Digital Scrapbook Software Giveaway!

I'm hosting a great giveaway over at Mama Lusco Handmade!  Enter before 10/5/11 to win a copy of My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software.  It's been very easy to learn and the options are endless!

They've also given me a great discount code for $10 off the software and a $10 credit to the MMS store.  Copy & paste code: STMMMS87580 at checkout to purchase My Memories Suite software for $29.97 and receive $10 to spend in the MMS store. This is an excellent value...why not try it today?

Head over to the other blog and enter today.  Open to everyone!  If you aren't a Blogger, just comment as 'Anonymous' and leave your name or email. Good luck!

Leelou Blog Giveaway Days

The design I use over at Mama Lusco Handmade is from Leelou Blogs.  She has so many free designs that are darling!  Leelou is hosting some great giveaways through November.  Check them out here!

Huge Giveaway Day

Tip Junkie is hosting a huge giveaway day on Tuesday, April 13th.  Over $10,000 in prizes!  Here's the link.

Today's Giveaway

I'm a big fan of Today's Giveaway and have won something there in the past.  This is a huge prize that I'd love to win, so I'm blogging to earn extra entries.  These SodaStream machines make soda at home!  No cans to recycle and it's cheaper than buying soda at the store (if you live in the boonies!!)  Visit here to learn more!

Laundry Soap Making and Giveaway

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a fabric covered planner and note-taker over on my crafty blog.  It ends Monday 1/25.  Enter here!

I tried another adventure in frugality; making my own laundry detergent.  My blog friend, Mama Caffee, blogged about her trial of making laundry soap here and it made me want to try it, too!  I used the liquid detergent recipe from the Duggar Family blog (scroll down the recipe page and you'll find it).  I happened to have some Zote soap bars on hand - they're good for stains - and found the Washing Soda and Borax at our local grocery store.  Thursday, Mally and I grated and stirred and mixed until we had about 2 1/2 gallons of liquid soap.  It took me about 1 hour to get the grating & mixing completed.  After that step you let it set overnight, but since we'd done it in the morning I moved on to adding more water later that night.  I filled my empty detergent bottle and diluted it again and started washing with it yesterday.  I'm waiting to see that none of us are allergic to it, since we all have sensitive skin, but so far so good! 

My Borax and Washing Soda cost a total of $6 and I'll get another 4-5 batches from them.  The Zote soap was about $1/bar and you can order it online or from your local Mexican store.  In all, it costs about $2 per 10 gallons of detergent and I estimate a batch will last me 2-3 months.  I'm pretty excited that it was so easy and hope it works well!

And The Winner Is....

The winner of my first ever Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway is.....

# 56 - Bethany from The Joyful Life!  Thanks for participating in my giveaway. She shared a great tutorial for making Simple Rag Dolls found here.  These would make great gifts for the little girl in your life! I have this one bookmarked in my 'Projects To Try' column. Feel free to browse this list for more great ideas for toys & clothing for your kiddos.

It was such fun to visit hundreds of blogs for the free giveaways and to find new blogger friends and ideas. I felt a little guilty for spending so much time on the computer, but it was worth it.  Hope my visitors will come back often!

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day is Here!

I am glad for all the great sewing ideas and resources I've found through Sew, Mama, Sew. As a small thank you, I'm offering your choice of a toddler backpack for SMS Giveaway Day.  These are perfect for a 2,3 or 4 year-old. My 2 1/2 year old thinks she's such a big girl with her backpack! No fussy zippers, just reach through the flap to the treasures inside!

 

One lucky reader will get her choice of either a John Deere or Dora & Diego toddler backpack. To enter, leave a comment about your favorite type of crafting. For an extra entry, leave a link with your favorite free online pattern or tutorial. For a third entry, become a follower of my blog. Leave a separate comment for each entry.  I love finding new freebies and friends online! Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. I will check your blog or profile for an email address, but if you don't have it posted, please leave your email address in the comment so I can contact you. Winner will be chosen randomly at 6 pm PST Sunday Dec 6th. International entries are welcome - I appreciate all you international crafty bloggers :)

(Please note these are slightly imperfect. The Dora one has a small discoloration the size of a pencil eraser on the lower front panel from iron schmutz. The John Deere one's straps are a hair off center. They are wonderful backpacks and these are barely noticable. I would not hesitate to give these as gifts- they're still great! Actual backpacks are pictured.)

For more great patterns and ideas, scroll down my blog and see the 'Projects to Try' sidebar. I have dozens of fabulous patterns and tutorials linked there. If you're short on time, please visit my Etsy or Artfire shops to purchase ready to ship gifts.  Thanks for stopping by, Merry Christmas, and good luck!

Get in the Christmas Spirit- Free MP3 Downloads

I found many Christmas song downloads for FREE at amazon.com. Here's the link to Amazon. Where it says 'Sort By', check Pricing: low to high. I also picked out a few of my favorites for only $.89! If you've never heard it, Jars of Clay's Little Drummer Boy is my all-time favorite Chrismas song. Listen here.  Merry Christmas! Come back tomorrow for the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway!

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day is Coming!

So excited to read that SMS Giveaway Day is coming December 2nd! Last year I won 3 wonderful handcrafted items, so I've decided it's time to give back and host my own giveaway this year. Now I'm off to plot my super giveaway...If you'd like to join in, here's the link.