Ka-BOOM!

Its the eve of Canada Day. Across this great land hot dogs and hamburgers lie waiting for the grill; towels and swimsuits are packed into the car for a day at the beach; the lines at the beer stores grow long and excited.

Is there anything more glorious than celebrating the birth of your nation? And with a day off mid-week no less!

Just a reminder though that the clock is ticking on the TransCanada Etsy team's fantastic Canada Day giveaway. With two incredible prizes to be won, you don't want to miss your chance.

Up for grabs is an incredible goodie bag with wonderful surprises donated by each of the participating shops:



Also, available to be won, is this amazing rug woven by team member, fiveforty.



Make a purchase from any of the participating shops below, and you will be entered into the draw to take place on July 2nd.

Enthral.etsy.com
fiveforty.etsy.com
willowcatvintage.etsy.com
MyHandboundBooks.etsy.com
iheartthatdance.etsy.com
laurabucci.etsy.com
designedbyrj.etsy.com
rjcharms.etsy.com
rikrak.etsy.com
offthehooks.etsy.com
tooaquarius.etsy.com
pixel8ed.etsy.com
tangente.etsy.com
inkyspider.etsy.com
kootsac.etsy.com
prairiepeasant.etsy.com
carvelcountrysoaps.etsy.com
paisleybaby.etsy.com
bovinebubbles.etsy.com
seaglassdesigns.etsy.com
piggytailsstationary.etsy.com
stringmealong.etsy.com


Remember, this contest ends tomorrow night as the last of the fireworks fade. Enter while you can.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Welcome Summer.

Summer arrived in a sombre mood. Grey and overcast. Damp and blustery. And, I, well I went to the beach. Where else would one go on a wet, windy, dark day to welcome the new season?

Truth be told, I long for days like that for beach trips. The beach, I believe is at its best when its moody. It come alives. Gentle lapping waves are no match for a pounding surf. Blue is lovely, but brooding pewter grey of sea and sky is far more dramatic.


The heavy, damp air brought the briny smell of the water, and the heady scent of the wild roses to an intoxicating level. Dressed, perhaps a little too confidently, in flip flops and a long flowing skirt, the flapping and sharp snapping of the fabric in the wind against my cold legs, was exhilarating. My cheeks stung from the gusts and the grains of sand that they picked up on their rushing journey. Shore birds strained as they tried to fly into the prevailing winds, their progress slowed considerably.



It was a perfect way to welcome summer. Bookending the beach trip, a couple of surprising little events, added additional excitement to the day. I stopped at a little community market prior to my beach excursion and was delighted to see some of the first local strawberries of the season. Driving back from the beach, I had to swiftly and suddenly brake to avoid a deer that made its way to the road. Once we each recovered from out initial fright and composed ourselves, the deer was kind enough to linger for just long enough for me to grab my camera and get a shot.



I hope you enjoyed your first day of summer. Feel free to share here how you welcomed the new season.

Trans Canada Road Trip Event

There are twenty Canadian etsy shops participating in this huge event, and there are two amazing prizes up for grabs.
One is an amazing goodie bag with lots of fun, fabulous items donated by all the participating shops.
The second is a gorgeous T-shirt rug - made with T-shirts donated by each participant, and woven by team member, fiveforty.

To win either of these prizes, all you need to do is simply buy from a participating shop. For every $10 spent in a shop, you will have one ballot entered into the contest.

To receive one ballot without purchase, simply go to piggytails shop and send her a convo sharing a description of your favorite Canadian thing. Tell us why you love it and what it means to you.

Now, go visit these participating shops for your chance to win:

Enthral.etsy.com
fiveforty.etsy.com
willowcatvintage.etsy.com
MyHandboundBooks.etsy.com
iheartthatdance.etsy.com
laurabucci.etsy.com
designedbyrj.etsy.com
rjcharms.etsy.com
rikrak.etsy.com
offthehooks.etsy.com
tooaquarius.etsy.com
pixel8ed.etsy.com
tangente.etsy.com
inkyspider.etsy.com
kootsac.etsy.com
prairiepeasant.etsy.com
carvelcountrysoaps.etsy.com
paisleybaby.etsy.com
bovinebubbles.etsy.com
seaglassdesigns.etsy.com
piggytailsstationary.etsy.com
stringmealong.etsy.com

The event runs from June 20th, to July 1st. The draw will be held on July 2nd.

Full details and photos of the prizes are on our team blog here:
http://transcanadaetsyteam.blogspot.com/

Happy Canada Day from the TransCanada Etsy Team!!!

