allora handmade giveaway & shop for sharlie

At Blissdom last year, a lot of things caught my eye.  Girls sporting ruffled bags, cute camera strap slipcovers, and custom laptop cases.  One specific necklace, though, captured my fancy. 

Gorgeous, isn't it?  Even The Nester wore one on the plane ride home when we sat together.  I did my best not to drool on her or snatch it off her neck. 

Well, I finally have one of my own...not stolen, I assure you, but straight from the hands of Jessica, the owner and artist behind Allora Handmade. 

Isn't she a cutie?  

She offers an amazing line of handmade jewelry, hair accessories, t-shirts and artwork.  One of my very favorite things is her bobbies.  I'm sure they look great in hair of all lengths, but I love them in my short, unruly hair. 

She is now offering new felt ones...hmmm...might have to get some of those...

Jessica, being the great girl she is, is offering up a $50 giveaway to one lucky reader.  Are you interested in winning that? 

If so, visit the Allora Handmade Shop, come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know what you would spend your $50 on if you win.  That's it!  The giveaway is open through Sunday, October 2, at midnight PST and a winner will be announced Monday. 

Good luck to all!

One last thing...this is not related at all to the giveaway, but just to show you what an amazing person Jessica is, I thought I would share a project she's working on that's very personal to her.  One of her dear friends has struggled with cystic fibrosis her entire life and has accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.  Jessica has put together a shop to raise funds for her friend, Sharlie.  Please visit the shop and purchase something if you feel led.  Every little bit helps.  Check out this post to learn more about Sharlie and the project. 

The blog community is pretty special, isn't it? 

Stella & Dot Giveaway

I was a cleaning fool today.  I have been a little lazy with my house work lately and I finally couldn't take it anymore.  It's amazing how nice a space looks when it's picked up and clean.  It was a lot of work, but it's oddly therapeutic for me and gets my creativity flowing. 

Anyway, let's get to the meat of it.  I love supporting women who are stepping out and starting their own businesses or finding ways to earn money from home while nourishing their creative desires.  I met one coincidentally a few months ago.  I posted a headboard on Craig's List and she bought it from me.  Heather recently took "the leap" and became a stylist for Stella and Dot. 

Here's some of Heather's story...

"I am a stay at home mom to 2 little girls, ages 6 and 3. When my oldest was born, I quit my full time job in engineering to stay at home with her. Now that they are getting a bit older and I am beginning to regain some time I wanted to do something fun, just for me. I had been introduced to Stella and Dot jewelry about 1 year ago in the blog world and really loved the style of jewelry. I am not really a "party" person but a chance meeting with a local Stella and Dot Stylist convinced me that Stella and Dot wasn't your typical home party company. There are no presentations and no pressure, just friends hanging out having a private jewelry trunk show. I decided that it would be nice to get out of my mommy uniform and wear some pretty jewelry again and maybe make a little money along the way. I'm relatively new with the company but I am more please every day about my decision to join. Stella and Dot is an amazing company full of amazing women I am able to work at home, setting my own hours when it's convenient for me. I can schedule as many parties as I would like in a month based on my family needs and schedules. The business really works as hard as you work, from a hobby to a full time job. I don't know where Stella and Dot will lead me but for now, I'm having a great time, getting out with the girls on occasion, learning a lot about customer service and sales and making some income along the way."

Her new "favorite" earrings from the fall line are the Chantilly Lace Chandelier Earrings.  Ooo...love those. 

 My personal favorite is the Isadora Peal Bib. 

...and Heather sent me one.  Yay!

To get the word out there about her new business venture, Heather is kindly offering up a $50 credit to her Stella and Dot online store to one lucky winner. 

If you'd like to enter, just visit Heather's Stella and Dot Store, browse around, come back here to this post and leave a comment letting me know what you would buy if you had $50 to spend there.  That's it!  The giveaway is open through Sunday, September 25, midnight PST and a winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday, September 26.   

If you'd like to "hang out" with Heather and get to know her more, you can "like" her Facebook Page.

Good luck to all!

Vintage Market Giveaway

Do you love handmade wares and cool vintage finds?  Well, this is the giveaway for you.  Freckled Laundry's Vintage Market is a collection of talented ladies who make and find lovely things.  They have come together to offer up an amazing Vintage Market Prize Package for one lucky winner. 

Here's what that winner will receive...

Ruffled Satchel,

Needle Felted Wool Brooch,

and Needle Felted Wool Ring from...

 

Union Jack Pillow made from creamy white grain sack linen and new floral cotton from...

Paint Tarp Pocket and Lavender Linen Sachet from...

Blue Painted Brass with Brown Glass Hoop Earrings from...

Set of Handmade 0-9 Numbered Clay Tags from...

Custom Pennant Banner from...

Three Petite Feed Sack Pillows with Antique Buttons from...

Burlap and Cherry Ruffles Runner from...

Custom Sterling "Chloe" Necklace from...

 

and

Collection of Etched Floral Vintage Black and Silver Buttons from...

A fun collection, don't you think?  To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post.  (Unfortunately, it's only open to readers in the lower 48 states of the US.)  The giveaway will be open through Sunday, September 18 at midnight PST.  A winner will be announced on Monday. 

Good luck to all!

Alice & Jay Giveaway

I have the pleasure tonight of introducing you to one of my sponsors and a very fun company, if you don't know it already... Alice and Jay.  Their tag line says it all.  "Simple Splendiferous Fun."  And they are fun.  I met the pair last May at the Lucketts Antique Market.  I didn't have much to sell on the second day, so I had a good time mingling with other vendors and drooling over their fabulous stuff. 
Not only do Alice and Jay sell cool things like antique textiles, Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint, refurbished furniture and curiosities, they sell lamps they make out of cool things.  Things like dress forms, farm tools, industrial pieces and architectural salvage.  I have a gorgeous pair of chippy gray lamps made out of old columns from them.  I was thrilled when they wanted to partner with me as a sponsor and even more excited when they wanted to offer a giveaway to my readers. 

