The Holiday Hangover...

Are you feeling a little like this? I certainly am and this could be a pretty accurate image of my inner feelings of sluggishness but you'd seriously have to trade that nighty for some old worn out yoga pants and a long shirt; and instead of a bottle of booze and records, toss in some toddlers, train tracks and empty pie tins.

I feel like I have been on a 4 week bender, only to wake up surrounded by empty bottles and the chaos I created. Wondering, "Oh my god, what have I been doing?" Sadly there is no booze involved in this hangover. It's most likely culprit is sugar and trans-fats. On days like this I wonder how I ever accomplish anything at all?! Today it's impossible to fathom how I made around 60 pillows for gift givers through my etsy shop in a few very short weeks? How I then gathered enough presents together, both bought and crafted, for my own family? Crammed a couple weeks worth of holiday festivities into about 3 days, ate enough food to last a family of 12 a couple weeks and did so with that thing called energy; that thing called energy of which I seriously now seem to be lacking. I am having trouble envisioning a future where I ever get up off my couch again...

Well, this is why Christmas only comes once a year folks because it takes the other 11 moths of the year to recuperate. Or so it feels as though it will today. But was it worth it? Yes, of course it was.

Just look at those cute and happy faces!

Drumroll, please.....SMS Giveaway Winner....

Congrats to Jill {thatmoxiegirl}! 

 

And thank you to everyone who entered to win and shared such wonderful and personal reflections on "home." I really enjoyed reading all of these comments; at first I thought I would post a few of my favorites but there were just too many! I feel so very inspired by all the comments of home. So, again, thank you ALL!

"home is where the heart is"

And for those that didn't win a pillow gratis, feel free to get 10% off your pillow order in the future at my shop Plumed using the code word LULOBIRD

And thanks to Sew Mama Sew for hosting the best giveaway madness around!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! {2011}

Yay! It's back! And I am so excited to be participating this time around in the "giveaway part." I am happy to be offering a custom pillow cover in your choice of state or small country of your choice with a heart in the middle. This can be a large heart or a small one over the area of a city/town that is dear to your heart.

If you are new to my blog, welcome! Feel free to poke around. All of my connection buttons are to the right. And if you do connect these will count as additional entries! {See below} Good Luck!

© Christine Dinsmore for Plumed. This item cannot be copied or duplicated.

 Custom State pillow: This an example of one that was featured on Secrets of a Stylist on HGTV!

What you need to do to enter is leave a comment about "home"... but please keep reading at least until the "about my pillows section" for full entry details : )

I am by nature a sentimental gal, so when I started making these pillows, it came from my own love of home and all the different ideas and feelings that come to mind when I hear that word...home. As I opened my shop and started selling pillows to others that were also moved by this sentiment, I have been able to share in their stories and feelings of home and it has been a little bit magical.  

So I'd love to know what do you think of when you think of "home;" is it a place? A memory? A smell? A friend or relative? L:eave me a thoughtful comment about home in the comments section for one entry.

{More chances to win!} If you are feeling like you want to up your chances to win one of these pillow covers: 

• Become a follower of my blog for a second entry. 

• For a third follow me on facebook. 

• For a forth follow me on twitter. 

*Just be sure to leave a comment for each additional entry! And remember for just the one entry all you have to do is leave a comment telling me about "home." 

 A little about my pillows

© Christine Dinsmore for Plumed. This item cannot be copied or duplicated.

I make all my embroidery pillow covers on high quality linen and linen blend fabrics. I use french color fast embroidery thread and line the pillow to protect the threads. The back is an envelope closure (because zippers can cause problems down the road; and I want these special pieces to last a long time!). The backs are either a linen or natural cotton. All pillows are hand-stitched by me; the inside seams are serged, not once, but twice, again to ensure the life of your pillows. You can see more of my work at my Etsy Shop Plumed. These pillow covers retail from $36 to $40.

                        The Details

Giveaway ends on December 16th at 5pm PST. I will ship internationally. I will chose with a random number generator, this gives those that provide extra entries more chances to win! Ya hoo! Winner will be contacted by December 18th; there will be a post announcing the winner that day. I will also contact winner via email (so make sure the email attached to your comment is one you check!). Because this is a custom made item and it is to be shipped by the 24th of December, I will need a quick response from the winner : ) So make sure to check your inboxes on the 18th or check back on my blog! If I don't hear back from the first winner on the 18th I will chose a second on the 19th.

{A Note About My Shop and Holiday Orders}:

As of the 15th I will be unable to take orders and guarantee delivery by Christmas. I will continue to take orders - but as of the 15th they will most likely arrive after the 25th.

