fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Cristina Popescu for submitting the randomly-chosen 732nd entry. The weather is heating up and that means fun trips to the pool and beach to cool down! Nourish your skin after a day in the sun by washing away the chlorine or sand with all natural bath products. Cory of Aquarian Bath is giving away three bars of soap to celebrate summer. The handmade soap prize pack includes lavender oatmeal gentle soap , lavender rose soap and tea tree soap . Aquarian Bath, a family-owned company in Daytona Beach, strives to be as green as possible - their website even runs on just 3 watts of solar power. Their splendid soaps are handmade from natural ingredients that include herbs, colored clays and mineral pigments. They don't use GMO oils in any of their products, which range from deodorant balm to flaxseed pillows to tooth powder. Cory has a background in Biological Sciences from the University of Washington and studied herbal medi...

"Among the changing months, May stands confest the sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed." - James Thomson Ogre and I stopped at Cold Stone Creamery last week, and got an unexpected treat while enjoying ice cream - these pretty purple bell-shaped flowers were in the flower box next to our picnic table.

Don't be late for a very important treasury date! Quick, follow Bevin from Cramp Cakes down the rabbit hole. Her Alice in Wonderland home decor ideas include tea party printable arrow signs by Glitter Ink Party Printables, We're All Mad Here metal wall art by Inspire Metals and my White Rabbit art magnet .

My excitement for the Strawberry Festival has been plumping up since I first mentioned it in my strawberry manicure post on Monday. Tomorrow I may pop after devouring the strawberry shortcake! I'm hoping to find some local jam to satisfy my cravings through the summer season, too. But first, I couldn't resist the temptation to see what fruit jams were available from Etsy sellers around the world. Although there's plenty of edible jam options that made my mouth water, the strawberry jam jewelry was what caught my attention. The homemade eye candy is very, berry cute. 1. Strawberry Jam Blue Ribbon Earrings by Life is the Bubbles 2. Strawberry Jam Jar Necklace by Clay and Clasp 3. Strawberry Jam Doughnut Earrings by Dreaming Chameleon 4. Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich Earrings by Shay Aaron Miniatures Disclaimer: This post was inspired by Life is the Bubbles , an enchanting blog sponsor that pays for advertising space and featured listings like above. If you th...

I've been scouting the hydrangea bushes as they slowly sprout leaves this spring. There's still not a flower bud to be seen, but I don't have to wait any longer to enjoy the pretty petals. A beautiful blue hydrangea bangle bracelet bloomed in my handmade jewelry collection, thanks to Sarah of Modern Flower Child . I almost floated away like a dandelion seed when the flower bracelet arrived. Sliding it on my wrist didn't even weigh me down! Although her Etsy listings describe her crystal clear resin jewelry as lightweight, I was still surprised how light it was for such a chunky fashion bangle. Want to grow a real flower bracelet for free in your own summer wardrobe? Make sure you plant your entries in Sarah's jewelry giveaway before June 5, 2014! Disclaimer: I received this free bracelet as a thank you gift for hosting a jewelry giveaway. If you think your creations would harmonize with my whimsical ramblings, learn how to sponsor a giveaway here .

"Do not allow to slip away from you freedoms the people who came before you won with such hard knocks." - D. H. Lawrence I took this spiral shot from the bottom of the #7 observation tower at Cape Henlopen State Park after my mom and I climbed it a few weeks ago. The fire control tower was built at Fort Miles to spot enemy ships during World War II, thus I thought it appropriate to share before Memorial Day.

As mentioned in my strawberry manicure post yesterday, I'm participating in my first craft fair in years. I hope I don't end up in the red! But because it's a strawberry festival, I'm expecting to see juicy reds like Robin from Tinker Bead Designs found on Etsy. Her red home decor ideas include fiery red sunset photography print by Sue Dickson Gallery, In the Poppy Field fine art print by Vaida Photo and my red gerbera daisy art magnet .

After five years, my mom and I are returning as vendors to Mary Mother of Peace's annual Strawberry Festival this Saturday, May 24. I'd gotten discouraged trying to sell my art at craft fairs and turned my attention to blogging globally instead. But now that mom's making fabulous fantasy jewelry, we decided to give the local market another chance and share a table. If we end up not making a profit, at least we can drown our sorrows in some scrumptious strawberry shortcake. To match the event, I applied Poppy & White Polka nail wraps by Jamberry Nails because the white polka dots on red reminds me of strawberries. The striped accent nail on my pinky is a sample of Flirty Flair from the Garden Party collection. You may recognize the strawberry plate I'm clutching as a prop - the delightful dish is part of my handmade trove, courtesy of Ceraminic. Don't miss out on a sweet chance to win a sheet of floral nail wraps . Kiss My Tips' Jamberry Nails gi...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Piroska Blanchette for submitting the randomly-chosen 736th entry. Now that the wind has blown the cherry blossoms away, I'm looking forward to daisies and lilies blooming next. One lucky winner could even have the real daisy bracelet above pop up in her mailbox in time for summer. Sarah of Modern Flower Child is giving away a $50 gift card to her resin jewelry shop, where flowers don't fade. She captures nature's bright beauty by molding organic materials into wearable art. Living on the coast of Oregon, she has access to plenty of pretty places to handpick fantastic foliage. Her range of real flower jewelry is breathtaking. From baby's breath earrings to moss pendants to ivy leaf rings, I dare you to try to pick a favorite! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2014/05/real-flower-jewelry-giveaway-gift-card.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent...

