HandmadeBlayne {3 Giveaways!}

Well let me first say THANK YOU to all my followers- I just hit 400 today! Yay!! I'll be setting up another giveaway to celebrate soon, but first I wanted to do a few others (because all of these stores are so awesome!!!) In other news, we decided to head back home today from Colorado- so I'll be in the car the rest of the day! Hope to get a ton of great entries from Blayne's awesome giveaway!

On to the featured giveaway!!

Blayne from HandmadeBlayne is yet another awesome Omaha etsy store owner! Interesting little fact about Blayne-  Her real name is Bailey Layne, but she said she likes Blayne for my shop and people have started calling her that too :)

I love her shop! She is so creative!!! Her fabric earrings were what caught my eye at first-

BUT after looking more into her store- I LOVED her handmade stamps!!

She does such amazing work!!

I also love how she has used her stamps- Check out this journal!

To describe her shop- Blayne says "my work definitely has a unique and handmade feel to it-- an obvious "one-of-a-kind" look, and every once in a while a hint of gaudy kitsch. I love it that way. " she is also makes an effort to be eco-friendly! Which I love!

I also know a number of your are just starting with etsy- so here is some advice she has for you!

"Don't take yourself too seriously. I went into it being so serious and ending up heartbroken when people didn't want my items right away. I didn't realize that new skills and new businesses need time to grow organically... they can never be forced or they'll die or you will end up hating what your'e doing! Just enjoy each step of the process and don't get too far ahead of yourself!"

Well I absolutely love Blayne's store- and her advice! So let's get down to this awesome giveaway!!

What could YOU win? Well- Guess what!! Blayne would like to have THREE WINNERS!

One person will win a set of 3 covered button earrings 

Another person will win the owl earrings (pink or green)

And lastly- one person will win a handmade stamp

Awesome right?!

Now on to how you can win! (be a follower of A Law Student's Journey first to enter!)

1. Go check out HandmadeBlayne and tell me what item you love most AND which giveaway item you would want to win (fabric earrings, owls, or stamp!)

2. Order anything from Blayne- and use the code IHEARTBLAYNE for 20% off!!! Come back and tell me to get an extra entry!

3. Blog/Tweet/Facebook about the giveaway for another entry for each that you do!

4. Check out her blog HandmadeBlayne(she has a great shrinky dink project posted there!) and tell her who sent you! Then come back here, and tell me you did!
5.Follow A Law Student's Journey on twitter! Then tell me you're a new follower!


The giveaway ends in a week! 6/7
Dont forget- there are FOUR other giveaways going on right now! Check the right side of the blog and click on the photos to enter!

Paint Chip Features

I just had to share a few of these great paint chip crafts I've seen lately!

Heart Garland- love this!

Paint Chip Clock- I need one of these!

Paint chip moving cards- great idea for anything you want to be able to hand out!

Make buttons!!

Loooveee paint chip art!

Cute paint chip book idea

Mini notebooks!

Just a few features! I think I'll stop by the paint stores to grab a few of these for crafting soon!

{Winners!} schoolgirlcrush giveaway!!

Thanks for everyone who entered Anna's SchoolgirlCrush giveaway! We had an awesome turnout, which means I got to use random.org to pick FOUR WINNERS!

On that note- I'd love to also give everyone a friendly reminder about emails! If you don't have your email listed on your blogger profile, and you didn't leave it in the message- there isn't a good way for me to contact you! I had 3 people chosen, that didn't have emails and had to pick others :( So if you have any questions whether your email is shown, go check out your profile and see if on the left side it says "email" under your pretty picture! It took me a few months to realize I didn't have mine showing!! So this is just to help all of you out with all the giveaways you enter!

Alright on to the good stuff!!!

Our 4 winners are:

madison avenue 7

I LOVE her little red bicycle earrings! soooo cute!

Lindsay Conner 34

I've added this giveaway to my blog at http://www.craftbuds.com/giveaway-roundup/

Breaking Free From Old Ways 15

I like the rosebud pushpins

Debra Joy @ jubilee life 30

I shared the giveaway on facebook with my 600+ friends! (Does this mean I potentially get 600+ extra entries? Ha!)

