I just discovered this amazing giveaway through Dawn Emondson’s gorgeous blog “The Feathered Nest”. The Crystal Winter Giveaway is being held by Linda of “Robin's Egg Blues”. I don’t mind sharing it one little bit, but I sure hope “I” am the winner. I was lucky to be the 100th comment poster! Have a look at the pretties she has for one lucky winner:
I’m so excited and honored to have a product featured in the December 2009 issue of Romantic Homes magazine! Senior Editor Jickie Torres visited my site and selected the Pouchee® Purse Organizer as one of her featured items in the “Our Favorite Things” section! What a thrill! Thank you so much Jickie!
Check it out on page 30! I’m in love with these organizers too, and I’m extending my offer of a FREE Mama’s Pocketbook coordinated Fabric Card Case with every Pouchee ordered now through Dec. 19th. That should give us time to ship for receipt by Christmas.
In the photo you can see the Pouchee featured at the bottom of the page and I’ve included one closed and one open Fabric Card Case. You can order your own custom designed card cases here.
Happy Holidays!
I found this fascinating quote today:
We are all probably feeling the stress (remind me not to ever move during the holidays again, mmm kay?) of the Christmas season, at least a little, right. Please tell me I’m not the only one!Katie @ Frugal Femina, Holiday Help to the Rescue, Dec 2009
You should read the whole article.
Thanksgiving Week starts today!
And I’m so thankful for all the wonderful customers and friends of Mama’s Pocketbook that I’ve decided to offer yet another special on my best selling purse organizers. So… today, Monday, Nov. 23 through Monday Nov. 30th when you buy 4 of our Pouchee Purse Organizers, you will get a 5th one FREE!! Just list the color you would like for your 5th Pouchee in the comments section of the shopping cart. It’s just that easy!!
Now, you do have a choice - if you don’t want the extra Pouchee or only need a couple of Pouchee’s for your shopping list right now ( but don’t forget Sisters, Sisters-in-law, Daughters, Teachers, Bus Drivers, Co-workers, Neighbors and Friends!!) you can take advantage of our Holiday Special – A FREE Mama’s Pocketbook Fabric Card Case with each Pouchee ordered between now and Dec. 15th.
Find more details these specials here: http://www.mamaspocketbook.com/gallery3.htm or click the images below.
It’s your choice whichever Special works for you! Here’s hoping you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I hope there’s lots of turkey and all the trimmings, family gatherings, hugs and laughter throughout your holiday.
Gobble-Gobble!
I love how well these organizers work together to keep my purse organized! So… I’m offering one of my very chic, very pretty fabric card cases for FREE with the purchase of each Pouchee Organizer purchased now through Dec. 15th!
I’ll coordinate the fabric on the card case to go with the Pouchee color you choose. Each of my card cases is a one of a kind due to the handcrafting and the selection of a hand made yo-yo and a vintage or unusual button or pin as a finishing detail.
These cases will hold up to 50 business cards, but are also great for use as a change purse, or to corral receipts and other bits of paper or other people’s cards you collect. Three of these card cases fit perfectly inside one of the compartments in the Pouchee Organizer. And you get ONE absolutely FREE. ($12 value!!)
You’ll lov
e these Pouchee Purse Organizers and so will all the women on your gift list! These make great gifts for Teachers, Bus Drivers, School Secretaries, Office Co-Workers, Sisters, Aunts, Nieces, Girlfriends, Neighbors and anyone else on your list who would love an organized purse!
Wow, looks like I fell off the earth or something around here doesn’t it? Well, not quite so dramatic as that, but I did have to take a bit of downtime. I had some surgery back in September and all went perfectly fine, but I never expected it to take me so long to get my energy back. I’m happy to report that I feel great now and I am back at work, getting it together again.
I wasn’t completely idle though … I’ve been working on a new version of my website. It’s coming together too, but there’s still a lot of work to be done on it. I had hoped to launch it in November. Not sure that’s possible, might have to shoot for December, but it’s coming and it’ll be awesome when it’s ready.
New designs, new products, patterns, kits, and ideas have been swirling around in my head, in my dreams and being sketched during this recovery period too. I can’t wait to get busy sewing and creating all the new things. It’s almost like starting my business all over again except this time I already have an amazing list of customers, friends, fellow creative souls, and supporters, networks, cheerleaders, suppliers, exposure and experience. How can this not be the best season of doing what I love to do?
