Group Sponsor Giveaway...

One lucky girl is going to be the winner of all of these goodies!  My sponsors have been sweet enough to offer up these awesome items just for my readers.  All you need to do is visit each of their shops below, then comment on this post with your favorite item from each of their shops.  Good luck!

Tia of A Cup of T is giving away two items!  This adorable floral hair bow, and these hand embroidered earrings.  I have a pair myself that I absolutely love.  These ones are more petite, but just as cute!

Hiya, Violet Bella readers! I'm Liz from Donna's Decembers. Even though my blog focuses mostly on crochet crafts, I love anything DIY. When I have an idea and can't seem to figure out the process to make it come to life, my craft book library is the first place I go to. Today I wanted to share a bit of my library with you and giveaway 4 of my most favorite and all-encompassing craft books!

Learn to Crochet by Sally Harding-- This is a short and sweet intro guide to crochet. There are cute and easy projects included to help get you and your hook started!

Knitorama by Rachael Matthews-- Don't be fooled, this book isn't only for knitters! This collection of patterns is fun, quirky, and a twist to your regular knitting or crocheting. It will definitely lend you a lot of laughs and a lot of inspiration!

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano-- You may know Mark Montano from one of his many shows on TLC. Mr. Montano provides clear, easy to understand directions and really pretty glossy photos to guide you along your DIY adventure :)

Greystone's Creative Hands #3-- This book is the third in a collection of twenty two! Published in 1966, I hope you'll find this a vintage resource that you can bring to life! The directions and photos are to die for, I promise! 

Leah of Sookie Says is giving away $25 store credit to anything in her shop!  She has adorable handmade clothing with lots of doily accents, along with a cute collection of vintage.  She has a new upcoming vintage shop called Suds In A Bucket!  

Nicole of Cottage In The Wood's is giving away any one of her prints of her original artwork in her shop.  Not only does she have original artwork, but she makes the cutest leg warmers and cloth diapers for babies, along with handmade clothing! 

Be sure to follow the one rule above to be given a chance to win all of these goodies!

PEACE,

Laura

My lovely June Sponsors...

It is time to show some love to this month's sponsors.  Its a super group of girls with a big love for crafting.  Take some time to visit each of their shops and blogs.  A group giveaway will be coming up from these lovelies as well, so be on the lookout!

"Hello! I'm Tia and I am the creator of A cup of T.  I've loved to create and craft since I was little and now I can share it with you!  I've got all types of handmade goodies in my shop! From headbands to wall art."

etsy shop - facebook - blog

"Hi lovelies! I'm the owner/designer behind Sookie Says handmade clothing- a collection of decorated clothing along with handstitched goodies. I also recently decided to open a vintage shop "Suds in the Bucket", vintage and repurposed vintage from the South, which will be launching in a few weeks! I love thrifting, photoshoots, blogging, and all things vintage!! xoxo, Leah"

etsy shop - facebook - blog

"Hey, Violet Bella readers! My name is Liz and I write and create for Donna's Decembers. Crochet has always been an appealing art to me as it can be transformed into many shapes and textures. When I'm not actually stitching or working as a full-time high school English teacher, I'm usually researching old crochet methods, stitches, and patterns and trying to update them with a modern twist! You can find all the stories, research, and inspiration on my blog!"

etsy shop - facebook - blog

"Hi all! My name is Giulia and I am Italian but I live in London! I have started blogging a few  months ago and I am now totally in love with it! I blog about everything that gives me big emotions from my everyday little adventures to my passions: music, art and cooking!"

etsy shop - blog

"h0neyburn's Cottage in the Woods loves making reusable instead of disposable and up-cycling instead of tossing. It's about modest femininity, with a bohemian prairie girl flair. It's also cute to boot for the little women-in-training!"

etsy shop - facebook - blog

Show them some love and let them know you found them through Violet Bella.

PEACE,

Laura

My birthday celebration...

Yesterday we celebrated my birthday with some of our closest friends.  As I mentioned before we wanted to keep it small for Violet, and it was just perfect.  There were so many highlights to my day its hard to remember them all.  Let me just make a list here:

* i was surprised with this amazing cheesecake.  my friend jen made it from scratch, every single part.  this baby was not just cheesecake, but it was layered with nutella and had homeade chocolate sauce and hazelnut cream whip.  she managed to put every one of my favorite things into this cake.  simply. amazing.

* i got to see my bestie after her being gone on vaca for two weeks.  it was so nice to see her for a bit.

* my dad came over for dinner, it always makes me happy to be around him.  he was super cute chatting with my friends.  i love him.

* a good friend stopped by and we chatted for a while and she gave me the sweetest most thoughtful gifts ever, including a vintage owl cookie jar from the 60's!

* jonny got me a Bayside vinyl which i thought was so sweet and thoughtful of him.

* james and jonny played guitar and we all sang songs together.  always a good time.  the only people i feel comfortable singing around too.  love it.  and james got goofy like he always does, hopped up on espresso, and sang a dirty love song to jonny, quite the highlight of the night.

* i got my own huge red stripe.  i bought it just for my birthday.

* violet did really well and was able to hang out with us.  she knew everyone that came so she stayed really calm.  made me so happy.

