Giveaway Winner...and thoughts

Thanks to all who took my survey and were kind enough to leave comments. I keep thinking that it would be so fun to come back to this blog. I miss it and I miss the schedule it gave me.

Thankfully, God answered my prayer for wisdom on re-opening this blog--the lack of survey responses and comments clearly told me that this blog is over...for now.

In the meantime, we have a giveaway winner to announce!

Congratulations to the 12th survey respondent, Katie C.! I'll be contacting you shortly about a hat!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Life Verse Design

This week's giveaway truly is fabulous!

When Julie Chen, the creative mind behind Life Verse Design, contacted me about featuring her amazing Etsy store, I didn't think twice! I know you all will love the things that Julie offers!

Life Verse Design started when Julie was pregnant with her 3rd child (and had an almost 2 & almost 4 yr old running around!. Julie had the foresight to realize that she would not be having good quality devotional time with God when #3 came along so she started placing index cards of Scripture around her house.

At the time, Julie was going through Beth Moore's fruit of the Spirit study & thus memorizing the fruit of the Spirit (which her pregnant brain could not even handle) so, one day while brushing her teeth and looking at her index card, she asked herself, "why am i not designing these cards since i am a designer?!" Voila! a new idea was born!


Life Verse Design began as a simple act of worship between Julie and God. She not only found a new way to use her creative gift but Julie also found that creating these cards helped her hide His Word in her heart. What a great way to glorify God!

Julie decided to give the art to her bible study and they, in turn, encouraged her to participate in the craft show at her church. Julie's first show was in November 2007 and she almost completely sold out! It was there that Julie learned about Etsy from another craft show vendor. In late March 2008 Life Verse Design opened. Two short months later, DEMDACO (the creators of the willow tree figurines) found Life Verse Design and contacted Julie to be licensed! Her art is now being licensed nationwide and she can still sell her prints on paper through Etsy.

Julie loves getting to know her customers and hearing their feedback on her art art: whether it is a personal story of why the verse meant so much to them, or just their excitment when they open the package; it continually amazes Julie that her art is hanging on people's walls all over the world!

Outside of Etsy, Julie's first love is being a wife and mom, She says, "I have the best hubby in the world & love spending any moment with him. Ialso have the most adorable kiddos, with whom I love to be outside. We love the zoo, the arboretum, and going on the train into Chicago."

On top of all that, Julie has another "other" job as a book designer. She was trained as an illustrator, but her entire career has been spent designing books for Tyndale House Publishers, Zondervan, and Willow Creek Association.

Some of you, my readers, may have heard the BIG titles that she has worked on: the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins (creating books 4-12), Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson (and she just finished Bringing up Girls!).


However, Julie's all time project was designing The Jesus Storybook Bible <--that is the Bible that our church uses in Sunday School. It is GREAT!

Seen and heard enough that you want to go out and buy a print right now?!

BUY IT!

You can find on Life Verse Design Etsy. These are great gifts for new parents, long-time or new Christians, teachers, and friends looking to be inspired!

WIN IT!

Julie is generously giving away one free 8x10 print of the winner's choice.

Winner!

Mrs. McFadden said... 13

ordered 4

Congratulations!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Peanut Feet

This week's giveaway is from the super fun Etsy shop Peanut Feet!

Jill is the super sweet mom and designer behind Peanut Feet. She is a proud Texas girl that at one time practiced interior design. While she loves working on her Etsy shop, she loves to hang out with her two curious and wonderful kids, her hard working husband and their crazy westie.

Jill started designing socks just after her daughter was born. Her daughter had tiny "peanut feet" that just screamed for cute socks. Problem was, Jill could not find any cute socks that would stay on her feet. So, Jill purchased tiny white newborn socks and started embellishing them.

pastel double flower socks

Aren't these cute socks? These are Jill's favorite things that she makes because these are what got Peanut Feet started! Every mom knows that newborn babies need socks no matter the season! Why not put them in something cute?!?! And bonus--Jill makes socks in bigger sizes, too!

flower beaded socks

The hair accessories were a natural progression from the cute flower socks! And they are equally adorable. Think how cute it would be to have your kiddo match from head to foot!

What is your Name? hair clippie

Jill's favorite thing to make for Peanut Feet are the wool-blend felted flowers. She then loves to attach them to everything! They are so bright and cheerful that you can't have a bad day while wearing them.

Forget Me Not flower clippies

The great thing about the felt material she uses is that it has enough stability to withstand lots of washing and comes in tons of beautiful colors.

cheerful double flower headband

Jill even makes bibs!

Happy Heart bib

.

BUY IT!

All of the items found in Peanut Feet are affordable and cute! They'd make the perfect stocking stuffer or gift accessory this year!

***Special: Now through the end of next week, Jill is offering free shipping on all items purchased from Peanut Feet!***

WIN IT!

Jill is giving away a $15 gift certificate to Peanut Feet!

Congratulations commenter #85, Andrea B!



Andrea, you have been contacted and have 48-hours to reply. Thanks!