Well, I just wanted to post something here in case someone wanders by and thinks I disappeared completely. Please keep coming back. I promise good stuff is on the way!! XOXO Dianne
Getting Organized has taken on a new look! From being strictly functional to being functional and stylish has become the latest and greatest way of getting and staying organized. Pretty and stylish organization means that you no longer have to hide everything away in back room closets and filing cabinets. Instead, old locker baskets painted pink and stylishly chic organizers help you get organized in creative ways.
By using decorative boxes, vintage baskets and embellished magazine organizers, you can carry your decorating theme throughout 
your home, office, and even your laundry room.
Storage boxes filled with odds and ends, office supplies or ribbons and trims can fit into the décor in any room. A repurposed basket or box can beautifully organize your odds and ends while keeping them out of the way. A vintage metal file box hand painted with pink roses keeps your papers safe while adding romantic charm. Elegant 
wooden boxes painted with flowers store photos, CDs and letters in plain view.A vintage china plate might hold a stack of favorite napkins on a table or open shelf. A pretty pink basket can store clean dishtowels by the kitchen sink. A white wicker basket keeps guest towels or magazines, or perhaps organizes your craft space. Vintage nursery jars can hold cotton balls and other necessities while a refinished side table can keep your address book and notepaper handy.
When you need to organize, forget about boring boxes and folders that will keep everything out of sight. Instead, look around you for creative ways to accent your décor and store everything you need within arm's reach.
These card cases are the best for organizing your purse! They are compact but hold a lot of things! Use one for your business cards, one for other cards, even use one for change! They are sturdy and hold up well to constant use. Very pretty too! Each has it’s own coordinating or contrasting yo-yo topped with a vintage or unique button, finding or pin. Think ahead - these make great gifts for Teachers, neighbors, bus drivers, or anyone on your list. Great for enclosing gift cards too! Get a head start on your holiday gifts and stocking stuffers this year!
We also carry these great purse organizers called “Pouchee”®. They are fabulous! You just put all your things in them, cell phone, camera, and yes even the little card cases above fit in there! I use one of these Pouchee’s in my bag and have three card cases that fit right in the inner compartments of the Pouchee! These come in a variety of colors and make changing your purse a snap!
OH MY HEAVENS! As soon as I saw the email from Amy with these images of her new rugs I fainted! Then I came to and wrote her and told her I fainted! LOL! I LOVE RUGS! And these are the rugs of my dreams. They are straight from heaven if you ask me. I want them so much I can hardly stand it! I’m ready to redecorate starting with these fabulous rugs! This is my Christmas List, just rugs, that’s all I need!
Enjoy the eye candy – it’s delicious! Click on the big images to see Amy’s slide show of all the gorgeousness!
Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday August 14, 2009 as we present "Cozy Seaside Cottage" at Mama’s Pocketbook and other participating Make Mine Pink Friday Shops
.
Cozy seaside cottage decor provides an opportunity to repurpose discarded furniture and decor that no longer fits in your home or day to day lifestyle. Items that have been well-loved because of the special memories they hold or just because of the way they catch your eye will fit in perfectly in your home away from home.
Cozy seaside cottage style conjures up visions of pure white with accents of blues, greens and painted white furniture. A French blue metal flower vase in the center of a painted white dining table or a side table, painted a sea glass blue is placed beside a bed to hold your favorite books or magazines. If you look around, you'll see a scattering of casual pillows in shades blue and white, tossed onto a white slip covered couch or accent chair. If you look closer you might see a pillow tucked in with with pale pink roses, bringing a new look to the seaside cottage.
Well loved quilts and vintage chenille spreads grace the beds, none matching yet, in the cottage, all seeming to fit in together beautifully. The bedrooms are serene, without much clutter. A simple rose print against a white wall seems as if it's always been there.Casual dining is on the daily menu at the seaside cottage. Mismatched china left over from sets over the years fills the white china cupboard and is brought out for the daily meals. Vintage white ironstone or mismatched china grace a weathered sideboard. A quilt often used as a makeshift tablecloth or for an ocean side picnic.
