giveaway winner

so sorry for the lateness of this post but its been mad, mad, mad around here!

the winner is:

' ClaireP said...

Hmmm. I think I'd maybe treat myslef to a new pie dish, or just get a pretty cake stand!

congrats Claire... I will email you and CSN to send you the £30 voucher!

thank you everyone who commented!

CSN Review and Giveaway

email from A few weeks ago I recieved an email from CSN Promo Team enquiring if I would like to review one of their shops or do a giveaway on my blog for a voucher for anything from Ceiling Lights to Cookware. I looked at the CSN sites...mostly the cookware because more than anything else I like to potter about in the kitchen, and I emailed them back saying I would like to do a review and a giveaway for my readers.They sent me a voucher code and I toddled off to the cookware site to find something to make my little baker's heart happy. I looked through everything twice before ordering a KitchenCraft Cake Biscuit/Icing set. The website was easy enough to navigate and order from. My order was to be 5 working days to ship but it arrived in three. I tore into the parcel and oggled the new icing gun with glee.


I baked cupcakes and mixed a great vat of icing which I split into two portions adding fresh raspberries to one, and chocolate to the other. The icing gun took a bit of practice to get the icing looking nice but it was great fun to play with and I shall be baking some cookies with it in the near future. I may use the site again in the future (I quite fancy one of those creme brulee torches), as the service was good and they emailed you updates at each stage of your order being processed.



Now for the good part...

the promo team said I could giveaway a voucher for £30 for the CSN sites to one of my blog readers. I used the to order my icing gun set from by you can use the £30 voucher code at any CSN site.

Have a look at what they have to offer and leave me a comment of what you would spend the £30 on, leave me your email and I will have the voucher code emailed to you!

good luck... a name will be drawn at random on Monday the 23 of August.

giveaway winner

the winner of my 500th blog post is :

jillytacy said...

'OOOh a monster giveaway! Love it! First off congratulations on 500 posts! And thank you for sharing all your creativeness with us. I have enjoyed following your blog.'

Congrats Jill !!! I will email you soon!
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you everyone who left a comment on my blog for the giveaway and for all my posts. More giveaways soon I promise!

500th blog post giveaway

A few posts back was my 500th blog post! I'm quite amazed that I have managed to keep up with blogging for 3 years, but to have done 500 posts.. wow... I know I'm not the most prolific blogger or crafter but blogging has become an important part of my life.

I never kept a diary, I tried, I got give several for birthdays but I never had the knack for the daily scribblings. I always carry a journal with me and write ideas, notes, and doodles but nothing like a diary. I don't vent very often on my blog because I like to think of it mostly as my happy place, that things are positive and creative here (I do have a drabble/writing blog that encompasses my darker thoughts).

I know I haven't got the largest reader base but I treasure the comments from those of you who do come to visit my blog and leave your thoughts with me. I know I have been a little obsessed with making these little monsters lately, it has made me feel so creative to make them and write funny little stories for them, so I hope you don't mind if I giveaway a little monster for my 500th blogpost giveaway, and a few others bits and bobs too.

Meet Milicent the Vampiress

I'm working on Milicent the vampiress story and will send a copy of her story to the winner. All you need to do is leave me a comment with your email address so I can contact you. The winner will be chosen by me with the help of Mr Random Number Generator next Friday the 23.

I will also choose a second winner from the last few doll posts on Friday to win one of my book page doodles and perhaps a bracelet from my jewellery stash.

overflowing emails and future giveaway

I need cake today

Over the last few days I have been attempting to narrow down the emails that seem to have magically clogged up my inbox. OK maybe not magically after all. Within the clutter of my inbox was an email from CSN Promo Team enquiring if I would like to review one of their shops or do a giveaway on my blog for a voucher for anything from Ceiling Lights to Cookware. I looked at the CSN sites...mostly the cookware because more than anything else I like to potter about in the kitchen, and I emailed them back saying I would like to do a review and a giveaway for my readers.