"Blossoms are scattered by the wind and the wind cares nothing, but the blossoms of the heart no wind can touch." - Yoshida Kenko Did you take my advice and dance beneath the pink flowering trees before the last of their pretty petals had fallen?

A wilting wave of humidity is making it feel like summer outside, but I'm not ready to breeze by spring that fast! Natasha from Joy For Toes captured the season's essence in cool greens. Her nature gift ideas include verdigris green leaf bobby pins by A Pocket of Posies Jewelry, windswept tree branch earrings by Taylor Twigg and my four leaf clover line art coloring page .

Guest Post by Kimberly Carman of Kiss My Tips It's such a fantastic feeling to combine being fashionable with supporting a great cause! When it also gives me a chance to be creative, it's a win from every angle. I designed these custom henna-style nail wraps in the Jamberry Nail Art Studio as a special exclusive style to offer supporters of Shimmy Mob - a worldwide organization that arranges a dance event once a year to promote understanding of Middle Eastern Dance on World Belly Dance Day and most importantly to raise funds for local charities that support victims of abuse. These wraps are part of a fundraiser to support ChildSafe, a non-profit organization providing therapy for children who are victims of sexual abuse and their non-offending family members. 20% of any purchase made from Kiss My Tips with "Shimmy Mob 2014" selected at checkout is donated to ChildSafe. We have already raised enough funds to allow at least 2 children to have several weeks of the...

As soon as Natalia told me she mailed me a piece of her handmade jewelry, my imagination got wrapped up in what it would look like. She offers such a ravishing range of unique designs in her Vancouver jewellery shop . When the smoky quartz pendant arrived, my daydreaming didn't stop. Now I'm fantasizing about autumn adventures as the sun sleeps. The black and orange wire combination reminds me of Halloween, my favorite holiday. The faceted focal bead shines in the light like the Hunter's Moon. But I won't be waiting that long to string it upon a black ribbon and wear the wire-wrapped pendant around my throat. This weekend is Maryland Faerie Festival and the necklace will be perfect with my black fairy wings. Disclaimer: I received this free pendant as a thank you gift for hosting a jewelry giveaway. If you think your handmade creations would harmonize with my whimsical ramblings, learn how to sponsor a giveaway here .

"The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit." - Thomas Malory Go dance beneath the flowering trees before their petal storms are over for the spring season! They fade so fast.

The only time I have a green thumb is when it's smudged with colored pencil, but I appreciate the fruits of gardeners' labor. Bevin from Cramp Cakes planted a gorgeous garden of handmade items during a SPSteam game. Her floral home decor ideas include Waltz of the Flowers photo print by Sunshine Fine Art Photography, Pink Flowering Gum art print by Teva Kiwi and my red columbine flower art magnet . Treasuries shared by readers between May 6 - May 12, 2014 Be a Star Sunday Flowers Reds and Browns May 19 Let the Music Play Pepper & Mustard I'll Place the Sky Within Your Eyes May 20 The Geometry of Nature Bling Black blue bird of happiness Click the dragon below to promote your links in the current Treasury Tuesday Linky.

I'm glad I didn't shatter my mom's Blue Willow china with my shriek of excitement when I found out I won my first Jamberry giveaway, thanks to Sarah White. (I've entered dozens since March - I even have a Google keyword alert set up, so bookmark my Giveaway Chest Linky if you want to enter to win nail art prizes, too.) Sarah is an independent consultant because selling Jamberry Nails products allows her to stay at home to take care of her four young children and still earn cash for her family in a fun way. She sent me a free code to pick out any sheet of nail wraps. I already had a long wish list and Porcelain wasn't on it. But while browsing Jamberry's 300+ options, the beautiful blue and white rose nail art refused to be a wallflower in their Garden Party collection. The delightful design mingled in my vision until I finally decided to order it. I'm glad I did - it's even prettier in person, especially paired with the Navy Skinny accent on my pi...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Darlene Carbajal for submitting the randomly-chosen 1036th entry. After enduring early spring's arctic attitude, I am ready to rambunctiously roll around in May flowers! Even if the flowers are slow to bloom where you live, you can have bright bouquets right at your fingertips. Jamberry consultant , Kimberly of Kiss My Tips, is giving one lucky lady her choice of flower nail art . The winner may choose one free sheet from Jamberry's floral style category, which offers a few dozen designs in a range of colors. Each sheet provides enough nail wraps to complete at least two manicures or pedicures. If you hadn't noticed by my new Nails link in the navigation bar, I've been addicted to Jamberry Nails since Kimberly asked me to help host her Valentine's Day giveaway. Where as nail polish chips on me the first day, the nail wraps look almost as amazing after two weeks - and probably longer, but I always end up remo...