Each corner of a seaside cottage is filled with the beauty of the sea and favorite memories. Clear glass vases filled with seas shells. Sand dollars sparkle like the sea fill a treasured Rose Covered bowl and add seaside romance. Jeweled sea glass, polished smooth with time, and other decorated treasures that you might find when walking on the beach, sit upon the shelves and mantel, their quiet song of the sea filling in the empty spaces of the seaside cottage.
Photo Contribution 1: Cottage Flair | Photo Contribution 2: Victoria Rose Cottage
If there's anything a girl can't have enough of it's pretty purses by day and pillows at night. 
A woman's purse can reveal a lot about her personality. If you're fun and flirty, you might carry a giraffe handbag or a pearl patent purse with pink polka dots. For the more reserved - a collector of all things pretty and vintage - perhaps a romantic summertime bag with roses and bachelor buttons. You can even show your "green" side with a straw handbag decorated with rescued jewelry, belts, buckles and various embellishments.
You can celebrate the many sides of your "purse"-onality with a purse that allows you to change covers and quickly as you change your mood. Or announce your uniqueness with a one of a kind "little black bag" - a vintage beaded black handbag.
Pillows can change their personalities too, as easily as changing a pillowcase. For sweet dreams, there are sweet heart hand-embroidered pillowcases. Feel nostalgic with vintage cutwork pillowcases. Or create a fun look by layering a bed with lots of pillows covered in different Southern Bell pillowcases. 
Pillows make a statement all their own. Rescued vintage needle point pillows grace the finest parlors and boudoir chairs. They can be reminiscent of a special event or a special someone, like a floral monogram pillow with the initial of someone you love. A wedding keepsake pillow made with an antique style certificate or your favorite wedding photograph. Beautiful pillows made from antique doilies and vintage dresser scarves. 
Some pillows are fun and used to make a space colorful and whimsical,like a chocolate dipped strawberry pillow, a blue cupcakes pillow, or a handmade slice of cake pillow 
with satin pink roses and pink lace trim. A whimsical teapot pillow with Battenburg lace to set on the guest bed or porch swing. You can even grow a garden of pillows with mauve ribbon flower hearts, heart pillows with roses and pink ribbed chenille, and a pink roses throw pillow.
No matter what your style or what mood you're in, you can surround yourself with pretty purses and pillows designed to express exactly what you're feeling.
Photo Contribution 1: Mama's Pocketbook | Photo Contribution 2: C'est Chouette
Photo Contribution 3: Gail Friend Designs | Photo Contribution 4: Janets Creative Pillows
Today our Pink Friday theme at Mama’s Pocketbook and Make Mine Pink is
"A STITCH IN TIME – ALL THINGS QUILTED AND STITCHED "
I’ve finally had a chance (well made the chance working til 3 AM!) to get back into the Pink Friday Special Events at Make Mine Pink. And this week I have marked several items with special discounts and rebates, as well as a Buy 3 get a 4th free Amy Butler Pattern, and a Buy 2 get 1 free Fabric Card Cases offer! Order 2 Sunhats and save $10!
All discounts, rebates and price adjustments will be for order placed today only and will be made through Paypal following receipt of your paid order. Please visit our website to find all these great deals today! Thanks, Happy Shopping. Be sure to visit the other great shops participating in today’s Pink Friday event!
Our Amy Butler Pattern Purse Making Kits are back!
Choose from 85 great new 10 oz. cotton fabrics, both solids and fresh new prints. I will be adding some new Amy Butler fabrics very soon to expand the selection.
These kits have everything you need to make your own Amy Butler purse or bag (except thread) All the interfacing, fleece, zippers, buttons, or whatever your pattern choice calls for – it’s in the kit! You also have the choice of buying just a materials kit if you already own the pattern! Happy Sewing!!
INTRODUCING NEW FABRIC CHOICES!! I’ve just added 19 Solid Cotton (10 oz.) color choices for the base bags and 60 Print Cotton choices for the reversible slipcovers!
We’ve-engineered the handy basic tote and created the HOTTEST NEW fashion accessory concept for girls and women of every age and style. Now you can change the look of your handbag as easy as 1-2-3 without ever removing the contents of your bag!
