Giveaway! Your Chance to Win a Nature-Inspired Necklace

Today I have a lovely little giveaway for you from jewelry maker Natalya. One lucky reader will get to choose a piece from her etsy shop and have a pretty new necklace to wear this spring.

To enter:
1. Post a comment about your current source of inspiration—what is currently inspiring you to make things or what is filling you with new energy this spring, etc. (This could be as short as "Tulips!")
2. Make sure you post with a user name, rather than as anonymous, so that I know who you are if you win.

***You have between now and 8 pm Central time on Thursday April 22 to enter.

And in the meantime, here's a bit from Natalya about what inspires her to make jewelry in between studying for graduate classes.

Name: Natalya Lakhtakia
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Website/Blog/store: etsy.com/shop/letmenatalya, Facebook,  Twitter

Tell me a little bit about what you make and why you enjoy it?
Creating is such a wonderful outlet for me.  I spend all day reading textbooks and doing clinical work, and then I  get to sit down and make something that I think is really beautiful.  I love laying all the elements out and then going through and piecing everything together.  It's both relaxing and fun!

How and when did you become interested in making jewelry?
A few years ago, a friend's girlfriend was creating jewelry, and I bought a couple of pieces from her, and I thought, "Hey! I would love to be able to make my own things!"  so I set off to Michael's, bought some supplies, and started experimenting.  Of course, what I make now is VERY different than the pieces I made back then!

How would you describe your style?
Kind of a mix!  I do a lot of what I label as "vintage chic," but I also do more modern stuff, as well as jewelry that is more classic. I think I make a style of jewelry that anyone can wear.  Most of my pieces can be worn with a tee-shirt and jeans, yet also look good with something more dressy.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere!  I have color books and I love to walk around different stores at the mall to see what is "in" so that I can make it my own.  I also draw a lot of inspiration from the supplies that I buy.

What are you in graduate school for?
I'm in graduate school, getting my masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology.  I actually graduate in just a few weeks!

And the Winner of the Wear Spring on Your Finger Giveaway is...

Jessinader who said:

I live in MN, which is a frozen mess. I absolutely can't wait for the smell of grass, flowers and the sound of birds chirping as I bike to work in the morning.

Thank you all for sharing such lovely thoughts of spring, they were a pleasure to read. Enjoy the weekend and Jess, send me your mailing info so Katherine can get the ring to you!

Giveaway! Wear Spring on Your Finger

We still have a few months until Spring, but if you're anything like me, the warmer temperatures and green grass can't come soon enough. Which is why I'm so excited to be able to share this giveaway with you, generously offered by Katherine of the Katheyl shop on etsy. This means you could have a delightful way to wear a bit of Spring on your finger to tide you over until it actually gets here.

Katherine was born and raised in Singapore but has recently moved to Munich to join her husband who is working there. She started her etsy site as a way to regain and maintain her sanity while she worked a full-time job in the executive search business, but she's now focusing on it more as she adjusts to her new home.

From Katherine:

I love all things whimsical and pretty, as well as nature-related (having being a Zoo volunteer for 7 years) and these are the main influences of my designs. I always make special efforts to ensure the quality of my works and I'm proud of each of them as every piece is unique (each design comes in very limited quantity).

Let's help her celebrate this new phase in her creative life by entering the giveaway. Here's how to do enter: Post a comment about one thing you're looking forward to doing this spring or that this ring reminds you of from warmer seasons of the past by 12 pm Central Time Friday February 4th. To be entered twice, become a fan of Katherine's work on facebook and mention that you did so in your comment. The winner will be chosen at random.

Please make sure to use a username when you post so I know who you are, and email me at thingswemake at gmail dot com with your full name and address to ensure that you will recieve your prize should you win.

And now just for fun, here are a few of the other accessories available in Katherine's shop.

