Give-Away Day 2008: Doll sling (CLOSED)

This giveaway is now closed, and the winner is Stephanie from On the Needles. Stephanie, I will be contacting you and will need a response with shipping info within four days! Thanks for entering, everyone!

This post is part of a big carnival of handmade giveaways at Sew, Mama, Sew Blog! Go enter all of them!

I am giving away a doll sling similar to the one modeled by my daughter, Suzi, below...

Studies show that gloworms worn close to the body are smarter than those dragged around by one ear.


I can go hands free!


These slings are NOT just for girls! Look how great they are for toting manly toys such as a football! (I am not saying boys shouldn't play with dolls. Boys *SHOULD* play with dolls!) I am thinking of making these in big sizes for real football players. It would revolutionize running for a touchdown by saving a bunch of embarrassing fumbles ;-)

I learned to make these from the directions on Jan Andrea's website, and also the ones by Stacie Steadman. The slings I have made so far would fit a 2-4 year old (that is my best guess), but if you think your child may need a bigger sling I could make one. It just might take several days extra, as I have been kind of busy lately!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post. I will give you one extra entry for adding me to your blogroll/feed list; just tell me in the comments if you do. You don't have to be a blogger to win, but please leave an email address! You may want to type it as somebody (at) somewhere .com to foil the spambots. I will mail internationally if needed. *I changed my mind about the end time and extended it by a day.* The contest will end at 11:59 pm Thursday, December 4th and I will select the winner randomly. I'll email the winner (and post here) and if she has not responded with shipping information within four days I will pick someone else.

Also, you may want to enter my book giveaway while you're here. It ends the same time.

Good luck!

Book Review: The Paper Bag Christmas (CLOSED)

This giveaway is now closed, and the winner is Mel (dancerinthemaking). Mel, I've emailed you and will need a response with shipping info within four days. Thanks for entering, everyone!


I read about Kevin Alan Milne's The Paper Bag Christmas on someone else's blog and it looked like a great Christmas read, so I was excited to get the chance to review it! On the outside, it's a beautiful book. It's a hardcover with an embossed jacket, which would make it a lovely Christmas gift.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher's website:

Dr. Christopher Ringle is the last person you'd expect to find moonlighting as Santa Claus at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. But it is there that he meets a young man named Molar Alan, who desperately needs a new perspective on the underlying value of Christmas. Dr. Ringle recruits Mo and his older brother as volunteers at a nearby children's hospital for the holiday season. At the hospital, Mo is tasked to help bring holiday cheer to the young cancer patients on the fifth floor. His biggest challenge is befriending a decidedly angry girl who is so embarrassed by her scarred appearance that she hides her face behind the safety of a paper bag. Almost in spite of himself, Mo finds that Christmas joy emanates from a source far greater than the North Pole, while the young girl learns that she is more beautiful than she had ever imagined.

As a person who read a lot of difficult books in college, I found this book to be an easy read--in a good way. Nothing about it is hard to understand, and I think younger people could enjoy it as much as adults. Milne did a wonderful job of creating dynamic, lovable characters. One of my favorite professors once told us that a character should be like an iceberg: readers will see just a tiny bit of the character by his actions and words in the story, but there is so much more than that beneath the surface, and the author must know all of it before the story is written. That's what I think Milne has done with his main characters, Molar and Katrina. The storyline was seamless and engaging, and it's amazing that it all fits into 150 little pages. You could read it in an afternoon! (I am a slow reader and it took me 3-4 hours.)

If you are an elementary, middle, or high school teacher looking for a book to read aloud to your class during the month of December, this one would be perfect. (A couple of my teachers did that when I was in school and I loved it.) The main characters in the book are between nine and twelve years old, so I think children could relate to and enjoy this book possibly even more than adults could. This would also be a good book to give to your own children to read before Christmas or to read together as a family.

The Paper Bag Christmas is the perfect book to help young and old alike refocus on the meaning of Christmas. I am glad to have read it, and now I'd like to pass it along to someone else. I thought it'd be fun to do a sort of giveaway, but really more of a book pass-along. (What's the point of keeping a book you've already read?) If you'd like to have The Paper Bag Christmas, just leave a comment on this post telling me who you will pass the book along to after you've read it. This will end on Thursday, December 4 at 11:59 pm. The person chosen will be emailed and will have four days to get back to me with a mailing address.