Precision engineering makes this system work like a charm! The base bag features lots of storage with a large zippered pocket and multiple interior pockets, a velcro key fob, and magnetic closure , and along the top edge, silver grommets. The reversible covers also have the precision aligned grommets that allow you to slipcover your bag – simply slip the cover on and tie it on through the grommets. You can leave you bag flat and wide or cinch it up a bit. There are even upgrades – an adjustable strap and a variety of braided leather or suede bolo ties. 
Convenience is only part of the beauty of this system, it's also, well ... beautiful in every other way too! No matter what your style - from teen to drama queen, from mom to grandmom, from business executive to sports enthusiast, college sorority girl to red hat society lady - everyone can create their perfect tote with the PURSE`onality Bag system.
![Honest_Scrap[1]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_k8pdkNgej5o/Shm6YPSl3OI/AAAAAAAAA4I/sHpL1vYwBg4/s1600-h/Honest_Scrap%5B1%5D%5B3%5D.jpg "Honest_Scrap[1]")
OH my! I usually miss out on these awards because I always forget to post my answers and tag others for them. But it’s the weekend and I have a little time so …
I have my pink friend Caroline at Carolee Craftes http://caroleecrafts.blogspot.com/ to thank for awarding me the honest scrap award. Thank you Caroline for thinking of me and sending me this award on your Show & Tell for this week!
To accept this award I must thank Caroline and link to her blog (which I have done, just click her name!) and list 10 honest things about myself along with a copy of the honest scrap image also award 7 other bloggers with the links.
10 Honest things about me:
Ok, so now I get to tag 7 other blog friends with the Honest Scrap Award…
Ok Ladies, I’ll be emailing you and looking forward to seeing your lists!
This is an example of the Amy Butler Fabric Card Cases I make that coordinate with these bags. Each is OOAK and all are adorned with a contrasting yo-yo and a vintage button or pin. Order this weekend and receive a FREE Card Case and matching Tissue Holder with printed tissues! SWEET!!
I just had to share this. Those of you who know me will know how deeply meaningful this poem is to me. This was my Mother’s Day gift that my daughter Lauren wrote for me today. My heart is so full from her love and understanding.
You say that I look like her
that I have her eyes
and her lips
as you stare longingly
at the faded photograph
You say I act like her
my personality reminds you so much of her
She left you when you were fourteen
when you were my age
you had to grow up on your own
and take care of yourself
But I'm glad that you're still here
with me
to teach me
to care for me
to love me
I love you too
My Beautiful Daughter, Lauren, Age 14
My Beautiful Mother, Tommie Jean, Age 17
Ah! This design came out just like I pictured it in my mind!
Gotta love when that happens! I’m so happy with my new Miranda bag design. This one has complementary colors of peachy-pink on one side and french blue on the other with matching bouquets of cabbage roses, rose buds and lush foliage which combine to create a grand garden on my modern version of the classic Hobo bag.
Not only is it gorgeous on the outside, it’s lined with a beautiful tone-on-tone rose printed linen and tricked out inside with pockets galore! Two pleated cell phone/camera pockets, lots of little channel pockets for your pens, lip gloss, or glasses, plus a large slip pocket on the other side. All pockets are lined of course… nothing is ever flimsy about my bags! Miranda sports a 14” drop padded shoulder strap and a tabbed magnetic closure. Softly rounded corners, 13” tall and 15” wide. Perfect for your spring and summer outdoor activities! I’m showing this one adorned with a beautiful peach painted silk flower pin to show how you can dress up your hobo. (not included, but available at additional cost).
Please join us for Pink Friday, May 8th, for our themed sale “Beautiful Blues” and don’t forget to visit the other participating shops at MakeMinePink.com for more Pink Friday specials.
How cool is this! (Bottom Center!) My Claire Wristlet / Clutch is included in today’s Treasury West called The Garden! Be still my heart!!
What a great way to start my week! Thank you so much to Chyrl of My Paper Garden or Handcrafted Cards Boutique by Chyr’s Origami!
This is my first time to be chosen for a Treasury (that I know of) and I have to say it’s pretty darn thrilling! I love these treasuries. I keep hoping there’ll be an opening one day for me to create one of my own. Meanwhile, I’ll just bask in the warmth of having been included in this lovely one here! Mmmm, feels so nice! And look at all the other pretties Chyrl picked! I love the whole theme!