Gratitude with a GIVEAWAY from Tiffani Taylor Art

I am very happy to share another giveaway with you this week from my friend Tiffani Taylor who is an extremely talented painter and artist. She lives in Savannah and is inspired by nature, both what's in her own backyard and also what she sees when she travels.
She's generously offered a $30 gift certificate to her shop to one of my readers. Let's take a look at some of her work...
Winter birds notecards that would make for some lovely holiday cards.

An example of her selection of ornaments which also include ones for a new baby and a handful of ones in her signature floral style.

This is the type of image that I associate with Tiffani and I love seeing her poppies on a collection of bud vases.
Here's another signature of hers, her hydrangea. So you can see (oh, the first image is of a giclee- pretty remarkable, right?) that she offers a wide selection of work that I am confident you could find easily giftable.

Here's how to enter to win a $30 gift certificate to Tiffani's shop:
1. Post a comment about either what you're especially grateful for this year OR what food you are most looking forward to eating over the holiday. (You will be entered twice if you include both!)

2. For convenience if you should win, please feel free to email me your mailing address at thingswemake at gmail dot com. At the very least, you must post a comment with a username, rather than anonymously, otherwise I won't know who you are!

The contest will run for a week, so from today through 12am next Tuesday December 1 when I'll post the winner and share another great contest I'm co-hosting with Amy from Mod Podge Rocks. Good luck!

And the Winner of the Galit Barak Giveaway Is...

Katherine who said:
"oh wow! such beautiful stuff and such a great story of how the artist came upon this skill! I think I should win this giveaway because I am getting married in a couple of weeks and I could always use more beautiful things for the wedding week!"

I have to admit that this makes me very happy because I happen to be in Katherine's wedding (though, disclaimer, the results were chosen by random.org) and I think every bride-to-be needs beautiful things like Galit's jewelry. Congrats Katherine!

The imagine above is a bit of my quilting that I'd been away from for too long. Summer definitely pulled me outside where I enjoyed riding my bike, eating meals outside, taking long walks, and spending time with new friends, but fall means I get to spend more time inside—with my quilting. I was recently trying to explain just what it is about quilting that means so much to me. To a non-quilter, or perhaps a non-crafter, making all of those tiny stitches by hand looks tedious. But to me, even though my large quilts can take longer than a year to complete, each of those stitches means I'm completely focused on the task at hand. And that at the end of however long I spend sewing, I can see my progress plainly before me. Those two qualities are very comforting to me.

Plus, I just love that such simple, repetitive stitches can, after months, make the loveliest quilts. For me, putting in the work—which is actually very zen taking all of this into consideration—is completely worth the time.

Those are just a few thoughts for you this Monday. I'm going to try to reinstate my 20 minutes of lunchtime quilting (which I attempted in the summer, but it soon fell by the wayside) to make some progress on my mom's wall hanging—no matter how busy my day might be!

Inspired Image: Michelle of My Zoetrope

Hello, my name is Michelle Cavigliano (aka My Zoetrope)

You can find me at

website: www.myzoetrope.com

shop: myzoetrope.etsy.com

blog: my-zoetrope.blogspot.com

This image comes from Betsy Walton

It inspires me because of the stories that it does and doesn't tell and the dreamlike stasis it invokes. The textures, patterns, neon colors, and symbolism are all so amazing!

I particularly love everything about it! But I guess if I had to choose one thing, it would be her sense of patterns and the way that there is a lot going on, but everything is still really clear.

It makes me feel creative and inspired.

The 3 words it conjures up are pensive, growth, and solitude.

Michelle is an illustrator from Brooklyn who just posted her 2010 calendar, which features work from her "friends forever" series.

Here's more about the series from Michelle: "I created this series after feeling those frustrated and sad feelings from trying to keep in touch with good friends that I have made over the years. You finish school, you move to a new city or country even, and time and life makes it harder to keep in touch. I wanted to create a series that celebrates old friends, from grade school through college and through the last 8 years of my life after college. Hooray for friends!"

