JCasa *handmade

a few good things

her sense of style

her sense of humor

their bond

daddy's influence on proper supergirl flying moves

other good (and great) things ::
all the neighborly love these past few weeks, my space being featured on modish, and my work featured on sewmamasew twice in the past week, and a few new + very exciting opportunities (and that's all i'll say about that).

also loving this scarf, all things tortillagirl, la fuji mama's nutella cookies, stefanie japel making t-shirt yarn, lucy and her gorgeous new design, gretelie's oh so pretty wool wristwarmers, wisecraft's brilliant removable quilt design wall, and halloween candy.  oh yes, let's share a piece with mama, please.

what's making you happy on this gorgeous first day of november?  xoxo

pattern giveaway :: Herbst

as i was making my way around the house snapping photos for my Etsy in our home series, i came across this scene - not much pushes knuffle bunny to the bottom of the softie bushel, so i would say this image is a good indicator of how much the girls love their toys from Herbst handmade.

about a year and a half ago, i had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of amy herbst, a mama and maker and all around sweetheart.  a patchwork sea turtle?  come on, what was not to love.  we've remained in contact all this time, and when i began to explore pattern-writing a while back, amy was full of encouragement and inspiration.  i am thrilled that she is making more and more of her own creations available as patterns to all of us home + makers ::

so, how about a PATTERN GIVEAWAY!  amy is generously offering TWO random winners their choice of any of her PDF patterns to sew or crochet.  to enter this giveaway and round out this week of Etsy love, post a comment naming a favorite Etsy shop & why - it does not have to be a shop you've purchased anything from, but it could be - name a shop you love, whose work inspires you and makes your heart skip a beat.  or the shop who has the best fabrics.  or cupcakes.  or kids' clothes.  or salt scrub.  or wooden bowls - it's up to you.  i am loving all the new shops you guys are sharing this week and look forward to hearing more!

comments will close saturday evening at some point comments are closed - thanks! two winners will be announced sunday evening.  have fun, share your favorite shops & enjoy your weekend!  xoxo

it's time to play :: name that Etsy!

i've been wanting to do a little "Etsy in our home" series for a while and with good reason :: everywhere i turn, there is Etsy.  (and not in the creepy sort of way my one daughter thinks Santa is stalking her - this is a good everywhere-i-turn-Etsy-is-there thing.) 

here, there, and in absolutely every room of our home there is an Etsy presence.  i could go on and on about how Etsy has changed my life and effuse my deep love for how it has taken this great big world and brought us back (or perhaps ahead) to a small-townness, connecting consumers with artists/makers as they enter our virtual studios and storefronts... but instead of gushing all day, i thought we'd play a little game...

NAME THAT ETSY!  have a close look at the triptych above and see if you can guess any of the three artists.  a hint :: the center one is letterpress and the other two are prints.  if you think you know, you could be a winner!  win?  well, since this first round of the game is art, the prize is this wheelthrown stoneware vase made by yours truly.  'tis the season of giving, after all.

interested?  play along!  post a comment with your best guess as to any of the three artists ' shops from which these three lovely pieces originated.  just write the shop name, not the link - thanks!  all commenters who name any one of the three correct artists will go into a hat for random draw - comments close monday night (8-dec) before i head to bed and COMMENTS CLOSED - thanks for playing! a winner will be announced tuesday.  good luck!  xoxo

::

please note, this is not a sponsored thing and everything featured has been purchased by me - not gifted or traded.   i love learning about new-to-me Etsy shops via other people's blogs and am simply giving a tiny glimpse of some Etsy artists i love and gladly support because their work makes my family smile.  and smiling is good.  that's all.  xoxo

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CONGRATULATIONS ANNE!  and get this - she named all three!

The first one is jellybeans. second is sycamorestreetpress and third is tsktsk. How fun this was.

Posted by: Anne | 08 December 2008 at 09:20 AM

anne, please look for an email from me requesting your shipping info for your prize - and thanks to everyone for playing!  xoxo