Sometimes It Pays to Be Forgetful

Why you may ask? Because the thing you've forgotten about turns out to be a huge surprise! About a month ago, I was contacted on Etsy by the folks at Terbear Collectibles. I had won a custom stamp from their shop! I was really taken aback because I hadn't remembered entering the giveaway. I had been so bored that I was entering probably a dozen giveaways, if not more, a week. So with all this slipping my mind, I was elated when I found out I had won such an awesome prize. Look what came in the mail for me today!

The packaging was so lovely, I didn't want to open it. I was surprised to find a wooden mounted stamp! I thought that it would be unmounted as so many of the custom stamp sellers I've looked into only offer unmounted stamps, or offer to mount them for an extra cost.

Isn't it fab? Now I can send personalized cards with my Etsy orders! I am absolutely thrilled with the quality of this product from Terbear Collectibles. Not only is their quality impeccable, but their prices are super affordable, too. So if you're in the market for a customized stamp, check out Terbear Collectibles. You can also like them on Facebook to stay apprised of future giveaways.

Buy a Doll, Give a Doll!

Sofia

One of my pass times when I'm bored is entering handmade giveaways. I've won a lot of wonderful goodies by entering. I ran across a giveaway on Etsy Giveaways today that really caught my eye. The giveaway is for a custom doll from beMarybyHand. This shop had already found it's way into my Etsy favorites before seeing this giveaway because the dolls are really simple and gorgeous. So of course I had to enter the giveaway to see if I could win one of these dolls. That's not all though. Throughout the month of February, for every doll sold in the beMarybyHand Etsy shop a doll will be given to a child via the Mwangaza International organization. beMarybyHand is also honoring Black History Month by offering 30% off the ethnic dolls in the shop.

Jane

Head on over to beMarybyHand's blog and enter the giveaway and/or visit beMarybyHand's Etsy shop and make a child happy by purchasing a doll this month.

Photos taken from beMarybyHand on Etsy.

And the Winner Is . . .

lin3arossa! Congratulations on winning the 5 pairs of earrings from Mylana! I have sent the winner an e-mail and she has 48 hours to respond with her mailing information or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you all for making this giveaway a success!

Mylana Review and Giveaway

I first became familiar with Mylana, an Etsy shop specializing in handmade soaps, candles, and jewelry, back in April of 2011 when I joined the April's Army Team on Etsy. I was able to try out Mylana's Light Spice Soap as Clare, the owner of Mylana, was offering it at a special discount. The soap is absolutely fabulous! It has a warm, earthy fragrance and is infused with patchouli essential oil which is my favorite. (Yes, I'm a hippie at heart!).  So when Clare asked me to do a review of some of her handmade products, I jumped at the chance.

When I received my review package from Clare, I felt like it was Christmas Day!  Clare sent me the most lovely jewelry and a couple of samples of her signature soaps.  The best way I can describe Clare's jewelry is that it is modern with a vintage feel to it.  I received two necklaces.  This first one is my favorite because it has vibrant blue beads, and I've been on a blue kick lately.  

The second necklace I received is a choker type beaded necklace.  I love the textured silver beads and the glass lampwork beads on this necklace.  Both necklaces have a toggle clasp closure, so they're super easy to wear.

 

Clare also sent me a beautiful beaded bracelet with a fun little silver card charm attached at the end.

I also received a sample of Mylana's The Great Outdoors, Pine and Clove Cold Process Soap.  I'm not a huge fan of pine scent, but the mixture of the pine and clove aromas together is really pleasing to the senses.  This actually may be one of my new favorites.  I was also sent a sample of Mylana's Awake Fragrance Blend Cold Process Soap.  It's a blend of citrus, rosemary, and mint and it smells absolutely divine!  Yet another new favorite of mine.  

Mylana also has lots of great candles in stock.  Clare carries votive, pillar, and jar candles.  Mylana is definitely a diverse shop with a little something for everyone on your gift list.  Her fragrance line caters to nearly every taste.   


Clare provides excellent customer service which I can vouch to firsthand.  She also offers free pick up if you live in the Murfreesboro, Tennessee area (just use the coupon code LOCAL to receive free shipping).  Clare is the Captain of the Middle Tennessee Etsy Team and she would love for any fellow Middle Tennesseans on Etsy reading this to join the team.


Clare is generously giving away 5 pairs of her handmade earrings (yes, I said five) to one lucky reader!  That's one pair for each weekday!  

 How to Enter:

You MUST be a follower of this blog in order to qualify to win this prize.  If you're not already a follower, simply click the "Join this Site" button on down the page and to the right of this post.  Then visit Mylana and come back here and comment on this post with the name of your favorite item from the shop.  This entry is MANDATORY.  Please leave your e-mail address or Etsy shop address in your comment so I have a way of contacting you if you're the winner. 

