Birthday Celebration
Tomorrow is my birthday…ahhh…I love birthdays…cakes, family, good wishes…I love them. This year we’re not going to talk about age at all though. Nope. I’m done with age after today lol
In celebration of my birthday, I’ll be doing at least one giveaway, depending on the number of people who are involved. Just leave a comment here or on my facebook fan page in the discussion tab at www.facebook.com/thecozyloft and then you are entered to win! All you have to do in your comment here is just let me know something you’d like to see me paint.
Here’s one of my latest ones:
I titled it “Cold Observation”.
Have a wonderful day my friends. 
Comical
You’ll see something new on the horizon from me very soon – a little bit of humor in this next piece and I’m working on it currently. I can hardly wait to unveil it…
The inspiration for this piece came from a friend of mine and I thought it was a cute idea…then I started thinking about what I could do with it. In the wrinkles of my brain, I came up with something that I’m positively giddy over. I probably need to give some sort of tease on it…so let’s just say it has to do with an owl…and mornings!
Winner!!!
I wanted to announce the winner of the giveaway!! Not only did I have people enter here, but also from my art website – thank you all so much for finding me!
Congratulations to: BETH TAYLOR!!!! She chose a kitty cat ACEO just in time for Halloween and I just mailed that to her today so she’ll have it before the holiday is here.
Special thanks to all of you who entered – I appreciate your interest in my things…so very much!
Cozy Loft Giveaway!!
I haven’t done a giveaway in FOREVER and I’ve always had soooo much fun with them in the past!
So, right now, I’ve decided to do a little giveaway in honor of my new kitty cat Mietta. The winner of this giveaway will receive their choice of:
a Halloween themed catnip pillow
OR
a Halloween themed ACEO painting
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post letting me know some great cat themed ideas for me to make or paint…
Winner will be chosen by random number generator and will be chosen on Wednesday, October 13th at 10:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Good luck and thanks for stopping by the Cozy Loft.
Paolo Paolo Paolo
We made it back from our little excursion to see the Paolo Nutini concert in Nashville last night and oh my! This was at a club scene at a place called The Cannery, which is part of the Mercy Lounge. So much fun and such a great show!! Here’s a few pics I wanted to share:
Paolo even did an encore!
Here’s where we stayed in Nashville:
We really, really needed this little mini-vacation and some fun. Of course, it’s back to work tomorrow and I’m a bit hoarse from all the screaming I did at the concert, but hey…it’s all good!!
We Marked Our Calender!
Almost one year ago, I blogged about an AWESOME new singer named Paolo Nutini. Click here to read my previous post. Well…I have some great news! Charles and I are going to see him live in July!! We booked it this weekend and let me tell you, I can hardly wait to go!
His new CD “Sunny Side Up” debuts June 2nd. Charles and I have been anticipating it for a while, so we’ve been hearing every tidbit we possibly can in the meantime.
There’s something so raw about his voice and his work. Also performing that evening will be Matt Hires and Erin McCarley. Though I didn’t know either of these singers, I have heard samples from them and I’m excited to hear them, too! This show will be so very awesome!
Drama Winner
DRUMROLLLLLLLLLLLL Please!!
The winner, chosen by Random.org number generator is……
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
2
Timestamp: 2009-04-18 18:28:19 UTC
NUMBER 2!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS Kim! I will be contacting you shortly.
Thanks to all who entered and please stay tuned. I love to host giveaways!!
Happy Weekend!
An Award!! YAY!!
Sometimes you stumble across a blog that touches your heart and makes you tear up and smile at the same time. I have found such a place in a recent blog discovery. A very precious hearted woman named Rebecca (who paints and sews some of the mostly lovely Shabby and Chic things imaginable!) has the most precious blog – one reading of a post of hers and you’ll see why I’m so smitten by this lovely lady.
I am so very honored to have been chosen by her to receive this Kreativ Blogger. Here’s the specifics:
List 7 things that you “Love” and then pass this award on to 7 Bloggers that you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know they have won! You can copy the graphic by clicking onto the Award Icon and then placing it on your sideboard (please note that I have yet to figure out how to put a pic on my sideboard). This lets the whole world know that you are KREATIV!
