Black & Light Candles Giveaway

**This Giveaway Has Ended.**

I was recently contacted by black and light co. to try out one of their candles.  I chose the black and white Curls to go with my new living room scheme.
Look at how nicely it arrived!

Look at this great box!  Packaging is so important.  It even comes with its own matches!
 


Here is a little bit about the company from their website:
Our family owned business is headed by Holly Eve, our founder and a design and candle artisan.  Holly combined her two passions, helping those around her and her love for candles.
In mid 2007, black & light co. partnered with mentally and physically challenged adults to pack and fulfill our product.  Our company seeks opportunities to support those in greater need.
Holly worked to make the packaging as special as her custom created candle collections. This exceptional packaging is our standard. It’s created in the spirit of our company’s acute attention to detail.
Here’s mine.  I put it in a glass holder I got from Goodwill and on top of the new little table I picked up from TJ Maxx this weekend.


Here are some facts about the black & light candles.  I’ve bolded some interesting points.

• These candles have the unbelievable ability to glow from wick to base. Once lit, the glow literally bursts from every angle of the candle, and even out through the bottom.
• Conceptualized, designed and created by a candle aficionado and manufactured here in the United States.
• Designs are first drawn by hand and take up to fifty hours to complete.
• Life span: a 15 hour-an-inch burn time which is about three times the average store bought candle.
• Packaged and shipped by workers with disabilities. black & light® co creates jobs in a tough market economy. black & light® co supports several charitable concerns.
• Fragrance Free.  They do not interfere with the aroma of home cooked meals, perfume, fresh cut flowers or create allergic reactions for people or their pets.
• Packaging: recycled and reusable boxes that are—-in and of themselves—-gifts.

black and light company’s website has so many different styles to choose from, as well as 4 inch and 6 inch candles. 
black and light company has graciously offered a candle of the winner’s choice as a giveaway to my readers!  To enter, here’s what you need to {and can} do:

• You must visit black and light company’s website, then leave a comment below letting me know which of black and light company’s candles you love.
• Write about this giveaway in a blog post or put it on your sidebar with a link back to this post, leaving a separate comment below letting me know you have done this {optional for an additional entry}.
• Tweet about this giveaway and let me know in a separate comment with your “@” name {optional for an additional entry}.

This giveaway is open to residents in the U.S. and ends Saturday, February 6, 2010, at 6:00 p.m.  Winner will be announced Saturday night.

Technorati Tags: black and light co.,blackandlightco.com,candles,fragrance free candles

Silver Finds At Goodwill

I donated some things to Goodwill Saturday.  Fairs fair right ~ I get stuff from them, I should bring stuff to them!

A couple of the things I found were again silver and I was so happy to find an UGLY silver tray that I can paint with chalkboard paint!

I found these two cute little holders.  I was thinking they might be good to put votive and pillar candles in {or not}.   I have no idea what they might have been meant for, although they may just be purely decorative pieces with no real purpose.  I liked them though.

Linking up to Silver Sunday at Gypsy Fish.

Have You Seen My Keys?

I couldn’t resist buying these Pottery Barn keys ~ 7 keys for $19.95!  I’ve read several other blogs where others have also purchased them or did a PB look-alike project with keys they had or found elsewhere.  I think that mine more closely resemble Jane’s at Mamie Jane’s.  Anyway you look at it, this can be a great wall decor project for your home or to give as a gift.
 
I had picked up this remnant fabric from Joann’s that I used on the back of a pillow I made for my Dad at Christmas.  It seems to be a linen type fabric.  I had enough left over to do some other projects.


I had two of these pictures, which I knew were going to be redone somehow, and this project seemed perfect for it.  I removed the picture and spray painted the frame black.  I used the backing from the picture and hot glued the fabric to the backing.



I then lined up the keys how I liked them laid out and made some pencil marks.  I thought I might use hot glue, but this is not a shadowbox frame nor is it deep enough for me to have the glass over the keys.  I didn’t think hot glue would hold up over time so I wanted to “sew” the keys to the backing using the little holes in the top of the key.


I had a couple of tags that had a very thin twine-like tie and thought that might work.  So I picked up this hemp twine in the jewelry section of Michaels, as well as this package of assorted needles. 


It was very difficult pushing this huge needle through the fabric and backing so to move things along quicker, I made marks and drilled holes through it.  It was quite the job and did grab onto the fabric in spots, but wound up being what worked best for me.  It took me about an hour to “sew” the keys onto the backing.


I attached D rings to the frame for hanging.  Since it was such a long frame and had a little weight to it with the keys, I felt it was best to have something on both ends.



Here it is ~ finally done!
 
Now if I can just find a small chest or table for that wall . . .

Linking up with:
Funky Junk Interior’s Saturday Night Special
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch
Make My Monday at Twice Remembered
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
It’s So Very Cheri

Whose Got The Time?

Well, apparently I do!  I have enough clocks now to take over for Father Time!

After getting an email from Pier 1 basically warning me that I needed to “Hurry in”, I headed right over there after work last Friday afternoon.  It can never be said that I don’t heed a sale warning!

