Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Featured Reader: Let me introduce you to...

La Dolce Vita


Happy Tuesday friends! I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. We stayed home and had great plans to accomplish so much around the house but I spent much of the weekend playing catch up on orders. We did attend a really fun B-Day party for Will's friends, good food, good friends and good conversation!

I am very excited to introduce you to the lovely Miranda of A Duck In Her Pond, Miranda is not only beautiful but she is also very funny and a wonderful writer. Miranda has published work, Twelve Tales Of Christmas and two upcoming pieces Miss Pickles and Twirl. Visit here for updates, how fab is that? Now please grab a cup of joe and get to know my friend Miranda.


Name:


In the real world, I go by Miranda. In the blog world, I am the whimsical storyteller known as the Blond Duck of A Duck In Her Pond.


Family:


I ‘m married to my college sweetheart, Ben and we have two Chihuahuas, Bitty and Bear. They’re littermates and the light of our lives!




How did you start blogging?


After I graduated from college, Ben and I moved to San Antonio for his new job. I had spent senior year reading blogs and had always wanted to write one. Since I had just finished my first novel, I thought a blog would be a good way to get my name into the writing world. Eventually, it turned into what it is

now.



What is your blogging philosophy?


My blogging philosophy is to keep things positive and light. In the Pond, there are no tragedies. There are no bad days. There is just pie and whimsical stories and mystical creatures. There’s plenty of other blogs that will give you grit and reality and thought provoking posts. My goal is to make you smile and make your day a little bit brighter.


You will never find me without......


A notepad to jot down ideas!


Day job:


During the day, I work for a large metropolitan daily newspaper owned by a national publishing company. At night, I strive to bring my books to the masses. My goal is to publish short novels that women can easily read in one sitting—I call them bathtub books, because you could read them as quick as a bathtub soak. My stories have adventure, romance, fantasy and fun. I’m going to release a new one in about a month and hope to get more out soon. To see my style, readers can check out the Never Ending Stories tab on my blog. There, you can read three stories that are featured on my blog every week in a serial format.


Favorite Stuff:


Music: Country. Come on, I’m a good ol’ Texas girl!


Food: First and foremost, pie! Dutch crumb apple pie, peanut butter pie, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Then we’ve got fried chicke, mac and cheese, bacon cheeseburgers and French Fries slathered in ketchup, chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, waffles, pancakes and biscuits….

Just park me at a road side diner somewhere and come back a couple hours later. You may need the jaws of life to get me out.



Tv/ Movies: Legally Blond, Enchanted, You’ve Got Mail, Penelope, Sleeping Beauty


Reading: Anything but Madeline L’Engle, several of the books by Bruce Coville and the BFG by Raold Dahl. Elizabeth Peters is fabulous and I adore Shannon Hale! I tend to read a lot of children’s and young adult books…I haven’t found many “adult” authors I like.


If you had to wear a T-shirt with your favorite saying on it what would it be?


“Be a happy duckie!” or “Will work for burgers and pie.”


Favorite stores to shop at:


New York and Company, Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor, Express and Francesca’s.


If you could trade with a blogger for the day who would it be and please provide the link.


Marie from a Year from Oak Cottage. (http://www.ayearfromoakcottage.com/) She’s just so sweet and was my first real blog friend. She inspires me every day.

If I could visit anyone, I’d go visit Pam from For the Love of Cooking (http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/) or Katherine from Smoky Mountain Café (http://smokymountaincafe.blogspot.com/).


Other good stuff from Miranda:


While right now most of my stories can be seen on my blog, I'm looking forward to having several pieces published soon. It is my goal to bring whimsical written adventures to both children and women. I want my stories to excite and move you, to inspire and electrify. I also hope to open a animal shelter for abandoned dogs and farm animals in the future. After living in a city where so many dogs are killed or abandoned every day, I hope to be able to give each dog a home and love in their lives.

I hope you all come to the Pond to learn more about me! You can visit A Duck In Her Pond

Please be sure to leave Miranda some comment love. We all love comments!!!!

If you would like to be a featured reader please send me a link to your blog to klacustomcreations@comcast.net, my lovely featured readers have a chance to win a custom piece from my shop!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Feel Good Sunday: Bubbles...


There is something magical about bubbles. Will and I love to blow bubbles and it kinda makes me feel like a kid again. Go ahead and have some bubble fun today and enjoy the poem Blowing Bubbles by Ericka Northrop.

Blowing Bubbles - Poem by Ericka Northrop

Come with me; forget your troubles.
We'll take some soap and make some bubbles!
We can make them big or small;
It isn't very hard at all.
I can't be angry, sad or blue
When blowing bubbles-now, can you?
Just blow your blues into each one.
We'll watch them sparkle in the sun.
We'll send them out into the sky.
There go your troubles!
Poof!
Bye-bye.


What do you do when you want to feel like a kid again?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Product Junkie Approved: Work It Baby


This stuff is like liquid gold if you ask me. I get really nervous when I am running low on my Tigi Work It hairspray. I usually purchase two bottles at a time. The Tigi Work It hairspray is a workable hairspray, which means you can spray then comb and spray some more. I have tried many hairsprays through the years and always come back to my old faithful Work It. I will warn you to only purchase it at a licensed hair salon. I picked some up at a drug store and it wasn't the same. I actually emailed Tigi to see if they changed the formula and they didn't but did tell me to only purchase from a licensed salon. Often with products you find at drug stores they are old inventory, which doesn't always mean they aren't effective but I find with the Tigi hairspray it needs to be fresh. To locate a licensed salon near you visit the Tigi site HERE.

