Pottery Barn Giveaway Winner Announced!

And the Pottery Barn Storage & Display hardcover book goes to....

Entry #31 - Sarah L.!!!

A big thank you to all those who entered the giveaway and your great organizational comments and tips - they were all winners in my book :D

Congratulations to Sarah L. on winning the PB book - I hope you love it as much as I do. You will receive an email shortly with the news!!!

(Image courtesy Amazon.com)

GIVEAWAY day is here!

So did you guess the giveaway item from the previous hints? One winner will win their own copy of Pottery Barn's Storage & Display hardcover book (a $24.95 retail value) for their personal library!!!

After our multiple moves in a few short months, it forced us to become uber organized people (and I am over the top organized to begin with). We have gotten to the point of color coding our boxes per floor plan and labeling them very specifically so there is no confusion. We can only hope our next movers follow our technique. Long story for another day. *sigh* As they say, the best laid plans...anyway, once we got the boxes in the correct locations here, the fun part started. The unpacking, deciding what to keep, what to put out in the room and what to give away. New and different spaces need new and different strategies. No room is exactly the same, so it's like starting from scratch with a blank slate and all your belongings tend to take on a new feel. Pure excitement! Well, at least for me. So I am asking my readers to answer one question for me to be entered in this giveaway.

What is your all time favorite organizational tip?
It can be for a room, a house, a closet, a move...think about it and let me know by leaving me a comment.

One winner will receive a brand new hardcover copy of Pottery Barn's Storage & Display - Stylish Solutions for Organizing Your Home!
This book is absolutely fabulous - I have one in my home library I reference all the time!

To enter, please leave your best or favorite organizational tip along with your name (first name and last initial). Entries without a tip will be disqualified. You can enter once a day with a new organizational tip.

To earn an extra (optional) entry, become a follower in Google Friend Connect (lefthand column - click the Follow button) and leave me a comment that you did so.

Giveaway will run through 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010. One winner will be selected from total comments at contest end via random.org and announced sometime on Friday, July 23rd. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents at this time only.

Thanks for participating and good luck!

(Image courtesy Amazon.com)

Is it time for another GIVEAWAY?

Yes, it's about that time...I think I mentioned that regular posts would commence in early June after our big move. Well, it seems like my posts jumped from end of May to beginning of July - where, oh where, did June go? I'm still trying to figure it out.

Here are some hints to the upcoming giveaway early next week...it's a good one!
Be sure to come back and enter; you won't be disappointed.

We have a winner!

THANK YOU to all who left such fun comments and participated in the Skip Hop Zoo Pack Penguin backpack giveaway from CSN Stores. We had lots of votes of adoration for the dog (4 votes); however, this little penguin guy gets to go home with one lucky reader. Here are some of the other animals readers voted for: Panda (3), Monkey (2), (Sea) Turtle (2), Tiger (2), Lion, Seal, Giraffe, Seahorse, Penguin, Hedgehog, Llama, Bird, Elephant and Bunny (all with one vote each).

Congrats to Manda who posted this comment:

I will be emailing you shortly to request the rest of your information! Congrats!

I'm hoping to stop by each of your websites and blogs to say hello and learn more about you. Thanks again everyone and stay posted for more upcoming giveaways! Moving day is less than a week away, so they will commence once we are settled in June.

And the winner of the Where Women Create magazine is...

...lucky number 13...seriously! And number 13 is SANDI (3/16 at 11:37 pm) selected by Random.org.

Here's what she had to say:

Hi there! I'm a huge fan of WWC and was pleased to find you and become a Follower! One of my many favorite creative sites is:

http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/

Not only is Dawn a talented artist, but she's directed me to many other creative and beautiful blogs that I probably wouldn't have found on my own!!

Sandi

CONGRATULATIONS SANDI - I will be emailing you for your mailing address and sending off your Where Women Create Spring 2010 magazine as soon as I hear back from you!

Thank you for all your comments and excellent inspirational blogs you shared! I plan to stop by each and every one of your blogs and say hello, as you did to mine. I'll have some more fun checking out the great links you all left for inspiration...and I'll put together a list of them for you all to have some fun in your free time. Thanks again for making my first blog giveaway so much fun! Look for more giveaways in the future!!!

