Silhouette CAMEO winner and the most awesome Black Friday sale ever!

First of all, drumroll please ...

Congratulations to jacquickelly, lucky number 24!  You are the winner of the Silhouette CAMEO giveaway!  Thanks to all for entering, and especially to Silhouette America for such a fun prize.  I feel like Oprah every time I get to give one of these babies away.

 

For everyone else who is dying to get their hands on a Silhouette cutting machine, look no further than this year's Black Friday sale*.  Silhouette has never offered such good deals, so whether you are looking to buy your first machine or just stock up on supplies, now is the time.

Here's the skinny on all the deals ... visit the Black Friday sale page and use my promo code, JILL, at checkout to have access to the following sales:

1. A Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software, a dust cover (the color is decided by Silhouette), a $25 download card, a hook, a scraper, a spatula, and a pick-me-up® tool for $229.99. Retail price for all of this would total $406.93 (over 40% savings!)
2.  A Silhouette Portrait®, Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software, a dust cover (the color is decided by Silhouette), a $25 download card, a hook, a scraper, a spatula, and a pick-me-up® tool for $129.99. Retail price for all of this would total $286.93 (over 40% savings!)
3. A Silhouette CAMEO®, a Silhouette Portrait®, and two $25 download cards for $299.99. That’s right: If you buy a Silhouette CAMEO® at full price, you get two $25 download cards and a Silhouette Portrait® ABSOLUTELY FREE! Retail price for all of this would be $406.93 (over 40% savings!)
4. 40% off consumable products at silhouetteamerica.com. This excludes machines, subscriptions, download and gift cards. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Rain checks not available.
5. FREE SHIPPING on orders over $25.

The Black Friday Sales are available now through December 8th.  :)

Umm....hello.  These sales are crazy town.  Tell your mom, sister, grandpa, best friend, husband.  I hope you all get your Silhouette fix this holiday season!

Have the happiest of Thanksgivings!  If things calm down at my place and I stop getting puked on by my baby, I will totally update this post with some fun Thanksgiving project pictures.  :)

*this post contains affiliate links

Miss Plunkett Giveaway (CLOSED)

If you love over the top baby hair accessories, this is the giveaway for you.  Miss Plunkett caught my eye because these hair accessories are interchangeable ... meaning you can create the perfect hair accessory over and over again.

Here's how it works:

When you need a new accessory, you can take it apart and start all over again.  All Miss Plunkett items are handmade, so each piece is as unique as your little one.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering!

Love it?  Leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight (November 26th).  One lucky winner will receive a $20 gift certificate to Miss Plunkett.  

The winner will be randomly selected and announced November 29th.  This giveaway is available to U.S. and international readers.

The Rules:

1. There is only one entry per person.  If you accidentally enter more than once, please delete your duplicate comment(s).  
2. Make sure I have a way to contact you!  Your profile must link to your public blog or you can leave an email address.  Anonymous comments will be deleted.

I hope you've enjoyed giveaway week!  Next week I'll return to crafts-only.  :)

Scoomer Giveaway (CLOSED)

If the etsy shop, Scoomer, doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.  The owner, "Scoomer" (a nickname since childhood), created her shop from her love of felt and making accessories for her daughter.  Hmm ... she sounds like a kindred spirit!

Scoomer currently sells headbands, hair clips, and the most adorable felt brooches you'll ever see. Each item is completely handmade, and is created in her home studio with occasional help from her husband.  I wonder what her secret is ... how do you convert husbands to crafting?

My favorite item in the Scoomer shop is definitely the pinwheel bobby pins.  Ruby might need a set in her Christmas stocking.  And I might need to borrow them until she has sufficient hair growth to wear them.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering!

What's your favorite item in Scoomer's shop?  Check it out and then leave a comment on this post by November 26th, and you could get exactly what you wish for.  Scoomer is offering a lucky winner their choice of any item from the shop!


The winner will be randomly selected and announced on November 29th.  This giveaway is available to U.S. and international readers (yay!).


