11.30.2011

The Peaceful Peacock Giveaway >>>

A Simple Soul Reading reminds you of the inherent goodness that is your birthright, the message straight from your soul.  If you are bogged down with negativity or confusion, creatively blocked, or feeling a lack of connection, this style of reading brings a simple and positive message.  The intention of this reading is to connect with the highest light in your heart, giving you the courage to believe in your greatest good.
 
My lovely sponsor Julie of The Peaceful Peacock is offering up her skills for free for one lucky reader.  You can read more about what she has to offer here.  Ive had the honor of working with her this past month and Im delighted someone else is lucky enough to have this opportunity!  She has been a pleasure to work with. 

TO ENTER:
follow julie on facebook
follow her on twitter
follow her blog

PEACE,
Laura

Coffee Date Threads >>>

Over the weekend we went to one of our favorite coffee shops since we had to run a few errands.  I always love having an excuse to go get coffee at a special place.  While getting dressed I can across this cute plaid headband I had forgotten about!  Its super cute and reversable, the other side has vintage flowers.  Its been so long since I got it, I honestly dont remember where its from.  And since I got my new glasses from GlassesUSA.com, I have not taken them off.  Im pretty much in love.  I wore my favorite Skyline Fever tank, my favorite yellow cords from Threadsence, a necklace from my Roots and Feathers shop and of course my thrifted mocs.  With a little green cardi I picked up at goodwill. 

If anyone is looking to get some new glasses, if you buy them from my refer a friend link youll get $30 off your first pair!

I love it when we are both wearing our glasses!  James just got new glasses recently too, and I adore them on him.  He picked out the perfect ones for himself!!  So so cute this boy is!

Today, I am diligently working on getting orders out.  Its seems as soon as I get caught up, they flood back in!  Which is truly amazing, but keeping me on my toes for sure.  I cant believe today is the last day of the month!  Holy moly!  Its been a busy busy week with work, then tomorrow, the dentist (yuck) and the next day court (yuck)!  Court is for stuff with my daddy's property, dont worry, I didnt get in trouble :)  

A little reminder, anyone who has signed up to be a sponsor in December, please make sure you have sent me all your info by today!  And if you are interested in signing up, today is the last day to get it all in, email me at violet_bella (at) hotmail (dot) com.

I have one more special giveaway coming up later today!!!  Check out the other ones if you havent already, some pretty good stuff just in time for Xmas!

PEACE,
Laura

11.29.2011

Group Sponsor Giveaway - December Edition >>>

One lucky winner will be lavished with all of these amazing prizes below!


 Nanoukiko is offering up 4 lovely items from her shop!  a god's eye pendant necklace, a big cotton thread bracelet, a small leather and wood bracelet and a vintage woven fabric necklace.


 The Gingham Owl is offering this beautiful 8x10 dragonfly print.  The colors are so dreamy.


 Bohemiantown is offering this awesome bohemian bright yellow fringe trim necklace with a fun chevron pattern on it!


 Stella & Dot is offering this sweet pair of beaded dangle earrings.


 Threadesque is offering this adorable navy blue and red polka dot vintage scarf.


Ninna Lu is offering up one bangle of your choice by Rachel Pally.


Cosmis Bath & Boday is offering up a complete weekly facial mask!  It includes: *1oz of French Green Clay
* 2oz Spray Bottle of Rose Floral Water Toner {also available with lavender or neroli floral water, your choice}
* Weekly Facial Mask Use Instructions
  *Packaged in a Muslin Bag



RULES TO ENTER:
kindly visit each shop and like them on facebook

FOR EXTRA POINTS:
share on facebook and twitter (include your link)
blog about this giveaway (include your link)

*giveaway will be open through Dec 4th*

p.s. have you entered the Dolce Mia giveaway yet???

