Welcome to my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!
To enter simply leave a comment telling me one arty-crafty thing you (or your kids) plan to do this busy Christmas season.
On December 6th I will choose one commenter at random to be the winner. So that I can contact you, be sure to leave your blog link or email when you comment.
Also, I will pick my favorite activity suggestions to do myself or with my kids & blog about it before Christmas! I will credit you for the suggestion on that blog post. So check back to see what you inspired me to do!
This giveaway is open to everyone. I will ship internationally. It is not required, but I would love it if you added me to your blog list, or signed up to become a follower!
I bought the journal in a store and decorated the cover with collage papers to match the tote bag. The journal is lined with a floral pattern. Oh, a little bonus: I printed a poem I wrote and glued it to the inside front cover.
The journal fits nicely into the tote bag.
This is a detail of the panel of the bag. I printed some of my own art onto printable canvas as some of the fabric for the tote.
The body of the bag is 8.5 x 9 inches, the handle is 8 inches. To give you an idea of the size, here is my 3 year old holding the tote bag!
There is a similar tote bag & journal project in my book, The Artistic Mother - A Practical Guide to Fitting Creativity into Your Busy Day, published by North Light books, March 2010. My book is available for pre-order now! It is a part inspiration, part 'how to' book for Moms who are interested in doing family inspired art projects. ------------
Speaking of followers, if you are a follower then you are automatically entered into my Saturday Giveaway which starts next week, Dec 12th (separate to this Sew Mama Sew giveaway). Need details? See this post for details.
Even if this is your first visit to my blog, please sign up to be a follower, you have more chances to win some more of my handmade goodies.
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My friend Trudy is also doing the Sew Mama Sew giveaway - on her sewing blog and on her art blog!
If you like my journal and tote then leave me a comment today!
UPDATE: To those of you who have visited and commented: Oh my! I am delighted that you visited and honored you took the time to comment, I know you are all super busy out there in the real world. I wish I could give each person a handmade gift!
I am truly overwhelmed by all your kind comments. Thank you so much. I plan to come and visit each person who has left a note (if you have a blog that is), but it may take me a while to get through the list, I have never had this issue before :)
A special thanks to those who signed up to 'follow'. I look forward to visiting you and following your blog too.
I love the idea of actual photos on a bag, it looks great. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteYummy giveaway!!^^ Count me in please!
ReplyDeleteWe plan to make salt dough ornaments this year for our tree. It is tradition in our household. Mostly because they all break by the time Christmas comes anyways...
ReplyDeleteInteresting combo. I make quilted purses and totes and journal covers. A different approach.
ReplyDeleteNorthlight is a great organization to work with. Best wishes on the book!
How sweet is that ? Love the artwork you printed out.
ReplyDeleteMy 6 y/o (with my help) is going to make a garden stepping stone for her Grandparents
Reindeer. The kids' footprints are the face and two handprints make the antlers. Then the kids can embellish with googly eyes, pom pom noses, glitter, etc. Fun for them, keepsake for you!
ReplyDeletelissie.loo@gmail.com
what a lovely piece of artwork :) I love it
ReplyDeleteVery neat. I'd love to win this!
ReplyDeleteI love the journal and the bag! Bright and cheerful!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to follow the rules, I am making several of my gifts, and always make things for my co-workers for Christmas. They love the personal touch!
ReplyDeleteYour tote bag and journal are beautiful, I would just love to be the winner!
ReplyDeleteOh, so beautiful! Count me in! thanks for sharing your gorgeous work.
ReplyDeleteI love your bag! It's such a nice addition to the journal!
ReplyDeleteI will be making a cardboard gingerbread house based off the house in Jan Brett's Ginger Bread Baby book for my kids to play with. We will be making Ginger Bread Baby's for the house too!
ReplyDeleteI am making a quilt for my 25 year old son. He works at the U S Space and Rocket Center. So I am making him a space themed quilt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great givaway
We are making gingerbread houses to give to elderly and needy families. Not super crafty or artsy but the kids love doing it and it encourages them to be giving and selfless so it can't be a bad thing. We also are making all our own christmas paper with plain newsprint to make christmas our own :)
ReplyDeleteVery pretty. What a lovely set. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteGreat set. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great giveaway gift. Your book also sounds like a winner
ReplyDeleteI've already started making decorations for the tree this year. I decided to get rid of the ones hanging onto bad memories or that I simple didn't like. Since I didn't have many to start with I really found I needed to fill up my little tree.
