Giveaway Day: May Sponsors

It's giveaway day on Smile and Wave which means ONE HAPPY COMMENTER will win ALL OF THE GIVEAWAYS BELOW! A few of this month's sponsors are generously offering items ranging in value of $25 - $50 to a lucky Smile and Wave reader. Read through and see how you can enter to win.

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Gingiber

"Hi, my name is Stacie and I run Gingiber, and online nursery decor shop. I love to create doodles that will appeal to both the kiddos and adults in a home! I am super excited to be giving away a $25 credit to my shop!

Giveaway: $25 shop credit

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Arian Armstrong

Arian Armstrong is a wife, mommy, drawer of cute things, experimental chef, crafter, and lover of all things vintage.

Giveaway: 3 prints of the winner's choice, value-$45

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Green Dandelion

Hi!! Green Dandelion is a very new business set up by three sisters Lauren, Jess and Tatum to create and sell clothes, toys and accessories for children (sizes 2-12). With a love for thrifting, a majority of our pieces feature upcycled and vintages materials found on our treasure hunts.

For us the ultimate goal is to be a 100% ethical, fair trade, organic company catering for adults and children in all sizes. If you have any questions or want to work together to create a custom order, email us on info@greendandelion.com.au and together we can work something out.

Find us on our website Green Dandelion and from there you will find links to our online store, facebook and twitter.

Xxx The Green Dandelion Girls

Giveaway: $50 gift card to Green Dandelion

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The-Loudmouth

Hi! My name is Stephanie. I'm a small-town girl who recently moved to Los Angeles with big dreams & a zest for life! I have a blog about food, fashion and city adventures at The-Loudmouth.com and an Etsy shop that showcases my photography! I am sure one of these prints would look great in your home :)

Giveaway: Your choice of 5 prints, valued at $25.

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No Ordinary Mommy

Hello! I'm Faith, designer and creator behind OrdinaryMommy. My line includes hair accessories, jewelry, and home decor pieces full of color and soft textures; intertwined in all of my designs is a love for fun, style, and also my unique perspective! My fondest wish is that my pieces make you smile. If you open that package and there's a smile on your face, that's what really matters to me.

Giveaway: Plush Owl Door Hanger shown above. Valued at $25.00.

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One winner will receive ALL of the giveaway items mentioned above!

TO ENTER TO WIN leave a comment below sharing something you love about the handmade community. Short and sweet or long and wordy! The comments will close on Monday and a winner will be announced soon after. Thank you to all the sponsors that joined in on this fun giveaway!

Also, I'm making the move over to a new blog soon. I'm MORE THAN A LITTLE excited about this space getting a fresh look! If you'd like to join Smile and Wave as a new summer sponsor check out this post for details.

xoxo,

Rachel

April Sponsor Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who commented and shared their favorite thing to collect in last month's sponsor giveaway post! Also, a big thank you to all of the sponsors who participated!

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The winner of the April Sponsor Giveaway is...

Cece's Mommy

"I collect salt and pepper shakers, the cuter the better!"

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Cece, e-mail me with your mailing address at racheldenbow(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll be sure to send it out to my sponsors so you can receive all of your goodies!

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. Today is the last day to Vote on the Top 25 Kids' Style blogs! Thank you for the big vote boost this morning already! Even if you've already voted there are a ton of blogs to browse through and add to your inspiration list. I've already got some new favorites. Thank you!

Misha Lulu Giveaway Winner!

The Misha Lulu giveaway winner is...


Ana said...

Karen is so talented. My favorite activity is making crafts outside in our yard and also watching my 4 year old daughter water our plants and flowers. She loves to do that.

Congrats, Ana! Please be sure to e-mail me so I can pass it along to Karen. Thanks to everyone who took time to enter this fantastic giveaway!

xo,

Rachel

April Sponsor Giveaway!

It's that time again! Time to see what some of our sponsors have in store for one lucky winner! Check out their shops, see what they're sharing, and find out what you have to do (below) to enter to win. All my thanks!

