Rhondamum...Continuation Merci Beaucoup Le Vendredi #2

(handmade card from Sweet Rhonda of Rhondamum.blogspot.com/)

as promised...

(all images from Labour of Love)



(all images from Labour of Love)

i'd like to also Thank my sweet French Sister, Rhonda who was my most fantastic partner in my sis, Mary Ann's Vintage Christmas Stocking Swap 2008. Look at the most wonderful gifts she gave to me and my lil' ones. Her stocking that she made for me is ABSOLUTELY DIVINE!!! I LOVE linen and French-inspired art...and she made me such a BEAUTIFUL Vintage+French inspired stocking!!! I simply adore the embellishments...the laces and the Old Santa fabric is absolutely gorgeous!!!!

(all images from Labour of Love)


(all images from Labour of Love)

(all images from Labour of Love)
Such a BEAUTIFUL Stocking...so in LOVE with this very SPECIAL VINTAGE FRENCH STOCKING!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!

(all images from Labour of Love)
Gorgeous Vintage Santa...Love the embroidered ribbon...the linen and lace are so PERFECT!!!

Rhonda gave me so many sweet items...lil' French Eiffel Tower confetti, a BEAUTIFUL + sweet Marie Antoinette vintage glass container, a gorgeous glass vial with her Halloween French Themed item for the Fantasmagorique Swap, absolutely beautiful French ledger papers, sweet Eiffel Tower and Pink Rhinestone Crown ornaments for my tree, wonderful bread warmer linen, handmade Christmas Card, delicious candies, Magical Reindeer food, French blue Rendevous post-it notes, Vintage French word cards, Burt Bees' items, nice white linen laces, lil' cracker gift (So European!) and soooooo much more...

Here's a lil' bit more pics of what I gave Sweet Rhonda for our Vintage Stocking Swap...

This is just one of my favourite lil' mantras that I made up one day for a couple of my pictures, also here and here a year ago...it is so true...I like to keep saying it to myself esp. when sending out sweet packages to special hearts...

Sorry for the longest posts and the gazillion pics...I just wanted to make sure that I properly showed Rhonda how much I LOVED everything she sent to me and how much I LOVED making her something really special too...She truly has spoiled me and my lil' ones-BIG TIME...

Hoping you had a GLORIOUS CHRISTMAS...
Wishing everyone an abundance of PEACE, LOVE + JOY in the upcoming new year...
here's to more BLESSINGS in 2009!!!!!
more thank you pics to come next week from
Sweet Josephine, Tangee and other projects that I have been working on...
Bonne Nuit!
xoxo jo ;)

Merci beaucoup le vendredi #2...

(all images from Labour of Love)

Bonjour!

Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday...the lil' ones surely enjoyed themselves and are enjoying a lil' cat nap as they have been playing with their new toys and playing in the snow for HOURS...

...had a few moments and wanted to show you some pics of one of the many heartfelt gifts that have been coming my way from dear kindred spirits from all over the world...and also update my weekly 'Merci beaucoup le vendredi' (Thank you very much Friday) posts...

This Friday, I'd like to thank sweet Elizabeth of Quest Twenty Eight .

(Remember this past November I wrote about this wonderful artist and her precious hearts? ) Elizabeth who's all the way from England wrote to me and said that she was going to send me a heart because I made her day...isn't she just the sweetest heart ever?!!! I wasn't expecting anything because I truly just wanted to showcase this wonderful artist and her most creative ornaments...(plus I ADORE hearts and Elizabeth's photos were amazing!)

Well...a couple of weeks ago, my postman delivered a very, I mean a very SPECIAL package all the way from England and well...when the outside of the package says, "ROYAL MAIL"...well, I just about keeled over...I mean...wow..."ROYAL MAIL"...quite impressive...

