Winner - Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway for a voucher from Buyster Lighting!

Random.org chose comment number 6 as the winner, which was left by Alanna at Bobishi! Congratulations Alanna, and we would love to see photos of your new lighting, in your new house... or in the current one!

Manic Monday - Shedding some light....

I very grandly call my little office room "the workroom", or "the fabric warehouse". Or "the craziness that I try to get some work done in".

It is a small room, with dark corners - which just never felt particularly inspirational. But all it took was some new lighting! The addition of a simple desk lamp really improved how I felt about the room... now I just have to work on the clutter! (LOL - oops, did I just admit that?!)

My Manic Monday tip is to make a list of quick, easy, inexpensive ways that you could bring some order, or peace, to just 1 area of the house or office.

Some random ideas -

Add a basket, to collect bits and pieces together.

Get a paper tray, to organise receipts.

Tidy a space and move a pot plant to it, so that you can't put 'stuff' back there!

Add a lamp, or light to brighten a corner or work space.

Use rubber bands to tidy up electric cords (you know, fold them up into a bunch and put the band around to hold it together).

If you just make the list today, then you can start thinking about which ideas you might like to put into action. One little step at a time - today, just make the list.

Oh, and I have to tell you, because I am very excited... If you want to shed some light into a dark corner of your house, come back on Wednesday for some exciting news about a great way to get lighting, online at http://www.buysterlighting.com.au/ !

Winner!

Thanks so much to all who entered the caption competition - I had lots of laughs reading your very creative entries (which was exactly what I needed this week!).

I used random.org to select a winner, and the lucky comment is no. 7, which was left by Del!

DELiciousDesignz said...
Such cute pics Sasha - well we all know that boys need their "man cave"
.1. Ahhhh I have found my quiet little man cave.
2. Oh no, I guess I should have shut the door.
3. Oh well, looks like my time is done "Hi Mum"

I think Ryan likes his 'man cave' a lot! And I hope Del has fun choosing products to the value of $30, from Sasha Sews!

Competition!

I love this series of photos - they make me smile every time I see them! Another example of how raising this boy is going to be very different to raising Miss Naomi!

Now the competition .... leave a comment with a caption or title for one, or all, of these photos, and you are entered to win a $30 voucher from Sasha Sews! There is a new range of diary organisers, cosmetics / craft carry bags, car organisers and beautiful fabric baskets, to choose from.

For extra entries you can -

* Tweet and/or blog this giveaway;

* Follow this blog;

* Follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/SashaSews) for extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry).

A winner will be announced from your creative comments, on Wednesday, 3 February (Australian time).

October Competition.... name my new design!

To see the October competition, you will have to duck over to my other blog, www.FusionFabric.blogspot.com

I need a name for my new original design handbag! Winner will be announced on Monday, so be quick!

AND the prize..... is your choice of either 50% off the price of this purse, OR the pdf pattern to create it yourself!

Can't wait to hear your creative thoughts.....

September winner!

Random.org spat out the number 3, and comment 3 was left by Deb at Two Cheeky Monkeys, so congratulations Deb, and now I am afraid that you will have to make a decision on what colour eco produce bags you want!

For anyone who didn't win, check all those bags (and real napkins!), out again at Love For Earth. They really are a great idea.

I am thinking October's giveaway will be in conjunction with my new blog, Fabric Fusion, so if you love fabric and free craft projects come over and check it out!

September giveaway (oops!)

September has seriously gotten away from me.... how can it be nearly October already??

Anyway, this has given me time to find a really really really great product to show you, and to feature as my September giveaway.

We are all using our re-usable shopping tote bags, right?? RIGHT?? LOL. Well, when I remember to take them out of the boot of the car, I am. But what about all those little plastic bags that you put your fresh fruit and veges in? What do you do when you get home? Put the fresh produce in the crisper and throw out the bags. Ick, what a waste.

Well, Kara at Love For Earth has the perfect solution -- re-usable drawstring net bags, to put your produce in at the supermarket!

Have you ever seen fruit and veges looking so snazzy as this? And these are just my photos... wait till you see the ones on her site!

I bought the full set, in rainbow colours (because I couldn't choose from all the lovely colour options!). There are 7 bags, of varying sizes, that are great for every kind of fruit or veg.

I get comments every time I use them, and best of all, Miss Naomi (who can be difficult to keep entertained while shopping) loves to hold the free little tote bag that comes with them, and dish me out a bag for each fresh item that we choose. So while helping the environment, these bags also keep the kids entertained!).