Congrats to the four winners! And thank you to everyone who entered!! Special thanks to Anna as well! We will be contacting the winners- and Anna will be sending out your surprise items!

 **Don't forget- there are 3 great giveaways going on right now still! All 3 are listing on the right side of the blog!!**

Life...Handmade {Sponsor Giveaway}

Guess what! I have a FABULOUS new sponsor this month! Please meet Amber! Blogger over at Life...unscripted and also etsy store owner of Life...handmade Amber is an amazing crafter and blogger...PLUS she loves dancing in the rain (one of my favorite thing to do!)

Her new esty shop is just beautiful! All her items are precious, and the colors are gorgeous!!!

Ready to see what you could win? Amber made a few items for you to chose from!! The winner will get to pick one of these 3 items!!

So cute right?! I can already tell the winner will have a hard time picking which item!!

Ready to be that winner? (must be a new/old follower here first to enter!)

**the giveaway is also open to international bloggers as well!**

Feel free to do one or all of these for extra entries!

1. Check out Life...handmade and heart her shop! Then tell me you did!

2. Order anything from Life...handmade and use the code KITTY15 for 15% off! For each item you order, get an extra entry!!

3. Go over to Ambers blog Life...unscripted and comment saying something nice! Then tell me that you did!

4. Blog/Tweet/Facebook about the giveaway, for an extra entry for each that you do!
5. Oh and dont forget to "like" her facebook for another entry- and tell her who sent you!

The giveaway will be open for a week! 6/6 

Bit by a chipmunk

So far in Estes, I've learned if you feed a chipmunk

You get bit. Apparently my finger looked a little too tasty

Our hikes have been great!

And Kevin even visited for the day!!

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday weekend!

Baby Burp Rag {Giveaway}

Looks like alot of bloggers are on vacation right now, but that doesn't stop us all from blogging! My family got to Estes Park late last night, and will be enjoying hiking in the cold and rain over the long weekend (yipes!) Honestly, I'm just thrilled that my sister and I are 23 and 25 and still not to old to be able to make time for family vacations!

On to the good stuff!!
Yet another fabulous Omaha giveaway for you! Country Road Boutique has the cutest etsy store- perfect for gifts for new mommies! 

Here to tell you more about the giveaway is Michelle!

The County Road Boutique uses the very best products we can find. The Burp Rags are supper absorbent and have a ton of uses other then feeding and burping your "new little one". These make perfect gifts that will be remembered and used often. Think about it other items are used once or just for a season, these are used for at least the first 9 months daily! Take these to the hospital to see that new baby in your life. Add a book of your choosing to the all "new" Dr Seuss collection and you have a perfect inexpensive "one of a kind" gift.

Buy the John Deere set and add a pink or green tractor!

Super Cute!! For those Husker fans out there we have a Husker collection that is perfect.

 All my Burp Rag sets come to you wrapped in a coordinating ribbon to make them the perfect gift or just fun for you to keep and use. My customers have loved these so much they usually come back and order several sets! Happiness is Handmade!!  Visit our website and see all of the more custom items we have to offer http://www.countyroadboutique.com/

The Country Road Boutique would like to give away to one extremely lucky winner, 2 burp rags.

Ready to win this set of The Jungle theme burp rags? (must be a follower here-new/old- to enter!)



1. Go check out Country Road Boutique on etsy and heart the shop! Then tell me you did!

2. Tell me what your favorite item is from Country Road Boutique

3. Blog/Tweet/Facebook about the giveaway for extra entries for each!

4. If you're a husker fan- tell me that you are for another entry! (or feel free to lie to me and tell me that you are to get an extra as well!)

The giveaway will be open for a week! 6/4

Vinyl Record Fortune Cookies

Vinyl Records Crafts are some of my favorite!

