May Day Jar Contest ~ Don't Miss It!

Wouldn't it be nice to treat someone special this May Day with a little surprise flower bouquet? Traditionally, May Day Flower baskets were left on the doorsteps of neighbors on May 1st. The jars are just an updated version of this sweet idea.

We thought it would be fun to have a May Day Jar contest at Make Mine Pink.
Here are the rules:

1- You must be a registered forum member to enter. It's FREE to join! Click here to register.
2- Submit one (1) good photo of your decorated jar to Dawn at myhydrangeahome@yahoo.com or Eileen at forgetmenotdreams1@yahoo.com
Please include name and email address. One entry per person. You will receive confirmation that your photo has been received.
3- Deadline for photo submissions is April 30th, 2009 at midnight eastern time.
4- Photos will be displayed and voting will begin on the forum on May 1st 2009.
5- Voting will end at midnight, eastern time on May 15th 2009.
6- You must be a registered forum member to vote.
Prize:

A copy of the new Martha Stewart book,Encyclopedia of Crafts.The winner will be announced Saturday May 16th 2009.
Once your a forum member, please visit the links for a May Day Jar tutorial to help you get started.

Enchanted Makeovers 2009 Vision Project

We are pleased to be participating with a very worthy organization called Enchanted Makeovers. Designer Terry Grahl created Enchanted Makeovers as a means to help lift and cheer the lives of those who live in shelters. Enchanted Makeovers is a non-profit organization that transforms shelters for women and children into places of peace and possibilities—not just where basic needs are met, but spiritual needs for hope and beauty also. Designer Terry Grahl shares her amazing story of how one polka dot pillow changed her life. This year we are working with Terry to provide Hope Chests for the teen girls at the Vista Maria shelter in MI. Please see the story here and consider how you might help out with this worthy cause.

Romantic Delights for Mothers Day

Remember when you realized that your mom was the most beautiful of all? And every Mother's Day since then, you've wished for a way to say thank you for all the gifts she's given you. Romantic delights - exquisite creations that inspire remembrance of times past - also inspire gifts for Mom this Mother's Day.

Nostalgic gifts such as a vintage-inspired totes decorated with embroidered hankies and floral handbags crafted from romantic fabrics carry spring and remembrances when she walks to the nearby park or her favorite store. Heirloom jewelry made from the finest crystal beads; broken china charms, engraved with a special memory. Antique copper pendants, vintage silver charms. Cameo-inspired jewelry and accessories. Recollections of a daughter asking, "When will I be old enough to wear that?

Join us at Forget Me Not Dreams as well as the other shops at Make Mine Pink as we celebrate Romantic Delights in honor of Mothers Day! Sign up for our mailing list and receive a weekly members bonus and discounts.

We've Won A Blog Award...How about that!

Last week while we were on the road, we received a blog award from Amy Lynn at Brambleberry Lane. Thanks so much Amy! Your so sweet! Be sure and check out her darling offerings in her Etsy shop. Here are our choices for inspiring blogs:

1- Katies Rose Cottage
2- English Cottage In Georgia
3- Hydrangea Home
4- Janets Creative Pillows
5- A Gathering of Thoughts
6- Tales From the Raspberry Rabbit
7- Saponas Spot
8- Pale Pink & Roses

Now it's your turn....
~Add the logo to your blog~Link to the person from whom you've received the award~Nominate 8 blogs of your choice (ONLY 8, HOW WILL I NARROW IT DOWN?...)~Leave a message on the nominees' blogs. These are just some of the amazing creative bloggers out there. They tell their story with the work they create. Please take time to show them all the love for their creativity and hard work!

This Calls For A Celebration!

Wooo Hooo! We are celebrating at Forget Me Not Dreams! One of our Vintage Hankie Totes was featured in Cottage Style Magazine! We are so excited! It’s tote mania all over again! We try to make a new batch ever week or so to keep up with the demand. So thank you so much for loving them as much as we do!

The Road To Farm Chicks #4

I love the sites we come across on these road trips. Here are some of my favorites.

You can hardly miss noticing this little gift shop from the freeway with it’s larger than life mushrooms on the roof! I loved this sign on the Wonderful Things store. It simply says, “Shut” instead of closed. We saw this tractor collection on our way down South, so we stopped to take pictures of it on our way home. I’d love to know the story behind all those tractors. What a site! And of course, not enough can be said about spending time with good friends. Here is Karen with our good friend Linda! We had a blast on this trip and the only consolation that keeps me from being sad that it’s over is that there will indeed be another road trip in our near future!

