Quick Guide Giveaway

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When my daughter was born 3 years ago, I lay in my hospital bed holding my new little baby with a swarm of questions buzzing through my head. How often do I change her? What do I do if she's fussy and won't calm down? What if she gets a fever? It was exhausting trying to figure out all of the "what if's" while functioning on very little sleep. As a new mom, I wanted to be the best one I could, but I still had so much to learn. 

Three years and two kids later, I can say I made it through babyhood and can answer most baby questions like a seasoned vet. But I venture to say most new mom's feel just as I did - excited but a little scared and full of a lot of questions. Luckily for all of us, Lianne, a mother of four, answered all of those questions for us an compiled them in a postcard-sized booklet for easy reference. 

Lianne's Quick Guide booklet is a comprehensive guide for parents of children ages 0-6 months old. It covers all of the basics from newborn care to basic development questions and everything in between. The booklet is small, so it's easy to pack in a hospital bag or purse, and would make a great gift for any new parent (I sure wish I had one when I had my daughter!)

Lianne has offered to give away one of her quick guides to one of my readers (even all of my wonderful international readers :) so that you can keep it for your own reference, or maybe gift it to a friend (hello baby shower!)

To enter, just do one (or both) of the following:

1. Tell me why you would like a Quick Guide

2. Give me one question or subject that you would like to know more about

Please make sure you leave your email address in your comment if it's not linked to your profile so I can contact you if you win! The giveaway will be opened until midnight on June 28th CST, and the winner will be announced here the next day.

And, even if you don't win, Lianne is selling her book in paperback or PDF form on her website for only $7.95, so go grab a copy!

Wall Decal Giveaway with Designed Beginnings

 **This giveaway is now closed**

Decorating a room can be one of the most fun (and sometimes most frustrating!) things. Before my son was born, I knew he had to have a Steeler's-themed room because my husband is pretty much a fanatic and he would have written it into the marriage contract if he could have. The problem is, there isn't a lot of Steelers-themed baby stuff out there and I was too tired and pregnant to paint something permanent on the wall, so I ended up using thumbtacks to pin pennants all around the room and called it a day.

Fast forward almost 2 years later, and there are plenty of things I would have done differently, including getting some decals to help me out of my decorating funk. Ragan, the owner of the Etsy shop Designed Beginnings, has a great selection of children's and nursery wall decals including growth charts, monogram decals, and other super cute decorative decals. Wall decals are a great way to enhance the look of any room without the pressure of the decorations being permanent (AND you can avoid a nursery full of thumb tacked pennants like me ;) I had a great time browsing through all of the different designs - and there were too many I loved to narrow down a favorite!

I obviously need to get this Football Decal right away before Connor grows up and sees the shameful state of his nursery:

Sun and Clouds

Numbers and Animals

Windy Cherry Blossom Tree

Owl Decal

And even if you don't have any kids, you could always get your last name in vinyl

as a great addition to your living room:

Now for the fun part, I get to give one of these awesome wall decals away! Designed Beginnings is offering one of my readers a decal of their choice up to $50.

For 2 chances to win, do one (or both!) of the following:

1. Like Designed Beginnings on Facebook and leave me a comment that you did

2. Visit Designed Beginnings on Etsy and leave me a comment with which decal you'd pick if you won

Please make sure to include your email address if it's not linked to your profile.

Even if you don't win, Ragan is offering my readers a 20% discount on all items in her shop when you use the coupon code "myownroad" when you check out. This discount expires on June 5th.

The winner of the giveaway will be announced here Friday June 1st. Good luck! 

Push Pack giveaway winner

 
Wow, what a great response to the Push Pack giveaway!! It seems like a lot of mama's out there could use a bag of essentials to have on hand when they have their little ones. Thanks for all of your feedback about which item was your favorite - many people said that the nipple cream was the one item they liked the most. I quickly learned about the need for nipple cream myself after I had baby #1, and you better believe I had a tube of that with me when I had my son!

I really wish I could give a Push Pack to each of you who entered (and I totally wish I had been given one of these myself when I had my kids!) but unfortunately, there has to be only one winner. After plugging all the entries into Random.org the winner is.............

#26, Knit & Purl Mama!

 Congrats!! An email has been sent to the winner. A big thanks to Laura for giving away one of her awesome Push Packs! 