1. They are cheap

2. The possibilities are endless

3. Everything looks cooler made from a vinyl record

4. If you mess up, you just melt it again!

From my past crafts, and gracious donations from a friend- I've acquired more records than I know what to do with. I've made bookends, bowls, shelves, books, card and picture holders- practically everything I can think of! Then while playing on etsy- I saw a vinyl record fortune cookie. Of course- I had to try it!

Supplies:

1. Vinyl Record. Easy to find at thrift stores! Don't buy them unless they are $1 or less- you can always find them somewhere for under a dollar!

2. Scissors

3. A cupcake tin is recommended

4. Oven mitts- unless you don't want to feel your fingers, or have finger prints for a week.

5. Pencil and something to draw a circle recommended

My first regret- not drawing a circle first. I thought I would just "wing it" but found if I had drawn a circle on the records in pencil first- they would turn out better. The circle should be as large as you can make it, fitting one side of the record. Like this:

Okay, once you've drawn circles around your record- turn on your oven to about 180 F. Then place your record in the oven.

Once the record starts to wave a bit (the edges get "wavy") its ready! I've found there are thicker records, and thinner records. Some don't "wave" but if you wait about 7 minutes, then put your oven mitt on, and pick up the edge of the record, and find it is limp- then it is ready!

Pull the record out, and work fast. I don't use an oven mitt for this part. I like using my hands, but I wouldn't suggest that. Grab your scissors and cut out the circle. If it starts to get too hard to cut- no worries- just stick it back in for a few minutes until it gets soft again.

Once you have the first circle cut, stick them both in again. That way the record is getting soft again to cut out another circle, and the circle is getting soft again to bend.

Now once both the pieces are soft again, you want to bend your cookie! There are 2 bends in a cookie. Fold it in half (don't crease, it should be a light fold, just enough for the edges of the circle to touch)

For the 2nd fold, place your finger where the fold and bend the two ends of the circle together. (This is one of those steps that if you've never made a fortune cookie before, it takes a second to think about how it looks. Just look at the picture for a minute to figure it out!)

The two folds need to be done fast, before it gets hard. The cupcake tin is there to help it hold the shape while it cools. If it doesn't look like you want- all you need to do is stick it back into the oven! It will soften up, and you can refold it!

 

I made about 5 fortune cookies per record. If you drew the circles on, you could probably fit 6 pretty easily!

And thats it! Now just figure out what to do with them....whoops! But I thought they were pretty neat!

If anyone else has great vinyl record crafts - I'd love to hear about them!

Wednesday Photoshoot

Before the rain came-I got in another photoshoot this week. J & P wanted couple pictures before he left for the summer. They were such a fun couple to shoot!

Thanks J & P for a great day!



Belle Rose Design-Sponsor {Giveaway!}

We've got another giveaway from a fabulous Sponsor! Julie from Belle Rose Designs. Julie is a full-time librarian, and mother of two. She loves her hot glue gun, chocolate, and American Idol!

Julie has a fabulous etsy store! I love her hair pins!

And if I had a baby- this one she would certainly be wearing all the time!

Her rosette headbands are precious!

And rosette bookmarks- great for gifts, and to force me to stop bending the pages of my books!

She also sells rosettes for the rosette challenged (or for anyone just wanting great flowers!) - so you can craft with gorgeous flowers!

Julie wants to give $20 to spend in her etsy shop to one of you lucky readers!

Here's how to win! (must be a follower here -new or old- to enter!)

To enter:

1. "Like" her facebook Belle Rose Designs then come back here and tell me you did!

For extra entries:

2. Check out the Belle Rose Designs on etsy- and tell me what you'd buy if you won!

3. Purchase anything from Julie, and get extra entries!

4. Blog/Tweet/Facebook about the giveaway- for an extra entry for each you do!   

5. Go visit Julie's blog and tell her who sent you!

The giveaway will be open for a week! 6/1

Tuesday Photoshoot

One of my summer goals- was to practice taking portraits! Rachel was quite obliging- and allowed me to snap a few photos in downtown Omaha on tuesday.

She is so gorgeous! Rachel also is sharing a farmers market booth with me this summer! More on that later :)

If you'd like to see more photos from yesterday- there are more posted here!