What are they giving away?  This pair of amazing lamps made out of antique French iron gate pieces.  They stand 35" high, are painted in a beautiful chippy blue and come with oversized cream drum shades.  Pretty "wow", huh?

Here's a closer look...

Gorgeous.

Are you interested?  Well, if you don't want them I'll just leave a comment myself and "randomly" choose me as the winner.  Is that unfair?  Okay, okay...you do want them?  Here's what you need to do if these lamps *must* be in your house as soon as humanly possible...

Visit the Alice and Jay Shop and browse around.  Come back here and leave a comment on this post letting me know what else you love on their site.  That's it!  That comment will enter you in the running to win this fabulous giveaway.

Personally, I fancy these...

...and these sheer curtains with ruffles at the bottom. 

The giveaway is open through Sunday, September 11, 2011 at midnight PST.  A winner will be announced Monday, September 12. 

If you'd like to get to know this pair better, you can follow them on their blog.  And, if you're in the area, they will be at the Marburger Farm Antique Show, Roundtop, Texas in booth H6 at the end of September.  Oh...how I wish I could go.  Think I could make the drive from PA with two preschoolers and a husband?  Sigh.  Maybe next year. 

Anyway, good luck to all!

Miss Mustard Seed's Wuslu Pick of the Month & a Giveaway

One thing I have thoroughly enjoyed about blogging is meeting amazing, resourceful and creative women who have started their own businesses.  I have met some all-around awesome entrepreneurs.  One that I had the pleasure of meeting last week was Yasmin (and her sister, Nadia) of Wuslu.  We met for dinner in Frederick, MD and I was fascinated to learn their story.  I'm going to share it with you one day, because it's so inspiring.  At dinner, we kicked around a bunch of ideas and one thing we came up with was Miss Mustard Seed's pick of the month. 

If you're not familiar with Wuslu, it's an online home decor shop that offers only one item each day.  Because the item is bought in a high volume, it's less expensive and the savings are passed on to you.  Brilliant, right?  So, each day they have a hand picked item up for sale and when it's sold out, it's sold out.  Once a month, I will personally select an item that I love with all my heart and is very "Miss Mustard Seed" and it will be Wuslu's deal of the day.  I had a great time shopping for it this month and here is what I selected...

It's a small metal pedestal with a glass cloche.  If you want something to look important, you put it on a pedestal or under glass.  In this case, you can do both. 

This petite pedestal is perfect for a cupcake or stack of cookies, but I didn't have any fresh baked goods hanging around my house, so I used them to hold zinc place cards.  (Charlene is Mini Mustard Seed and she was helping me with the shoot.)

I also invited myself to the party.  It is my house after all. 

This is a great piece to show off a small bird's nest, pine cone, mini pumpkin, small pears and apples and the list goes on.  This piece is pretty, versatile and that's why it's my Wuslu pick of the month. 

If you'd like to purchase your own, visit Wuslu.com before they sell out! 

Wait...that's not all.  You have a chance to win one!  Actually THREE of you have a chance to win one.  Simply leave a comment on this post letting me know what you would put under that cute little cloche.  If you are one of the lucky winners and have already purchased one (or more) from Wuslu today, a full refund for one pedestal/cloche set will be issued back to you.  

The giveaway closes at 10:00 am EST on Saturday, September 3, 2011 and is open to those living in the lower 48 states of the US only. Make sure you leave an e-mail address in your comment if one isn't available on your profile.  The winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Sunday. 

Keep an eye on Wuslu for other great deals each day.  Monday through Thursday of next week will feature Found Items and, trust me, you won't want to miss those.  I saw what the Wuslu girls picked out for you and it's some great stuff. 

Good luck and happy shopping!

Chalk Paint & Gift Card Giveaway!

If you've been following my blog for a few months, you may remember when I was getting ready for the Lucketts Antique Market.  It was a crazy time and I really needed help finding pieces to paint.  In stepped Kelly of Stylish Patina, AKA Kelly the "picker."  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, a picker is someone who finds something stuff to sell (mainly to dealers.)  She's found some great things for me.  Like this chair...

..this cabinet...

...this settee...

...and this small chest of drawers.

She's now expanded her business to include selling pieces in retail spaces at The Foundry in DC and Stifel + Capra in Falls Church, VA and online in her Etsy shop.  She has also become a "mini stockist" for Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint!  Busy girl.

To celebrate all of Kelly's new business endeavors, Stylish Patina is offering up an awesome giveaway. 

What will the winner receive?

TWO cans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (colors chosen by winner)

ONE can of Soft Wax (in light or dark)

ONE waxing brush (these babies are awesome)

A set of Chalk Paint Brushes (2" and 3")

...AND, if that wasn't enough...

A $50 gift card to William Sonoma. 

Interested?

Here's how to enter. 

For one entry: Visit Stylish Patina's online shop and look at all of the available ASCP colors.  Come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know which  TWO colors you would like to try. 

For an additional entry: Follow Stylish Patina's blog and leave a comment letting me know you've done so.

For one more chance to win: "Like" the Stylish Patina Facebook page and leave another comment letting me know you clicked that thumb's up. 

The giveaway will close Sunday, August 21 at midnight PST and a winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday, August 22. 

Good luck!

Before I let you go, I can't help but show off my room at Lucketts...

I'll share more pictures tomorrow.