Lavender Loves Dusi Crafts & Giveaway!

I love Dusi Crafts because of the bold felt creations. They're really pretty.

Dusi is the owner of the shop and she makes everything herself. She sews her items by hand which makes all of her items unique and one of a kind.

I love these birds, they're so colorful and cute! There are a lot of them in the shop and they're really great!

I discovered Dusi's shop when I was looking at Christmas decorations. She's got a lot of them and they're so festive!

Dusi makes jewelry and hair clips for both adults and children and she makes a lot of play food.

These teabags are fantastic to play with and they would also make great bookmarks. I love the simple, but beautiful design.

These cakes are very kawaii and will be a joy for any girl to play with. 

Felt food makes such a great table decoration. I love having some on display/

 Any girl would feel like a princess with a hairband like this...

 Dusi sells these brooches in different colors and they're all lovely!

I can't get enough of the teabags, so have decided to show some more!

The gingerbread men will go well with a cup of tea made with the felt tea bags and they will make a great Christmas decoration. 

 If you want to buy something original for Christmas you will definitely love this shop!

Because we're ready to start decorating our Christmas trees Dusi has made a wonderful reindeer decoration for a very lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will contact the winner on twitter or via email. If I don't get a reply within 60 hours the prize will go to someone else. Good luck!

 

Lavender Loves Cowshed Horny Cow!

I often use Cowshed products and have tried Cowshed hair products this time. I love the brand and the funny names they give their products. These high shine hair care products are called Horny Cow, I think that's brilliant. I always try the products I review for a while before I'm writing anything about their effect. Fortunately after using this shampoo and conditioner I can only say positive things. My hair is indeed shiny and it looks really good. It's smooth and easy to brush through. Another advantage is the scent, which is delicious. That's one of the best things about Cowshed products for me, they are all wonderfully spicy. I'm very picky when it comes to hair care products and often they don't work the way they're supposed to. Horny Cow does exactly what it says on the bottle and I think that's great. For brilliance the products are wonderful, but for volume they're good too. I highly recommend these fabulous Cowshed hair products.

Pat and her paintings

Pat and her paintings

Hi, I'm Pat.

Some of you know me on Twitter as @feetpaintwords.

Librarian Lavender kindly invited me here, to share with you a little about what else I like to do,

when I'm not writing. Many thanks to her for the invite.

My day job is a reflexologist. When I first started my own business, some twenty years ago, I had

quiet times, so I looked to fill my time with something creative. I hadn't thought of writing then,

but I did think of painting. Searching locally, I found an adult class that taught watercolours, so I

enrolled. It began a long time love affair with paint. 

Watercolour owns my heart as far as painting goes, there's rarely a week goes by without me

painting something! My husband even constructed my very own summerhouse studio. That also

doubles up as a writing space, it feels that creative.

All sorts of things inspire me to paint, from dogs to rainy days, to Joanne Harris' tweets about her

writing Shed, to the lovely Flo, daughter of Miranda Dickinson

*** paintings The Laughing Chief, the Meeting Place, Today, the Shed , A Chuisle***

When I paint, I am lost in a creative world. Time has no meaning. I can often find that hours have

slipped by, unnoticed. It's a beautiful place to be.

I invite you to join me, whenever you're not reading. We can get lost in creativity, together.

http://www.patelliottpaintings.co.uk

Lavender Loves Land Of Jewellery! & Giveaway

I love Land Of Jewellery. The owner, Katya, contacted me on Facebook and I fell in love as soon as I saw the gorgeous items in the shop. I bought myself a beautiful pink necklace:

Katya works with clay and beads and what I like about her work is that every detail is right. The colors match, the beads complement the floral designs and the shape of the background she's chosen is exactly right.

I've decided to show you large photos as I don't want you to miss any of the amazing art work.

I've asked Katya to tell you a little bit more about herself, so you can get to know her better. You will love her wonderful reply:

"A bit more about me ... My name is Katya, the artist behind this shop. I work as an accountant but art is my passion.

I love drawing, painting, molding, knitting since my childhood. I have discovered polymer clay 5 years ago and since then I can not stop creating jewelry, using different materials and techniques. The way it can be transformed into infinite shapes, colors, and textures is inspiration on its own. The greatest moving spirit for me is nature.  Inspiration comes randomly: while running, listening to music, falling asleep at night, or simply walking down the street. 

I love to craft. To create unique jewelry is my passion, either for friends or for myself, to create things with a spirit.

This gives me balance for my business life, so full of brainy and immaterial things! 
I find again my energy when I come home and start crafting.

Each piece of jewelry is crafted with my own two hands, and I pride myself on the quality of my craftsmanship. I’m a true one-woman show.  Each jewelry is a challenge, like piecing together a puzzle. After I develop an idea, I imagine how to bring it to life.

 I really enjoy custom requests because they allow each person to interpret my designs in a different way, and make them their own. Plus, one-of-a-kind pieces are the best!

