And the winner is...

It's time to choose a winner for the 2nd Annual My Birthday Giveaway! This lucky person will win a $25 gift certificate to my shop!

Now, today, rather than record a video of Eli picking a winner and waaaaaaaaaaaiiting for it to upload, cute though that always is, I went with a random number generator. That is because I'm hidden away up in the sewing room and the fella has the boys and I'm trying to pretend I don't exist. Just for the morning. Just so I can knock out some pressing projects. (Thanks fella).

So! The random number chose for us entrant number 13! Coincidental since my birthday is the 13th and I was born on Friday the 13th. And lucky number 13 is:

Emily Viverette who said...

I love and am honored by how my spouse works so hard to celebrate me. When we got married we started our own tradition of picking out a cake we wanted the other to make for our respective birthdays. It's been great fun and we've had some great cakes. Of course, we've also picked out some nearly impossible cakes to make. That has made watching the baker a birthday treat in and of itself. :)

What a lovely sentiment and a fabulous tradition! Might just pick that one up for myself. Can't go wrong with cake!

So Emily, congratulations! I will contact you asap with all the pertinent details on spending your gift certificate! Enjoy.

Thanks to all who entered and shared the giveaway!

Birthday Traditions

Today's my birthday. Happy birthday to me!

I looked back. Last year's birthday was eerily similar to today. Mainly, the fella was on a trip and flew home on my birthday, just like today. And....

I did a giveaway! Just like today!

The prize: a $25 gift certificate to my shop!

Got your eye on some home sewn goodies? Drooling over the new Pinafores Collection? Need a baby gift? Here's your chance to get a bargain.

Enter in one or more of the following ways:

• leave a comment revealing your favorite thing about birthdays.
• post this giveaway on your facebook page (tell me you've done so in a separate comment).
• share this giveaway on your blog (tell me you've done so in a separate comment).

Entries will be closed Saturday, July 16 at 8:00 a.m. and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

NOTE: Blogger seems to be acting buggy, preventing some folks from leaving comments. If you're having trouble, email me at jessadeckersmith(at)gmail(dot)com and I will comment on your behalf so you get entered.

Good Luck!

A Treasure to Giveaway

I think jewelry making has the potential to one day be my newest obsession.

Yeah. Count on it. But until then, I will just have to settle on drooling over the jewelry of others.

Mama V, an ever so faithful commenter to this humble blog, turned me on the beautiful work of Lisa Leonard. And she acted as Santa's Little Helper, passing on the obsession she passed onto me, onto my husband as a fabulous potential Christmas gift.

And whatdya know. He took the bait.
He got me these two sweeties for Christmas and Valentine's Day. Nice work fella.

Well, now I'm passing it on to you. The talented Mrs. Leonard is offering a giveaway on her lovely blog and there are to be five (5!) winners.
Each winner will get one of these lovely My Treasure Necklaces. Now wouldn't that be a treasure! So, quick, jump on over there and enter! Good luck!

Inquiring Minds...

Virtuosity be damned. We want to know.

And a few weeks ago when Eli's classmate's Mom mentioned that she paid $100 bucks to find out the gender at 14 weeks...well the seed was planted.

And here we are at 15 weeks and itching to find out who's in there. Dayton or Sandrine? Pheobe or Pheobo? (No, those aren't name spoilers, that's a quote from Friends when Ross and Rachel had a misunderstanding (them? No!) about finding out their baby's gender).

So we have secured an appointment for a Gender Revealing Date (who hasn't had one of those?). Tomorrow evening we will venture to your friendly neighborhood 3D/4D ultrasound joint and take a peek.

Here's where you come in! What better reason to do a contest! And, you get to pick your prize. You can choose from these two gems:
The Sassy Sunshine Bag with Tab Closures (see more photos of it here).
Or an original one-of-a-kind Frilly Girlie Apron (see more aprons here).

Sorry I don't have a more masculine prize option - but if you win and you're not the apron wearing, purse carrying type...we'll talk.

Entering is easy peasy! Just leave a comment with your gender guess and throw in some name suggestions if you don't mind. If this is another boy, we got nothin'.

You can only guess one gender, and the winner will be chosen from folks who guessed right or spread the word on this giveaway in the following ways:

Tell your friends! The more guesses the merrier! You can get one extra entry for posting this on Facebook (tell me you've done so in a separate comment), or sharing this giveaway on your blog (tell me you've done so in a separate comment). So even if you guess wrong, you still have a chance if you spread the word!

Results* and a Winner will be announced Saturday morning! Good luck!

*Provided he or she cooperates.

The Winner Is... and Embracing the Camera...Womb Edition

Shooting Stars Mag!

I have a lovely video of Dizzy choosing you, but I took it on my new fancy camera and the file is huge! So this photo of Boogie looking dreamy will have to do. I hope Mag is as happy as Boogie in this photo to have won the prize! I'll email you asap to get your shipping info. Big Congrats!


And now...for the Thursday tradition...Embracing the Camera

And this weeks edition is super special:

That's me with our newest little critter, due to arrive mid August.

Happy New Year Elvis Purse Giveaway!

Elvis is looking for a new home...on the shoulder of one of my lovely readers! I love this bag and all the fun fabrics I used to make it. Elvis is featured on one side with funky owls on the pockets.




The reverse side has those funky owls and a great geometric apple/people repetitive pattern. What fun!

for one chance to win the Elvis Reversible Purse:

• post a comment below and tell me how you rang in the new year and/or any resolutions you made.
  

for additional chances to win:

• link to this giveaway from your blog (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• link to this giveaway from your facebook page (tell me you've done so in a comment below)
  
• subscribe to my blog via rss or email (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• like Happily Home Sewn on facebook (by clicking this link (I think) or searching for Happily Home Sewn on facebook).
• follow my blog on google friend connect, which is located on the sidebar

I usually choose winners on Monday, but today is Monday, and who wants to wait a whole week? Not me. So comments will be closed and a winner will be chosen Thursday morning (1/6/11, 8:00 a.m. ish). Good luck!

To the Victors....

...go the spoils.
After much discussion of their options, both the winners of the Name that Owl Giveaway independently chose owl satchels as their prize. Excellent choice!

I found a fun new pattern from the current stitch magazine and gave it a go. I knew I wanted to add an owl applique to fit with the owl theme, and the pattern called for a heavier upholstery fabric. As I pondered I looked to my left at the table skirt my sewing table was wearing. In true Sister Maria style, I ripped that sucker right off and made two totes out of it.

It was perfect. It was hefty and the repetitive circle/heart designs morphed into owls before my very eyes. How could I not repurpose it?

So Jenean who so brilliantly suggested Bobbin's perfectly fitting name, and Carlo, who the universe deemed the random winner, these babies are coming your way! Enjoy!

Owl Gets a Name!

You know when you have to do something in teams and step one is to pick a team name? I hate step one. I never come up with anything clever and I start off the event feeling lame. So, next time I am roped into a team activity, I'm bringing you all with me because you are ALL SO CLEVER!

Thank you so much for the fabulous name suggestions! You gave me whimsical, funny, ironic, clever, and well researched names! I tried to avoid seeing who submitted each suggestions as they began flowing in. I have to admit, I knew the winner as soon as I read it. But I gave all the suggestions that came before and after it lots of consideration, to see if any more jumped out at me. It was so hard!

Here were the front runners:

Radar - sounded robotic and cool.

Dizzy - doubly appropriate for the head spinning and being close to "Dizzle".

Button - very cute! Buttons is also pretty cute.

Clementine - oh sweet Clementine. She's sassy and vintage and delicious. I've always seen this owl as a boy though, otherwise this might have been our winner.

Chandler or Ross - an homage to my Friends obsession. This suggestion lead me straight to another good one: GUNTHER!

Doogie or Bizzle - Fabulous idea! A combo of my Dizzle and Boogie - love it!

Fuzzhead - Fisher, you're a creative genius.

Thimble - Fabulous sewing reference and cute name.

But the winner, well...I knew it when I saw it, and even after extensive consideration I'm still smitten. It's precious (in a good way), references my craft, is reminiscent of owl physicality, and is something dear to my heart since it's one of Dizzle's favorite objects.

My friends, I'd like to introduce you to...

Bobbin!

Jenean - you're a genius! If you're the Jenean I think you are, or even if you're not, I'm not sure how to contact you. Could you contact me by leaving a comment, or emailing me, or messaging me on fb? We need to pow wow about your owl-y prize!

And now for the random winner!

Congratulations Carlo! I'll be in touch!

Many thanks to all who participated!!! Look for the continued antics of Bobbin in coming posts!

Name that Owl! Contest/Giveaway

Remember this guy?
He's not just "John Q. Owl off the internet." He's my own little owl and I forgot to reveal his purpose! I created this little hooter to put on the promo item I now include in every shipment!

(Maybe I shouldn't tell you - just require you order from the shop to find out...hmmmm...sneaky. Nah - that's not what HHS is about)



Ok, so here it is. Now, sweetly nestled in every package from Happily Home Sewn is a teeny tape measure featuring Owl-Not-So-John. I really gotta figure out a name for this little guy.


I could not be happier. I am my mother's daughter. My mother taught me never to leave home without a tape measure. She was a crafty type, prone to fits of sewing and makeshiftery. But she also dabbled in carpentry and side-of-the-road furniture procurement (click back to that post - it's a good one).

She was well served by always having something handy with which to measure to see if that crab trap will fit in the staircase to make a chandelier or how tall the sides of the South African Spur Thighed Tortoise enclosure need to be to prevent escape (true and true).

I've had many a clever little tape measure swimming around in the depths of my purse. One was a cow whose tail you pulled to get the tape out. Another was Pinocchio. But I think this one is oh so sweet, and a fitting representative of Happily Home Sewn.


Dizzle thinks they are for him. All 250 of them.


Here's a thought. Let's name this smart brown owl. Give me name suggestions. If I choose your name I'll send a tape measure your way, enclosed with a Happily Home Sewn treat of your very own (something owl-y - if you're the winner, we'll talk).

There will be two prizes. One will be picked randomly and one will go to the wordsmith who comes up with the cleverest name for Owl-not-so-John. Get creative...and good luck!

To Enter (clarified since first posting this - sorry for the confusion - chalk it up to excitement!):

• 1 entry: Comment with your name suggestions (you can offer lots of suggestions (please do), but suggesting names only gets you one entry).

For more entries:

• Post this contest on your blog, or facebook page (and tell me you've done so in a comment) and you'll get an extra shot (per posting) at the prize.
• Become a follower by clicking Follow on the google followers box on the side bar (tell me you've done so in a comment).
  

Winners will be chosen - yup - you guessed it - Monday morning, September 20, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.

And the Towel Winner Is...

Ok folks, it took me an hour to fix up the flingin' flangin' video, but here is the winner of the End of Summer Hooded Towel Giveaway!!!

The entrants...
All lined up. Who will it be???

I love suspense.

The boys (including the fella) have been playing in a table tent all day. So this winner reveal is straight out da tent.


(Excuse all the grunting. The tent is low down and my hands were full - so I was trudging around on my elbows).

Boogie brokered a trade. Little slips of paper for goldfish crackers.

Congratulations to ILoveJonsBlueEyes - who I discovered through a little digging is a blast-from-the-past friend, Amber from highschool! Congratulations Amber! We traveled similar roads it seems, to start our families. We tried for nearly three years - and now look at us - we're nearly bursting at the seams! I'll be in touch to get your towel to you!

End of Summer Towel Giveaway!

So, to make a little room in my supply stash, and because they kept staring at me, I decided to make hooded poncho towels out of all the towels I had in stock.

And because it's the end of summer, and I love a giveaway, I'm giving you a chance to win one! I will even personalize it for you with a name or initials!

for one chance to win the custom-made hooded poncho towel:

• post a comment below and tell me which towel (of the choices listed below) you would choose and who you would give it to. If you'd want it personalized, what name or initials would you choose?
  

for additional chances to win:

• link to this giveaway from your blog (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• link to this giveaway from your facebook page (tell me you've done so in a comment below)
  
• subscribe to my blog via rss or email (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• like Happily Home Sewn on facebook (by clicking this link (I think) or searching for Happily Home Sewn on facebook).
• follow my blog on google friend connect, which is located on the sidebar

And here...my friends...are your End of Summer Towel options:

Option 1 - modeled by Boogie. There is no listing for this one because etsy took it down. Doh.

Turns out - though they sell yards of fabric featuring characters from books written by someone whose name rhymes with Shmeric Smarl, one may not sell an item featuring said fabric without a license. But one may give such and item away, so...option 1.

Option 2 - Blue with Peace Sign

Option 3 - Green with Critters

Option 4 - Hot Pink with Elephant

Option 5 - Tangerine-y Orange with Sock Monkeys!

Option 6 - Sky Blue with Swirly Owl

If you are the winner you will receive the towel of your choice, with free customization. Now that's a deal.

Now go out and enjoy some of these last days of summer! We're heading to the pool tomorrow (with our hooded towels) to get our splash on before it closes on labor day!

I'm also trying out Giveaway Scout. It helps people find fun giveaways on the web. If you want to check it out to locate some other cool giveaways - click here. They'll even email you when giveaways that interest you are posted. Pretty cool.

Oh - and I always forget this part! Comments will be closed and a winner will be chosen, as usual, Monday morning (8:00 a.m.) - because everyone needs a chance to be a winner on Monday morning. Good luck!

Poncho Towel Winner

Sorry guys. The fella let me sleep in. Ahhhhh.

Anyhoo - I know this is the dark ages way to pick a winner. But it's fun. And, you know I'm not cheating, because there's no way I could talk him into doing this twice.



Congratulations Deborah! Thanks for posting this on facebook. I'll be in touch!

Thanks for all the love folks! Sorry if you weren't the winner, but if you're itching to have one, check them out here. We could even customize it for ya for no extra charge!

Keep checking back for more giveaways. They're so fun!

Happy My Birthday Giveaway!

It's my birthday! How about a giveaway to celebrate?

Everybody needs a little of this:


Now don't get too excited. You don't get Boogie.

But you do get a hooded towel with the applique of your choice (from the options below). You can choose a green, blue, or pink (all pastels) towel, and one of these cute designs.


Update! - I got more towels today, so now you can also choose from these colors:
It's not necessary to re-comment if you want to change your color choice. I will double check the winner's desires before I make it.

I'll even personalize it with an initial for you if you'd like!

To enter:

for one chance to win the custom-made hooded poncho towel:

• post a comment below, and include the towel color, applique picture and initial (if you want) you would choose.
  

for additional chances to win:

• link to this giveaway from your blog (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• link to this giveaway from your facebook page (tell me you've done so in a comment below)
  
• subscribe to my blog via rss or email (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• like Happily Home Sewn on facebook (by clicking this link (I think) or searching for Happily Home Sewn on facebook).
• follow my blog on google friend connect, which is located on the sidebar

UPDATE - I forgot to mention when it would end. I will pick a winner at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, July 17th.

In other news - I'm getting a hubby for my birthday! The fella is on an airplane flying home right now. Hooray!

Happy My Birthday to you all!

Kisses and Winners

First, some good morning kisses...


Now - the winner!
Congratulations to Laura of WestFire Studio. Eight kooky owls are coming your way!

Owltastic Giveaway!

*****Eric informs me that in reading this post he surmised that I was giving away old, used, busted up owls. That is not the case. I have made a slew of new ones in the past few days and those are being given away here.*****I'm giving Betty (my sewing machine) a rest (enjoy it Betty, because it's almost over! I have eight capes to make!). A covey of owls has taken up residence on my work table. They're looking for a good home! So...a giveaway!

The winner will receive:
8 one of a kind owl decals (ranging from 4 - 6 inches tall)
8 tree branch decals (10-12 inches long)
25 leaf decals

You can arrange these in the way that works best for your space. They are made of Wall Pops wall decal material and are easily moved around if you don't get them stuck right on the first try. I have even moved them from our old house to our new and they're still stuck beautifully.

Each owl is different and has its own quirky personality


To enter:

for one chance to win:

• post a comment below
  

for additional chances to win:

• link to this giveaway from your blog (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• post this giveaway on your facebook wall (tell me you've done so in a comment below)
  
• subscribe to my blog via rss or email (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• follow my blog on google friend connect, which is located on the sidebar (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)

I threw some up on etsy too if you can't wait. Also you can see more photos to see what you might be winning!

A winner will be chosen on Monday morning (5/24), because I'm a firm believer in throwing some good karma out in to the universe on Monday mornings.

Assembly Line Giveaway!

Is it hot in here or is it just that I'm running a one man sweat shop?

That's not a complaint. Honestly, I'm on a bit of a production high at the moment.

If you don't already have one - you should stop whatever you're doing and go out right now and find a hobby that makes you say to yourself (and anyone within earshot), "I'm sorry but I am awesome."

It think I've said that a couple of times today. And I gotta admit...it feels pretty good.

Everyone should have such a hobby.


I started the day with all these bits on my sewing table.
Oooo the potential!
With a new pattern in hand (the Market Bags pattern from Portabellopixie) I set to work.
First up...the linings. Check!
All in a row...
Viola! I am in love with this fabric (Wonderland by Momo for Moda Fabrics). Every time I look at it a new critter appears.

On a side note - should I feel a little less awesome since that pile beside the finished purses is six fabric pieces that never got used? Curious. So...I'm pretty sure the one with the green handles has my name on it. But - if you love this print and this bag as much as I do - enter to win it!!!

Here's how to enter:

for one chance to win:

• post a comment below - tell me what hobby/job/activity makes you say, "Man, I'm awesome."
  

for additional chances to win:

• link to this giveaway from your blog (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• post this giveaway on your facebook wall (tell me you've done so in a comment below)
  
• subscribe to my blog via rss or email (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)
• follow my blog on google friend connect, which is located on the sidebar (tell me you’ve done so in a comment below)

A winner will be chosen and announced on Mother's Day morning! It will be very scientific - probably picked by a two year old.

Shameless self promotion and free stuff? That sounds like a win win to me!

If you're not the winner, don't dismay, I'll have this baby in my etsy shop first thing in the morning!

And the Winner Is...

Through a very scientific process, Eli has determined the winner of the SuperKid Cape Giveaway!
(I printed out each comment and an entry for each follower, threw them in a bowl and let Eli pick.

See:




The winner is Jada (!) who said "Hayden's super kid cape would have an H on it and would be covered in monkeys as he loves to be Super silly and has the power to make us laugh even when we are trying to be serious."

I think that is a fabulous super power and I can't wait to celebrate it with a super monkey cape!

Thanks to all who entered. Check back often for more crafty ideas, adventures and giveaways!

A Happily Home Sewn Giveaway!

It's Friday, and it's 62 degrees out. That's giveaway weather if I ever saw it.


So...who's feeling super? I mean, besides me. And Eli.

I'm itchin' to whip up a SuperKid cape for one of the superkids out there. I will custom make it to showcase the SK's interests/favorite colors/superpowers and of course, his or her super initial.

Here are some examples:


So, to enter leave a comment telling me what your SuperKid's cape might look like and/or any super powers you or your SK posses (I myself have a superhuman beacon which will lead me (without a map) to the Spaghetti Factory in any city).

You can get a second chance to win by following me via the box on the left sidebar. Leave me a comment if you do that so you can get your name in the hat twice.

I will randomly select the winner at 9:00 on Monday morning, because we all need a chance to be winners on Monday morning.

Can't wait to help one of your wonderkids "Be Super!" (see the video below).



If you don't happen to win, you can order these on my etsy shop here. This is a special listing just for you, loyal blog readers. Use it to get your SuperKid Capes shipped for FREE!

I appreciate all (three) of you!