I think most of the time I get emails from Amazon telling me all about items on sale, books that I do NEED, shoes that I have never looked at, and the magic of the Kindle (Which I haven't the money to buy but would love to review a kindle for my blog if they sent me one to review *hint hint*). So thank you CSN for emailing me and giving me the opportunity to review some cookery items and your site and allowing me to give my readers a treat to.

So please keep commenting and check back for the giveaway... it wont be the only giveaway on my little blog in the next few days.

little monsters and summer colds

yup definitly gone off the deepend.

TO DO LIST:

1.) email everyone who signed up for the swap, still waiting on a few people so leaving signups and emails a few more days.

2.) sort out blogging the two dolls on the right of the picture, Luna and Millicent along with their stories and listing them on etsy in the next day or two.

3.) I just relized that I have hit 500 blog posts and I think that calls for a giveaway...don't you? but what should I giveaway? A doll? pincushion? needlebook? illustrated book page?

4.) I have a cold and a poorly throat so I'm not doing anything but resting, having hot baths and cold drinks and watching bad movies. Nothing serious just a crappy little summer cold that wont budge from my crappy tonsils.

button jewellery a mini tutorial

the Red Queen Pendant

ingredients:

vintage buttons
craft glue
glue on bails (or small pin backs)
needle and thread thread
chain or necklace

Instructions:

step 1: gather materials together and stack two or three buttons together until you find a combination that you love.

step 2: thread the needle and sew your stack of buttons together (alternatively you can glue them on top of each other, but I like the look of the thread keeping the buttons together)

step 3: decide where the bail/pin back will go on the back of the stack and place a few drops of glue on the back of the button and on the flat part of the pendant bail. Leave for a few seconds then stick the bail/pin back to the button stack.

step 4: let the glue dry then string the button pendant on a chain or pin the button pin to anything!

crafter's notes: I know it is only a super simple tutorial but it is fun and funky, and I will happily be wearing the red, black, and mother of pearl button pendant when I go out today. The pin below was my first attempt with a large renegade chartreuse button that had hidden in one of my button jam jars. If anyone wants it I will gladly give it away as chartreuse and I are no friends (the colour makes me look ill or possibly just a very lively zombie).

Chartreuse it is

to the winner go the pens

the winner of my pen giveaway via the magic of RANDOM.ORG is

Hells who said...

Pens - that will draw on just about anything. Sounds very 'me'!!
Love the R2D2 apron - it could only be bettered by Han Solo (mmmmmmmmmmmm) ;-)

I don't think I have your email so if you can email me your address I will pop the pens in the post sometime next week!

an apron, a robot, and a giveaway

aprons and fabric paint oh my

A little while ago, in fact quite awhile I received an email from someone at Baker Ross , asking if I and my son would like to be sent some craft supplies to review. I was altogether flattered, I'm not a big time crafter, I don't design, I'm not utterly witty, fantastic, or a great seller. I asked H if he thought we should say yes, and I showed him the website and told him to pick something he'd really liked to try. H choose a Design-a-Fabric Apron, and the pens to go with it. I emailed the contact back and asked if they could send me a catalog and something else to giveaway on my blog.

The box arrived not long after, but we didn't have a chance to open it for a long while due to holidays, and back to school time. The aprons came in a packet of three, and H has adamantly stated that the other two be for his friends, I'm not entirely sure which friends these are, but it is very important to him. To H's utter dismay I told him he had to draw a picture on a piece of paper and we would sketch out on the apron before he started decorating. This was quite a lengthy process as H couldn't decide. Eventually after much rejection of various ideas (including a frog, spaceship, cakes, monsters, and a dragon) H decided it must be R2D2 or nothing.

