1,000 Facebook Fan Giveaway!

Hello dear bloggers!

Today I reached an awesome milestone on Facebook - 1,000 Fans (or "likes", if you will.) I promised to celebrate this occasion with a giveaway, and so I am!

I am giving away one of my new hand stamped bookmark designs - Eat, Sleep, Read. It's made with beads in shades of blue and green. Measures 14.25" long with 10.25" of linen cord between the beads. Fits well in hard cover and paper back books.

It's super easy to enter - CLICK HERE and leave a comment on the FB photo telling me what your favorite book of all time is. I'll pick a winner via Random.org on Wednesday night!

Happy Reading!

Black Friday in July!!

Today is Black Friday for Christmas in July! Woo Hoo!

Use code FREESHIP to recieve free US shipping on your order from my Etsy Shop. Combined with my other Christmas in July sales, it's quite a bargain!

Happy Shopping!

Christmas in July SALE!

Etsy is hosting a Christmas in July sale from July 14-24. For the entire month of July, I am offering 10% off all earrings and necklaces and 15% off all beaded bookmarks in my shop. Visit my shop HERE to take advantage of the sales! This sale includes custom orders, so if you have something special in mind, let me work with you to create it!

The EtsyMom Team has many shops participating in the sale as well. You can click HERE to check out the list of shops and see what their awesome sales are. Shop now for some great deals!!!

Anniversary Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway!

The winner, chosen via random.org, is comment #10 from Lady Lavender:

Please email me at allyouneeddesigns@gmail.com to claim your $20 gift certificate!

Again, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has made my first year a success. I look forward to what this next year brings!!

WINNER of the Sarah Says Readathon Mini Challenge!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Sarah Says Readathon mini challenge that I hosted this weekend!!

The winner of the Bookish beaded bookmark has been chosen! The winner is:

Congratulations BookBelle! Please email your mailing address to me at allyouneeddesigns@gmail.com so I can send you your new bookmark!

Again, thank you to everyone who participated in the readathon and my giveaway! If you're looking for a special bookmark for yourself or a gift, please visit my Etsy shop! I'd love to create something special just for you!

Don't miss your chance to enter my giveaway!

Don't miss your chance to win a $20 gift certificate to my Etsy Shop! The contest is open until Tuesday, July 12 at 8 PM. After that, a winner will be chosen via random.org!

You can use your gift certificate now in combination with my Christmas in July sale, or save it and use it closer to the holidays - use it on handmade goods or digital items like Holiday Photo cards, or even a little of both! It's your choice! (As an aside, I can't believe it's already time for me to start designing some new items for my 2011 Holiday Collection - crazy how time flies!)

What are you waiting for? Go enter here! It's super easy to do, I promise! :)

Sarah Says - Mini Readathon Wrap Up!

The Sarah Says readathon ended last night. Here is my wrap up about my readathon!

1. How many books and/or pages were you able to read?

I read & completed The Exile - An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon

I also read about 1/3 of Lamb by Christopher Moore, a bit of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling and about 5% of A Breath of Snow & Ashes by Diana Gabaldon (on my Kindle).

2. About how many hours were you able to read for? (Were there many distractions, breaks, etc?)

I'm not absolutely certain since it was broken up a lot by children, birthday parties, and meals. Not nearly long enough though.

3. Do you have any likes/dislikes about the 12-hour readathon, compared to a 24-hour readathon?

I've never done a 24 hour readathon before, but I can say that I definitely prefer the 12 hour format. I will never be able to commit a full 24 hours to just reading. Not possible with two young kids in tow.

4. Favorite and least favorite books that you read today?

I loved the graphic novel because I've never read one before, and I enjoyed seeing it the story drawn as well as written. It was great to see the "other side" of the story of Outlander. I do wish it had been longer and been a complete retelling of Outlander, rather than just leading up to the return to Lallybroch.

I'm also really enjoying Lamb as well, which is why I read so much of that as opposed to starting Hunger Games like I wanted to, or reading more HP.