I completely agree with that sentiment and I wholeheartedly second her hooray for friends! That last image isn't from that series, but I like it, so decided to end with it. Happy weekend everyone! Oh and don't forget to enter to win a $30 gift certificate to Galit Barak's etsy shop- who needs some pretty new crocheted metal jewelry? You do!

Instant Heirloom (With a Giveaway!): Galit Barak

Galit has generously offered up a $30 gift credit at her etsy shop! I am completely enamored with her work and her story, and I hope that you'll read more about her and enter to win. Scroll to the bottom of the post for details!

Name: Galit Barak
Website/Blog: galit.etsy.com; galitbarak.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/galitbarak

Where do you live? I live in a small town called Karkur in Israel. I have lived in Israel all of my life, I can't imagine myself living anywhere else. I love the people, the cities and villages, and the best thing here is the variety of landscapes and traveling you can do here.

Tell me a little bit about what you make and how you started making it?
Since childhood I enjoy creating and crafting, I love to draw, paint, photograph, knit, crochet and exploring new materials and techniques. While I served in the army as a soldiers tour guide in Jerusalem I tried crocheting with simple brass wires, and loved the result, once I gained more experience, I began using Sterling silver and gold filled wires to create my jewelry. Most of the items I create are crochet, I like round shapes the compliment the body. In 2 weeks I'm starting my B.Design degree in Jewelry Design in Shenkar collage in Tel Aviv.


For someone who hasn't seen your work, how would you describe your style? Very unique, elegant, delicate, lace like, floating jewelry pieces.

Do you sell most of your work locally or do you have a large customer base outside of Israel?
The truth is I sell most of my jewelry in my Etsy shop. I don't like to go to the regular fairs here, but we do have some local fairs dedicated to art and craft, which are great. I love to meet people, hear their opinions on my work and of course make a few face-to-face sales.

What's the handmade movement like where you live- have you seen it grow over the past few years like it has in the states? My town known for a large community of artist, which founded a unique, once a year, cross county fair, that is made, published and run by us. Alona, a very dear friend of mine is the reason why I opened my shop. She is an amazing jewelry designer and you can see her work here. Our artist community is ever growing.

Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way? I always drew and paint and learned fine art in high school, but in the crochet wire jewelry field, I am a self-taught. I cannot wait to start my metal smithing courses in college!

Where do you find your inspiration? I love round and wavy shapes, and I find inspiration in nature, and geometry.

Is this your full time work? I just finished my work as au pair for 3 adorable kids, and I'm planning to fully support my self trough my etsy shop when I'll be a full time student.


What's the best part of your day?
I love it when I have a sale, I love it when it's from a person in a country I haven't send to yet, I love it when I'm on the front page and I like to go to the postal office and get over seas goods, but most of all, I love to kick back, relax, talk to my boyfriend, and sleep well. Soon we are moving in together. I'm so excited!

What's a favorite item that you've made or that you're working on? My favorite items is my Moebius Bangle, it's in a shape of a Moebius ring. It's very simple looking, but very impressive in the same time, and you can play with it, fold it and roll it - so much fun!

What do you hope customers experience when they purchase your work? The first thing is to feel the jewelry compliment themselves, feel confidence and feel good about them selves. I often get feedback from customers who say they receive lots of good comments from friend and family, attracts a lot of attention from people whom they don't know. The best part is when a customer come back to my shop for a second round because then I'm sure she or he are satisfied with the piece.

WIN A FREE $30 CREDIT TO GALIT'S SHOP!!
1.) Post a comment here about why you'd like to win (I can think of someone in my life who has a birthday coming up that one of these necklaces would look amazing on!) by 12 am EST Sunday October 4th.
2.) Make sure to post with a user name so I can identify you, and email me at thingswemake at gmail dot com with your address if you'd like to be extra thorough with your entry.
3.) Bonus! Post a comment on another blog entry on my site and I'll enter you twice!

And the Made-By-Me Tote Bag Winner Is...

