Tania Isidora...

In my continuing efforts to streamline my business, I have decided that a name change is in order...

Pink Twilight will now be Tania Isidora {my first and middle names}.

I have been thinking about doing this for a while now, but when I saw this and this...I knew I had to make the change. I am really excited about this and I hope you will follow me on my new blog and continue on this journey with me!

As some of you may have noticed, I closed my Pretty Papel shop. I don't want to split my focus between two shops. My hubby and my son will be in charge of Buddha Books...they will have that up and running soon. I will continue to offer pretty supplies at Tania Isidora. I will be moving all of my listings over to my new shop today. Stop by and heart me and come by often...I have big plans ;)

Dreams...

I hope everybody had a nice, romantic Valentine's Day!

My Valentine's Day turned out better than expected. We didn't exchange gifts this year...or go anywhere special...but it was one of the best Valentine's Day I've had in a long time. Hubby made us all breakfast and everyone pitched in to do some major house cleaning...but what made Valentine's Day special this year was a conversation I had with my hubby, John. He brought up dreams that we've had for a long time now that have gotten pushed aside in our crazy, hectic, busy, wonderful, wouldn't trade it for the world...lives. Dreams that I honestly thought he didn't care about anymore...Dreams that I didn't dare let myself dream anymore for fear that they might never come true. Those dreams are still there for the both of us...and yesterday I started to dream again...and that is why my Valentine's Day was so special! Some of these dreams might take some time still to happen, but every great dream begins with a dreamer!

Nothing happens unless first we dream.
Carl Sandburg

And of course we had our annual heart shaped pizza! YUMMY!

Stickers with a Purpose...

Like so many of you, I have been deeply moved by the tragedy in Haiti. Also like so many of you, I donated to the relief effort, but I feel I should do more. After everyone has been fed and given medical attention ~ the rebuilding must begin.

I've always admired the work that Ricky Martin's foundation has done on behalf of children's rights as well as the work that Habitat for Humanity does to provide families with a safe and decent home. Ricky Martin has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to begin the process of rebuilding in Haiti.

100% of the proceeds from the sale of these stickers will go directly to the Ricky Martin Foundation/Habitat for Humanity Haiti Recovery Fund. Each sticker has been hand cut and measures 2.5" across.
Acid free.

Thank you for your generosity and enjoy these fabulous stickers!
Tania

Balance...

Boy...I didn't realize it has been over a month since my last blog post. Christmas came and went so fast that it left me spinning and trying to find my balance. It was a nice christmas though! We stayed home and enjoyed our time together. Grandma took the kids to her house for New Year's ~ John and I had some much needed alone time. We pretty much just vegged out and watched movies and made fun of how boring we are now :)
Now I am making the transition into working my business full time. It's been really difficult. The teenagers totally get it. They know if they let mom work...they benefit. On the other hand...Tatiana is not so understanding. I try to get as much done as I can while she is at school, but 3.5 hours is just not a lot of time {and Mondays she's only in school until 10:40}.
It seems like every time I sit down to do something she needs something from me. It feels like I'm getting up every 30 seconds. And before I know it...it's time to pick the teenagers up from school, run errands, cook dinner, clean, drive around to dance lessons, wash some clothes, clean, help with homework, clean, deal with whatever crisis comes up that day, clean, read to Tatiana, bathtime for Tatiana, clean {I'm not a neat freak...it's just that if I don't constantly clean up during the day, things will pile up really quick and then it's just a disaster that takes a whole day to clean.} And when everyone is finally asleep and the house is quiet, I sit down at my craft table and I'm too exhausted to do anything....lol.
So I'm just going to let it happen naturally and not force it. I will just try to get as much done when I can and not put too much pressure on myself. I know that all too soon the day will come when the kids will be independant and I will have too much time on my hands.
I'm just going to enjoy the little things that I used to think of as a distraction...like having a tea party with Tatiana and Duffy the dog!


Have a fabulous Monday!

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas...

After I made these christmas tags...

I began to think how nice it would be to have more pink christmas things...so I went window shopping and here are some of my favorites...Enjoy!
Vintage Glass Ornament Balls

Snowflake Cookie Gift Set

Printable Cupcake Toppers

Christmas Cottage

Nadia Cowl

Snowmen Peasant Dress

Ballerina Tutu Ornaments

Little Polka Dot Stocking

Now go shopping...I know you want some new pink christmas things now ;)

Let It Snow...