A lavender field in full bloom creates a purple and green landscape and infuses a sweet fragrance into the air. A field of flowers brought to life with the buzzing of bees, decorated with birds and butterflies drawn to its fragrant aroma. The lavender fragrance wafts gently through the air, carrying the memories of flowers, happiness, and sunny days.
Far away, a summer porch, framed by windows with white lace, is surrounded with the scent of lavender. Lavender blooming in window boxes and flower pots, or decorating a flower garden with their purple blossoms. Whether along a country road or on a city street, the lavender scent embraces all indiscriminately.
Too beautiful to remain outdoors, the fragrance of lavender easily enters our homes and daily lives. From a carefully tended flowerbed we pick a tiny bunch and place it in a hand-cut crystal bud vase, where it can brighten a corner as it sits upon a vintage lace doily. Tuck a sprig of the tiny flowers into the lace band of a broad-brimmed summer hat, carrying the beautiful fragrance with us wherever we go. Or perhaps lay it inside a dresser drawer. Tie it with a tiny scrap of lace and hang it upon a wall, set it upon a shelf.
In a drawer or as a lavender bouquet tied with apple-green organdy ribbon, edged with a dainty row of lace, the loveliness of lavender is impossible to contain. An elegant centerpiece set upon an antique table draped with a vintage lace table cloth, it's a feast for more than the eyes as the fragrant aroma declares its presence. Sunlight shining through the lacy curtains warms the room and casts delicate shadows upon the wall. Suddenly, the room seems draped in a lavender landscape and fields of lace.
Joyce Lucas,Founder
www.MakeMinePink.com
Enjoy this fun theme for Pink Friday by visiting My Pink Friday Page and by visiting all the
Participating Boutiques at Make Mine Pink
on Friday, April 24th for shopping with a twist.
Restoring and repurposing vintage products keeps the earth clean while we decorate our homes and our lives. Suddenly following the 3 R's - reducing, reusing, and recycling - is much more than environmentally friendly. Now it's about making everyday things more beautiful. The practice of keeping it "green" can come in many colors... rose petal pink, poppy red, turquoise, pearl and yes, even green. Flea market finds and fragile memories edged with glitter, embossed with jewels, engraved, stitched and woven anew giving old treasures a new purpose.
Items lovingly restored to more than their original beauty grace shelves and are welcomed into our cozy corners. Table linens returned to their crisp, former selves discover new life draped over an antique oak table or reinvented as a charming pillow or or tote. Silver pieces, shining brighter than before, sit proudly upon a freshly painted piece of discarded furniture. China and mirrored glass salvaged from cobwebbed corners set a graceful display.
Repurposing gives items with forgotten histories new stories to tell. Rescued needlepoints are transformed into luxurious pillows, stitched with beautiful silks and trims, and shared with a friend. Postcard pictures become pendants, someone's love notes worn as special gems. Silk ribbons, velvet trims, handmade lace, are added to vintage finds. Tapestries transform into bags, repurposed into something perfect, just for you.
Even the smallest fragments of memories are unwasted. The tiniest scrap of lace from a time-ravaged heirloom can be reused, and add a "just-so" touch to a new creation. Altered art repurposes the most unlikely items from the longest forgotten closets into pieces of beauty with new intent. Whimsical works assembled from many vintage and repurposed items. Shoes trimmed with flowers, pink winged fairies, items put together with nothing more than the intent to make you smile.
Joyce Lucas,Founder
Repurposed Fabric Tote Image by: Dianne Hadaway - Mama's Pocketbook
Repurposed Sweater Chick Image by: Tedi Mercer - Petite Bookstore
VISIT ALL THE PINK BOUTIQUES PARTICIPATING IN TODAY’S PINK FRIDAY!
Spring is here, and you don't even need to look outside your kitchen window or open your front door to know it. Just waking up to the sweet melody of a backyard robin cheerily singing outside your window is enough to tell you that life is renewed and spring is reborn. The birds of spring have returned and the earth reawakens.
