Handbag Heaven is having a “30 Bags in 30 Days” Contest throughout the month of November.  To enter, you’ll need to provide your email address, which will put you on their mailing list, but you can opt out of the list at any time.  You can also earn extra entries by providing emails of your friends, but you can skip that part if you want.  I’m not affiliated with Handbag Heaven in any way — just passing this along (and increasing the competition!).

Wow, I didn’t realize I had been away from this blog for so long!  I really believed that I could continue to have a life while going to graduate school.  Keeping up with 2 blogs would be a piece of cake, or so I thought. What was I thinking?  Every day is filled to capacity with school and my usual daily chores.

 I did manage to get some sewing done over the weekend, including 2 dog beds and curtains for a solitary window.  But the rest of the weekend was consumed by software upgrades and reading assignments.  I’m afraid I have no new bags to show you at this time.  However, I need to make some gifts soon, and that means at least one new bag.

 Oh, and this grad school thing? It was an idea hatched in my husband’s somewhat sadistic brain.  And the dog bed project? Another idea from Daniel. What will he think of next?

 Since I have no projects to show you right now, I’d like to send you over to the Sewing Business Blog for a giveaway. Denise and Sarah are giving away a pair of 8” Gingher Designer “Sarah” Series Dressmaker Shears. These collectible shears have been discontinued by Gingher, and can be quite expensive if you manage to find them.  To enter, go to their blog post and leave a comment about a favorite fall or holiday project. The entry deadline is Saturday, November 28^th.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by and entered my OWOH giveaway. I enjoyed reading your comments (all 311 of them!).  I hope those of you who didn’t win here found some luck at one of the other 910 participating blogs.  To choose my winners, I used the random number generator at random.org.  The winner of the wristlet key fob is Vanessa from comment #281, and the scarf goes to Suzy, the 205th commenter. The winners have been notified, and their prizes will be on the way this week.  Vanessa and Suzy both have blogs as well, so be sure to take a peek at their lovely blogs.

Today marks the beginning of the One World One Heart Giveaway.  If you didn’t participate last year, let me tell you now, you won’t want to miss it this year. From now through February 12th, you’ll have the opportunity to enter hundreds of giveaways, simply by visiting participating blogs and leaving a comment.  The rules vary from one blog to another, so be sure you read each giveaway post for details. (Note: As of 5 p.m. on January 29th, there are 732 giveaways on the list. Amazing!)

 For my giveaway, there will be 2 winners, both drawn by a random number generator.  One winner will receive the wristlet key fob pictured above, and another will receive a 5-1/2″ x 60″ cotton scarf (also pictured).  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post (and this post only!) before midnight Central Time on February 12th, and you will be entered in the drawing.  Depending on how many comments I get, I may add a 3rd prize.  You don’t need to have your own blog in order to enter my giveaway, but you will need to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. 

When you leave a comment, there’s a space where you can enter your email.  I’m the only one who can see this, so don’t worry about it being posted for the whole world to see. Alternatively, you can provide the url for your website or blog (if you have one) in the space provided on the comment form, as long as there’s a way for me to contact you there.

I will draw the winner and notify her/him on February 13th.

OK, a recap of my rules:
1. Leave a comment on this post.  Don’t leave it on any of my other posts, because it won’t count.
2. Make sure you have a valid email so I can contact you if you’re a winner.
3. Comment before midnight Central Time on February 12th.
4. That’s it!

After you comment here, go over to the OWOH website for a list of currently participating bloggers. Be sure to visit their sites and enter their giveaways as well — no telling how many prizes you might win!

I’m having a giveaway on my other blog as well (Lenny da Vinci), where the prize is one of my embellished fabric pins, so be sure to stop by over there and enter.

If you’re not feeling lucky, or you don’t want to wait til the drawing, both the key fob and the scarf are also available, at the time of this writing, in my Etsy shop.

See you back here on Monday!

