Giveaway # 3

Ah-yes! It is time for the last Phat Fabric grand opening giveaway. I am loving these giveaways. However, it is time to get back to work and update the Pretty Ditty shop, as well as work on my apron pattern. Plus, I have a couple of sewing projects I'd like to share with you as soon as "normal" posting resumes. So with out further adieu, here is Breeze, the half apron for the Giveaway. Breeze is made up of Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom fabric, which I carry in my fabric shop =).

How to enter the giveaway

Leave a comment answering 1 or all 3 questions listed below (1 entry per answered question). I know #3 is not really a question.

Here are the 3 ways you can enter to win the half apron.

1. I am a huge fan of the reality TV show Survivor. Every Thursday night, we pop some popcorn, pull out the pull out bed from the couch, and watch Survivor. I've even incorporated Survivor in with my parenting skills. For example, when I need the kids to hurry and clean up their toys, I will set up some sort of obstacle course that includes picking up the toys. I'll then explain to the kids what the course entails and then I'll say "Survivors ready (raising one hand in the air)? GO!" Works every time. With Survivor in mind, the giveaway question is....... If you were on Survivor, what one item would you bring from home? No, there isn't any cell phone service on the island. Silly =)

2. If you don't like Survivor, or don't know what the heck I am talking about, then here's how you can enter. Go to my store Phatfabric.com and tell me which fabric designer you wish I carried or carried more of (fabric).

3. Lastly, if you have purchased an apron from me before, leave a comment telling me how many aprons you have purchased and under what username. You will recieve 1 entry per apron purchase.

The giveaway will close on October 3, 2008. The winner will be selected via The Random Number Generator.

If you are outside of the US, you are more than welcome to enter the contest. However, you will be responsible for the shipping costs.

Remember, you can enter more than once by answering more than one question listed above.

Survivors ready? .......GO!

Jamie

The giveaway is now closed. I will announce the winner today. Thank you everyone =)

The winners are....

Congratulations Angie (sketchbook in green), Lani Robertson (apple dot in green), and Giabella Designs (Zesty Zinnia). The Random Number Generator has found favor with all three of you fabric lovers. You are now the proud owners of some funky, fresh, phat fabric. I will get in touch with the winners to arrange for shipping. If you (the winners) did not leave contact info in your comment, please contact me at phatfabric[at]phatfabric.com. As for the rest of my fabric friends, I have something for you. I don't want anyone going away sad, therefore, I have a 10% off any order over $20 coupon for you! Yes, the 10% off coupon can be used for sale items as well. The coupon is valid through September 29, 2008 (ends this Monday) . All you have to do is enter the coupon code prettyditty (one word, no spaces) at check out. Thank you to everyone who participated in this give-away. I love the comments and feedback. I've mentioned to several friends that it's never fun to hear an echo after a post =)

*Updates and Announcements*

Ebay Shop

I've had a few inquiries as to whether or not I will keep my shop on eBay. As of right now, my plans are to stay on eBay, but my focus is on my new online store. For example, the coupon will only apply to my new store, and the Starlings fabric is only available in my new store.

Blog

In previous posts I mentioned the idea of starting a new blog specifically for Phat Fabric.com. I have decided to not create a Phat Fabric blog and instead link this blog to Phatfabric.com. That means sewing projects, new arrivals, and fabric give-aways will be announced and/or hosted here at Prettydittyblog.com.

Photo Gallery

If you have made something with fabric from Phatfabric.com, I would love it if you emailed me a pic of your creation. I plan on creating a Phat Fabric Flickr group in order to showcase your projects.

Lastly, I will have one more Grand opening, apron give-away on Monday! I already know what question I want to ask=) Have a great weekend!

Jamie

A funky, fresh, Phat Fabric giveaway.

Calling all fabric lovers! I've got something for you...that is if you win =) On Friday, I will give away 1 yard of fabric to 3 funky fresh fabric lovers (1 yard each). What fabric am I giving away you ask? Well, that's up to you my friend. All you have to do is go to my new online fabric shop Phat Fabric and pick out your favorite fabric. Yes, any fabric. Even the expensive ones! After you've found your fave, come back to this blog and leave a comment telling me which fabric it is. On Friday, September 26th, I will pick 3 people via the Random Number Generator, to win 1 yard of their favorite fabric. That's it! Best of luck.

Note: If you are outside of the US, you are more than welcome to enter. However, you will be responsible for International shipping charges ($10.50 Canada and $12.50 Elsewhere). If you win and want to purchase more fabric (up to 5 more yards quilting weight or 3 more yards heavy weight), your shipping charges will not increase.