The part of the process I enjoy most is getting positive feedback from customers who are delighted with their finished product. It’s amazing to think that more than hundred people around the world could be wearing one of my creations at this very moment."

It wasn't easy to choose the pieces to share in this post. Every piece Katya makes is equally stunning. This jewelry would be so perfect as a Christmas gift for a loved one or four yourself.

Katya makes jewelry that's suitable for everyday life, but she also makes special things for weddings or other joyous occasions. The great thing is that you can tell her what you're looking for and she will make something for you.

I love the combination of bold colors and tiny details, this makes the jewelry so pretty and unique.

Enjoy shopping!

Katya has made this beautiful blue necklace for one lucky reader of my blog. Enter the rafflecopter below to have a chance at winning this beautiful piece of jewelry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

 I will contact the winner on twitter or via email. If I don't get a reply within 60 hours the prize will go to someone else. Good luck!

The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop

In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's façade of glamour and success, tension is building.

When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. This is their story.

Amazon

Review by Tanya:

I have been an avid reader of Victoria’s books after reading the Island a few years ago and have had this in my pile to read for a few weeks.  I was not disappointed.

The book is set in a Northern Cypriot town of Famagusta and starts in the year of 1972 when there were many tourists that visited the area for its look hot days, golden beaches and glamourous lifestyle.  The richest of these people would stay at the best hotel in the area owned by Savvas Papacosta and his beautiful wife Aphroditi.  It was full of luxury and glamour and funded by Aphroditi’s family.  The book starts with the opening of this outstanding hotel.

For a few years things continue to prosper and Aphroditi often has new expensive jewellery handmade for her so that Savvas can show his wealth.  However Aphroditi is not happy at being second best to money and investment in Savvas’ life and struggles with his attitude towards her.  She is not happy at feeling that she has no use in his world.

There is also political unrest between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots and in 1974 everything comes to a head with people having to flee their homes with nothing.   What happens to two families of different backgrounds during this time and the knock on effect to Aphroditi is disturbing and contains many aspects of truth of what happened in the area at the time. 

There are many main characters in this book and sometimes I had to think hard about who was who.  The main one of these is Markos Georgiou who is the manager of the night club, Clair de Lune, at The Sunrise.  Initially Markos enjoys being seen as Savvas’ right hand man but you learn through the book how devious and how much resentment he feels to Savvas for taking him for granted. 

I love the interaction that happens during the unrest between two very special families and how they became a very important part of the book.  The problems they face leads you to understand that the problems of war and unrest affects both sides.

I really enjoyed this book despite the violence and upsetting stories it contains.  It was very well researched and was a great read.  Like all Victoria’s books I believe you need to be able to concentrate on the story and don’t expect a happy go lucky book.  

I Love You Grandma!

My grandmother and I have always been close. She's a beautiful lady with a great sense of humor. She taught me to face my problems and to keep going, whatever happens there's always a way forward. Because of her I know how to fight and to persevere. If I want something I'm the only one who can make it happen.

 My most wonderful memory of my grandma is the afternoon she took me to a mini golf course. We were really bad and we kept losing our balls. Soon we changed the rules of the game, it wasn't about achieving the best any longer, but we tried to make the worst possible moves and the one with the largest number of hits would be the winner. We couldn't stop laughing and in the end we couldn't hit any balls at all. It was one of the best afternoons in my entire life. 

My grandmother has always taken the time to show me the good things in life. When I was younger she often took me shopping and let me choose a beautiful piece of clothing. Our lunches and dinners were legendary and I could order whatever I liked. No matter if it was the most expensive thing on the menu, if I wanted to eat it, she'd let me. We drank countless glasses of champagne together as well and because of that it's now my favorite drink.

My grandmother has been present at all my milestone celebrations. I wanted her to play a special part in my wedding and she was my witness. She was 87 years old at the time and nobody could believe it as she looked so young and vibrant. I will forever treasure that moment. She's also been there to celebrate my last milestone and we drank a glass of Dom Perignon together. I will never forget it and consider myself lucky that I've been able to create so many great memories with her. 

I love you Grandma, thank you for everything and a big hug!

---- Suzanne ----

Sunday's Fabulous Freebie by SM Reine

She was destined to be a weapon. Elise Kavanagh is good at one thing: killing demons, angels, and gods. For years, she was the death that supernatural creatures feared. More myth than woman, she walked the Earth as the embodiment of vengeance.
  

But Elise doesn't want anything to do with destiny. She wants time off to spend with her only friend and former investigative partner, James Faulkner - a powerful witch, the only person she trusts - and try to be a normal person, whatever that means.

 
Destiny hasn't forgotten her. It's not easy to retire when you were born to be a killing machine. Old enemies still hold bitter grudges against Elise. The demon overlord of her new home isn't happy to have the Godslayer hiding out in her territory. And there are still gods that need to be killed...

This is a collection of the first three titles in The Descent Series, which are gritty urban fantasy books about an exorcist, a witch, and their battles against the forces of Heaven and Hell.