To gain EXTRA ENTRIES, you can:

1. Like Mylana on Facebook.  (Leave a separate comment below with your FB username).
2. Follow Mylana on Twitter.  (Leave a separate comment bellow with your Twitter username). 

That's 3 possible entries per person.  You must leave separate comment for each entry for your entries to count.  You must complete the mandatory entry or the extra entries will not count.  This giveaway is open worldwide.  The giveaway will be open from July 15, 2011 to July 22, 2011 at 6 a.m. EST.  The winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator from Random.org.  The winner will be contacted by e-mail or through Etsy convo and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.  One winner will receive the 5 pairs of handmade earrings pictured above from Mylana which is a $60 value.  I was paid no money for this review.  I received free products for the purpose of review and giveaway.  All the opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Shop Updates & A Giveaway Tomorrow!

Yes, I've been neglecting the blog lately. I remember when I used to post 2 or 3 times a day! I've been busy working on custom orders and new items for House of Plush on Etsy. Here are three items that I listed today.

Sleeping Sloth Plushie

Black and Plaid Cat Plushie

Felt Campfire Play Set

My Christmas in July sale is going on right now.  Simply use the coupon code JULYXMAS at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase.  You can also "like" my updated Facebook page by clicking the "like" button on the right sidebar of my blog to receive more shop updates.

I will be doing a review and giveaway tomorrow of Mylana, a shop on Etsy that specializes in handmade soaps, jewelry, and candles.  So check back here on Friday to enter to win some great prizes!

Sublime Stitching Giveaway!

Head on over to The Cartoon Lovin' Mama
and enter for a chance to win a La Petite Embroidery Kit from Sublime Stitching. I'm really excited about this review and giveaway because I learned to embroider using Sublime Stitching products and tutorials. The giveaway ends on July 3, 2011 at midnight CST.

Cool + Kitschy Creations Review and Giveaway

The Romantic Type has reviewed one of my Etsy shops, Cool + Kitschy Creations, and is hosting a giveaway for a $15 gift certificate to either Cool + Kitschy Creations or my other shop, House of Plush. This is the first time that another blog has hosted a review and giveaway sponsored by me, so I'm really excited! So head on over to The Romantic Type and get your entries in today!

The Blooming Thread

Fourth on my list of retail addictions (behind craft supplies, handbags, and shoes) are pouches. I don't what draws me to these little mini zippered bags, but for some reason I can never have too many. I recently won the cutest little pouch from The Blooming Thread. I've been entering a lot of giveaways lately in order to stock up on Christmas presents since I'm still unemployed, and was thrilled when I saw that The Blooming Thread blog was offering up this little goody as a prize. (Of course I knew if I was lucky enough to win it, I wouldn't be gifting it to anyone. This entry was purely self-serving).

I just love the fabric that Ryan, the talent behind The Blooming Thread, chose and the zipper placement on this pouch. Ryan's shop is full of these modern looking little pouches. It's refreshing to see this different style and fabric as Etsy is currently inundated with top loading zippered pouches made of Amy Butler fabric.

The Blooming Thread also carries other hand stitched items such as totes, handbags, pin cushions, sachets, and wall art that are also quite fabulous.  Ryan also has a cute little blog and Facebook fan page, where she sometimes offers deals to her fans. 

Thanks to Ryan for this giveaway prize!  I'll definitely be back to your shop in the future.

Free Stuff at Kat's!

My good pal, Kat, is hosting a giveaway over at her blog, Kitkat's Katchat. Kat is giving away the lovely earring and bracelet set pictured above which she made. The giveaway ends on 10/31. So head on over to Kat's blog to enter. You can also check out Kat's Dawanda shop, Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs,
for more of her awesome handcrafted jewelry.

Laurel's Halloween Bag Giveaway!

My friend, Laurel, is giving away this awesome Halloween bag to one lucky follower! To enter, head on over to the World of Loulou blog and try your luck! She's got a fabulous crafty blog, so I'm sure you'll want to stick around.

Kiddo for the Win!

I opened my e-mail this morning to discover that I'd won two giveaways! The first thing I won is this "Kickin' It Old School" t-shirt from Lolligag and Tokyobunnie.

Photo from Lolligag

I also won this awesome vinyl wall decal from Urban Walls and Spearmint Baby.

Photo from Urban Walls

I'm sure all my Facebook friends and Twitter followers are about sick to death of my constant giveaway posts, but today they paid off! If you'd like to enter some giveaways like the ones I just won, visit Etsy Giveaways. They update their blog daily with a ton of blog giveaways from all over the web. Have fun and good luck!

And The Winner Is:

Melissa! Melissa, you have been e-mailed your winning notification. You now have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail with your mailing address or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to all who entered this giveaway!

It's Giveaway Time!

