Strocel.com | Giveaways

Crafting my Life: The Giveaway

Amber on January 8, 2011

As I like to point out every 15 minutes or so, I’m hard at work creating an online course on living with intention called Crafting my Life. The class lasts 12 weeks, and you do it in your own time, at your own pace. This snazzy video explains more:

I am in the thick of writing, shooting videos, conducting interviews and talking about the class to anyone who will listen. It’s a big, huge deal for me, and I’m immensely proud of how it’s shaping up.

The first session of the class launches on January 15. If you’ve been toying with the idea of taking it, now’s the time to jump in. Registration is easy, and all the cool kids are doing it!

I’m hoping to make the whole process a little bit easier for at least one person, by giving away a free course registration. If you’re one of the fabulous folks who has already registered, you can choose to give the registration to a friend, or I will refund your fees and give you the course for free. So, really, you have nothing to lose by entering my little giveaway.

You may be thinking, “Sounds cool, Amber, but how do I enter?” I’m so glad you asked. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. You can say anything that you want, but what would be really great is if you told me what you plan to do this year to change your life for the better. Just leave one comment per person, please.

But that’s not all! You can get a bonus entry by subscribing to my Crafting my Life email list. To do that, visit Crafting my Life and enter your info on the right where it says ‘Subscribe’. If you’re already on the list, you’re already entered. You do not need to leave an extra comment, or anything like that. Through the magic of technology I already know who’s on the list.

Hopefully, this is all clear. I will close comments on this post and choose the winner at 9pm Pacific time on Tuesday, January 11. Good luck!

The contest is now closed. Congratulations to Leslie, who subscribes to the email list, and got the lucky number!

Tagged With: Crafting my Life, Giveaways

Hopscotch Kids

Amber on July 24, 2010 37 Comments

A few weeks ago I talked about painting my son’s toenails pink. The backstory is that I received some Hopscotch Kids Nail Polish from my friend Sue at Raspberry Kids. The sample was given to me for free, in exchange for writing about it here. Which I am about to do. Disclosure: accomplished.

Anyways, back to my story. I got the little bottle full of bubblegum pink-ness, and of course my daughter Hannah and I tried it out. And then my toddler Jacob got in on the fun. In the end three sets of toes and one set of fingers were painted. The instructions with the polish said that you should clean and buff your nails first. We did not. We are rebels that way. We applied only one coat, and then we played in the grass. More rebellion.

Hannah’s toes

In spite of our rebelliousness, the nail polish lasted pretty well. After a week there was some chipping and fading, but that’s been my experience with pretty much all nail polish. I would say that its drying time and length of wear were pretty typical. It’s been 3 weeks since I did Jacob’s toes, and there are still polish remnants on him. It behaved pretty much like regular polish, but it is not as scary as regular polish.

The people who make Hopscotch Kids say that their polish is completely safe and non-toxic. I am not really qualified to judge their claim, but I can tell you that it doesn’t smell like regular nail polish. In fact, it smells sort of like water colours, which I guess makes sense considering that it is water-based. It didn’t emit fumes, and I really appreciated that, especially because it was going on my kids. My daughter Hannah loves nail polish, so having a safer option is awesome.

My feet, evidence that I am not so good at getting the polish in the right spot

Along with the polish, I received a sample size bottle of polish remover. My experiences with the remover were less positive. On the upside, it is free of the scary chemicals that traditional polish removers contain. But it didn’t do a great job of removing the polish. For my kids it wasn’t a big issue. Their polish seems to wear off faster than mine, probably because they are far more active in general. Also, they don’t really care if there are polish remnants. But for me, it was a bigger deal. I don’t really enjoy the half-polished nails look, and I had to use a lot of remover to avoid that.

Hopscotch Kids is geared to kids, and for kids I think it’s a good solution. I certainly feel more comfortable with it than with whatever we find at the drugstore. My kids love the vibrant colours, too. For adults, though, the ineffective remover is a bit more of an issue. I understand that Hopscotch is working on an adult line, so perhaps they will work out their polish remover with that.

Polish and remover

My friend Sue kindly gave me a second sample size polish, remover and emery board to give away. The polish is bubblegum pink, which is the same colour we used. If you would like a chance to try it, leave a comment on this post sometime before 6pm Pacific time on July 26. I will draw one winner at random – people anywhere in the world can enter, one entry per person. UPDATE – The contest is now closed, congratulations to Melodie, our winner!

Tagged With: Bloggy McBloggerson, Enviro-Mama, Giveaways, Reviews

Toy Bag Giveaway

Amber on July 26, 2009 4 Comments

Yesterday at 6pm the draw for one of my toy diaper bags closed. In total there were 44 entries – 35 commenters and 9 email subscribers. I went to random.org and generated 2 random numbers between 1 and 44. The results were 4 and 23, making the lucky winners Michelle Kent and Kelly@ Parenting Princesses.

