Two Cheers for Shane's Birthday!

Hip, Hip...

Hooray!

(Neither one is Dex. I "borrowed" the picture from here.)

Happy Birthday, Mommy Rose!

It's Shane's mom's birthday today, so I thought I'd share the happy little treats that will greet her in the mail when she gets home.

A handmade card...

...and a makeshift card envelope.

The lace shawl I knit over the summer and have been holding onto for this special day...

...and this beautifully illustrated version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Mommy Rose loves children's books with great illustrations. I went to Barnes and Noble in search of a different book (a novel), but I passed this book and couldn't resist picking it up. The illustrations are so soft, but have so much energy, too.

FujiMama, Come On Down!

FujiMama, you are the winner of the 2nd annual birthday giveaway! Yay!!! I'm very excited for you. I'll be emailing you separately to get your info so that I can get your prizes in the mail ASAP! Congrats!

And to everyone who played and shared your favorite yummy birthday treats, thank you! Here's a little Dexter reindeer love just for you! I do believe my dog is Forrest Gump when it comes to taking pictures. I have multiple shots with his eyes closed. But I actually find those shots cuter sometimes.

I made the reindeer antlers from felt. He hates them...but loves to chew on them. I think he thinks it's a soft bone.

My Birthday Giveaway!

Yep, it's that time of year again, kids! It's my birthday! Woohoo! And while that's good for me, it's even better for you, because it means you have the chance to win three fun little handmade goodies that you can keep and enjoy or use to fill someone else's stocking. It's a win-win for everyone.

Let's start with the prizes:

Here's the sweet little prize pack--three items made just for one lucky winner. Included are:

A pair of Santa Skully knee socks. I didn't make the socks (those striped goodies came from Target), but I made and sewed on the holiday appliques.

One handknit bird named Holly. She stands about 6-8 inches and is decked out with her own personal (and removable) scarf, because, birdie, it's cold outside!

And for those days when you want to dress like your birdie, it's your very own blue/purple scarflette complete with silver polka dot buttons.

How to play:

One winner will be chosen using the Random Number Generator. All entries must include an email address or someway for me to contact you. If you don't, I'll have to draw again. There are lots of ways to enter, and lots of ways to get even more entries. For each thing you do, leave a separate comment to let me know.

1. Leave a comment letting me know your favorite kind of birthday cake/birthday treat. (one entry)
2. Subscribe/become a follower of my blog--it's the link at the bottom of all the right side links. (one entry--if you're already a follower, let me know and you still get an extra entry)
3. Tweet about my contest, and be sure to include @carrieg777 so that I can keep track. (one entry)
4. Blog about it! (three entries...leave three separate comments each with the URL of the contest posting)

So what are you waiting for! Let's play. The winner will be announced midweek...once my birthday buzz has fizzled out. Good luck!

Special Birthday Wishes for My Brother

Happy Birthday, Suzi!

OK, I lied a little. Even with a super cute puppy at home, I was able to get a bit of crafting done. My step-mom's birthday is today, and since I seem to be addicted to knitting lace, I wanted to make her a special shawl for her special day. I never seem to give myself enough time to make gifts, so this was a quick knit for me...about two weeks. I had to adapt the Eliina pattern to make up some time, but also save on yarn. I certainly didn't have as much as I thought I'd need. But now that I'm done and see the adapted size, I'm glad I didn't make it as big as it was supposed to be. It would've been a blanket!





And for those who are only coming for a puppy fix . . . =)

Happy Birthday, Ning!

Miss Ning over at babalisme is celebrating her birthday by giving away printable cards that she designed. They're wonderfully lovely. Go check them out here, and be sure to wish her a happy birthday!

Also for her birthday, she gave ME an award. Ain't she the best! =)

Miss Hannah's Birthday

My niece Hannah (the sneaky weasel) had her third birthday last week, and her party was this past weekend. In addition to giving the book, I made Hannah some fun gifts. And not only were they fun, but they were also fast and easy to make!

First up, a tutu. Doesn't every little (and sometimes big) girl need a tutu. As I've told people about the tutu I made, I've heard all kinds of cute tutu stories. My favorite one was from Judith, who said that she had made a tutu for her daughter when she was little. Every time they would go grocery shopping, she insisted on wearing her tutu over her snowsuit. I really think that would improve my attitude about grocery shopping in the winter. =) Have a tutu story? I'd love to hear it!

Want to make your own tutu? Here's a great tutorial.

Next up is the hippo and birdy shirt. I got the inspiration from something I saw on Etsy. I used fabric and fusible interfacing to attach the applique to the shirt, and then I handstitched around the outside.

And now I have extra fabric to do something fun with!

Happy Birthday, Carol and Jessica!!