ReplyDeleteYou are so clever! My daughter and I like to make artist trading cards together.
ReplyDeleteI can really imagine my little one holding that one too! Thanks for the great tote and journal.
ReplyDeleteYou work is beautiful! I am becoming a follower as soon as I post this! Thanks for the giveaway :) I have one also at http://postsofinspiration.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteLovely item! One creative thing I've been doing this season is creating Baby Robots. You can see them at my creative blog www.prettymuchliqidesigns.blogspot.com.
ReplyDeleteI also have a hankering to make a paper snowflake!
Love your giveaway! I am already a follower of your cute little blog! I plan to make some Christmas cards next week and some ribboned candy jars.
ReplyDeletethis is super cute! thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely, thanks for participating! I'm working on so many things for Christmas... a hand-quilted couch throw for my mom, a machine-quilted one for my dad, bags for friends and family, kitchen towels... where is the time going?! I've added you to my RSS feed, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love making cards, gift tags, and scrapbooking. I will be working on all these as time permits. I am really trying to get my son's 1st year scrapbook completed, since he just turned 1 in November!
ReplyDeleteThe tote bag and journal are beautiful, and I would love to give them to my mother-in-law for Christmas! (not that I don't want it for myself, too :))
We'll be making and decorating gingerbread houses. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty things you make! I'm adding you to my google reader. I will, in theory, be making many things this holiday season...any day now...starting with the Juicy Bits crown for my little niece's birthday next week:
ReplyDeletehttp://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2008/09/32-felt-birthday-crown-tutorial.html
Not my tutorial, but something I'm doing for sure.
Perfectly simple but beautiful. Thanks for sharing your art in this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI have been making lots of stuff out of old wool sweaters and my kids have been cutting up the scraps into little squares to make garland for the Christmas tree. We got the idea from the Handmade Home book.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI love your vibrancy.
What I have been doing since last month is making handmade gifts, so what I intend to continue to do is produce all my gifts this Christmas handmade either through fabric, paper or some other invention. I'm looking forward to get back into paper mache soon! :)
I'm going to create some Christmas tree decorations made out of paper too.
Excellent prizes! I love the orange. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeletecoleslaw1017[at]gmail[dot]com
Hi Shona, Pretty tote bag! I am doing two things..one is that Ebeth just taught me how to paint glass. We went shopping after Thanksgiving..at our favorite for some thrift store glass items to paint for gifts. (Painting Mary Englebreit style!) I'm about to post a tutorial on what we did on my art blog, dcsquiltedcreations.blogspot.com.
ReplyDeleteThe other is to make new stockings for the kids. They recently 'informed me' that they have outgrown their 'babyish' stockings as they put it. So I'm making funny new stockings for them. Rebekah is getting a cowboy boot made of vinyl with spurs of course. Jacob, the hunter, gets a cammo fleece stocking with a long skinny pocket for an ankle hunting knife tucked in it, and Christian wants a black stocking with a cross on it..a very artistic one that he drew himself. I'm also going to make a khaki stocking for Tim with a red flannel cuff and a pocket on the front and will hang fishing lures from it for his stocking. It's going to be a lot of fun! I have to finish my secret sister gift today...almost done..then I can indulge in stocking making!!
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
oh my gosh.. what a lovely give away! i am going to have to try printing on fabric.
ReplyDelete:)
carol
I'll be doing lots of scrapbooking this holiday!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway and great blog!
-Ilana
IlanaWRites@gmail.com
We are participating in a swap to share our Christmas with another family....
ReplyDeletelovely giveaway thanks for the chance....
What a great give away and interesting blog! I'm signing up to follow you now too!
ReplyDeleteCool bag and journal! Such a great color combo! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteLovely!
ReplyDeleteI'm making gifts for the nieces and nephews - coloring books, journals and paper doll books. Now I'm going to have to check out your book................
