Spring Basket Giveaway from Bella Inspirations
We really appreciate all your feedback on our new dining room wall. Thank you! And I’m super happy to know that my ladder actually says “ladder” and not “scale”. We are still giggling over that one!
Remember I mentioned earlier that I was hosting 3 giveaways? Welcome to Giveaway #2!
(Giveaway #1 is still going, so if you haven’t signed up for it yet, here you go).
My friend Laurie has one of the biggest, kindest hearts I have ever met. She’s created the runners and pillows you’ve seen here at Cottage8.
Uber talented indeed, Laurie owns the online shop Bella Inspirations, where she creates beautiful custom items. “As my mom tells me, I was born with the creative gene” Laurie recalls. “I was not yet 5 years old when I created little model rooms inside of shoeboxes. I wallpapered or painted the "walls" with magazine cutouts, made curtains from fabric scraps, and created furniture from tiny cardboard boxes”. Ever since, Laurie has passionately renovated three of her homes. Of the homes Laurie has designed for others, a few of her favorites include a small 1935 cottage in Sherman Oaks CA, a beach house in Ventura CA, and an expansive home in Westlake Village CA. Each one, as with others, presented totally different challenges along with typical budget concerns. “I go beyond selecting fabrics and paint colors. What I hope to achieve for each of my clients is to make their interiors unique to them. I incorporate pieces with soul - either vintage or antique items you won't see everywhere, as well as items I personally design with my clients in mind”.
Onto the giveaway, shall we? Laurie is giving away to one of my readers this adorable French-Inspired Spring Basket! Please note: the farm eggs are not included!
The basket is lined with pussy willows and green moss…
Crinkly paper grass…
And french ribbons with a piece of vintage jewelry…
To enter to win this beautiful Spring Basket, simply do the following:
1. Leave a comment here on my blog.
2. Leave a comment on Laurie’s blog. Comments make her day!
3. Extra credit question: What is the kindest thing that someone has ever done for you?
This giveaway ends on Monday, April 18th. Lucky winner to be announced here on my blog.
Good luck my friends!
Posts
I just discovered your blog this evening and have enjoyed having a look around. The French spring basket is beautiful. We have our own laying hens, and their eggs would look beautiful in there. Blessings:)
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and am enjoying it very much. The photos are quite beautiful, and the ideas are different and inspiring. Love the basket with the eggs--in fact, I have the perfect place for it! Thanks for the chance at this giveaway!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jennifer! I'm new to blogging, but not new to you. You have always been one of my favorite blogs!! FYI-- I also have Allure flooring in my house and LOVE it as well. I have the hickory in three rooms and the Ebony Teak (recently installed) in my bedroom. Wouldn't pick real wood over these if I had to!! Love the basket!! As for the nicest thing anyone ever did for me....it was a random act of kindness, and I have no idea to this day who did it. It was my birthday, and my entire family was eating out that night -- myself, my husband and our five children. When it was time to pay the ticket, the server came over and said it had been taken care of already by someone in the restaurant who no longer had a family. She said that person told her to tell us that they enjoyed watching our family that evening, and that our children were well loved and well behaved. Our ticket had to have been over $100. It was the best birthday surprise ever, and they didn't even know it was my birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many who have done so many nice things for me, but I guess I'd have to say my husband Brad tops them all. One of the more important things was when I was very sick in the hospital and so weak I could not even lift my head, he adjusted my pillow, blanket, fed me, held me, looked out for me, and generally kept me sane (during a critical time when I barely knew what was going on after a serious episode with kidney shutdown and blood sepsis when I fell ill while on vacation). The whole experience, from the doctors and nurses who cared for me to the prayer chains who included me to the cards people sent me, have made me even more aware of how important it is to be there for other people in similar situations. My grandparents, whom I adored and was very close to, always told me as a child to "do something nice for someone else" when I wondered how to repay them whenever they had done something for me (my Grandma sewed a lot for me, and my Grandpa gave me a lot of good advice), and whenever I see the opportunity for that in my life now, I remember them. Sorry for the length of this post, but being kind to each other is a big deal to me, and I believe one of the things that is required of us as human beings on this earth by our Maker! Thanks so much for realizing the importance of kindess on our lives!
ReplyDeleteJust curious what the big black letters say to the right of your new wall. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful giveaway, I love Lauries blog, and now I am really enjoying yours!
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing anyone has ever done for me is very hard to choose, I am so blessed with amazing family and friends, but my best friend surprised me with a day of fun and laughter when I was at a very low point.. it really gave me the boost I needed!
Flick
how in the he... HECK did i miss your dining room makeover post??? good night that is absolutely gorgeous! i keep looking at it over and over and over...
ReplyDeleteeven if i don't win the basket, i feel like a winner with all the inspiration your dining room has to offer!