Thank you also for all of my awesome readers, I appreciate each of you and the support you show for me and my little blog :) I have some more fun projects to share with you soon!

Push Pack Giveaway with Small Batch Studio

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I have another great giveaway for you this week! If you're a follower of my blog, chances are it's because you found me because you saw my Hospital Survival Kit on Pinterest or another social site. I could have never guessed how popular that little bag of goodies would be! I made the kit for a friend of mine who was due with her first baby last year. Since she had never had a baby before, my friend didn't know what kind of things she would want or need when she went to the hospital. I thought back to my last two births in the hospital and the things I wished I had brought with me, and that became my inspiration to make the kit.

Laura, a mother of 3 girls and owner of Small Batch Studio, had the same inspiration that led her to create the Push Pack, a pre-packed bag of wants and needs for laboring mamas. And the best part? The Push Pack is already assembled for you and can be customized in your choice of pink or blue. 

Laura says, There is nothing like preparing for the birth of your first-born...One thing I struggled with was what to bring to the hospital. There are lists out there, long lists. I know people who brought birthing balls, boom boxes, aromatherapy massage oils, as well as the clothes for themselves and their baby. Now, I am not saying that those things are unnecessary, but I don’t know any mom who brings the same stuff when they’re having #2.

The packing list for the subsequent births are much smaller and more practical. The only problem is now that you have a child or children, when do you have time to pack all of your essentials? Do you want to live out of a travel bag for two weeks? I came up with the idea of the Push Pack. I interviewed a bunch of moms asking them what things they were so glad to have or wished they’d had while they were in labor. The push pack includes the items that were mentioned most often. Call it wisdom and experience, peace of mind, and a gift of love all wrapped into one bag.

The Push Pack includes so many fun and useful goodies for new moms, and all bath and body products are either natural or organic. The pack includes:

• EO® lavender scented shampoo, conditioner and bath gel
• washcloth
• make up remover
• razor and shaving cream lotion
• deodorant
• comb and hair bands
• lip balm
• toothbrush and toothpaste
• breast pads
• maxi pads
• disposable underwear
• comfy socks (your choice of pink or blue)
• playing cards
• Motherlove Organic Nipple Cream®
• notepad
• thank you cards and pen
• gum
• Preggie Pop Drops®
• Bellybar®
• cup of oatmeal and spoon

What new mother wouldn't love to have all the essentials on hand when their new little one is born? The Push Pack would make a great shower gift for a friend (or keep one on hand for yourself!)

Laura is giving one of my lucky readers a chance to win their very own Push Pack! Each pack comes with the items above in your choice of blue or pink.

You can enter 3 different ways to win:

1. Tell me which item in the Push Pack you love the most
2. Like Small Batch Studio on Facebook
3. Follow My Own Road and leave me a comment on this post letting me know

**The giveaway ends February 23rd at midnight CST. The winner of the Push Pack giveaway will be chosen using Random.org, and announced here on February 24th. Please make sure that your email address is linked to your profile when you comment, or include it in your comment.**

Giveaway Winner: The Sharp Crochet Hook

Happy Friday! If the promise of the weekend around the corner didn't make you happy enough, I'm excited to also announce the winner of the The Sharp Crochet Hook giveaway. I've had a lot of fun using this little tool to add decorative edges to my projects (and plans for quite a few more soon!)

After plugging all of the entries on Random.org, the lucky winner of the Sharp Crochet Hook is..............

#14, Susan D!

Congrats Susan! The winner has been sent an email. I'm sure you'll have just as much fun as I have playing with your new crochet hook.

Even if you didn't win, you can buy the Sharp Crochet Hook by itself for only $6.99, or you can purchase the combo pack that includes the hook and the Crochet Edging Handbook with 15 different crochet patters for $10.99. It's a great deal for such an awesome product. You can crochet decorative edging on all sorts of fabric (and even paper!) with this baby.

Thanks to all who entered, I appreciate each and every one of you! Make sure you check back next week - I have another really great giveaway for you then too!

Review and Giveaway: The Sharp Crochet Hook

***This giveaway is now closed***

I love to crochet, the only problem is that I can only crochet things that are square or rectangular. When my daughter was born, I made a huge baby blanket made entirely of about 70 or so crocheted squares joined together. I was pretty impressed with myself because before then, all I had made was a ton of scarves. Needless to say, when Laura from The Sharp Crochet Hook contacted me about doing a review and giveaway of her product, I was thrilled to be able to make something other than a scarf.