(Image courtesy of Where Women Create)

Looking for Great Letterpress?

So, to make a long story longer...I attended the Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale in Chicago last December and LOVED it. If you have a chance to get to a Renegade Craft Fair in a city where it's held, GO! It's soooo worth it. While there, I stopped at many a booth, picking up business cards and meeting wonderfully talented people. Sought out letterpress and found lots of it. Made a few purchases and enjoyed all the inspiration. One of those talented people was Michelle...let me introduce you to Elevated Press.

Here's a brief profile summary from Michelle's site: Elevated Press is a division of our design and production company, Elevated Works, founded in Chicago just below the El train.

Elevated press is a full-service letterpress stationery studio, printing original designs on cards for all occasions, wedding invitation suites, birth announcements, business stationery, and any other type of stationery that is desired in order to make a special impression. Custom orders are always welcome!

All of our stationery products are handmade on a Kelsey Excelsior or a Vandercook #3 letterpress. Letterpress gives a tactile quality to the print which makes it so appealing to look at as well as to touch. Due to the nature of letterpress printing, slight variations may occur in the prints... that's how you know it's handmade!

A few weeks after the show, I received an email from Michelle of Elevated Press announcing I was the winner of a set of their letterpress cards - my choice! I was elated!!! Ironically, hers was one of the business cards I had picked up...and I won from signing up on her mailing list. Awesome! I chose the Pair of Doves cards...they are so beautiful - the detail and color is exquisite. This is how gorgeous they are - I sent one out as a Thank You to someone and actually received a Thank You card back from that person for sending such a beautiful note (she ended up framing it)!

I love the heart hands card and have one of these, ready to be open framed for our family wall. It also seems like it's baby season around here (girls are outweighing the boys again), so I may have to pick up some more of their adorable pink 'Welcome Little One' cards pictured below. If you're looking for great letterpress, check out Elevated Press...you won't be disappointed. Their product is fabulous and Michelle gives top-notch service! So happy we crossed paths - great letterpress always makes me smile.

(Images and profile summary content courtesy of Elevated Press)

My Very First Blog Giveaway!!!

Where do you look for inspiration? Nature, art, architecture, blogs, magazines, books or maybe all of the above? There isn't a right or wrong answer to that question and the happy thing about it is that it differs for everyone. How fun! Awhile ago, I was given the book Where Women Create and have enjoyed every page of it...over and over and over again. The book highlights the creative workspaces of a variety of women - it's true eye candy and is inspirational on so many levels. Did you know that Jo Packham and Jenny Doh are releasing another book called Where Women Create: Book of Inspiration: In the Studio and Behind the Scenes with Extraordinary Women? (Insert squeal of delight here.) It's due out on April 5th - you can check it out for yourself and pre-order yours today here.

Where Women Create also has an awesome blog where you can lose yourself for hours, if you're not careful. Be sure to check out the WWC BLOG here, or click on their button in the lower part of my left sidebar to visit. They have put together a wonderful couple days in September called The Creative Connection. Crafters come together over a few days in Minneapolis to take classes and enjoy creativity...it's going to be on my calendar; how about yours?

I was ecstatic when Stampington announced that they were creating a quarterly magazine that would feature more creative spaces of women on a regular basis. I've purchased every issue since the first and frequent the pages for a quick creative fix or a peek into someone's studio...a mini vacation.

I'm happy to announce my very FIRST BLOG GIVEAWAY!!! One lucky reader will receive the Spring 2010 issue of Where Women Create (a $14.99 value)! I MUST share this creativity with you!!! Here's a sneak peek of one of my favorite articles in this issue (PAPER SOURCE!).....

Here's what you need to do to enter the giveaway...two easy steps:

1) Become a 'follower' in my Google Friend Connect window in my left sidebar. If you are already a Google Friend, fantastic and thank you! Skip down to step #2.

2) Leave a comment letting me know the URL name of your favorite creative or inspirational blog. I'll write a post later highlighting some of the great blogs you mention.

