Create Your Own Canvas Art

So...are you ready for a fun Give-Away?

I need to share a little "backstory" on this. About 6 weeks ago I received an email from a rep at CanvasPop. I know you all have heard of them; their company makes wonderful photographic prints transferred to canvas. I've seen them on other blogs, and have been impressed with their amazing quality of work. They were generously asking if I'd like to send in one of my photos to be turned into a canvas print/image.

WOW, how super!!

Except as you all know and hear me complain about mention, I have very limited wall space in our new home, and I've been taking my time making decisions about wall decor and art. I pretty much dragged my feet on this opportunity and went through all my photographs of the last several years, but could not come up with anything that really grabbed me.

CanvasPop Website.

If you have a minute watch their very cool video!

Then I had a thought...(this can be so dangerous) what I really would love to have would be some sort of vintage image on the canvas. I wasn't sure what that would be or how to get that to work, but I got back with them and asked if it might be possible. The only stipulation would be that the image would have to be something in "the public domain", meaning that the artist must be deceased at least 100 years so it will not still be copyrighted.

Where do you find a vintage image that is no longer under copyright?

I thought I'd give Etsy a go, and sure enough there are endless images available in the format that it takes to have the image copied on canvas. I think I paid $4 for this image to be downloaded to my computer. If you do a Google search for downloadable images you'll find them tons of places. I happen to love vintage images of sheep. What's your obsession? I guarantee that you'll locate many options. 

This is what I chose, but if you want a photo canvas of your kiddos, or your pets, or a perfect sunset from your own photograph, then that's available too.

CanvasPop has lot's of options to choose from and they will customize your canvas to best accommodate the size of your image. This Give Away is for a free 16x20 image on a .75 wrapped canvas. And if you don't want to wait on the Give Away, then there's a 35% off coupon discount available to my readers, you'll just need to use the code COMMON35 at checkout.

Here's the .75 wrap. I chose to have the print extended over the edges, but you can also choose white or black, so that you won't lose any of your original image.

It comes ready to hang, with a professional wire and hardware.

I'm enjoying my little gal here on the Entry Console for now.

Here's How to Enter:

1. LIKE CanvasPop on Facebook
2. LIKE Common Ground on Facebook or become a follower of this blog, Common Ground.
3. SHARE this Give Away image on your blog, Facebook, or some kind of social media.

Then please let me know back here on this blog, Common Ground with a separate entry comment.

Is your brain doing backflips thinking of all the possibilities?

Hope you'll enter, since the you can get so creative!

The Give Away closes Friday at midnight.

I'm joining here:

The Scoop at Stone Gable

Show and Share at Coastal Charm
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
Wow Us Wednesday Savvy Southern Style
From My Front Porch to Yours
The Charm of Home
Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush

{ The Canvas Art was gifted me by CanvasPop in exchange for an honest review, and I can say they were so nice to work with and exceeded ALL my expectations for a quality product. And they're fast too!}

Treetopia's White Tree Mystery Give Away

Hi Everyone! I know most of us have finished our Christmas Decorating, and that most of us decorated our Christmas Tree first, but I have a fun Give Away to share with you that you can use now or after Christmas for next year. Wanna hear?

Out of the blue, Treetopia emailed me last week and asked if I'd be interested in participating in a White Tree Mystery Give Away, and that they would send me a gorgeous white Christmas Tree of my choosing to decorate and share with you. Well, of course!! But I hadn't checked my emails for a few days, so I didn't know if they still wanted me. A few days later this beauty showed up on my doorstep. Holy Cow, it's totally amazing!

(tree with ribbon only)

It's been awhile since I decorated a larger tree, and this one is BIG. I ran out to search for decorations, hopefully now on half price. I knew I wanted to keep it in neutrals, to let the tree shine on it's own. I grabbed every white, gold, silver, and cream ornament that had a vintage "Shiney Brite" look to it. I started with a burlap ribbon that had a gold thread running through it and then some sheer gold ribbon to fill in.

The tree was really easy to put together, and it had great instructions. (I even did it by myself.) Hubbs was at work and I wanted to surprise him when he got home that evening. See these ornaments, don't they look like vintage Shiney Brites? love them. 

