Made With Love

Blogversary Giveaway!!!

April 4, 2011

This giveaway is now closed! Thank you to all who participated! :)

Hello friends!!! Thanks so much for being patient, as we all know that I'm 9 days late in celebrating my two year blogversary! (I'm almost positive I'm the only one counting the days, but I thought I'd throw it out there!) :)

I have a couple of GREAT items ready for this grand occasion!

The first name picked via Random.org will win this adorable canvas Market Tote Bag!

The Market Tote measures 16" tall x 15.5" wide, with a 3.5" boxed bottom.

The handles are made of cotton fabric on the front, and canvas on the back, for extra strength. The Market Tote is adorned with a sweet white 3.5" felt flower, and attached with a broach pin, which means it can be removed and worn on your favorite jacket, etc.

In addition, I am now open for sponsors! How exciting is that??? :) I'm offering up one 200x200 advertising space and two 200x100 advertising spaces. Each winning space will come with all of the benefits of a paid sponsor (guest post, giveaway option, etc.).

TO ENTER:

1. You must be a Follower of my blog.
(The button is located towards the halfway down the left-hand sidebar. If you are already a follower, please kindly remind me!)

2. What's your favorite handmade possession?
(I'll start- my favorite are the scrapbooks my momma made of my year in Europe!)

There are 2 possible entries, so please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure there is a way for me to contact you (aka- leave your email address in your comment if you don't have a blog or if you post as Anonymous, as I need to be able to contact you when you win!).

This giveaway will be open until April 11th, and the winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 12th. :)

Winners will be selected via Random.org. Open to US only (sorry to all of my international friends!).

Handmade with Purpose- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

I just realized that when I announced that I was participating with Handmade with Purpose, that I didn't share the cause that I'll be donating to- oy! :)

Squirmy Worm Studio will be donating 20% of April's profits to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)!

Not sure what JDRF is, or who they support? Well, directly from their website, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal. Until a cure is found, people with type 1 diabetes have to test their blood sugar and give themselves insulin injections multiple times or use a pump - each day, every day of their lives. And even with that intensive care, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its potential complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. To help improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes while working toward a cure, one of JDRF's research goals is to support research to develop products that can dramatically improve blood glucose control in people with type 1 diabetes so they can live healthier lives with less risk of developing disease-related complications.

JDRF is near and dear to my heart, as I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) at the age of 5. I was a normal kid that enjoyed to play, swim, but didn't eat sugar! Side note- every year when Halloween rolled around, my sweet momma would trade my bag full of sugary goodness for something that was diabetic friendly (six-pack of diet coke, board game, etc.). :) Behind the scenes, I had to partake in more maintenance work (aka blood sugar tests, and insulin shots 3 times a day) than my other friends at school, but that was the norm for me. Towards the end of college I switched from insulin shots to an insulin pump, which releases small amounts of rapid-acting insulin to keep blood glucose levels steady between meals and during sleep. With that, my story is still being written. Have you been affected by type 1 diabetes, or know of someone that has?

Please help us give back by:

-buying handmade goods from participating shops

-sponsoring participating blogs

-donating to designated charities

-spreading the word on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter {#handmadewithpurpose}

-visit our blog, Handmade with Purpose , to receive updates and future information

Maiden Voyage...

April 3, 2011

A maiden voyage is usually referred to as the first journey of a ship or aircraft, but I also think the concept fits my first experience with my pair of TOMS! I've known of TOMS for sometime, but never thought they looked like 'me', that is until I tried on a pair and fell in LOVE with them. The shoes are awesome, and so is the company, its a win-win!

Have you heard about TOMS' One for One movement? In short, with every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need- how cool is that???

In addition, on Tuesday, April 5th, TOMS is hosting One Day Without Shoes, by chance are you participating? Check out the website and the video below for more information/details!

I'm Participating!!!

April 2, 2011

Over 20 handmade shops and blogs have joined together to give back.

During the month of April 2011 each of the participating shops

will be donating proceeds to the charity of their choice.

Please help us give back by:

-buying handmade goods from participating shops

-sponsoring participating blogs

-donating to designated charities

-spreading the word on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter {#handmadewithpurpose}

-visit our blog, Handmade with Purpose, to receive updates and future information

Handmade with Purpose:

Aisle to Aloha Studio

Food, Wine & Mod Podge

Nintendo DSi Purse

April 1, 2011

It's that time of the week again (yeah!), as another tutorial has been posted to The Quilted Fish's blog, by one of the Creative Consultants! This week's tutorial was written by Stephanie of Peas in a Pod!

Stephanie has written a great tutorial for an oh so smart Nintendo DSi Purse for little girls! Nintendo DS wasn't around when I was little (obviously!), but I so could have used one of these for my Game Boy! :) Make sure you hop on over to The Quilted Fish, and show Stephanie some comment love! :)