I hope you know the rules by now:

1. There is only one entry per person.  If you accidentally enter more than once, please delete your duplicate comment(s). 
2. Make sure I have a way to contact you!  Either your profile must link back to a public blog, or you must leave me an email address.  Anonymous comments (with no contact information) will be deleted.

I plan to eat copious amounts of sweet potatoes and a variety of pumpkin desserts today.  How about  you?  Happy Thanksgiving!

Ruffle Fabric Giveaway (CLOSED)

If you are a fan of craft blogs, I'm guessing you have noticed that ruffles are kind of big right now.  I love them.  So maybe you've seen Ruffle Fabric cropping up here and there, or maybe this is your introduction.  Either way, feast your eyes:

Ooooh, yeah.  Ruffles as far as the eye can see, without all the work!

I had the pleasure of trying out the new Mini Ruffle fabric and I have to say ... it is delightful.  It is making my wish of covering every inch of my baby in ruffles come true.

First, I made a very simple baby hat.

As if the ruffles weren't cute enough on their own, I attached a little hair clip ... just clipped it to one of the ruffles ... for an instant, but changeable update.

Of course I couldn't resist making some leggings:

(pattern by Lil' Blue Boo)

Ruffle Fabric is surprisingly easy to work with.  It is nice and stretchy, sews easily with a ballpoint needle, and doesn't fray on the cut ends.  Hooray for not having to finish your edges!  That's my kind of fabric.

Do you think my daughter will ever forgive me for plastering her butt on the internet?  It is a very cute butt.

Need more ruffles in your Christmas decor?

I also made this fun Christmas stocking with the ruffle fabric and some felted wool from an old sweater.  The cuff folds over, so you can clip any decoration onto it.  Wouldn't this be perfect for the Candy Cane style fabric and a red sweater for the lining/cuff?

Stockings are super easy sewing ... like 20 minutes, start to finish.  Is this something you'd be interested in seeing a tutorial for, or is that too basic?

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering!

On to the giveaway ...


TWO lucky winners will receive one yard of ruffle fabric and one yard of elastic of their choice.  Fun!  So get those creative wheels turning, because I'd love to see what you'd make with this fabric.


If you would love to win, visit the Ruffle Fabric website and leave a comment on this post by November 26th telling me your favorite color (or print) ruffle fabric.


The winners will be randomly selected and announce on November 29th.  This giveaway is available to U.S. readers only.


You know the drill:

1. There is only one entry per person.  If you accidentally enter more than once, please delete your duplicate comment(s).  You may have to scroll to the end of the comment pages to view yours.
2. Make sure I have a way to contact you!  Either your profile must link back to a public blog, or you must leave me an email address.  Anonymous comments (with no contact information) will be deleted.

silhouette black friday deals and portrait giveaway winner

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  At the last minute, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out these cute "Mayflower" ships for our family dinner.  The little place card sails are held upright with a toothpick stuck in a pumpkin muffin.  Cute and delicious!  My favorite combo.

I'm sure you've gotten the message by now, but I really love Silhouette projects.  Since learning about it a few years ago, I have made SO many projects (the collage below does not include them all).  It literally changed the way I do crafts.   I love it for making custom gifts, party decorations, home decor, preschool or church projects, and I often use the design software to create graphics and invitations.

If you have been thinking about getting a Silhouette Cameo or Portrait, or you're already a convert and just need to stock up on supplies, the deals don't get any better than during the Black Friday Sale. (I'm due for a fresh blade and cutting mat, myself.)

From Friday, November 23rd - Friday, November 30th, use the online promo code JILL to get the following discounts:

• 1 Silhouette CAMEO, plus a copy of Silhouette Studio Designer Edition (MSRP $349.98) for $229.99
• 1 Silhouette Portrait for $179.99
• 40% off at silhouetteamerica.com (discount excludes Silhouette CAMEO, Silhouette Portrait, downloads, download cards, subscriptions, and gift cards).

Offers expire November 30th, 2012 and rain checks are not available.

