An Announcement and A Giveaway

Hi Friends!  I am so excited!  I just cannot wait any longer to share this with you!  I have officially launched my new business adventure with Initial Outfitters.  I am now an official independent consultant/outfitter!  That means, I am now able to sell beautiful custom engraved jewelry and embroidered gift items directly to you.

I will primarily be selling through home and office party's, but also individual sales through my website online.  This means you also will be able to purchase directly from me as well!  Isn't that great?  I certainly think so!

I love these products!

I have been researching this company for over 3 years now.  I cannot believe I didn't sign up last year when I considered joining them immediately after my retail employment business closed. Talk about procrastinating!

  As you may remember in my previous employment I worked in a small local embroidery shop that sold many items similar to what I am now able to sell directly to you.   However, we did not carry jewelry, not for my lack of trying though!  My heart has been is this business for some time now and I am so excited to now be able to continue selling affordable personalized gifts.

Have I tempted you enough with a sampling of our jewelry?  Perhaps you would be more interested in the embroidered gifts.

  

Or maybe you prefer engraved soaps?

Or maybe a custom personalized license plate...

..or vinyl monograms!  Whew!  There is so much good stuff here to offer!

  I am also very happy to be able to make my own schedule and pace.  This is something that I have been praying about heavily for the last few months as we are dealing with many health challenges in our family with our parents.  I have spent time yesterday and this morning getting my website up and running, adding a blog page and creating a fan page on Facebook all geared towards helping me successfully sell my products.  I am sure I will be tweaking my blog page under my header often.   So please, be sure and check it out often as when you visit me here at The Decorative Dreamer! Also, I could use all of your prayers as well that my business will be a success and a blessing to our family. 

If you are interested in seeing more gifts or shopping now, please visit my website at

 http://www.initialoutfitters.net/marykeels/

Just click on "shop now" to browse through our many selections. 

Since I am centrally located, I am happy to travel throughout most of South Carolina for my blog friends who are interested in hosting a party for your friends. I have great incentives to offer you and would love to speak with you personally.  For any of my blog friends who are also interested in selling Initial Outfitters in your own state or even in SC, I would love to add you to my team. I would be happy to speak with you personally as well,  about our organization! 

Finally!  Here's the fun part! In order to help me celebrate I am having a giveaway!  I haven't yet decided what I will be offering but I can promise you it will be from Initial Outfitters and personalized just for you! 

 And if that isn't enough, I am also offering another giveaway soon from CSN Stores to celebrate reaching over 100 followers again.  That giveaway coming up later this week!  Woohoo!  Exciting times here at The Decorative Dreamer.

  If you would like to enter this contest;

1.  You must be a follower, please leave me a comment reminding me you are to enter = 1 chance

  2.   Please go over to my Initial Ouftitters website and browse through our gifts.  Then come back here and tell me in a second entry what you would like to win = 2nd chance

3. Copy the first photo on this post of our catalog cover and add my giveaway to your blog, then come back here and leave a separate message letting me know = 3 chances.

This contest will officially close on February 28th, 2011.

I am joining Elements Interiors for Wassup Wednesday, cause this is what I've been up too, and to Kim's WUW party at SSS, because this jewelry will definitely Wow YOU!

Thanks for visiting today and I am hoping you are glad you did too!

May God Bless!

Mary

My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Good Morning!  Happy Valentines Day blogger friends! You are so special to me, and I hope each of you has a great day and enjoys reconfirming your love of others!  How simple a gift, and soooo easy to give! 

Yay!  Now it's time for "My Favorite Kitchen Gadget Party" over at Happier than a Pig in Mud's place.  I hope you will join me in all the fun.  Let's see what you got okay?

Can you believe I am brave enough to show you this?  Yes mam!  This is my very messy kitchen gadget drawer!  Let's see, what I can dig out of here.

There we go!  I knew the beaters to my handheld were in there somewhere.  I LUV this thing!  I don't have a standing mixer but am able to do all I need with this little handheld. 

Here's another favorite.  It doesn't get used as often as it used to, but I really love it when we do.  It's a great way to add some wonderful smells to the kitchen too.  I love the smell of freshly ground coffee beans, don't you?

Now to be honest, this is my most favorite gadget of all!  The gadget that holds all my most used gadgets!

I love having my utensils out and handy so I am not digging through that horrible drawer!

This is my second most used gadget, our cutting knife caddy.  Again, I cannot imagine having knives in a drawer, or digging around for my kitchen scissors either!

My most romantic gadget was purchased for me by the Mr. as either a Valentines or Anniversary gift, I really cannot remember.

I do love my wine but used to have a horrible time trying to uncork a bottle.

I still keep it stored in it's easy flip top box.  I keep the whole box in my pantry for easy access.  It's also quite fun to whip out when guests are over and listen to all the Ooouu's and Ahhh's!  LOL!

I'm sure I'll be using this tonight!

Be sure and watch for two very exciting giveaways coming up soon!  I am celebrating reaching over 100 again on this blog and the start of a new adventure for me.

Meanwhile, have you heard about Joss & Main?

I received an email from our friends at CSN Stores telling me about this wonderful new site, here's what it said.

 Josh and Main is an exclusive private sale site
that CSN Stores recently launched. It offers exclusive sales on top brands and
designers for the home at up to 70% off retail. Sales only last 72 hours, but
new ones are launched daily and all are backed by the high levels of customer
service and quality that you’ve grown to value from CSN.

This sounds like a lot of fun to me! It's free and I joined right away.  You may be put on a waitlist but you will eventually get in, then you can access the daily discounts.  So far the merchandise looks wonderful.  If you are interested in joining please use my special invitation link here or on my sidebar, I'd really appreciate it!  What have you got to loose? 