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Pretty Things by Meg

"hello, my name is meg, and i'm the owner/designer behind pretty things by meg, a collection of vintage-meets-modern jewelry. if you take a peek at my shop, you will quickly see that i love color.

i also love using a variety of materials in my pieces, including linen, antique bronze, vintage glass beads, and chiffon. hope you find something you like!"

Giveaway is for $25 shop credit.

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Chrissy Gemmill Jewelery

Hello, Smile and Wave readers! My name is Chrissy Gemmill. I am a jewelry designer, teacher, wife and mom to a sweet 2 year old boy! I have a blog where I chronicle my little world through my journey as a self-employed girl living in the beautiful historic town of Frederick, MD. I also sell my handcrafted jewelry on Etsy!

My jewelry collection, which includes layered chains, chain mail, sterling silver skulls, owls, flowers and lockets, upholds the delicate balance of femininity and edge. Reflecting the past, my line also includes vintage chain, antique buttons, beads and skeleton keys. Naturally oxidized by time, the re-purposed materials I use are combined with oxidized sterling silver to reveal modern vintage jewelry.

My giveaway item is these little Lotus Flower Earrings. The earrings are handmade in sterling silver that I oxidized. The retail value of these earrings is $46.

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Red Ribbon Fox

Hi there! I'm Heather-- a wife, a crafter, a blogger and a rogue ballerina! Lilac & Lace is my little corner of the internet where I share my daily escapades in the slums of Beverly Hills. I like the color of eggplant, holidays, sparkles and making tutus.

I am honored to be sponsoring Smile & Wave this month! I am the proprietor of my very own Etsy shop, Red Ribbon Fox, where I sell handmade tutus, hair accessories and all kinds of pretty things for ballerina's (or wanna-be ballerinas) of all ages!

Giveaway is for a $25 gift card to my shop, Red Ribbon Fox.

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Apple Blue

Hi there! My name is Amanda and I'm the proud owner of Apple Blue, a cute little online shop filled with vintage goodies and handmade creations. I also have a fun blog where I write on topics like small business, tutorials, DIY and the life of a creative entrepreneur.

I am passionate about giving old things a second life and empowering people to start their own small creative businesses. I'm one girl with many dreams. I hope you'll stop by Apple Blue and say hello... I have lots of incredible things planned for May and I can't wait to get started!

Giveaway: $25 credit to the shop and surprise gift.


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MadeYaLook

Madeyalook is pleased to be able to offer these vintage Northern American Beauties as a sponsor giveaway for April. I understand the marketing of these prints made the sale of Northern skyrocket back in the late 50's and early 60's.

These 4 girls are in the original package, measure 11 x 14, and I don't think they have ever been framed. These are just a taste of vintage offerings from MadeYaLook.

Retails for $40+.

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Gadanke

Start celebrating your story with a Gadanke journal. After all, your story matters!

At Gadanke, Katie hand-crafts each book of writing prompts. You'll find inspiring diaries, baby books, travel journals, books for kids, and very soon - recipe journals!

Each book is built with 100% recycled paper, textured European paper, pockets, library cards, and embellishments that are just perfect for documenting your world. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll never forget.

Giveaway is for a $25 gift certificate to Gadanke.

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Marysza

Hello there! I'm Agnes - a redhead student of Business English,
loving art (all kinds of art and creative people), nature, books, films and video games! Addicted to sewing and creating. Recently selling unique notebooks and dreaming all day long.

Giveaway is for the handmade notebook above.

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For your chance to win, leave a comment sharing something you collect! Make sure to leave a way to be contacted if you win. Giveaway will end on Saturday.

If you're interested in sponsoring Smile and Wave, we are accepting last minute sponsors for May. E-mail admanagers@frecklednest.com.

xo,
Rachel

Misha Lulu Giveaway!

Wearing Misha Lulu not only makes your kids look adorable, it makes them smarter. True story.

Me: Hey, Ruby! Where's Madagascar?

Ruby: It's East of Mozambique, mother dearest.

Me: Hey Ruby, what does the zebra say?

Ruby: Zebra's don't talk, Mama!

Karen of Misha Lulu is generously offering a pair of the green shorts and tiger shirt (shown above on the lovely Penelope!) to a lucky reader! Sizes run from 12-18 months all the way up to an 8 and I can speak from experience saying Misha Lulu's pieces are extra special. They are interesting, well made, and super fun to mix and match.