Congratulations, danielle!  You are the winner of the Silhouette Portrait Giveaway.  Please email your contact information to homemadebyjill@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Silhouette SD Giveaway! (CLOSED)

I was over the moon when Silhouette contacted me about doing a second giveaway. It was love at first cut when I tried it for the first time last June, and now it easily ranks in my top 5 favorite crafting tools. I use it for everything - party decorations, wrappings for baked goods, gifts, gift tags, clothes for my kids, etc, etc. It is already coming in really handy (and saving me money) this holiday season for decorations and gifts.

Here are the Silhouette projects I've had up my sleeve lately:

I cut fall leaves to attach as gift tags to yummy pumpkin bread loaves - a great way to dress up your baked goods for gift giving and customizable to any occasion or season.  I cut my leaves nice and large, so there was plenty of room to write a note on the back.

The women's group at my church made 30 sets of Christmas Advent Blocks, using instructions I found at How Does She?  We mod podged the blocks with cute holiday papers and applied vinyl numbers and lettering that I cut on my Silhouette.  At a cost of only $2 per set, this makes a great small gift for just about anyone on your list.

 My friend, Sonja, recently threw a Sesame Street/Elmo themed party for her daughter's second birthday.  She loves paper crafts and was painstakingly cutting out all her Elmo decorations by hand, until I reminded her of my magical machine that cuts whatever you want.  In no time, we had cut alphabet and number garlands and some Oscar the Grouch, saving her time and money.

My Oscar was appropriately grouchy at the beginning of the party until he was allowed to wander off with one of the table decorations (which was filled with "Dorothy"goldfish crackers).

Did you know you can import pictures from the internet or your camera to the Silhouette cutter?  You aren't limited to the (thousands of) images in the online store.  Which means you can cut anything you want.  Which is awesome.

I made lots of onesies over the summer using the Heat Transfer material, and now I am using it to make custom t-shirts for Christmas gifts.   I applied this dinosaur silhouette to one of Oscar's shirts - the tail wraps around to the back.

If you want to make your favorite guy a gift this Christmas, the Heat Transfer is a great option.  It is easy to do and looks so professional.  The hardest part is just picking the design he'll love most!

Ok ... so my new favorite thing to make with the Silhouette is temporary tattoos.  My nephews are all getting silly mustache finger tattoos in their stockings this year.

You actually don't need the Silhouette cutter to make the tattoos - you can buy the tattoo paper, print from your home office, and cut them out with scissors. So if you're looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your Justin Bieber-crazed tween, or tough to please 9-year old boy, some fun temporary tattoos might be your perfect solution. 

If you still aren't convinced this is the best cutter out there, here are some links to my past projects:

Baby onesies and baby shower decor pantry organization birthday party decor custom t-shirts

So ... on to the giveaway! One very lucky winner will receive their very own Silhouette SD Machine (a $299.99 value). The package includes:

• a Silhouette machine
• Software for Windows XP/Vista, Mac
• Power cable, USB cable
• 2 Cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media)
• One cutting blade
• $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering!

You know you want it!  Let's keep things simple ... there is only ONE way to enter: 

Browse the Silhouette website and check out all the amazing things this one machine does.  Then come back and leave a comment on this post by November 26th telling me how you'd use your new favorite craft tool for the holidays.

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on November 29th.  This giveaway is available only to U.S. residents (sorry - international readers!  There are customs issues with the blade.  I'll have other prizes available to you later in the week).  

There are three little rules:

1. There is only one entry per person.  If you accidentally enter more than once, please delete your duplicate comment (you will likely have to scroll to the end of the comments to view yours).
2. Make sure I have a way to contact you!  Either your profile must link back to a public blog, or you must leave me an email address to contact you.  Anonymous comments (with no contact information) will be deleted.
3. You can only win one Silhouette.  If you have won a Silhouette here or anywhere else in blogland, you are no longer eligible.

I'm also excited to announce a special Cyber Monday deal!

It is only valid on Monday, November 29, 2010, starting at 4 am and ending at midnight the same day.

Here's the deal ...the Silhouette will be sold for $199 (originally $299). Silhouette America has NEVER sold these cutters for this cheap! This is the newest version with more capabilities and newest technology - the Silhouette is now Mac compatible.