The Road To Farm Chicks #3

We are home now and riding on the euphoria of new memories made. There’s just nothing better than being with special friends or family enjoying good times together. We spent our last day in Medford and Grants Pass Oregon where we hit a Flea Market and Swap Meet. We met Connie & Betty at the Medford Flea Market and bought wonderful buttons, vintage prints and figurines from them! Here’s Karen at the Grants Pass Swap Meet trying to convince me to buy the sombrero! We did well there…but passed on the sombrero!! But the best buy of the entire trip, and definitely one of the funniest was in a little side trip we made to Oakland Oregon. We saw a sign on the side of the freeway that said “Antique Store Next Exit”. So of course we took the exit! We drove and drove down this little road until we came to the cutest town of Oakland. Everything was closed, but we pulled up next to a little store called Wonderful Things.As you can see, the outside yard was full of the coolest rustic treasures. We just couldn’t stand it, we had to get out and look even if we couldn’t buy. Pretty soon a man hollered from across the street and asked if they could help us. We told him we knew the store was closed and we would have to come back another time, but we just couldn’t resist looking at what was in the yard. He said he lived above the store and could open it for us. What incredible luck! Toni was the nicest guy and gave us the best prices we found on the whole trip! Thanks Toni! We’ll be sure to visit again!

The Road To Farm Chicks #2

We've landed long enough to catch our breath and get another blog up! We wanted to show you some of the fun places we've been and the wonderful people we've met.These ladies were just the sweetest ever! Darlene Pillet and her friend Audrey Anderson always have the best selection in town for unique finds! We also love their plants and picked up a beautiful Forget Me Not planter we'll be sure to use for some great photos. When I asked Darlene if we could include them in our blog she told us to wait right there and she ran in the house and got sweet little Forget Me Not mug to give to us. She wouldn't even let me pay for it! What a sweetheart! If you in Lincoln City, the name of her business is The Picket Fence! Thanks so much Darlene & Audrey!

This place was killer! We heard someone talking about it at another sale and just had to track it down. We were lucky we found it because we thought we were looking for the Barking Frog...but it turned out to be The Barking Dog! Too funny! In the summer they sell Organic Fruits and Veggies but they had a great sale in the barn this weekend. We scored a vintage bingo game with the ball tumbler, cards and everything! Isn't this place gorgeous and we loved this rooster sculpture...at least we think it's a rooster.

You can find them in Kernville OR if your ever in the area! More to come in a day or two!

The Road To Farm Chicks #1

We finally arrived at a hotel that has Internet! Yeah! Who knew the Spirit Mountain Casino would not have Internet! Sheesh!

We've had such a fun time and found some wonderful things! OH BOY! Here's the first glimps at our trip! Much more to come! We are off to a Flea Market tomorrow!!!!

Our first stop was at Pirates Plunder...score!

Just getting started on filling up the Suburban!

New Blog Feature Coming!!! Shopping Wizard Advice

Not enough feed in the fodder? Feeling the need for milk but weighed down by the soaring prices? We are introducing a new blog feature that will begin next week. Pam, my daughter-in-law is a shopping wizard. Their family of four rarely pays over $100.00 each month for groceries. Pam has agreed to write a blog each Tuesday or Wednesday sharing tips on how to cut your grocery bills by using coupons, comparison shopping and and shopping according to future need when sales hit. This young mother of two has taught me so much, so tune in next week to meet Pam and catch some of her tips to help stretch your dollars in this time of recession.
Weigh In Wednesday will continue after allergy season ends for me in October. I will be on steroid therapy soon, so weight loss is impossible. Will check in ocassionally to let you know how the battle is progressing. Thank you for your wonderful support! Losing 12 pounds has been monumental.

New Function, New Design, Repurpose!!

The Pink Friday theme for this Friday will be repurposed items, handmade or found. Eileen & I are having so much fun and are being so challenged putting new pieces of jewelry together using bits and pieces that we find at estate sales or in our own collections. Take this bracelet for instance.... we found an old charm bracelet missing quite a few charms! The chain and fastener were in great shape, as were some of the attached charms. We had some great metal buttons that blended with the charms and rich stone look beads from a vintage broken necklace. Together they create a new piece with a bit of current, a lot of old or vintage and a sense of accomplishment blending the two. Please check for our other repurposed creations in this week's Pink Friday feature.

Vintage Yearbook Fun!

Have you ever sat and flipped through a vintage Yearbook? We found a really fun one yesterday at a "mega" garage sale. The Alto Texas Stinger from 1949. Such fun sentiments written to "a nice boy"...a football captain apparently. The vintage photos are such a kick! What fun projects these little beauties will make for all you scrappers and altered artists out there! You can find them in our Paperie section at http://www.forgetmenotdreams/.

Spring Fun & Savings!