Go ahead ladies and Work it!

Do you have a favorite hairspray or hair product?

Friday, May 22, 2009

Fashion Friday: Romance is in the air

Ruffles that won't ruffle your feathers
Ruffles that won't ruffle your feathers by klacustomcreations on Polyvore.com

I don't know what it is about ruffles, I love how girly and feminine they make you feel. You can find ruffles just about everywhere and you can keep it really simple or you can select something that billows with an abundance of ruffles. One rule of thumb though is less is more, so when in doubt leave it out!

So tell me do you love ruffles?

You can read my entire featured article at TwitterMoms HERE.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Thousand Words Thursday: I heart....



Well besides my kiddo, and my new iPod, I heart my backyard. It is so refreshing to be able to be outdoors. We had such a hard winter here in Michigan so the sunshine lately is rejuvenating! We have worked hard over the years to try and bring some inside comfort outdoors, as you can see Will really enjoys playing on our outdoor couch also. The one problem is that we never want to come in.

What is better than being outdoors, sipping a iced lemonade and enjoying some of your favorite music?

For more Thousand Words Thursday please visit Cheaper Than Therapy.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Just In Time For Father's Day

Show Dad this Father's Day how you feel about him with the "Wise, Strong, Kind, Fair" hammered sterling silver key chain. This key chain has been hand stamped and hand hammered and can also be personalized. Available for $32.90 HERE



For the avid golfer a golf ball marker in copper that is personalized with Dad's initials or maybe just for the golfer that would like to golf in style. The copper disc has been hand stamped and hand hammered. Available for $15 HERE.

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday: Happy Birthday Dad/Papa

This picture was taken at The Henry Ford Estate. They have more Lilacs than you can imagine and in this picture Will is following behind my Dad down the path of Lilacs. The aroma was amazing!

Happy Birthday Dad/Papa! Even though you like caramel cakes Will insists that you must have Chocolate Bumpy cake (since it is his favorite!)

Monday, May 18, 2009

Contest Closed: Featuring Karen Neuburger and a GIVEAWAY!


Contest Closed: The winner is:

Pam said...

Love her stuff. I'd pick the "Scalloped Hearts" thank you cards.

pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net





With summer weather just around the corner, why not throw a stylish, summer luncheon? Jenna Lowe, Lifestyle Expert for the Karen Neuburger bran
d has great tips for pulling off a beautiful party in your backyard or home with friends.

Drinks:

What better way to enjoy a warm summer day than with lemona
de? Serve it in a beautiful glass lemonade stand and jar ($18-$70), www.surlatable.com) and slice lemons to give extra color. Refreshing and totally chic – your guests will certainly go back for more!”


Food:

"Finger sandwiches are an easy, affordable, and adorable solution for food at parties. Simple recipes include cucumber and ham and cheese sandwiches. Pair them with fruit and veggies platters and my favorite Shrimp Dip", says Jenna (find the recipe below).


Jenna’s Shrimp Dip Recipe



Ingredients:


2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (full strength, not light!)

¼ cup of milk (1% is fine)

2 tbs Miracle Whip salad dressing (not mayo!)

1 cup of Parmesan cheese

2 tps of crushed garlic

2 4 oz. cans deveined shrimp

¼ tsp of paprika

Sprig of parsley


Directions:


Put cream cheese, milk and Miracle Whip in a mixing bowl

Mix with electric beater on medium until soft, creamy and totally blended.

Add the Parmesan cheese and crushed garlic, blend

Drain shrimp keeping a little juice for flavor

Fold shrimp and juice into mixture

Taste again and then garnish with paprika and parsley

Chill for 1 hour

Serve with your favorite dipping crackers


Music:


Before the party, create a fun mix of songs to keep the energy up at the party. Pick songs that really center around your party’s theme and don’t be afraid to mix genres or eras of music,” Jenna explains. Here are some of Jenna’s favorite picks for the perfect summer playlist:


The Beach Boys ''California Girls''

Red Hot Chili Peppers'Dani California”
Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama”

Yellowcard "Ocean Avenue"

Sheryl Crow "Soak Up the Sun"

Violent Femmes"Blister in the Sun"

The Beatles "A Hard Day's Night"

Sublime "Summertime"

The Wallflowers "One Headlight"

The Monkees "Daydream Believer"



After a fantastic party what is better than crawling into some fabulous, crisp, clean sheets??? Karen Neuburger sheets are made with bamboo or 100% cotton.

Would you like to win a set of Karen Neuburger sheets? Available in Queen or King!




To Enter:

Either visit Karen Neuburger and tell me your favorite item or share a tip for hosting a fab party, it can even be a recipe!

Extra Entries: (leave a comment for each extra entry)

Twitter about this giveaway

Follow my blog

Grab my blog button and post it at your site (found upper left)

Grab my shop button and post it at your site (found upper left)

Share a link of this post with your Facebook friends

This contest will close on May 26th at 11:59pm. Good luck!