Archive for November, 2010

Fellow homebirthing/natural-minded mama Andreea Ayers has started a fabulous little company called “Tees For Change”…and we are going to kick off my December giveaway spree with the chance to win a t-shirt of your choice (short sleeve).

I love love love her t-shirts…they are so soft and yummy. Not only that, they are unique, sustainable, and act as great conversation starters! Put your happiness out there for all to see!

Check out her line of shirts here.

Here is a little more about Andreea:

I founded Tees for Change in the Spring of 2007 while living in Boulder, CO. I was going through a lot of exciting changes – a baby on the way, a recent move from New York City to Boulder, CO and embarking on a new entrepreneurial venture. I have always been fascinated by the t-shirt and the ease with which it allows you to express yourself.

I wanted to explore this concept and combine it with my love for eco-friendly products and my passion for positive thinking and connecting with people. But I didn’t want any old t-shirt. I wanted something that was fashionable, felt great, was easy to wear and was made from sustainable materials.

Andreea is offering a 25% discount to all of you through December 6! Just enter the discount code WALK. This is a very generous discount…just in time for the holidays! She has more than just t-shirts though…check out the great journals and jewelry! And one last really COOL thing? For every t-shirt you buy, one tree will be planted! Read on…

Because of our dedication to the environment, we’ve partnered with Trees for the Future to plant a tree for EVERY tee you purchase. Trees for the Future plants trees in Asia, Latin America and Africa and our last tree planting helped plant over 5000 trees in Cameroon. We’ve planted over 10,000 trees since we started our company in Spring 2007.

You can enter the drawing up to four times by doing the following (enter a comment for each):

• Leave a comment and tell me your favorite t-shirt on her site.
• Facebook or Twitter this post…tell your friends how they can win too!
• “Like” Tees For Change on Facebook
• Follow Tees For Change on Twitter

I will be drawing the winner on Friday. Entries will close at 12:00 CST.

I’ve been counting down the days until December 1…and it’s finally here! I so enjoyed last year’s December Photo Project…and I’m thrilled to join in again.

I will be posting one photo every day through December 25…who is with me??! Check out Rebecca’s blog for the details/badges, etc.

*Here is a peek at last year’s photos…my heart is so full looking back through these. Such amazing memories.

She Is Me
I am on one end of the couch.
She is on the other.
Trying to sleep…but scared of monsters.
Trying to explain it to me…but deciding to close her eyes instead.
SO FULL of life and energy and spice.
It’s exhausting and beautiful at the same time.
My heart aches to watch her sleep.
Wondering what I might have missed that day.
Thinking about what I should have said.
Where we should have gone.
Pushing those thoughts away…
I take her hand and pull her close.
Her little body fitting perfectly to mine.
She is me.
And I tell her I love her.
Over and over.

My friend Tiffani made a beautiful video of her daughter. If you have a 6 year old, get out the kleenex I totally cried. I am thankful for friends who can help remind me to slow down and savor life’s most important moments.

When You Are Six… from freeplaylife on Vimeo.

Exciting news…I am THRILLED to announce that my brother is getting married!! Congratulations to Dan and Jessica on your engagement…can’t wait to see what your future holds. Love love love.

And the winner of the Felt-a-licious giveaway is…

Christine Gough!

Christine said:
Been waiting and thinking about signing up….not sure what I’m thinking considering I have a toddler and newborn….maybe something for ME!

Yes indeed Christine! Do it for YOU! The nice thing is that you can work at your own pace and the classroom will stay open through the end of the year.
For the rest of you, there is still time to sign up! Click here to join in the fun.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone…much love!

I have ALWAYS adored wool. Especially felted wool. The texture. The weight. The yummy. I’ve always been a little jealous of those crafty mamas who knew the “secrets” of felting wool. But now…I am going to join that inner circle And so can you! I have ONE SPOT to give away for Emily’s “Felt-a-licious” online course. Yay!

Em is teaming up with Nicole, who has tons of experience with wool. You do NOT want to miss this. It’s going to be so great! I’m really looking forward to working on the projects with Bella and learning this cool new skill alongside my creative daughter. I ordered the “Autumn” kit from Nicole’s Etsy shop…the colors are so yummy. However, today (the 19th) is the LAST day to order wool from her shop for it to make it to you in time. If you miss the deadline, you can always source your own wool or join in late.

Here is a little more info in Emily’s words:

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

This is a fantastical, fun introduction to felting! During the course you will be shown the nitty-gritty of what turns fluffy piles of wool into magical felted goods.With that knowledge you will be guided to make several variations of felt for our projects: round felt beads, a layered felt flower, a flat felt scarfette and a dimensional felt mobile-phone pouch.

Armed with your new skills you will be ready to felt your little hearts out (warning: felting is higly addictive!) and fall in love with this delicious artform. Even if you have felted before, this workshop is definitely going to have you saying “AH-HA!”

THE WORKSHOP WILL RUN FROM NOV 26 – DEC 4

There will be four core ‘lessons’ during the course (video and photo format), tips and tricks from the gurus, a gallery to share your creations, and two live chats with Nicole and Emily. You will be able to work at your own pace, downloading the project information at your leisure. The classroom will remain ‘open’ until the end of 2010.

To enter the drawing, just leave a comment below. Any comment! Go crazy!
For an extra entry, post it to Facebook or Twitter.

I will pick the winner at random on Tuesday, November 23 (8pm CST). Or, click here if you just want to sign up NOW!

Happy Felting!

As I write this, we are driving across Nebraska on our way back to see family for the holidays. It’s been a LONG (and wonderful) couple of weeks making the trek from California (which included a small snow storm in Vail, CO), but I just had to share one of the most recent highlights.

Last year, I met up with Tiffani for the first time when our paths crossed in Las Vegas. This year, I was supposed to go to L.A. and spend tons of time exploring the big city and taking photos and just being besties in general…BUT, life happened and we had to bypass L.A. and head East earlier than planned.

I was SO disappointed that we would not get to connect…but when I emailed her about it, we both realized that we would be in Vegas AGAIN at the same time. Oh the joy! We were able to spend a bliss-filled afternoon chatting and letting the kids run wild. California Pizza Kitchen. Shopping at H & M + dancing to hip hop music in the dressing rooms…giggling all the while. And don’t forget the boba! Be sure to watch our silly video above.

I pretty much ADORE Tiffani and wish that I could magically transport her to wherever I happen to be…but for now, I will take what I can get Be sure to read her account of our visit here and check out her fabulous (and I mean fabulous) blog. And look at her pretty pictures.

Now that we are almost done driving for awhile, I have big plans to blog more and I have several REALLY COOL giveaways planned. Stay tuned!

Have a great weekend…I’m off to celebrate my birthday!