Now the giveaway - I love them so much that I am giving away 1 full set of eco produce bags! Just go and visit Kara's shop at www.loveforearth.net and come back to tell me what colour bags you would like to win! This giveaway is open until this Friday evening (Australian time), when a winner will be announced.

Extra entries are available if you blog, twitter or facebook about this giveaway - just leave a separate comment for each entry. Oh, and if you buy something from Kara that is worth 5 entries, so let me know about that too!

And the Winner Is.....

Random.org spat out the number 6, and comment number 6 was left by Deb. Congratulations Deb, I will contact you to send out your prize!

Deb also has a beautiful Etsy shop, selling her handcrafted jewellery. Check her out at www.dspdavey.etsy.com . I love love love her English Rose bracelet.

Thank you for your patience, everyone. We had a great holiday, although after 4 days in the car with the kids (2 down, 2 back), we felt like we had come home to have a rest! And yes, I will assault you all with our holiday snaps, in due course!

August Giveaway - Travel Pack

In honour of our upcoming holiday (woo hoo!! - I just discovered that the resort has a KIDS CLUB!! And they take children from 6 weeks up!), the August giveaway has a travel theme.

You can win yourself a sweet little make-up travel pouch, which has a zip closure and is made from lovely fresh pink poppies fabric.

And to make it really useful, I am adding a travel size tube of "Relax" scented moisturising cream, and 2 handy dandy travel-size liquids containers (perfect for shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, washing liquid, shower gel etc). They come with a set of labels, so you won't forget what the goo inside actually is! (Don't want you washing your hair with the sunscreen).

Of course, if you don't think you'll win this give-away, you can always acquire your own zip make-up travel pouch, over at Sasha Sews!

You know the deal - leave a comment, tweet / blog / FB about this give-away, and leave a comment for each extra entry. Oh, and anyone who buys something from Sasha Sews will get 5 free entries to this giveaway too!

Random.org will draw a winner next Wednesday, 19 August - while lazing on a beach with a cocktail. Mmmmm.... strawberry daiquiri. Yum!

And speaking of give-aways, you see this here handy craft tote?? I WON IT!!!! Yes, I entered a bloggy give-away over at Life of Lyssie and I won! Oh, I have such big plans for this tote. It is going to be toted to my patchwork group every single week........ But I am going to have to keep it under lock and key. Brad wants to 'tote' his drinks and snacks to work in it, and Naomi has already started 'toting' her hair ribbons, clips and brush around in it!

Delicious!

Here is a beautiful, luscious, delicious giveaway for you to put your name in for.

Erin at Inner Earth Soaps is giving away 2 -- yes, not 1, but 2! -- bars of luscious handmade soap. In flavours of Choc-Mint and Blackberry Oatmeal. Sounds good enough to eat!

I don't know why I am telling you this. I don't want you to win - or even to enter, as that will diminish my chance of winning!! But if you feel so inclined, go to Inner Earth Soaps for your chance to win!

Oh, and I will be announcing my own August give-away tomorrow (when the light is good enough to take a photo!).

July give-away Winner!

Congratulations to Johanna of Joyous Treasures for winning the gift voucher from Right As Rain Creations!

I hope you enjoy Megan's delicious products!

Any ideas for what you would like in the August give-away? I have some thoughts, but would love to hear what you want.

Or if anyone wants me to give-away one of their creations - I will look into anything (anything that I am happy for my 2 year old to see, that is!).

July Give-away - Right as Rain

Here it is - believe me, the July give-away is worth the wait!

In the spirit of the huge Christmas In July sale that is on at Etsy for the next 2 weeks, I am featuring a delicious Etsy store, for the July give-away.

Did you miss out on the Total Pamper Box? Feel like you could do with some pampering of the yummy products kind? Well, look no further. Right As Rain Creations is the store with all your body products catered for.

I love the sound of the Chai bath soap
Lavender skin salve, perfect for gardeners and those of us with very dry skin (like me).

And who can resist Strawberry Cheesecake flavoured lip balm?!?

All of the products are handmade by Megan, with love. And I am giving away a $10 gift certificate for her store!

All you have to do to enter is to head on over to Etsy, have a browse, and come back here to tell me the name of a store that you love. I am always on the look-out for other beautiful handcrafting stores, so tell me which ones you have found - and what it sells.