I created this card this morning and I gotta say...I just LOVE it! The glamorous fabric reminds me of snow. The pretty winter fairy is so sweet. I'll be in my studio late into the evening creating more goodies with this gorgeous fabric...

Visit Pink Twilight and Pretty Papel for FREE SHIPPING NOW THROUGH MONDAY!

Strange...

I have to write about this because it is soooo strange...
It's no secret that I love birdies. I love watching them hop around. I love watching them fly. I love admiring their beautiful colors. I even like crows. So when I bought the cute little birdie stamp that I used to make this ~

these ~

and these ~

I was giddy! And then...I lost it.
I couldn't find it anywhere so I thought...no big deal...I'll just buy another one. And then...I lost that one too.
I searched high and low and I couldn't find it. But I loved this little stamp so much that I bought another one.
And then...I lost the third one. I was sure that Tatiana was taking them because she loves playing with my stamps, but she denied it. I searched all of her little purses and backpacks. I searched her little stash of kid craft supplies. I emptied every toy bin. I was so sure that I would find all three stamps hidden in a pencil pouch or in her rock collection box...but I didn't find them. So I bought a fourth stamp. And you guessed it...I lost it. Strange...
I have every stamp I've ever bought since about 1995. I never lost one.
So after buying and losing 4 of my favorite little birdie stamps I kinda get the feeling that I'm not supposed to have one. The next time I see one at my local arts and crafts store I will just walk on by. If it is meant to be...the four stamps that are floating around in a parellel universe somewhere will come back to me.

UPDATE 11.19.09 ~ Tatiana found one of the birdie stamps!!! I keep a bin in the garage full of cute clothes that she has outgrown because every once in a while she likes to play "store". She hadn't played in months and then about 2 nights ago I brought the bins into the house and after she hung all of her clothes in her "store" she screamed "Mommy, mommy I found it!" And there it was...at the bottom of her plastic bin. I'm going to guard my little birdie stamp with my life. Not really...but I will try not to lose this one :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween Swap

I did my first ever art swap for Halloween and it was soooo much fun! It was hosted by the Joli Paquet blog and the theme was Halloween! We were to make a tote bag filled with Halloween goodies...I really enjoyed putting this together for my swap partner Cheryl! Here are some of the goodies I sent to her ~~~



Here are some of the FABULOUS treats Cheryl sent to me ~~~



and there was even a gift for Pumpkin~~~

Vintage Treasures...

I had fun shopping for vintage treasures this past weekend! Here are a few of my favorite finds~

Welcome home lovely vintage linens...you will be cherished and loved...

More vintage seam binding to add to my stash...

I love the images on these vintage hot iron transfers...

Cute vintage sewing patterns from the 1970's...

This one isn't vintage...but for $2.00...I couldn't pass it up :)

HAVE A FABULOUS MONDAY!

HALLOWEEN SALE...

Head over to my HALLOWEEN section where everything has been marked down 25%!!!

Don't Talk About It... BE About It...

I have kinda sorta taken the last few weeks off...I haven't tweeted much {not easy} and I haven't updated my etsy shops very much. What have I been doing??? Well...


I celebrated my birthday on September 28. My son celebrated is 14th birthday yesterday and the rest of the time I have been at a crossroad, wondering which direction to take. Now that all of my kids are in school, I have the opportunity to well, how should I put this... increase my family's disposable income and savings ~in other words~ get a JOB. Seems simple right? Not for me. You see I feel this constant tug at my heart and it's pulling me towards magic, wonder, joy, satisfaction, healing, creativity, art...

So these past few weeks I've been thinking about which direction my life should take now. Whenever I find myself in this situation, I always try to get out of my own way and watch for "signs". So I pretty much just sat back and let the universe show me which direction to take.

After the boxes and boxes of fabric, vintage seam binding, vintage books, ribbons, trim, vintage sewing patterns and oh soooo lovely paper literally fell into my lap...I got the message.

