Announcing Winner!

The contest ended at 11:59pm last night, so now it's time to announce a winner! Just to make sure everyone knows, each comment entry was assigned the number that it was in the order it was posted. My comment did not count, and one comment was removed by the poster. So there were a total of 11 comments, but eliminating my own and the one that was removed there were 9 entries.

I used a random number generator, I did not choose the winner based on preference, and it was completely random. So, without any further ado, the winner is:

#9 - Jennifer.

Since I wasn't provided an email address for this person the only way for me to contact them is here. Jennifer, please send me an email at sewspecialcrafts@gmail.com OR leave a comment here with your email address so I can contact you. You have one week to claim your prize!

BOOTIE GIVEAWAY!

Well, I made a couple of promises back in April: to dedicate the month of May to a charity (and if you missed that, I am donating 10% of every purchase made in my Etsy shop to the March of Dimes for the entire month of May! Be part of a good cause and get some cute stuff out of the deal!) and also to have a giveaway!

What better to giveaway than my signature product, a pair of baby booties! I tried hosting a giveaway for a pair of custom booties quite some time ago, and the winner never claimed them, so this time I am doing a specific pair, to take off the pressure of deciding what you want. There will be other giveaways in the future, as well - so if this isn't for you, tell your friends and hang around until the next one!!

~May Giveaway~

One pair of`my handmade baby girl skull booties! Size 0-6 months.

Details about the booties can be seen here. Entries start now and last entry will be accepted no later than 11:59pm Monday May 23, 2010 (That gives about a week to get entries in!). Winner will be announced Tuesday, May 24th.

How do you enter?
You are eligible for 5 entries total. For every extra entry, please remember to comment a SEPARATE time, letting me know you have followed the directions for an extra entry (which one, and where I can see that you did it!).
If you do not post a separate comment for your extra entries, they will not count, because the numbers that go into the generator that randomly picks a winner are determined by the number of comments on this post.
1. The first entry is easy! Comment on this blog post, and you have one entry! 

Extra entries:
2. Post a blog entry on your personal blog about my contest, linking back to my page - send me the link and get a second entry!
3. Post a link to my giveaway on Twitter! - send me your Twitter username and get another entry.
4. "Like" SewSpecialCrafts on Facebook and tell me what name is on the FB account you liked us with! If you already like us, it still counts. Just the same, comment telling me so and include the name on your Facebook account so I can confirm that you've liked it!
5. Add my Etsy shop to your favorites on your Etsy account, and comment with your user name telling me you have added SewSpecialCrafts to your favorite etsy shops!

And that's it! Make sure I have a means to contact you, whoever wins will have 1 week to claim their prize before I will give it to a different entrant!

Get commenting and spread the word!!!

Wine Love!

I love a little wine now and then, and although I don't have any fancy wine decor or anything, a girl can dream! So I was perusing the world wide web, looking at some pretty things, and decided to share some things I wouldn't mind having at some point!

Any other wine drinkers out there? What's your favorite wine? Do you have a rack or special decanter that you use?

Anniversary Time!

Ben and I are celebrating the anniversary of the night we started seeing each other today! We don't have any big plans, but his parents are in town for the weekend and he has the night off from rehearsal. So, even if we don't end up doing anything alone together, at least we get to be together all day! So glad it fell on a weekend! Now that we're married, I feel kind of silly paying any attention to our dating anniversary - does anyone else still celebrate their anniversary of being together once they've gotten married? I can't seem to think of anyone who celebrates two anniversaries a year... This is why I always think it'd be easier to just get married on your dating anniversary! Then none of us would have to ponder these things!

Time sure flies! I love looking at old pictures because until I see what we used to look like, I forget. It's not until I go through old photos that I realize how much has really changed and how much we have changed, but also can see things and remember things that haven't changed at all!

What a wonderful time we've had together and will continue to have together! We've gone through so much, learned so many things about each other, and we continue to grow and learn together! I love you, Ben! Happy Anniversary!

“Love just doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new.”
-Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

Two and a Half Men: Ashton?!

I just read that Ashton Kutcher is "replacing" Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men"... This is all fine and dandy, I understand their desire to keep the show up and running, but really? Okay, a few questions: can a show be the same when the star is taken off? Disregard his "real life" character, that he may be a little crazy, etc... Must the show go on, when the main star is no longer able to be played by the same actor? Second question, and most important really - Has there been any mention or speculation as to whether or not Ashton is meant to play the same character that Sheen played? I mean, it's one thing to replace an actor with another because you have to have character balance, but unless you're making "Batman" sequels, you can't exactly change around the actor who plays the star role...

