Today’s giveaway: a custom creation

This has been the most fun week ever!  I’ve loved reading everyone’s comments – and it’s not like you have just been entering for the giveaways – you’ve left some wonderful notes that are really encouraging to me!  Thank you so much, everyone!

I am excited to wrap up this week with one of my most recent newest things – a craft I became obsessed with over the summer, and it threatened to push my yarny-pursuits off the radar completely (although, I’m not sure if that could ever happen…) – paper cutting!

For my last Bloggy Giveaway giveaway, I will give one lucky commenter a custom designed paper cutting.

This might not sound special, but I feel like I’m really putting myself out there with this one.  The other giveaways I’ve been giving things that I love but that I don’t really have much creative input into on my own (OK, the owl was pretty creative, but I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember.  I’ve only been cutting paper for a couple months).  I’ve only designed a couple things myself, but I’ve been so pleased with how they’ve turned out, and I’ve gotten a great response from them…

Here are most of the things I’ve cut…

1. Big Boy Rocket, 2. Little Man Space Ship, 3. robot, 4. leaf, 5. dandelion blowing, 6. celtic knot 2, 7. flowers, 8. dandelion 2, 9. dandelion 1

The other things I’ve cut I’ve either not been happy with or not taken a picture of (whoops!).  Four of the cuttings I designed myself (numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5).  The others I used pictures as guides, with some modifications to make them appropriate for cutting.

If you win this giveaway, I will design and cut a custom piece of art for you – your choice of sizes (up to 12×12 inches – I work mostly in cardstock and use a lot of scrapbook paper) and your choice of colors, your choice of theme and wording… If you have a child that you’d like something special for their room, I’ve got some more great ideas along the lines of numbers 1 and 2… If you have a floral pattern that you adore in your dining room table cloth and would like a matching cutting for the wall, I’ll whip one up.  If you’d like to give your mother-in-law a special gift for Christmas to go with her southwestern-themed sunroom, I’ll try my best!  And I’ll have it to you way in advance of Christmas!  I will not frame it – that part will be up to you.

To win this custom cutting, please leave me a comment (with a valid email address) letting me know what you think you might like as a design if you win.  You won’t be held to that though – you can always change you mind when you win and start to really think about it.  Comments will be accepted through the end of the day (12:00am PST), and the drawing will occur on Saturday, November 1.

If this is your first time here, take a look around – I’d love for you to come back again!  Also, check out my Bloggy Giveaways from Monday,  Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, the giveaway on my other blog, and the others at the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival site!!!  This has been a wonderful week – it’s been fun meeting all of you!!!

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Entries for the giveaway are now closed.  Please click here to see who the winner was!

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Today’s giveaway: crochet goodies!!!

I got hooked (ha! get it? hooked?!) on amigurumi earlier this year when I discovered the brilliant designs of Mia at Owlishly.  I absolutely love her work – so cute!  When I got started on amigurumi, I bought a bevy of great amigurumi books (Mia sells her patterns individually in her Etsy shop – please check them out!) – all the books are from very talented designers.  And I need to share one of these fabulous books with you, so…

Today, I will be giving one lucky commenter an amazing amigurumi book and a handmade crochet hook roll!

The book is Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Amigurumiby Tomoko Takamori.  Kyuuto! = CUTE!!! (I just want to run around the house yelling that – don’t you? …or is it only me? KYUUTO!!!!!!!!)  Look at some of these little guys whose patterns are in the book…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures – that was hard taking pictures of pictures in a book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at those little frogs just lying around waiting to play!

While this book has some great patterns that are pretty easy to read, if you’ve never crocheted before, you might want to hop online and find some basic instructions for starting and doing single crochet.  The book is rather light on specifics for beginners. 

The handmade crochet hook roll is similar to the one I made for my giveaway on Tuesday– but I realized when I made that one for the dpn needles, the crochet hooks were much shorter and didn’t really fit into the dpn roll.  So I made this one to fit standard size crochet hooks.  Again, please note: the crochet hooks in the case are not included in this giveaway – they are mine and I need them!!!

However – if the winner of this giveaway does not have her (or his) own crochet hooks, I will be happy to include some…. these were hooks that I found while I was cleaning out my yarn bag, and they are doubles of ones that I already have (look at that honking HUGE hook!  Oh, so much fun to whip up a quick scarf with some bulky yarn – instant gratification!).  They are gently used, if they were used at all.  So all you will need is some yarn, and you’ll be ready to go!!!

To win this adorable amigurumi giveaway, please leave me a comment (with a valid email address) letting me know who you would give your first little amigurumi to.  If you’re not a crocheter (yet!) or if you don’t have any hooks, let me know that, too, so I will know if you would like the extras I have.  Comments will be accepted through the end of the week, and the drawing will occur on Saturday, November 1.