5. Do you have any suggestions for things you'd like me to do differently if I host another mini-readathon?

No suggestions, I thought this was really well done. Next time, I am fully commited to 12 hours of uninterrupted reading time. No kids, no other obligations, just reading! Looking forward to January!

Sarah Says Readathon - Mini Challenge!

Hello to all the lovely readers who are partaking in the readathon over at the Sarah Says blog! When my sister told me that she was hosting a mini-readathon this summer, I immediately told her that I would like to host a mini challenge for her and giveaway one of my beaded bookmarks.

I made a special bookmark just for this event. I hope you like it! I took a copper disc and stamped it with the word "bookish" with a sweet little heart next to it. Then I strung it with brown and cream beads. There is 10" of black linen cord between the beads, so it will fit well in hard cover and paperback books. If you're interested in seeing more of the bookmarks I have for sale, please visit my Etsy Shop. I'd be happy to create a special bookmark just for you!My mini-challenge is a really simple one. Just leave a comment here and tell us what you're currently using as a bookmark (or bookmarks, if you're reading more than one book right now). In the past, I've been known to use post it notes, old receipts and even napkins (don't worry, they were clean!). Right now I'm using one of my beaded bookmarks - it has a sea turtle at the end. :)

Thank you for entering my mini challenge and enjoy your readathon!

Sarah Says Mini-Readathon! Challenge #1!

Today I am participating in the mini-readathon over at the Sarah Says blog. Now, as that blog is run by my sister, I am not actually entering to win the prizes that she's giving away, but I feel like the only way to fully enjoy the readathon is to participate in everything, including the challenges. Therefore, I will participate but she will exclude my name from the drawings at the end for her prizes.

Speaking of prizes, I am offering up one of my own during her readathon, so check back here later today to complete my mini-challenge (Sorry, this prize is only up for grabs to the people who are taking part in her readathon... if you're not, but still want to win something from me, head over to this post and enter to win the $20 gift certificate I am giving away in honor of my shop's 1 year anniversary!)

And now, on with the show (or in this case, readathon!)

Challenge #1

1. Tell everyone three random things about yourself:
- I have two kids, ages 6 and 3, which makes participating in this readathon a bit of a challenge in itself. :)
- My favorite color is lime green, which is the color of my kitchen.
- I love to re-read books and often find that it's difficult for me to try something new. I thank my sister for encouraging me to try new material.

2. Is this your first readathon? YES!

3. Do you have any specific goals for today? (# of books or pages to read?)

My goal is to read some of each of these, and maybe even finish one or two of them! (On top is my Kindle - love it!)

4. Do you have any specific snacks, drinks, or books planned? Just the books mentioned above... other than that, it's up in the air... though I am drinking coffee already...

5. What hours do you plan on reading during? (For example, I'm aiming for 10 AM to 10 PM Eastern time). Honestly, whenever I get the chance today. Most of it will probably be after the kids are in bed. Though I did get some in this morning before they woke up. :)

$5 Friday!

I've decided to start something a new on Fridays. I'm having a Facebook $5 Friday sale. Every Friday I will post 5 items on my Facebook wall - each item is only $5 with FREE SHIPPING to the US & Canada. The first person to comment on the photo "wins" the item. I'll then contact the winner so I can send them a paypal invoice for the item. This is a fun way to clear out some of my inventory and also a great way to pass savings on to you! Today was the first $5 Friday, so head over to my Facebook page to see what's on sale!!

1 Year Anniversary - GIVEAWAY!

I recently celebrated my shop's 1 year anniversary on June 25. With life being what it is, I haven't had a chance to celebrate properly. I finally have a chance to do it!

As a way to thank all of the clients and fans that have supported me over the last year, I am giving away a $20 gift certificate to my Etsy shop. Yes, $20!! That is the biggest giveaway I've had so far!

There are several ways for you to earn entries into my giveaway.