PEACE,
Laura

11.28.2011

Date Night Threads >>>

 The other day James wanted to take me out on a date to our local wine bar, so of course I said YES!  I love going on dates when its his idea.  I really wanted to wear my green tights for the first time and I wanted to be sort of dressed up for a date, but totally cozy at the same time.  Besides the tights, the rest of this outfit has been in my closets for years.  Just some good ol' cozy staples to fall back on.  The best part, these amazing moccassins were my moms.  Although Im pretty sure she had them for a halloween costume, i still love them.  I accessorized with my favorite feather in a bottle necklace and a single feather earring from my Roots and Feathers line (both pieces I kept for myself).  For the first time, after seeing these photos, I realized just how long my hair is finally getting!  I love it.  Ive been trying to grow  my hair out unsuccessfully for the past several years.  So its very exciting for me (personally)!

 I want to thank everyone who bought something over this crazy holiday shopping weekend!  It was wonderful.  Im working hard on getting everything out as quickly as I can.  I packaged till my little arm hurt today :)  Which I am so very thankful for!  I have to say, it was almost as crazy as being the featured seller!  I really didnt expect that kind of outcome, so thank you so much!!!  Im pretty sure Im going to be taking the last week or two off from my shops (like actually putting them on vaca) to work on some new things, be inspired, make some gifts, enjoy the holiday season with friends and family, and all of those sort of things.  Im kind of going to have to force myself to do this.  Im not so good at taking off real periods from work.  So well see, I say it now!!!  But I think I owe it to myself.  Sort of like a preparation for a new wind for the new year.  Ill still be here on the blog though.  

Just a reminder, two days left to get a sponsor spot or send me your info if you already placed one!  And be on the lookout for some giveaways coming up tomorrow!!!

 PEACE,
Laura

Family >>>

Bits and pieces from Thanksgiving and the day after.  The first two photos are from the day after.  Or the day before, I really cant remember now, ha ha.  But I tried using the self timer for the first time on my phone, I had no idea it had one!  But it was nottttt as easy as my real camera.  I could hardly find a spot to hold it still and upright in the place i needed it to be.  I found out it wasnt so much fun.  Does anyone else have success with it?  Id love to know the trick.  It was one of those messy hair days, something a nice vintage scarf fixes right away!

The rest of the shots are from my Nanna's house on Thanksgiving day.  It was such a nice time being with family.  This little cutie patootie below is my brother's son Aiden.  He is growing up so fast and learning so much.  He is simply a joy to be around.  See his big boy muscles below???

This gorgeous little lady is my cousin Emily.  Gosh I wish I saw her more often.  We just adore each other.  In a big way.

This handsome stud is my brother.  I love it when he grins.  He has turned out to be such a good daddy.  Im so proud of him. 

And two of my favorite people below, my handsome hubby and my amazing Nanna.  Cant imagine life without these two. 

I wish I would have snapped pics of everyone.  I just kind of grabbed my phone as I thought about it that night.  I even brought my real camera and left it on the counter the whole time!

For those of my who missed my Black Friday and Small Business Saturday sales, I decided to go ahead and have a Cyber Monday sale!  So if you enter the code 'CMSALE15' at checkout in either of my shops, youll get 15% of your entire order.  Please note, orders may take 3-4 days before shipping.

PEACE,
Laura

11.26.2011

Guest post by Searching for Serendipity >>>

HI there, my name is Kami and I blog over on Searching for Serendipity.  Id like to take a moment to tell you a very simply way you can make a very big impact on this world, sponsor a blog. Seriously. See here is the thing, I have always been an avid supporter of women's rights around the world. It has been a dream of mine to find a way for my blog to make a difference, but I just didn't see how...until know. Enter the "Because I am A Girl" project by Plan Canada.
 
 
My husband and I sponsor a 2 year old girl from Kenya. Our monthly donation helps send her to school and provide clean drinking water for her and her family. I would love to do more but with my own new child to raise, I simply can't afford it. I believe that a little bit goes a LONG WAY and so I got to thinking. What if I started selling sponsor spots on the blog for just $5, and if 100% of that money went towards the "Because I am a Girl" project? Think how fast that could ad up!!!!

Lets say 10 people sign up, that is $50 that month
The following month more people sign up, there is another $50+ a month
So lets imagine that we could then donate a minimum of $600 towards a "Gift of Hope" that could be a cow, three chickens, a drinking well, midwife kits, baby blankets, and even paying for children to go to school!!!!!!!!! THAT IS HUGE! Look how far your simple $5 sponsorship just went, and you promoted your blog at the same time! How great is that?

