDATE: Congratulations to Yvonne of Stonegable for winning the basket, Sherry of No Minimalist Here won the damask napkins and  Lavender Dreams won the assortment of vintage French linens. 
 I hope these lovely ladies will enjoy their bit of ooh la la!

A Sweet Blessing and Clue 6

Tomorrow will mark the occasion in which a teeny baby arrived a bit too early into our lives. It is hard to image that we will celebrate his 9th birthday. I still picture him as a sweet boy sandwich. 


He was christened at the church of St. Michael and All Angels in the village of Pirbright, (Surrey) England,  which is also where Mr. Decor’s Aunt Bette and Uncle David live.


A church has stood on these same grounds for over 800 years. There are records dating back to a chapel built in 1210~1214 AD. The current church was built in the Georgian style in the late 18th century after a fire destroyed the previous church.


Alongside the church is an accompanying cemetery. Its most famous occupant is Sir Henry Morton Stanley a Welsh journalist and explorer who most famously found Dr. Livingston. “Dr. Livingston, I presume?”


Sweet boy was christened on December 9, 2001, which also happened to be his father’s birthday. Our boy was 2 months old and weighed in at just under 7 pounds. He wore his grandfather's christening gown.
 

Relatives and friends came from far and wide.  Eric’s dear family hosted a luncheon afterwards that I still dream about. Here you can see the beautiful stained glass located behind the altar. Sweet Boy is held by our good friend Patrick and joined by his darling wife Nicola and their 2 children. Patrick is a wonderful chef who owns the famous Sweetings restaurant, a London institution.


Here is the 6th and final clue in the Decor To Adore Grandest Giveaway ever.


Come back on Friday to see what all the fuss is about.
Happy Birthday Sweet Boy,
Mom

Gratitude and Giveaway Clue 5

I recently shared that I am currently the keeper of a secret. It is a sweet something that has captured long spans of my attention for awhile now. One does pay a price when living within lovely thoughts and I have been remiss in extending heartfelt gratitude shown to me by some very beautiful people.

Rebecca from The Ardent Sparrow hosted a giveaway back in July. (Yes, very remiss!) Rebecca’s blog is filled with lovely eye candy. The giveaway was sponsored by the truly talented Heather from Post Road Vintage. Does Heather’s name sound familiar? She is featured in the current issue of Sommerset Home. I adore her pretty plate hooks.

I ending up selecting a beautiful blue mason jar soap pump. It found a home in Sweet Boy’s bathroom.

I have also had my eye on the inspiring book “The Vintage Table” by Jacqueline de Montravel.

The wonderful Lidy of French Garden House recently had a giveaway of a signed copy of this wonderful bit of hardcover happiness. Ms. de Montravel, editor of Romantic Homes magazine, filled the entire book with images such as this:

Lidy also introduced me to the wonderful Cynthia Wadell. Ms. Wadell is a talented designer who created Heavenly Hostess, a website that specializes in the most beautiful and well made aprons I have ever seen. The apron came in the cutest packaging which featured this inspiring verse: “God has given each of us special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings”. ~ 1 Peter 4:10 

Adorable Andrea of French Basketeer sent me a lovely new bag and darling clutch from her new line as a birthday gift. A favorite new design is this beautiful basket with cherry red accents.

Another dear friend, Deborah of The Fairfield House, richly blessed me with this lovely gift of organization and relaxation.

I am blessed indeed and would like to pay it forward with a grand giveaway to be revealed on October 1st. Here is clue number 5.

In lieu of a comment perhaps you could

instead visit these lovely ladies.

Rebecca, The Ardent Sparrow

Heather, Post Road Vintage

Lidy, French Garden House

Cynthia, Heavenly Hostess

Andrea, French Basketeer

Deborah, The Fairfield House

Laura