Shopping and a Contest

Well, I’ve done something I NEVER do. I entered a contest. And by “never”, I mean the last contest I entered was never ago. A very sweet reader (Hi, Jenn!) has more confidence in me than I do, and she thought I should enter. So I did.

I entered the bathroom (again, ‘cause Jenn told me to). Don’t worry—I haven’t forgotten about the cabinet tutorial. It’s on its way.

I also entered the dining room because the rules state that 5 rooms can be entered. I thought that was excessive, but 2 can’t hurt. Right? I’ve already linked you over there, and all you have to do is vote (hopefully positively). You can actually vote something down, but I think that’s mean. Perhaps this sensitivity is exactly the reason I’ve never entered a contest.

On another note, my BFF and I are taking a special Spring Break trip today. Can you tell where we’re going? I’ll give you a hint.

Wanna know where we’re going after that? Here’s another hint.

It is the equivalent to Christmas morning for me, and I look forward to this trip all year. Yes, all year. Doesn’t take much for me! I’ll be armed with coffee, a camera, cash, and companionship.

My shopping list is so extensive, I’m too embarrassed to even post it. Instead, I’ll give you a little picture tour of items I’m looking for. Ooh, it’s a guessing game!

So, while others are soaking up some rays and frolicking in the ocean for their break, I am quite content with my “shop-til-we-drop” day!  I’ll be back later with a full report!

Just a Touch of Blissdom…

After the time I spent with these spectacular women, it would be an injustice if I didn’t share at least some reflections with you on the time we spent together at Blissdom.

I’ve gotta start with my roomies. Other people in blogland may claim to have the best ones, but I SO won the draw on this one. It’s one of those moments in life where you know you were just meant to be friends with these women. You could say it was my “Aha” moment.

Me, Sarah, Beth, Rhoda

While I want to be sensitive about singling out how much I loved one particular person or another, meeting Sarah was a really big deal for me. I always felt like we could be friends, and I was spot on. She is exactly what I had hoped she would be and more.

Had I known how much I was going to adore Shauna, I wouldn’t have wasted another breath spending time without her. We have too much in common, and she really made me laugh. Hats off to you, girl! That’s not always an easy thing to do!

If there’s any doubt who the nicest woman on the planet is, let me make it clear for you. It’s Richella. Yeah, that Richella. The one who makes you feel like the greatest woman in the world every time you’re around her. Loved her.

How lucky am I to have two of my bloggy Bff’s in a picture together? I generally don’t like to be friends with attractive people in order to make myself feel better. I guess I’ll make an exception for these gorgeous girls.

Beth, Layla

Myra, me, Richella, Sarah, Traci, Rhoda

How can I even begin to explain Traci (far right)? She’s a woman who knows how to make fun of herself, and I immediately fell in love with that. She’s funny, charming, sincere, and genuine. Who wouldn’t love to be her friend?

Shauna, Ashley, Sarah, Layla

Marian. One of the most talented women out there, and I was so glad that her personality was just as wonderful!

Here we are in our “Blissdom Newsletter” pose…

And here we are making sure we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Rhoda looks drunk, Sarah looks clueless, and I look…well…slow.

And finally, my friend. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have even gone to Blissdom. There’s no photo editing here. The room really does glow when she walks in. Love you, Beth!

The list truly could go on and on. I met so many wonderful women, and I have something wonderful to say about each and everyone of them. These are simply highlights. If you’ve ever wondered if these bloggers are as terrific in person as they seem on their blogs, wonder no more. They really are.  

Oh yeah. Resolutions.

1. Lose 50 pounds. The key to attaining this goal is to not be particular about how I lose the 50. How much does a right foot and two pinkies weigh?

2. Go to bed earlier than midnight. Or start sleeping in until 10:00 every morning and get fired from my job. Not sure which direction I’ll go on this one just yet.

3. Cut Justin Bieber’s hair. I have no plan of attack at the moment, but I think achieving goal #2 will be a step in the right direction.

4. Have my eyebrows waxed more often. This might not seem like a significant goal to you, but when your hairdresser refers to you as a wooly mammoth, you might consider it.

5. Make my kids do more chores. This goal allows me to negate what would be goals #6-72 for myself. It’s quite brilliant of me, really.

                              Less                                               More

 

Whatever your resolutions are, I hope you have a wonderful new year! Stay safe!

Handmade Holiday Review

Courtney at A Thoughtful Place knows how to gift give. I am totally doing this! I love the possibilities of it, and she shows us different ways to use them! Way to go!

By now, you might know that I get weak in the knees when it comes to packaging. I am drooling over these little bags. How simple yet so charming! Beth at It is What it Is used these as a Christmas advent (of course!), but you can use them for whatever you like!

 

Orange it Lovely is a girl after my own heart. Pottery Barn and glitter. Oh, and saving money. Perfect combination! These would be great to attach to my presents to my teenage nieces. The wheels, people! They’re turnin! 

Speaking of high-priced decor on the cheap, Carrie at Dittle Dattle replicated a Ballard Designs monogram wreath. I think this might be my neighbor gift this year. This way, I can drive by their houses and think how cool I am for making them such a beautiful gift. Or I can drive by their houses and curse them for not putting my wreath on their doors.