Two of my favorite ladies are celebrating their special day today! Enjoy!

I found this felt cupcake clip on Etsy. It can be yours by visiting here.

Happy Birthday, Mommy Rose!

Who is Mommy Rose? She is my wonderful mother-in-law (and I don't mean that in any sort of sarcastic way!). I started calling her Mommy Rose after Shane and I got married. I felt weird going from calling her "Rose" for eight plus years (Shane and I were together a very long time before we got married) to calling her "mom," so I started calling her "Mommy Rose." When she asked what I wanted her to call me, I replied instantly with "Baby Girl." So that's who we are "Mommy Rose" and "Baby Girl." We rock.

Anyway, Mommy Rose's birthday is today, and of course I went the handmade route for her gift, right down to the card we gave her.

Below the big quote, there is a little strip that says "count your blessings." Mommy Rose has dealt with a lot of obstacles in the past few years, which is why the card I made took more of an inspirational direction. I know she'll appreciate it.

Here's the gift as a whole. It's what I'm calling the "Think Spring" winter wear set. I used Cascade Venezia worsted yarn in Granny Smith. This yarn is super soft because it's a mix of wool and silk...yum!

Included in the set is a beret made using the Baroness Beret pattern.

Using the chevron lace established in the beret pattern, I knitted a button-up scarflette.

And since you can't have a hat and a scarf without any mittens, along came this matching pair.

More Snow and More Birthday

The snow has stopped for now, but this weekend it was really coming down...again. Shane and I decided to take a walk on Saturday evening in the snow. It was really nice, and I loved getting to see all the houses get their holiday on (even the ones who I think must've been drunk with they strung their lights).


And although my birthday was on the 11th, the gifts just keep on coming. On Saturday I received the sweetest little "gift" from Anthropologie (drool!). The front of the case said "So..." and the inside looked like a little sewing case minus the needles.

In place of needles, I received 15% off my entire anthro purchase. The good thing about December birthdays is that you're almost always guaranteed a sale is going on at your favorite store.

Since I can't afford anything in anthro without a sale AND 15% off, I decided I best take advantage. I got this little jacket for a song! Thanks, anthro!

Babalisme...COME ON DOWN!!!

You are the winner of the Happy Birthday Giveaway!!! Congratulations! Bablalisme's number was picked on Random.org and had a whopping 16 chances thanks to this comment:

Happy birthday!!!

Well my husband is having his birthday on the 13th, and I baked him a surprise cake today. I don't usually bake, and I'm a novice at baking stuff and you know what, I failed. So I went down to the nearest supermarket and grabbed a Haagen Dazs ice cream cake. That's a wonderful memory of a birthday cake turned into a disaster and a mental note to self that baking is for professional.

...AND this picture on Flickr:

...AND a post on the Babalisme blog.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me birthday wishes and shared their birthday stories. If you haven't read through the comments already, I recommend you do. There are so many that were heart touching, sweet, and just down-right funny. Each and every one of those comments brought a smile to my face. And that's the best birthday present a girl can get! So thanks again!

AND (yes, this post is a lot of thank yous) thanks to all of those people who came over to my blog for the first time from the following blogs. Please come back again....and again!

• Lolly Chops (and for all you Lolly visitors...don't worry, a special gift is coming her way)
• BunnyMoney
• This Girl's Life
• Indefinitely Definite
• The Bitterness of Eating Lemons
• I Love Candy
• KnitHappens
• Paper and Stitch
• One Shabby Chick

(Sorry if I missed anyone! Blame it on a splitting headache!)

And to wrap this up right, follow this link to see another video entry I received from Jessica. This little girl (pictured below) is as cute as button. And the caption for that photo: "'But it's too much stinkin' fun, mom!' These were her exact words :)" Birthdays are the best!

It's the Happy Birthday Giveaway!

Today, December 11, is my birthday (YAY!!!), and what better way to celebrate than to be lavished with gifts! Not me...YOU!

In honor of my special day, I'm giving away a special prize pack to one person. The pack includes: one orange cozy cowl neck scarflette, Mimi the recycled sweater Christmas mouse, and two handmade snowman note cards. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment by noon on Sunday December 14th telling me your favorite birthday or favorite birthday gift or both! It's that easy. Then, check back on Monday December 15th to see if you've won. See...it's easy!

Wait...one chance to win isn't that fun, let's go for more! Ok, win five extra entries if you blog about this contest...and use any photos you like (be sure to leave your blog address so I can come visit where you live). Win ten extra entries if you add a link to a flickr photo (or other photo) of you doing anything birthday related. And win 50...yes 50!!! extra entries if you submit a video of you...your child...your family...your dog...whoever...singing Happy Birthday. Ah...now that feels like more fun!