Monday, November 15, 2010

What's the deal with giveaways?

Good evening,
The thought occurred to me the other night as I was announcing the November giveaway that some of you may be wondering why I'm hosting them. I mean I'm not a shop owner trying to promote my products. The reason, dear readers that I do host these giveaways is to give you the opportunity to try some of the handmade products I rave about here on My Handmade Addiction. As you may have noticed, the shops that have donated their products are all shops that I buy from and love.

I suspect you'll love them as much as I do. If along the way you find that you like what I have to say here on my blog, it is my hope that you'll comment from time to time and share a bit of your own wisdom as well! 

That's all. I promise!  I'm not secretly peddling Ginsu knives (not that there's anything wrong with that, lol)!

~Deanna

Friday, November 12, 2010

Announcing November's Giveaway

Good evening all,

It's mid November....but November nonetheless. I'm SO excited about this month's giveaway!  Last year about this time I first "discovered" Bathhouse Soapery on Etsy. Founder Charlene Simon handcrafts her bathing luxuries in her lovely shop, Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium, on Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, AR. In addition to her brick and mortar and Etsy stores,  Char maintains her successful primary website  www.bathhousesoap.com.



I purchased...ahem...several products  from Bathhouse last year for Christmas.  Two of those items are up for grabs this month. I can attest to the incredible, mouthwatering smell of this scent. You'll feel pampered as your drift off to visions of the sweetest Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole that ever passed your lips!


 











Without further ado.....

The winner of the November giveaway will receive a 4.5 - 5.0 ounce bar of Sweet Potato Soap , a 5 ounce jar of Sweet Potato Sugar Scrub and a cream colored Soap Sack.


How to enter:
1) If you are not a follower of My Handmade Addiction please do so = 1 entry

2) "Like" My Handmade Addiction's Facebook site = 1 entry


3) Comment below with your current email address = 1 entry


4) Share a link this giveaway post on your blog = 1 entry 
* please comment again to let me know you did*


Many thanks to
Char for providing this month's
giveaway products!
♥♥♥You're a sweetheart!♥♥♥


Have a blessed and beautiful weekend all,
~Deanna

a new look for the winter

Hello Readers,
I hope you like the blog's new winter duds. It took a bit of time but it's the kind of tinkering I like to do. What do you think????

Have a lovely evening,
Deanna

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Christmas Carols: Part I: Etsy treasury: Silver & Gold

This is a little something I pieced together this morning to get you into the holiday spirit....yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet ;)

I'm back, baby!

Hello Readers,

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner", lol! Well, I put myself in the corner to attend to a few much neglected areas of my life. But I'm back now!

As you may have noticed, I've been missing from the blogosphere. I was wrapped up in end-of-the-season soccer activities, Halloween and household "stuff". Part of the household "stuff" I worked on was a major, and I mean MAJOR office cleaning and organizing task. I'm not exaggerating when I say the space was looking like a scene from "Hoarders".  I didn't plan to tackle this particular task on this particular day. Oddly, this is a strategy that has always worked very well for me. One day I walked into my office at about 11:00 AM and didn't make it outta there until I picked up my son from school.  It was very unplanned yet highly productive. I got through piles that have been in here for as many as seven years. This room has never, ever been this clean. A strange thing happened the following day.  I was drinking my morning coffee and I started peeking in the 3 hanging file cabinets and the drawers I keep my greeting cards, envelopes, stamps, address book...you know, the usual stuff in a desk. I could NOT help but start cleaning out and organizing there too. That is NOT like me. Now my office is actually a peaceful and inspiring place to be.

During this time off I've also been "percolating" on some things I want to share with you. Way back when, I used to practice mental health counseling. This was many, many moons ago. The clinic I worked for put together a kind of "how to survive the holidays with your sanity in tact" type of seminar that never came to fruition. Sadly, some 11~ish years later, the message is one that I believe many families, in particular mothers, would like to hear.  Instead of merely "surviving" the holidays, I'd like to take a much more positive, and upbeat approach, focusing instead, on ENJOYING the holidays. Don't laugh, it IS possible even for those of us who aren't Pollyannas! In the following weeks I will be sharing with you some ways to help you and your family enjoy the upcoming holiday season. I invite you all to weigh in on my ideas and to please, oh please, share some of your own personal wisdom on the subject!

Have a lovely Thursday,
Deanna

Monday, October 25, 2010

October's winner is....

I'm so sorry for the delay in drawing the winner for my October giveaway. My computer has a "bug" and is still "ill". On to the good stuff.

We finally have a winner....and the winner is:


A Greener Upstate

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you shortly!


Have a lovely evening,
Deanna


Technical difficulties briefly delay giveaway drawing