Seven things I love:
- My Husband and My Family
- Our Home
- The Smells of Christmas
- The Sound of Snow
- Loving Someone More Than I Love Myself
- Nostalgia
- My Walk with the Lord
Seven blogs I choose to receive this award:
- Eliza at The Bear Bunch
- Jen at The Cottage Nest
- Amy at Mia Sophia’s Day
- Val at Celebrate Life
- Kim at The Twice Remembered Cottage
- Jessica at The Paper Chic
- Tran at Voleurdebijoux
**I just edited this post as I realized I left some important info out of it. I’m sorry for the confusion!**
Chocolate Granola and I Won??
Ok…how yummy does that chocolate granola look??? I made that lovely concoction of coconut, almonds, oats and chocolate chips (a few other goodies) thanks to a super lady and her oh so wonderful blog called “Food Loves Writing”. Click here to see it for yourself. And, click here to go directly to the oh-so-tasty recipe for the granola you see above. Soooo good!
I entered a little contest Shannalee had on her most wonderful blog and guess what?? I won!!! I was so shocked and just wait til you see! Check it out:
There’s a great book entitled “The Ungarnished Truth” by Ellie Matthews. I can hardly wait to read it! In the prize pack was also a RuMe bag that’s so deceptive in size. While it looks tiny, it opens to be quite sizeable. Love it! And, sweetheart that she is, Shannalee also included the cutest card that I thought fit her blog and her so well. Perfection!
Just be sure to bookmark her blog because it’s definitely worth checking out over and over. Plus with cool giveaways like this, you know you want to be “in the know!” Shannalee ROCKS!! Thanks Shannalee!
My Luck Is Changing??
I have always had no luck at contests and usually never win anything. This past week, though, I won a beautiful pair of earrings from JaniesJoli on etsy. She is such a dear friend to me and I met her almost a year ago, around the time I started with etsy. Just look at them:
They look almost black, but they are really a deep garnet color – so pretty! I love her jewelry AND her beauty/bath shop, too. She is oh-so-talented! Please visit her jewelry shop called JaniesJoli and her bath and beauty shop called BubblySensations. This lady is truly a sweetheart and such a joy to work with. You won’t be disappointed in anything you get from her!
Starting a Garden
In light of our newly adopted cottage style of living, you may remember (if you have been reading my blog for several months) that we reinstalled our clothesline this past summer. We used it a little bit until the line broke and just had not restrung the line until last summer. I’m thrilled at how that has turned out though we haven’t been able to use it through the winter. (I can hardly wait until spring!)
We are doing something else, as well. The past couple years, we have attempted to have a garden. I say attempted because we had very little out there and what we did have was not properly cared for. While we did harvest a few tomatoes, that was pretty much it.
This year, we’ve gone all out. Or, at least in our plans we have! We have bought several packets of seeds. Some have been 20 cents, some $1 and some $2. The last day of January, I planted some chives. Guess what? They are starting to come up already!! I’m so excited!
Then, on 2/3 we planted onions and carrots and on 2/9 we planted a couple tomato plants. We have little onions and carrots coming up already, also!!
Ok, now those of you who have been gardening longer than us please don’t laugh at our attempts. I hope we aren’t being too terribly silly but we are so excited. I imagine I have looked in those little pots at least a dozen times today!! Seriously!
Now, you will probably really laugh because here’s some little photos I thought I’d share…
The carrots:
Onions:
Chives (I think this is 3 plants, though it could be 2….):
All we did was purchase a bag of potting soil and a few packages of seeds. By the way, we do have more seeds but it is too early to start them right now. We have been saving 2 liter coke bottles, plastic bowls and containers. This makes me happier still because that means they just don’t get tossed…they actually are being used and we aren’t paying additional money to purchase pots. It’s definitely a win-win situation!
Anyone else gardening this year? If so, have you started yet?
Dining Out Challenge
A few days ago I was talking about eating out less and cooking at home more and how much better that is! (See previous post here.) We have decided to try eating out once per month and see how that goes. Instead of doing it weekly or daily, we are going to eat at home for every meal for a month except one special meal.
Can you do it? Would you want to?
Blog Reading Simplified
Ok, I’ve finally converted all my blogs over to google reader. And, I LOVE it!! All of my blogs are in one place and I don’t have to go to my bookmarks and then check each one individually. It conveniently TELLS me when there is new activity on any of them, so I can just click the ones who have new info. That’s soooo great and it’s made my computer sitting time so much less. Well, it will now that I have everything all neat and clutter free.