When I opened this very special package, I was in TEARS...literally because...Elizabeth sent me this sweet note and not just ONE heart but THREE hearts!!!! Elizabeth said she wanted to send me three to honour my '3 little Miracles' (my flickr name which is dear to me as it represents my 3 little miracles-my children: Ian, Shioban and my Sweet Angel Sinead in Heaven)...tears just overflowed and I can't tell you how Elizabeth's kind gesture made me feel...

you truly touched my heart and I will forever be grateful for your random act of kindness, esp. to me, a stranger from all the way across the Atlantic Ocean...these special hearts will be treasured for ETERNITY...

Please go to Elizabeth's etsy shoppe and check out the wonderful and creative items she makes and sells...these hearts would be perfect all year round...esp. Christmas and Valentine's Day or just because you LOVE someone...and visit her blog Quest Twenty Eight to see what she's been up to and follow up on her adventures...I'm in love with these hearts and I thank Elizabeth for sharing the beauty she creates with me...

(all images from Labour of Love)

(all images from Labour of Love)

Elizabeth's note...brought tears to my eyes...thank you sweet Elizabeth for your Kindness and sweet thoughtfulness about my '3 little miracles!!!'


(all images from Labour of Love)
See how PERFECT your hearts are in my breezeway...this was our 'Red' Christmas room...


(all images from Labour of Love)
These hearts are perfect all year around!

( all images from Labour of Love)

These will be proudly displayed around my house...even for our Valentine Holiday that we celebrate over here...I simply LOVE the heart that says 'What people mean to me...' so PERFECT!

(all images from Labour of Love)
Soon, I will post pictures of the wonderful gifts and Vintage Stocking that my ultimate French Sister, Rhonda has sent and created for me...I simply LOVED every single thing she so lovingly sent to me...Rhonda truly made my Christmas oh so sweet...here's a sneak peek of her absolutely BEAUTIFUL stocking she sent to me...how very lucky I am...

(all images from Labour of Love)

more to come...VERY SOON...i promise...really i do...

Bonne Nuit

xoxo jo ;)

Joyeux Noel...

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hoping everyone is enjoying the beauty this Christmas Season has to offer...has everyone been busy the last few days prepping for today??? We sure have! I was very late in sending out my annual Christmas picture cards...but I finally mailed the last out yesterday...I know...better late than never....right?! This is just one of them...the lil' munchkins just loved the miseletoe idea...

My sis, Mary Ann came for a visit this past weekend and we celebrated this past Sunday with her annual Christmas Virtual Tea Party...it was wild...go to her blog and see what happened...it's toooo funny...not your typical dainty tea party for sure...but we had a bunch of fun...the best part was making paperbag gingerpeople...we loved it!!!

...what's your favourite Holiday Tradition?

We'll be heading out to Christmas Eve mass in a few hours and right now I'm roasting some ham...this is our Christmas Eve menu:

Roasted Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Warm+Crusty French Loaves, Steamed Brocolli, Sweet Potatoe Pie, Christmas Cookies, Uncle Mike's Chocochippers, Vanilla Piourette + Coconut Cake... mmm...I know it's all just for the four of us...
but leftovers are the best for our Midnight scurrying around while putting all the X-mas gifts under the tree and their stockings...(then tomorrow Christmas Morning it'll be Christmas Breakfast Casserole, French Toast Casserole, Cinnamon Rolls and fruits...then dear hubby will be making his famous Pea+Ham soup and I'll be making crunchy croutons to go with it...mmmm)

After dinner and before the lil' munckins go to bed...they'll be scattering the Magic Reindeer Snacks I made for them and also Sweet Rhonda gave them a cute version too! Then the magic starts to happen...dear hubby will do his magic outside for the lil' ones...I can't wait to see their lil' eyes pop out when they see that Santa did come with his sleigh and reindeers...oh, to be a kid again...

Wishing all of my dear and sweet friends all over the world a very Happy Christmas and hoping you have the most wonderful dreams coming true with your loved ones...until next time...

JOYEUX NOEL!!!

xoxo jo ;)

Merci beaucoup le vendredi...

