We have a winner! Thanks for entering!! We’re very excited about this first giveaway from Krank Press. Krank Press is going to give one lucky winner a set of their adorable (and a bit funny) Yard Fauna Cards.
Description: Set of 5 different urban animals (all of whom have made appearances in our yard: raccoon, bushtit, coyote, kestral and baby opossum) letterpressed from hand-carved linoleum blocks onto blank A2 size cards (5 1/2″ X 4 1/4″), with 5 matching 100% recycled kraft paper envelopes.
Cute right?
Here’s how it works:
1. Head over to Krank Press and peruse their wares, SUCH AS THESE AMAZING CALENDARS!!
2. Come back here and comment on this post. Tell us the weirdest creature you’ve seen in your yard or neighborhood.
On Monday, December 14th at Midnight CT we will close comments and select a winner using Random.org! We have a winner!!
We’re PRETTY EXCITED!! If only we could enter… sigh. But you can (if you live in the US), so please do! And if you have some gifts to buy, please support these amazing sellers and buy handmade. YAY!
So… remember all the cool vendors that we mentioned meeting at Unique: Los Angeles last weekend? Well, a bunch of them have offered to do a giveaway here on Prudent Baby!!! We’re making it into a little event with a BIG name… The Prudent Baby Holiday Craft Bazaar and Giveaway Bonanza! We have 5(and counting) giveaways for y’all and we will reveal one each day until we run out. We might even throw in a few prizes of our own.
My Turn, my turn! Here is a list of my favorites and I didn’t even get to the books! Listed are a few things that I can’t live without and a few things from my own wish list.
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers Before my wedding people told me I would never use a stand mixer. WHAT!?! I use it ALL THE TIME. If a mixer is on your wishlist, explain that the COLOR is very important, I’m just saying.
Wool Blend Felt Need I say more? Just take it out every once in a while and pet it and tell it how pretty it is.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens This little lens is the BEST for low light situation and getting that short depth of field (blurry background) that is so gorgeous for portraits and still lifes.
Happy Tape I WANT! So cool for card making and gift wrapping.
And also, we added a little Amazon banner over there to the right, listing some of our favorite crafty goods. It will change as we discover new things. We do receive a percentage of the purchase price because Amazon is cool like that.
Wondering what to get for someone crafty this holiday? Or what to ask for? Why, let me help you. We get asked a lot what kind of equipment we use, so I’ll share my picks and Jacinda will share hers soon as well…
1. A sewing machine. When you trade in the borrowed/hand me down for a new machine you will discover that most of your sewing issues were the machine, not you! (note: if sewing in a straight line is an issue for you this tip totally works). I adore my Brother Innovis 40 sewing machine and highly recommend it (thanks mom!), but it’s more expensive and only available at dealers, this one will do the job for the average sewer and if you learn to love sewing, it has enough features to stick with you twenty years.
2. A jigsaw. Don’t be afraid of it. It’s inexpensive and easy to use; it allows you to cut wood into any shape you need. A world of possibilities will explode inside your brain!
4. A serger. If you’re ready to take the next step, want to make garments with finished seams, or sew with jersey, it’s time for a serger! Unless you are planning on becoming a professional you don’t need a really fancy one, I have this one and it is really wonderful for under $200.
5. A powershot staple gun. A staple gun is an invaluable tool for everything from upholstery to flower arranging. This one is special because the action is reversed, you push into the staple so you get polished results without sore arms.
6. A Home Letterpress Kit. This is a new product that allows you to create letterpress cards at home. Imagine the cute gift tags and cupcake toppers…I WANT ONE!
7. A digital SLR. If you have a kid every minute you don’t have one is a wasted opportunity for recording his or her tiny amazingness! It’s a big investment, but if you are a crafter it also pays off in great images of your stuff, and if you sell your crafts, you NEED one – sales will take off with images like these. I chose this particular camera because it also takes HD video (and I paid a lot more for it then it’s selling for here!).
Fat Quarter Bundles so you have a selection of craft-size fabric at the ready when inspiration hits (hello, who wouldn’t want a bundle of Paula Prass as a gift???):
French doors are a bit of a curtain conundrum – if you use hanging curtains on a rod above they’re always in the way when you want to go in and out, while off-the-rack French door panels are usually really plain and snooze-worthy. I had these John Robshaw designed panels from Anthropologie leftover from our old house, so I decided to chop them up for the doors leading from our master bedroom to the back patio and do a custom french door panel tutorial.
Surprisingly I think it was the quickest project I’ve done yet.
One of our adventures this weekend was to the holiday craft extravaganza, Unique Los Angeles. So much fun! Here is some of the amazing stuff that we came across. Buy Handmade, yay!
Ex libris anonymous – recycled book journals. This is my notebook of choice for the past few years AND they make a great gift.
Jaime and I both found these ADORABLE hand-made dollies from lil sprinkle irresistible and each brought something home for a little girl in our life.
Oh Hello Friend had girlie vintage sweetness in earrings, pins and cake plates.
M. Sartin had these gorgeous cowls that I totally wanted.
I had to block Quinn’s eyes so that she wouldn’t demand some of these adorable booties from Tiny Whales on the spot.
Oli Bird had these adorable wooden dollies. I have total non-buyers remorse.
And Jojo’s Handspun Yarn had their spinning wheel set up for a demonstration. So cool! This yarn is dreamy, my friends.
And probably our favorite item of the day. This Southland Produce Calendar from Krank Press. I don’t even live in the Southland anymore and I still bought it because it was just that cool. And they get extra points for this adorable easy-sew pennant garland
And we can’t forget our lovely friend Kelly who was there with her gorgeous succulents!
And lastly a mystery! I liked this necklace so much that I took a picture of it but then walked away and couldn’t find it later when I came back. Isn’t it cool?
I was a cookie making maniac while in LA this weekend (we know how to have a good time.) Sorry about the kitchen Jaime! At about 1AM on Friday night, I was too sleepy to mix up some blue icing for these Hanukkah cookies so I experimented with Edible Color Markers. I had been wanting to try them for a long time. They are perfect for adding color when you just need a little accent! A mouth, a nose, a few polka-dots. I highly recommend adding a box to your decorating arsenal. Now Sweet Scarlet has a cookie a day for Hanukkah, if she can wait that long.
JoAnne Fabric occasionally surprises me with some really amazing fabric finds. When I saw this bright tulip cotton I was inspired to purchase a pattern and make a little holiday dress for Scarlet. The New Look pattern (#6926) was simple to execute and I would recommend it to a beginning sewer (as long as you have already conquered your fear of zippers). I purchased the actual pattern package but you can download it here. I’ve never tried a downloadable pattern, have you? What’s it like?
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. I had been wanting to try them for a long time. They are perfect for adding color when you just need a little accent! A mouth, a nose, a few polka-dots. I highly recommend adding a box to your decorating arsenal. Now Sweet Scarlet has a cookie a day for Hanukkah, if she can wait that long.
