Giveaway Reminder and the End of Book Reviews (for now)

That's all the books I have to review for now. I'll do another series again when I gather enough together. It seems like a good time of year so maybe next January.

Don't forget about the CSN stores gift card giveaway. No, they don't seem to sell books but they do have millions of other things and were very generous to provide such loot to a reader.  $55!

You have to leave a comment on this post to enter. I'll pick a winner on Monday.

Over the next couple of days I'm going to write about some vegan things I love in penance for mentioning leather. I don't eat meat or use animal products but I also don't want to be preachy or judgmental about it so I don't usually talk about it at all. I plan to write a couple of posts on some things I have that are awesome so you can check them out too.

A week (or so) of crafty book reviews

Giveaway is now closed. Thanks!

I love craft books. There is nothing like getting your hands on a book and flipping through it and reading in bed or the bathtub and taking notes and marking pages and all that good stuff. I just like the inspiration. So I'm doing a short series of book reviews over the next few days -- complete with a giveaway. As you know, CSN stores carries everything from the play dollhouse furniture that I reviewed previously to leather messenger bags that you can carry all your crafty books around in. They are giving away a $55 promotional code to one reader. I had a really good experience with this company before so I'm excited to be working with them again.

Leave a comment on this post to enter. When the book reviews are finished, I'll close the comments on this post and announce a winner. Make sure you include your email address in your comment if your profile doesn't link to it.

The image above is a spread I did in a collaborative art journal a few years ago. It was inspired by one of my favorite poems of all time, I Am Waiting by Ferlinghetti. The little accordion folds back down and is held with that little spiral clip.

EDIT: CSN stores does not appear to carry craft books. Sorry for any confusion! Buy a non-leather messenger bag to put your books in. They do have tons of children's books and just about anything else you could want. PROJECT: project does not encourage the wearing of leather as we are a vegetarian blog. Thanks.

Giveaway gentle nudge

Just a reminder to enter the giveaway for one of these amazing doll panels. The one in the photo is little red riding hood. Just leave a comment on the post. I think I will extend the deadline a few days.

In my real life I am researching teeth so I find this a fitting image for today.

Connie Lou Fabrics Giveaway! - Now Closed

I'm happy to announce that Connie Lou Fabrics is giving away one panel from her shop to any reader. Check out her Etsy shop and choose which one you like the best and leave a comment on this post. I'll randomly choose and announce a winner Monday, Oct. 18. Please leave your email address or a way to contact you.

Thanks again to Constance for the interview!

Giveaway Info (and another dress) . NOW CLOSED

Here is my second go at the Pretty Pinafore by Carolina Fair Designs. I used the more boyish color of the alphabet fabric by Cosmo Cricket and let Zadie pick out the bias tape. We almost went with a bright raspberry to girl it up a bit but decided a dress was girly enough. You can read my review of the pattern and see more images here.

Carolina Fair Designs is giving away two patterns on this blog. You have two chances to enter. Go to her shop, pick out which design is your favorite, then leave a comment on each post (Wraparound dress here and Pretty Pinafore here). Make sure you leave some contact info or a way to find you.

Winners will be chosen August 16. Good luck and happy sewing. Yay!

THANKS TO ALL WHO COMMENTED! THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

Earth Week . Last Chance for Giveaways!

All giveaways now closed.

Click here to enter to win this amazing soap and other natural body products.
Click here to enter to win a fabulous sock monkey cup cozy.

Click here to enter to win a set of wipes or one of two kits to make your own.

I will select the winners Monday, April 25 before I go to bed and announce Tuesday.

Earth Week . Giveaways!

Giveaway now closed.

I'm going to be giving away 1 set of my fabulous sherpa/flannel wipes plus 2 kits. The kits would include the fabric already cut and ready to go to make 5 wipes.

Just leave a comment on this post to enter. For extra entries post to Twitter (@LemonCadet) or post on Facebook (and leave that info in your comment).

Current giveaways include the fabulous sock monkey cup cozy from The Monkey Travel Club, details here. Natural Home Essentials is giving away some amazing bath and body products, details here. Sabra has some giveaways going on over at Sew a Straight Line. YOU MUST COMMENT ON EACH POST TO ENTER THE DIFFERENT GIVEAWAYS. You can enter just one or all of them. This post is just for the wipes. (Sorry for the all caps but I think it's strange that there are more comments on this post than on the other ones which are way more awesome).