At the end of every month I will take the 100% of the money we have raised and use it to buy a "Gift of Hope" as part of the "Because I am a Girl" project. These gifts could be things such as midwifery care kits, baby blankets, education funds, chickens (the girls sell the eggs for money), cows (again milk is sold to provide for their family) etc. I will update my readers on these gifts of hope, how they will be used, and what bloggers helped make this dream a reality.



On our own we can only do so much, but together we can change the lives of girls in need. Just by promoting your own blog for only $5 you can help make a difference. If you are interested please contact me today!

11.25.2011

Thanksgiving Threads >>>

Ever since I got my big chunky black glasses that many of you have seen, Ive been a bit obsessed with glasses.  I used to hate to wear my glasses, I always felt silly.  But since I have found some more stylish ones that seem more me, I love them!  I just received these beautiful prescription glasses c/o GlassesUSA.com.  I love love love them.  I adore the brown color with the light blue inside.  I chose this style.  The iSee collection is my favorite.  If you are in the market to buy glasses, Id recommend them!  This weekend is the time to shop if you are really needing some, they are having a 50% off sale of their entire collection of glasses!  But if you are not quite ready, after this weekend you can still get some good deals.  You can get 20% off any of the iSee collection, plus free shipping by using the code iSee20FS.  Or you can get 10% off any other order at anytime by using the code Blog10.  You can also follow their facebook and twitter feeds to find out when the stellar deals are!!  The coolest part is that you can use their virtual mirror to try on eyeglasses before you buy them to see if youll like they way you look in them.  But no worries if you dont because they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and return policy.  They also have a refer a friend program where you get $30 for each new friend that buys a pair!  Ummm.... that alot of different ways to save!  So... if you decide to get some, follow the 'refer a friend' link and you should get $30 off your first pair!!

I wore my new glasses for the first time yesterday for Thanksgiving.  We went to my Nanna's house for our traditional holiday affair.  It was such a nice time.  Everyone seemed to be in a good place.  The food was good as always.  I broke out my bottle of homeade strawberry hooch that James best friend gave me as a house warming party.  Can you tell Ive been hoarding it???  We sat out on the porch as the sun went down and listened to two of my uncles play the guitar and sing.  Delightful.  And the best part, as always was seeing my little nephew run around with a big smile on his face.  

I went super comfy in my maxi skirt and favorite Neil Young tshirt, my thrifted worn in mocs, a stretchy belt, a single chain earring, and I wore my double bird ring that reminds me of my parents. 

I actually successfully curled my hair yesterday!  Everytime I try to curl my hair it ends up either just looking awful or it wont stay curled.  I was so happy with the way it came out!  And it even still looks a bit curled today after sleeping on it!!!  Success!

One of my favorite parts of yesterday's outfit was my Nanoukiko braided ombre bracelet.  I am so much in love with this bracelet its ridiculous!  I cant get enough of this lovely lady.  Her work is so beautiful!

How did you spend your Thanksgiving this year?  What was your favorite part - besides the food?

PEACE,
Laura

Black Friday Sale >>>

I am definitely not one to participate in the madness of Black Friday at the mall and stores.  I plan on doing it from the comfort of my home, in my pjs, with a cup of joe in hand.  So for those of you who are with me on this one, Im offering my own little black friday sale in my etsy shops Violet Bella and Roots and Feathers.  Just enter the code above at checkout to receive the discount.  

Im making it a priority again this year to buy as much handmade for gifts as I can.  Not all of my gifts will be handmade, but when I can I will.  Im so excited to be supporting some of my favorite artists this year and spreading the love I have for them with friends and family!  Along with making some of my own gifts.  Who is in with me?  What artists are you most excited to buy from this year?  Id love to know!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

PEACE,
Laura

11.24.2011

Thankfulness >>>

This morning I feel like pondering on a few things Im  truly thankful for this year.  Besides the obvious of family, good health and my furry friends, among many other obvious ones.  And instead of just making a list, I think Ill go a bit deeper into each one.
 