Jamie

The give-away is now closed. I will announce the winners today!

The winner is....

The winner of a brand new, high powered, fully loaded, tricked out Lola apron is..... Samantha, 'aka' Cinnamon Sugar. Congratulations Samantha! I will contact you to arrange the shipping. I used the Custom Random Number Generator to choose the winner. For those of you who did not win, never fear, on Monday I will have another giveaway of a different sort. Hmmmm, mysterious. Wha ha ha ha haaaaaa (I don't know why I threw in the evil laugh, it just came to me)!

I am very appreciative for all of the feedback everyone provided. The comments were very kind, informative, and encouraging. Thank you =) I will give you my thoughts and considerations on a few of the suggestions:

Blog
I totally agree with everyone on linking the blog to the store. My only dilemma is whether or not to link this blog. I'm wondering if a Phat Fabric blog should be separate and only about sewing stuff. As opposed to my personal stuff that I write about on this blog, such as: militant aerobic instructors, super bowl ads, and dead fish. Any thoughts on that??????

Photo Gallery
Again totally agree! I will figure out a way to have a photo gallery of both my projects and other sewer's projects along with patterns (if used) and fabrics used to make the creations.

Linking To Projects

As soon as I get a photo gallery together, I will link fabrics to examples in the photo gallery.

Before I go, I wanted to share with you a new apron (Sweet Tweet) that I made. I used Alexander Henry Starlings fabric from the shop.

Remember, next Monday is another giveaway!

Jamie

Apron giveaway and Phat Fabric

There's a party in the howwwwwws (house =)). It's time to officially announce my new non-eBay web site PhatFabric.com. Having been on eBay for almost 2 years, I feel like I've moved out of a track home and into a custom built house with acres of land filled with flowers and rolling hills. Don't get me wrong, eBay has been good to me. However, it was time to branch out and create something that was entirely me! Speaking of creating, my web designer, the talented Clarke Graves of Clarke design, was amazing. Not only was he full of ideas and suggestions, but he was also a great listener and communicator. I highly recommend his services.

To celebrate the grand opening of Phatfabric.com, I am having an apron giveaway. Hooray! The above apron is titled Sway (like the fabric I used to make it) and it is the apron for the apron giveaway. Here are the details to enter and win.

Visit my new fabric shop Phatfabric.com and come back to leave a comment telling me what you like or don't like (i can handle it, but be constructive not destructive). Here are some website areas that I'm curious to know your thoughts about; the music, is the site easy to navigate through, do you understand the shipping, and anything else that might jump out at you.

Lastly, if you have previously purchased an apron from me, you are eligible to enter a second time. Be sure to include how many aprons you have purchased, because you get 1 entry per apron. Also, you will need to include your etsy user name that you used when you purchased the apron.

If you are outside of the US, you are more than welcome to enter the giveaway. However, you will have to pay for shipping.

All entrants be sure to leave your name, etsy shop, blog, or some sort of title to identify you if you should win. I will announce the winner on Friday September 19, 2008. Let the giveaway begin =)

Oh ya, one more thing. If your name is Cynthia or Julia and you're related to me, you can't enter. You'll get your aprons at Christmas time ;)

The giveaway is now closed. I will announce the winner in just a bit. Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions.

Jamie

Something to sing about.

Hello there! I wanted to peek in here real fast to let y'all know that I've got something to sing about next week. I will officially announce my new website, and there will be an apron giveaway to kick things off. I hope you will join me in the festivities =)

Jamie

Santa and Halloween

Over the weekend, I finished up 3 half aprons. All of the aprons were custom orders and very fun material to work with. I'm getting into the Halloween mood and I hope to make a few more skull-y aprons for the shop. When I was growing up, my family never celebrated Halloween. I wasn't too bummed about it, because my parents let us ditch school on that day. However, now I do get into Halloween with my kids and so do my parents. Go figure =). Every year I ask my kids, "What do you want to be for Halloween?" It's funny, because my kids always want to be the oddest things. Last year, my son wanted to be Santa Clause. How funny would that be to go trick or treating in a Santa Clause suit? I can just imagine a kids face as he or she opens the door to find Santa there. The child would be confused with the meshing of the two holidays, as they think..."shouldn't this short Santa be bringing me a gift, or is October a hard month for Santa?" The child wouldn't know whether to give candy or start telling Santa what he/she wanted for Christmas. Needless to say my son wasn't Santa last year. I couldn't find a Santa costume in October for someone under 5 feet tall.