(all images from Labour of Love)

Remember I participated in Sofia Barao's Autumn Swap this past October/November...well, I finally edited my photos of the amazing presents from Kimberly Ashby , an Extraordinary East Coast artist from a very, very special + small coastal village in Maine... I'm utterly in love with everything she so carefully packaged up for me...Kimberly truly read me well through my blog and found so many beautiful treasures to comfort me...I am still enjoying everything she sent me even now during this deep winter we're going through...from the amazing art she created and shared with me to the delicious chocolates from Maine to the divine music she burned for me...oh, the sweet music that inspires me to even create more beauty...how did you even know my type of jazz/sultry type of voice that I adore?!

(all images from Labour of Love)

look at all the beautiful treasures she sent...even sea glass+rocks from the Eastern shores...almost near the Canadian borders...WOW...the art she creates, my gorgeous Eiffel Tower ornament, the most adorable French tea/cafe cup...the most comfortable + stylish hat...in sweet colours that i adore...oh, Kimberly the joy you sent me all the way across our fine nation...




(all images from Labour of Love)



...will never ever be forgotten...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart...



There are so many other pictures that I'm editing of beautiful presents + joy that so many kindred spirits have been sending me this YEAR...so I'm going to try to dedicate my Fridays to thank so many soules out there that have touched my heart...

So, Kimberly Ashby thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will treasure everything for years to come!

Look out for next Friday...I'm hoping to have more pics to show of all the wonders that so many beautiful artists are sharing with me in my new weekly

Merci beaucoup le vendredi...(Thank you very much Fridays) posts.

Bonne Nuit

xoxo jo ;)

it's cookie time...

mmmm...don't you just love the smell of baked cookies?! i sure do...

i participated in my sis, Mary Ann's Cookie Swap this year and was partnered up with Tangee a mom of 4 and artist/jewelery creator. She loves snickerdoodles and brownies, so made some for her...can't figure which one is my favourite...but my kiddos love the the snickerdoodles and andes mint chocolate cookies (imagine brownies with melted andes mints on top...mmmm...i made this two years ago for my partner...here's the recipe or here ) also sent other cookies like magic bars ('member those when you were a kid?), Uncle Mike's chocochip cookies (the lil' munchkins' Uncle Mike made these divine chocolate chip cookies over the Thanksgiving holidays...he dropped them by the tablespoon and they were huge!!! bec. my lil' ones have lil' mouths...i only dropped them by the teaspoon...perfect for lil' hands!), some peanut blossoms and some fortune cookies (sometimes it just fun to try to decipher what those fortunes are, right?!)

wrapped some goodies for her...i sure love that wrapping paper...reminds me of candy canes...i sure LOVE the dollar store!!!!

here's the final pack that i sent off to her...


the bottom right bag/box (with the cute lil' reindeer) is a homemade recipe container...


Martha Stewart boxes...man, just can't get enough of those white bakery boxes...i think i should've majored in packaging design...i love BOXES and trying to figure how to make them...weird, huh?!

special lil' candy pack...one of my lil' Shioban's nicknames is 'bon-bon' ...like the sound of it, it's soooo adorable! my mom sings this crazy song from the 50's or so...maybe from the Shirelles or something...'Shioban, Shioban...la,la, la, la, la...Shioban!' it's corny but cute and Bon-Bon loves it!

this is my holiday card to Tangee...it's so true, 'It's the lil' things that count!' times are tough but with a lil' elbow grease you can make pretty lil' simple things...and bring a lil' smile on someone's face...

like this.

i made this homemade recipe container with scraps of my paper collection...

i made recipe cards and stuck them inside wrapped in red+white baker's twine

Tangee can add more recipes to it...plus it's lil and won't get in the way...and i just LOVE the reindeer and heart...so simple yet sweet...

my sis, Mary Ann gave me a bunch of these cute measuring spoons...'a smidge of caring, a dash of sweetness...sprinkle with giggles, and stir up some fun!'

so, so, adorable!

hoping Tangee likes them...there's nothing better than the cookies right out of the oven...warm, soft and chewy...i'm just afraid with the travelling...they'll dry out and be hard...soooo sorry for that...i did put a square of moist bread in the bags...but maybe i should've just put a slice...next time...

totally love baking...wish i had more time in the day to devote to this art...looking forward to tasting some sunshine from your warm world, Tangee...(hoping you and your family are feeling better and please don't worry...send them whenever you can...no RUSH, no WORRIES...)