And after a good heart to heart with John, I finally said to him "I don't want to be gone from home all day every day for the next thirty years." to which he replied "I don't want that either." So at least I knew we were both on the same page. I LOVE being able to pick my kids up from school every day and being available for whatever my family might need. I also LOVE being in control of my time...and working from home allows me to do that. So when I told John that what I really want to do is more of what I've been doing on Etsy, his reply was "Don't talk about it, BE about it."

So here I am...I will take my little business and make it into a "full time" job. Up until now it's been more of a hobby/just for fun/when I have time sorta thing. It's time to take things to the next level and create the life I've always imagined. So what does this mean for you, my faithful customers and friends...just more fabulous, cute, shabby chic, cottage style, vintage inspired, goodies :) Lots more vintage finds and I will also be adding more fun items for you to create with in my supply shop.


I am also adding a third Etsy shop ~Buddha Books~ where I will feature vintage books. Buddha is my son's nickname. It started because of his Buddha belly that he had when he was a baby and then it took on more meaning as he got older and he revealed just how enlightened, compassionate and wise he truly is.

I look forward to sharing this exciting adventure with all of you.

Peace, Love & Light ♥

Halloween Wearable Art...

In case you didn't get the memo... I LOVE Halloween!!!
I've been browsing Etsy for some fabulous wearable art and I was not dissapointed. Here are a few of my favorites...

Fabulous messenger bag from bizzielizzie

Vampire shirt from coup

Wicked socks from poppyswickedgarden

Magical pumpkin earrings from shysiren

Awesome pumpkin necklace from lulubugjewelry

Pretty Papel

Hi Friends!

I would like to say a special hello to all of my new friends visiting me from Twitter! I have "met" so many talented and great new friends. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you :0)

I would also like to let all of you know that I have a new shop where I am listing supplies with the paper crafter in mind! Pretty Papel opened in June and I have been busy stocking the shop with some old favorites like my naked paper bag scrapbooks and blank raffle tickets as well as fun finds like vintage ribbons, vintage book pages, antique sheet music, fun paper and trim! Enjoy & Happy Shopping!

The Dark Side of Marie Antoinette...

Just a little sneeky peek at what I'm working on this week. A fun new line... Marie Antoinette does Halloween! This fun journal will be in the shop later today and more cards and tags to follow. Hope everyone is having a fabulous day...xoxo

That THING???

I bought this from a dear, close friend who was having a yard sale. I've always loved it and I was so happy to acquire it and give it a nice, loving home. It looks perfect in my dining room! Well, when I first brought it home my dear husband, John, says "What are you going to do with that thing?"

That THING? THAT THING?

How can he call it that THING? I LOVE this...anytime I can daydream about going to a Cotillion in a Grand Ballroom is a good day :)

As for John, I will let it slide this time. After all, he does sleep in pink rose covered bedding {as a matter of fact...there's flowers on all my bedding}. He didn't complain when I bought pink, foofy towels for our bathroom and I forbade him to use them. He listens attentively when I describe how I'm going to paint all the rooms in the house ballerina pink someday. He will immediately make a u-turn any time I spot an antique or thrift store and then spend countless hours pretending he's happy to be there. He looks at every picture I show him from Romantic Homes and just nods and says "That's nice babe". So now you understand why I was a little bit shocked when he referred to my latest treasure as "that THING".

But I've got a good man, so I will pretend like his comment never happened...after all...I do need somebody to help me carry in all the old furniture I bring home :-)

Halloween Time....

Just a quick little note to let you know that halloween goodies are making their way into the shop now! It's getting closer and closer to that magical day...summer is saying its' final good-byes and homes are beginning the transformation into cozy indoor havens. Everytime I walk by the fireplace it just wants me to light it. I have the urge to shop for cozy fall sweaters and the halloween boxes in the garage are screaming "open me, let me out!"...not really, but I do want to decorate for halloween really, really bad :}

First Days...

Today was the first day of school for my teenagers and Tatiana. I almost cryed...but I didn't. The teenagers were calm, cool and collected. They showed no signs of being nervous {not even my freshman}. Tatiana was a bit nervous and scared, but she has a very kind, sweet teacher and I was able to sneak out of the classroom before she could panic.
I'm sad...the house is so quiet now. I'm also excited that I have so much more time to devote to my business now. This week I'm working on fall and halloween crafts. I know it's still summer, but now that school has started I can just feel the chill in the air. Can't you?