If you don't get my copy, or if you'd like a copy now, there are some good deals on Amazon.

Grab yourself a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket and curl up in your recliner with The Paper Bag Christmas!

*Updated with winner* Glow Mama... the drink made just for you

And the winner is... Hannah! I will be emailing her and she'll have four days to get back with me with her address so they can ship her drinks. Thanks for entering everyone!

What did you drink when you were pregnant? Gatorade was my beverage of choice, as I'd always enjoyed it during my (brief!) athletic experience and when I was sick. But the aftertaste? Not ideal for a morning sick mama-to-be. And the sodium--wasn't I puffy enough already? Unfortunately, Gatorade was my only option, as flavored water drinks made me gag and I wasn't about to subject the baby to my caffeinated favorites of Coke and iced tea. But Gatorade isn't made for moms.

Glow Mama is! Flavored lightly with kiwi, it contains a bunch of mom-to-be essentials you won't find in other drinks: fiber, vitamin B6, and folate, to name a few. It's also perfect for nursing moms.

I can't say for sure because I'm not pregnant at the moment, but I just bet Glow Mama would help counter morning sickness. When you were pregnant, did you ever feel as though anything you ate or drank could put you over the edge and make you vomit? I felt that way a lot. At times like those, I would have been relieved to have a light, refreshing drink like Glow Mama. Besides, one bottle has 25% of your daily vitamin B6, which is known to ease nausea. Because of my morning sickness I was also unable to take regular prenatal vitamins (have you tasted one of those things?!). How comforting to know you are getting a lot of what your baby needs just by enjoying a refreshing drink!

I know you are curious about the taste. It's hard to describe, but it's important to note that Glow Mama is water-based and flavored with fruit juice. It is not meant to be juice; even 100% pure apple juice with no added sweeteners contains several times more sugar than Glow Mama. It doesn't taste like a sugary soft drink, but if you look at the label and see what is in Glow Mama, you'll be wondering how they made it taste so good. It will also leave you feeling more refreshed than a glass of water will.

The one drawback? Most of us can't make a quick run to the store for a case of these. While I hope to one day see them next to the Gatorade in my local Bi-Lo, it is currently necessary to order them online because they are sold in California and that's about it. There are several options at different price points in Glow Mama's online store, or, if you prefer, you can order them on Amazon where they are eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping! Incidentally, Glow Mama has received impeccable ratings from Amazon customers.

Glow Mama has generously offered to let one of you try a two-week taster pack (16 bottles) of their drinks for free! To enter, please visit the Glow Mama website and leave a comment here telling me your favorite Glow Mama mocktail! I am anxious to try one myself, because normally I'm terrible at making drinks.

For extra entries, you may do one or all of the following for a total of five possible entries:

1) Sign up to receive the Glow Guide in your email (bottom left of their home page). Glow Mama has an informative blog which covers all sorts of mothers' issues and products.

2) Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Glow Mama's website.

3) Add Babyfingers to your blogroll or feed list.

4) If you purchase any Glow Mama during the contest period I'll give you an extra entry (use coupon code TM842 for 15% off).

Please leave a separate comment to tell me each thing you did, or the extra entries won't count!

This giveaway is open only to United States residents. Please be sure to leave an email address if I can't access one in your blog profile! Otherwise I will have to pick another winner. It will end on Wednesday, November 26 at 11:59 p.m., at which time the winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post within a few hours. I will email the winner and she will have four days to email me back with shipping information. After four days I will have to pick a new winner. Good luck!

If you want your Glow Mama now, you can order some at 15% off with coupon code TM842!

Thanks, Glow Mama, for a great giveaway!

*Updated w/ winner* Baby sling giveaway!

We had 88 entries total (one by email because she couldn't comment, and the last comment was a few minutes late--sorry!) And the winner is...

