Friday, February 26, 2010

Winner!

Congratulations to MARCI (comment #20)!!

Random.org chose you as the winner of these awesome cards!



Thank you to all who participated in this giveaway! A BIG thank you to Jen for sharing her incredible talents with us. Check out her store here.

Marci, email me at lillianraydesigns@gmail.com to claim your prize. :o)

Have a very happy weekend!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Something New

My new favorite thing in the Lillian Ray shop is this:


Golden Rose Headband


It's a one of kind headband and it took me a while to convince myself to post it. I was tempted to keep it for myself. :o)

Please don't forget to enter the giveaway from Blue Plume Studio below. Isn't her stuff incredible?

Happy Wednesday!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Etsy Limelight Giveaway- Blue Plume Studio

I hope you all had a great weekend. We have a fun week planned here with Lillian Ray.

Let's start it by putting a really awesome Etsy store in the Limelight!



Jen of Blue Plume Studio and I were friends in high school and it's so much fun to keep tabs on her Etsy store and website. She is not only an extrememly talented artist, but she is also such a sweet fun person! Let's get to know a little more about Jen straight from her!

1. What inspired you to start Blue Plume Studio?

As an artist for the majority of my life, I have always sought out opportunities to create, to salvage, and to bring beauty to items once forgotten. Whether designing murals, re-purposing materials, or creating an intimate painting, it is my aspiration to share the joy of art with everyone I can. I started Blue Plume Studio with the desire to offer anyone the opportunity to own a creation in which they find memories, peace, or joy. In fact, I named the studio after my own fond memories at the Los Angeles Arboretum as I created art surrounded by the wild Peacocks roaming the grounds.


2. What is your favorite item in the shop?

I am excited about my new Audubon line. These original paintings, prints, and stationary pieces are wonderful not only because they are representations of fun whimsical birds, but also because of the cause: a portion of my sales goes directly to help wildlife in need through the Audubon Society of Portland, OR. These mixed media paintings are comprised of chalk, crayon, acrylic paint and vintage book pages.


3. What kinds of things do you like to do for fun?

I am an avid animal lover. If I am not painting or creating art, then my husband and I are spending time with our two beloved rescue dogs, Toto and Foxy. Toto is a Dachshund- Terrier mix and Foxy is a Cairn- Patterdale Terrier mix. We spend much of the time jogging, going to the dog park, and exploring our new city, Portland, OR.



Jen is generously giving away a sampler set of 12 Audubon stationary cards (worth $30) from her latest painting series. These are INCREDIBLE! This gives the winner the chance to have a great variety of Jen's art for their own use or to share with friends and family!

How to win (each entry needs to be left as a separate comment):

1.Go to Blue Plume Studio and let me know what your favorite item is. Leave it in a comment.

2.Become a follower of my blog and let me know that you did (or already are).

3.Blog and or Tweet about this incredibly talented artist and link the giveaway for one entry each. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

That's 4 possible entries!

This giveaway will end on Thursday, February 25th at 5pm PST. The winner will be announced on Friday and will have until Monday to claim their prize. Be sure to check back to see if you are the winner!

Do you know of a new(ish) or undiscovered store that should be put in the Etsy Limelight? Email me at lillianraydesigns at gmail dot com. :o)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

100 Sales

Lillian Ray hit 100 online sales today and I am so thankful!

Congrats to Lori, who purchased the 100th sale...there will be something special sent with your order!

Yesterday was a fun day! One of my soon to be released bridal hair pieces made it into a photo shoot along with a couple of my Lillian Ray Luxe pieces.

I can't wait to show you some of the photos!

Be sure to keep an eye on the store as new items are coming often. :o)



Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Time Slips Away

How can it already be Wednesday?

This week has flown by and I haven't had a moment to keep you updated about everything that is happening. The Limelight giveaway has been postponed until next week so stay tuned.