What a stunning basket! It is beautiful! I'll head on over to Laurie's blog right now too.
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing anyone has ever done for me? Too numerous to mention..I am blessed with wonderful things people in my life, both family and friends..they constantly amaze me. Life is really pretty darn good :-)
What a lovely basket! I have a few laying around...not nearly as pretty!...I may get creative with some moss. Thanks for the opportunity to win one!
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say ONE of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me was when my neighbor's little boy...about 7 years old at the time...gave me a Boyd's Bear candle holder. It was his and he said he wanted to thank me for being there for his Mom and Dad when his Dad had to have open heart surgery. (He has noticed a collection of my own!) This meant sooo very much coming from a young child his age. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think of Tim.
I would lovet o win this basket...very beautiful and I have the perfect place for it!
ReplyDeleteNancy5678 at aol dot com
The nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me is:
ReplyDeleteOn Jan 29, 2011 my husband just woke up and said, "It was over." He walked away from me our two school aged children with no explanation other than that. He moved 7 hours away to be with his new girlfriend. To this day he has not sent a dime of support and he will not comply with any court orders. Through the kindness of total strangers our freezer is full and we are given gas money weekly by people we do not even know. There is a gas card taped to our front door every Monday, and every Mpnday night there are groceries on our front porch. We have no idea who is doing this, but we are so thankful and blessed. That is true kindness!
Nancy5678 at aol dot com
Hi Jennifer
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've visited here before and just love your cottage.. the dark accents [especially navy] are right up my alley..
Laurie's pillow creations are exquisite... I won't enter the giveaway as australian customs would surely put a spanner in the works but good luck to everyone who enters..
Have a lovely week.. ciao xxx Julie
Love your blog and love the basket!! And I really LOVE your dining room make-over:)
ReplyDeleteLovin everything about that basket, the ribbon especially.
ReplyDeleteI have had so many kindnesses done for me that I cannot choose just one. But I have great faith in the human spirit. Your post is gorgeous, thank you..
ReplyDeleteI've been a follower for a while, what a gorgeous giveaway this is!
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing anyone has ever done for me? After my divorce I broke down on my way to school to take a final. A complete stranger bumped my car into a side street then she drove me to school and gave me a pep talk the whole way there, telling me I was going to make it and everything would work out for me. I really think she was my angel!!!
ReplyDeleteOh the basket is just darling. Very springy indeed!! Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteAmy
It is hard to pick just one thing that someone did for me that was kind. Always keep kindness in your heart and it will come back to you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous basket! Love the ribbon and details!
ReplyDeleteI visited Laurie's blog. I am now following her! I also visited her etsy shop, and I have my eye on an item over there!
ReplyDeleteThe Easter basket is so pretty. I would love to win it! Thanks so much for hosting the giveaway, Jennifer.
My sweet friend and neighbor cooked us some home made chicken and dumplings after I had a follow-up surgery in March. The kids loved it!
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteLovely basket!
Jennifer I have you as a favorite on my list!Not a lurker,not a newbie but a loyal reader of your blog for over a year now.
Hi Jennifer.....I have been a follower of yours for quite some time. I really love what you have done to your house. The basket is a lovely giveaway and thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteLinda at lindarubin@centurytel.net
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteOh goodness - I love the charming French basket - just adorable - as well as everything that Laurie creates.
Over the years I have been blessed with many random acts of kindness and have always tried to do the same for others. The most memoriable was about 3 years ago when I was walking my dog and tripped over him and fell and broke my arm. A total stranger came out of her house and sat with me while waiting for the ambulance to come - she even took my dog in and kept him over night until I returned home from the hosital. She also called my family and friends and they were waiting for me at the emergency room when the ambulance arrived. I remember her in my prayers every night.
Hugs and Blessings,
Erin
The basket is beautiful, and the blog is always a source of amazing inspiration. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful basket! Just in time for Easter.:)
ReplyDeleteThat ribbon is to die for! Hope I win. :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, it comes down to just being there. That's my husband. Always by my side, no matter what! For that I am truly thankful.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, The kindest thing anyone has done for me was this past Christmas. My husband and I both lost our jobs, he had to retire, and so did I. Since we are on a fixed income, there is little money left to spend and I received an anonymous gift of money at Christmas from someone at our church (I think)so we could buy Christmas gifts for our grandkids.
ReplyDeleteI love the giveaway...please enter my name.
Hi Jennifer, Love the basket and it would be great to win! I am a long time follower of yours and laurie's. I just left her a comment. Christmas Eve many years ago I was returning late from my parents home. It 11:00PM and raining hard. My car broke down in a somewhat isolated area. This was before cell phones and I was terrified to be out there alone. Within 15 minutes a tow truck showed up with the owner and his wife. They towed my car home and gave me a ride in the cab of the truck. They refused to take any money and told me every Christmas they would ride around and look for people that needed help. I always think of this couple as my guardian angels that night.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Sherry
Love this basket. Really charming - as are all of her creations.