For your chance to win, leave a comment sharing your favorite spring time activity as well as a way to get in touch if you don't have an active blog. Giveaway will end on Sunday, April 24th.

If you haven't already seen Misha Lulu's newest lines, Africa, Paris, and New York, you'll want to browse through and check out their loveliness! There's also a Surplus Store with clearance items from previous lines in case you missed out the first time around.

xoxo,
Rachel

4,000 Followers Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who has followed Smile and Wave through Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin', Feedburner, RSS feed or any other method you like. I appreciate how precious blog reading time is and I love that you choose to head this direction on a regular basis. Thank you!

Now for our winner!

with love, the fishers said...

Yay! My name is Dena & you've been a daily read of mine for 2 years and I've loved every last bit of it. Congrats!

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SO, 'with love, the fishers', e-mail me with your full name and mailing address and I'll send you your complimentary High Five print from Pretty Little Thieves! (racheldenbow(at)gmail(dot)com)

xoxo,
Rachel

Crafting with Kids Book Review & Giveaway

Thursday afternoon I started a little craft project to entertain us all. I've been flipping through Jennifer Casa's new book, Teach Yourself Visually Crafting with Kids, ever since it arrived earlier this month and got excited about this fridge magnet match up right away! While Ruby was distracted with her snack I snuck into the studio to make sure I had everything I needed on hand for this quick project.

I located one of my favorite photos of Sebastian from when he was two and a half years old, my sticky magnet paper, and my paper cutter. It literally took me three minutes to round this stuff up and have it finished. I imagine doing this project with Sebastian would take longer but I'd love to see what photos he'd pick out and how we could mix them all up to create hybrid faces. Ha!

It wasn't long before Ruby found me. She decided to lay down on top of my project like a cat might. If it's soft, she's laying on it.

I had her follow me back into the kitchen and stuck the magnet pieces on the fridge while I called Sebastian in to see. He told me he was busy. Yep. Busy.

No problem. It didn't take long for Ruby to figure out that the image was scrambled and after watching me put it back together and scramble it again, she got the idea.

Here she is pointing out Sebastian's nose.

And showing me where hers was. I let her play with the pieces for awhile and rearranged them for Sebastian. I found him in there later staring at it and then suddenly his little hands started to rearrange the photo to it's original state. He couldn't help himself. I love that such a simple, visually interesting project is going to keep us entertained for awhile. I think we'll have to do mug shots of everyone and see how many combinations we can come up with!

I've admired Jennifer as a crafter, blogger, mother for almost four years now and wasn't surprised in the least when she shared this exciting project! She's got the kind of gentle spirit that stirs up the best in other people. Her interest in not only passing on a love for creating to her girls but teaching them lessons through play encourages me regularly to take advantage of this time with my own little ones.

Her book contains 75 projects organized by season as well as a list of tools you may need and ways to alter the projects for different ages. A few of my favorites include the flash card case (above) and the family sign (below).

It strikes me as such a great resource book to have on your shelf for rainy days when you can't think of anything obvious to keep the kids entertained. I can see home school families using it to enrich their curriculum or camp counselors who are planning craft time. It's well organized with easy to read instructions and in many cases, step-by-step photos to help you along the way.

Neither of my kids are old enough to read but I have a feeling Sebastian could easily handle some of these projects without much assistance. Ruby, well...she'll just have to enjoy the ones I make for her to play with (Lift-a-Flap Storybook, Story Puzzle Blocks).

Jennifer and Wiley Craft are offering a copy of Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crafting with Kids to one lucky reader! Leave your name and a comment about a project you did as a kid that stands out in your memory. Winner will be drawn on Sunday, April 18th.

Keep up with the rest of the book tour and more chances to win below!

Monday, April 18 - Elsie Marley

Wednesday, April 20 - Maya*Made

Friday, April 22 - Stitches in Play

Tuesday, April 26 - Aesthetic Outburst

Thursday, April 28 - Artsy Crafty Babe

Congrats, Jen! It's such a lovely piece of work!
xoxo,
Rachel