giveaway: rainbow loom book

Winner = Carrie Mclean!
view the drawing here

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Fox Chapel Publishing and asked if I would host a giveaway on my blog for Design Originals new book:

Totally Awesome Rubber Band Jewelry

My boys recently caught onto the Rainbow Loom craze and were using their fingers to craft bracelets for themselves, their friends, and their family.  They were beyond excited when a copy of this book arrived in our mailbox.

We picked up a loom so they could try out some of the bracelet styles pictured in the book.
They loved it!  This full-color book is fun and engaging for little (and big!) bracelet makers.

Some of the fun designs included in the book.

First, they flipped through the 48-page book to choose a project.  The brightly colored and doodled layouts are packed with jewelry-making info and tips.
Once they settled on their design (of course it was the Starburst Bracelet on pg. 34), they choose the number of bands needed from the "What You'll Need" list, and set to work loading the loom following the "Load It Up!" diagram that accompanies each loom project.  Each band is numbered on the diagram making it easy to follow.  As long as you load the loom in numerical order you'll have a fun and funky bracelet (my son had to learn this the hard way!).  They also provide "Load It Up!" diagrams for alternate color schemes.

A bracelet made by boy #2 for his aunt.

Next comes the sometimes tricky part of hooking the bracelet.  The book makes this part easy by providing detailed step-by-step photos along with written instructions for how to "Get Loopin'."  There are also directions for finishing your bracelets, as well as projects other than bracelets, such as earrings, a flower charm, a belt, and more.

My little guy designed and made this one.

You can take a peek at the book in the preview below:  

 

The boys and I loved making some of the bracelets in this fun new book and the nice peeps at Fox Chapel sent me an extra copy of the book to giveaway on my blog.  

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me how crazy the kids in your life are for this rubber band jewelry.  I will pick one random winner on Saturday, November 9th.  

Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is open to addresses in US and Canada only, please.  Thanks so much for understanding!

A Cuff and a Cozy {and a giveaway}

 I am so grateful for the boundless array of crochet patterns that people so readily share on their blogs and on sites such as Ravelry.  When I sit down to crochet, I feel like I am channeling a bit of my ancestral heritage, that maybe my grandmother and her grandmother before her sat in much the same way, rocking in a chair sipping tea in between rounds of crochet.  And then I think how fortunate I am to be living in the age of Google and Pinterest and to have access to the huge assortment of designs and tutorials, most of which are free. So to all of you who share your patterns with the world, I thank you from the bottom of my little  crocheting heart.

A Cuff

I used this pattern to make a cute cuff bracelet, just the perfect little accessory to some jeans and a t-shirt.  And now I think I've got the hang of foundation single crochet without having to watch the video a hundred times!  Thanks, Alice!

A Cozy

Not that my iPod needed another cozy--this thing almost has more cases than I have outfits--but I just loved the shell stripes of this adorable pattern from Shweta.

And a Giveaway

Yesterday kicked off Day #1 of Big Picture Scrapbooking's 2011 Big Idea Festival: 

You can still sign up to play along.  

So what does this have to do with anything?  Well, yesterday's word was "Share" and today, since I'm feeling grateful to those who share their talents online, I would like to share a bit of my "talent" (using this term loosely here) and give away a cuff bracelet like the one pictured above.  

To enter, leave a comment with a note about what you are feeling grateful for these days.  I'll pick one at random and stitch you up a little cuff to fit your wrist.

A Giveaway!

The lovely folks from Frogtape contacted me when they saw this blog post 

and asked if I would giveaway a little Frogtape gift bag.  

Turn down free craft supplies; are you kidding me?!  Here are the goods up for grabs:

 2 rolls of Frogtape--enough for a ton of crafting goodness,

a reusable Frogtape bag (in green, my favorite color),

and a uber cool (do people still say 'uber'?) green tee--the back has a great big frog on it.

To win, just leave a comment with an idea for how you would use the Frogtape.

{And if you can't think of an idea, you can always just say, hi!}

I can't wait to alter the plastic case the Frogtape comes in.  It's perfect for a mini album box!

I'll choose a winner on July 31st.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

OK, so I am a giveaway delinquent!  I was thinking of reposting the giveaway to try to get a few more entrants, but what the hey--there'll be other giveaways!

My apologies for all those who have been waiting with bated breath to see who would win the 3 tubes of Pink Paislee Pixee (say that 10 times fast).  I guess it pays to be first, so...

Lolly Chops, you're the winner!!

I will get these in the mail to you this week.  I know you will make something fab with them!

And the winners are...

I used the very high tech method of picking a name from a basket during a stUdio session with friends and the winners are {insert drum roll here}

Amanda Berens and Cory

Congratulations, girls!! Email me your addies, and I will ship these out to you!

Thank you to all for the super nice comments and participating in my giveaway!

A Giveaway!!

Ford Warriors in Pink have partnered with Martha Stewart Omniliving to design a beautiful stamp set, whose entire net proceeds benefits Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

This set features 13 inspiring symbols:

etched on high quality rubber and mounted on stained, hardwood blocks.

The set also includes 6 ink pads and is held together neatly in a designer tin.

Martha Stewart featured these stamps on her show to create beautiful stationery. You could use these stamps to make ornaments, gift tags, cards and more.

I am thrilled to be giving away TWO of these sets! Please leave a comment on this post and I will randomly draw two names one week from today (Thursday, November 12th at 9:00pm EST). I will post the winners here, so please be sure to check back.

Ford creates limited edition Warriors in Pink apparel and accessories featuring important symbols signifying the message of hope, strength and unity in the commitment to the fight against breast cancer. Ford donates 100% of net proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Please check out the Ford Cares Warriors in Pink shop for lots of great holiday gift items, including this stamp set.

DP Kit Giveaway

Donna Downey is giving away one October kit from Dixie Pieces. Head on over and leave a comment for your chance to win this fab kit. Click here to enter to win.