* i got to make my birthday dinner with jen, which was a super experience.  i loved cooking with her.  i learned some new things, and it was just cool having company in the kitchen.  the food was amazing.  we made homeade garlic pasta, grilled veggies, homeade rolls and a roasted corn, red bell pepper and avocado dip.  it was even better today.

It was just a really good day.  And completely made up for the day we had on my actual birthday :)  Now I have a huge cheesecake to eat!  Wanna come help me eat it???

Today is definitely monday.  Spent all day so far packaging up orders and getting ready for the po.  I also added a few new items in my Roots and Feathers shop.  I have some new ones photographed for Violet Bella, hopefully Ill be able to post them soon. 

PEACE,

Laura

Roots and Feathers giveaway winner is...

The lovely Shelley of Songbird.  Congrats!  Please message me on my R+F etsy shop to let me know what you would love credit for!  xo.

PEACE,
Laura

Birthday Outfit + Extras...

Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes yesterday.  Between the blog, my twitter & facebook, I was truly overwhelmed with love from everyone!  Im now officially in my last year of being 20-something.  Guess it's time to grow up, huh?  I say not.  It was a pretty uneventful day, except for my boy making me french toast in the morning, and ending the day with more lovely time with him.  Today we will celebrate with a few of our dearest friends in a very homy calm way, with a home cooked meal and a movie.  We decided not to have alot of people over for a bbq like usual b/c of Violet, we need to keep things calm for her.  And I didnt want to go out b/c I didnt want to leave her at home long without us.  Which is fine with me, I love having more intimate times with friends anyway.  

Yesterday I wore my favorite pair of homeade jeans, one of my new tops, sandals & knuckle ring from James, and some Roots and Feathers jewelry, along with my leather braided bracelet from Flourish.  I have two more colors on their way, and this one is next on my wishlist.

Here are a bunch of random phone shots from throughout the day.  I re-painted my toenails and fingernails.  Bella and Violet hung out with us while we ate french toast and strawberries.  James hung up his posters in the garage next to his screen printing station.  Eventually we are going to fix the whole room up for him, including a couch!  Cant wait.  We went to the video store to rent a few movies, so we shall have a few couch dates this week.  Are we the only ones who still go to the video store???

Thank you again for your love.

PEACE,

Laura

A time to celebrate...

Yep!  Its my birthday!  So let's celebrate together.  Tell me what your favorite birthday party/gift/memory you have!  Let's all remember our special day.  Above I am wearing my new sunglasses and sandals that were part of the loot I got from my hubby!  Those silly sunglasses were only $1.50!

PEACE,

Laura

A few thoughts...

There are times, where it is really quiet around here.  In this new house, next to no one we know, especially while James is at work.  I usually fill the house up with song during these times.  And moments like now, when I dont, remind me of how isolated my life really feels sometimes.  I have some of the best friends in the world a girl could ask for, so dont get me wrong when I say this, but sometimes I wish I had a few more real life friendships that I could participate in more regularly.  Some that enjoyed coming over to my house and making stuff with me or watching girly movies with me.  I wish some of my online friendships could be real life ones.  Even some of my real life friendships, I feel so out of touch with at times.  Some I havent seen in ages.  I know its most likely my own fault, for being so busy all of the time.  Does anyone else who crafts for a living ever feel this way? 

One of my favorite new pairings of garments is my hubby's tee pee tank top with my crochet doily vest... perfect!

Miss Violet Mae lounging in her chair looking out the window.  I have so many photos to share of her that I have taken this week, I got some really precious ones.  Im afraid this little blog of mine just might turn into a dog blog soon, ha ha!

A while back we were at the craft store getting a few supplies and I was on the stamp isle and James spotted this little owl and got so excited about it!  So we got it just for him to use on his Skyline Fever packages.  He was very pleased to use it the other day for the first time.  How cute is that?

Ive been collecting these beautiful little tri-colored feathers from my little birdie Nico for a long time.  I have a few stored up for a new necklace for my Roots and Feathers shop, its going to be quite adorable!!!  Cant wait.

I found my macrame owl my Nanna gave me, her mother made it!  I love it so much.  It now hangs in my kitchen holding one of my favorite vintage aprons (which I collect)... So cute!  Thank you again Nanna for giving it to me!

For the next 9 days, I have to really watch my internet usage or we are going to go over again!  Which is going to be hard b/c I have so much I want to share, along with some features and giveaways to do this week.  I just have to choose wisely what I can look at.  Its hard not even being able to read some of my favorite blogs on a consistent basis for fear of going over our usage.  

One last thing, I have a favor to ask of you.  Please go to this site and vote for my work to be featured, you must chose 'yes, definitely' for it to count.  Our amount of bills this month due to Violet's vet bill and our internet crazyness is a bit outrageous, so this is like my last resort thing to do.  It will give anyone who buys a voucher from them just over 50% off things in my shop.  It will be alot of work for alot less $$$, but should generate enough sales to cover these bills.  I kind of knew something would happen since we just bought a house and now have a bigger monthly payment, but this was a bit more than expected for our second month here.  So it would help alot if you just voted for me!  Thank you.  Even if you dont want to buy anything from my shop, you may want to sign up with this site, its a great place to find deals from many etsy sellers!