It gets better ... the Cyber Monday deal will also include:

1 Roll of Cream vinyl ( $7.99)
1 Roll of transfer paper ( $7.99)
1 Home decor CD (Value $55)
Total ($70.98)

All for only $199 - almost $200 in savings!

I'll have the discount code posted bright and early next Monday at 4 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. In the meantime, leave a comment and keep your fingers crossed to win!

coming up: a giveaway week!

Have I mentioned lately how glad I am that each of you stop by this blog?  It means a lot to me.  Almost four years ago to this day I started this blog with a very slim arsenal of crafting skills.  I didn't even know how to operate a sewing machine!  Since then, I have been amazed to see how this blog has grown and changed.  You've seen me through cross-country moves, a husband in law school, the birth of two children, and many life changes - the amount of support I have received from readers and the craft blog community in general is truly humbling.

To show my thanks, I am hosting an entire week of giveaways, kicking it off on Monday with a big ticket item I already know you'll love.  I'm sure it will be a busy week for my U.S. with holiday travel, preparations, and activities, but hopefully you won't be too busy stuffing your face to win some fabulous prizes.  ;)

I'll also be sharing new projects, and of course, posting the weekly Advent Sew-Along update, so there will be something for everyone!

little alouette winners

 Congratulations to Jessica and DallasJenn!  I hope you love your handle rattle teethers.

Thanks, Little Alouette, for the great giveaway!

Little Alouette (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

There is nothing quite as beautiful as a handmade wooden toy ... which means I'm very excited about this giveaway.

There are several reasons I am drawn to Little Alouette.
1) The husband and wife duo, Amy and Joe, are too cute - I loved reading their interview as an Etsy featured seller.   They have a really cute new little baby, Scout, and I am a total sucker for babies.

2) From the limited contact I've had with Amy, I can tell you that her emails are kind of sun-shiny.  So when they say that each product is infused with love and bliss, I believe them.

3) Most of all ... the products speak for themselves (swoon):

So, onto the giveaway ...

Two lucky readers will win a Handle Rattle Teether:

These rattles are the real deal.  They are heirloom quality, satin smooth, and sure to sooth sore, itchy gums.  I love the modern design.  Each 5 inch rattle teether is filled with beans for that Little Alouette sweet shake shake, and finished with certified organic seed oil.

If you'd like to win, browse the lovely Little Alouette shop and leave a comment, telling me what your favorite product is.

This giveaway is open until Friday at midnight.
One entry per person.
Anonymous comments will be ignored.
Please leave me a way to contact you! :)

giveaway winner!

Wow - I can't believe so many of you commented! Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

And the winner is .... klarobinson215, who said, "What a groovy little fellow! I have always wanted a sock dog :)"

Email me your mailing address to homemadebyjill@gmail.com, and I'll send Preppy Dog right away. I hope you or someone special enjoy him!

When comments started flying in, I thought back to last year when I did a giveaway, which was also a sock dog. Coincidentally, it was also posted on October 1 (and that really is a coincidence ... I didn't plan it). At the time, I didn't have many readers, but I remember saying to Jared, "I bet I'll get 30 comments on this!" which would have been huge for me. Then I got 8 comments in the three days I let the giveaway run. Woo! :)

So I guess my point is, a blog can change a LOT in a year. In September 2007 I had around 350 total visits. In September 2008, folks popped in 23,031 times! I am wowed. I am honored. Thank you so much.

crafting memories: Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts winners

Thank you so much for all the thoughtful comments left on last Tuesday's giveaway post.  It has been fun to read about all of your crafting memories!

Some common themes:  crafting with sisters/mothers/grandmothers/friends is always special.  My sister reminded me of the time my mom sat down with us and taught us how to weave baskets (she makes the most amazing baskets).  My mom can make anything - I always loved making projects with her growing up (and she was the one to get me hooked on Martha Stewart).  We still end up crafting together during visits.

I usually find that I am far less productive while crafting with friends than alone, but it is always a good time.   Years ago in New York, my friends and I had an impromptu sock-animal sewing party:

I loved hearing all of your stories!  They reminded me of good times I've had crafting with loved ones, successful projects, and funny failures.  It was nearly impossible to pick favorites, but here are the five comments I chose as the giveaway winners:

Danielle said...

