Giveaway

Enter in fun giveaways at the DRESS-UP DRAWER. There are some great items featured including my Oliver Owl Pattern and a choice of a print from my shop.

A giveaway!

I'm popping in to say hi, and let you know there are some mytinystar items being given away on this lovely blog.

I haven't hosted a giveaway for a while, so I'd like to thank Mique for doing it for me.
I have so many projects going all at once, it makes my head spin, now if I can just get a couple finished!
Is it normal for a mother of an 8, 3 and 1 year old to celebrate (with loud singing) the first time a child remembers to remove his shoes at the front door? Or smother the same child with kisses and praise when he doesn't bite while I brush his teeth. That's my life in a nutshell.

Update! Nie Nie Auction and GIVEAWAY!

Okay Sparky, here's the deal...

The silent auction for my original painting"Sweet Nie", and the Nie softie/doll will be held rain or shine (tee hee) Thursday, October 9th. Bidding starts at 8 AM PT or 9 AM here in Utah. Last bid taken at 10pm PT.

On that date, place your bids in the comments of this post. Each item is being auctioned off separately, so here is an example bid:

"Hi Star, I love you, and I want to bid $65 on the Nie Softie"

or even simpler... "Nie Painting - $75"

Please include your email address with your bid, or some way for me to contact you at the auctions close!

Everyone who bids will receive a "Sweet Nie" pin.

A little about these pieces:

The painting is acrylic and ink on canvas, and measures 8"x10"x1". The sides are painted, so it can be hung with or without a frame. I have been deeply touched by the Nielson's story, and inspired by Nie and her fun and loving ways. She is so real, and I love that she takes time to enjoy all the little moments of life. The words listed on this painting were taken from this post on her blog, and her darling outfit was taken from here and here. I imagined this painting hanging where it could be seen often, as a gentle reminder of how we can be better moms, wives, daughters, and friends, how we can be more like Nie! Prints of this painting will be sold to help raise more money for the Nielson family, but you have the chance to own the original!

The Handmade Nie Softie/Doll, is made of cotton fabric and wool blend felt. Her hat necklace and dress are removable, but please keep our little Nie Nie modest. Her face is hand-painted, and the rose necklace is made of wool felt. She is about 19 inches tall, and I just love her sweet freckles!

All proceeds, I repeat, all proceeds go to the Nielson Family. If you don't know the Nielson's story, go here. Payments will be made directly to the Nie Nie Fund by the high bidders.

Spread the word folks, and you could win a custom made softie/doll similar to the one of Nie (but I won't make another Nie), which will be handmade by me in the likeness of your child, yourself, your pet monkey or whoever you choose!

Here's how to enter: Click the title of this post, then scroll down to "Create a Link", make a link to this post on your blog, and you are entered to win. If you don't use blogger, make a link to this post as you normally would, and in the comments of this post place your blog address. I will make sure that everyone who links back to this post is entered to win a custom made softie/doll (please allow 2 weeks for it to be completed and shipped)! The winner will be chosen at random

Please share your blog address, and please link to this auction/giveaway.
Thank you everyone for helping spread the word!

And the winner is...

...All of you!!! Okay, I would love to give each of you sweet lovelies who commented on my post the print of your choice. This is how it is going to work. Comment on this post which print you want and what background you want, then I am going to list a custom listing on etsy for you with your name on it. If you don't have an etsy account yet, it is quick and easy to set one up.
Then go through the purchase process, and select "money order" as you payment method, but don't send me one, cause it's a giveaway you silly. Make sure your correct address is on your etsy account, and I will send your print on it's way to you!
Now don't argue with me on this, I won't be doing this on all my giveaways, I just loved all your comments, and loved hearing about your favorite things.
One of my favorite things are good friends who are sweet, kind, and supportive like all of you.
Hurry and make your print choices, I can't wait to send them!

My Favorite Things ~ And a Giveaway!!!

Hello friends! I have been working on a set of prints that I am so excited to show you.

Sophia and I love to watch The Sound of Music, and we drive the rest of the family crazy as we sing the songs over and over. We were talking about how many of Maria's favorite things are our favorite things, so I started a-sketchin'. Here are the first 5 in the set of, I think 15 I am working on. The image is 8x10 with a white border.
My giveaway this weekend is the winner's choice of one of my new "My Favorite Things" prints.

The winner will have their choice of background colors, cream, tan or white.

The watermark will not appear on your print.

All you have to do to enter is place a comment on this post telling me one of your favorite things. Then on Tuesday the 15th, the Random Number Generator will choose a winner. They will also be available in my shop very soon.

Raindrops on Roses

Whiskers on Kittens
Bright Copper Kettles
Warm Woolen Mittens
Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with Strings

These are a few of my favorite things!!! (Yea, I'm singing it)

Here are the different background colors.

As I sit here singing, I am reminded of a multi-family camping trip we went on a few years ago(Woohoo, Detroit!) where I fashioned lederhosen out of plastic tablecloths and duct tape for the whole family. Why, you ask? We were the evening entertainment one night, so we composed and sang Sound of Music spoofs, complete with killer dance moves. What a show!!! We called ourselves The Voncrap Family Singers, but edited it to Voncamp.

My brother, Mindy-in-law, and Sophia.

Sorry to inflict our silliness upon you.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Puppets and a GIVEAWAY!

I finished my first batch of cone puppets, and they have the full stamp of approval from all 3 of my urchins. They have hand-sculpted polymer heads, that I painstakingly painted and sealed with a non-toxic gloss sealer.

We have a Giraffe, a Fruit Bat, a Parrot, and a Pink Cat. They were

time consuming, but so fun to make! If you have any ideas for future creations, let me know, the possibilities are endless!

I plan to take a little video to show them in peek-a-boo action. That is when they really shine.

AND AThanks to my friend Kate, I discovered Sweet Lavender quilt shop. The girls and I went yesterday (I am sooo glad Isaac was having a Daddy day, lots of "please do not touch" signs), it was a wonderland! I bought my first needle felting needles and wool, and here is my first creation. As a thank you for the 3 people who visit my blog, I am giving this little sweet bunny away to a random commenter. How to play: Just place a comment on this post, nothing fancy, just say hi. Then in 4 days (Monday the 30th) I will pick a winner with the random number generator, and send this bunny to you!

I don't think I have mentioned it yet on this blog, but my hope is that I can build a little business using my interesting skills, so that Lee won't have to work his second job. I want to find something that I can do to contribute while still being home with the kids, that will allow Lee some more family time. As a firefighter he already works about 264 hours a month, plus another 40+ at his second job. I did the math, the average 9-5 worker works about 160 hours a month. Lee works almost double that! Sorry about my Rambling!

I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement. I think I will be doing at least one giveaway each month, so keep checking back!