Outside, in our fenced yards and open fields, brightly colored bluebirds and streaked song sparrows flit between tree branches and land carefully among the budding leaves. Singing songs of love to each other, chirping madly over jealousies. Bringing home odds and ends to build their nests - bits of bright string, broken twigs. Items insignificant to everyone else, but the stuff of life for the feathered set. With the return of spring, we find our winged friends building homes in every unclaimed corner.... under the eaves of buildings, in riverbanks, on rocky ledges, suspended from tips of tree branches, hidden under flaps of loose bark. Even in the nest boxes we offer up with hope. Hanging baskets, mail boxes, old boots, flower pots. Any place that somehow looks like home.
No matter where we live, or what the season, avian accessories create eternal springtime in our homes too. Birds and their nests placed carefully upon our shelves, painted delicately on a wall, stitched on a delicate needlepoint. Perhaps we invite into our homes the same birds we see each spring. Parrot green, robin's egg blue, bright canary yellow, flamingo pink. A rainbow of color unfurls inside and out of our homes in the hopes of eternal spring.
Written by: Joyce Lucas,Founder MakeMinePink.com
Please click the image to visit
and see my pretty new birdie porch pouches/ totes!
And be sure to visit all the participating shops for
I am so excited! The long awaited release of the new 2009 Amy Butler Sweet Life Bags is finally here! These bags are beyond awesome! 
This second line of Sweet Life Bags was designed by Amy with her crafting friends in mind. Custom-made for creative passions like knitting, quilting, and sewing.
NEW features include extra pockets and tool channels, strong and long straps for carrying comfort, expandable side panels and bag bottoms, and a gorgeous assortment of styles and sizes to suit every need – and modern style that lasts all day long!
All constructed with August Fields by Amy Butler fabric. This is a midweight home decor fabric, 100% cotton and each bag is lined with a coordinating print.
The first line of these bags sold out very quickly. So if you see one you love, take my advice and order it now! Now that the word is out, these are bound to fly out the door too! Order now and have yours in time for Easter!
One of a Kind Treasures Remember the days when we wanted to be like everyone else? We wanted to have the same clothes, same hairstyles, same…. everything. Only the very brave dared to be one of a kind. Sometimes it takes courage to say "I am different. I will be one of a kind." But over time, you discover that what makes a thing, or a person, unique is often the same thing that makes them beautiful. Taking chances, standing out, can make you a trendsetter and everyone else followers. At Make Mine Pink, one thing each boutique owner has in common with the others is that her boutique is one of a kind. Our boutique owners are always on the lookout for unique and special one of a kind and vintage treasures that are rich in history. Each treasure in our shops comes with a story, and no two stories are the same. When you browse through the shops at Make Mine Pink, you'll discover unique handcrafted pieces designed and produced by our artists and boutique owners. They hunt through flea markets, thrift stores, unique design shops. They peek in corners everyone else has forgotten to discover treasures everyone else has overlooked. Every bauble, piece of fabric, abandoned item they find might be a gem waiting to be unearthed. Each piece in the Make Mine Pink boutiques is designed and created to give its owner a product that can be treasured for years to come. In our shops you’ll find some of the latest trends, many handcrafted by our boutique owners, right here in the United States. When you shop at Make Mine Pink, you can feel confident that many of your purchases are one of a kind. A piece of art that is unique in its own right, as original as you!
By: Joyce Lucas, Founder ==============================================I'm all about One Of A Kind Treasures! That is what keeps my creative juices flowing. I love making something fresh and new and totally unique! So I'm actually sewing as fast as I possibly can to bring you a SPRING bouquet of unique and beautiful accessories for this very special Pink Friday! Please come and visit our Pink Friday page and take a peak, and don't hesitate if you see something you love, everything will be OOAK!!
Please join us for our "March Into Spring" Shop Hop from March 16 through March 21, 2009. The shop hop is open to anyone that would like to participate (limit one registration per physical address). Please register if you would like to participate.
Once you have registered, or if you already have ... Visit all the participating websites to find the hidden Shop Hop bag that says "You Found It" and click on the bag to get points towards winning the fabulous prizes! Don't forget to go to my website ... Mama's Pocketbook !
And seriously... there are some great prizes there for the winning. Including the #1 issue of my Spring Claire Wristlet Clutch bag! GO... get registered!