I looked around a bit and wasn’t really impressed with the clearance prices until I came across this little piece.

Although I liked the design, I thought the gold was a bit much, but for $8.99 on clearance, I knew I could either cover it up or paint over it.  It was a good size and color otherwise.  Plus, it was originally $34.95!  That’s right, $34.95.  Marked down once to $17.98 and then $8.99 {the other sticker was right underneath}.  I thought that was a pretty good deal!

Since time waits for no man {Yes. Yes, I did just say that}, I snapped up one of the last two and bought it!  Now I just need to decide if I want to do something over the gold with paint {to not lose the design} or put scrapbook paper over it.

Linking up with all the other frugal finds for Frugalicious Friday on Finding Fabulous!

Technorati Tags: Pier 1,clocks,clearance,frugal finds,Frugalicious Friday,Creative Home Expressions,Finding Fabulous

Let’s Decorate ~ Help Me Choose

I’m up to the part in my living room redo where I want to hang some artwork over the sofa.  I have two options and I’m trying to work with what I’ve got.  Here is what it looks like currently.  I appreciate objective opinions, so I’d like to hear what you think about these two options.

It obviously needs something between the sofa and the decorative grille.  Option number 1 is the picture whose frame I repainted black over the Summer.  Here is how that looks.

Option number 2 is the canvas panels I did with the outdoor mat.  There are three of them and here is how they would look.

Okay, which do you like better?  I have in my mind which one I think looks better, but I’d like to hear what others think.

5 Things You Didn't Know About . . .

Yes, it's been a few weeks, but we are back with 5 Things You Didn't Know About . . .  I'll be sending some emails this week for participants, so check your spam box in case it gets diverted there.  I know that sometimes I find perfectly good emails in my spam box.

This week we are visiting with It's So Very Cheri!  Many of you know Cheri from her linky party.  The picture below may throw you, but that's because Cheri is in the midst of redoing her blog banner ~ on her own!

Favorite music at the moment: Jonas Brothers and Barney. Oh you meant the music I enjoy listening to, not what I hear all the time-Jazz, easy listening, Christian

If you didn't live where you do, where would you live: Florida is beautiful and I do not miss the nasty winter that everyone has been dealing with but I do miss our friends and family. I love Branson, Mo. We have lived in several places and you just adjust and go with the flow. I don't know, there are things you like and dislike about everywhere.

Favorite cocktail: Lemonade or Coffee

Best advice you ever received:  At one of my baby showers (our first child)-A lady told me to make sure we kept our relationship ALIVE and that we spent time together because once the kids are all gone, you have to like and love the person you are living with. If you don't work at it you won't know your spouse by time the kids are gone and you will be trying to figure out each other all over again.

Person you most admire: This is a tough one because it depends on which area of my life you are talking about. I admire a lot of people for a lot of different reasons.

Thank you, Cheri, for sharing 5 things we didn't know about you!  

Living Room Coffee Table

I’m joining in again with Barb at Grits & Glamour for her Tabletop Tuesday link-up.  Thanks for hosting Barb!

This week I’m showing the coffee table in my living room.  The coffee table that I will be painting or staining black soon. 

I took some books that I was going to donate and removed their covers.  I’ve been doing this throughout the house and it helps add a little something since I packed up all the books I’m keeping.  I got this lovely little plant at Tuesday Morning {just a couple of weeks ago}.

The tray I got a couple of months ago from Michaels; I just added the fleur de lis to the sides and inserted scrapbook paper on the top.

My dollar store hurricanes made from candlesticks and a vase and candleholders, with the larger one holding some eggs I also picked up at Tuesday Morning.

Thanks for visiting!  Check out the other participants, too ~ I’m sure they will inspire you!

Blog Of The Week ~ A Doctor In The House

This weeks Blog of the Week is Tammy at A Doctor In The House! 
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Tammy’s most recent post talks about Pink and the different things that look so pretty in pink.  I have a few favorites in each category she shows!

One of Tammy’s decorating projects tells about how she dressed up an alcove off her dining room.  You can read about that metamorphosis here.

I love her post “My Little Boy’s Vintage Room”, which you can read about here.  I wish I’d had this when my son was little.  Love it!

If you get some time this week, please swing by Tammy’s place and check out some of her posts.  I think there is something for everyone at Tammy’s.  I know I enjoyed looking through her blog!
 

Silver Sunday

You might recall the silver trays I picked up at my last trip to Goodwill.  I had bought them with the intention of painting at least one with chalkboard paint {in the center}.

However, after looking at them all week, I realized just how pretty they are.  I’m not sure that I can put chalkboard paint on these!  I also happened to turn them over and saw markings on the back.

Not owning any silver, I thought I might ask if anyone knows if these markings indicate “good” trays. 

The larger one {above} says “Oneida”.  I’ve heard of Oneida, but don’t know anything about their silver.

The smaller one says “Leonard Silver” and has a little crown next to the name.  I’ve never heard of this name before, so I’ve no clue about it.  Knowing that some of you are quite knowledgeable about silver you may know more about these pieces.  Thanks for your help!

Linking up to Silver Sunday at Gypsy Fish.