A couple of days ago, I asked my daughter what did she want to be for Halloween? I had expected her to say something like Ariel, Belle, or one of the Princesses. Instead, she surprised me. Without hesitation she said, "I want to be a (her voice gets deep) PINCHER BUG!" "A pincher bug?" I said. "Yes (with a big grin), that's what I want to be." She was serious. I told her that I didn't think the stores had any pincher bug costumes and I was pretty sure I couldn't make one. After discussing the possibilities of other odd critters she could be for Halloween, she then settled on the idea of being a Black Widow. I think I can make that one =)

Jamie

A la natural

Recently my mom, knowing that I get motion sick (see flight attendant story), bought me Motion Eaze a natural blend of herbal oils that stops motion sickness. A couple of weeks ago, my mom used it on a boat trip (she's the one I inherited this ailment from) and the "magic potion" worked! She didn't experience any motion sickness nor any side effects from the Motion Eaze, because it is a la natural. According to the directions you are supposed to put a dab of the oil behind your ears, yup, you don't even ingest it, and kids can use it as well. The next time I do something motion-y, I will try it out and let you know if it works for me. If it works for me, then I'm sure it will work for anybody. My quizziness is so bad that one time I went snorkeling with my husband at Hanauma Bay, and after 5 minutes of floating around on top of the water, I had to go in to the shore, because I became severely sea sick. Needles to say, up to this point in my life, any water activities that require floating, or long drives in the mountains, are off my fun list. Let's hope the magic potion works.

My mom forwarded me an email she had recieved regarding a couple of useful, natural, ideas that I thought you may be interested in.

Crayon marks on walls? Use a damp rag dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort. (my mom must be reading my blog)

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. Now that's just down right dirty and sneaky! How many hours exactly? =)

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid on it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. Phew! Now, I'm prepared for when my door steps freeze in the winter here in So Cal :)

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Then what do you do with the body?

Spray a bit of perfume on a light bulb to create a lovely scent whenever the light is turned on.

If you use Tupperware, spray it with non-stick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauce's. This will keep it it from staining.

Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead, the throbbing will go away. I wonder if it works for migraines?

Don't throw out all that left over wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Left over wine? What's that?

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap to the area and you will experience instant relief. I have used clear nail polish and it works!

When you or a little one gets a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most. Super glue works too, just a drop.

Here are couple of things you can do with Alka Seltzer:

Clean a toilet by dropping in 2 Alka Seltzer tablets, wait 20 minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

Clean a drain by dropping 3 Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run hot water.

I've never taken Alka Seltzer before and I don't think I will in the future, being as it is strong enough to clean drains, but I will try it out on my toilets.

Have a great weekend!

Jamie

Faith Lola Apron

While working on my custom orders, I managed to sew up one new Lola apron for the shop. The new apron is titled Faith and will be up in the shop this evening.

Peace =)

Jamie

Plant a tree today!

First of all, Happy Labor day! If you have the day off, relax and enjoy. You deserve it. If you don't, well close your eyes and quiet your mind. Take a deep breath and go to a happy place, but don't take too long because you have to go back to work =).

This is a picture of the very first Lola apron I sold on Etsy. It will be 1 year on September 25th 2008. Amazing how time flys! Not only have aprons opened up a creative outlet for me, it has introduced me to new people, whom I both admire and have become friends with.


I started making The Lola apron (a name created by my little one regarding my dress form) before I started selling on etsy. My sister, who is a hair stylist, wanted a cute apron to wear in her salon. She wanted an apron that wasn't black and boring. From there the Lola apron came to be. Being as I already had a fabric shop, my mind became flooded with endless fabric combos for more aprons. I found it interesting that often times the fabric that was not selling so well in my shop was doing great as an apron. For me, designing aprons became my form of artistic expression.


As I look back on my apron journey, I am reminded of a Chinese proverb that I will paraphrase for you. It reminds us of the importance of completing action steps instead of action words. The proverb is "The best time to plant a tree is today." Personally, I would add to the proverb "and water the tree with prayer." Thankfully, my prayers were heard and the tree has grown. I'm excited for the future of it all and where this crafting journey will take me. As I look at the horizon, a new direction that I am beginning to go in is the area of pattern making. I am in the prelims of designing a pattern for my Lola apron that others can use as well. I will keep you all updated with the timeline of the pattern and I hope that more patterns will follow.


September is going to be a busy and exciting month for both Pretty Ditty and Phat Fabric. I hope to launch a web site this month. More to come on that. I am also planning on doing a couple of giveaways. Hooray! At least one apron, maybe two, and some fabric for the giveaways. So stay tuned.

Jamie