ReplyDeleteI love the journal and bag! I can't wait for your book to come out. A crafty project my kids and I are going to do is make felt gingerbread men ornaments for everyone in our family. I'm going to have different kinds of trims and decorations for them to customize their ornaments...it will be fun! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the journal and the bag!
ReplyDeleteI would like to be the winner. Thank You for the oportunity to participate. ♥
Andrea
I too love the use of the photos and the colors you choose, so happy and cheerful. Anyway, I als became a follower and I'm looking forward to seeing your book. I love the idea behind it and I could certainly use some help fiting in more creativity!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I plan on making most of my gifts this year, I'm knitting dh a pair of socks, and crocheting and sewing my girls stuffies
ReplyDeleteThese two are perfect together! I love the orange color, and now that I found your blog I can follow it, too! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteOooh! I'd like to enter the giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the bag! I am very interested in reading your book. I have the date marked on my calendar!
ReplyDeleteLovely! While traveling will limit what hands-ons projects we get to attempt in December, I will have a laptop with me and we'll be exploring digital scrapbooking through PSE. We are also going to make & decorate gingerbread men ... is food considered crafty?!
ReplyDeleteI plan to practice my knitting skills and work on a cork board for my kitchen. What a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Journal and bag! Something crafty I plan on doing with my kids is making ornaments for the tree! I think we're going to write names on balls with glue and glitter, and maybe color some of those wood cut out ones.
ReplyDeleteHow perfect!
ReplyDeleteGina
marble magnets - all our friends have pictures all over their fridges and not enough magnets!
ReplyDeleteNeato:)
ReplyDeleteMy girls and I are making a lot if not most of our gifts this year-cards-mittens .....
My sons and I are planning to make a little scrapbook of this holiday season with their own photos! Thanks!
ReplyDeletewe are making as many gifts as we can this year!
ReplyDeletephillandlesley(at)msn(dot)com
Right now I am busy working away, making handmade Christmas cards that I send out each year to family and friends. Thanks so much for the chance to win. I love orange so I would love, love, love to win! cwells (AT} aol (DOT} com.
ReplyDeleteoh, beautiful colours, i love journal and bag. we are starting to make ornaments with kids
ReplyDeletei just finished my 102-pages photobook in time for Christmas gifts! i am also planning to have my kids and my 5 visiting nieces make paper snowflakes.
ReplyDeletei love the journal!! i am planning to start my girls on a journal so i would love to know how to make one myself!!
That's cute! My girls and I are going to sew this Christmas break!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous bag! I love the orange.
ReplyDeleteI will be making homemade chocolates with the girls. Yumm!
ReplyDeleteKaren, twiceasniceboutique@live.com
We will be baking some Christmas cookies!!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing a ton of crafty stuff. The only thing my little ones will get involved in is decorating Christmas cookies. I'm also making felt ornaments and most of my girls gifts including bean bags and soft balls. :)
ReplyDeleteI am having fun sewing pillowcases for family members, and sweet drawstring bags for friends! Lindsey G.
ReplyDeletegrl_4_God@hotmail.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe always love crafting paper snowflakes! It's fun to hang them from the ceiling with fishing string.
ReplyDeleteoooh orange is one of my favourite colours. i just love orange!
ReplyDeleteplease enter me!
ReplyDeletemy son and I will be making gingerbread ornaments for the Christmas tree
~amy mcw
I have 3 daughters who are 10, 7 and 2. They love to draw and we create Christmas cards with their drawings!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest would fall in love with this...she loves to write!
Thanks for sharing your talent!
When my daughter (15) comes home from school in 2 weeks we will pull the felt out and make small creatures - to share with the grandkids/nephews. My daughter will be the designer of her own unique creatures.
ReplyDeleteOh, this gift is so beautiful... I love the printed canvas!
ReplyDeleteAnd the jounal... oh my!
h_freund@hotmail.com
Count me in! I love the tote.
ReplyDeleteMy family will be doing homemade/handmade gifts this year, so I will be busy making some fun prezzies!
Love it! So pretty and so thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteThe tote bag/journal combination is a great idea! My holiday arts & crafts project is making dress-up clothes for my nieces (ages 1.5 and 4). I'm having great fun putting them together!