The Sharp Crochet Hook is a brilliant little crochet hook with a sharp point on the end that lets you easily add decorative crochet edging to projects without having to poke holes through the fabric before crocheting. You simply push the sharp end of the crochet hook through the fabric as you crochet. It's perfect for people like me who aren't experienced crocheters because you can easily add crocheted edging to projects to give them a beautiful handmade look.

Armed with my new Sharp Crochet Hook, I decided to make an appliqued shirt for my daughter. for Valentine's Day.

Supplies:

• Shirt
• 2 colors of felt squares
• Sharp Crochet Hook
• Yarn
• Sewing machine and basic sewing materials 

First, cut out a heart from one of your squares of felt. Make sure it's about 1/2 inch smaller than you want your final heart to be since you'll be crocheting a border around it.

Next, use your Sharp Crochet Hook to crochet a border around your heart. I used The Quick and Easy Variation stitch in the Crochet Edging Handbook that came with my Sharp Crochet Hook. It was really easy to follow, and it contains 14 other stitches that I'll be trying on other projects soon.

Since the felt was so thick, I had to wiggle the fabric a little to get the crochet hook to poke through, but if I had chosen to use knit fabric instead I wouldn't have had any problems. The hook made edging SO easy since I didn't have to bother with poking holes through the fabric beforehand. I simply crocheted away while watching television and after a little while, I had a beautiful little crochet-edged heart!

Once you have your edging finished, pin your heart to your shirt and sew around the border to secure. Cut a second heart from another piece of felt and place on top of your crocheted heart. Pin and stitch to secure.

That's it! The the crocheted edges really made the shirt and gave it some personality. I can't wait to use my new Sharp Crochet Hook to add decorative edging to other projects!

So how would you like to win a Sharp Crochet Hook for yourself?

Laura is giving away one of her Sharp Crochet Hooks to one of my readers. The Sharp Crochet Hook is perfect for adding decorative edges and borders to receiving blankets, gloves, clothing, towels and even paper products!

You can enter 3 different ways to win your own Sharp Crochet Hook:

1. Like The Sharp Crochet Hook on Facebook and leave me a comment on this post letting me know

2. Tell me what you would make if you won
3. Follow My Own Road and leave me a comment on this post letting me know

**The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm CST on February 16th. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced here on February 17th. Please make sure you include your email address in your comment if it's not linked to your profile.**

Even if you don't win, the Sharp Crochet Hook would make a great gift -- or just buy one for yourself! You can buy the Sharp Crochet Hook by itself for only $6.99, or you can purchase the combo pack that includes the hook and the Crochet Edging Handbook with 15 different crochet patters for $10.99.


Good luck, and thanks for entering!

Winner of the My Memories digital scrapbooking software giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway of the My Memories digital scrapbooking software!

Just think of all the fun things you could make with your own digital scrapbooking software, and they even offer a bunch of free scrapbooking pages so you can play around with your new software.

Here are some of my favorites:

 

Partini in Paradise Quick Page Sampler

 Thanks Quick Page

Worn Paper Pack

My Memories was sweet enough to offer one of my readers a copy of their digital scrapbooking software too! So I guess you want to know if you won...

So without further ado, the winner of the My Memories digital software is.......

Ashley!

Congrats Ashley! I'm sure you'll have just as much fun with your new digital scrapbooking software as I did. I sent the winner an email.

Thanks to everyone who entered (you're all winners to me!) Even if you don't win this time, My Memories is giving you all a coupon code that gives you $10 off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - a $20 value! Just copy and paste the code below when you check out.

STMMMS15837

My Memories digital scrapbooking software giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed***

When My Memories contacted me about doing a giveaway of their digital scrapbooking software, I hesitated because I've always been a TERRIBLE scrapbooker. I have one disgraceful album of magazine clippings and photos thrown together with Scotch Tape, so I didn't want to shame My Memories for life if I screwed things up. When I started reading more about the product itself though, I realized there was no way even I could mess this up.