Uh oh. We’ve got a sewer, people. Stand by. Oh, wait. After reading her instructions, I just might be able to do this. Go see the tree these are on at Running with Scissors. Too. cute.

Oh. My. Word. Want. IT. How charming and simple and delicate and seasonal.  Go to the I Design Box for directions (and a gorgeous horse print on the wall!).

I’ll be back to announce the winners—no, I haven’t forgotten. I’ve got some projects I’m working on, and I’ve got 754 loads of laundry to complete.

It’s a Partay!

Awwwwwww Yeeeeeeeah. Look what we have here, folks! It’s time for the 3rd annual Handmade Holiday shindig. Okay, fine. So it used to be called “I Can Make That”, but I wanted something catchier. I decided, “I Can Change That.”

What is Handmade Holiday? It is the party to attend if you want to save money and/or give more personal gifts this season. The holidays can get expensive, and I know we’re looking for any way possible to still exchange thoughtful gifts without breaking the bank.

**************

• Have a great idea for an inexpensive gift?
• Want to share a foolproof recipe that you make for your neighbors?
• How about something thoughtful to pass out to your kids’ teachers this year?

**************

Then this party is calling your name—especially if your name happens to be Handmade Holiday. What are the chances?

Mark your calendars!

FYI---Thanks to a new modem, I can finally announce the winner of the Matthew Mead Holiday Book-azine!

Congratulations Kami at No Biggie

Send me an e-mail, and I’ll get you connected! Thanks for all your entries!

I’m Alive!

I have returned from a trip back home to visit with my brother and nephew who were in town.  I haven’t seen them in three years, so there was a lot of family bonding.  My computer was feeling left out, but I’m sure you guys did just great without me!

My 16-year old nephew was king for the week.  My little ones couldn’t get enough of him!

We celebrated my son’s 11th birthday.  Because tradition is very important to this family, you might notice that part of the cake is missing in the top right corner.  Can you guess who served himself that piece? I’ll give you a hint.

And, of course, you know how I feel about this guy.  I’ll leave you with a conversation he had with my brother while we were home.

My brother: “Pop, what did you guys do for entertainment back in your day?”

Pop: “Have kids.”

Tomorrow!

WINNERS!

I have a couple of spectacular announcements for you.  First up?

The winner of the gaw-geous Stella and Dot bracelet is…….

Kenzie at ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And the luckiest person on the face of the planet winner of the Silhouette machine is….

Northern Mama from the South 

at My Daily Joys of Boys, Laundry, and Teaching

HOO-ray!!!!  Just so you know, it pays to enter more than once.  It was Northern Mama’s final entry that won it for her!  So lucky!  Thank you to everyone involved in this giveaway. The excitement was in the air, and I love to see such great opportunities for bloggers!

Ladies, just send me an e-mail!  I’ll get you in touch with your people.

Get Your Silhouette Here!

It’s time!  It’s time!  The Silhouette giveaway is here!  My new BFF and I have been having such a fantastic time making new things and organizing the house together!  I am SO happy that one of you will be able to foster a new relationship with your Silhouette soon!

Between Silhouette’s people and my girls at How Does She who got us connected, I don’t know who to thank more.  Let’s just be thankful for all of them, shall we?

The Silhouette site has pages full of ideas for you just in case you’re still not sure how you would use it.

                                     

                                     

They also offer a blog where you can find inspiration and a weekly FREE download! 

In addition, they have a Flickr account where people can share the projects they’ve completed.  Oh how I wish I would have created this card.  Isn’t it adorable?

I have a feeling that you’re wondering what the details of this whole shabang are, right?  Well, here’s what you get…

The winner will get $325 worth including the following items:

• Silhouette Craft Cutter

• Software for Windows XP/Vista

• Power cable and USB Cable

• Two cutting mats

• Two cutting blades

• $10 gift card to the online store

• Instructional CD and manual

**This giveaway is only open to those in the states**

Now onto how you can win.

1. Leave a comment!
2. Go over to Silhouette’s site and check things out.  Then, come over here and leave a comment to tell me how you’d use it.
3. Blog about it with a link back to this post, then come back and leave a comment with the link.
4. Mention it on Twitter or Facebook (with a link to this post) and leave a comment letting me know.

With 4 ways to win, it’s almost a no-brainer!  How could you not enter?

The winner will be announced Friday, July 2nd. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, don’t forget that you can also purchase your own Silhouette with one of these great deals!  Just enter sweet as your discount code!

1) AWESOME PROMO (running through July 1st)
If you buy the Silhouette between now and July 1st you will get the following:
$50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter
2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98)
1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99)
Scraper (Valued at $6.99)
Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)
$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store
Cutting Blade
2 Cutting Mats
All for $249.99
A Savings of $130.96
Just think of how much you’ll save on gift giving and home decor this year!

2) GOOD PROMO (running from July 2nd through July 7th)
Buy a machine and receive the following:
$50 off (receive for $249.99)
2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)
$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store
Cutting Blade
2 Cutting Mats
All for $249.99
A savings of $89.98