To Enter:

Visit My Etsy Shop and leave a comment here as to what is your favorite item is.

For Extra Entries:

• Be a follower of this blog.

• "Like" All You Need Designs on Facebook.

• Follow All You Need Designs on Twitter.

• Add my shop to your favorites on Etsy.

• Share this giveaway on your: Facebook, Twitter and/or Blog (if you do all of them that's three extra entries!)

Be sure to leave a comment on this blog post for each action you take because each comment counts as one entry. That's up to 8 chances to win! Also be sure to leave your email address so I know how to contact you if you're the lucky winner!

The Details:

Giveaway will end on Tuesday, July 12 at 8 PM EST. A winner will be selected using random.org. Giveaway open to US & Canada. The certificate can be used towards any item(s) in my shop and shipping costs. It can also be combined with my Christmas in July sale. So what are you waiting for? Enter now!

Christmas in July SALE!

Later this month, Etsy will be having a site wide Christmas in July sale. I've decided to start my sale early! Check out my shop to recieve 10% off all earrings and necklaces and 15% off all beaded bookmarks. Choose something special for yourself or start your holiday shopping now. Happy Christmas in July!

Ryah Sofia Cancer Benefit Auction

Beginning tomorrow, June 21, Ryah Sofia Headbands is hosting a benefit auction to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am happy to have donated two items to this very worthy cause - one of my HOPE bookmarks and Lucky Penny necklace. Be sure to stop by the auction site and bid on one of the may great items from all of these amazing vendors!

Goodbye to Kindergarten - End of Year teacher gift

My son is days away from "graduating" from Kindergarten. This year has been great for him - he's made great friends, learned loads and loved his teacher and is terribly sad that in a few short days, she'll no longer be his. We wanted to be able to say thank you and good bye with a fun and useful gift for her.

We already gave her one of my handmade bookmarks and a lucky penny necklace this year, so I needed something different but still useful for a teacher. I saw something like this Gift Card Book on a blog a while ago and I knew that I had to do it! I took the idea, tweaked it a bit to work for me and ran with it!

I used double sided tape to stick two pieces of card stock together to make it more sturdy and so each page was "decorated". Then I used a hole punch to punch two holes in the pages. I was going to use ribbon to tie them together but then the pages wouldn't turn easily, so I used a couple of jump rings I had in my jewelry stuff and then tied the ribbon to them to make it prettier. :)

What will Mrs. X do on summer vacation?Read a good book. ($5 gc to Borders.)Plant pretty flowers. ($5 gc to a garden store.)Go on a shopping spree! ($5 gc to Target.)Go out for coffee. ($5 gc to Dunkin Donuts.)Create something! ($5 gc to Joann Fabric & Crafts.)This is the back cover of the book:

I had my son write the little sayings to put in the book. I used double sided tape to stick the sayings and the gifts cards in and that's it!! Pretty easy and I love how it turned out and so did he. He's so excited to give it to her tomorrow. His last day of school is next Wednesday, but he doesn't want to wait to give it to her. LOL!!

Hope your kids enjoyed their school year too!

Summer Mini-Readathon with Sarah Says

It's been a long time since I've had a chance to blog!! My life is slowing down just a teensy bit, so I'm going to try to be better about this! Promise!

I hope your summer is off to an awesome start! We've been having some lovely weather here (finally!) and I've been enjoying it with my family! There are a lot of things I love about summer - baseball games, picnics, playing at the park, vacations (or staycations).... but my very favorite thing about summer is taking a book outside and laying in the sun to read. Even if it's only for a half hour, it's so relaxing and peaceful!

My awesome sister Sarah, over at the Sarah Says blog is hosting a mini-readathon this summer. It's a fun little event with challenges, prizes (including a beaded bookmark donated by me!) and more. Check it out and go sign up!

Featured!

Recently, I was lucky enough to do a swap with a wonderful Etsy mom, Jennifer of Lavender Avenue. Please check out my review and feature over on her blog!