The setup was super simple, I just clicked a few buttons and done. As for the the actual program itself....let's just say I don't like to read instructions...so I didn't. I jumped right in and began browsing all of the layouts, pages and embellishments. They have a great selection of embellishments like the ric-rac I used below, buttons, flowers, stitching, you name it. And to top it off, they even offer a ton of free downloadable packages on their website.

The hardest part was actually figuring out exactly what I wanted to do. The best part is that you can use the My Memories software for more than just scrapbook layouts. With Connor's 1st birthday coming up, I decided to make birthday invitations!

I used their background and embellishments, and then I decided to make a little monster on the bottom out of several of the shapes they offer. See? No design degree needed. And no Elmer's glue or magazine pages :)


So how bout some free stuff? My Memories has offered to give one of my fantastic readers a free copy of the My Memories Suite software (a $40 value) too!

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory: visit My Memories and check out all of their great selection of digital scrapbooking kits, then come back here and leave me a comment on this post telling me which one is your favorite.

Additional entries: go check out their blog or like them on Facebook and leave me separate comments telling me you did.

Please make sure I can contact you, either by leaving me your email address with your comment or by having your email address linked to your profile.

Even if you don't win, My Memories is giving you all a coupon code that gives you $10 off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - a $20 value! Just copy and paste the code below when you check out. Merry (early) Christmas!

STMMMS15837

This giveaway is open until midnight on Thursday November 17th, and the winner will be announced here via Random.org on Friday the 18th. Good luck!

Mystery project reveal and a winner!

Many of you made some good guesses on the blog as to what I've been up to lately, and if you follow me on Facebook I threw out some hints about what I was working on. I think I'm pretty terrible at hinting. That's probably why I only made it through 3 hints before someone got it. I'm also really bad at lying which I suppose isn't a bad thing unless your 4 years old and your dad tells you that he got your mom towels for her birthday and to keep it a secret. I'm sure you can guess how that one turned out. I kept that secret for a whole 15 minutes.

So the oh-so-secret mystery project is bibs! Not just any bibs though, fruit bibs! Why? Because fruit-themed anything is awesome. Remember the California Raisins? Exactly.

I'm participating in my first craft show this week, so I whipped up about 25 of these babies to sell at the show. I think my hands are permanently cramped in a claw-like position from all the sewing I've done recently. I really love how they turned out though, too bad my 2 1/2-year-old doesn't like things tied around her neck and my (almost) 1-year-old has started to pull a Hulk move and rip bibs off his neck with excessive force lately. Sigh.

They really turned out better than I hoped though. They get me in a very fall-ish mood, which is my favorite season next to spring by the way. I think I'd be ok if we did away with summer and shortened winter some, or at least required winter to stay above 50 degree temperatures and snow on command on days when I felt like seeing all the pretty snow. Not to much to ask, right?

They were inspired by a shirt I made, similar to the apple bib above, for a friend 3 years ago when I first started sewing. I then saw this pin on Pinterest and thought, why not combine the two ideas? I'm calling them Fruit Basket Bibs, and the fruits include an apple, pear, strawberry, and orange. I think the orange is my favorite, even though it took a lot of patience to stitch each individual fruit section on. Times 8.

You all made a lot of great guesses that came close, but Rebecca made the right guess on the Facebook page.

Congrats, Rebecca! You will be getting your very own orange bib in the mail very soon! The craft festival is this coming Friday, and I've never done anything like it, so wish me luck!

I'm linking up to the parties on my sidebar, as well as the Point of View Autumn Link Party and The CSI Project:

I've been busy

 *This giveaway is now closed*

Sorry I haven't posted a project yet this week, my craft room has been looking more and more like an assembly line lately. I've been cutting so much, I have a blister on one of my fingers from where the scissors rubbed it raw.

I've been doing LOTS of tracing, cutting, ironing, and sewing.

Just when I think I'm done, there's still more to do.

Can you guess what I'm up to?


There might be something in it for the first person who guesses right... :)

BDR Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway to celebrate the Button Down Rehab series!

I had so much fun with the series, and I hope you enjoyed the projects and found some new uses for your button down shirts!

If you make anything using one of the tutorials, I'd love to see it and possibly feature you on my "Your Creations" tab! Email me at myownroad(at)yahoo(dot)com!