Here are your random numbers:

79 

Timestamp: 2008-11-02 13:19:44 UTC

Mrs. Sara! Gosh, a (different) Sara won my last giveaway! Weird. Sara, I will be emailing you in a minute. I'll need you to measure yourself and also send me fabric choice and an address. If Sara doesn't email me within four days I'll pick another winner.

If you didn't win, don't be sad. You can probably learn to make these slings yourself! I love these ida.net directions, and also Jan Andrea's for making reversible slings. Here is my post on making them. If you can thread a sewing machine you can probably make one, and it only takes an hour or two. If you've never used a pouch sling before, it would be best to start by watching an instructional video on how they work in general. Having an understanding of the sling's purpose makes the project much easier.

I will be having a November contest, but I'm not sure what it'll be, so check back soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It's that time again... The Bloggy Giveaways Carnival is here!

I'm giving away one sling which I will make myself. I haven't made it yet because I'm going to let the winner email me measurements and fabric choice. (So it may take a week or so longer than usual to ship, but I'll do my best.) Above is an example of one sling I've made. I am also working on a batch of slings to send over to No Mother Left Behind! It's an organization that hooks families up with slings when they can't buy or make one for themselves. I encourage you to visit their site and consider donating.

Here are the different fabrics I can use to make the sling:

Please note: #3 is a sort of faux suede, and #4 is flannel (the same one I'm wearing above).

I can make a Daddy sling too. Probably the navy or khaki option would be best for a dad.

To win:
1) Please leave a comment telling me your favorite brand or style of carrier. If you don't know yet because you're still pregnant and/or don't have any carriers, tell me that too!
2) If you want you can also tell me the fabric you'd like for your sling, but it isn't required. We can do that later when a winner is chosen.
3) It makes me a bit nervous, but I'm going to go ahead and say I'll ship this sling anywhere :-)
4) You don't have to be a blogger to win, but please leave an email address! You may want to type it as somebody (at) somewhere .com to foil the spambots.
5) The contest will end at 11:59 pm Saturday, November 1st and I will select the winner randomly. I'll email the winner (and post here) and if she has not responded with shipping information within four days I will pick someone else.
6) I have plenty of fabric in most of the choices, but depending upon the winner's measurements one or more of the selections may be precluded. I will request a first and second fabric choice from the winner.

Good luck to everyone, and may we all win something!


More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

Earthlust Bottles: beautiful, simple, green (Updated with winner!)

The winner of this giveaway is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

38 

Timestamp: 2008-10-19 04:10:13 UTC

Sara!

I have already emailed her and she has until Thursday to send her info.

Thanks to all who entered, and thanks to Earthlust for the awesome giveaway!





Ever since the recent ban of BPA-laden products, I've been in the market for a new water bottle. Because I am picky it has taken me this long to find just the right one. I refuse to drink from anything with a "sports top." (I'm an adult, you know? I don't need a sippy cup.) I liked the idea of stainless steel, but didn't want anything with multiple layers because water tends to get trapped between them. And of course, I didn't want anything ugly.

When I found the Earthlust line of stainless steel bottles, I was in love. They weren't just affordable; they were everything I could want in a water bottle and more. My only problem was trying to pick my favorite design out of all the beautiful choices. I finally decided on the Red Crow. I was drawn to it, and besides, it matches my purse, see?


Here are my favorite things about my new Earthlust bottle:

1) It's beautiful. I don't see any reason why we can't incorporate beauty into everything in our lives. Just because an item is utilitarian by nature doesn't mean it can't reflect our personal style. My favorites are the Red Crow and the smaller Growing Tree.

2) The design is simple. I decided against several other brands purely because they featured multi-layer designs and/or complicated caps. All I wanted was something that would last a long time, be easy to clean, and would not leak, and that's what I got! The lid screws off to reveal a plain but perfectly contoured opening, making it easy to enjoy your drink without spilling, even if you're walking or riding in a car.

3) The lid makes this bottle convenient. As a mom, I rarely find myself with a free hand for carrying a drink. I usually have Suzi in one arm and at least one bag in the other! The lid on my Earthlust bottle seals tight (I turned it upside down to test it!), which allows me to throw it into a bag without worrying about soaking all my stuff. (Or me. Once on my way to work my insecure drink toppled over into my seat. I almost had to go home and change.) Even better, the lid has a mini-carabiner clip attached so you can clip it to a backpack or bag. You could even hook your keys to it. It's a good way to keep everything together.

