Announcing my "William & Kate Royal Wedding" Swap!......

The other day, it occurred to me that I have not hosted a swap in quite some time!...& to be very honest I miss it!!.....So I have decided to combine my "love of swapping", with my
"over-the-moon excitement" for the upcoming
wedding of
Prince William & his lovely bride-to-be Kate Middleton!...into the
"William & Kate Royal Wedding" Swap!!
Now if you know me or have ever been involved in any of my swaps, I am very strict about signing up only if you have every intention of following through!!...I am not kind to "flakers" of any kind!....no patience for it at all!
With that said here are my guidelines for this swap!!
In this swap, I will be pairing you up with a partner. You will be responsible for making up the loveliest of swap boxes for her! ( $20-25 limit)....which should include items that are "British-inspired" &/or "wedding/romantic-inspired" as well!...This could be teacups, crowns, British flags, etc.
The point is to use your imagination & make not only the contents of the box wonderful & creative, but the wrapping of it all as well!
You can sign up for this enchanting little swap from now till Tuesday, April 12th.
I will assign & e-mail you your partner on Wednesday, April 13th....
And I am asking you to please send your swap box out no later than April 29th,.... the wedding date of this charming pair!
I so hope you will sign up & join me in a bit of "royal fun"!.....
We are in for a "Jolly Good Time"!
Your friend,....
heidi
xo

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"A Royal Swap"......

A swap of "Royal" proportions!....
To be announced tomorrow!........

See you then!

heidi
xo

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"Mixing Oranges".......

I love flowers! And I love creating interesting combinations with flowers. For me, combining two or three different varieties of flowers, but staying in the same "color-story" gives you the most charming results!.....
While grocery shopping a couple weeks ago at Trader Joes, I happened to eye these amazing "melon-y orange roses",.... & then at closer inspection glanced over to see tulips in a very similar shade. I snatched then up, brought them home & WOW!
Look at the result!.....
Just the bouquet I needed that cold rainy afternoon!..
It inspired me to light a fire & lots of candles & make big pot of soup!

Nothing like "Orange Blooms",....
a bit of bright green....
& a backdrop of brown transfer-ware to inspire an entire evening!

Have a cozy little weekend!

Your friend,...

heidi
xo

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"I Have a Question for You"?

Hello Friends......I am spending the afternoon today working on laundry, changing beds & stenciling pillow fronts for the shop. However, what has been swirling about in my head has nothing to do with laundry, making beds or stenciling pillows.....
It has to do instead , with these ever-so-charming "sequined fruit"!?...
(No telling what you think about while doing household chores is there!)
O.K....I found this photo a while back,..... I think in Country Living magazine when they were doing an article on flea markets & thrifting.......& I fell in love!...I so want to make some of these bejeweled fruits!!! The question is where do I get the fruit?..Silly question, but the hard fake fruit at the craft stores is a bit too thick, & of course I'm not aware of any styrofoam in these glorious fruit shapes? Is there a softer faux fruit that would work?....
I would love any suggestions you may have!....My hands are itching to get into tiny pins & all those gorgeous colors of sequins, so I welcome any input you can offer!
Thanks so much!......Now back to the laundry, beds & stencils!
Enjoy your afternoon!........
Your friend,
heidi
xo

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"A Must Try" !!!!

Good Morning Friends,
If you are under the impression "Mac & Cheese" is not appropriate for company than think again!.......
A week or so ago I was hosting a big family dinner,.... & decided another side dish was needed. Since Ina Garten is usually my "go-to-girl" recipe-wise, I went to the bookcase & pulled out one of her cookbooks. I was flipping through, & somehow landed on the page with her
"Mac & Cheese" recipe......
Now it seems I had made it years ago, since I had made a little star & written delicious?.....but somehow my memory of how good it was had faded?
O.K....so I decided I would add this to my buffet dinner for my husband's extended family.
I made it that afternoon & baked it right before serving!.....& OMGoodness!......So incredibly fabulous!!!!!!!.....The children loved it ( what child doesn't adore m&c!), the men loved it & so did the women!!!!!!!!
So the message here is most definitely plan a night to make Ina's "Mac & Cheese"!
You will simply love it!.....It's a keeper for sure!!!!

