Notebook Giveaway Winner

The winner from my 100th post giveaway is...

Sherri! 

Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated - I wish that I could have given a notebook or two to everyone who commented. 

I look forward to my next 100 posts!

100th Post Giveaway!

Remember my decoupaged notebooks?

They seem to be pretty popular around here lately; in fact, a lot of my traffic can be attributed directly to that tutorial. 

What a better way to celebrate 100 posts than by giving a set away?!

They are 5 x 7" and 4 x 6" and are great to use as journals, idea books, etc. 

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favorite craft is. What project have you made that induced pride in your handy-work, not to mention compliments from friends and family? (I'm not fishing for ideas for future posts.)

Leave your comment by Monday morning, when I will announce the winner!

Our final winner has been chosen!

As you can tell, this post is delayed. Yesterday was a full day, and I could never find a chance to break away.

But, I have chosen randomly from commenters...

And the winner of the shabby chic flower pin is:

Commenter number #1 (how often does that happen?!), Jennifer! Congratulations! 

I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend; come back monday for more craftiness (I promise I won't even mention another flower pin... except maybe to show you the one I made for the 4th)!

Last chance giveaway!

All of this talk of fruity desserts has made me hungry! Lots of people mentioned strawberries, which are a staple in our house during the summer. Did you know that strawberries aren't a fruit or a berry? They are actually the enlarged receptacle of the flower. I learned that on the Food Network last night, and figured I had better pass along the information; we need to work together to clear the misconceptions of the straw"berry" world. 

Have you seen the TJ Maxx commercial where the airline stewardess is holding up a shiny red belt, and instead of informing the passengers of where the emergency exits are, she is describing how great of a deal she got on her latest purchase? I laugh every time that I see it. Well, I have to break from our regularly scheduled giveaway program to let you know of my latest exciting purchase:

Not only are these flip flops worthy of building an entire outfit around (I already did, in case you were wondering), but they also match my headband, AND they were on clearance. Only J. Crew has fabric combos like these! 

Ok, we can proceed now...

The randomly chosen winner of the yellow gingham and polka dot flower is:

Commenter number 15, Mique! 

Congratulations! I will contact you to get your mailing information.

Now, onto our 3rd and final giveaway - the shabby chic flower!

 

All that you need to do to enter this final drawing is tell me about your latest adrenalin pumping purchase; tell me about that item that brought a smile to your face just by thinking about it, either because it was just so cute or it was such a good deal or both! I will randomly choose and announce the winner tomorrow evening!

We have a winner, and the next giveaway!

I enjoyed reading all of your Independence day plans; isn't it great that it falls on a Friday this year? We are looking forward to a day filled with fun and relaxation. First, we will head out to a parade that the girls love; each year we vow not to go again because of how hot we are when we leave, but each year we go back! 

Then my sister and her husband will be coming over for dinner before we head out to watch fireworks. We will be feasting on shish kabobs (steak, red potatoes, onions, squash, and zucchini, mmmm...), grilled corn on the cob, and this yummy dessert:

Quite possibly the easiest recipe ever: grilled pound cake with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream, and topped with strawberries (for the 4th, I will be adding blueberries so that we will have red, white, and blue). We tried it out last night, just to make sure that it would be an acceptable dessert for our guests; I am such a martyr.

Did you notice a theme with my menu? Grilled kabobs, grilled corn, even a grilled dessert... That means no cooking in the kitchen for me! My husband volunteered to take care of the meal, and I am happy to turn the task over to him. 

  

Now, onto the important stuff... 

The winner of the hot pink and green flower is...

Commenter number 50, Heidi Thompson!

Congratulations! I don't have your info, so contact me at kristin@graceviolet.com so that I can get your mailing information.

Finally, we will to move on to our next giveaway, the gingham and polk dot flower: 

 

 

To enter this drawing, I just need you to tell me your favorite summer-time dessert. I will pick a winner tomorrow evening, when we begin our third and final giveaway.  

How to make a Flower Pin (and a giveaway!)

Don't you hate that "blah" feeling. The feeling where you have no energy, creative or otherwise, and your only desire is to lounge on the couch. That is how I felt last weekend after being sick all week. Even though my body had recovered, my mind was in a daze. I told my friend Jenny, that I felt "dried up,"  and she came through for me with an excellent project to get my creative juices flowing again: Flower pins!

