It's my Anniversary...Let's have a Sale!

It is the one-year anniversary of my blog (okay, actually it was on 6/20 but better late than never right?) and I feel like celebrating! When I started into this blog adventure, I had no idea what to write, what I really wanted this to be, or how I wanted it all to look....well, fast forward one year and I must say I love what my little blog has grown into (*sniff* they grow so quickly don't they?) and excited with the possibilities of what it can become.

To celebrate my blog's anniversary, I am having a sale in my etsy store - but you will only know about it if you visit me here on my blog (sneaky, huh?). Today thru tomorrow (Friday, 6/27), I will be having a Buy One-Get One Free Sale (no, your eyes do not deceive you)! Buy any one item and get the second item of equal or lesser value for FREE (shipping charges WILL still apply though, even for the free item) - how's that for celebrating! Just type anniversary in the notes to seller and wait for an adjusted invoice - it's that simple!

And I am working on some fun new stuff, so be sure to check back in my etsy store later this weekend & next week! Thanks to everyone who has supported my work - be sure to have a piece of cake (doesn't it look scrumptious)! :)

Puppy Love

While I'm on a dog-theme today with the pics, tell me this is not the most precious puppy ever!
The breed is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I am completely in love with this dog! I think I would name him Milo (not sure why but I think that is a really cute puppy name) and he and Tessa, my kitty, would be bestest buds (yeah right!). Unfortunately since I live in an apartment, my puppy dreams will have to wait....until we meet some day Milo!

Thought for the day...

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."

~Mother Teresa

Wishing everyone a day filled with smiles for some days there are just not enough smiles out there!

Mission: Meow

Of course I'm a lover of anything that helps animals! The Animal Humane Society here in the MN Metro area is running a fabulous program this summer to be a foster pet parent for an adult cat. Anyone here in the area who is interested, please contact the Humane Society at (763) 432-4826 or www.animalhumanesociety.org to support this great program!

Fabulous Notecard Sets

Check out these adorable new notecard sets in my etsy store now...

I absolutely love this cat stamp - it's so cute & whimsical! And the lime/purple color combo is so fun & vibrant!A whimsical birdie, glossy accents, friendship & some fun distressed-looking paper...

And last but not least, who doesn't love cupcakes! Fun polka dot papers, vibrant colors & an adorable cupcake...

Lost love...

"My heart longs for you, my soul dies for you,

my eyes cry for you, my empty arms reach out for you."

Completely Broken Heart....

"Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop."

Very sad heart...

"Sadness flies away on the wings of time."

SALE in my Etsy store today thru Sunday!

I am having a BOGO sale in my Etsy store today thru Sunday! Yes, that's right, buy any item at regular price and get the second item (of equal or lesser value) for 1/2 price!!! What a great deal, huh! So don't wait, get shopping! Please wait until I send you an adjusted invoice before paying. I have some fabulous cards & crafts in my store right now so hurry in!
Visit my store at: http://mangiaDesigns.etsy.com
Thanks & have a fabulous Friday!

Sad Heart...

"The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears."

Why does my heart hurt so bad....

Well, I was planning on posting something about some of the new stuff I added to my etsy store this week, but instead I was blindsided and dumped tonight by my boyfriend of almost 7 months. Needless to say, my heart is very broken tonight and I haven't stopped crying for the past hour. I thought it would be therapeutic to vent, so in the words of Moby....

"Why does my heart feel so bad?"

"Why does my soul feel so bad?"
Goodnight everyone.....

Where I Create.....

I thought I would share a peek inside my creative space in my apartment. I am very fortunate to have this front sun porch-type room where I have everything setup and room to grow! Unfortunately since I am at work all day during the week, I do not get to enjoy & take advantage of the fabulous natural light I get in this room.






One of my favorite elements to use on my work is *FLOWERS*! I love flowers - real, paper, fabric or imaginary :-)


My basket o' paints - so many colors, so little time....
Of course Tessa has a play area in the room too (when she's not trying to "help" me create!)...
And last but not least, I bought this fabulous chandelier last year at Urban Outfitters (on sale of course!) that fits perfectly over the ugly, lonely light bulb in my ceiling fan (of course I cannot use the ceiling fan because of said chandelier, but tell me it's not worth it!).

Spread Kindness

I found this really cool website (http://www.chookooloonks.com/kindblog) where you can add this "badge" to your blog. I absolutely love the message and am thrilled to be speading the kindness! That led me to think of one of my favorite cards that I made using a quote from my all-time favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn: "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."


Enough said! Have a fabulously kind Tuesday!

By posting this badge, I'm declaring that in addition to humour, intelligence, wit, sadness, snarkiness, passion, exuberance, peace, stillness, excitability, anger or any other emotion you may witness on my site:
1) I will never intentionally hurt other people, whether I know them or not, whether they blog or not, whether they're celebrities or not, either through my words or my images. It's just not my style; and
2) I hope that by the time you've clicked away from my site, I've helped in some way to make your day just a little bit better.
Signed,
Me

Back to Reality.....

Why must vacations fly by so quickly? I returned from my Chicago adventure Monday night and had enough forethought to take Tuesday off as a vacation day so I could have some time to decompress.

Chicago was absolutely amazing! The architecture is truly something to be seen in person; there are so many old buildings with such intricate details that you just do not see anymore. We seem to be a society of tear down the old and build a cheesy new skyscraper in its place which is unfortunate. This is a cool building in a neighborhood that we had dinner in Sunday night. I think it's great when older buildings can be preserved & revamped, yet still retain amazing architectural detail!
This is the restaurant, Merlo. The building used to be a private residence before it became a restaurant. The inside is really beautiful - lots of original woodwork.

The waterways are another cool thing about Chicago! We went on a boat tour Saturday afternoon and I can't believe how many pics I snapped!



Here are some pics from Millennium Park! It was a beautiful, sunny day and I almost didn't know where to start! There were so many colorful garden areas & cool sculptures to see....





Well, I hope you've enjoyed a brief glimpse into my Chicago adventure! Alas, all good things must come to an end.....until we meet again Chicago!

Chi-Town Here I Come!

My sister & I are flying to Chicago tomorrow morning for a vacation filled with champagne wishes & caviar dreams....okay, not quite that extravagant but we did get a fabulous deal at the Inter Continental Hotel in downtown Chicago which seems to be very centrally located to a lot of attractions.....and of course shopping! I've never been to Chicago before so I'm really excited to explore a new city! Tonight will be a flurry of laundry, packing, watching the season premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance" and I'm sure I'll work some sleep in there somewhere!

Have a safe & happy holiday weekend!

Graduation Time!

This past Sunday my fabulous, beautiful sister (aka "smarty pants" :)) graduated Summa Cum Laude and with distinction from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in Psychology!!!! It was a beautiful, sunny day (albeit a bit on the windy side; but living here in MN we will take any sunny day we can get!) and of course the graduate looked as stunning as always! The commencement ceremony was really nice and I was SO proud of my sister as they read her name & she crossed the stage because I know how incredibly hard she has worked & the sacrifices she has had to make; not to mention finishing her degree while working full-time - an endeavor not many people would take on, let alone see through to the finish! CONGRATULATIONS Sis - You rock!!!!!

It's official!!!