One of my favorite memories was when my grandmother was teaching my cousin Eric and I to embroider (we were both around 8 or 9 yrs old). I was working on a pillow case and he was making a pillow for his mom. I accidentally stitched my pillow case to her bed quilt! I ended up cutting the quilt to get my stitches out and tried to sew the quilt back. It looked terrible haha. Those stitches are still there today though, so I must have put them in pretty well!

Amy said:
When I was a kid we were making come craft for our moms for mothers day.  My friend Tanya (a tomboy) was doing an awful job at hers so she turned to me and said "Amy, make mine for me, or I'll beat you up!  And make it blue."  I would have done it for her anyway!

Tish said: 
My favorite craft moment was learning to sew not from my mom, but from my younger brother who was in high school. He learned in Home economics. He stayed up until the wee hours of the morning teaching me the basics. Since then it has opened more windows in my craft world. So thank you to my brother Nick!

Aunt Nancy said:
My favorite crafting memory goes way back to when I was about7 years old. I made earrings for my mother in my school class out of big, dark red buttons. I glued little crystal clear beads in the center of the button and glued a screw-on back and I was ready to give the most amazing christmas present ever to my mom. I wrapped the earrings all by myself and couldn't wait till she unwrapped them Christmas morning. Well, needless to say, because the package was so tiny and not in a box, it got lost for awhile in the ton of wrapping paper all over the living room floor. I was devastated! But thanks to my mom, we finally found the treasure and true to my imagined joy...she loved them!. My mother was my inspiration for growing up wanting to make my home more beautiful by creating things myself. When my mother passed away and I was going through her jewelry box, I found the beaded earrings that I had made for her with love. She had kept them for all those years....a very tender memory for me of a mother's love and inspiration!  

myemye_12 said:
I was still fairly new to sewing and my husband asked me to make him a ninja turtle costume. It was only a week before Halloween but I told him I could do it(I really wasn't sure I could!). He went to the fabric store with me to pick out a pattern and the perfect ninja turtle color fabric and we worked on it late together every night that week, even staying up until 3 the night before Halloween. Our daughter was just two months old, and boy were we exhausted but we had the best time together. He would trace the pattern and cut the fabric and I ran the sewing machine. Oh man when that costume was finally finished he was so excited. I have never given him anything (except our daughter) that he thought was that awesome. It was like he was six years old again. And he was so proud of it, he told everyone at the Halloween party that we made it. I'm pretty sure they could tell we made it with it's odd proportions(we blew up a toddler sized pattern) and crooked seams, but he was convinced it was THE BEST costume at the party. It is still hanging in our closet and I smile every time I look at it. 

Congratulations to the winners!  Please email me (homemadebyjill@gmail.com) with your shipping address so I can have the book mailed out to you.

Thanks again to everyone who shared a memory!  

homemade giveaway

As promised, I'm doing a giveaway to thank all of you who come back again and again (and even those of you who are here for the first time!). It really means a lot to me that so many people stop by to see what I'm working on. I love reading your comments and emails, getting your input, and feeling your encouragement. It keeps me crafting!

So I give you ... Preppy Dog, handmade by yours truly. It's been a while since I've made a sock animal, and I found a great pair of argyle socks that reminded me of fall, and back-to-school preppy style. I also crocheted him a little scarf since it is starting to feel crisp outside. I love fall - it is my very favorite season.

He's not quite as serious as he looks, even when he puts on his tough-guy face. For a chance to win, just leave a comment by midnight on Sunday, October 5. I'll use the handy, unbiased Random Number Generator to pick a winner. No anonymous comments please!

Just Bunch Designs giveaway winner

Congratulations, Tiff - your comment was selected as the Just Bunch Designs giveaway winner, and you will receive three prints of your choice from the Just Bunch etsy shop.  I'll be in touch!

Stephanie is also offering Homemade by Jill readers a 15% discount on all orders for the next two weeks, using the code JILL15.   Happy Shopping!