You can always count on The Apronista for some great giveaways, and this one is no exception.  This week, they’re sponsoring a giveaway from Originals by Lauren, over at Etsy.  All you have to do to enter is visit Lauren’s shop, choose your favorite apron, then go to the giveaway post at The Apronista and leave a comment about what you picked.  You’ll win your choice if you’re selected by the random number generator.  Hurry, the deadline is Sunday, November 23rd at 9 p.m. Pacific.

My favorite is the Michael Miller Rick Rack Apron. It’s just flirty enough, and I love the bright vertical stripes.  One of the best things about Lauren’s aprons is that the neck straps have d-rings for complete adjustability.  Lauren also sells beautiful quilts, jewelry, and other accessories, so there’s plenty to pick from for your holiday shopping.

Many thanks to all who entered my giveaway this week!  I used the random number generator at Violets Are Blue to pick a number, and the lucky winner of the embellished zip pouch is commenter number 7.  Congratulations to Daisy, who submitted the following comment:

“This bag is BEE-A-YOU-TIFUL!!! It looks like an exquisite sunset. Loooooove me some purple! I love the colors, the stitching, the shape, and the size. It would be my take-my-personal-stuff-to-work bag.

I just started a new job where I don’t have a permanent office. I just use various desks, so I would use this to put my stuff in that I would want at my desk: chapstick, mini-brush, ibuprofen (my very good friend these days), tweezers, nail clippers, and change.

But I would want to take it out a few times a day to show it off, so that’s why I’d put my things in there that I use at my desk.

I can imagine it already. Thank you!”

It was fun to read all your comments, and interesting to see what your bag needs are.  I discovered that there are a lot of you who need a “mommy-only” bag for tucking into the diaper bag, tons of you who need makeup bags, many who need craft supply bags, some who could use a bag for medications, and many more.  You’ve given me some great ideas for future bag projects. 

Daisy, your bag will be on the way to you this week. Hope you enjoy it!  And thanks to everyone for stopping by!

This week is the Fall 2008 Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival, and if you’ve never entered a giveaway carnival, you won’t want to miss this one!  At the time of this writing, there were almost 1200 opportunities to win something.  You’ll need to visit the participating blogs to find out how to enter each giveaway, so if you find the idea of visiting 1200 blogs exhausting, just go through the list and pick the ones that interest you the most.

For my giveaway, I’ll send one lucky winner this triangular-bottom, embellished zip pouch.  It measures approximately 4-1/2″ x 7″, is lined, has a ribbon and bead zip pull, and is sturdy enough to stand up on its flat little bottom.  And you never know, I might just put a little surprise inside (time willing!).  I’ll even pay for shipping.

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment on this post (and this post only!), and tell me what goodies you would keep in a zip pouch.  Be sure you leave a valid email so I can contact you if you win.  On Sunday, November 2nd at approximately 8 pm Central time, I’ll use a random number generator to pick a winner and will notify her/him by email. You don’t need your own blog in order to enter, just an email address.

If you enter a lot of giveaways, you can go to Bloggy Giveaways this weekend to see a comprehensive list of winners as they are chosen.  Good luck everyone!

EDIT:  It looks like the contest closed this afternoon when the website launched.  Good luck to everyone who managed to enter before then!  Even if you didn’t get to enter the giveaway, their website is definitely worth checking out, so get over there and buy yourself a new bag!

I love giveaways, don’t you?  Here’s one from Amy Quarry, whose beautiful blog can be found here, and her equally beautiful website here.  If you’d like a chance to win the apron pictured above, you’ll need to act fast by visiting The Apronista and following the directions in this post.  Entries will be accepted until 9 p.m. PST on Sunday, October 5th.

While you’re at it, head on over to Amy’s shop on Etsy, where you’ll find a lovely assortment of items made from recycled and repurposed materials.  Each item is at least 80% recycled, so your purchase will be both stylish and planet-friendly!