The process of healing:  This  past year has brought many ups and downs.  The biggest down being losing my father by his own will.  Its only been a short 4 months, and I already feel like Ive been through so many stages of the grieving process.  From denial to anger to sadness to forgiveness and acceptance to blankness to fear to longing... The list goes on.  The process of healing has been much different from when I lost my mother.  So very different.  After I lost her, she was all I could talk about, for years.  It kept her close to me to always have her on my mind and on the tip of my tounge.  But with my dad, I find myself turning my cheek when I think of him, b/c of the circumstances.  But as I am learning to face my fears of his death, Im learning alot about forgiveness and thankfulness for what is left behind.  I am so grateful for all that both of my parents taught me.  I feel like they gave me all the tools I need to face this world head on.  They were such different people who gave me two completely different outlooks on life, and I think Ive walked away with the perfect blend of them.  Im learning that I can keep their spirits alive by walking my life in their honor as if they were still here.  I still want to make them proud everyday.  This thankfulness I feel, the process of healing, is a long and complicated one to spell out, there are so many fine details of it, so this is just a bit of what I am learning.  And the road has not ended, and wont until I take my own last breath.

My husband:  This one would appear to be an obvious one, but this year has proven his love more so than ever.  To be honest, the first year or two of our marriage was pretty hard and rocky, and we almost lost each other from stupid behavior.  But in the past 4 years, we have gone through so much.  And the past 4 months, James has become the husband I could only ever dream of.  After the loss of my dad, James stepped in and took care of everything.  I mean everything.  He called every person for me, he took care of every bill and company that needed to be contacted about dad's estate, he has been by my side through the whole process, physically and emotionally.  He has been the one to handle everything out at my dad's big empty house, from organizing, cleaning, going through things, helping sell some stuff to be able to pay his taxes, etc.  He has been more than I could ever ask for.  Otherwise, Id be doing it all alone.  And believe me, its an overwhelming task.  Some amazing things have come from this too.  Seeing James in the light has made me all the more confident that he is going to make an amazing dad.  It has shown me his heart so much deeper than I knew before.  And it has opened up the door of conversation of us having kids soon.  (we are both fearful of this next phase in our life, but this I think has shown us both what we are truly capable of).

The gift of choice:  This one also ties in with my healing process of loss.  I ever so clearly have seen that we have a big gift of choice in this world.  Everyday we wake up, we have the choice to wallow in our self pity from the things we have experienced in this lifetime, or we have the choice to stand up and learn from it, and change ourselves for the better.  I see so many people around me use their past as an excuse to self hate, to fall down and feel like they have to stay there, or that they deserve to stay there.  This is not true.  Each of us have something beautiful to give this world.  And I think that the people who have had the hardest past, could easily be the ones to give the most.  To learn from what has happened in your life and make sure it doesnt happen again to your children or those you love around you.  You are not your past.  Your past does not define you.  And it is your choice how you allow it to contribute to who you are today.  It is your choice to eat what you eat, to drink what you drink, to wear what you wear, to be nice or hateful, to cheat or not, to get high or not, to love or hate, etc.  We all have this beautiful gift of choice.  And just because you made the wrong choice yesterday, doesnt mean you have to make it again today.  Each day we have a choice.  This is an amazing thing.

This online community:  Ive said it before, but I really really do love this community I am a part of.  Through this blog, facebook and twitter, etsy, all of it!  I have met some of the most genuine friends through these online outlets.  Only if we could be real life friends, or should I say face to face.  I love that we all inspire each other.  I love that I am able to chat about likeminded things to girls half way across the globe.  And I love that we can support each other, emotionally.  I love that I can use this space to share a more personal side of myself and not feel ugly or exposed for doing so.  You all have been like a big comforting patchwork quilt to me.  In some of my darkest moments, you have lifted me up, and I am truly thankful for that.

Seeing my hard work pay off:  This has been a big one this year.  From starting my new line Roots and Feathers to becoming the featured seller on etsy.  Among so many other triumphs.  This year has proven to me that my hard work really has come full circle.  The past few years I have poured myself into my creations and worked diligently everyday (too much at times I know)... I am so thankful to those out there that have made it what it is.  I could work all day long, but if no one bought anything, I wouldnt be able to do what I do, so thank you! 

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

PEACE,
Laura