If you don’t have this wonderful feature, I urge you to try it out. I don’t think you will be disappointed!!
Have fun!
Freebie Friday!! Enter to Win!!
It’s time for a giveaway!!
All you have to do is make a comment on this post between now and Friday, January 16th at 6:00 pm CST. All purchases from my Etsy Shop get an automatic 2 entries, but there’s no purchases necessary to win!!
The winner will receive one of these:
and a few lovely goodies including a mini lavender sachet heart. Winner will be chosen by random.org so it’s fair to everyone
Best of Luck!
Welcome 2009
Welcome to 2009!!
I thought I would delve into my horoscope this new year to see the predictions for my Scorpio day…this is it from dailyhoroscopes.com:
There are many challenges this morning but they seem to magically disappear by mid-afternoon. You may have trouble concentrating on other people’s needs. Pay attention to your activities over the next few days and work to create an awareness of balance–work, play, rest, grooming, creative vents, exercise and recreation. For a break in your activities, plan things that are educational or artistic throughout the end of this week. Learn or teach others something technical or creative. Some interesting things that will stir your own imagination are: magazines, books, art shows, opera, hobby, exhibits, etc. You become aware of new concepts and this may create a profound effect on your psyche–when faith in humanity is most beneficial.
Wow! This sounds great and like it’s the answer my creative soul needed!! Seems as though this year will be getting off to a great start – hope yours is the same!
Happy New Year my friends!!
Rhonda
Scott Baio
You know how when you were little, you had this guy (or guys!) who you absolutely idolized? They were the ones who made you dream of being that “one selected to go on a date” courtesy of the latest Tiger Beat or 16 magazine? Well, in the 80s, I was really puppy lovin’ Scott Baio. Remember him? From Happy Days, Joanie Loves Chachi and Charles in Charge?
When I was in my early teens, I had posters EVERYWHERE in my room of him. I had clipped all kinds of photos of him and put them all around the perimeter of my dresser mirror. I had have his cassette tape…did you even know he released one? 
Anyway, each year Charles and I usually do some fun gag gifts for different members of our family. This year, we did a couple small things, nothing too big. But, let me tell you…my brother and his girlfriend, Michelle, really did something so embarrassing to me, which leads back to Scott Baio…
Once when I was around 12 or 13, I was adding the photos around my mirror of my dresser. I sat back on my bed to admire my work and one of them was a little crooked. So, I went over to reattach it and then went backwards to my bed to sit back down. And, I missed the bed. No one saw it. No one knew of my silly fall. No one ever had to know. What did I do though? I told Mama and it became this huge joke which is still talked about upon occasion to this day. She dubbed it “I’m falling for you Scott” the moment I confided in her what I’d done!! I’ve never lived it down!! Ron (my brother) and Michelle discovered this and created this in honor of my teen idol, puppy love, girlie days:
When we finished Christmas breakfast this morning and I walked into my parents’ living room, there it was. I took these pictures from my home tonight, so the lighting isn’t great. You can click on the 2nd picture to see it larger, if you want. My face was BEET RED!! I was so incredibly embarrassed, but they went through so much trouble, I felt it was worthy to tell all of you so you could laugh at me…or admit that you, too, were into the teen idols and tell me who, please!!
By the way…you should know…this thing is as large as a big screen tv…not a small creation by any means! AND that’s not all. I also received a Chachi action figure/doll AND a Scott Baio t-shirt….
LOL! Merry Christmas Everyone!!
Swear Jar
Boy oh boy, did we have fun creating this!! Charles and I actually came up with this idea together. He chose the cat and thought to add the cursing symbols on my newest item. We couldn’t decide the best denomination of money to put per offense. We chose 25 cents, but if this one goes well, I’ll do more in the future with different animals, people and denominations. It was absolutely so hysterically funny to create. I hope it gives you a laugh, too!!
Oh and if it’s something you want to own or give as a gift, it’s right here in my etsy shop The Cozy Loft.
Happy Sunday!
Really Unusual Elf Ashtray
We found this awesome ash tray at a recent sale and were so intrigued! When we read that it was made in 1960, we knew it would be a perfect vintage addition to an elf or ash tray collection.
Click HERE to see him in my etsy shop and read more about him.