Katie!
Katie has been one of my most loyal readers and an excellent blog buddy over the past year and a half so it makes me very happy that she'll enjoying my bag (at least for a bit...see below). She blogs at Makingthishome and wrote this about her favorite summer memory:

"My favorite memory was earning a pilot's license. Sometimes I don't even think it's real.
If I'm the lucky winner, I would want to give this bag to a cousin who just had a baby girl. I suspect that was a favorite part of her summer no question!"

Hooray!
Katie, shoot me an email with your address and I'll send this off to you to enjoy next week (when I'm home from NYC). Thanks for entering everyone!

Giveaway! Anna Maria Horner Good Folks, Plum Fabric, Tote Bag

It's about time for a giveaway!! Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might recognize this as the first "real" bag that I ever made. I used my sewing machine, fusible webbing, and followed a pattern. It was a BIG day. That was months ago and I still can't bring myself to use it—I just like to look at it sitting in it's designated spot in my closet. Which I think is just sad and it's defeating the purpose of why I made it in the first place. SO...

I have decided to give it away. To pass it on to someone else who will enjoy all of it's pink splendor. I am a big fan of functional crafts, and this one happens to be just that—and pretty! And someone needs to start using it!

Here's how to enter:
1.) Post a comment that speaks to your favorite memory from this past summer. It can be anything** you want.
2.) Use your name or a user name (rather than anonymously) when commenting, or if you want to do it anonymously make sure you do this next step:
3.) Email me your name/user name (thingswemake [at] gmail [dot] com) and your mailing address to increase the chances that if you do win, I can contact you and get the bag to you. You can still win if you don't email me, but if, when I announce the winner, I don't hear from you for 48 hours, I will proceed to the runner up.
BONUS POINTS: if you post another comment around the site on a previous post, I will enter your name twice!

You need to do all three of these things by 12am Tuesday September 22 to have a chance to win. A free bag, handmade by moi, just for sharing a lovely memory? Sweet deal!


**Here's my favorite memory from the summer.
There was a moment during Virginia and Dan's wedding reception that V and I were on the backside of the tent, standing in the darkness, looking in at the candlelit party. She had her hands up at her mouth, giddy about how much fun everyone was having dancing, delighted at how much fun she was having, esctactic that it turned out the way she'd seen it in her head. It was a moment to stop, take it all in, sigh heavily, and appreciate that all of the effort and planning we'd done had paid off. In buckets and spades.

There was also a particularly memoriable picnic on a quilt, hanging clothes on a line for the first time in years, eating breakfast at the farmers market watching the city go by, a particularly stunning sunrise, crafting with loads of glitter with my new Des Moines friends, my first taste of fresh, locally made mozarella with homemade bread. It was a memorable summer, that's for sure.

Giveaway: Spring treats from King Arthur Flour!

Back-to-back giveaways...I know, too good to be true. But it is! And today's is another great one from my friends at King Arthur Flour. Elizabeth's comment yesterday asked if I'd ever been to their headquarters up in VT where they have a bakeshop (oh, a girl can dream!) and I haven't but I am a big fan of their products. Particularly their dough whisk, which I can attest will transform the way you think about making homemade bread.
Anyway, I love their mission, trust their brand, and have only ever had terrific experiences with the people who work for the company (especially Allison!). They are generously offering a giveaway that includes three of my favorite products of theirs for spring including...

The Honey Lemon Cake Mix (pictured above)

The Beehive Cake Pan (what it makes is above, the actual pan is below)

And the Bee Sugar Decorations

To enter, post a comment by 11:59 EST Monday May 4th (with a user name) about your favorite weekend food ritual—past, present or future. Mine is making myself a latte with my stove top espresso maker and my Nespresso milk frother (which may seem expensive, but the results are amazing!!) and reading a totally absorbing book in bed like Come Sunday, by Isla Morley. I can imagine that adding a piece of this cake into the mix would take my ritual to a whole new level!

**You are more than welcome to enter as many giveaways as I post, so if you entered yesterday's, make sure you enter today's as well!