R2D2 apron

So together we drew a picture of R2D2 and painstakingly copied it onto the apron and used the fabric paint provided to colour in R2... with flaming boosters no less. H was over the moon but I couldn't get a photo of him wearing the apron, I will need to bribe him in the future. I think the Baker Ross range of children's crafts are a fun way to entertain a child, H was pleased as punch with his apron, he loved the 3D texture of the fabric paint.

pens...they could be yours

now I mentioned a giveaway didn't I? well when I emailed Baker Ross I had asked them to send me something to giveaway on my blog and they sent me a set of Giotto Decor Pens to giveaway to one of my lucky readers. They are multi-purpose fibre pens. Suitable for use on almost any surface including wood, glass, porcelain, stone and plastic. Water-based and come in 12 assorted bright colours. I'm very tempted to keep them and play with them but that wouldn't be fair.

So please leave me a comment and enter yourself to win this little set of pens.

the giveaway winner will be drawn on Friday October 2nd.

and the winner is......

and the winner (picked by asking H to tell me a random number between 1 and 12) of the little painted page is ....


Talia

who said said...

Hmmm...amusing...

How about the fact that despite owning a pair of shoes with 5 inch platform heels, I fall over when I'm not wearing any shoes!

Also, apparently I get very Bristolian when I've had a drink, and that tends to make everyone around me a) giggle and b) try and imitate it!

----------------------------------------

there is still time to sign up for the 80's Fantasy Movie Swap.. and I will have some more giveaway's soon.. sorry I have been most remiss and absent in my blogging recently... two more weeks and the summer holidays are over and I can get on with my crafty ways!

a little giveaway

"masked" vintage book page illustration

I know I keep promising to do a giveaway and I keep forgetting and forgetting to but this time I mean it. The giveaway is the above original illustration on a vintage book page, the book was a tattered and torn copy of Alice Through the Looking-Glass. It would look lovely in a little frame, and is much nicer in reality, as the light is poor and my photography skills are hit and miss at the best of times.

All you need do is leave a comment telling me something amusing about yourself, and I will draw names out of a bowl this Friday (21st)... or call on the very helpful random number generator. And this little piece of art could be yours.

p.s. there is still time to sign up for the 80's Fantasy Movie Craft Swap on the post below this!

Pay it Forward- recieved

pay it forward received

I have been meaning to blog this PIF, I received from the wonderfully talented Hope of Going Sew Crazy the parcel arrived at New Year but I kept forgetting to blog about because I am silly and quite useless. I haven't cut into the lovely striped fabric yet, it sits in my small fabric box but the adorable clothes peg doll sits on my craft desk and smiles at me every day from atop a jar of rice.

Now in the spirit of Pay it Forward I'll be be picking 3 commenters to receive something handmade from me in the next 365 days. (I promise to try to get them sent out to you as soon as possible)Something lovely and free but the only thing is if you get a Pay it Forward from me, you have to reciprocate and send out 3 PIF's into the world. Please remember to do it and keep the kindness going.

and the winner is......

the giveaway is now closed thank you everyone who left a comment, if I was rich enough, or at least sold enough jewellery and art I would send you all a gift!

I was left 27 lovely comments that have been really lovely to read thank you so much, it really improved my spirits reading such lovely comments and all about everyone's Christmas plans. I cryed a little bit reading through the comments. Thank you for your support and I hope you continue to read my blog and perhaps one of you will win on my next giveaway.. or maybe we will get to do a swap someday!

so I suppose I should let you know who the winner is... as picked by the lovely and lazy random number generator is number

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 17...

Timestamp: 2008-11-24 19:56:58 UTCRandom Integer Generator

the winner is

syko kajsa who said:

"I would like Santa to bring me some nice clothes, I haven't bought myself anything new in ages! And a pair of new glasses, if he can afford it...I love pendant and would love to find it in a box under the tree!"

Smoky Quartz Pendant Giveaway

smokey quartz and onyx beaded pendant

I have been wanting to do another giveaway for awhile now, and as yesterday was such a bust I spent the whole time I was at the fair making a few more pieces of jewellery and made two more pendants identical to this one. With Christmas come soon I thought it would make a lovely present to give or something to keep and wear when going out.