He’s not very attractive in a handsome sort of way, but there’s something very interesting about him:
He looks like he’s wood, but he is a ceramic piece. Very unusual piece and I just had to show him to you!
Halloween Past + Present Day Jack O Lantern…
Happy Halloween!!!
In honor of Halloween and to reminisce of dressing up in costumes, I thought I’d share a couple of my previous costume fun with you…
Here’s one of me from a few years ago – I though the skirt was really too short waisted which made it way too short for me, so I wore some black exercise shorts underneath:
and another which I played with bruises, blood and scars (wish I had a picture of the “scars” and “gashes” on my arms – you can see the start of the brusing on my arm, but the real gore is covered – shoot!):
Both of those are from my days of working part-time at Kmart. Ahhhhh, I do miss the excuses to dress up for Halloween!! Those are the MOST FUN things of all!!
So, back to the present Halloween day…Charles and I have worked on pumpkin carving and here’s our little Jack O Lantern:
And at night…
Have a wonderfully happy Halloween!!
Want to Win a Ticket to Visit Graceland?
We live about 100 miles from Memphis, which is known for many things, including Elvis Presley…and Graceland. Charles and I have visited Graceland in the past. Imagine my surprise when there was a free ticket to tour Graceland (the platinum package) in my mail box today. It seems as though I was randomly selected to receive this gift – how lucky!! There is a little questionnaire to fill out and drop at the Graceland Guest Services Desk at the end of your visit (super easy and simple, I promise). I thought it was a really sweet little deal. This package includes:
- Graceland Mansion and Grounds
- Elvis Car Museum
- Elvis’ Custom Jets
- Sincerely Elvis:Elvis Jumpsuits All Access
- Private Presley (a new feature in honor of Elvis’ time in the Army)
Since Charles and I have no plans to visit that area between now and when the ticket expires (December 24th, 2008), I thought it might be fun to give the ticket away to a lucky reader. This ticket is valued at $32.00 and I will give it away to someone who comments on this blog entry. As I have no idea how many responses this might receive, I will use a random number generator to determine the winner, as to be fair to everyone. After a winner is chosen, I’ll email you for your address so that I can mail you your ticket.
Good luck!
I’ve Been Tagged!!
I have been tagged by the lovely and talented MK. How much fun is this?? Ok here goes…
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog – some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 random facts:
-
When I started school, I could already read. Since no one else could read at my level at that time (I could read newspapers!!), I was placed in a “reading group” of my own. I named it the “Kitty Cat Club”.
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I was very shy and quiet until High School.
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I stay away from watching the news, as it is really depressing to me.
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My favorite television show is Big Brother.
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My favorite movie of all time is “Gone With the Wind” which is probably not very shocking to some people. But another one of my favorite movies that might be a shock to some is ”Tombstone”…
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I was Captain of quite a few volleyball teams over the years who won many, many games. In a mud volleyball tournament, we placed 2nd among lots and lots of talented teams. A knee injury during a practice would be why I’m not still playing today!!
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I constantly take on too much, but I’m working on this.
When I started school, I could already read. Since no one else could read at my level at that time (I could read newspapers!!), I was placed in a “reading group” of my own. I named it the “Kitty Cat Club”.
I was very shy and quiet until High School.
I stay away from watching the news, as it is really depressing to me.
My favorite television show is Big Brother.
My favorite movie of all time is “Gone With the Wind” which is probably not very shocking to some people. But another one of my favorite movies that might be a shock to some is ”Tombstone”…
I was Captain of quite a few volleyball teams over the years who won many, many games. In a mud volleyball tournament, we placed 2nd among lots and lots of talented teams. A knee injury during a practice would be why I’m not still playing today!!
I constantly take on too much, but I’m working on this.
Here are the 7 people that I am tagging:
-
Melanie AKA Meldewdesigns
-
Melissa AKA Designsbymelissa
-
Val AKA Celebratelife *Val – I’m not tagging Beadbug00 so you can
-
Jodie AKA JesseJane’s
-
Dellana AKA Rainwolf
-
Delilah AKA Sodistressing
-
Tran AKA Voleurdebijoux
Woo-hoo!! I cannot wait to read more about all of you!! Have FUN!!