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing - I really can't say since I have been so blessed by wonderful people all my life. (none of which I deserved) One example of true kindness: when my husband passed away, a fellow we knew casually, stopped by one day with a load of firewood he had cut. Just out of the blue. He said we might like to have a cheery fire and I probably wouldn't be able to cut it myself, since my husband always did that.
I love this sweet basket, it is the perfect decoration to welcome spring into our home.
ReplyDeleteSmiles,
Dolly
The kindest thing anyone has done for me???
ReplyDeleteI had fractured my shoulder and my friend Barb came over and cleaned out my flower beds for me!
Hugs,
Dolly
Cute basket! My husband was in the middle of re-modeling our house when he was hurt at work and had to take it easy for six weeks. My family came over and helped finish things for us.
ReplyDeleteLove that basket!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, kindest thing...my mom does them all the time. She loves to buy me plants and come plant them for me since I don't have much time to do it, but I love pretty color outside. That makes me smile and I feel loved.!
ReplyDeletelove the blog and every article you post.....love the painted look...
ReplyDeleteHi Jen! Kindness comes from the heart, so any display of it is a special gift. I have had so many people display kindness to me over my life time so I will go with the latest one in my memory. I work retail by myself on Sun and it was an especially busy, tiring day in the store and a customer came in and said I looked bushed. I said a cup of tea would please right now for fun. Well she ran out and went to 2 places (first one was closed) and came back with a hot cuppa for moi! If that isn't kindness, I don't know what is. Please enter me in the draw for Laurie's basket, and have a wonderful week Jen. All the best ~ Patty/BC
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI love Laurie's great stuff, especially the pillows. I think the kindest thing someone has done for me lately, is when Dusty Lu, helped me set up my blog. It's the most freeing kind of expression I've felt since writing in my Barbie (yes I really did have one), journal. I love taking photos and having a venue to show them, has been a delight. I love comments from everyone. It's instantaneous positive feedback. I thank Lu, again!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely giveaway! She makes such wonderful things!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful basket for a giveaway. I sure appreciate your beautiful blog. Diane jl-tol@earthlink.net
ReplyDeleteLove the basket! I would love to win!! chedeb5353@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteThe nicest thing was when my mom surprised me with a yard make over. It was like a TV show...there were men in my yard and all my landscapping was torn up. Needless to say I couldn't believe the thought she put into it. When I pull up to my house it still makes me tear up...she passed away last September. Diane jl-tol@earthlink.net
ReplyDeleteI left a comment on Laurie's blog. chedeb5353@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteThat little basket is so sweet, I would love to win it.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Cindy
What a sweet basket!
ReplyDeleteCount me in! I love it :) crystal @ thethriftymama .com (remove spaces)
ReplyDeleteI'm playing catch-up on blog reading. I love what you've done to the dining room! And the ladder really does look old. The translator can come up with some goofy stuff, can't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteLove the basket and please enter me in your giveaway!
The kindest thing ever was when I was in nursing school. It had been a grueling year and I was taking finals. The very last test was 3 days prior to walking across the stage to get my diploma. I went in to take the test and felt everything I had learned just flew out of my mind. By the time I finished it I was in tears. I walked out to my car to call my best friend. He asked me where I was and I said Im in the parking lot, where are you? He said Im standing right behind you! He had taken off work and came to the college. Spent the entire morning walking around the building praying for me as I was taking the test. He stayed with me during the lunch break and was there when the grades came in.Three days later I walked across the stage and recieved my nursing diploma. Five months later, I walked down the isle and married this great man!
I love the basket, please pick me! -Michelle
ReplyDeletelove the basket!! I would love to win!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, love the updated dining room wall!!
Thanks for such great blog posts!
Shelley
Your living room looks fabulous! It is my kind of decorating style and it looks warm and inviting! I adore Bella Inspirations and would love to be entered to win her lovely spring
ReplyDeletebasket...
Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
I have been blessed with much kindness around me during my life! I lost my only brother and my mom
ReplyDelete4 months apart and the kindness shown to me by
so many wonderful people during that extremely
difficult time was amazing...
Merci, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
Jennifer - I love your house. All the makeovers are awsome!
ReplyDeleteSharon Lawhorne
Hi Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteThe basket is beautiful. Thank you for sharing Lori's blog and shop!
Deborah
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing anyone has done for me? Well the most recent was the overwhelming response I got from readers when my nephew died.
Deborah
What a beautiful blog! The pussywillows on the gorgeous basket remind me of my father & looking for them every year.