Thanks for stopping by! And feel free to check out my Holiday Guide featuring lovely and talented Etsy artist and crafters!

Enter more by visiting Sew Mama Sew
where you will find a big old list of participants!

40 Great Etsy Finds For Under $40!

Call me bias, I don't care! I love Etsy and do think it is the best place to shop for unique Holiday gifts. Here are a few select choices, well, 40 of them, that I have chosen that fit the criteria of great stocking stuffers, wonderful handcrafted items at great prices and unique items you just won't find anywhere else! And most everything on this list manages to fit all of those categories - depending on what size stockings you will be hanging this year, of course.

Without further adieu, here is my best of etsy holiday gift guide...(And, no, that's not a typo up top, everything really is under $40 and most things are well under that!) Ho Ho Ho!

Stocking Stuffers!

$16.00 wooden guitar picks by Ricks Pens

$5.50 Meow Mitts Knitting Pattern by Tiny Owls Magic Attic

$4.50 Japanese Washi Tape by Pretty Tape

$9.50 Organic Washcloths by Sweetbriers

$15.00 Recycled Skateboard Spinning Top by Trillium Artisans

$12.00 Woven Fabric Necklace by Nanoukiko

$9.00 6 Piece Sample Soap Pack by Herbivore Botanicals 

$14.00  Ornament by mbartstudios

$20.00 Little Rabbit Girls Necklace Original Oil Painting by Maayan Art

 $10.00 Colored Pencils Ink and Paper Supplies

$12.00 + Free Shipping! Feather Earrings by Goddess of Jewelery

Great Handmade Finds At Great Prices

$32.00 Burnt Orange Calla Lilly Earrings by Kristiana Rose

$12.00 I love thee with depth and breadth and height my soul can reach 8x10 print by Say It Sweet

$38.00 Slouchy Hat by Mojo Spa Style

Personalized Toy Camera by Little Sapling Toys

$34.00 Cuckoo Clock Wood Panel by decoylab

$10.00 Original Oil Painting Print 4x4 or 4x6 by Juniper Days

$32.00 Swarovski Necklace by Glitz Glitter

$35.00 Hammered Copper Mens Belt Buckle by Foster Weld

$35.00 Green Bag by Marbled

$28.00 Teepee and Canoe Playset by Tweet Toys

$18.00 Ladies sewing tee by Caustic Threads

$15.99 Gold Dipped Ring by A Merry Mishap

$32.00 Waldorf Baby Dolls by Sewn Nautrual

Unique Items

 

$28.00 Vintage Brass Ball Locket  by Paperface Studio

 

$24.00 He-Man Wallet Made of Recycled Book Pages by Sweetly Wrapped

$14.00 Mustache Ornament by Lenny Mud

$18.00 Vintage Plate with Skeleton Stag by Austin Modern

$40.00 Owl Girl by Melabo

$15.00 Oh Deer Me Candle by Theme Fragrance

 

$20.00 Iphone/Ipod Case by Crank Cases 

$15.50 Cockroach Ceramic Plate by Catherine Reece

$22.00 Girl Boy Vintage Pillows by Vintage Jane

$12.05 Polaroid Picture Coasters by Just Noey

 $28.00 ABC's Porcelain Cup by Stepanka

$25.00 Cloud Factory (i love this btw!) by Pearson Maron

 

$23.00 Shark Punch Men's Tee by Sharp Shirter

$12.00 Skeleton Ornaments by Cart Before The Horse

 

$20.00 Personalized Fabric Dolls by Travel Size Me 

$20.00 Antlers Print by Monorail

So many of these shops have many more amazing items and trust me it was so difficult to pick just ONE item to feature here - so be sure to check them out; these are just my personal favorites from their shops, you might find something else you like better! Happy shopping!

Favorite Finds | Tagxedo |

I ran just across this online tool that allows you to turn pictures into works of "word art!" The website is called Tagxedo and with the holidays coming up I thought I would share for anyone that might be looking to make some personalized crafty goodies . It seems that this might be a great way to turn a few minutes into a really lovely gift for someone. They have a shop as well where you can get your creations put onto just about anything: t-shits, mugs, bags...

I played around with it for a few minutes this evening and here is my creation I made with my mother in mind (for this one I didn't upload my own photo, I just used one of their stock shapes): 

Here is one of Frida Kahlo from their online gallery (I have not figured out exactly how you get them to look this cool though - if you do let me know! I love this one.)

If you make something and post it to your blog leave me the link in my comments section so I can come check it out!