My husband had a nice birthday despite a flat tire, a car window that decided to get jammed in the down position, and his favorite game console breaking on his birthday. Did I mention that all of my birthday gifts for him were to be used with that console? That means they sit here untouched for now.

For Valentine's Day my love swept me away for a day cation to a somewhat local beach that we have not yet explored. It was a warm day that felt like late spring. GORGEOUS!


roses on the beach 8x10 Fine Art Print by Alice B Gardens


This week I have been super busy with all things Lillian Ray without a moment to even post. Be sure to check out some of the new things in the shop. Some of them round their way there after my husband took me antique shopping on Valentine's Day.

I hope you had a great holiday weekend. Another weekend is almost here!

Friday, February 12, 2010

LOVE

It's a BIG weekend for us here. My hubby is having a birthday tomorrow and then Valentine's Day is on Sunday.

I hope you enjoy time with people that you love on this glorious three day weekend! Come back next week to see who will be in the Etsy Limelight!

Make some Valentine's for your loved ones and dress them up in these awesome doily envelopes.


Click on photo above for tutorial


Happy LOVE day!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Crafting with Kids

Crafting last week was a lot of fun.

I just thought I would share a few photos from the event. This was a dinner that the children of our church put on. I was in charge of decorations and put the kids to work. It was a lot of fun!






Things I learned:

-Making tissue paper pom poms is super easy. I will post a tutorial and tell you what I learned soon.

-Kids LOVE to decorate and come up with some crazy/fun ideas.

-Making flowers to stick into green plants is so much more fun and affordable than fresh flowers.

-Paper link chains need to come back! They are so easy to make and added so much to the room.

-Battery operated tea lites are very entertaining to use on tables with children (and even some adults!). We had numerous people try to blow them out.

Monday, February 8, 2010

The Gift that Keeps Growing

It's all in the details.

That's why I just love the idea of using plantable paper products. I've been to (or helped plan) numerous events that have used these either for invitations, favors, thank you notes or favor tags. You can find them in many places, but their popularity on Etsy is increasing.



White Plantable Gift Tags Embedded With Organic Wildflower Seeds by Davita



GP Plantable Number Tags by Green Post




Personalized Plantable Valentine Card for your Sweetheart by Girl in Gear



Wildflower seeded paper invitation set of 25 by Artful Beginnings



GP Plantable Heart Tags- (10) by Green Post


It's about time to get your gardens started, so send some loved ones plantable paper greetings.

Happy Monday!

Friday, February 5, 2010

It's Weekend Time!

Happy Friday!



Image from Cote de Texas


Enjoy a little sunshine (hopefully you will get some) and bring some fresh flowers in your home to brighten your days.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

It's a Crafty kind of Day!

Today is one of my favorite kind of days. It's a crafting day and here are some of things things on my to do list:


Image from here



Image from here



Image from here



Image from here


I may also be having so fun with some hammered gold today. Those images will be in the shop shortly. :o)

Have a happy Thursday!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Jewelry at the Grammys

First, congratulations to Natalie who won BOTH of the Lillian Ray giveaways last week. Mary from Mary's Monday Musicology and I think you should buy a lotto ticket Natalie!

Second, who watched the Grammys? I have to be honest- I'm not hugely concerned about who wins what, but I LOVE to see what people wear.

Aren't these Neil Lane diamond earrings gorgeous on Carrie Ann Inaba?


Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images


What about this HUGE bracelet? Melanie Fiona wore it and although it's a tad too galactic looking for me, I wouldn't say no if someone offered it to me. :o) 89 carats of diamonds will do that to most of us.


Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images


The jewelry at the Grammys was all about the earrings and bracelets. Stacked bangles encrusted with diamonds were quite popular. Although necklaces were not the focus, I did like how Kim D'Eon layered these gold necklaces. I think this look is on the way out, but somehow she pulled it off. I like how the textures of the necklaces coordinate with the texture on her dress.


Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images


All in all, nothing TOO exciting in the department of jewelry happened during the 2010 Grammys. Maybe next year?