I did a little looking online for some ideas and came across this tutorial that I used as my jumping off point. 

The main idea that I gained from the tutorial was a cool trick to making the basic flower shape (you should check it out, because it makes the process of cutting the flowers a lot faster). From that point on though, I pretty much changed it to suit what I was imagining a flower pin to look like. 

I cut 3 coordinating fabrics into small (about 2 1/2") flowers. I used about 15 flowers, where the original instructions said to use 6; I wanted mine to be really full. The sheer fabric was my favorite element.

Then, I layered the petals in a random yet organized fashion (whatever that means). 

I speared the flowers with my scissors, creating a hole for a brad to be inserted. I enjoy inventing new ways to cut myself. 

The brad creates a center for the flower, while joining each layer together. 

I love brads. 

My flower was looking a little too perfect at this point, so I put it into a sachet and tossed it into the washer and dryer. My hope was that it would come out wrinkled and frayed. 

While I waited to see if my washer/dryer hypothesis would hold up, I cut a small circle from felt, and attached a pin. You should thank me for this shot; I took it with my lips. Yes, I pressed the button to take the picture with my lips. I amaze myself.  

Guess what? The washing and drying had the desired effect, so I was able to proceed by gluing (with fabric glue) the felt to the flower.

After letting it sit for a few hours, my flower was ready to be worn!

Look how much it adds to this seersucker bag!

Another one takes this simple tank top beyond ordinary.

This shabby chic version even further dresses up my new container. 

But guess what? These flowers won't be embellishing my bag, or dressing up my tank top, or even adding an extra something to my storage bin... 

Instead, they will be shipped off to a few lucky winners who can use them to adorn their favorite things! 

Over the next 3 days I will give each of these away to a random lucky commenter. To start off, I will be giving the hot pink with green flower away. My only request is that you leave a comment letting me know your 4th of July plans. I will choose the winner tomorrow evening, and will then open comments for the next flower to be won. 

We have a winner (and new blinkie)!

Thank you so much for all of your input (even my dad put his two cents in)! I was glad to have your perspectives on the blinkie. 42 of you preferred "she's crafty" and 34 of you thought that "a fresh slice of crafty" was better. 

I have to admit, that my favorite was the "fresh slice" option... but like many of you noted, it was more difficult to read. Also, while "she's crafty" was a great simple option, I worried that it might cause more confusion because the blinkie would read : "Grace Violet (blink) She's crafty". My name is actually Kristin, but my site is Grace Violet, and that blinkie might further confuse the issue. 

In the end, I chose to go with my gut (I can't believe I just typed that; I hate the word "gut") and used "a fresh slice of crafty," but I edited it with many of the suggestions that you all provided. So, without further adieu, I present my new and improved, larger font, with a longer time in between the blink so its easier to read... BLINKIE!

If you are interested in using this on your own site, just copy & paste the following code into your blog or website:


<a href="http://graceviolet.com/"><img src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/graceviolet11/blinkie-graceviolet.gif" /></a>

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the good stuff: the apron giveaway! 

I used Random.org to generate a random commenter, and it chose...

...commenter #18, Bahama Shores Mama! Congratulations! I will be contacting you so that I can get shipping information. This give-away was my first, but it definitely won't be my last; I had a lot of fun with it!

I appreciate you sticking with me while we took a break from our regularly scheduled crafting. Check back later today, and I will have a "fresh sliced craft" for you!

Please help me... I'll give you a prize

Recently I was asked if I would provide a linking blinkie - I dare you to type that 3 times fast! And who am I to deny the masses (or the one person who asked me...)?

My husband had to bear the burden of implementing my crazy blinkie because I don't even know how to open Photoshop. While he has already finished his end of the deal, I am still wrestling with wording.

This is where you come in. I NEED help. I don't want flattery or even diplomacy. I want the truth about my blinkie. The cold, hard truth. This is life and death, people.

I need to know if you prefer option 1, 2, or neither. Also if you have any additional ideas to add to the mix, that would be more than wonderful. 

Option 1)

or

Option 2)

To lure you from the comforts of lurkdom, I am offering this apron:

I will be randomly selecting the winner from commenters, so if you don't tell me your opinion, you will have no hope of winning the prize! I will be accepting comments until Wednesday, June 11 @ 8:00 a.m. 

Thanks for helping, and good luck!