So the big question is: Is Ashton playing Charlie, or is he playing another, brand-spanking-new, character to replace Charlie entirely? If you have any insight or have seen an article that gives some, please do share! What are your thoughts on the show? Should it continue? Do you think Ashton was the right replacement?

Cupcake Couture

It seems like fashionable cupcakes are really trendy right now, and I love LOVE looking at them! I start browsing the web for pictures of cupcakes, and I have actually spend hours looking at cupcakes on the computer because I am fascinated with the fact that some people sit and make every little detail on every single cupcake!

My mom is a cake decorator, and I know she's done some cupcakes, but looking at all the cupcakes online (and having seen that cupcake contest show one time... Cupcake Wars, I'll assume?) makes me want to start getting into cupcake decorating. Don't worry, I have so many projects started and hobbies in mind that I'll probably bake one batch of cupcakes, and never do it again...

At any rate, here are some of my favorites:

I wonder if I would have the patience to complete more than 4 or 5 cupcakes just ONCE, let alone trying my hand at it enough times to gain some skill... If I have a go at it, you'll be the first to know!

What's Up With Scentsy??

I'm starting to think I am not a normal woman. It seems like all my girl friends, and girl not-so-friends even, are all caught up in this Scentsy thing. It's a giant fad right now, and I'm not sure I can understand why it's such a big deal. First of all, sure, I like things that smell pretty. I use candles now and then, and I've sprayed smell pretty sprays in the house before. But though the scent of the candles is a plus, I usually use them more for the ambiance that the lighting creates. And though the scent of smell pretty sprays and air fresheners are dandy any time, I usually only pull them out after someone's been in the bathroom too long, or something out of the ordinary threw the smell of my usual every day smell of the house.

I think if I were to have or go to a Scentsy party, personally, I would spend more time at the party enjoying the smells of the samples than I would at home enjoying the smells of the actual product, assuming I'd be willing to drop stacks on some chunks of wax in the first place. More than likely, they're going to end up in a cupboard, never used. Second most likely scenario: the burner with previously melted wax remains is going to be on the shelf, covered in dust and paperwork. The few places in my house that aren't busy collecting mail, books, old schoolwork, and trash are those which will likely result in turning my babies into wax figurines, if you know what I mean.

A spice scented Scentsy set.

But all that aside, I'm not sure why everyone is so into this whole Scentsy thing, period! It's like they've never burned a candle before! And for those who say that it's like a candle but the lack of a wic eliminates the smell of a burning wic, and the smoky aftersmell when blown out - that's why I own a candle warming plate. I can still buy my inexpensive, perfectly permeating candles at a department store, set them on a hot plate for that purpose, and accomplish the same thing, right?

Spill it ladies, are there pheremones in these little blocks of wax, or what? I expect a few comments here, because I know there have to be several of you readers who are caught up in this whole thing!

Vintage Style Romper!

So, I made a romper for a friend whose daughter was turning a year old. It's been done and given away for a while now, but I never got pictures onto the computer until last night, and I am really proud of how it turned out so I wanted to share! The pattern I used was from 1986 and I just adored the finished product. I chose to embellish it with some fabric yoyos that I made, and I just want to make a whole bunch of these little rompers now! The style is just wonderful!

Full shot, albeit sideways... :)

Close-up of top/front with hand-made yoyos.

Sew Little Time!

So, first of all: sorry I've been sort of MIA for a while! Seems like life doesn't want to offer me much downtime at the moment! I am currently working 50 hours a week doing childcare. It's been great, albeit a bit exhausting! I take care of my twins as well as a 10 month old baby, a 3 year old, a 4 year old, and a 6 year old. I've also been working on costuming the local community theatre production of "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." It opens in a couple weeks, so not much longer will I be working on that, which is relieving and stressful at the same time! Costumes are not all squared away yet, so the pressure is now on!

Beyond those things, I am also expecting company this weekend. My in-laws will be visiting from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. That means I need to get my house in order, because right now it's a little crazy! I'm really glad they're coming, though! They haven't seen us or any of the kids since Christmas and New Years, and a lot can happen (especially with babies) in that amount of time!

For those who have been standing by, I wanted to let everyone know that the cause I chose to support with SewSpecialCrafts this month is March of Dimes! Any purchases made in my Etsy shop for the month of May will help the March of Dimes. For every purchase made, I will be donating 10% of the purchase!

Go check out what you can buy to help the March of Dimes today! http://sewspecialcrafts.etsy.com :)