Thanks for visiting with me today, be sure and let me know if you do.

I'd love to hear from ya!

Mary

  

Oh my aching back!

How many times have you said that?  It seems all I have done lately is move furniture for everyone.  First, I moved furniture around at my mothers house the week before last, after helping her pack up her Christmas decor, finally! Last week I was moving furniture at my FIL's to make room for a hospital bed, that was unexpectedly and urgently needed.

  Today while the Mr. was doing our taxes, I decided to alter our world in the den.  The way this room is designed, leaves very little room for different arrangements of furniture.  It is a massive sized den but very hard to rearrange due to the location of the fireplace smack in the middle of the room.

Anyway, I can't help but try every so often.  So here's where we are with our arrangement today.

I moved both of the sofas together to try to create a more intimate setting.

Then on one side of the fireplace I put our two rattan and wood chairs.  They used to be on either side of the hutch that the TV is on.  Sorry people but our arrangements in the den absolutely must center around this large screen TV, even though I am fully aware the fireplace should be our focal point.  Speaking of, what in the world is that on my TV..Allew?

I moved one of the sofas over more to the right and now you pass through the room closer to the fireplace.  I put two of our club chairs upstairs and brought these two smaller chairs down.

I tried to create another sitting area over here by the screened porch, though really, who is going to sit way over here by themselves.  IDK!  LOL!

Okay, I have to admit this is sorta cozy over here and is where I am currently sitting as I blog away.

Cozy because I lit a fire.  I love my little "lady" logs!  No  fuss, no mess!

This should be interesting to see how well we adjust.  The Mr. said let me try it out awhile, that's not a bad sign.  The youngest came through after work and didn't say anything.  I said, HELLO???  Did you see the den, what do you think?  He said, Oh yeah, it looks a all cramped up Mom!  Urrgghhh!

I guess, I'll try it out for a few days and see where we go from here.  My back is aching, but I do think it's good exercise, don't you?

Linking this post up with BNOTP for

Met Monday.

Thanks for stopping by and if you do, let me know what you think?

Be kind though!  I'm tired and cranky now.  LOL!

Hope your having a good weekend!

Mary

Blended Hearts Tablescape

When two hearts come together

To live and love in life it is because they have learned the secret....

Of what it takes to maintain.

Often there is fire...

...and passion!

And reminiscing over old times...

...remembering where you have been...

...and where you have yet to go!

But the spiciest relationships know...

It takes two to tango.

Only a beautiful blending of hers...

And his...

can create a love that is theirs.

Two hearts that share ...

can make the perfect setting...

...for many nights to come!

I always enjoy having an excuse to show those I love how much I care.  I've shared three tablescapes for Valentines this year.  The first was a brunch setting for girlfriends, shown here.  Last week I shared a family valentines tablescape, shown here.  I didn't think I'd have time for one this week but knew in my heart I couldn't leave this one out.

  I hope they inspire you to share a special evening with the loved ones in your life, whomever they are!  I promise you won't regret the efforts!

Please be sure and visit Tablescape Thursday for more beautiful settings

Thank you for visiting!  Always!

Wishing you a Happy Valentines Day!

Mary

R is for Retail Therapy

Good Morning Miss Jenny!  I'm heeeeyaaahh!  Did ya miss me the last few weeks? Yes mam, I have been absent quite a bit.  But, I been absent for a very good reason, now mind you.  Seems my cousin Mary has got so much going on again that she is just too busy to bring me to school these days.  She says she will do all she can but it ain't easy.  Mam?  Yes mam, cousin Mary really did say that! 

Yes mam, I do know that is not like her to talk that way, you are so right!  I think I've told you before about how cousin Mary forgets all her etiquette when she gets stressed.  Why yes mam, she is stressed again!  Yup, it's about a job again.  This time she's been offered a job though it ain't all that.  What?  Yes mam, I meant it's not all that.  What?  Yes mam, I mean it's not quite as promising as she had hoped it would be, though it is a sure offer.  Now do you understand?  Then she's got another opportunity that is not a sure bet but could be quite lucrative if she was able to make a go of it, though it's RISKY!    

No Mam!  Risky is not my "R" word, but that's a good one!  I was just getting to that, Miss Jenny, my "R" word is Retail Therapy, because that's what old cousin Mary decided to do today.  She said, it always helps.  She also said, "That's how you know your in the right business when you enjoy retail therapy as much as I do!".  LOL!  Let me show what her therapy session consisted of.

She found this cute little basket at one of her favorite consignment and antique stores.  It was 50% off because it's a Christmas item.  She plans to use it all year round after doing a makeover on it.

She said this little holly leaf is coming off as soon as she can figure out what tool to use to get it off. 

Then she found this here CD holder for 50% off too.  I said, now cousin Mary what you need that for?

She said, look at it this way!  It's got all kinds of possibilities when you look at it like this.  She said, this might come in handy if she feels like chasing her risky adventures.

Later at another antique store she found another booth that was 50% off.  She dug these two small dirty old silver trays out from the bottom shelf and was shocked to pay only $2.00 for one and $1.00 for the other.  That was unusual for this store as it wasn't no thrift store, but was a bonafied antique store.

She saved so much at that store she able to pick up a few luxury items.  She said, she was not familiar with this brand but they smelled so wonderful in the store she wanted to indulge.   As if, retail therapy wasn't indulgent enough?  Geez!

Well, that's all I got Miss Jenny!  Retail Therapy!   It helped cousin Mary a bit but there's still lots of decisions to be made, so I just don't know how often I'll be around.  I do like it here though, and will come as often as I can git here for;

Alphabet Thursday

and

Junking Finds Friday

Have a good day Y'all!

"Little Missy"