SSR: Challenge #3

Sarah Says Read Mini-Readathon Challenge #3!

SSR: Mini Challenge BONUS Challenge!

Hello to all you lovely readers that are participating in the Sarah Says Read Mini Readathon!

If you weren't already aware, I am Sarah's sister, Heather and I am hosting a bonus challenge here on my blog.

My challenge is a pretty easy one. I want to know if you own any book-related jewelry. And if so, what is it? I know that Sarah has quite a collection of Outlander related jewelry. I have a few pieces of bookish jewelry that I carry in my shop, which also means I get to wear them when I feel like it. :)

And, in keeping with my challenge question, the prize I am giving away to one lucky reader, is this "Bookish" hand-stamped necklace. It's paired with a swarovski crystal in the color of your choice - available colors are pale pink. purple, yellow, orange, lime green, blue, red, black or teal (pictured). Comes with a 24 inch vintage copper ball chain which can be cut to a shorter length if preferred.

So leave me a comment and let me know about your "bookish" jewelry!!

Sarah Says Read Challenge #2

Sarah Says Read Mini Readathon UPDATE:

I've finished "A Leaf On The Wind Of All Hallows" and have moved on to "The Scottish Prisoner". YAY!

Come back around 2:30 PM (EST) for a bonus mini-challenge hosted by ME!

Sarah Says Read Mini Readathon!

Hey everyone! Today is the day of the Sarah Says Read mini readathon!! It's hosted by my sister Sarah and I'm lucky enough to actually be spending the day at her house, reading with her! (How else would I get to do this with two little ones at home? LOL)

So here are my answers for her first mini challenge!

1. Tell everyone three random things about yourself:
- My favorite color is lime green.
- I love the tv show "The Walking Dead"
- I love to bake cupcakes and have been told that I should go on "Cupcake Wars"

2. Is this your first readathon?
No!

3. Do you have any specific goals for today? (# of books or pages to read?)
I'm planning to read the short story "A Leaf On The Wind Of All Hallows", start "The Scottish Prisoner" and maybe more!

4. Do you have any specific snacks, drinks, or books planned?
Yep, I made low fat banana bread, and mini coconut cream phyllo cups. Plus my sister is providing me with other goodies. :)

5. What hours do you plan on reading during?
10 AM - 10 PM (give or take)

Looking forward to seeing what all the other participants are reading! Don't forget, I'll be hosting a mini challenge later today! So stop back to play! :)

Happy New Year - Are you ready to get your READ on?

I have been a very neglegent blogger for the past several months but I have also been very busy!! However, it's a new year and time for a fresh start!

To kick things off this year, I am getting ready to do a mini-readathon with my sister over at Sarah Says Read. The readathon will be January 22 - so clear your calendar and go sign up HERE to participate! There are 5 mini challenges that you can participate in to win $5 Amazon.com e-gift cards! I will also be hosting a bonus challenge here on my blog. The prize for that is to be determined soon!

I promise to be a better blogger this year. Happy 2012!

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!