I moved the "grandfather" clock to the other side of the china cabinet, (hardwood floor Sliders) and then nestled the tree in the corner. This tree just glows...no other way to put it. It lights up the Dining Room with an almost Heavenly light. It's by far the prettiest tree we've ever had. I've wanted a white tree for years, but just hadn't made the purchase. So "thank you" Treetopia, this was a big blessing!

I could have used a much taller tree, but I don't have the space in here in the Dining Room. This one is just right. It's beautiful in the daytime and in the evening!

I made a few changes to the dining room table, placing a vintage white basket in the center. It still has the "Nature" theme, with a birdie and nest. I want to find some white faux birds, like doves, to add to the tree next year.

Now, here's the Fun...

Treetopia will send one of you a $100 Gift Certificate for a tree of your choosing... all you have to do is check out this page and make a guess as to which tree this is. I won't be publishing any of the comments until the Give Away is over, this afternoon.  I'll keep them a "mystery" too. So you have a chance to win, no matter when you comment and enter to win.

Thanks for joining in on the fun.

This is a great time to take advantage of the Sale prices at Treetopia,

then you'll be ready for next year!

(Treetopia gifted me with this wonderful White Tree, 

but the fact that I'm ecstatic is all me!)

xoxo,

It's a Pillow Thing...and you can win!

Fall is definitely here in the MidWest and there's no better way to add some warmth and coziness to your home, than with a few fun pillows in Autumnal colors and designs. Let's just say that I have a Thing for these great graphic pillows from Elliott-Heath Designs!

The super talented Heather of Elliott-Heath Designs has been a sponsor of Common Ground since I found her wonderful pillow creations several years ago. I've had several Pillow Give-Aways with Heather, the first of many, her Sunflower Pillow, has become iconic for Late Summer decor.

I have quite a few of Heather's wonderful pillow covers, and I've purchased several for gifts too. She has beautiful and unique designs for every Holiday, Season, and Occasion. Here's my latest, just waiting for the new house and the start of the Christmas Season.

Here are just a few more designs for the Christmas and Holiday Season.

... it's the perfect time to start thinking of snuggling by the fire this Fall.

Heather has so many fun designs for Halloween and Thanksgiving, 

you'll want to check them out, too!

This is a super easy Give Away with 3 chances to win:

1. Run by Elliott-Heath on Facebook and "Like" her page. Let me know in a comment if you have done this in the past, or if you're new to the page.
2. Head over to the Elliott-Heath Etsy Shop and Pin at least 3 Pillows for one of your boards, like Fall Decor or Christmas. Then come back and leave a comment saying you did.
3. Post on your own Facebook Page about the Give Away here at Common Ground, then let me know in a comment.

Hope you'll enter to win this beautiful pillow cover,

 it's perfect for Autumn into Winter.

Give Away ends a week from today, Monday, October 20.

xoxo,

"Pin a Pillow" Give Away

I know there are a lot of you out there that are pillow addicts, just like me. Christmas is the perfect time to get your pillow mojo going for some added "decking the halls" fun. It's so easy to change the atmosphere of a room or space with just a few pillows.

 Whatever your style or theme this Christmas, 

Elliott-Heath Designs

has just the right pillow to add that something special to your Holiday Home.

Heather and I have teamed up before, for my 4th Anniversary Give Away, and she's one of my great sponsors. You may remember that she has tons of great designs for holidays and decor. Here are just a few of Heather's wonderful Christmas Designs:

Elliott-Heath Designs

even more designs...

Heather and I have planned a fun little way to get a Christmas Give Away going. We want to get the word out to all you Pinterest fans of her great pillow designs for Christmas. All it takes to enter is for you to go to her website and Pin your favorite Christmas Pillows to one of your Christmas or Holiday Pin Boards. On the right hand bottom of the page you'll find a "Pin it" Button, just click and add the pins to your board, then come back and leave a comment saying you did. If you leave a link to the board in your comment, you may have visitors. 

OK, here are the guidelines:

1. Go to Elliott-Heath Designs and Pin up to 3 of your favorite Christmas Design Pillows. Then come back here and leave a comment. (if you share the link to that Pin Board it invites traffic to your board.)
2. Like Elliott-Heath on Facebook
3. Share this Give Away on your blog, Facebook page, Pinterest, Twitter or the streetcorner. Just let me know in a comment (thanks a bunch!)
4. Be a follower of this blog, Common Ground, and let me know.