I'll be reviewing the lovely nightgown that Jennifer sent me for my daughter soon, so check back!

EtsyMom Charity Auction!

As I am sure you have gathered by some of my past posts, I am proud to be a member of the EtsyMom team. EtsyMoms have a history of contributing to charitable causes, including our sister Moms. Beginning today and ending on April 7, the EtsyMom team is hosting a Charity Auction to benefit one of our long standing team members who is in need of a great deal of financial assistance.

The auction is chock full of handmade goodies donated by awesome EtsyMom team members. All proceeds from the auction will be given directly to the mom in need to help her and her family.

To check out the items and bid on the ones that catch your eye, visit the EtsyMom Charity Auction Blog.

Celebrate Spring Giveaway from My Lovebug Baby!

Monika at My Lovebug Baby is having a Celebrate Spring giveaway on her Facebook page.

There are some really great sponsors participating in the giveaway. You can win a pair of Spring Butterfly earrings from me (yes, those earrings pictured there on the right).

Go here to check out the album and enter to win some great prizes!!

FANtastic Giveaway Winners!

Hello everyone!!

First, I have to give a great big thanks to all of the sponsors who took part in my FANtastic Giveaway! This event would not have been nearly as successful if not for all of YOU! So THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I hope you've found this to be a very positive experience and that you've gained some new fans and customers because of your generosity!

Second, I'd like to thank all of the FANS that played the game. I personally love giveaways and am so happy that I was able to offer one to all of you! I hope that you will remain fans of all of the pages and shops that took part in the giveaway. They work hard to create beautiful handmade items to share with the world. Even if you don't win something free, consider shopping with them in the future!!

And now, on to the fun part - the winners!! I will list your name here, and I ask that you please get in touch with the sponsor to let them know that you've won. If I have your email address, I will be sure to pass it along to them as well.

WINNERS! WINNERS! WINNERS!

Winner of the applique and headband from Ryah Sofia Jessi Conyers

Winner of the custom cameo from Modern Cameo - Misty Ehart

Winner of the 20% coupon code from Lavender Ave - Valerie Nice-Orza

Winner of the Upper West Side Headband from kate kate nyc - Lisa Garner

Winner of the Brown Polka Dot Earrings from Jess Fabulous Designs - Meghan Stevens

Winner of the $10 gift certificate from Beachside Treasures - Lisa Schein Dominy

Winner of the Chain Me Up Earrings from All You Need Designs - Lori Vincent Compton

Winner of the set of 3 headbands from Baby Button Tops - Ashley Brouillette

Winner of the Sugar Me Sweet Mini Cupcake Soaps from Lavender Fox - Sarah Pauls

Winner of the 30% off coupon from Peace, Love and Kids - Ashley Mason Hendricks

Winner of the Pink Polka Dot Mouse Ear bows from Twisted Ribbons - Pamela Schmidt Baldo

Winner of the 20% off coupon from Kindred Scents - Cynthia Bridge

Winner of the 50% off one custom design coupon from All You Need Designs - Rebekka Sordiff

Winner of the 20% off coupon from Twirl Away - Brenda Collins Dixon

Winner of the Mini Crayon Caddy from Two Little Monkies - Mandy Hatch Agnello

Winner of the Rainbow Swirls Wine Glass Charms from All You Need Designs - Tina Fiero Gonser

Winner of the All American Play Food Set from Kid-N Around Creations - Tanya Curtis

Winner of the Diaper & Wipes Clutch from My Lovebug Baby - Emilie Dawn West

Winner of the Custom Quilt from Tec Me Quilts - Jodi Clark Kershuk

Congratulations to all of the LUCKY winners!! And again, thank you to everyone who took part in the FANtastic Giveaway. I hope to do more in the future, so stick around!!!!!

XOXO,

PS. If any prizes are left unclaimed, a new winner will be drawn 1 week from tonight (3/24/11). THANKS!!!!!!