One lucky winner will walk away with an entire set of JMKit Underwater Life Pendants! Remember to follow the rules exactly, or your entry will not count.

1. MANDATORY ENTRY: You MUST follow this blog and visit either of my Etsy shops, House of Plush or Cool + Kitschy Creations. Come back and leave ONE comment telling me that you are a follower and what your favorite item is from one or both shops.
2. Extra entries (You MUST leave a SEPARATE comment for each extra entry or your entries will not count).

• Become a fan of JMKit on Facebook. Please leave your name so we can verify.
• Become a fan of House of Plush on Facebook. Please leave your name so we can verify.
• Become a fan of Cool + Kitschy Creations on Facebook. Please leave your name so we can verify.
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Please leave a link to your tweet so we can verify.

Want 10 extra entries??? Make a purchase from either House of Plush or Cool + Kitschy Creations and come back and leave 10 separate comments telling me which item you purchased. I'm currently offering 20% off each item in both shops (will be refunded through PayPal), so it's a great deal!

That's a total of 15 possible entries!

Be sure to leave your e-mail address in each comment so I have a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner! The contest ends at 8 p.m. EST on 7/31/10 and the winner will be chosen by the random number generator from random.org. I will contact the winner via e-mail and the winner will have 48 hours to respond with his or her mailing address or I will select a new winner.

Good luck to you all!

Much love,

Bubbledog's July Giveaway

Bubbledog's is having a July Giveaway where you can win one of the three fantabulous prizes pictured above! Go HERE to enter!

Prezzies for Me!!!

Five days until my birthday, and I seem to be getting little gifts here and there already! I was just notified that I won Ardent Reverie's beanie giveaway! I love wearing hats, especially beanies, and this will be my first handmade one! I got to choose the color and chose grey (olive is pictured below, but it looks close enough to grey for visualization purposes =P). You should visit Ardent Reverie's Etsy shop for more wonderful handcrafted goodies!

Photo by Ardent Reverie

Yesterday, I received a package from Threadless in the mail! Inside was this awesome LOST themed T-Shirt titled "Smokebuster." My friend, Stu, had granted my wish for said tee and made my day!

Photo by Threadless

I was also the recipient of a personalized piece of art yesterday. A fellow deviant who I had never been acquainted with before on deviantART asked if he/she (not sure of this person's gender) could draw a picture for me. I was surprised as I hadn't done anything to warrant such kindness. I thankfully accepted the deviant's request. When I saw the picture, I was thrilled! It is the cutest little drawing of me wearing a sloth costume! How neat is that? Thank you ikkaku6 for such a darling representation of me!

kiddo47 by *ikkaku6 on deviantART

Much love,

Variety, please . . .

One way to ensure you are unfriended or unfollowed in the age of social networking is by being one dimensional. Status post driven sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, call for variety to keep your friends and followers entertained and reading. If one constantly sticks to a solitary subject, he or she is more than likely going to be overlooked or deleted.

If all your tweets are plugging your wares on Etsy and nothing else, I will unfollow you. Even the official Etsy and Artfire Twitter accounts aren't that boring. They interact with other tweeters (that's what the @ symbol is for tweeps!) If you are constantly spamming, yes it is spamming, me with giveaway tweets or the same fucking hash tag (#) over and over again; you no longer exist to me. If I see the same avatar more than 3 times in a row and they are not attempting to tell a story that can't be told in the 140 character allotment, I go straight for the unfollow button.

It is easier to get rid of an acquaintance on Twitter than a friend on Facebook. I have friends who "Jesus spam" me on Facebook, but I would feel bad to unfriend them over this petty annoyance. If I want to read the Bible, I'll pick it up on my own accord and read it. Quoting the Bible is fine in moderation, but please don't treat your wall like a pulpit. How are your wife and kids? How are things going at work? Those things are just as important as your faith and I'd much rather read about them than hear a sermon 7 times a day! Instead of unfriending these high school buddies, I just skip them when I see their pictures and move on.

Rant over.

Free Pie!

Hollyrocks is having a giveaway! Up for grabs are two of her delicious looking pumpkin pie charms. To enter, visit her blog for details. Also, check out her awesome Etsy shop!

RAFFLE!

The next 10 items purchased in my Etsy shop will be assigned a raffle ticket. After 10 items have been purchased, a ticket will be drawn at random and the winner will receive a $10 credit to my shop. So the more items you buy, the better your chances of winning! Good luck!

Thank You Zombies and Toys!

I was just contacted by Zombies and Toys this morning and told that I won this set of The Walking Dead buttons. *squeals* Y'all just wish you were as cool as me! Thank you Zombies and Toys!!!

Win a $35 Gift Certificate

Visit Strawberry Anarchy's blog for a chance to win a $35 Gift Certificate to her Etsy shop. This is one of my new favorite Etsy shops. Good luck to everyone, but I hope I win this one ;)