Extra entries will be given for blogging, facebooking or twittering about this give-away (stop back here to leave a separate comment for each time you do one of these).

Have fun! The prize will be drawn on Sunday, 12 July (Australian time), and the winner announced that day. Happy browsing - I hope you find something lovely!

Drumroll...................................

Wow, is it just me or was June a long month?? I have had so much fun picking the things to go into the Total Pamper Box, and thank you all so much for entering! I numbered all the entries in order, and random.org tells me that the winning number is 24.

And comment number 24 was left by ................ Nikki at Nikki's Notes! Congratulations Nikki - email me your address so I can post your goodies out to you! (through my profile).

The July giveaway prize will be announced soon!

It's my Birthday - and you are getting the presents!

Thank you for your lovely happy birthday wishes. In fact, the actual day is today - 29 June. We celebrated yesterday, though, as Sweet Hubby leaves for work at an unbearable hour of the morning, and I wasn't going to do present opening with my eyes still gritty with sleep!

But today I turn the big 3-2. Yep, my twenties is fast receding over the horizon in the rear-vision mirror. Sigh. I have a good friend who describes himself as being "29G". He has been 29, 29A, 29B, 29C ....

However, I recently read that a survey showed women in their 30's to be the happiest, most self-assured, and content, of all the age groups surveyed.

So today I have happily, with great assurance and supreme contentment added the FINAL ITEM to this month's Total Pamper Box giveaway.

A delicious tube of bath and shower gel, from Maddigan Australia. Even the design on the tube looks gorgeous!

So the Total Pampering Box now looks like this. This is the last item to be added to the box. A winner will be chosen on 1 July (Australian time), by random.org, from all of the entries received this month. So you only have a couple of days to get those last entries in, for the chance to win it all!

Pampering is ... a good book

Total pampering requires quiet time with a hot cup of tea, chai or latte and a good book. Maybe it's just the thought of the peace, quiet and time to myself that makes this sound so appealing.

This book combines two of my favourite treats - reading, and chocolate. And why not read about it, while eating it?

I have added my very gently used copy of Chocolat by Joanne Harris, to the pamper box today, so leave your comments to rack up some more entries. Only 1 more Monday in June left!

Pampering by candlelight

Here we are at Week 3 of the Total Pamper Box giveaway. Now, I can understand that not everyone likes lavender soap. But there is chocolate in there too, people! For now. Until I have a bad day.

When I pamper, I like to do it with attitude. Erm, I mean, mood. Mood lighting that is. I love candles. Sweet Hubby knows if I am having a good day, as there is a candle burning somewhere in the house when he gets home. Perhaps I should turn that around, and light a softly scented candle when I am having a tough day, instead. Something to pick up my attitude. I mean, mood.

We have a shop in Australia called Dusk. It is on my all-time favourites list. You know the kind - they play beautiful soft music, have delicious faux (because these are better than just 'fake') flowers, and the staff all wear very simple but classy black aprons. Oh, and they sell divine candles, oil melts, candleholders etc. Luckily for my credit card, we now live over an hour away from the nearest Dusk store.

But today, for your scented candlelit pleasure, I have added a very delicate vanilla and spice-scented candle to the Total Pamper Box. Leave your comments to enter, and don't forget to link back here, for extra entries. The Total Pamper Box giveaway will be drawn on 1 July.

And after all, everything looks better by candlelight.

Total Pampering with Lavender

After a long weekend (thank you to the Queen, for giving us her birthday to celebrate with a public holiday!), I am having trouble getting it together. The camera's battery is dead, as a result of many photos taken on the weekend (will post as soon as it is re-charged!).

In the meantime, you will just have to imagine the delicious feeling of soaking in a tub, or under a warm shower, with some lovely lavender soap to foam your cares away. I have added a bar of lavender scented soap to the Total Pamper box, so leave your comment on this post, and you will be entered into the draw. And the best part is, this soap is sold to support research into Leukaemia and other blood disorders, so I have donated on your behalf, by buying the soap.

(And yes, this photo is the evidence that the packet of TimTams has survived the week - but only by being stashed on the top shelf!)

Remember, you can enter again every week, when a new item is added to the box. You also get additional entries for blogging, twittering and facebook'ing about this giveaway, with a link back here. Just leave extra comments with the links, so I know to add in another entry for you. All entries accumulate until the prize is drawn on 1 July.

Good luck!

