fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

What's better than red glitter on my nails? Red glitter on my Christmas tree! I've been eying Katie Crafts' handmade ornaments since I saw her Santa Cam on Instagram last year. Now that I have Ogre's Grove to stock, I was able to order glittery goods for my fellow geeks to gawk over. Deadpool, Flash, Punisher and Darth Vader ornaments arrived in time to take a set to Ocean City Comic Con this Saturday, Dec. 9 - that is, unless Katie's creations sell out at 129 Union St. in Milton, Delaware first! And we're still days away from Friday, but I am wearing Jamberry's Tinsel Poinsettia design as an accent nail, so I hope you'll linky up some flowers anyway!

My mom's neighbor moved a few months ago, but a couple of her cacti stuck around! The Christmas cactus she gifted my family blossomed with pretty red flowers for the holiday season. I hope your Christmas bloomed beautifully, too. Featured Flower Picks: Red Rose Beauty • White Christmas Poinsettias • Red Protea How To Plant Your Own Post for Flower Friday: The only rule to play is that you can only add one link per week! The post doesn't even have to mention flowers, but only ones that do will be eligible for being picked as a feature next week. I will be sharing my flower image on other blog hops, namely Wordless Wednesday , and welcome all family-friendly links from fellow bloggers. Crafters can even link up an Etsy listing or other shop product! But if you want to promote a prize, I suggest adding it to my Giveaway Chest Linky instead to entice more treasure hunters. Please follow my blog through any of the social media icons in the upper right ...

You may have noticed I really was wordless last Wednesday. Ogre, Grandma and I vacationed to Pigeon Forge, TN. We went for my last birthday and liked it so much we decided to return to explore more. The first place on our trip list was Dolly Parton's amusement park, because it had been closed for the winter season in February. Dollywood decorated with 4 million lights for their 2014 Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration. Above are a few of my favorite photos I managed to take in the cold between warming up in the fun holiday shows.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... to get your Christmas shopping done early! The Strategic Promotion for Success team is having a huge Christmas In July sale. Almost 50 shops are offering great deals and they're all using coupon code "SPSTCIJ14" to make it easy to claim during checkout before July 20, 2014. For the first time ever, I'm offering 25% off my art prints . I might not ever set a discount that high again, so stock up on stocking stuffers while you can. Alenka was one of the first participants to celebrate the sale by curating a treasury. Her Christmas gift ideas include green and red glitter hearts hair clips by Meghan & Julie, glitter Christmas tree pillow slipcover by My Pillow Shoppe and my tree fairy art pinback button . Dash over to the team blog for a full list of participating Etsy shops .

The 2013 Christmas Shop Hop has melted away like Frosty until next year! Below is an Etsy treasury featuring the gift ideas that got the most clicks. Have a Fairy, Merry Christmas! Absinthe La Fee Verte, Green... MadMaidensEmpo... $14.99 ...

"Reindeer are flight and motion and magic in moonlight beyond all recalling, made of Christmas dreams, spun from a place beyond all fearing." - Anonymous Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with love, laughter and light. Although I've been visiting Williamsburg for years, I didn't discover until this December that its Yankee Candle has a massively magical Holiday Park inside where it's Christmas year-round. It even snows every four minutes. Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale Last Christmas, Ogre and I started a tradition of only giving each other stocking stuffers, mostly bought from the dollar store. That way we only spend $10 and still have several fun gifts to unwrap. However, not all of them quite fit in the Christmas stockings. The shelf he hung to cover up where last year's removable hooks tore off a piece of our wall really came in handy! I'm quite proud of our simple Christmas mantel. The "i believe in Santa" sign and red glass candle holders are presents from Christmas pasts. The swirly frame above is a clock that my mom helped me cover with my Moon Fairy print . Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

I used to send dozens of Christmas cards when I was in school. I'd stock up after Christmas when they were discounted over 50% off so I could afford the fancier ones with foil and glitter. They were so pretty; I had to save at least one of each design as a memento. The box of leftover cards is still tucked inside my closet, its contents no less shiny and dazzling from when the plastic packaging was carefully removed. I've pondered letting go of that hoarding tendency and sending them out this year - but what if I accidentally sent one to a friend that had already received it? I may have to research other ways to upcycle them. Any suggestions? What I've been wanting to do the last few years is print my own holiday cards - but I have a difficult time drawing winter themes when it's still warm outside. During December, I usually have so many other things planned that I don't have the motivation to complete a piece in time. My goal this year is to draw an ACEO I can mar...