All that I ask is that you leave me a nice comment (I could do with a bit of cheering up) and tell me about something you plan make this Christmas Season or what you want Santa to bring you.

I will draw a winning name next Monday!

and the winner is.....

freshly picked from a random number generator as I'm too tired to find the box that has paper in it to write out names. Its been a very long day. oh yes where was I? the winner yes thats it..
the winner is comment number 2.

Incywincy thats you... I will e-mail you when I get the chance and parcel up something for you when I have interrogated you more about your likes and dislikes. :o)

two hundred and fifty

Percival likes to Party

No not the new house number but this is my 250th blog post! I know I have been scarce since the last post ages ago, but we still haven't got an Internet connection at our new home. The move went well, though the things we own seem to have multiplied and there seem to have been far more boxes of unidentified objects than previously thought. M had man-flu and the busiest wedding weekend of the year (10 weddings in all though M only shot 5 of them, he had to edit them all) so it was up to me to sort out boxes(moving boxes upstairs that needed to be down stairs), build furniture (much swearing was involved), and filling a massive skip full to the brim with garden rubble), stripping of hideous dark wallpaper(H helped), and painting over a godawful blue in the bathroom (4 freaking coats of cream).

There is still a lot of work to be done on the house, there is a sinkhole in the kitchen in front of the sink from water damage, leaking radiator, burnt kitchen cupboard door, weird lighting and wiring, dark yellow painted ceiling in the living room, doors that are so dark they might as well be painted black, and a garden that was so neglected we discovered a broken shed hidden under a clematis plant, and a magnolia tree being smothered to death by some evil laylandaii trees. It will get done bit by bit, and its not all together a money pit, the house on its own is beautiful, on a lovely little Close, a driveway and garage, a second bathroom, a dinning kitchen and dozens of children live on the street and H has been slowly integrating himself into their society. We are all happy and the absolute best bit is I get a craft room/office!

M thinks it will be his office too but once its strewn with half finished craft projects I think me may abandon all hope... Besides he is a photographer he has his own studio to play in... I want one piece of the house to put my beads, my paints... my books, and call it mine.. some place other than the kitchen, because we already established the fact that the kitchen is my domain and M is only tolerated in it.

In celebration of moving and reaching 250 posts I would like to offer a giveaway. As to what I giveaway, well you tell me, leave me a comment telling me something about yourself, you favourite book, fairy tale, colour that makes you happy and I will give the winner a commisioned piece, it may be art it may be jewellery, it will be a surprise specially made for the winner. So please leave a comment and in a week's time, on Monday the 8th of September I will draw a winner and create something special just for them.

And the Winner is.....

And the winner of my lovebird Illustration is

ElectricBarbarella from (Mumsnet). I will track you down on mumsnet in a bit and see if you want the lovebird origional or a print of something.

and because I couldn't help myself I pulled another name to win a print of any of my illustrations.

the winner of a print is SusieQ

thank you to everyone who left a comment its meant a real lot to me thank you so very much.

and remeber there will be another give away when I reach 250 posts, so keep commenting and checking back!

A Love Song, a Giveaway, and Some Painted Pages

a love song

This post is my 240th, and though I was going to wait for my 250th post for a giveaway I want to give something away now.. I have had a phenomenally good week, 3 of my bracelets have sold in the framing gallery, I won two giveaways, the adorable fabric bookmark from Sarah at pink-petal-designs, and the amazing retro cups gocco print from junecrafts.

Two of my closest friends gave me presents yesterday, a lovely cupcake notebook from my friend Ali, and my friend Frizbe gave me a Supernatural (tv show) latte cup.

So I would like to spread the good karma around and do a giveaway for this original painting of two little birds on a vintage Brahms tea stained music page or a print of any of my previous painted pages. all you need do is leave me a comment with your e-mail, and I will draw the winner next monday.

p.s. I will be doing another giveaway for my 250th post, so keep checking back and leaving comments.