1. Monogrammed Pillow with Krista of Thar She Sews! 

2. The Little Guy Vest 

3. The Little Guy Bow Tie 

4. Roll Cuff Sleeve Refashion 

5. Pillow Monster with Shannon of Details of a Love 

6. Bow Cuff Bracelet 

7. The Shirt Sleeve Bag with Gwen of Gwenny Penny 

8. The Button Down Bib 

9. Bib Dress with Rebecca of Searching Out Simple 

10. The Tuxedo Pillow

I'm officially out of button down shirts after the series, but stay tuned because I couldn't help but make one more thing for the little lady since most of my projects were boy-themed :)

But onto the good stuff! I had a lot of entries and, while I wish I could give all of you free stuff, there had to be 1 winner. Using Random.org, the winner is.......

#15, Beth who said:

Congrats Beth! An email has been sent to the winner. 

Thanks again everyone for participating, I'll be hosting more giveaways in the future, so keep an eye out!

If you missed it, My Own Road is now on Facebook, so hop on over there and "like" me to stay updated on projects, random stuff I'm doing, and other blog shout outs.

BDR Giveaway!!

***This giveaway is now closed***

Happy 4th of July!

How was your weekend? Full of awesome Button Down Rehab upcycles and refashions I hope?

Mine was full of a LOT of driving. The hubby, kids and I are visiting family for the holiday, which meant a lovely 14 hour drive for us. I'm sure those of you with children understand the horror of spending that much time in the car with young children. Rapunzel was practically on repeat. Now that I'm back on solid, unmoving ground, it's time to kick back, relax, and let the grandparents spoil the kids.

But enough about me, let's talk about you.

I had a ton of fun hosting the series, and I hope you enjoyed all the great projects from myself and my guest posters as well. I've made some new friends along the way, and I wanted to thank everyone for participating in the series. 

And of course, what better way to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone than with a giveaway??

1. Patty Young for Michael Miller: Hive fabric in turquoise.

Did anyone notice this fabric I hid in my fabric stash in my Pittsburgh highlights post? I kinda slipped it in there to see if anyone would recognize that it's the same one I used to make Haley her Bee Pants. Well I loved it so much that I found the same print in turquoise last time I went to Loom, and I picked up a yard to give away!

This could be used to make so many cute things! A clutch maybe? Some adorable beehive coasters? A ruffly skirt? All of the above? I mean, I am giving you a yard after all!

2. Two iron on bee transfers in hot pink.

While I was giving away the cute Hive fabric, I couldn't resist the chance to use my new Silhouette to include a couple of smooth iron on bee transfers as well. Each bee is 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall. And after cutting them out with my Silhouette, I realized that there were a bunch of little pieces that would need to be picked out before ironing, so I sat there with tweezers and picked them all out for you. How nice am I??

I'm envisioning a ruffly skirt and matching top with one of the bee transfers on it for a little girl. That's what I would make anyway :)

3. Four washer pendants.

I made these cute little pendants from washers, letter seals, and Diamond Glaze. Sorry folks, the chain isn't included, but you could find the same kind of thing at a craft store.

4. One of my Bow Cuff Bracelets from day 6 of Button Down Rehab.


My Bow Cuff Bracelet project is tied with my Button Down Bibs as my favorite project of the series. I love it so much because of the "nautical look" that it has with the blue stripes and the red accent. (Oh, and I just might have a nautical-themed dress in the works...)

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So do you ready to win some stuff??

There are 3 possible ways to enter!

Here are the rules:

1. Mandatory: Be a follower of My Own Road and leave a comment on this post telling me that you follow.

2. Check out the Button Down Rehab pojects (the series ran June 20-July 1) and leave a comment on this post telling me which one of the projects is your favorite.

3. Like My Own Road on Facebook and leave me a comment on this post telling me you did.

The giveaway will be open through midnight July 10th, and I'll announce the winner on the 11th using Random.org.

(I love my international readers, but this giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S., sorry guys!)

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Linking up!

And the winner is.....

Happy Wednesday everyone! Not only is the weekend that much closer, but I have a winner to announce!

As you know, Isabel of Monellisa is giving one of my readers a pack of her beautiful postcards to help me celebrate the 2nd birthday of my blog.

After assigning each follower and comment a number, then using Random.org to select a winner, the winner is.........Alexis!  

Alexis, make sure you visit Isabel's Etsy shop here to choose which pack of handmade postcards you want. I'll be in touch with you soon to get your shipping information.  

Thanks to everyone who participated!