ReplyDeleteThe bag is beautiful plus orange is my favorite color.
ReplyDeletevery oroginal, I love to win...
ReplyDeletemy giveaway is here
http://busybeefree.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-day.html
Wow, beautiful! I'd love to see your bag!
ReplyDeleteWhat a generous and gorgeous giveaway! I love to make Xmas cookies with the kids.
ReplyDeleteI plan to make to go cup cozies for my daughter's teachers this year!
ReplyDeleteJust like last year, me and my 7 year old son will bake cookies and give them to family and friends in a cute little handmade bag... It worked last year! Thanks for the giveaway! Try your luck on mine!
ReplyDeletehi
ReplyDeletewe always have a real tree for christmas and decorate it together!
gill x
I am making cloth napikins for gifts this year! trying to promote my new love of "Green"
ReplyDeletehttp://mm4ver-lifeinalaska.blogspot.com/
My kids drew monsters for me and I made them into stuffed animals for a silent auction at a benefit. We also are going to be making salt dough ornaments to use as gift tags
ReplyDeletejnaboles at yahoo.com
Beautiful Blog! I am glad I found your blog. You are very artistic! Count me in please!
ReplyDeleteWe are making felt ornaments for grandparents. Pears I think!
ReplyDeleteRight now I am busy painting Santa faces on large scallop shells; I had been asked to paint an example piece for the children at school as a craft project, but when my mother saw the example piece she immediately asked me to paint some for her friends! Oh, joyful distractions. :)
ReplyDeleteThis Christmas my family and I will go to a light show, where they have lights everwhere!! And we will be making chocolate covered pretzels!
ReplyDeletenmommy02@gmail.com
hendrixville.blogspot.com
I love your journal and bag! They are so beautiful! My girls and I love making salt dough ornaments and painting them together. The kids loving looking at the previous year's ornaments that they made.
ReplyDeleteThat journal is gorgeous! I love the idea of printing your own artwork onto the canvas to make the bag. It turned out beautifully.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Heidi
heidig@gmail.com
OMG!!! so niiiice!!!!!
ReplyDeleteplease count me in!
and i'm a follower so count me in, count me in, count me innnnn!!!!
Great prizes! I bought some felt and plan to let the kids cut out shapes then glue or sew them around candy canes and give to their classmates. alusco@centurytel.net
ReplyDeleteI plan on finishing up key fobs for my sister and sister in laws, and we'll see how much sewing I can get done after that !
ReplyDeleteHello! I've just found and fallen in love with your blog!
ReplyDeleteMy Mom and I spent some time together making envelopes (for holiday cards) out of recycled magazine pages. Very fun! See more here...
http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/2009/11/reduced-and-reused-holiday-cards.html
Oh, lovely giveaway, I want to enter !
ReplyDeleteWith my kids I plan to try "Window color" to decorate the house... But the hugest project is the Advent Calendar you can see on my Giveaway Post !
Very pretty. We plan on making buttermints from a super simple recipe which I don't have on hand, but I'm sure I can google it easily. We've done it the past few years and the kids can do it themselves and I can eat them endlessly.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on doing alll the kids christmas presents this year, but I need to start right away...
So lovely,,,I'll add you to the blogs I follow.
ReplyDeleteps - I LOVE the poem in your previous post.
That tote is beautiful. Thanks for the giveaway... we are doing an advent calendar this year for the first time. I'm excited. I am also handmaking almost all of my gifts... men are hard.
ReplyDeleteThis is simply fabulous!! a craft we always do are angels made with our foot prints and hands as the wings. They are fun to hang around the house.
ReplyDeleteThat is just LOVELY--so full of thoughts and ideas and colors. Congratulations on the book, too--from one author to another.
ReplyDeleteGwendolen Gross (author of The Other Mother, Getting Out, and Field Guide)
That is just LOVELY--so full of thoughts and ideas and colors. Congratulations on the book, too--from one author to another.
ReplyDeleteGwendolen Gross (author of The Other Mother, Getting Out, and Field Guide)
Just absolutely amazing work! I'm impressed! I'm currently working on two christmas quilts and teach first grade. In class we're making felt ornaments.