4) It's safe for us and for the environment. I have peace of mind knowing my water is not steeping in toxic plastic. Earthlust bottles are made of high-quality stainless steel and adorned with non-toxic paint. They allow you to forgo a disposable bottle of water and keep a ton of waste from going to landfills. (And that's not all. Did you ever think of how much fuel it takes to ship all that bottled water to stores? Bottled water is not green!)


I know you are wishing you had an Earthlust Bottle of your very own. Good news! Earthlust has kindly agreed to give one reader the bottle of their choice. To enter, all you have to do is take a look at their designs and leave a comment on this post saying which one other than the Red Crow is your favorite. For one extra entry, blog about this contest and leave a separate comment with the link to your post. If your email address isn't posted in your blogger profile, please remember to leave it in your comment. I will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 18, at which time the winner will be chosen randomly. I will email the winner requesting a mailing address and if I don't hear back within four days I will draw again. Good luck!

If you don't win or just want to buy an Earthlust Bottle now, you can do that online at Nubius Organics or Online Fitness (I got mine at Nubius).

Ring giveaway winners!

I drew the winners for my giveaway, and here they are: bison61 (the first ring) and huguette (the second two rings). I had to write the names on actual pieces of (recycled) paper and draw by hand so it would be fair between the two prizes. I've already emailed them, but I'm keeping the other slips so if I don't hear back by Friday night I can draw again!

Three rings giveaway!

Well, I can scratch this off my list now! (Thanks for the nudge, Emily!) Here is my September giveaway: three sterling silver rings. I found them at a yard sale, and even though they didn't fit me they were so pretty (and such a good deal, I might add) I just had to have them! They are all, I would guess, around a size 6.5.


There will be two winners. One will win the ring in the top picture (it's my favorite), and the other will win the other two rings.

TO WIN: Please leave a comment telling me if you would rather have the one top ring or the other two rings. That part is required. If you want you can also tell me the best thing you ever found at a yard sale. This time I am willing to ship anywhere! Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, either through a blog or with an email address. I will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Sunday, September 14th. Winners will be chosen randomly. I will email the winners and if I don't hear back within four days I will draw again.

Babywearing Bonanza!

Head on over to Simple Things and check out this cool event. Andrea is interviewing the creators of different baby carriers and even giving one of each away on her blog! Hurry, because the giveaways end soon (one is over tonight at midnight). She is featuring the Posh Papoose, Slinglings, Peekaru Original (fleece vest for keeping babies in carriers warm), Sleepy Wrap, and Kozy Carrier.

Saturday's treasure hunt (and contest idea)

I even found a little treasure chest at our first yard sale--along with a bunch of clothes.

I added yards of fabric to my stash; this isn't even all of it:

This sale had a big table full of fabric, along with all the ribbon, lace and other notions you see here. I don't even know what some of it is, but my mom will. The box it's all in is a homemade wooden toy box on casters that we got for $4. I figured we could put Suzi in it, give her a wooden spoon and let her row around the kitchen.


I got this apron for 10 cents. The couple holding the sale were in their seventies (I think) and the woman asked the man "Wasn't this your mom's apron?" He sold me his mom's apron for a dime! It makes me sad but I'm glad I can give it a good home. It is stained but I kind of prefer it that way. It means I might actually use it, and when you hold it you can just feel all the hard work she did while wearing it.


Plate and cup sets for when you're having a drop-in; guests can securely hold the plate and cup with one hand. The bulk of our get-togethers involve pizza and beer instead of hors d'oeuvres and punch, but maybe these will come in handy someday.

And my idea for a monthly contest: I love finding cool stuff at yard sales, but sometimes I'll find something I love that I can't use personally. It'll be a beautiful ring that doesn't fit, for example--which is what I found yesterday. Anyway, I've decided to do a monthly Treasure Hunt Giveaway with these things and occasionally things I make. I'm not doing one right now because I just did one, but I plan to start in a week or two. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this.