You know Spring is near when you start to see the birds return to the yard. In our area, it's the Robins that usher in Springtime. What a symbol of hope that warmer days are coming soon. This year the bird motif is a very popular home decor trend. It's the nesting principle at work! Our homes can be places of comfort and warmth as we surround ourselves with things that soften the rough edges of our lives. Please join us as we feature Birds and all things related for Pink Friday this week. Be sure and use your Members Only Bonus to get your discount. Not a member yet?....no worries! Just sign up for our newsletter and you'll receive 15% saving on all of our Pink Friday product. Here's your link to jump straight into our Pink Friday category at Forget Me Not Dreams, and the other shops at Make Mine Pink. Now that's worth celebrating!

We are also going to feature our Easter goodies in our Friday Flea Market category at super sale prices! Don't forget to visit all the other shops who participate in the fun! You can find them at: Friday Flea Market.

Feeling Like Beached Seal?? Wednesday Weigh In

Yes, there have been days like this. Hormones, stress, too much fun... who knows what causes the feelings? This week, another pound lost. I was hoping that it would be more since I worked for hours out in our 2 acres of woods, pulling English ivy off of trees. It has already killed the natural ground cover and many trees. Eileen & I also had our first show of the spring, so 8 hours were spent working at the show, hauling furniture up and down stairs. Tons of exercise and not much time to eat, or even think about eating. I'm just glad to be off of the plateau and starting down hill again. The exercise feels great and even though I have a lot of weight left to lose, I'm not thinking of myself as a beached whale.... or seal. How do those people on Biggest Loser lose 9 pounds a week? Can't imagine it!!

Have a great week!

Karen

HOPE! IT'S SPRING!

HOPE.... to expect or look forward to, with desire and confidence

We have had sun now for 4 entire days, one more and then the rains return again. But the birds have reappeared from their southern winter playgrounds and are all singing a chorus of blended voices in the yard. Spring bulbs and the early fruit tree blossoms are popping up giving color to a drab brown palette. The huge difference is in the blossoming of peoples' spirits around town. Blue skies seem to cultivate smiles and the urge to get outside and work in the yard. I know that it is a delight to get up in the morning, getting a glimpse of blue through the trees outside the bedroom window. My soul seems to come out of hibernation to fly and sing with the birds. Life is new and refreshed. HOPE....

The Birds of Springtime!

Spring is here, and you don’t even need to look outside your kitchen window or open your front door to know it. Just waking up to the sweet melody of a backyard robin cheerily singing outside your window is enough to tell you that life is renewed and spring is reborn. The birds of spring have returned and the earth reawakens.

Outside, in our fenced yards and open fields, brightly colored bluebirds and streaked song sparrows flit between tree branches and land carefully among the budding leaves. Singing songs of love to each other, chirping madly over jealousies. Bringing home odds and ends to build their nests - bits of bright string, broken twigs. Items insignificant to everyone else, but the stuff of life for the feathered set. With the return of spring, we find our winged friends building homes in every unclaimed corner…. under the eaves of buildings, in riverbanks, on rocky ledges, suspended from tips of tree branches, hidden under flaps of loose bark. Even in the nest boxes we offer up with hope. Hanging baskets, mail boxes, old boots, flower pots. Any place that somehow looks like home. No matter where we live, or what the season, avian accessories create eternal springtime in our homes too. Birds and their nests placed carefully upon our shelves, painted delicately on a wall, stitched on a delicate needlepoint. Perhaps we invite into our homes the same birds we see each spring.
Parrot green, robin’s egg blue, bright canary yellow, flamingo pink. A rainbow of color unfurls inside and out of our homes in the hopes of eternal spring.
Written by:
Joyce Lucas,Founder
www.MakeMinePink.com
Image by: Sharon Wollman of C'est Chouette Home

See Our Feature at Vintage Indie

I intended to post our exciting news about being featured at Vintage Indie last week, but I'm a bit behind after a family medical emergency! Things are better and I'm getting back on track! We are so excited about this, we felt it was still worth celebrating! We were contacted by Gabreial Wyatt the editor of Vintage Indie Magazine and asked if she could feature our Vintage Hankie Totes and our line of Chic Totes! What...are you nuts...of course we said YES! You can check out the article at http://vintageindie.typepad.com/vintage_indie/page/2/. It's about half way down the page. Thanks so much Gabreial! Tote mania season has began! It's always so humbling to watch them fly off the shelves the weekend we post them! Thank you so much for your continued support and interest in our designs! We have just a few of this last collection still available with more to come in a few weeks.

Hugs,

Eileen

Sneak Peek at Pink Friday

Here's a quick sneak peek at one of the items we'll be listing for Pink Friday tomorrow! We're celebrating Marie Antoinette and all her finery! Also check out our Friday Flea Market category for great holiday deals there!