My life is to make everything around me beautiful.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Cottages, Eye Candy and Postal Prohibitions for Pink Saturday 4/28/2012

It's Pink Saturday over at Beverly's Blog, so visit with her and leave a comment to show your appreciation.




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Okay, first of all again about the new interface. I'm doing a tutorial over on K&S and if you'd like to read it, be my guest. It literally takes many, many hours to do a tutorial and I'm trying my best to do it, but can only do it for 3 to 4 hours a day. I first have to do screenshots, which when taken are tiffs so I have to convert them to jpgs and then photoshop them a little bit. But it involves several images to make things easier for you to understand. At this point, I've got a very, very few of the basics covered and there is much to come. I think. I just don't know how much more I need to do. It would be tremendously helpful if any of you could leave a comment or email me on what has you stumped. Then I could know what to address. I plan on using a template so I can have total control over what my posts look like and not have the photos and text scattered about willy-nilly. So if you're wondering, just ask me after you visit the tutorial. It's not finished yet.

And since I have 19 posts scheduled under the old editor they are going to look a tad out of order on the posts and photos. I am NOT going back and redo those. Starting after those 19 or 20 I'll be using the template and all should be fine then. I like perfection! It will drive me nuts seeing them like they will probably appear but that's how it's going to be for the next few weeks. (And I'm learning much just revising this post. {Grin}
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Like most people I've given eBay a shot when trying to sell things I've made or old clothes or shoes that I no longer want. It wasn't a huge success for me as it has been for a lot of sellers who go on to open their own website for selling. I tried that also, but it was frustrating and time consuming so I just give things away now or sell them on Craigslist, which has worked well for me. I hated shipping things.

I made a small lap quilt once with silk velvet and a woman in Nova Scotia bought it. It really was beautiful. It got lost in the mail to her. I made another one for her and she agreed to accept it as it was truly beautiful and almost exactly like the first one. I went to a lot of trouble making those two quilts as silk velvet is the hardest fabric in the world to work with. I'll never ever do another quilt or work with silk velvet; although, it is gorgeous fabric.

But a lot of women overseas wanted to buy my items and I said no. I just wouldn't ship outside the U.S. because of the rules and regulations and possibility of getting lost or stolen in transit. It just wasn't worth it to me. I'd have had to refund their money or duplicate the item (and lose money all the way around on that option) and it wouldn't have been through any fault of mine, but postal carriers in other countries.

While I gave it scant consideration at one point early on, I checked postal regulations, or rather prohibitions, in several countries and found very interesting rules that helped me make my determination to not ship internationally. Here are just a few prohibitions in some countries. These are just a few countries but I'll be posting more later on in another post.

Albania: You cannot ship extravagant clothes contrary to Albanian's taste or used articles.

Algeria: Articles made of tortoise-shell, mother of pearl, ivory, bone meerschaum and amber—natural or reconstructed, worked jade or mineral substances similar to jade, canned vegetables, fish, plums, nuts, funeral urns, household articles made of tin, saccharine, used clothing or accessories, blankets, linen, textile furnishings, footwear, headwear, watches or clocks.

Denmark: Dried or powdered milk or food mixtures containing it.

France: Imitation pearls.

Italy: clocks or supplies for clocks, artificial flowers or fruits, footwear of any kind, leather goods, playing cards, nutmeg, vanilla, sea or rock salt or saffron, perfumes of any kind, playing cards of any kind, ribbons for typewriters, tobacco, toys not made wholly of wood, coffee or its substitutes, bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof.

So that's it for now. Just feast your eyes on the cottages and eye candy for the rest of this post.

A sweet cottage alongside the road in England.

Aren't these pillows just gorgeous? And that pink (It looks pink on the photo but certainly doesn't look pink after posting it on blogger!) french settee? Ooo-la-la~


Would you look at that rose arbor covering the entry? Sigh....

Some of you are too young to remember these beach chairs but they were comfortable, easily transportable and fun with all the different colors of canvas you could find them in.

This seems a big large to be called a cottage but it's still lovely.



Have you noticed the only color in this photo is the tool, the candy and the petite tin?


I have a few of these gorgeous fabrics and they look much prettier in person.




I have absolutely no idea if this is a residence or a public building but it is stunning! I wonder where it is.


An inexpensive and clever idea for a candlelight dinner on the patio.

I cannot tell you how much I would love to have a garden like this, but with a gardener to take care of it. Hubs wouldn't have the time or energy to keep it up.

Somewhere in England I think, looking at the kitchen and decor. Very pretty.


When you think of simpler times and wanting to live in those days, just think of how much those people would have given to be in your shoes today. Gives one pause, huh?
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Now, go do something fabulous!
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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest.

