Book Cover Art and Goodwill Frames

A few weeks ago,

well maybe a month,

time flies you know,

I won an autographed copy of the book cover art from one of my favorite authors, Sarah Addison Allen.

Now let me say , I never win anything !

And I really , really wanted this.

When I received an FB message from Sarah telling me I was one of 10 winners, I did a happy dance ( literally ) and trust me , it wasn't pretty.

I was SO excited!

 I immediately text Sis and Spencer ( cause they love her too ) !

Oh and I forgot , I also won a $25 Starbucks gift card too.

Now remember , I live in the back of beyond and the nearest Starbucks is 45 miles away.

I am not a coffee drinker, I'm a tea drinker.

But I love me a Starbucks Chai Latte but Spence really loves Starbucks , so she was doubly jealous.

Although, being the awesome auntie I am , I said we could meet for coffee - my treat !

For those of you not familiar with Sarah Addison Allen , let me enlighten you.

The description on her website says this,

North Carolina novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of fairy tale magic, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility.

That pretty much sums her up.

The first novel I read by Sarah was her first, Garden Spells.

It remains my favorite , although I love them all.

Her books have quirky characters , magic, love and humor.

Garden Spells reminds me a bit of Practical Magic.

The story centers around the strained relationship between sisters , throw in a quirky cousin, a magic apple tree and a handsome neighbor and you have a fabulously entertaining story.

A quick read and I highly recommend it.

In addition to the art work from The Peach Keeper, she also sent me 4x6's of the other book covers.

LOVE !

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Sugar Queen

The Peach Keeper

This is the art work I won.

I wanted to do something special with it and the 4x6's of the book covers.

I had this idea to create a collage.

First I bought mats and thought I would fit the together in a big frame.

But I didn't like it.

Then I thought maybe I could have the "floating frame" look.

But I wasn't sure how to attach them to the fame without a backing.

Then I remembered these pictures I had at the store.

I had two of these.

I picked them up at GW last summer  and repainted the frames black.

I took the back off and removed the prints and mats.

I used glue dots to attach the prints to the glass from one of the frames.

Then I placed it on top of the glass in the other frame.

My art is kind of sandwiched in between the two pieces of glass.

My finished project.

I'm pretty happy with it.

I've added Amazon links under each book if you would like to check them out.

I think you should.

Linking this post to :

Talent Tuesday @ Vintage Wanna Be http://www.vwbblog.com/
Party Time Tuesday @ Northern Cottage http://www.northerncottage.net/
Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Sassy Sites http://sassysites.blogspot.com/

Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage http://www.abeachcottage.com/
Show and Tell Friday@ My Romantic Home http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday@ At the Picket Fence http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Pinning and Singing on the Weekend@ 5 Minutes Just for Me http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com
Potpourri Friday @ 2805 http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Fabulous Friday @ Faith,Trust and Pixie Dust http://michellelunt.blogspot.com/
Weekend Bloggy Reading : Link Up @ Serenity Now http://www.serenitynowblog.com/

http://beckvalleybooks.blogspot.com/

http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/

Goals for 2012

I don't do goals.

Ever.

I'm very bad that way.

I am also VERY unorganized.

And a procrastinator.

And a bit lazy.

Generally I'm OK with this.

But since I started blogging ( which I really enjoy), I've had some real time management issues.

So I got to thinking,

what if I TRIED to set some goals,

what if I TRIED to be more organized.

could that possibly help ?

I'm sure it couldn't hurt.

I have some wonderfully organized friends.

One of them , Rhonda has sent me diffrent links and blogs to check out in a futile attempt to help me organize.

She shared this link from mysimplerlife.com

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2012/Decluttercalendar2012.pdf

It's a 12 month calender with simple daily activities to keep your home clean and organized.

Sounded like a good idea.

Have I printed it out?

NO.

Will I ?

Maybe...probably...YES !

Then I was reading a blog I just started following recently, AskAnna , and she has a 14 day challenge to get clean and organized.

I decided to join.

I love a challenge.

Not that my house is that messy,

I would just rather decorate.

My closets are terribly unorganized ,

as are my kitchen cupboards.

Goal # 1~ Get closets and cupboards clean and organized.

Also since starting to blog, I haven't read as much.

I am an avid reader.

I LOVE my Kindle.

I usually read a couple of books a week.

Not lately.

 So....

Goal #2~ Read 2 books a month.

This one shouldn't be hard but I am going to have to  practice that time management thing !

I read for pleasure and entertainment.

I don't like to read serious stuff or self-help ( Heaven forbid!)

I like books with quirky characters.

Some of my favorite authors ~

Rosamund Piltcher, author of the classic The Shell Seekers (which I highly recommend) and my favorite Winter Solstice ( which I read EVERY December). She hasn't written anything for a while, but I love her style and interesting characters.

Janet Evanovich, author of the Stephanie Plum series. You don't get much quirkier than Stephanie's family , friends and felons. ( She is a bounty hunter, just not a good one) If you literally want to Laugh Out Loud, read a Stephanie Plum book! I've read them all, except the last one and I will be starting Explosive Eighteen next week!

Sarah Addison Allen , I first discovered Sarah a couple years ago her first book Garden Spells had me and I've read EVERYTHING she has written.  Her books always have quirky families and a mystical, magical quality I love.

 Sarah survived a battle with breast cancer this year but still released a new book , The Peach Keeper.

And my last goal ( 3 is pretty good for a non-goal person right?)

Goal #3 ~Stay healthy

I've been VERY lazy the last couple months.

I usually get that way in the winter, but we've had lovely winter so I can't really blame that.

I still exercise but not as much as I should.

I still eat right , just too much.

So...

Time to get back on track,

I've put some weight back on and it's time to get it under control before it gets out of control!

I've never needed to be skinny but my overall health is very important to me.

My family has a lot of health issues I do not want to inherit!

So there you have it.

3 goals for 2012.

From the most non-goal girl you will ever meet!

Are you a goals or non-goal person like me ?