If this is your first time here, take a look around – I’d love for you to come back again!  Also, check out my Bloggy Giveaways from Monday,  Tuesday, and Wednesday, the giveaway on my other blog, and the others at the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival site!!!  Come back each day this week for more giveaway goodness!

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Entries for the giveaway are now closed.  Please click here to see who the winner was!

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Today’s giveaway: coffee and the promise of easy, good food!

As I said yesterday, I wanted to giveaway something each day this week that reflected a craft I was passionate about.  Four things popped immediately into my mind, and you’ve seen sewing and knitting so far.  The fifth thing I wanted to giveaway is not exactly a craft I’m passionate about, but the components are things I spend a lot of my time on…  coffee and food!

Today I will be sending one commenter a pound of really fresh coffee, and to that winner and three others I will be sending a PDF copy of a recipe booklet I’ve put together.

Most Saturdays I work at a good friend’s coffeeshop.  I kid you not – this is the best. coffee. ever.  David, the owner of the shop and my husband’s childhood friend, has been passionate about coffee for a long time, and he started roasting coffee in a popcorn popper on his back porch (it’s possible – I know he did it, I just don’t know how).  This passion has turned into a Richmond, VA, sensation – the coffee has been picked up by one of the largest grocery chains here in Virginia.  Coffeeshops, restaurants, offices, and churches are serving his coffee all over town.   

The key to the coffee is its freshness. David roasts the coffee at the coffeeshop, and it is bagged and delivered as soon as possible.  When you taste the coffee, you can tell the difference immediately.  My husband and I have been drinking Blanchard’s Coffee from the beginning, and we can’t drink anything else – we are completely spoiled by the smoothness and the deliciousness of the coffee. 

What this coffee represents to me (besides its deliciosity) is friendship and good adult conversation.  When I work at the coffeeshop, I often get to work with a great friend, Kelly, and I also get to talk to adult people for several hours.  It’s a wonderful day when I get to be at the coffeeshop. 

Now, to explain my recipe booklet… as a SAHM, a large chunk of my time is taken up with housework and cooking.  I never thought I would enjoy this domestic life, but I love it!  It has taken me several years to get to a point where both the cooking and cleaning are consistently happening at the same time… that sounds bad, but there are seasons where one would take precedence over the other as I tried to figure out a good routine for my day.  I’ve tried several different systems (like the FlyLady), and while the systems were great and effective, they were not always something I could maintain on a daily basis.  So I’ve picked and chosen what works for me over the years. 

Wow – long story short (too late!)…I’ve been working on my own daily planner, complete with menus and chores and anything else that needs to happen during the day.  The planner itself is still in the works, but I did compile a file of my favorite 103 recipes to help me in my menu planning.  I was tired of trying to remember where a recipe was (book? recipe card? online?), so I typed them all up and made a “booklet” of them, so I could print them out and have them all in one place.

These recipes are old family favorites (Aunt Jenni’s Mac and Cheese, Monkey Bread, my mom’s broccoli rice casserole) and new favorites from recipe books and other sources.  I want to share them with you to help make your menu planning easier – and you know these recipes are tested in my kitchen for ease of creation and tastiness.

To win this yummy giveaway, please visit the Blanchard’s Coffee website and then come back here and leave me a comment (with a valid email address) letting me know what type of coffee you’d like to try if you win.  If you’re not a coffee drinker and would just like the recipes to help you out, let me know that, too.  Comments will be accepted through the end of the week, and the drawing will occur on Saturday, November 1.

If this is your first time here, take a look around – I’d love for you to come back again!  Also, check out my Bloggy Giveaways from Monday and Tuesday, the giveaway on my other blog, and the others at the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival site!!!  Come back each day this week for more giveaway goodness!

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Entries for the giveaway are now closed.  Please click here to see who the winner was!

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Today’s giveaway: a sock-knitter’s dream!

I decided in the middle of the day yesterday that I was having so much fun giving away Mr. Owl that I wanted to continue the fun!  I wracked my little brain, and I’ve come up with a giveaway for each day that reflects one of my passions.  Today it’s the obsession that started it all… knitting!!!

To one lucky commenter, I am sending 2 fabulous skeins of Forbidden Fleece Cozy Sock Yarn and a handmade dpn needle roll!!!

Another handmade project of mine, the dpn needle roll is made out of felt and ribbon.  The outside is a lovely burgundy color, and the inside is a nice light blue.  Please note: the dpn needles and crochet hook in the case are not included in this giveaway – they are mine and I need them!!!