Thank you so very much for being my partner...Happy Holidays!

bonne nuit

xoxo jo ;)

and the Stockings were hung...

Bonjour! Whew...This past week has been overwhelmingly productive. Finished several wips and have been sending packages all over...again, I apologize for the prior week's mishap and short post but running on empty for quite some time now and well, I'm pretty sure most of you know how that goes!

Here are some pics of my Vintage Stocking (i participated in my sis, Mary Ann's wonderful Vintage Christmas Stocking Swap 2008) I made for my sweetest partner, my French sis, Rhonda . She said her theme this year was red...I wanted to do something with toile and linen but the shoppes I went to didn't have much of the fabric I wanted or the reasonable prices I wanted either. Since the economy isn't doing well and we're on a tight budget, I found some beautiful materials that were very reasonably priced! I had most of the papers + ribbons and found some neat stuff also reasonably priced to add to her stocking...I know Sweet Rhonda has 2 very sweet gals, so I made them each a box of goodies of their own, to include some homemade (by my lil' ones and I) 'magic reindeer food' (hopefully the lil' princesses will enjoy sprinkling some magic on the lawn on Christmas Eve...I LOVE that tradition!)

Here's a shot of my 'Joyeux Noel' version of Le Tour Eiffel with Rhonda's sweet vintagey-red stocking...

hoping Rhonda likes the pattern...at first I thought it was too loud...but with the right embells, it turned out really very sweet!

a lil' tea cup to keep her warm throughout this chilly winter season...(packed some delicious teas + chocolate for her too!)


Simple tag to wish everyone a Beautiful Holiday: ' Joyeux Noel'

i'm sooooooo appreciative of my sis, Mary Ann because participating in all of her cool swaps always gets my creative juices flowing...raising a family plus trying to create can be tricky but somehow i get through (i work my darndest to finish on time, but sometimes life can get in the way...i'm sure most of you know this whether you have kids or not...we're all busy...but somehow, creating something sweet that will warm someone's heart is a gratifying reward...) that's one of the reasons why i love participating in my sis' swaps or other creative swaps...i truly enjoy sharing some love...good karma always wins, right?!

lil' surprises are in store for you Sweet Rhonda!

Here is my Christmasy-version of Le Tour Eiffel...I'm hoping she's going to like the design + colour combo...I really dig the sliding gift box...don't you?!
Packages all dressed up for you Sweet Rhonda...

Remember these? Paper ball ornaments...wow...I just adore paper...the endless possibilities!!!



This silver beauty was found by my sis, Mary Ann (thanks reya for picking this one up for me...thanks for being my eyes and hands...you're the best present picker ever!) from a very pretty French Shoppe, called Annabelle! I believe it also has a sweet sent in the eiffel tower candle...I know how much you LOVE the Eiffel Tower. So, so, so.......... ADORABLE!!!

Once Rhonda receives my package, I will post more pics of her goodies! But for now, please enjoy!
Bonne nuit, xoxo jo ;)

please forgive me...it's

(Picture image courtesy of Clipart)

to all those i have swaps with and to this lil' blog (and my weekly list items)

...please forgive me...it's just not my week...

didn't make it to Grandma's house this past Thanksgiving...spent it in bed...

still not feeling too well...but the show must go on...

(esp. if you're scheduled to work at the lil' munchkins' school's SECRET SANTA WORKSHOPPE...plus assisting the Art teacher make tons of handmade SNOWFLAKES...

plus assist kiddies' teacher with "MATH" learning center...

plus taking care of the family, house etc...

plus getting Vintage Stocking and lil' surprises to my sweet French Sis , Rhonda...

plus bake + send cookies to cookie swap partner , Tangee

plus edit a gazillion photos that i promised to show + tell

plus trying to deck the halls with the lil' munchkins

plus, plus, plus...) ( i think everyone has the idea...)

hopefully next week will be a better report...

bonne nuit, jo xoxo