Yart Sale

Extended until June 17.
For no reason other than I am feeeling generous.
Welcome to the YART SALE at stringmealong, EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE 19.

Please feel free to browse the YART SALE section in the right hand search bar. All items in the section have already been reduced, and there are some amazing deals.

Like something that isn't in the yart section? There's still fun bonuses to be had.

*ALL orders will receive a free fabric floral hair pin.

*AND.. all orders over $50.00 (before shipping fees are added), receive free shipping. I will refund the shipping fees through paypal.
_______________________________

Favorite Things - June 15

My goodness, hasn't it been a long time since I have had a favorite thing. Seems that as soon as the weather turned nice, my poor old blog got kicked to the curb. Funny how a good run of sunny days can do that. Sorry, Blog, I will pay you some attention this morning.

So, to the point.... my favorite thing today is - Wildflowers.

I love that wildflowers don't conform to order. They grow wherever the wind takes their teeny seeds. There are no strictly planted rows. They care not whether their colours complement one another (but, oh, don't they just always seem to look wonderful together). They age gracefully, not caring that they have grown wilted, straggly, bushy, or lopsided.

I have a deep admiration for the wildflowers will to grow, survive and thrive. The tiniest crack in a sidewalk can be a future backdrop for a pretty bloom. They can creep out of sheer rockfaces, or maintain a shallow and tenuous hold in sifting sands. Such tenacity. Cultivated flowers, by contrast, crave kid-glove kindness.

My earliest memories, involve images of sunny daisies, cheery black-eyed Susans, frizzy Queen Anne's Lace, sweet scented clover flowers, and the ubiquitous dandelion. We would collect armloads of these and bring them home to Mom, invariably sticky and stained with dandelion milk.



As I have been spending loads of time outdoors lately, I have been revelling in all the summery goodness of New Brunswick, and admiring all the beautiful blooms that have erupted throughout the forests, beachscapes and roadsides.



My latest favorite is the lupin. These don't grow in Ontario, where I grew up, and I have quickly become infatuated with the heavy blooms. They grow in waves of purple and blue, pink and white. What a treat to be zooming along the highway and see this great splash of colour in your periphereal vision. Yesterday I stopped and snatched up a bunch to bring home. They now add a cherry brightness to my bland little bathroom.




I know that as the summer rolls along, I will be treated to new delights. I await with bated breath the arrival of the eruption of the profusion of wild roses that grow along the shore.

5 Years

It was five years ago today that I married my sweetie.

As a little, on-line surprise for him, I created this treasury on etsy, called "Love is Sweet", last night. I emailed the link to him to open today. Admittedly, it is a little girly, but it sums things up pretty nicely.



Happy Anniversary, Darcy. I look forward to many more years together.
xo

YART SALE

The Etsy Supplies Street Team is sponsoring the 2nd annual etsy "YART SALE".



String Me Along is taking part and there are 3 ways that you can benefit:

1) Search my shop using the search term "yart" OR simply go to the "yart sale" section in the right hand category bar. There are some incredible deals there.

2) Anyone purchasing from my shop will receive a free fabric flower hair pin much like the one shown here (colours will vary):



3) Anyone who purchases $50 or more from my shop, (before the shipping fees) will receive free shipping.

This promotion runs from June 10 - June 14.

Remember to browse the rest of etsy too. Use the search term "yart" to discover many more wonderful shop promotions.

JUST BECAUSE

Just because the sun is shining.
Just because the trees are leafy and green.
Just because I am happy.

Just because I want to spread some of that joy.... I am having a 20% off sale in my shop.

Flower Season

Summer has seemingly arrived well ahead of schedule here in New Brunswick. The days have grown long and warm. The trees have put forth their best and new life springs from the ground on a daily basis now. Tulips and daffodils are long past, and poppies and lilacs are in full swing.

I have been fully captured by the joy of the season and it is pouring forth in my recent bout of creativity. And again I have found myself enamoured with my recently received supply of vintage, enamelled metal flowers and new lucite cabochons.

Below is a selection of pins made using the metal flowers:



A new addition to my shop is this collection of cocktail rings:



Notice in the ring to the left, that I have this time, married the vintage enamel with the lucite cabochons. I am very pleased with the results.

The new designs have also found their way onto bobby pins.



And one last whimsical piece, a 3D collage of metallic loveliness.



I love being inspired by nature and her seasons. This time of year is of course, just brimming with creative possibility!

all designs are available in my stringmealong etsy shop.