The sock yarn is from Forbidden Fleece, my favorite indie dyers who also happen to be friends of mine!  They are a fabulous husband and wife team who love yarn and want to bring the best to sock knitters everywhere! This Cozy yarn is hand-dyed, 100% Merino Superwash, 3 ply, fingering weight yarn.  I was only going to give away the skein on the left, since it is named after me – Leigh’s Woodlands (I told them what my favorite colors were, and they made a colorway with them!!!).  But as I was looking through the colorways I had, the Pumpkin Spice just jumped out at me, too! Such warm, cozy colors, perfect for a warm fall sock…. I fell in love with this colorway the first time I saw it!  I linked to their Etsy shop above, though they rarely sell on Etsy anymore – but that is a good way to get a peek of some of their stuff until they get their new website up and running.  Until then, if you are interested in getting your hands on some of this yummy goodness, you can contact them at forbiddenfleece (at) hughesnet (dot) com or join the Forbidden Fleece group on Ravelry.  FYI – they also have non-sock yarn, too… I haven’t had a chance to squeeze anything besides the sock yarn, but I’ve heard it’s all yummy!

To win this wonderful sock knitting giveaway, please leave me a comment with a valid email address.  I’d also love to know your favorite sock pattern, or the one you’re working on now, or if you don’t knit socks, tell me what your favorite thing to craft is.  Comments will be accepted through the end of the week, and the drawing will occur on Saturday, November 1.

If this is your first time here, take a look around – I’d love for you to come back again!  Also, check out my first Bloggy Giveaway, the giveaway on my other blog, and the others at the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival site!!!  Come back each day this week for more giveaway goodness!

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Entries for the giveaway are now closed.  Please click here to see who the winner was!

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My first Bloggy Giveaway giveaway!

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to My New Thing…. I’m Leigh, a SAHM with crafting ADD.  I fell in love with the crafting-bloggy-world last year, and I’m so happy to be a part of it!

Here on My New Thing, I share my crafting adventures, successes, and failures… and whatever else pops into my mind.  I’m actually starting something new today, too – my first weekly post called This Week’s New Thing.  And this week’s new thing is…

My first Bloggy Giveaway giveaway!  Yes, I did a little giveaway for my 1 year bloggiversary, but this is the first time I’ve participated in anything so widespread!  So it’s very new to me… and I’m a bit nervous.  I’ve cleaned the place up a bit over the past couple days to get ready for you, so poke around and tell me what you think.

And… on to the GIVEAWAY!!!  If you’ve poked around here a little bit, you’ll see I’m committed to making our Christmas gifts this year (it’s my newest new thing, before today).  I’ve had an idea bumping around in my head for a gift for one of my nieces, and I needed to make a prototype for it.  I whipped it up this weekend, and I must say, I’m very pleased with the results.  I hope you are, too, because I’m giving the prototype away! 

I’m in love with all the owls around in the crafting world, and I had so much fun making this one!  It’s made of fleece, with patchwork wings (my first quilting ever!) and felt eyes and beak.  It’s approximately 12 inches tall and 12 inches wide, and about 3 or 4 inches deep.

To win this little guy, please leave a comment with a valid email address… that’s all you have to do!  Comments will be accepted through the end of the week, and the drawing will occur on Saturday, November 1.  I hope you love it as much as I do, and that you (or someone you love) will have fun hugging on it.

Of course, I hope you enjoy it here and will want to come back, especially since I have a couple other giveaways cooked up for this week!!  I’ll post each on the Bloggy Giveaway site, too, so keep checking back for more fun!

Also, visit my other blog, Impress Your Kids, for more bloggy giveaway fun!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again!

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Promised pictures…

I showed my first handmade gift to the relative I mentioned below, and I think I’ve changed her mind.  She loved it!  And who wouldn’t love it?

I need to add a ribbon around Kitty’s neck, because the stitches are visible where I sewed the head to the body.

The pattern is a free one, from the very talented Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls.  I love it, and I’ve wanted to make the pointy kitty for a year now.  And I finally had my chance!

In other crafty news, I am going to be participating in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival next week!  I am going to be sewing something this weekend that I just really want to make, and it’s not a part of my holiday sewing plans for this year.  So I’m going to give it away!  I’ll see if I can think of anything else to add to sweeten the pot, but this will be fun!  This will be my first time participating in a carnival! Impress Your Kids is also participating, so check there next week, too!

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I hate politics, and I hate political discussions.  They make me nervous and scared (that’s a personal issue I have with confrontations of any type – even friendly “discussions.”).  But I read something via Making Home that really made me think about the election this year – and honestly, it made my change my mind about for who I was going to vote.  Please click through… I was going to say “click through if you want to.”  You may not want to…. but I think you should read this anyway.