ReplyDeleteOops, I think I accidentally commented on the wrong post. Not sure how I did that. Anyway - I have lots of crafts planned! Advent garlands, stocking, and ornaments to begin with. Lots of work to do. Thanks for the opportunity for a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThe tote and journal are both lovely! I'm following you now. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteHi, I am a new follower and I think the journal and tote are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI am doing a lot of crafty things this winter - mostly a lot of sewing. One of the big ones is to make stockings for my babies (19 months and 5 months). Stockings are a big deal in my family - you use it every Christmas (no trading up!) and it's usually home made - so I am feeling the pressure!
I would love to win this! It's just beautiful! What a lovely give-a-way!
ReplyDeleteThis year we are trying to simplify and really focus on giving not getting (a never ending battle) We made, and continue to make, little pies from pop bottle tops and put them on a pin. Throughout this season, we are using them for our own little Random acts of kindness!
Check out my post about it...my girls are really enjoying it!
http://ourbrokenroad.blogspot.com/2009/11/random-act-of-kindness-giveaway.html
PS- I am now a follower! Love the blog!
I make about 90% of my gifts so I'll be sewing, stitching, gluing, and painting like mad!
ReplyDeleteI'm making some patchwork journal covers as gifts this year. Yours are beautiful, and I love the matching tote.
ReplyDeleteI always like to make homemade cinnamon rolls with my kids, to eat on Christmas morning, during the gift opening.
Really gorgeous!!!! I'm really getting into sewing this winter, mainly refashioning! I just wish I had more space....
ReplyDeletean amazing give-away . . . love the tote!
ReplyDeletethanks so much...
I love this giveaway! :) My Mom and I are planning to finish up a quilt that we've been working on for *drumroll* 2 years! Hopefully, it will be done this year for a gift.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. I'm a follower.
I am telling you that is simply stunning! I love that tote and journal...it is truly beautiful!
ReplyDeletenhsarab at yahoo dot com
What a fun bag! We are having a crafty Christmas with lot of homemade gifts and homemade wrapping!
ReplyDeleteSaraSuzanneSews[at]gmail[dot]com
We are making all our gifts this year (except one big gift from Santa) so I guess you could say that we are having an entirely handmade Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI usually hand make my card envelopes.
ReplyDeleteMake a gingerbread house with my daughter!
ReplyDeleteLove the journal and tote!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteTonight I will be helping my three year old son make some small collage Christmas cards. I'll slip them in with ours--I'm sure the relatives will love them more than the cards I made!
ReplyDeletei'm making a quilt for my fiance this christmas...a new adventure for sure. Over 300 squares cut so far...
ReplyDeletevery cute! i'm making old fashioned cross-stitched christmas stockings on burlap to match the one my grandma made for me for my son and husband
ReplyDeleteIt really is a beautiful tote and complimenting notebook. I like your choice of colors/prints.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays!
I'm cross stitching some ornaments for the tree.
ReplyDeletedftrew(at)gmail(dot)com
As my children were growing up, we always painted ornaments on Christmas eve. I especially liked the one that hold a picture. We would always date them. When my child left the nest, they got to take all their ornaments. It was great fun for them, but alittle sad for me.
ReplyDeleteThis year I am making our tree skirt, that is just one of my many projects.
ReplyDeleteplease check out my giveaway http://crissybell.blogspot.com
I don't know if it's artsy, but I always make chocolate candy with my kids.
ReplyDeletelovely tote bags!? what's the poem? beautiful things! i like it!
ReplyDeletebesides all the sewing....
ReplyDeleteevery year we bake and decorate sugar cookies. i especially love this "craft" because everyone there is attentive and happy, whether it be those of us who love to decorate or those of us who love to eat!
I'll be making mittens for my girls (1 & 2) out of felted wool sweaters! melissascreativeside.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win! I'm planning on making some crystalized snow flakes (using borax) with my son!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really beautiful giveaway - thank so much for a chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI'll be knitting scarves and mittens for a few close family members on my list! I have a lot of work to do, and just a few more weeks! EEEKK
mc.crafty.bunny at gmail dot com
Count me in!