The Lucky Pinner will get to pick 

one of Heather's wonderful pillow designs

 as her Give Away Gift.

Get Pinning!!

and have fun,

Love Squared Designs

I think we all like to keep a positive outlook on life, even if our day to day circumstances might cause us to lose focus every once in awhile. Sometimes it's nice to just have a little tangible reminder of those dreams and attitudes we're striving to work toward and build on.

Today I want to you to meet a talented jewelry designer and really great gal, Lisa McKenney, from Love Squared Designs. Lisa and I "met" through my "Spiritual Journey" blog, and she has shared with me how she wholeheartedly believes in the empowerment and encouragement of women. This bracelet is my personal "word" of encouragement and truth from Lisa.

One thing that most of you in blogland don't know about me is that I really DO have a bracelet compulsion. Call it a fetish, an addiction, or maybe that I just really love bracelets...but I cannot wear just one. nope. gotta have a stack, and this one has been such a perfect addition. Each time I look at it, I'm reminded that God is there watching over me and that He really does call me "Blessed".

Lisa has lot's of colors, styles and designs in her leather cuffs;

 here are just a few.

Here are Lisa's own words as she shares about her designs:

"Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to create beautiful things. Throughout the years I have created in many different mediums, but I have always loved being able to wear my art. In November 2012 I opened an etsy shop and began to sell personalized soldered photo pendants and ornaments.  I loved being able to capture my customers most precious faces in a piece of jewelry. In February of this year I had the opportunity to sell a soldered heart necklace design to raise money to fight human trafficking. Over 500 heart necklaces were sold in a matter of 8 weeks– raising more than $11,000! I had the blessing of witnessing a miracle! I never imagined anything of this proportion was possible but God took my little creation and did something BIG with it!"

"This summer I expanded my offerings to include stamped metal and leather jewelry. I have repurposed leather belts and given them a new life and message. I love creating these custom leather cuffs with words that speak life and hope!"

"We all need words of truth and encouragement and what could be better than to wear a beautiful word on your wrist!? It's like having your own Wonder Woman cuff to remind you of your superpower! :) My heart feels most alive when I am creating a beautiful piece of jewelry with a meaningful message. I'd love to create something special for you!" 

I want to share and support Lisa's amazing shop Love Squared Designs with all my friends and blog followers. Lisa will be giving away one of her wonderful leather cuff bracelets or a personalized photo pendant to one of you out there. You can choose from her store, or have one that is personally designed just for you. Lisa is also giving a 10% Discount Code for your use during the month of October.

Here are the ways you can enter.
 Please leave a separate comment for each:

1. Head over to Lisa's Etsy Shop, Love Squared Designs, decide what you'd choose, then come back and let me know, here in a comment.
2. Check out her Facebook Page and sign up to "Like" for news and information on her designs.
3. Be a follower of this blog, Common Ground, and let me know.
4. And if you'd like to give this a shout out on Facebook, Twitter, or your own blog, just let me know for another entry.

Thanks Everyone!

xoxo,

Winners of the 4th Anniversary Give Away...and then some!

Hi Everyone,

 time to announce the two winners of my 

4th Anniversary Give Away!

First of all I just want to say a big THANK YOU for making this last 4 years such a wonderful experience. I had no idea how gratifying and fun hanging out with all of you would be! For this Give Away, I partnered with a very talented gal, Heather from Elliott-Heath Designs, hope you'll go by and check out her shop for some wonderful pillow designs.

drum roll please...

Congrats to two very talented and wonderful friends of mine.

Believe me, the Random Generator picked these gals...honest!

Angie of Knick of Time

and

Pamela of From My Front Porch to Yours

thanks to each of you that entered!

and now for the "then some"...

Becky from Timewashed is having a 

Fabulous Fall Give Away

and I wanted to let you all know about it.

Becky will create a set of her beautiful pumpkins for you and she has some other wonderful things in her Give Away Gift. So head on over and enter, then go check out her wonderful Etsy Shop for some fun!

Just Click Here

Thanks you all,

Have a perfect Fall Weekend!

xoxo,