Happy Cooking!

heidi
xo

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Just in time for Easter...my "Glittered Ragball Eggs"

With Springtime just peeking around the corner,.... & Easter just weeks away, I decided to add these enchanting "Glittered Ragball Eggs" to my
Etsy shop, Heidi Devlin Design!
When designing these eggs, I wanted to give them that "vintage feel"!....So I actually made "ragball eggs",... & then encrusted them in mica flakes, which adds that antique-y look we all love!
I am selling them for $18/set of 4.....each egg measuring 3+ inches. The set comes wrapped in a crisp cellophane bag & tied with satin ribbon!...so very pretty!
Personally I am planning on displaying my "Glittered Ragball Eggs" in a few old florist baskets that I have been collecting for years,.... but they would also be lovely to give as a "favor" at your Easter celebration or even as a sweet gift for a friend!
Hope to see you over at my shop!......
Your friend,
heidi
xo

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"Living Little" has Gone Seasonal!....

Happy Monday to you all!...I hope you are all doing well!
For those of you wondering where your on-line issues of "Living Little with Heidi" are, I am so tickled to announce that my Spring issue is being put together as we speak,..... & will be arriving to each you in about three weeks!

Like many of us,.... life & work here at our house has gotten busier & busier, & very often it seems that there truly are not enough hours in a day to accomplish everything I want to do. So as much as I loved putting out a "monthly" newsletter, I have decided a "seasonal" one might be just as lovely!.....

Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter editions are being planned!...

with a few fabulous short special editions added along the way!

For those of you who are not familiar with "Living Little with Heidi", let me take this opportunity to tell you all about it!
"Living Little" is my lovely free,...on-line newsletter!
It is filled with seasonal ideas of decorating, cooking, crafts & gardening! Ideas that have worked for me & that I am sharing with you now in "Living Little"!.....And the ideas are based on my personal philosophy, creating a beautiful life with little time, little money & little space"!!..which I feel is quite relevant in today's world!

And lots of beautiful pictures & inspiring quotes too!

To receive "Living Little" please e-mail me at heididevlin@gmail.com!!

And a sincere thank you & hug to all of those of you who indeed are my readers & who have sent such sweet e-mails to me about "Living Little"! I love hearing from you!

Wishing you all a day of discovery!

Your friend,

heidi
xo

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"the whole world is a garden"......

"If you look the right way,....
you can see that the whole world is a garden."

Frances Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden" ( 1911)

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"Not Sure Which Way to Turn?"......

I am not quite sure which way to turn?.....Spring is in the air around here, & I am in the mood to spruce up everything!.....The house, the patio, the garden,...... all are calling out for attention!....
In the garden, I am working on adding more raised beds, so all the seeds I am dying to plant will have a place to grow & thrive!.....I am eying tall "tuteurs" at the local nursery, to add height & structure to the garden,.... & am even hinting to everyone that a "rose arbor" would be a lovely Mother's day gift!

I've even moved our wicker patio table to the far end of the garden, where I romantically see us dining throughout the summer months!

And then there is the inside of our home. Where do I start?.....
Making curtains for the kitchen window, would be good.....or maybe those large floral/burlap pillows for the sofas?
Or possibly rearranging the furniture is where I should begin?....but then again the coffee table is desperate for paint?.....

Decisions, decisions....

Then there is the patio.....I have already given it a good cleaning, but new cushions on the chairs would be lovely!....but nothing too tailored. I am far more in the mood for a large geranium print, something "splashy & not too serious"!
And then I am even toying with the idea of hanging drapes on all four corners of the patio? Wouldn't that be charming!
So need I say more. I'm sure you can imagine the list of "to-do's" I have in front of me.
Somehow though it doesn't seems like work. These are the tasks I find so inspiring!....
Creating beauty in & around the spaces where we live!

Now off to get a start on that list!

Here's to all our homes, our gardens & our dreams!

Your friend,....

heidi

xo

(photos courtesy of... Martha Stewart & Country Living)

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