ReplyDeleteThis year my daughter and I will be making paper snowflakes for our windows. We're both looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bag and journal...what a nice giveaway! My 4-yo daughter and I will be making terrariums in glass christmas balls.
ReplyDeleteVery cute!
ReplyDeleteI am making almost all of our gifts this year. My kids are each getting one store bought gift, and the rest are handmade. I'm also making gifts for everyone in our extended family. Needless to say, I'm busy!
My favorite gifts are mailbags, filled with felt envelopes. My son loves playing mailman!
My email is ryanandjulie@hotmail.com
I'm making fabric bookmarks this holiday season and totally loving how easy and quick they are!
ReplyDeleteI am making snowflake ornaments for the tree and to give to guests as they leave.
ReplyDeleteNice colors and beautiful work on your gift.
I make journals for sale on Etsy ... but I have yet to alter them in such a beautiful way. I hope I win this giveaway as I am artistically challenged in a way that you certainly are not ... and it would be a pleasure to enjoy your journal! Thank you for the chance!
ReplyDeleteWe are making pinecone gift tags to attach to our homemade jam gifts.
ReplyDeleteWE would love to start journaling our lives and your giveaway would dovetail right into our goal.
Thank you for sharing your creativity!
being a creative writing major, i'm always on the lookout for fantastic journals like this one -- and a bag to match is even better! thanks for posting such a great giveaway :)
ReplyDeletemy sister and i snagged a table loom on the cheap a few months ago, but haven't had time to even look at it yet, much less play with it, so our goal this winter break is to set the loom up and teach ourselves to weave.
cheers
sarita0818 at comcast dot net
Am loving looking through your blog. susan (nospace) beck at tx dot rr dot com
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on entering the artandwriting.org contest with a painting or a sketch!
ReplyDeleteshou.milk@gmail.com
Hello! I'm a follower and added you to my blog list. Thank you for participating in this great give away!
ReplyDeletereally great medium, and really beautiful work! this year is my first Christmas as a mom, so I haven't had much time to be crafty. we're planning on making our own butter and bread and giving it to our friends and family for a thoughtful, yummy and not to expensive gift.
ReplyDeleteThe boys and I will work together to make gifts for their siblings. Some sewed, some drawn and some altered journals.
ReplyDeleteYour journal and tote are pure eye candy!!
I'm making jewelery for all the ladies in my life!
ReplyDeleteYour journal and tote are quite beautiful. Love the colors. Well, this year I'm making Christmas stockings. I'm sure the kids will pitch in at lease with ideas. Also,
ReplyDeleteI'm bookmarking your blog. Your work is really cool.
This is a gorgeous journal and bag set. I love the patterns and colors and layers. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThis Christmas I want to embroider a nativity quiet book with my family for our baby. If that fails, we'll resort to our tried and true edible gingerbread nativity. :)
ammieloris at hotmail dot com
Beautiful bag and journal. Nice placement and soothing efect it gives. Thanks for hosting this giveaway. Happy Holidays.
ReplyDeleteJane
What a beautiful bag and journal. I will definitely be checking out your book, as well. How cool!
ReplyDeleteMy five-year-old likes to hover while I'm sewing, so I'm going to have him help me make a little stuffed animal or something for his cousin for Christmas. Last year he "helped" me make a little zebra for a different cousin, and he designed some felt monsters for me to make for another, but I think he could do more this year.
(Side note: Is it wrong to buy a kid's sewing machine for a boy? I saw a white, almost gender-neutral one for $15 a couple months ago. I thought it would be fun to sew side-by-side rather than with him on my lap. But my husband said no.)
Every season we hang something new from our chandelier- it will be snowflakes for winter!
ReplyDeleteI have done bags for Christmas gifts along with table runners (I think you call it table toppers in the States). My children are grown up and do not live at home so will be coming home only for christmas. I have become a follower of your blog as I love to follow creative people.
ReplyDeletemystica123athotmaildotcom
I'm very inspired! Love the tote and journal! I hope you do well with your book! I will keep an eye out for it and will definitely follow your blog to stay updated! Thanks for participating so that I could have found you!! :)
ReplyDeletein case you can't find my info on my blog or at least to save the trouble from searching: faucsgirl@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteSimply Lovely - my plan is to make my baby a soft photo book over the Christmas holidays - your tote is very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteOh Shona, I just found your blog via SMS and your work is stunning!!