{Closed} Fab Friday Giveaway: Big Top Vintage

I am SO excited to introduce you to Big Top Vintage.
This fabulous Etsy store is brimming with gorgeous children's clothing & accessories made from vintage fabric and materials.

Adrienne is the amazingly talented woman behind Big Top Vintage. She began sewing a while ago but it was only recently that Adrienne's sister (behind the equally incredible Dream Child Studio) convinced her to begin selling on Etsy. She is glad that she finally opened shop and YOU, my readers, will be glad, too, once you see the wonderful clothes she sells!

Laura Gunn Lantern Bloom Knot Dress

Adrienne loves crafting everything in Big Top Vintage, but her very favorite thing she has ever sewn was a Thanksgiving frock: the Joel Dewberry Chestnut Hill Dress. Her best selling item is the Sky Blue and Red Joel Dewberry Antler Dress, similar to the one you see below. The great thing about each of the items in Big Top Vintage is that they always turn out one of a kind because each one is made with love and care.

Joel Dewberry Dear Valley Christmas Apron Knot Dress

Adrienne loves to work with cotton and experimenting with mixing textures. She is a total sensory person so everything she make needs to be soft and comfortable--perfect for kids' clothes! Making new items for Big Top Vintage always remains exciting--especially when she has a new pile of fabric to dig in to!

Joel Dewberry Vintage Acorn Dress

Adrienne has a beautiful four year old son who she love to spend time with. She and her husband love to take him rock climbing, snowboarding and skiing. They love living in Colorado and take advantage of all it has to offer. She also LOVES reading children's books and sometimes continues to read them even after her son falls asleep!

vintage numbers twirl skirt

Besides the gorgeous clothing pictured above, you can also find exquisite baby and nursery accessories:

Laffey Giraffey Vintage Diaper Stacker and the Two Little Lambs vintage lap quilt

BUY IT!

Don't you think your favorite kiddos need some Big Top Vintage in their lives?

***Special: Now through the end of next week, Adrienne is offering free shipping on all items purchased from Big Top Vintage!***

WIN IT!

Adrienne is very generously giving away a $35 gift certificate to Big Top Vintage!

Congratulations to Laura who won the Gift Certificate!

Laura said... 20

I'm a public follower!

lmerritt49903@gmail.com

December 4, 2009 11:08 PM

{Closed} Fab Friday Giveaway: Carolina Craft Shoppe

Looking for last week's winner? I've decided to post the winners on the SAME post as the giveaway post. Check it out here!

This week's Fab Friday Giveaway is sponsored by Carolina Craft Shoppe.

It is an extra-special giveaway because it is also on BLACK FRIDAY. Woohoo! Did y'all get out and shop this morning? It's been a crazy day for us, not to mention for my twin--she is currently in labor as I write this post!!!

Usually I end my Fab Friday posts with the special deals but since it is still BLACK FRIDAY, I wanted to start with the great specials that Carolina Craft Shoppe is offering now through Sunday, November 29.

* Get $3 off your purchase! (Excludes clearance items.) Start following their blog and, when checking out, Enter "BlogMe3" in the "Message to Seller" box.

OR

* (again) Get $3 off your purchase! (Excludes clearance items.) Follow Carolina Craft Shoppe on twitter and, when checking out, Enter "TweetMe3" in the "Message to Seller" box.

* In addition, any Etsy seller who hearts Carolina Craft Shoppe will see THEIR items featured on their twitter page! Carolina Craft Shoppe does a daily link-to and features five etsy sellers. This is a great way to get some of your items seen by new customers and is very cool of them to do!

Now lets learn a little more about Carolina Craft Shoppe and see what you can buy with these fabulous discounts!

Carolina Craft Shoppe is run by Abby and Elaina, two sisters from North Carolina. They sell premade scrapbook layouts, which are shipped completely put together and ready for buyers to post photos on and slip into their albums.

"Beautiful" 12x12 single page layout

Okay--how genius is that? This is the kind of scrapbooking I was made for!

As you may know first hand, scrapbooking can be very expensive and time-consuming so Carolina Craft Shoppe is there to help busy people organize their memories and keepsakes without a lot of the hassle. We also have ready-made embellishments, which are great for scrapbook pages, gift bags or handmade cards.

Boys will be Boys 2-page 12x12 layout

While Abby was on maternity leave, she and Elaina decided to take one of their favorite hobbies - scrapbooking - and turn it into a small business (Carolina Craft Shoppe!). Their mom always wanted them to make scrapbook pages for her and the sisters quickly realized that there were other busy parents out there who wanted scrapbooks for their kids but didn't have the time and resources to do it on their own. (<---and...that would be ME!) Their new business venture also became a great way for the two sisters to spend some time together! They opened Carolina Craft Shoppe in September 2008 and were blessed with their first sale the first month. They have some very loyal customers, and they enjoy crafting so it's a win-win situation.