Company Girl Coffee

Mmm... it's been quite a while since I linked up for coffee on a Friday. What a wonderful feeling, to be back sipping a warm drink with friends again.

It has been a week of changes. I have just moved to this blog (from Cherished Moments). For some reason, the name was just getting too soppy sweet and schmaltzy for me, when my life is anything but. I am a fairly practical person, and I want my blog to reflect me... whoever that is, this week! I am going to concentrate on posting about my cooking, sewing, kid-raising and life in this lovely small town that we have moved to. I adore country living, and find myself just feeling.... happy.

I am also starting to hosting a great monthly giveaway (see the side-bar to enter). You can come back and enter every week, to win a box of total pamper goodies that will be posted right to your door, anywhere in the world. Draw will be made and winner announced on 1 July.

Other than that, I have been busy with the usual things - toddler to entertain, baby to feed, both kids to snuggle and hug - and rouse on occasionally. What is it about a 2 year old? How can such a sweet looking thing just push my buttons sooooo bad???

I am very excited about getting Sasha Sews up and running. I have posted some advertising buttons on big-time blogs, so hopefully you will see them around the blogosphere (and click on them too!!). Also, look out for a review of one of my bags, and a great giveaway, coming up at the end of the month, by Kristen at We Are That Family.

My favourite Small Thing for this week has definitely been doing something with a book -- gee, what a tough chore to FORCE myself to read my book, while feeding Ryan.

Rachel Anne wants to hear our ideas for long holiday entertainments (I won't say 'summer', because it is now officially winter in Australia!). So here are a couple of links to my posts this week on Playdough fun and some great activity resource websites. I hope they help in keeping your little darlings smiling over the school break!

Better go - Ryan is crying and Naomi is telling me "Mummy, Wyan cwying..." .... Just in case I hadn't heard him!

June competition - Win a Total Pamper Pack

I have decided to spice things up around here. Or was that just the Satay chicken wings that we had for dinner?

Anyways, I thought that a monthly competition / give-away would be a nice way to send loving vibes to my bloggy friends. And perhaps, just maybe, to get all you lurkers to leave a comment and make me feel loved ... (are you still there, lurkers?!? Please don't be frightened away. This is a totally non-committal type blog!). I just love getting comments, fan mail etc!

This month is a Blog Box giveaway. I saw the concept on someone's blog a while ago (and with my sincere apologies to whomever it was -- I can't seem to track you down again, but will be happy to give credit if you can find me!).

The theme for this month's box is Total Pampering - because who doesn't need a little bit more of that, right?

Each Monday in the month of June, I am going to add an item to a box I have sitting here beside my laptop. I will then post about it to let you know what piece of deliciousness has been added to the Pamper Pack. At the end of the month, I will randomly draw a winner from the millions of comments that I just know will be left.

There are plenty of ways to rack up lots of entries, so do any or all of these:

1. Leave a comment - and you get to leave a new comment EVERY SINGLE WEEK! Yep, you can enter again for each Monday, until the end of June.

2. Extra entry for blogging about this give-away and linking back here (leave another comment with the link, so that I can add the extra entry credit).

3. Twitter and/or Facebook about it, and again, leave another comment here to get your extra entries.

So, by my calculations, every week you could have 4 entries, if you comment, then blog, twitter and facebook about it!

The first item in the box is a plastic packet of total decadence. For those from overseas, you may not have heard of TimTams. They are heaven in a little plastic biscuit tray. Seriously. I believe that wars may have been fought over them.

The latest addition to the TimTam family are TimTam Crush Mint Crisp biscuits. And I have snared a pack (from my local supermarket). They could be all yours, to do with as you wish. I have a friend in the UK who stashes TimTams in her bathroom cabinet and eats them, while in a steamy hot bubble bath, with the door locked to keep out prying family members. I told you - total decadence.

My advice is to leave a comment and get your first entry in very quickly - so that I will feel guilty if I eat them myself! Otherwise, I'm telling you, they won't last a month in this house.

Don't forget to stop back every week and enter again - when there will be more scrumptious things in the box.

Photo title winner

Thanks to Aimee for her very witty title of the photo in this month's competition! Considering my maritime profession and a general love of boats and the sea, her title of "The Poop Deck" was very appropriate and made me laugh out loud.

So Aimee, email me on sgp_davidson (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au with your address, and I will post you out a delicious serve of my handmade lemon myrtle and rosemary bath salts.

I am going to be having monthly competitions / giveaways, so check back regularly to see what is happening!