ReplyDeleteThis Christmas I plan on learning how to do needle felting, I'd like to make a landscape picture.
Thanks for the giveaway xx B.
What a great set. Thanks for being part of the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to enter your giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo on the bag... it gives such a breezy feel.
Happy Holidays!
kimmieluwho at yahoo dot ca
What a great prize! I'll be making pomanders with my students (3-6 year olds) by sticking cloves into clementines. Usually the skin is soft enough they can put the clove directly in, but we have push pins on hand if they need to make a hole first. We do these every year and the kids LOVE this activity and it smells wonderful :)
ReplyDeleteif i had kids, we'd be making lots of gifts for friends and family, baking, making paper chains....christmas ornaments....now, i'm just making lots of cards and items for the market at church. and, soon when my mom is here, we'll be crafting and baking together!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous tote and journal. I've been making Christmas crafts with my daughter and the children I look after this week during St Andrews holiday. We made bird feeders out of pine cones - seed mixed with solid veg fat pushed into the crevices hung up with string. We made notepads as gifts using A5 chipboard, covered in pretty paper and decorated with bits and bobs leaving space for a 3 inch block of post it notes which we glued on. Holes in the top and tied with ribbon for hanging. All good fun. Bx
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and thoughtful Giveaway! Congratulations on your book.
ReplyDeleteoooooooh am drooling, such a fab giveaway - I would be honoured to receive this.
ReplyDeleteFirst time visitor here and I am loving what I see!
shona, hi! what an exciting post :) not only because of the lovely giveaway you're doing... but because of the sneak peek at the cover of your upcoming book! you must be so proud! congratulations! you're on amazon... there's no stopping you now ;)
ReplyDeletei'm thrilled to see all the support you're getting!
say hi to the family for me. it must be *all go* there now more than ever!
Ok, let’s see: something arty-crafty i do with my kids around this time each year is to make our own gift tags for christmas pressies (what we usually do is: take/make a tiny felt cut-out shape (something that’s more or less festive in nature: star/bell/xmas stocking) and glue it onto a small piece of plain cardstock (festive in colour, preferably, but not necessarily ;)... great use for scraps, btw). the gift tag can be folded (or not), hole-punched in the corner and strung with red wool/string for attaching. needless to say, my little guys especially love the last part where they get to write in the gift recipient’s name in silver/gold felt-tip pen! i like to use these to label the xmas cookies/mini-puddings we make and gift to family and friends each year too. couldn’t be simpler!
well, i’ve signed up as a follower of your blog now! lots of great creative ideas here, as always! keep up the good work. but make sure to get some rest (if you can) too!
hugs, Vx
I'm making loads of scrappy fabric belts this Christmas.
ReplyDeletea_heart4home(at)yahoo(dot)com
oh what a beautiful giveaway & a lovely blog! I did click follow, I'll be back! My daughter & I are making homemade marshmallows this year for all of our friends!
ReplyDeleteLovely giveaway, your work looks terrific! my daughter and I are making fabric covered button magnets for everyone in her class...we will then put them in toilet paper roll with some candy and wrap with tissue paper like a Christmas Cracker! Thanks for a chance.
ReplyDeleteWe will be making clothes pin reindeer (with the old fashioned pins)
ReplyDeleteI love the printable canvas!
ReplyDeleteI think the artistic thing I will be doing involves spinning, knitting, and origami.
Thanks for the giveaway! What a lovely tote and journal!
ReplyDeletemy 2 year old is going to help make and decorate cookies. i know this is a big deal to her. we're also going to make some felt ornaments from the martha website to her mini tree.
ReplyDeletegreat job on the journal and bag, I would love to win them.
ReplyDeletemy favorite thing to do is decorate cookies with my grandchildren. They may not look the best but they are made with lots of laughter and love.
ladycolmn@aol.com
I plan on cooking and baking with the kids! They love to help and making all kinds of treats for friends and family is what I'm good at. (Sadly I don't have the other crafty talents like some of you guys!)
