Soooooo…do you remember when I posted the giveaway for this AMAZING book HERE?

Indulge me while I share a little story with you from a time not so long ago….

(I will also plead for your forgiveness as I FINALLY announce the winner of the book and explain why it took me so long so read on….)

Christmas 2013

Once upon a time there was an easy going, fun loving, sassy, gal named Laura who had been striving to organize her life on many levels. She could be a bit flighty but it was never on purpose and she always did her best. Our story takes place Christmas week, a hectic time of year for sure. Laura felt like she finally had a moment to breathe after all the work was completed for the many holiday shows she felt fortunate to participate in (her favorite being her own Holiday Open Studio). She would find herself only now having time to shop, wrap and mail her holiday gifts. What didn’t need to be shipped was lovingly packed in her car awaiting a scenic drive to NH to spend the holiday with her family & friends. Although things were a bit chaotic she spent some time preplanning her blog post for the AMAZING BOOK GIVEAWAY which went off without a hitch. She could now enjoy the holiday with her handsome prince and far away friends. Her time in NH was rich in conversation, many delicious homemade goodies and above all love.

our cruise ship

Upon her return to her home in Connecticut she quickly unpacked and repacked her bags to fly to Florida where she would meet up with her wonderful in-laws and some friends of the family for a spectacular Caribbean cruise. As you can imagine there was much to enjoy on the cruise ship, the New Year’s celebration being one of her favorite memories. They sang and drank the night away listening to live music from a singer in high spirited, Irish pub on the ship. They also dipped their feet in the sparkly clear Caribbean water, enjoyed many, many delicious meals and returned home quite inspired by the experience.

What a crew!

Sounds like a fairy tale doesn’t it? Well, it was until she realized she had forgotten something very important….

Laura returned from her trip and quickly adjusted to her “normal life”. Before she knew it she was going about her yearly goal setting and began a MAJOR cleaning of the many neglected places in her home. Things that she didn’t think about often like her refrigerator got scrubbed from top to bottom. She ruthlessly purged anything and everything unused, outdated or unnecessary. Everything came out of her kitchen cabinets and wiped clean. She scrubbed her bathrooms from top to bottom as well, including all the things you don’t “see” after a while like the walls, baseboards, door crevices and under the sink. She still has a ways to go but is waiting for her living room renovation to be finished. You see since October things have been displaced around her house. Her dining room furniture had been stored in the shed in order to accommodate a makeshift living room in the kitchen. Not ideal but will be worth it in the end when she has new windows that actually open, a transom window, built in bookcases and a fireplace in her new room!

living room renovation

The fairy tale comes to a drastic end when to Laura’s horror she only now JUST realized she had COMPLETELY forgotten to pick and announce the giveaway winner! This is where she hopes you will accept her apologies and CONGRATULATE the winner of the PDF version of Spark and Inspire who was chosen by random.org.

Congratulations! SHENA MEADOWCROFT!!!! You are our lucky winner!

Please email me your email address and I will have the book forwarded onto you! laura.gaffke@me.com

A huge thanks to everyone who participated and have already purchased the book. I feel honored to be a part of such a wonderful collaboration. Here is to the possibility of the NEW YEAR!

love, Laura