-----------------------------------------

the redhead

So what else have I been up to today while the house is empty, aside from some random jobs about the house I dragged my paints out and along with the love bird painting I did this one of a redheaded woman that looks oddly like Dana Scully. It must be a subconscious thing from seeing the trailer for the new X-files movie that will be hitting theaters sometime soon.

argus camera

M has a collection of old cameras, some work, some are for display purposes only, I filched this argus out of the cabinet this morning and painted. I have the feeling M may lay claim to this painted page, or request I paint a Leica instead. In fact I best put the camera away before I get paint on it.. or coffee.

yo ho whoooo

Oh and I have found little owl playing pirates and stealing my jewellery this morning as well. Naughty Owl!

thanks everyone for visiting my blog, looking at my illustrations, my jewellery, and genral craftiness.

giveaway now closed... thanks everyone!

Junecraft

Retro Cups Print from Junecraft

A week or so ago I left a comment about the art of organizing the creative mind for a giveaway on the blog Junecrafts , and I won this amazing little retro cups gocco print that arrived in the post not half an hour ago. I love it to bits, it couldn't be any more me could it? a print of some coffee cups! Thank you so very much K! I can't wait to have this framed and put up in the new house.

Please stop by her amazing little blog and her junecrafts etsy shop, I love her things and I'm sure you will too.

Paris and a Giveaway

Nortre Dame

We have arrived back in one piece from a fast and furious trip to Paris, three mums, three 4 year old (going on 14 I'm pretty sure) kids, H and his two best girl friends. It could have been hell it could have constantly rained, and the kids could have continuously fought, sulked, and whined the two days and one night away. But the kids were great save towards the late afternoon of the first day as we steered them towards the apartment we had for the night. It was quite possibly the most heartbreaking thing you ever saw, me and my two friends dragging our respective children along as they stumbled along in a sleep deprived daze. Bless.

I had been to Paris once before with M on our one year anniversary, M says we went up into the Eiffel tower which I cannot remember for the life of me, I'm not terribly keen on heights and tall things to begin with so I'm not really surprised I didn't remember. Mostly we wandered around the streets cooing over pretty buildings, prettier patisseries, and lovely chocolatiers, and all this french and cosmopolitan. The children were cooed over, and photographed by Japanese families. When asked what their favourite thing about the trip was the kids replied "Going up the Tower", "Pain au Chocolat" , or "the carousels" and apparently they are already planning another trip, though how they will get there without any mums I'm not sure.

We had a great time, H was quite enamoured of the metro system and was very proud to get to put his own little ticket into various machines. I was really impressed at how good the kids were, and they actually managed a few "Merci"s and "Bonjour"s without any prompting, I on the other hand did manage hello, pardon, and thank you, but that's about the extent of my french, I took Spanish in school, which means I can understand Spanish on a level slightly above Dora the Explorer.

My only regret for the trip is that we encountered some used book stalls on the street and I didn't buy anything because it was the first day and I didn't want to carry it around all afternoon and the next day. I'm kicking myself now as I want to make some more of the painted pages I have been doing and a french book would have been great. Next time I guess... and yes there will be I have told M there will be we might even drag his mum along, free holiday for her free babysitting for us!

The Eiffel Tower

The Pompidou Centre

---------------------------------------------------------------

OK now that that boring travel stuff is over with on to the give away portion of this post.

This post is number 200 and as such I think that calls for a give away don't you? I think you do so her goes, leave me a lovely comment, and they are all lovely and next Monday I will draw a random winner.

.....oh yes I nearly forgot the prize!

cafe

Item one is this small (4 1/2 x 4 1/2) painted page of a coffee/tea cup or similar as I am willing to make something unique for my winner, just tell me something that you like (toadstools, fairies, cupcakes, vintage, etc ). I also need you to tell me your favourite colour as I am also including a semi-precious beaded key chain made just for the winner. Good luck!

The drawing for the give away is now closed. The winner will be posted within the hour.