ReplyDeleteJust Beth
I just love your blog!!!! What a breath of fresh air!!!! Every little section of the rooms are like a refreshing walk in the park. Such new and fresh ideas. I love being part of your blog - as an admiring reader!
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing anyone ever did for me? Well that is easy. 50 years ago, a family in San Diego, took me into their home as a foster child. The woman of the home was Barbara Sam. Here it is 50 years later and Barbara is such a tremendous mom to me still. Several years ago, Barbara lost her home to the Cedar Fires. "SHOULD" I win the basket ---- I would have it sent to her as a reminder of my thankfulness and love. (Of course, she knows this). She is simply a one in a million mom, that's for sure! Thanks for the opportunity!!!!!
That basket is too cute!
ReplyDeleteCall me old fashion but I love when someone holds the door open for me. It doesn't have to be me walking through the door first, even if a stranger walks in before me but holds the door a little longer makes me feel good. Kindness goes along way!
ReplyDeleteLove the cute basket, so please count me in!
ReplyDeleteLove the basket and the jewelry bauble too!
ReplyDeleteI think the kindest thing anyone has done for me.... was when my friends brought warm meals to my door unannounced when my husband was battling an illness.
(He is fine now, thank heavens!)
These gestures touched my heart forever and I will never forget them!
:)
xx
Alison
Basket is super cute!!!
ReplyDeleteA lady named Marie from my home town brought me pizza the day my Mom was buried. She figured I hadn't eaten and knew I had loved it because I bought it from her almost every weekend when she owned her own take-out. I'll never forget her and her kindness that day..
ReplyDeletegorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletelove the photos!
take care,
Rosa
I love your the things you added to the dining room, esp. the chalkboard wall. I loved Laurie's items in her shop and oredered a couple of stockings...this past year. She had great service and her craftsman ship was exceptional...please enter me. I'll be on my way to leave a comment on her blog.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved your blog! It's at the top of my list... because of YOU, I now have a 'love affair' with WHITES. Love 'em. YOU, are so talented, and SO lucky that you are able to do what you love so much, AND have the support of your hubby!
ReplyDeleteThe kindest thing anyone has done for me? It's kind of sad/but very sweet. My baby passed away years ago suddenly from SIDS. Unbeknown to me, someone... still do not know who, paid for the entire funeral. We even, amazingly... unplanned by us... had a funeral line of several cars going for several miles to the burial site. Wish I could've thanked them. But whoever they are, they are angels.
The basket? Oh my word... do I love it? Oh yeah!
Thanks for this splendid giveaway.
ReplyDeleteanashct [at] yahoo [dot] com
The kindest thing anyone has ever done- hmm...would have to be when a friend took my family in when times were hard
ReplyDeleteanashct [at] yahoo [dot] com
Wow, what a gorgeous site. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats a kind word fittly spoken...I love that basket.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous basket celebrating Spring! So very beautiful...as is your entire blog!
ReplyDeleteThere are so very many kind people in the world...the kindest thing of most recent for me: a co worker who realized that I should visit an ER immediately picked me up and delivered me for treatment while my husband was out of town. She would not take a "no" for an answer...so selfless!
Im a sucker for anything that can hold beautiful eggs.
ReplyDeleteBTW, my husband now wants to paint the inside of our fireplace black :)
The kindest thing that someone has ever done for me...hmm...I honestly have such sweet friends and family it is hard to choose!
ReplyDeleteI would have to say: my husband constantly keeping the kitchen clean. He knows how badly it frustrates me to have a dirty kitchen so he is always picking up after himself and wiping down the counters.
It's the little things!
One of the nicest things someone did for me was a total stranger:
ReplyDeleteOne day my car over heated right in the middle of an off ramp and I couldn't get it restarted even long enough to move it out of the way. No one would stop and help me. Then this man came along on a bicycle. He was not even wearing a shirt and he was a bit unkept. He stopped and helped me get some water to put in the car and stayed with me until the car would again start. He told me he just hoped someone would do the same for his wife and pedaled off, would not accept any compensation. I was so impressed that this total stranger would stop to help me like that. Made my day.
vikkinay@yahoo.com
Would so love to win that wonderful basket.
ReplyDeletevikkinay@yahoo.com
What a beautiful basket. Thanks for sharing Laurie's blog as well.
ReplyDeleteMy father has shown so much kindness to my husband and I the past couple of years, especially. He is retired and 78 years "young". He shows up to my yard to spray weeds, fertilize the lawn, haul stuff to the waste dump, etc. He helps many others in his neighborhood in the same ways, helping widows with their yardwork, etc. It keeps him young and moving, he will tell you!!
ReplyDeletesrobinsonpiano at g mail dot com
Love your blog! Just found the basket with the lovely decorations. count me in! Nicest thing anyone has done for me was tell me a about a personal relationship with the Lord!
ReplyDelete