In case you missed this, 8 Little Coconuts has a coupon code to sponsor Earth Week. Enter "earth week" for 15% off through May 7th. Nature's Fabrics is also offering 15% off until June 19th (no rolls). Just enter "pr15".

All of these links are also there on the sidebar. I'll be announcing my winners on Monday.

The photo depicts my well-loved wipes after 2 years of almost daily washing in super hot water. They are still super soft and even more absorbent.

Earth Week Sponsor . Monkey Travel Club

My second sponsor for Earth Week is Monkey Travel Club. We have one of her pencil cup cozies covering up a Mason Jar full of diaper dust (a must-have if you use cloth -- it really absorbs odors in the diaper laundry). We had originally planned to do a sock monkey theme in the nursery but it pretty much fell apart. We have this cozy and two handmade sock monkeys. Since Zadie asked to play with them the other day, they're no longer part of the decor. There is just too much other cuteness in the world to make it work.

Our monkey fits perfectly into the room despite the lack of theme. I just love how soft my the yarn is and that Ginny added a lemon button as a special touch. Ginny is a seamstress who makes amazing quilts, bibs, bags and even designs and sells her own patterns in her other Etsy shop, iSew. These cup cozies are really eco friendly. Instead of wasting the cardboard sleeve every time you buy a cup of coffee, use one of these. They're a great conversation starter and will last a long time. She also makes super cute owl items and a bunch of different monkey items.

Check out the flickr group for the Monkey Travel Club to see monkeys and owls on various adventures. He really gets around! Giveaway now closed.

Earth Week Sponsor . Natural Home Essentials

I'm very excited to introduce the first Earth Week Sponsor, Natural Home Essentials, a local company. Karen sells most of her products at our co-op. She is a pharmacologist specializing in toxicology by day so when she reads a label on a product, she actually knows what those ingredients are. Ten years go, she started to make her own natural home and personal care products so that she could avoid exposing her family to chemicals found in commercial soaps, lotions, etc.

Here's what's special about her products:

- Made with pure oils, butters, waxes, and other natural materials
- Scented only with essentials oils - no artificial fragrances or phthalates
- All palm oil is certified organic & sustainably farmed - no rainforest destruction
- No genetically modified anything!
- As many organic ingredients as possible while still keeping the price reasonable
- Food grade sodium hydroxide, not industrial-grade lye, in the soapmaking process

Over the last few years we have made a gradual shift to more natural products. I don't buy anything with parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, etc.), SLS, homosalate, or pthalates. I've also been using deodorants without aluminum ingredients for over 10 years. Luckily, it's becoming easier to find these products thanks to this green revolution we're in and websites like Etsy. And we even luckier to have Karen as our neighbor who drops a soap or two on our front porch when we're not looking. Awesome.

Here's the giveaway from Natural Home Essentials:
Pink Grapefruit Soap, a refreshing splash of citrus with the moisturizing power of shea butter

Masala Bay Soap, a moisturizing soap, fragranced with an exotic blend of West Indian bay, citrus, and spices

Healing From The Hive Body Butter Bar, designed to moisturize and protect with only pure, natural ingredients, without feeling heavy or greasy. No unpronounceable ingredients that don't even keep your skin from getting scaly and cracked. Because it contains no added water, no chemical preservatives are required.

Check out the website for more information and a complete list of ingredients. Giveaway now closed.

Project: And the winner is...

Naomi!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered to win the dress. All the fabulous comments really made my day (and week and month).

Project: Giveaway!

Contest is over. Click here for the winner.

In celebration of the fabulous new look to the blog (see awesome banner above), I decided to do a giveaway. But first, more about the banner. Kimberly of FireDancer Designs had some of the best graphics I found while searching on Etsy. She has a nice, clean sense of design without a lot of fluff. She was super easy to work with (and I know I am not!). Don't you love it? I really don't know html but I am trying to teach myself some stuff. I was able to change the standard template colors from Blogger to the ones I had chosen for my Google Friend Connect gadget (see left sidebar) and Kimberly used those same colors for the banner. Somehow I also figured out how to remove the border that was around the compulsory header.

This blog isn't going to be about a lot of giveaways but a new look calls for some cheer. I stitched up this dress from a pattern I got on Etsy. It is a roomy size 2. The fabric is Alexander Henry's "Smiles Around the World" and is getting pretty hard to find. The dress has a cute little pleat up top and wide bell sleeves.

So if you want a chance to win this, leave a comment on this post. For extra chances, post it to your Twitter with @LemonCadet somewhere in your tweet. I'll randomly pick a winner Feb. 22.

For more about Project: Project, read this post.