The Most Important Thing On My To-Do List…
The more I have thought about opening up this booth at this nearby antique and home decor mall, I become more and more excited. You see after Charles and I started dating, he introduced me to ebay. At the time he sold all kinds of things on ebay which was, at that time, a most wonderful venue. The fees were reasonable and a seller could actually make a comfortable amount of money on there. The marketplace was not flooded and there were lots of sales to be had. Did I mention that I first laid eyes on ebay in 2000? What a difference 8 years made!!
Ebay was so exciting. We’d go to estate sales, auctions, tag sales, antique stores, ANYWHERE really and we’d look for treasures. Imagine our surprise when his parents purchased a house that had an attic full of old contents such as The Carpenters tickets, memorabilia, posters, newspaper clippings, etc. That was just the beginning! We were so excited about all those things and I remember how we felt when we snagged something good at an estate sale, too. That’s always been kind of our thing and even though we’ve almost completely abandoned ebay at this point, we still visit estate sales and all the other fun places…just not as much and not with the same level of excitement. Now, with the booth, I realize we can do that again! Oh the joys of the thrill of the hunt!! I couldn’t be more excited!
I’ve been doing alot of researching on how to make my booth look good. It currently has only the back wall – no side walls. Since I’m new to all this, we either have to build or buy everything except we do have a unit with four shelves that we found at an auction several years ago. It was so cheap, we had to buy it with it’s heavy glass shelves inside a wood frame. There’s an old bookcase in our storage building outside that we purchased for me to refinish at some point and put in our home, but now I’m thinking don’t refinish it. That should be cleaned up and carried up there for displaying items, though I’m not ready to part with it. Over the weekend, we found a white plastic unit with four shelves at Lowe’s for a cool $20. I am hoping I can dress it up a bit, too. I really want this to be cute, but I fear it’s a hodge podge of things for now. It’s not very consistent, but I guess it is an antiques booth and it’s not supposed to be perfect. However, I think I will change it all up when I see if this booth is profitable. Then, I’ll sink some more money into it. I don’t think anyone has any idea how excited I am about this booth and how very much I hope it goes crazy in sales and fun!! So I guess I should probably call the owner and tell him I have decided I do want to rent that booth and find out what to do from here!! LOL – that’s a REALLY important thing to do today!!
I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy…
I grew up with a brother (I’m the older sister by almost 2 years), so I always had to defend myself…and let’s face it…defend my barbie dolls, my easy bake oven, my lite brite, and my rubik’s cube at times too!! That lead me to do lots of things, but this is the one I want to tell you about tonight…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Dallas Cowboys fan. Well, at least since my brother and I were at home on January 21, 1979 and we were little kids with nothing to watch on television. The Cowboys/Steelers Super Bowl was on and immediately, I was rooting for the Cowboys. He, of course, was pulling for whoever I wasn’t. That began my love of the Dallas Cowboys as a football team.
My little jeep has my Cowboys license plate on the front. I have a couple of caps…a couple of jerseys…a couple of sweatshirts and tshirts…even several football cards including an Aikman rookie…ok and alot more Cowboys memorabilia. I love to host Super Bowl parties, but only if my boys are in it, of course.
Tonight I was able to catch some of the Cowboys/Eagles game and I’m so proud of my boys!! They are 2 and 0 and doing GREAT – I’m soooo proud of them!! I’m usually up yelling at the screen and I can really get into it. Tonight while watching this game, I realize how much I truly love it and how much I’ve missed it. Charles always makes sure the games are on, but most of the time, I’m working on something for my shop or for someone else and I miss the game but kind of hear it from afar. I guess I need to make sure I watch more of them because I guess my inner tomboy has been crying to get out for a bit.
Kind of strange huh? I can be this really girly girl and swoon over lace, pink and pretties, but then I can also be this tomboy girl who can hang with the guys, talk football, and shoot hoops, too. That just makes me versatile, right?
Givin’ A Hug
A little over a month ago, I purchased some items from a super sweet etsy seller julscrafts who included a sweet little plastic canvas framed poem entitled “Hug”. It makes me giggle every time I read it…it just makes me happy. I thought it would be a fun idea to share it with other people, too. The first person who either emails me or leaves a comment here for it, gets it next. I only ask that you display it for a month and then pass it on. What a wonderful thing to think of all the places it might go and how many homes it could live in! Plus, the smiles it would bring!
Here’s a picture of what it looks like (displayed beside of my sugar canister in some of my new open shelving in our newly remodeled kitchen):
Happy Saturday!!!