14 comments:

  1. SO MUCH to TALK ABOUT HERE!!! Once again, I "ALWAYS" want to thank you for all the help you give us(Big Squishy Hugs to you)...NOW for your pictures. How I wish there was a little button on each picture to post a little "LOVE IT", right there at the moment we see it! I HAVE NO IDEA about that "BRIGHT PINK PALACE", I don't know if I like it or not, Hmmm, it's definitely worth a GOOD EXAMINATION though! I KNOW I couldn't live there without SUNGLASSES... MAYBE it's French???
    The pillows on that pink french settee are GORGEOUS. The WHOLE PACKAGE is GORGEOUS! I just found a STACK of pillow cases in THAT exact pattern of pale rose glory, and coordinating fabrics. They were 5cents each! They were PERFECT and "What Dreams are made out of"!
    Oh My your story of your quilt getting lost is "SO SAD"! I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE silk velvet!!! I have a Victorian crazy quilt that "I ADORE" with materials like that!!! I tried selling things on CRAIGS LIST. I DID NOT LIKE IT! I would LIST a LARGE # of related items in one category and say if you take the WHOLE LOT it's a dollar a piece. "NO ONE PAID ATTENTION". I think I like ETSY better than EBAY. It's a more homey feel!
    Thank you for this wonderful post and all the Pretty Pictures!
    Have a fun filled weekend,
    Hugs to you,
    Donna

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  2. Hi Connie! You certainly have a lot of courage to undertake such a huge task as that tutorial. Thank you for those wonderful photos. I love that little pouffe with the pompoms. Those jars with the floating candles create a lovely atmosphere. The pink palatial entrance is not me. I do love that fabric such as the one you have. Here's to wishing you a lovely weekend!

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  3. I have no favorites, everything you presented to us is magnificent. You are one delightful lady, that I adore ... as well as the things you share.

    Have a beautiful weekend ~
    TTFN ~
    Pink hugs,
    Marydon

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  4. Thanks so much for stopping by.

    I enjoyed your post. Very interesting, those postal regulations! Loved the beautiful images!

    We are in NE Missouri. Pretty good growing season. Gets a tad dry in summer and sometimes pretty hot. Husband J is the gardener. We lived on his family's farm for quite a few years before moving to our new home in 2003. He grew up on the farm and lived there almost 60 years. He learned a lot about gardening on the farm.

    HPS!

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  5. You a lady of many talents and kindness. I appreciate what you are doing but truly I am not that blog smart. Your presentation today was lovely.

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  6. Hi Connie, as always I love visiting you.
    HPS
    Michelle

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  7. Okay first I'll wipe off the drool from looking at the beautiful photos you posted. Then tell you I also would not ship out of the USA for the same reasons. Ends up costing you in time etc. Thanks for the funny postal regulations, I had no idea... As for Blogger GRRRRRRRRRRRR WHY can't they just LEAVE a good thing ALONE .. Yahooo did the same thing, messed up something perfectly good.
    (())

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  8. So beautiful! Come and join my Color Connection meme too. The linky is at my Pink Dinosaurs entry. Have a lovely weekend!

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  9. I 2nd the Grrrr on the new interface! These photos are lovely. Someday I promise I will go see more than just the midwest. I am from Idaho too. Love it here. Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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  10. Hi Connie- I'm so glad to have stopped in. The cottages are wonderful and your photographs are stunning. I especially liked the sweet little foot stool. I'll be back, Blessings, L

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  11. Hi Connie, All countries have import regulations, but I have found no problems posting to the major countries like Aust. UK and USA, they are all very similar.
    Thoroughly enjoyed all the thatched cottages and your beautiful fabrics, they helped me have a Happy Pink Saturday!

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  12. Hi Connie! Good luck with your tutorial! I'm sure it will be worth it in the end and you will be so happy that you took the time to learn. I think I could really use it too. I love the cottages and it makes me want to go to Europe. Of course I always have that feeling though! Happy Pink Saturday. ~Marti

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  13. Such a delight to see gorgeous pink every week, yours are lovely!

    My PINK please come and see when you have time. Have a safe and happy weekend!

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  14. Good Morning Connie Sweetie...
    As always a gorgeous and breathtakingly beautiful share. I love to see where you are going to take me each time I pop over.

    I so enjoyed each and every photo, the little foot stool with the balls, LOVE it. My kind of creation.

    The beach chair on the patio, my kind of place to sit and relax. So peaceful and serene, I can feel the sunshine on my face as I read a little from my Kindle.

    Loved the little white corner space, with the few little pops of pink. Tool - priceless - tin - priceless and ofcourse the candy - delicious. LOVE IT....

    I will check out your tutorials later today and get back with you. You always do such a phenomenal job, how can one have an opinion on greatness?

    Have a glorious Sunday sweet friend. Many hugs and much love, Sherry

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Comments are so nice and I thank all of you that leave one for me.