ReplyDeletesales4mp@gmail.com
I moved into a new apartment a little while ago and I'm still working on decorating so I'll be making ribbon boards this week.
ReplyDeleteWhen I go home, I'll make sugar cookies with my siblings and we'll take them to grandma's house on Christmas eve for all the cousins to decorate!
Your blog looks really interesting. As it's Christmas time, I first thought about what a great present this would make, but I don't think I could give it away. I like it too much.
e.cordes1213(at)gmail(dot)com
This Christmas I plan getting back into my photography and take pictures to give people as gifts this year.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and my self have been doing wood nativity figures since she was five, we do 3 or 4 per year. this year we will make the three wise men sailboat. thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI'll be quilting and together we worked on an advent calendar. I'm glad I found your blog. I am now a follower. I love your poem from the previous post. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteheading down to my parents for our annual candy-making day. coating with chocolate, placing in cups, arranging in boxes-whew! it's a full day but really fun! thanks for the chance to win that beautiful journal/bag!
ReplyDeleteI make most of the gifts that we give, so far this year I'll be doing cookies, pumpkin butter, a tie appliqued onesie, baby headbands, bookplates, return address labels, and a family cookbook.
ReplyDeleteshannon.mangerchine@gmail.com
What a lovely giveaway. I am enjoying cruising around your blog and have added myself as a follower. I'll look forward to seeing what projects you decide to tackle.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on coffee cozies right now.
I am planning to make a play mat (with roads to drive matchboxes on) for my nephew.
ReplyDeleteYesterday my boyfriend I made our annual Christmas ornament and in two weeks I will be holding my annual Gingerbread House Making Contest.
ReplyDeletemy email address is robayre at aol dot com. Thank you!
I have just discovered your blog and love it! I've added a Link to it on my blog.
ReplyDeleteAlso love what you've made for the giveaway.
Thank you for your generosity!
I will most probably making purses and project bags for friends.
Cheers
FibreJoy
This is so lovely. It makes a great little set. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm knitting a hat and trying to finish crocheting a table runner.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in your lovely giveaway!
kynaroyal(at)yahoo(dot)com
We're doing handmade-homemade holiday "gift baskets" this year. Everything inside is made by us or another wonderful crafty momma. So far they're filling with truffles, soy candles, homemade soap, spices, scarves and whatever else I find. I'm making grocery totes to use a the gift basket.
ReplyDeleteBTW - Beautiful bag and journal!!
This looks like a perfect gift for my 10 year old granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteI plan to cut up old Christmas cards and refashiion them into gift tags and new Christmas cards.
Put me in the giveaway please.
Teresa aka Tess
http://www.theheartofwords.blogspot.com
(Oh my and Dec. 6 is my nephews birthday)
We need to make more childproof ornaments for this tree this year. the salt dough ones worked well enough last year, but Russ, who was two, kept eating them. Maybe something with fabric?
ReplyDeleteLove the tote! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI added your blog to the ones that I frequent! Great giveaway!
We (my daughter and I) love to make handmade dolls together!
cassandra.pendergraff (at)gmail(dot)com
Well I am planning to make chocolate pretzel bark!
ReplyDeleteI am also going to fix my dad's tool apron for him, not a lot of $ for Christmas gifts, so he asked if I could do that instead!
I would love to win!
I'm making doll quilts for my niece for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win such an awesome prize and for your generous contribution!
Merry Christmas!
mayhem5@softhome.net
http://thequiltingdee.blogspot.com/
so cute! I am making my own calendars to give away as gifts!
ReplyDeletelovely orange tote and notebook! And great idea with adding your own artwork to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to make a few Tiny Worlds
http://mimikirchner.com/blog/archives/2009/12/and-a-whole-lot-more/ as gifts for sewing aunties.
thanks for sharing
stunning tote! i would be proud to own it. my kids and i made beeswax ornaments and lanterns. the whole house has smelled of warm beeswax many days this season already! mmmmm.....
ReplyDeleteBeautiful giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI have just found instructions for a snowflake curtain using wallpaper and silver paper (they are not snow flakes just different sized circles) and I thought that would be an easy thing to make with the kids.