Coloring and decorating Easter eggs

DIY Decoupage Easter Eggs from Hollywould 101 via Dizzymaiden

Kool-Aid Eggs from Hey Jen Renee

Speckled Eggs by Claire's Craftroom

DIY Dinosaur Eggs from Barefoot Kitchen Witch

Easter is just around the corner! Here are some fresh and exciting ways to decorate an easter egg. Take your pick. As for me, I'd like to try all these techniques especially the dinosaur style eggs. ^-^

For U.S. readers/visitors, you may want to enter the $50 gift card giveaway from vintage style online boutique Shabby Apple. Add your giveaway comment and contact details here.

Cloud in a Room

Image from Berndnaut.nl

That's not faux cotton candy cloud hanging from the ceiling. It is in fact, umm, real! 

That amazing, science meets art man-made cloud called Cumulus II was created by Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde. It was created in  'Probe,' a test lab for art projects. Smilde was able to create the cloud through the use of smoke, moist and and dramatic lighting.  With all things ephemeral, this magical cloud in a room only exists for a moment before it evaporates into the ether.

{Found via iO9 }

Sponsor Giveaway: $50 Gift Card from Shabby Apple

Hello sweeties! Today I present to you a sponsored giveaway from Shabby Apple, a specialty online boutique that offers a diverse collection of vintage inspired and contemporary style women's dresses, casual dresses, skirts, accessories, gifts and women's apparel. Shabby Apple's fashion offerings fill in the need of today's women  to look feminine and beautiful not for what they bare but for what they wear. The people behind Shabby Apple know how challenging it is for women to find the perfect dress, hence they strive to design highly fashionable dresses for women of all body types. Shabby Apple is a company for women, of women and for women. 

The vintage inspired collections are all exquisitely dreamy. I personally love the flirty styles of  Mad Hatter,  Roamin Holiday, South Pacific, Oh la la, and Inca Trail. Meanwhile, the boutique collections are seriously sophisticated and classy. The Amalfi Coast Swim Collection is swoon worthy beach wear that evokes romance novel glam. The Boysenberry Pie Collection is a retro-tastic collection of adorable aprons. For fitness fanatics, Blossom is a sleek collection of fit and feminine exercise wear. Whatever you body type or personality, there's a Shabby Apple dress to match your style.

Shabby Apple is not just about apparel. There's also pretty jewelry and accessories, shoes and hair details to complete one's look. For the vintage loving girl, the boutique also has a lovely arts and crafts collection of bath and beauty, home decor and gift items.  

Sweet Tidings readers can avail of a 10% off coupon for anything Shabby Apple for one month.  The coupon code, which can be entered during checkout, is "sweettidings10off." 
This spring and summer, inject some sweet Shabby Apple style to your fashion life!  For fashion and style tips visit the Shabby Apple blog.

To win a $50 gift card to Shabby Apple simple do the following:

1. Visit and  "like"  Shabby Apple on Facebook and come back here to leave your comment.

2. Readers who follow Shabby Apple on Twitter or retweet  this giveaway will also receive extra points. Please leave your links in a separate comment.

3. Please include your email in your comments or in your blog profile so there will be a way of contacting you in case you win. A new winner will be picked in case you win and there is no way of contacting you.

4. This giveaway offer is open to U.S. readers as of the moment (so sorry international readers!). This  giveaway ends on March 20, 2012. Good luck!

Spring and Summer Flowergarden Angel

One of my simple joys is sewing little handmade dolls. I love the warm, fuzzy feeling I get after putting the finishing touches to a doll or toy. It may sound strange but I consider doll making my spiritual exercise. More than any hobby or activity, sewing dolls makes me feel like I'm co-creating with the universe to add a little bit of beauty to this oftentimes sad world. My previous blog post highlights that stream of thinking.

This Flowergarden Angel is made from one of the doll patterns from Tilda's Summer Ideas book. I incorporated my own style by adding straps to the doll's dress and embellishing the flip flops with beaded flowers.

Have a beautiful new week!

Final Giveaway Reminder: PearlMountain Photo Watermark Software

The PearlMountain Photo Watermark Software Giveaway ends tonight. Enter your name if  you still haven't done so as there are 20 licensed software copies to be given away to the first 20 commenters. This amazing and ultra useful blogging/web/photo tool is valued at $19.90.

You can enter the giveaway here.

A Handmade Life

“ Those who guide us, who inspire us, having gone our way before, are now partners with us in building a better world. Any success we have is theirs as well as ours. To copy or imitate them should be only the beginning-the apprentice stage of life. It is fine to think, "what will a Shaker do? What would Scott Nearing have said? What would Gandhi have thought?" These are good exercises for the mind, a way of weighing ideas and contemplated actions, valuable so long as we do not follow anyone blindly.
Only by standing on their shoulders can we build a better world, but we should use the wise as advisers, not masters.”

― William Coperthwaite, A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity

Cozy Craft Spaces and Food Films

Timber Labo by Anticca

Chaleur  Mercerie de France by Anticca

D.D Apartment by Anticca

I'm dreaming of cozy craft spaces like these! Natural wood tones are my favorite color schemes of the moment. Mustard yellow paired with off white,espresso tones and pine wood gives a natural, romantic feel to any space.

The PearlMountain Photo Watermark Software giveaway is ending tonight! This nifty software is a great tool to help you protect your shop or website images.  Licensed software worth $19.90 will be given away to the first 20 people who leave a comment.

Thanks to Jenna's movie recommendation, I also watched a cute Japanese token food film Patisserie Coin de Rue (洋菓子店コアンドル) this weekend.

The movie features Yu Aoi , my favorite J-actress. I found the movie to be visually delightful and tactile (Japanese films seem to have this signature characteristic) even if the story line is nothing extraordinary. I will watch this movie again for the extreme close-ups of raspberry macaron sandwiches and ethereal petit cakes.

You can watch the movie online here. It doesn't have an English translation, just Korean subtitles. Given my miniscule knowledge of hangul, I did manage to understand the movie.  

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Thank You

To readers and visitors old and new, thank you always for dropping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

When Craft Imitates Life

Turn a child's drawing into a stuffed toy/doll from Make it and Love it

Edible spoons and bowl tutorial from Scissors. Paper. Wok

I believe in the adage that if you can imagine it, you can craft it! Just look at these innovative and clever crafts from Make it and Love it and S.P.W. Hope these inspire you to dream and craft. Happy Friday!

P.S.

Wouldn't you want to protect your photos and images online? The PearlMountain Photo Watermark licensed software giveaway is still open. There will be 20 copies to be given away. Hurry and join the giveaway now.

Color Me Pastel Craft Round Up

Dip Dye Cups by Studio Choo on Design Sponge

DIY Confetti Table Cloth from Oh Happy Day

Travel Sewing Kit from Lots of Pink Here

DIY Summer Bracelets from Between the Lines

Painted Plastic Glass Jars from Kootut Murut

Surround yourself with the season's sweetest color scheme- pastels! Enjoy this lovely assortment of pastel inspired crafts for  sewing, making and decorating.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

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You might want to enter the PearlMountain Photo Watermark Software Giveaway here.