"Embrace" 12x12 single page layout

Abby and Elaina have been scrapbookers for many years--giving them a great supply of materials to work with and create the fun layouts you see in these pictures. They both enjoy crafting so they try to split a lot of the design work between each other. Often, one of them will create the bones of a page and the other will come behind – with a fresh perspective – and apply the finishing touches. Talk about great team work!

Graduation 2-page 12x12 layout

Currently, Abby and Elaina are loving creating their holiday layouts. They're getting ready to list lots of new Christmas layouts so make sure to be on the lookout for them--in the meantime, think snowflakes, Christmas trees, glitter, sparkles - that's the stuff scrapbooking is made for!

Red and Purple flower embellishments

The baby-announcement layouts are currently one of the most popular Carolina Craft Shoppe layouts. Scrapbooking is very personal and it's meant to be a place to keep memories. These layouts are great gifts for new moms, and they're easily matched to a nursery. Get this--they even recommend framing them for the nursery - they're fabulous keepsakes! <---Now that is a GREAT idea for a unique baby shower gift!

Swirl Tags and Christmas Holly gift tags

Both sisters are big readers--so much so that they recently started a book club with friends.

Elaina has a dog – Beau – who is really like her son (and a cute one at that!) She also loves decorating her home and gardening.

Abby has a little boy, who takes up a lot of her time these days! She also has a food blog called Shall We Cook which functions as her other baby . Her favorite pastimes are definitely time in the kitchen, especially baking, and photography (which she really only dabbles in!)

Three Gift Set Embellishment

BUY IT!

Now that you've seen some of the great layouts that you can purchase from Carolina Craft Shoppe don't you want to go out and start scrapbooking right now? No? Not as ambitious? Well those gift tags are certainly a steal for 4/$1.50!!!

And, don't forget--now through Sunday, November 29 you can get $3 off your purchase by using code "BlogMe3" or "TweetMe3" in the "Message to Seller" box.

WIN IT!

Abby and Elaina are giving one lucky Monkeys on the Bed! reader either a one-page baby-announcement layout OR a one-page custom layout worth $10! Don't forget that these baby-announcement layouts make great baby shower gifts!

Congratulations to Stephanie and Matt who won the premade layout!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Toot Sweet Handbags

I was beyond thrilled when Elisa from Toot Sweet Handbags contacted me about a giveaway. Besides being one of the sweetest, most helpful, and most excited Etsy women I've ever worked with, her creations are adorable and must-haves (not to mention PERFECT gifts for birthdays and holidays!)

Elisa has been crafting and creating for as long as she can remember, but Toot Sweet Handbags started with a bet: Given her LOVE of handbags Elisa's husband bet her that she couldn’t resist buying a handbag for a year. She lasted for three months but by then she was ready to buy a new bag.

{design your own Diana clutch}

Elisa's smart husband said that she would not break the rules if she made a bag, as long as she didn’t buy the materials to make the bag. And, that, my lovely readers is how Elisa got started upcycling clothing into handbags!

{the little black purse Renee clutch}

Her friends all loved the bag and encouraged her to make more and sell them. She found Etsy and now you all get to see her gorgeous handbags and accessories in her Toot Sweet Handbags store. (In case you were wondering, Elisa won the bet, and her husband bought her a new Singer Confidence Quilter sewing machine as her winner’s reward!).

{design your own catch-all pouch}

As a self-described eco-freak, Elisa feels everyone can do their part to ease the impact we have on the earth. She personally finds it just as easy to recycle as to trash, to reuse as to buy new. And so she does the same in her designs. Elisa searches thrift stores for the best fabrics and patterns on skirts and blouses, and uses Etsy to buy awesome vintage fabrics.

{design your own catch-all pouch}

Elisa also finds remnants from the fabric store and from past projects to create the smaller items you see in Toot Sweet Handbags--their uniqueness never ceases to amaze her. Because of the garments and fabrics Elisa finds, you’ll never find another handbag like the ones sold at Toot Sweet Handbags.

{button bobbies}

Elisa lives in a sunny Florida beach town with her husband and 2 crazy cats, and they keep pretty busy. She works full time at an engineering firm, so creating happens in the evenings and weekends. In their spare time, they enjoy going to the beach, eating sushi, reading books, and pretending that they can understand what their cats are trying to say to them (ha!).

{design your own Kari handbag}

As Elisa told me, "my husband and I both hold each other and our faith highest in our lives, so being involved in church activities and spending time with one another is essential." <---LOVE that!

{design your own Kari handbag}

BUY IT

Now that you've learned a lot more about Elisa and Toot Sweet Handbags (and seen her GORGEOUS pieces), don't you think that you should invest in one of her products?

{design your own handy fob wristlet keychain}

Well, lucky for you, Elisa is giving all Monkeys on the Bed! readers 15% off any purchase from now through Saturday, November 28. AND FREE SHIPPING. WOW! That would make these keyfobs are only $5.52 and this Renee clutch only $28.90!

{retrofied pink Renee Clutch}

WIN IT

Even luckier for you, Elisa is giving away a Design-Your-Own Renee Clutch (a $35 value!), like the one seen below:

Winner!

Congratulations to Julie!