Books included:
1. Death's Hand
2. The Darkest Gate
3. Dark Union

DEATH'S HAND
Elise Kavanagh doesn't want to hunt demons anymore. It's been five years since she killed her last enemy, and life has been quiet since then. She went to college. Got a job, and then lost it. Made a friend or two. Lived a normal life. Now her former partner, a powerful witch named James Faulkner, wants Elise to fight one more time. The daughter of a coven member has been possessed, and Elise is the only exorcist nearby.

Becoming a hero again would mean risking discovery by old enemies. But digging into the case reveals that it might already be too late--bodies are disappearing, demons slither through the night, and the cogs of apocalypse are beginning to turn. Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead...

THE DARKEST GATE
When Elise Kavanagh retired from demon hunting, she swore it would be permanent. But an attack from a powerful necromancer forced her back into the business, and now she's trying to balance her normal boyfriend and normal job with everything supernatural.

Mr. Black is a demon hunter gone rogue. He's enslaving angels and stealing ethereal artifacts in pursuit of forbidden immortality, and an old grudge drives him to make his final stand in Elise's territory. Destroying her life and killing her friends isn't the goal, but it's a definite perk.

A demonic overlord offers to join against Mr. Black and protect Elise's loved ones. All she needs to do is ally with the demons she's sworn to kill, at the cost of her morals--and maybe her immortal soul. But once she crosses that line, there's no turning back.

Nothing is sacred when Heaven and Hell collide on Earth...

DARK UNION
Every fifty years, the most powerful ethereal and infernal beings convene on Earth to resolve conflicts with mediation by kopides--humans born to police relations between Heaven and Hell. They're meeting in Elise Kavanagh's territory this year, and she used to be the greatest kopis in the world. But she's not invited.

An old friend, Lucas McIntyre, asks her to attend the summit in his place. But when she arrives, she discovers that a human faction called The Union has taken charge of the summit, and they're not playing nice. Worse yet, someone has killed a prominent Union member... and now they're demanding blood.

Amazon

Anniek's review:

How Fabulous can a FREEBIE be when it’s 3 books in a box set!! These are the first 3 books of the Descent series. If you are in need of a class A Heroine, then look no further! She is right here!

The story is built around James and Elise. They are each others Yin and Yang. Not in a lovers kind of way but like brother and sister. Elise is the greatest demon hunter ever and James is her other half in battle. He is a very powerful witch.

When dark forces are bringing hell to earth Elise is forced to fight once more. She was actually retired from her ‘former job’ but she has no choice in leaving it that way.

Elise’s character is described as being scary and terrifying and also as someone you don’t want to have on your bad side! But when it comes to her friends and especially when it comes to James she is loving with all her heart.

I love the way the story has been told! I've read the first book now and can’t wait to go start in the second one. This book was a real page-turner! All I wanted to know was what will happen next. The chapters jump back and forth in time, you’ll will need a little time to get used to that, but once you do you will not want to put this one down.

 Trust me: when you start to read, this book will take up a lot of your sleeping time!

    

Lavender Loves Cranberries Knot! & Giveaway

I love Cranberries Knot. This shop has so many cute items and I've bought several for myself. Everything looks so sweet and cheerful.

The owner, Anna, makes both felt items and amigurumi. They are all really adorable.

 This cupcake keyring is the item through which I discovered this wonderful shop. It's really kawaii and I love the pink bow.

Anna's prices are reasonable and the same goes for the shopping. This shop is perfect for buying presents.

Anna is taking Christmas orders the coming week. You can order until November 30th. Go over to the shop to get your presents this week. That way they'll definitely arrive on time.

I love this bear trio. Anna uses such cute pastel colors and the bows are wonderful. I love amigurumi and these are absolutely perfect!

These two bunnies make a great wedding gift. There's a reason I'm featuring this Etsy shop today. November 23rd is a special and loving day for me and there's something wonderful and loving about Anna's creations. I copied this from her about page because I think it's beautiful.

'Last year I got married and I thought it would be a great idea to put something handmade by me in my own wedding. I decided to crochet all the wedding favors and I made little amigurumi cakes in their cute boxes for all the guests. Also I crocheted some couples of bunnies for all the lovely friends who were going to get married soon and cute tiny amigurumi dragons for the children.

It was a way ro relax from all the stress of planning a wedding and the results were absolutely grateful! After that some guests and friends asked me to make their own wedding favors, birthday gifts, newborn babies gifts and more. I couldn't be more happy that a thing I had started because I simply liked could become this shop that I'm taking care about with lots of hopes and patience.'

Anna sells cute things for both adults and children. I like that idea very much as I think we should never forget and neglect our inner child.

You can see that every item has been made with love and care.

Anna's Spring Bunnies are amazing! She makes them in several different colors. They all have their own style and character. I'm so proud to announce that one lucky winner will receive a Spring Bunny amigurumi in the color of their choice.

You're going to love this prize. As you can see there are so many cool ones to choose from. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway