Whoops! About that Zakka Style Lucky Day Give-Away...

What?  I'm only 14 days late to announce the winner of the Zakka Style Lucky Day Give-Away like I said I would.  Punctuality is over-rated--and, clearly, for people with better memories.  So, if you are still lingering, wondering if I am EVER going to announce the winner...well, yes, I am.  Right now, in fact:

#12--LALANIA SIMONE!

Come on down and claim your copy of Zakka Style.  Please email me with your mailing address and other essential info and I will happily get the book off to you in the mail.

To everyone else who left comments with suggestions about what you would personally like to see in a Beeper Bebe book--thank you.  It was helpful to me to hear from you and will certainly help shape the direction of future book-ish endeavors.

Lucky Day Give-Away Winners of Kids Crafternoon Beading & Felting

Hi there.  Are you feeling lucky today?  Well, if you are Mamafox (comment #9), or Bridget (comment #18), you should because you are the winners!  Mamafox, the Beading book is coming your way, and for Bridget we have the fabulous Felting book.  Please email me with your mailing addresses and I will get these off in the mail to you lickety-split (fortunately, my timeline for mailing things tends to be more prompt than my timeline for announcing winners on my blog...which really does not make sense because I love to blog, but I hate going to the post office...).  As for the rest of you, better luck next time; and if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, and que sera sera, etc.

Kids Crafternoon Blog Party and a Lucky Day Give-Away

Here I am, stop number 6 on the Kids' Crafternoon Blog Party--think of it as being a bit like a pub crawl, only with blogs instead of pubs, and kids crafts instead of shots of whiskey.  Yes, Kathreen is at it again--putting together more fantastic books of kiddo-friendly crafts--this time centered on beads and felt.

For this portion of the party, I decided to let Beeper and his friend, Ivan, take over--meaning I had them take a look at the books and pick a project to make for their own personal crafternoon.  They quickly decided upon the Robot Softie by Bianca Brownlow--which was a relief to me since they are 7 & 8-years-old respectively and it appeared to be a simple first sewing project.

Like any good little robot designer, I had them each start off by making a sketch of their robot and any special features they may have--like a yoyo that doubles as a weapon (always handy when bored and faced with a spot of trouble) that Ivan's robot sports , or the cell phone that Beeper's robot keeps handy in his chest cavity (I would assume for quick calls to his mom as needed).

Next, we cut out the felt pieces then I put them to work on the sewing machine--this was their very first time driving the sewing machine and they were naturals.  That is Ivan's mom (Hi Chellie!) there overseeing Beeper's work like a good sweat shop supervisor.

Next, I gave them a chop stick and had them stuff all those narrow little robot limbs--and again, they were pros.  Okay, maybe they got a little impatient with it after the second leg, and I jumped in to make quicker work of it--but still, for having the attention-spans of a tse fly, they were softie-making rock stars.

Et voila!  Their finished robot creations.  The best part was how very proud they each were of their work--Ivan declared he would be sleeping with his tonight.  And then they each took their robots along with them as dates to the Children's Opera performance we went to later.  

But, I suppose you might like to know more the types of projects you might find in these books--so, let me share a few of my own favorites...

From the Beading book: Woodland Beaded Cards by Sharon Baldwin; Lego Jewels by Nicole Vaughan; Push Button Canvas also by Nicole Vaughan; and Freckles Photo Frame by Lisa Tilse.

Oh, and look, its one of my projects from the book--a little bejeweled skull and crossbones tote.  Swanky, eh?

And from the felting book: Stitched Jewels by Cassi Griffin; Zombie Critter Charms by Lisa Tilse; Upcycled Sherpa Hay by Lisa Siebert; and Designer Wallet by Claire Dollan.

Oh, here's my project in the felting book--some simple felt cards.

You can read about the first round of Kids Crafternoon books here, and if you want to continue on with the pub crawl--I mean, blog party--you can party on at any of these swell blogs:

Monica Solorio-Snow from The Happy Zombie 20-Nov

Cate Holst from Go Make Me 21-Nov

Shannon Cook from Luvinthemommyhood 22-Nov

Jennifer Casa from JCHandmade 23-Nov

Kate from Picklebums 24-Nov

Steph Morgan from Modern Parents Messy Kids 25-Nov

Kara Fleck from Simple Kids 26-Nov

Li’l Magoolie 27-Nov

Jackie Boucher from Oh Dee Doh 28-Nov

Bianca from Sadie and Lance 29-Nov

Tricia Hogbin from Little Eco Footprints 30-Nov

Lisa Siebert guest posting at Poppytalk 1-Dec

And, if you would like to get your hands on a copy of either of these books--well, I just so happen to have a copy of each to give-away to two of you.  So please go ahead and leave a comment here telling me which book appeals to you most and whatever else you might want to share.  But you should do that by the end of the day on November 20th and I will try to come back promptly on Monday. to announce the winners (but please keep in mind my track record here--so, no promises)

And just in case you were wondering, the Robot Stuffies spin exceedingly well on the floor--clearly they are gifted break dancers.

You can read more about the Kids' Crafternoon Felting and Beading books over at Whip Up, and buy your own copies of the books here.   And don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be in the running for the book give-away.

Lucky Day Give-Away Winners of Microcrafts

Hey there lucky-day-give-away contestants.  I've got a couple of winners:

1) Amanda of comment #9, c'mon down and collect your copy of Microcrafts and get to work on that taxidermy deer head for Blythe.

2) Mandy, of comment #36, the girl with a soft spot for Pluto, get on over here too and get your copy--and I hope to continue to see you around these parts with your clever commentary that made me smile.

Both of you: please email me with your name and mailing addresses so I can get some of these books off my hands and into yours.    

The rest of you: go on back to your usual programming because I got nothin' for you.

Winner of the Tea Gift Certificate Lucky Day Give-Away

Pssst....Olivia?  Owner of the 30th comment about espadrilles for twins? Are you out there?  

BECAUSE YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE $75 TEA GIFT CERTIFICATE!

Just email me with your contact info (full name and email address) and I will get you set up with the lovely people over at Tea.  

As for the rest of you, I got nothin' for you.  Go on back to your usual programming. 

Tea: Children's Clothing and a Lucky Day Giveaway

I recently was contacted by a children's clothing company I had never heard of before: Tea.  They were familiar with my little blog and kindly offered me a $100 gift certificate to purchase some clothing for Beeper in exchange for offering a review of their products right here.  Now, you all know I do not usually do this here--but I have to admit that when I wandered out to their website to check out their clothing, I was pretty readily convinced that I would like to share it with you.  Let me start by telling you a bit about them...

Tea strives to bring together modern children's fashion and inspiration from locales around the world.    The design team at Tea actually travels to locations around the world, which later become the inspiration for their seasonal collections. They spend time absorbing the atmosphere and flavor of the place and then return and use this inspiration to shape a destination-influenced line of clothing for children from 0-12 years of age. They also make a point of using natural fabrics that are a little luxiurious while being durable. I am happy to attest to the quality of the fabrics after having felt them with my own hands--for instance, the t-shirts are a super-soft pima cotton with a nice heft that I am certain will stand up to my boy's head-first style of play.

What you see in all of the photos here are the pieces of clothing I recently purchased from Tea--initially, I thought I would just purchase a few things for Beeper, but when I took a peek into the girl's collection, well, I could not resist purchasing a dress for our little friend, Miss Bean (what you do not see here are the matching bloomers under her dress--so sweet!).   For Beeper, I chose some pants that  he can roll up for summer but then wear full length when he goes back to school. I was also instantly attracted to the beautiful blue plaid hooded shirt--just because it is more interesting than the standard tee or hoodie, while being less formal than a button-down shirt. Again, perfectly transitional for summer to fall when layered. And the worn-looking "el artista" tee?  Okay, this may have ended up in the order because I sort of wish I had one for myself in my own size because I would wear it with old jeans, boots and a casual patterned scarf looped around my neck--but still.

All of these clothes are from their Catalonia-inspired summer collection.  I would note that only a few pieces from the summer collection remain on sale--however, they do have a new fall collection inspired by Modern Mexico with clothing inspired by Mexican folk art and pop culture, sarapes, and Mayan graphics--which then make its way to designs on hoodies, tees and all manner of dresses.

From a pure parenting point of view, I am happy to tell you that their clothing sizes really seem to run true-to-size--I ordered all size 7's for my 7-year-old boy and, as you can see, they fit him perfectly with just enough room to grow through the next year. I also ordered a size 3 dress for Miss Bean and found the same to be true for her.  

Oh, yes, and now for the really, really good part--Tea has generously offered a $75 gift certificate to give away to one of you.  Yes, $75 to spend on anything your heart desires from their lovely new Modern Mexico collection.  And did I mention they also have a small women's collection?  Yep--I certainly wouldn't tell if you won the gift certiifcate and quietly tucked it away for you, all you.  All I ask is that you leave a comment here by the end of Saturday, August 13th, sharing something you like about their clothing, or what would be on your wish list of items to buy from Tea should you win--and I will announce the winners back here early next week (see how I slyly sidestepped committing myself to a specific date--I have learned that I cannot be counted on to meet my own deadlines...but I promise I will announce the winner sometime next week)

And you should know, both of the kids liked the clothes so much they did not want to take them off after they put them on for the first time--that's as close to a certifiable stamp of approval as you get from kids, right?
You can find all of Tea's wonderful clothing for boys, girls, babies and women here.  

Kids' Crafternoon Book Give-Away Winners

Oh, hi.  Did I say I would announce the winner last Tuesday?  Really?  Are you sure?  Well, Monday is almost Tuesday--I mean, if you wait a whole week it is.  Without any further ado, here are the winners of the Kids' Crafternoon books:

Commenter #20: Sweet KM wins the Paper Craft book

Commenter #33: Amber Dubberke wins the Sewing book

Now, you know what you need to do--email me with your mailing address so I can get these sent off in the post to you and into your crafty hands.  

The photos above are my own of the two different projects I have in the Kids' Crafternoon Sewing book.  And if you have not seen been joining Kathreen on her blog tour for the books, you should at least check out the tour stop at Checkout Girl where  Melissa's daughter makes her very own i-Pod Creature Cozy and offers a review of the project...

Lucky Day Give-Away Winners

Hello.  It's me again--that funny bunny prototype.  You know, the one she almost ripped apart and refashioned in to some other bunny more to her liking?  Well, I am happy to say that I will be leaving this cursed place where I was created and going elsewhere--namely, to one of you if you were one of the people who purchased a Spring Variation pattern in the past week.  So, please listen up because I am about to announce the winners of the Lucky Day Give Away:

Winners of the Lucky Day Give Away Who Purchased a  Copy of the Spring Variations project Set:

Give Away 1--Funny Bunny Prototype: Raven Waterfall

Give Away 2--Set of 4 Framed Spring-y Embroidered Designs: Naomi Taylor

Give Away 3--Gift Set: Kristin Geraci

And now for the lucky Chez Beeper Bebe reader Lucky Day Give-Away:

Gift Set Winner: Ally's Threads

She tells me she will be emailing you all shortly for your mailing addresses so she can send these off straightaway--but of course, she also said she would announce the winners on Saturday and here it is already Thursday.  Shows you what kind of blogger she is (the sort who contemplates ripping helpless bunny plushies limb from limb, I can tell you!).  I am off to stuff myself in an envelope in the hopes she will get me on my way to Raven dear as soon as possible.  Ta-ta.

Spring Variations Give-Away at Sparkle Power

Are you familiar with Candace over at Sparkle Power already?  If not, please stop by for a visit--not only because she has a a very real and lovely blog, but she also has a super Etsy shop with some great prints (dear Mr Beeper gave me the You Are My Sunshine print this year as a gift) and on occasion super lovely fabric flag garlands made from vintage fabrics (bought one of those for myself as gift too).

Oh, and you should also hop on over there because she is hosting a giveaway for 5 copies of my Spring Variations pattern.  Yeah, 5 of her readers will win a copy of Spring Variations and all you have to do to be in the running is leave a comment indicating which project of the set you like best.   You have until Tuesday, April 26th to pay Candace a visit and leave a comment. Easy, right?

Find the give-away right here.

Spring Variations: A Set of 15 Projects + A Lucky Day Give Away

This set of projects is coming to you SO much later than intended, but here it is and I am done.  DONE, I tell you! And more importantly than my elation about the completion of this project, is the fact that I am really, really pleased with how it all came together, the array of projects, the way it looks...getting these things completed is sometimes just way more riddled with probs than one would ever know from looking at all the happy photos of the completed projects.  

But enough about that!  Let me tell you a little bit about this set of 15 projects  (my achievement orientation rearing its ugly head again--No! 10 projects are NOT enough--15, I say!)...first off, they are all variations on 4 common themes (bunnies, jelly beans, daisies and pinwheels) and common techniques or mediums (like embroidery or making scented bean bags).  What I love about this is that it allows you to get comfortable with a given design or technique--and then you can apply it again, except in a new way.  For instance, the funny bunny plushie's hat becomes a cashmere baby hat--or the fruit scented jelly bean bags become flower scented lazy daisy shaped bean bags.  

You can see the full array of projects above.  There is lots there--everything from paper craft to embroidery to sewing to making play dough.  And most of the projects can be completed in 30-90 minutes for a quick crafting fix when you need one--or, if you are like me, for a quick handmade gift at the last minute.  I also love that a handful of the projects are aimed at children so you can give them some distraction while you work on the project that you actually want to make.

Spring Variations is a PDF file so it will be emailed to you.  It contains complete instructions, illustrations and photos for all of the projects--as well as full sized templates.  You can find the project set in my Etsy shop, here.

And, in celebration of my completion of this project, I am going to offer a little promotional give-away  for several items that were the samples I made as I was designing the projects.  Here's the deal, the first 15 people to purchase a copy of the pattern from my shop will be entered in a drawing for the following three items (so there will be 3 winners--one for each item):

1) My Funny Bunny Plushie Prototype (who you may fondly recall from this blog post)

2) The complete set of 4 small embroidered designs all neatly framed up in their little bamboo hoops

3) A gift set containing a jelly bean-shaped zip pouch, a mini pinwheel, a set of 2 pinwheel hairpins, an applique little bag, a Happy Flower packet of wild flower seeds, and a Lazy Daisy Lolly.

AND, because I love my readers too--even those who may not purchase a copy of Spring Variations--I am going to offer a second gift set like the one listed in #3 above for anyone who leaves a comment here about anything they damn well feel like--except you should include your email address so I can contact you in case you win and you need to leave a comment by the end of day tomorrow as I will announce the winner on Saturday.  Any questions?

Good.  Now please go visit my Etsy shop where you can see the project set and read lots more about it (bring a cup of coffee and a cookie--the listing is long).  Also you can lots more up close and personal photos of the various completed projects here.

Lucky Day Give-Away Winner

We have a winner for the little plaid Mr Cottontail--Claire of comment number 36, please step forward to claim your prize (even if you did not leave your email address, as requested, ahem!). But I am happy to know Mr Cottontail will go to a home where a new baby is expected, and where the baby's mama is busy sewing lots of little clothes for it...how could Mr Cottontail be anything but perfectly content in such a home?

And thanks for all the comments about what you do and what you wish you could do better or at all. As for me, well, of course I love to sew, with reclaimed materials preferably (and I admit I love hand-sewing most because it is meditative--especially when you do it while watching MadMen). The list of things I wish I could do includes quilting (please, no questions about the quilt to be--still psyching myself up to begin it), crocheting, screen-printing, and sewing clothes for myself...the list could go on. I also wish I knew how to make full use of my camera...see, Mr Beeper bought me this very lovely camera a year or so ago as a gift, and I know how to use a mere fraction of its functionality. But I suppose these are all things to aspire to when the days comes that I might actually run out of other things to do? You know, when hell freezes over and pigs fly and stuff? Or maybe one day I will just burn out really hard on making toys and plushies and stuff and then turn to crocheting, never to be heard from again...

Whatever the case, Claire dear, please contact me with your email address and the blue plaid bunny is all yours. And thanks again to all of you for your comments...makes me want to create some sort of challenge around learning that new crafting technique you always wanted to learn...

Lucky Day Give-Away: Mr Cotton Tail

Once again, it is your lucky day. I just so happen to have an extra little blue plaid Mr Cotton Tail waiting to find a home with one of you. He is made from a vintage wool Pendleton shirt that used to belong to Mr Beeper (before the aforementioned washed it in too warm of water and the arms were suddenly two inches too short), and has a lovely little pouf of a tail made from reclaimed yarn picked up at my favorite local thrift store.

If you are interested, please leave a comment sharing with me what your favorite crafting technique is (sewing? crocheting? decoupage? paper quilling?...you get the idea) and which technique you wish you knew how to do better (or at all). You should leave your comment by the end of the day on Friday, April 2, and I will announce the winner on Saturday, April 3.

Oh, and please leave your email address with your comment. I have not asked you to do this in the past, but I actually have an as of yet unclaimed giveaway from a previous lucky-day-give-away (Margie Oomen? I am talking to you...if you are reading this, please do contact me because there is a little bunny with your name on it just waiting for you...if I do not hear from you by this weekend, your bunny is destined for a Toy Society drop next month, I am afraid), and would prefer to know what I am giving away will actually make its way to someone rather than languishing on my windowsill...

So, bon chance, mes cheries and I eagerly await your comments.

February Lucky Day Give-Away Winners (& some shameless self-promotion)

My dear Liz and Margie Oomen, you may want to consider sending me a little note as you are the Lucky Day Give-Away winners for the month of February. Let's hold hands for a moment and jump up and down in a euphoric ring of giggling excitement, and then maybe even blow some air kisses to those who left comments, but were not quite as fortunate as yourself this month. In the meantime, these happy little plushies await their new homes, and your adoration, of course--so please contact me as soon as you have a spare moment, disclosing to where I might send these little bundles of organic cotton plushie goodness.

And thank you so much to all of you for all of your wonderful children's book suggestions. Several are on my short list as we speak--amongst them:

• The Tiger Who Came to Tea
• Tikki Tikki Timbo
• Over in the Meadow
• Jip and Janneke
• Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda
• Iggy Peck Architect
• Some of those Eric Kastner books

And I could go on...I really, truly, cannot wait to go over to our neighborhood library to see if I can dig some of these up. Any excuse to use the card catalog and take advantage of inter-library loans makes me happy. Because (on a side note) aren't libraries fabulous places? I mean, the notion that you can have access to all these books and magazines and movies FOR FREE is just too lovely in this day and age of every man for himself--even if I have been going to the library my whole life, I still am not over it. Can you imagine if someone (god bless 'em), many years ago, had not conceived of the idea of the local government buying stacks upon stacks of books, housing them in a fantastic and cozy space, and then allowing any old person to just come over and borrow the books for a month at a stretch, at will? I mean, I am pretty sure that if someone tried to push that idea through the government and the powers that be today, well, we would all be SOL. We can't even get a public healthcare system in place, for goodness sakes. Well, I seem to be digressing, so let me put away the soapbox before I get my feet too firmly dug in.

But wait. I should share with you what are a couple of my all-time favorite children's books-quid pro quo you know. You can actually read about them already right here on this blog--it is this one and this one and this one. So go check those out--all of them have my perfect combo of heartbreakingly lovely illustrations and an original story.

But there is one other little thing I wanted to share with you yet--namely some shameless self-promotion. You see, I am over at Gratz Industries, at this very moment, divulging all sorts of not-quite-so-trade-secrets about my longing to redesign Little People, and the sad but true story of the inspiration behind my Bitty Bebes, and my crazy corporate day job where I get to tell old guys in suits what to do, and also my own advice to you. You can read all about it right here. Thanks to Wendi for having me and being interested in what I might have to say (and you should see her sweet bunny plushies--those little satin ears are so luscious).

Margie? Liz? I am waiting to hear from you...

Lucky Day Give-Away: (Not So) Sleepy Bunny and Sunshine Rainbow Plushie

Once again, it is your lucky day. Who knew this could happen on any old ordinary Thursday in the month of February? But, here we are and I have two little plushies just waiting to belong to two different, but oh-so-lucky Chez Beeper Bebe readers. The first is one of my Sleepyhead Bunnies--except, this one is not so sleepy, as you can see (I guess I shouldn't have given him that second espresso). The other is one of my wobegone Rainbow Sunshine Plushies looking for a good home after the whole corporate toy-making man debacle (although, technically, I guess it is a corporate toy-making woman debacle since the company in question is owned by a woman).

Whatever the case, these two little lovelies await two different readers. Now, take a deep breath and here are your instructions: Please leave a comment telling me the title of one of your favorite children's book and any other details you might want to share. And why, you ask? Because my curiosity has not lessened any since the last give-away and we are always looking for great new children's books around my house and I am certain you will come through with some tres magnifique recommendations.

You will need to leave your comment by the end of the day on Saturday, February 20th. I will announce the winners on Monday, February 22nd--so please be sure to check back here so that you can get in touch with me if you are the winner and then we can swap pleasantries and other critical mailing information so your new plush friend might find its way to its new happy home.

Bon chance, mes cheries. I eagerly await your replies.

January Lucky Day Give-Away Winner

Yes, that's right dear Queen, darling, you are the winner of the January Lucky Day Give-Away. Your number was plucked from a jar at random by Beeper. And then he decided to draw this alien for you that then became an alien that was swallowed by a rainbow or something...or perhaps that is just the alien's aura. Whatever the case, he is a happy alien, just look at that smile. And there is your name--Queen. So now, you need only contact me with your email address and make plans to get your drawing made by a child to me, either via post or email or perhaps you will send it via the Canadian Mounties or something since you do live in Canada. And also, I do apologize if there are any typos in this entry as I know how anal you are about spelling and how you had to delete your original blog comment because it had a typo in it. And really, do you live in an igloo? When you write, please do let me know because I am dying of curiosity over here.

And as for the rest of you, well, please stay tuned in as there will be more Lucky Day Give-Aways in the coming months. And also, how can I thank you enough for playing along and divulging some of the oddest but most wonderful facts about yourselves--the ability to speak backwards, a pet snail named Brian, petting penguins, secret longings to be a firefighter, dirty underwear stolen by raccoons...I could go on but really, you should just read all the comments in the original blog post, here.

And, random fact about myself? Back in high school, I used to love to wear vintage lingerie as clothing (a la Madonna circa "like a virgin"). I once went to a Billy Idol concert wearing a little pink silk bra, a vintage black half-slip and a men's tuxedo jacket--and found myself in the front row. Billy Idol looked at me at some point in the concert, pulled open one of the many rips in his black t-shirt so you could see his nipple and said to me, I"ll show you mine if you show me yours." Then he sang Flesh for Fantasy. Yes, random fact and for real.

Lucky Day Give-Away For You: Custom Kindie Garden Plushie

Yes, people, it is your lucky day. The first of many to come. Why, pray tell, you ask. Well, because I want to offer one of my unfailingly lovely readers the opportunity to be the very first lucky winner of an all new item I plan to start offering in my Beeper Bebe shop very soon--your very own custom-designed, 100% original, Kindie Garden Plush.

And you know what that is, right? It is a plushie made just for you, a plush realization of a child's drawing of your choice that is all one-of-a-kind. That's right--you select a drawing from a child (your own child, someone else's child, an absolute stranger in elementary school you solicit a drawing from--you choose!), send me a copy and I will make you a plushie version of that drawing. Yes, for real.

The plushies pictured here are some I made from some of my own original artwork from my kindergarten era (the artist at 5--you can see the future of what was to be here), as well as one I made for Beeper this last year when he did his first self-portrait. All of them incorporated recycled materials, in case you were wondering.

Interested? Here's what you need to do: Leave

a comment in this entry telling me something random about you, something most people may not know--could be something important, or something completely irreverent. Just share a little something with me--so we can start to get to know one another better and because I am endlessly curious. And that is the price you must pay to have access to this wonderful opportunity. Easy, right-o?

Leave your comment by the end of the day on Saturday, January 23rd. With the help of my sometimes sweet, often belligerent assistant, Beeper, I will select one lucky winner on Sunday and announce the winner that same day, whereupon the winner will need to contact me to make plans to collect her (or maybe his) fabulous prize.

I can hardly wait to hear from all of you, dear Chez Beeper Bebe readers. I know you will all delight, surprise, and amuse me. Good luck to you.