Also be sure to leave your name and an email address so I know how to get a hold of you when you win!

Giveaway is open to US residents at this time only.

One entry per person please.

Enter through Saturday, March 20th at midnight CST.

One winner will be selected via random.org on Sunday and announced here sometime on Monday, March 22nd.

Do YOU have the luck of the Irish? Be sure to enter to see if you do! Have fun!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER WILL BE POSTED MONDAY MORNING, MARCH 22nd. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!!! WATCH FOR OUR NEXT GIVEAWAY...

(Images courtesy of Where Women Create and Amazon.com)

And the winner is...

...could it be you? Did you enter HGTV's Dream Home Giveaway? Be sure to watch the giveaway special on Monday, March 15th 8/7 C. The giveaway had over 40,640,000 entries - wowsers!

Here are a few of my favorite Dream Homes from HGTV from years past:

My number favorite is the Tyler, TX house in 2005. It is the largest of the Dream Homes with a second house on the lake. I seriously would have dreams about this house during the contest as if I was already living in it - I knew it inside and out. *sigh* Oh, the memories...

Tyler, TX

I also loved the 2008 Dream Home in the heart of the Florida Keys as well. Remember this kitchen with that gorgeous tile? Who wouldn't want to live in a town named Islamorada (meaning 'purple island') with palm trees in your yard? I've only lived in the Midwest, so palm trees excite me. Seriously, love them.

Islamorada, FL

Another favorite is the 2006 Dream Home in Lake Lure, NC. This house had great outdoor space with picturesque views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a really, really cool craft room. Love that shake siding detail. Nice.

Lake Lure, NC

What was your favorite HGTV Dream Home? Come back here on Tuesday the 16th - I'll be sponsoring a fun giveaway for you! No, it won't quite be a house...stay tuned!

(Images courtesy of HGTV.com)

It's HEEEE-REE!

I received my lovely package via air post today containing the wonderful chalkboard hoop I won from Bliss In a Teacup when they were featured on Danni's blog, Oh, Hello Friend. I am so excited to hang it and use it! I'm afraid my little photo collage doesn't really do it justice. I shot them in a hurry mid-afternoon after it had arrived and wanted to include all the packaging details from the wonderful handwritten note to the cute little pin on her business card and fabric wrapped chalk.

I wonder where I should hang it? Perhaps in my studio upstairs. I have PLENTY to do up there where I would need a to-do list...and a fashionable one at that! One wall in my studio is actually all chalkboard (I have yet to write on it - the clean black just looks so nice!) and part of the chalkboard wall is actually magnetic. I'll try to post some pics of my studio when I have the chance.

Thanks again Becka for your generous giveaway and also many thanks to Danni for all the fantabulous giveaways she hosts on her blog. Be sure to check out both of these talented peeps.

Love Your Body: 2009 Poster Contest Winner: Grand Prize Winner

Love Your Body: 2009 Poster Contest Winners

Stumbled upon this and LOVE the concept the grand prize winner created (pictured to the left) - reminds me a little of the old GAP (PRODUCT) red line. Simple message/text with classic typography. Great site to read through - sends a very positive message to women today. Worth the read!

All you creatives out there - challenge yourself for a worthwhile purpose and get the message out. Click here for 2010 Love Your Body Poster Contest information. Entries must be postmarked by December 1, 2009 - get your creative hat on...you have plenty-o-time! Good luck!

(image courtesy of NOW foundation/love your body)

And we have a winner...

...ME! A winner of a giveaway!!! THIS giveaway!!! I never win anything...ever. Really! I entered a weekly giveaway last week here and won this FABULOUS chalkboard embroidery hoop - SOOO cool - from bliss in a teacup. Be sure to swing by her etsy shop and check out her goods - she has some really nice stuff. I can hardly wait to get my prize in the mail next week...oh, the excitement! Too bad I didn't buy a lottery ticket that day...makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Thanks again, Danni, for hosting this wonderful giveaway - be sure to check out Danni's blog - oh, hello friend - you may find yourself winning one of her weekly giveaways...

(image courtesy of oh, hello friend)