PEACE,

Laura

50% off sale...

 Im having a big sale in my Violet Bella shop right now.  Get 50% off $100 or more, that's right, half off!  You must enter the code 'summer' at checkout to get the discount.  I will announce when sale is over.  Happy shopping :) click the images below to be taken to the shop!

Etsy violetbella

PEACE,

Laura

Wanna sponsor Violet Bella in July?

If you are interested in advertising your shop or blog on Violet Bella for the month of July please click here to see the rates and email info. 

PEACE,

Laura

Crafty gifts from friends...

The other day I received two wonderful packages from two of my current sponsors this month.  I have come to know both of these girls to find they are super sweet and very crafty.  They are good friends in real life and do alot of crafty things together, like craft shows and photoshoots for their products together.  Both of their work compliments each other so well.  I can only imagine that it is great fun to be able to do this with one of your girlfriends.

I was waiting to receive a box of hand me down clothes from Leah of Sookie Says and she sent along this sweet little headband she made for me as an extra goodie.  Its darling, and James said he really liked it, which I thought was cute.  Sometimes the things I think he will totally hate, he surprises me and tells me its cute. 

And as soon as I saw Tia of A Cup of T post her new collection of embroidered vintage fabric earrings, I fell in love.  She made me this custom pair.  I picked the fabric/thread combo and requested a larger size, and they came out perfect.  You must check out this little collection, they are just soooo sweet.  And speaking of these two ladies, there will be a feature of them coming soon!

And speaking of getting things in the mail, today I received one of the most sweetest gifts ever, but I must wait until I snap a proper photo, and you will know why when I post it!  Can I just say, I LOVE MY JOB.  I have met so many wonderful people along the way b/c of it.  Seriously the relationships I have formed with so many people across the world are outstanding.  Yes, I occasionally get the bad apple who leaves a rude comment here, but those people I could care less about.  Im about quality, not quantity.  I dont care how many people read my blog.  I just love that I have made friends with so many people who do.  Its one of the biggest perks of my job and I feel truly blessed in this community of amazing people.

PEACE,

Laura

My birthday wishlist...

Since it's my birthday week, I thought Id share of few of the things on my wishlist.  I always have an ever-rotating storage of things that would make me smile if I had them.  Things I dont really need, but would love...  So I picked three for my body and three for my home to share with you.

1. I adore this dress from Ruche.  I really have not been a big fan of the one shoulder look on most garments, but when I saw this dress I fell in love.  It swayed me to the other side.

2.  And this dress is also from Ruche and one of my most recent favorited items.  I love the simple style of this dress and the pattern is beautiful.

3.  These shoes are on my wishlist in a big way.  I know they are knock offs of some amazing Jeffrey Campbell shoes, but I honestly could never afford the real deal.  I found these on ebay, and one day... I will snatch them up!

4.  For my home, Id love these 3 prints below.  Im super picky about the art I put in my home.  This print made by Charmaine Olivia is just stunning.  I love her work.

5.  I have been a fan of Tel Aviv's work for some time.  Her etsy shop Tushtush is definitely a favorite.  This is one of her semi recent works.  I saw it as an original and asked her if she was going to make it a tiny print, and she did!  I would love to collect several of these tiny prints to display in our home over time.  Starting with this one.

6.  I think this bird and teapot print would look adorable in my kitchen.  I love the colors and the feather.  So sweet.

PEACE,
Laura

Gretel Girl Hoops...

Today I received my much anticipated custom hoops from Gretel Girl.  She contacted me a while back about using my photograph for inspiration on some of her hoops, and I quickly said yes.  I think her work is outstanding, super high quality, creative & original.  All of the things that make a great artist.  She was so kind to even send me two as a gift!  I dont know which one I love more.  I hung one in my sewing room, and one by our bookshelf next to another friend's painting.  Now I will see it everytime I pass through to my bedroom.  She has a few others in her shop that I would like to collect over time, especially this one.  She has even more awesome work on her website. And even her packaging is pretty adorable with vintage pattern paper and striped twine.  Thank you so much Tracy for finding my photograph inspiring enough to work with, and for sending me these two very amazing pieces of artwork. 

And how ever so funny, I was just clicking on her sites to share the links, and noticed she posted a little blog about me yesterday!  how sweet! 

PEACE,

Laura

Violet Mae update...

Violet Mae is doing really well.  She is adjusting to being indoors beautifully.  She even comes back inside on her own sometimes (while being on the leash).  And she has finally given in to going to the bathroom while on the leash.  She felt so much better after she did, like instantly.  She has been enjoying chillin in the bed, on the porch in the early mornings before it gets hot, and in her chair we pulled in from outside so she can sit by the window when it is too hot to be outside.  We are definitely going to get through this, I feel it.  Thank you again for all of the love you have shown my sweet pup.  xo.

Oh, and in the chair photo above you may notice little rainbows all over the wall.  I have a crystal hanging in the window and at the right time of day, it shoots those rainbows all over my entire house, its truly magical!

PEACE,

Laura