COLOR BLOCK Rocks! My new Monogram PBT!!

I love COLOR BLOCK and am thrilled to see it's everywhere this Spring. I noted in my Etsy store that this Tote was inspired by an episode of The Lucy Show(the ones with Mr. Mooney). She was wearing a gorgeous Navy Coat (over a shell and skirt of same color of course) with bright green lining. Her handbag was the same shade of Navy with green trim. Gorgeous! Don't know why I love that but I do. So feminine and classy. I immediately saw this PBT in my head and made it the next day. I adore Hot Pink and Black!

And, NOW I can offer MONOGRAM too! I'm working on various color combinations (including Lucy's Blue & Green) as we speak and I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS. What favorite COLOR COMBINATION would you want to "get the Word out" in? Whether it's the WORD, your WORK, or WEIGHT WATCHERS, my Color Block Monogram PBT will serve you well! It's super sturdy and LOVES BOOKS so load 'er up! LOL.

Either way, I'd love to hear what you think. Have a great day!! And, stay tuned for more fun COLOR BLOCK Totes from Penny Bennett Totes.

This HOT PINK and BLACK is in my Etsy store now! ($32; $42 with Monogram)

Have a "colorful" day! It's FRIDAY people!!!!

www.PennyBennett.Etsy.com

13 going on 30! Where's that Little Girl within??

Ever seen the movie "13 going on 30" with Jennifer Garner. Watched it last night and was reminded of how I lost myself in the Corporate crazy life...more importantly I lost the little girl within me who loved to laugh and have fun and viewed life thru a lens of joy to be had. Many insecurities and fears as all little girls have, but the capacity for great laughter and joy and got pushed farther and farther down with every climb on the Corporate ladder. Strange how that works, isn't it? All the validation and rewards and satisfaction for work well done, while all the while getting farther and farther away from the person you were born to be.

Now, in Jennifer's case (in the movie) she was just in too big a hurry to grow up and got her wish. As life (and God's wisdom) would have it she should have just taken her time and enjoyed the moment. There's plenty of time (God willing) for growing up so why are we in such a hurry??

The best part of the movie is watching her re-discover all the joy and creativity she had as a young girl. After losing it (or giving it away) she is given a second chance to be the woman she was born to be. And, it's delightful watching her do it. I just GET her! So cool.

And the moral of the story is...don't forget that little girl within that is begging us to view life thru the lens of a child. A lens that is full of wonder, and joy and excitement and possibility!!! Ah, those are the days.

Why not do something today you haven't done since you were a girl. Buy a Lollipop, Play with your dolls (you know you still have them). Color!! I love coloring books. Go to the park and swing. Just do something that brings you joy and reminds you that life is short and oh so sweet.

Have fun!!!! And, let me know how it goes!

"Words on Paper"

Surrounded by books! That's my "sweet spot"! My heaven on earth. My comfort zone. When I'm surrounded by books I feel the MOST like ME. When I'm holding a book in my hand I feel a sense of exhileration and excitement...like something awesome's about to happen. Actually, it doesn't even have to be a Book! I'm just as excited with a magazine, a Notebook poised to capture some insight or wisdom I'm hearing on Tv or the Radio, or an article I printed out from the computer. (Somehow I feel like I'll lose it if I don't print it out. LOL) In short! I just am in love with "WORDS ON PAPER."

My Mom sent me this article from Southern Living Magazine because she also has a love affair with books and thankfully passed it on to me. We're not particularly high minded in our love of books. I have lots of Classics in my library but confess I haven't read near about all of them. I dearly love Jane Eyre and equally love the ENTIRE Jan Karon Mitford Series. And, don't even get me started on the Bible!! LOL I just LOVE TO READ!!!

In this Southern Living article, Rick Bragg writes:

"I know that the world of reading has forever changed, that, in this cold winter, many people who love a good book will embrace one that runs on batteries. I know that many of you woke up Christmas morning to find that Santa graced your house with an iPad, or a Kindle, or a Nook, or some other plastic thing that will hold a whole library on a doodad the size of a guitar pick... Someday I may have to read The Grapes of Wrath on the side of a toaster, myself...

But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and cloth and glue, such perishable things for ideas that have lasted thousands of years, or just since the most recent Harry Potter. I hope I am always walled in by the very weight and breadth and clumsy, inefficient, antiquated bulk of them, hope that I spend my last days on this Earth arranging and rearranging them on throned of good, honest pine, oak, and mahogany, because they just feel good in my hands, because I just like to look at the covers, and dream of the promise of the great stories inside...

It is not just the stories, but the physical book, the way I feel when I see the spines, when I read the titles, the very feel of the paper under my fingers as I turn the pages...Every book comes alive in my mind. I like to be in that company. Cicero said a room without books is like a body without a soul, but I don't know about that. I just know I like to have them close, when the sun goes down. (excerpt from "Words on Paper" in Southern Living January 2012)

I (literally) couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, Rick Bragg, for putting into such beautiful words exactly how I feel about "words on paper." Oh, and thanks for "All over but the Shoutin'!! An amazing book that I absolutely could not put down. (If ya'll haven't read it I highly recommend it.)

"IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"?

I love this quote! Not sure who said it but I found it on a Mary Englebreit poster and kept it ever since.

I came across this story this morning in the magazine "Just Between Us". The article is called "PERSONALITY & PASSIONS: What they reveal about your Hidden Talents."

Apparently it's from a story told by Mark Twain and it's a sobering look at what we could miss out on simply by not taking the time to uncover our hidden talents, and take the leap of faith into the unknown to put them to work. God has gifted us for many things and it's our responsibility to develop and use them. How do we develop what we don't know we have? Well, that's a question for another day. But, for now I wanted to share this with you. Take a look:

In Mark Twain's story, a man who died and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, asked a question (knowing Peter was very wise) that he'd wondered about his entire life. "Saint Peter", he said, "I have been interested in military history for many years. Who was the greatest general of all time"?

Saint Peter quickly responded. "Oh, that's a simple question. It's that man right over there."

"You must be mistaken," responded the man, now very perplexed. "I knew that man on earth, and he was just a common laborer."

"That's right, my friend," assured Saint Peter. "He would have been the greatest general of all time, if he had been a general."

Now just ponder that one for a moment. I've been reading and studying a lot lately about purpose, and spiritual gifts and working within our strengths, so I'm not surprised this article crossed my desk today. But, this thought has captured me. I pray none of us will have to someday hear "it is, indeed, too late to be what you might have been".

I encourage you, as this article does, to consider "Your Divine Design" today. What gifts, skills and talents do you have that the world desperately needs, and God wants to use for His purposes? What do you love? What makes you feel strong? What are you passionate about? Have fun pondering these questions. I would love to hear what you discover.

Enjoy the journey!!! It's never too late.....!!!!

I'm a happy AVON Lady! Why, you ask?

I love being an AVON Lady, and I really love being an AVON Lady when I come across an AVON product that makes me feel fabulous. The new RESURFACING EXPERT Smoothing Fluid is AMAZING! and I truly love how it makes my skin feel. I realize that I am, indeed, an AVON Lady and you would expect to hear that from me, but you would NOT hear that from me if it wasn't true. I would simply be a good Southern girl and "say nothing if I couldn't say something nice." LOL.

Here's what AVON says about the RESURFACING EXPERT: Overnight - transforms skin to look younger, smoother and revitalized. In 3 days - dramatically retexturizes skin to reveal the look of youthful radiance.

Here's what I say about the RESURFACING EXPERT: DITTO! I'm hooked on how my skin looks and feels with the RESURFACING EXPERT. (took me forever to get the name right, LOL, but I got it!!) I've never been a big fan of my skin so it makes me so happy to look in the mirror and see smoother, more dewey skin looking back at me. Makes me feel like a girl!!!

If you wanna give it a try it's ONLY $20 this week from AVON (reg. $38). AND, it's 100% GUARANTEED. It's good stuff, girls. And if your skin isn't happy with it, simply return it. It's that simple. But, I don't think you're gonna need to.

You can find it in my ONLINE STORE at www.youravon.com/pennybennett. Or! You can call your local Avon Rep and make her day by asking about the RESURFACING EXPERT. Either way, I hope you'll give it a shot. I think it's awesome!

Thanks for letting me share it with you. What kind of AVON Lady would I be if I didn't share my good news with you. Have a fabulous day!!

Please feel free to share with your friends. You tell one, then they tell one.... There are AVON Ladies everywhere so spread the love!!

Wednesday's Child! Gauranteed to make you smile.

It's Wednesday - already - and it's a great day to take stock of the week and see if we're heading in the right direction. I love Wednesday's because I get to go to Bible Study, which I love, and that is prefaced with a delicious Salted Caramel Mocha Latte. Double wammy! What's your Wednesday looking like?

Last night I received this photo from my good friend, Nayeli, of her little girl, Sophia carrying the Tote I made for her. I can't help but smile when I look at this delightful little girl so I thought I'd share my smile with you! I had so much fun making this Tote for Sophia and, frankly, couldn't stop smiling while I was making it. Maybe I'm in the wrong business. LOL

This Tote was truly a labor of love and I really wanted Sophia to love it. Thanks, Nayeli, for sharing this with me. I love it and you made my day!!

CYBER MONDAY for PBT!

It's Cyber Monday and things are happenin' here in Nashville for PBT.

I'm featured on CHEEP BOUTIQUE again with some Holiday Tissue Totes so please check them out. So cute!!

Also, it's Cyber Monday in my ETSY store. Take 10% off your purchase of INSTOCK Totes today only! (excludes any custom requests. Use COUPON CODE CYBER10

Also there's FREE SHIPPING in my AVON store today so please check that out. AVON has some beautiful things for Christmas this year. Gorgeous makeup, very stylish fashions and delightful holiday gifts like lighted snowmen, and winterwonderland scenes. I particularly love the gadgets they have for MEN this year. Check it out! AVON will ship directly to you. Just be sure to SELECT DIRECT DELIVERY when you check out!

I hope this helps you save some hard-earned money this Christmas. It's a pleasure to serve you!

Please share with your friends and family. The more the merrier!

Have a wonderful Monday!
Take care,
Penny