FANtastic Giveaway Celebration!

When my shop started nearing 500 fans about a week ago, I thought it would be great fun to put together a Giveaway Celebration to thank my wonderful fans for their support. (Little did I know that I would be over 600 fans by this time! YAY!)

I contacted some of my favorite Etsy shops and vendors to see if they would be willing to donate an item to help me say thank you. I put everything together over the last few days and just opened it up tonight. It makes me feel so good that I am able to celebrate the support I've been shown by doing this giveaway. BIG THANKS to the wonderful sponsors who are participating in this event with me!

So what are you waiting for? Go to my {FB FANtastic Giveaway Celebration album} and check it out. It's easy to enter to win some seriously great prizes! The giveaway is open until Thursday, March 17 (Happy St. Patty's Day!) and I will announce the winners here on the blog, to abide by FB rules.

Good luck!!

Check out this giveaway from Cool Kids!

There is a really cute giveaway going on over at one of my most favorite blogs, Cool Kids. The Ticky Tavy Etsy shop is giving away a super cute Spring Chicky Dee tutu outfit (size 4/5 toddler)! Isn't it ADORABLE?

Go HERE to enter the giveaway!!

Thursday Friends Cafe Blog Hop!

I just found this fun little blog hop hosted by Menopausal New Mom!

Grab a cup of coffee and take a look around!!

Need some blog help, friends!

I'd like to liven this place up a little and I'm asking for YOUR input, please!!

I'd like to join some blog hops and memes or things along those lines. I'd like to post more frequently. I'd like to post more personal stories, etc so you can get to know me and I can get to know you guys! Basically, I'd like to make this a more interesting blog! So please, comment with some suggestions on hops, weekly memes, etc that you love and that I can join!

Also, I'd love to review your business/products here, so if you are interested in doing something like that, please let me know! In the past I've done swaps and reviews with others and it's been a lot of fun and I've made some great friends. It's a great way to spread the word about yourself and gain new fans as well!

So there ya have it - a challenge to you, dear reader!! :)

XOXO,

March for Babies - donating to a worthy cause!

The March of Dimes March for Babies is coming up in the next few months. I have a dear friend who's daughter Julia Grace, was only with us for 4 short months before she was called to heaven. Julia taught us many truly important lessons in her short life and I am so thankful for everything I learned from her. While I am unable to participate in my local walk this year, I am planning to make a personal donation, as well as donate 10% of All You Need Designs Etsy Shop March sales to this very worthy cause.

The March of Dimes champions the needs of moms and babies in our community and across the nation. The money raised for March for Babies will help:

- support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects
- educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby
- provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care
- push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children

I hope you'll consider making your own donation as well. Every dollar helps!!! THANK YOU!

Two Great Giveaways!!!

I'm currently participating in two great giveaway celebrations on Facebook and I encourage you to check them out!

The first one is from Beachside Treasures - she's celebrating reaching 500+ fans on Facebook, which she accoplished in a really short period of time. Visit her facebook album to enter to win my Inspire Rainbow Bookmark (pictured to the right here).

The second one is from justpoppy - she's celebrating reaching 2500+ fans (what a great accomplishment!) - head over to her facebook album to enter to win a $5 gift certificate from my shop, to use as you choose!

To enter either giveaway, you do need to be a fan of my Facebook page, so if you're not already, be sure to become a fan today! :)

Both giveaway contests have a lot of other great shops participating as well, so you can enter to win a lot of wonderful prizes!!!

Happy Sunday!

All You Need Is Love!!!!! (and a sale!)

Valentine's Day is Monday! But it's not too late to order custom photo Valentines! Now through Sunday all of the Valentine designs in my Etsy shop are 20% off! There is still time - order now and I'll have your file to you in less than 24 hours. Then you can have them printed at a local one hour photo processor and VOILA - adorable, personalized photo Valentines! What are you waiting for?? :o) XOXO!