Thanks to everyone who entered. And remember, if you didn’t win one of the bags I sewed, I did make a handy sewing pattern you can use. It’s also located in the sidebar under (conveniently) ‘Sewing Pattern’. Just click on the button to access it anytime.

As for me, I am now working on baby blankets. I am the appliqué queen these days, I love making pictures using fabric.

Tagged With: Giveaways

My Toy Bags are Super Cool

Amber on July 18, 2009

Did you know that sewing is all the rage? Well it is. It’s all part of the earth-friendly, simplify your life, do-it-yourself movement. I’m not the only one who thinks so, either. Newspapers and magazines are featuring articles on the Threadheads and sewing green. And sewing studios are opening up across the US (And maybe Canada? A girl can dream).

You all know that I am nothing if not a trend-setter. I got into sewing some 3 1/2 years ago, and even design my own patterns. They’re not always appreciated, it’s true, but you do what you can with what you have.

Anyways, since I am such a trendsetter I thought I’d spread the coolness around. I am sharing my toy diaper bag pattern with you here. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into it, so I really hope it’s intelligible. Like I said, you do what you can with what you have.

“But Amber,” you may be saying, “I would rather eat dryer lint than sew! And who has that kind of time?” To you I say read to the end of the post because I’m giving away a couple of the bags I sewed while writing the pattern.

Toy diaper bags in the sunshine

Toy Diaper Bag Pattern

When finished these bags are 10″ wide, 7″ high, and 4″ deep. The accompanying change pad is 9″ x 11″. They have one pocket inside, making them a really great size for a kid to cart around. They also make a nice purse or bag for an adult, so if you want to use them that way you can just skip the change pad.

Click on the toy bag pattern PDF for the materials list, pattern pieces, and assembly instructions. I know the file is a little big, but it has lots of photos in it as part of my effort to provide clarity. If you really, really want this pattern but can’t download it let me know and we can work something out.

Back of a change pad

Giveaway

Edited: The giveaway is now over. Thanks for participating!

These are the bags that are up for grabs (click for larger image):

Good luck, and happy sewing!

Tagged With: Crafts, Giveaways, Sewing

Diaper Bag Giveaway

Amber on February 1, 2009 1 Comment

So, yesterday evening I tallied up all of the entries in my diaper bag giveaway, and headed off to random.org. The internets worked their magic and came up with 3 numbers. The lucky winners are:

1. Dayna, who chose Bobby Socks and Lime Green.
2. Tressa, who chose the Brown Floral.
3. An email entry, K, who by default received the Pink and Brown bag.

I was thrilled for the winners, but I found myself wishing I had something to give everyone who entered. I was actually disappointed for each of you when your number didn’t come up. All of your kind words were read and appreciated, and really meant the world to me. So thank you very much for that. I think I might run another giveaway in the not-so-distant future, as soon as I’ve recovered from this one, so keep your ears on Good Buddy.

Tagged With: Giveaways

Who Wants a Diaper Bag?

Amber on January 17, 2009 25 Comments

The contest is now closed. Thanks to everyone for your interest, and congratulations to the winners!

I used to sew baby carriers and diaper bags. I gave it up when I was expecting Jacob, primarily because of time constraints. And while all of my baby carriers have found good homes, I do have several brand spanking new diaper bags. More than I need, or could really use.

I’ve been staring at these bags for a long time. I couldn’t decide what to do with them. I’m trying to perform a post Christmas de-clutter, but I don’t want to just chuck perfectly good bags. Then it occurred to me – I have approximately 3 blog readers, and 3 diaper bags. Do I smell a match made in heaven? I’ll do a giveaway!

Click on photo for larger image

These are messenger-style bags with velcro closures and lots of pockets. They measure 16″ x 11″ x 4 1/2″, and are machine washable. Each one also comes with a 15″ x 18″ change pad.

If you would like me to send you a diaper bag, leave a comment or email me at amber [at] strocel [dot] com (with the subject header “Diaper Bag Giveaway”) before January 31, 2009. I will pick someone at random. The winner gets first choice of the three bags pictured, and I will give away all 3 provided that I have enough entrants. If you live very far away, I may ask you to chip in for postage, but I am willing to send the bags anywhere.

And remember, there’s nothing that says these bags must be used for diapers. They’re roomy and pretty and can fit all kinds of things. So, you know, even if you’re not at that stage in life don’t leave me hanging. Please enter. I would hate to throw a contest and have no one come.