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I realize now…

After the past week, I realize now how blessed we have been as a little family not to have crazy insane sickness here before.  Because we are just now getting over our first round of it… 7 days straight of kids getting sick all over their beds, all over the couch, all over the floors…. I thought it would never end.  But I am standing in faith that it is finally over.  The last straw was me getting sick – not in the same way, but I had a fever all day yesterday.  I was able to spend all day in bed, thankfully, and I bounced back quickly.  So today was an almost normal day – except for the overwhelming amount of laundry that I’ve had to do. 

On to much more pleasant things!  I’ve gotten a little more done on my mom’s Nutkins’… see?

I haven’t done as much as I would’ve liked to on these – I was trying to keep them clean over the past week.  But I’m chugging along on them… slowly but surely.  This is a easy pattern to memorize, and easy to pick up from wherever you stopped with no problem.

I also made these bracelets – a reincarnation of these.  These are just single crochet around a plastic bangle bracelet, and I could’ve sworn I saw something about doing this on Vickie Howell’s blog, but I can’t find it on there now.  I know I didn’t come up with this on my own, though.  When I find out who did this first, I’ll credit them properly.  The bracelet on top is done with Sugar ‘n Cream cotton yarn, and the one on bottom is done with Brown Sheep’s Wildfoote Sock Yarn.  I can barely fit either of these onto my wrists – I forgot how “big boned” I am, and I’ve never been able to wear bangle bracelets of any kind.  So it looks like these may be gifts for someone this year.

I told you about my decision to make handmade gifts this year?  I need some encouragement to keep it up… On one hand, I am so excited about some of the patterns I’ve gotten and found to make gifts from (I forgot to take pictures of my first completed holiday gift!!!! shoot… I’ll post details on it tomorrow).  On the other hand, I mentioned that we are doing handmade gifts this year to one of our relatives who be receiving some handmade gifts from us, and I could hear the disappointment in her voice.  I just need to plow ahead and hope that I can wow her with the quality of the gifts I’m able to make (I hope I am able to make).  I may not please everyone, but when do we ever please everyone?  We always wind up buying some random things for people who are so hard to buy for anyway, and this is going to save us about $500 this year (according to my rusty calculations…)!!!

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Wonder of wonders: knitting content!!!

The Peasy Scarf is finished!  I really liked the pattern – like I said, it was easy.  I’m just slow.  And I love the result – it looks kinda fancy, don’t you think?  I started this on size 11 straight needles, but… I couldn’t do it.  I’ve been spoiled… so I picked up my KnitPicks Harmony Options set and used my size 17 tips and a circular cable… I can never go back.  Maybe I should start collecting the Harmony straight needles.  What do you think?

I have cast on for my Domestic Betty Baker’s Dozen KAL October sock – finally!  The pattern is the ever popular Nutkin – and no, I’m not using Wollmeise.  Sigh… I’m making these for my mom, and she has a wool allergy, so I’m using Kollage Luscious sock yarnin Rusty.  It’s 63% cotton and 37% elastic, so she should have no problem.  I’m hoping the elastic starts to appear, because as of right now, the fabric is pretty non-elastic.  And the yarn is kinda splitty.  But I like the color a lot.

Here’s something funny for you – while I was winding my Kollage yarn and casting on for the socks (using a Harmony Fixed Circular Knitting Needle – natch!– to do 2 socks at once on Magic Loop), I was also copying old videos to DVD to get rid of the bulky VHS tapes.  I was working on my recital tapes, and I took some pictures of the TV while it was on so I could blog about it on my family blog… but here’s one pose I caught, and I have no idea what I’m doing here.  I look rather Diva-esque, don’t you think?  I can’t tell if that’s supposed to be a Diva pose, or if I’m supposed to be emoting something different…. Anyway – that was 10 years ago, and I’m glad I’m knitting and not singing!  I got butterflies in my stomach just watching the videos!

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Completely horrified….*

… that it has been a full month since I last posted.  I need to get back in the saddle to warm up for NaBloPoMo in November.  I’d like to post daily both on this blog and my family blog this year.  Let’s see how that works out for me…

I havebeen working hard on stuff – 3 pairs of socks and a scarf for my mom to give as a gift, mostly.  But I’ve been scouring the innerwebs for Christmas gift ideas.  And I have plenty of ideas now!  I’m so excited – and I can’t wait to start making things!  Problem is, I have to finish this scarf for my mom… It’s called the Peasy Scarf (Ravelry link) – and it is pretty and easy, just like the pattern says.  Too bad I’m a super slow knitter with 2 kids who won’t let her sit down to catch her breath, much less knit. 

Speaking of making Christmas gifts… is there anything out there for this Christmas about “Give Hand-made” like there was last year?  I’ve been waiting for something like this to float across one of my blog feeds, but nothing is coming.  Am I just early?

OK – next time I promise pictures.  And I promise it won’t be as long between posts.

*Sorry about the “extreme” reaction… I tend to be a bit over-dramatic.  Just ask my Hubby.

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