Magic Sponsor Giveaway :: $50 Spending Spree from Sarah's Silks

Hi Friends,

I'm delighted to introduce a new Magic Sponsor... welcome to Sarah of Sarah's Silks. Below, Sarah answers a few questions and then generously offers a super $50 Spending Spree in her shop. Thank you, Sarah's Silks!

I have my own little silk story to introduce this lovely shop. Our family is moving into our new house at the end of June and I have slowly been going through the children's cupboards, boxing what we will be taking with us, what we will be giving to friends and what we will be donating. What an amazing thing it has been to take stock of what we have, what we need, what we have outgrown and what has become clutter. In this 'cleaning out' process I have had a basket set aside for all the silks I find throughout the house. I kid you not, we have 23 silks in the basket already. Ice blue, dark blue, sky blue, green, grass green, moss green, coral, pink, yellow, mustard, brown, tan, red, orange, purple, mauve... and the list goes on. Now, you would think that I would for sure be saying, 'What on earth do we need all these silks for?' And you would probably also think that some would be going into the 'donate' box... but, on this, Friends, you would be totally wrong! NO WAY would we be able to part with a single silk! Each one becomes an invaluable part of our week... Teddy flies with mauve silken wings, Kitty sets her tea table for her bunnies using a pretty pink silken tablecloth, Sonny and Ginger are put to sleep in silken sheets... they become green mountains for Kitty's fairies, brown deserts, blue lakes... each and every one of the 23 is played with, treasured and loved... some we have dyed ourselves, some been given, some bought but each one is as beautiful as the day we received it. Playsilks are magic!

So, without further ado, meet Sarah...

Who is Sarah?   Wife, mom of three sons, RN, LLL Leader, former Peace Corps Volunteer, Business owner, designer.

 

 What you do?   Mostly design new products, dye colors on silk, create catalogs, take photos, update our web site, take care of the house, the garden. 

What you sell?  Playsilks, dress-ups, simple open ended "toys" for free imaginative play

How did Sarah's Silks get started?  I wished to stay home with my son, loved making things for him to play with, and silk is just so easy to work with and beautiful!

What do you love in the world?  Flowers, colors, connecting with people, beaches.

What do you no't like in the world?  Wars, pushing kids too fast, scolding them harshly.

 What is your creative process?  My idea books are important to me. Early in the morning when I am awake and alone I sketch out new ideas, color schemes. There is quite a pile of these notebooks now. I treasure them and flip through them when I am designing new products.

  

What tools do you use for your craft?  Our laundry room sink, sharp scissors, needle and thread, silk, cotton, wool, wood.

  

Why are your silks extra special  Our playsilks are vibrantly colored, evenly dyed, safety tested, affordable and versatile.

What are your goals?   To make my blog more useful, with DIY toy making ideas, articles on play and brain development, study the healing powers of play on children who have suffered trauma. I am most proud of our playsilks being used by the Life is Good foundation for play therapy with abused and traumatized children all over the world. (Called Project Joy)

Here are Sarah's Silks important links:

Shop: http://sarahssilks.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarahssilks

Blog: http://sarahssilks.com/blog

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/sarahssilks

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sarahssilks/

Thank you, Sarah... and welcome. I love the quote you use as your email signature -

"With time and patience the Mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown" 

~ Ancient Chinese Proverb

GIVEAWAY:

Sarah's Silks is giving away a $50 SHOPPING SPREE to one lucky winner. Will it be playsilks or butterfly wings or rainbow silks or magic wands or wizards capes?

Congrats to Danzel from Silver Shoes and Rabbit Holes... you are the winner!!! Hooray! Please can you send me an email with your contact details so that I can put you in touch with Sarah.

Sorry to all of us who didn't win this fabulously generous Giveaway. But don't despair too much... we'll be having another super Magic Sponsor Giveaway next month again.

Thank you to Sarah's Silks for giving :-)

To enter, simply let us know what you love about playsilks in the comment section of this post. 

You can earn 8 extra entries by...

1. Blog about this Giveaway so that others can learn about it too
2. Tweet about this Giveaway

3. Pin this Giveaway on Pinterest
4. Follow Sarah's Silk on Pinterest
5. 'like' Sarah's Silks on Facebook
6. 'like' The Magic Onions on Facebook
7. Subscribe to Sarah's Email list found on her blog.
8. Tell your friends about this Giveaway

Be sure to come back and leave a comment for each additional entry.

This Giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere - except me :(

The Magic Winner will be announced on Sunday, June 24.

Good luck, my Friends, and remember to support Sarah's Silks when you can. 

Blessings and magic, 

Donni

Skipping Stones Giveaway Winner Is...

Meg from Mega*Crafty. Meg, you are so lucky, you win this delightful Valentine's Sweetheart Broach. I am super jealous!!! But don't feel sorry for me, I have my Blue Bell earrings! Thank you Skipping Stones for such a beautiful gift!

So sorry to all of you who didn't win. Patti say's 'Thank You' for all of your wonderful comments. Thank you, Patti, too... I have bookmarked Skipping Stones for when I have a special gift to find or think I deserve something special just for me!

Blessings and magic.

Valentine Giveaway for the Mommies!

Have you noticed that I have a few new sponsors? You can see their gorgeous buttons to the right of this page. I can't tell you how excited I am to have them on board... their Etsy shops are magical! Have a look for yourself...

Each week, I will be introducing one of them. This week, I am delighted to present Patti from Skipping Stones Jewelry.

Patti's shop is packed with the most darling pins, broaches, earrings and pendants. I first noticed Skipping Stones when I was browsing on Etsy... browsing on Etsy is one of my favorite things to do! Yes... I put the kids to bed and then spend the next 20 minutes 'unwinding' on the pages of Etsy. I am always completely amazed at the constant artistry and creativity I find there, amazing creations made by people like us. For me, it is motivating and empowering to see how others have expressed their creativity. It drives me to do the same and I love it and am ever so grateful.

On one such evening, I stumbled upon this toadstool pendant...

I was smitten! Just look at it... it is truly delightful, isn't it. A little yellow toadstool in a bed of moss... you couldn't speak more to my soul if you tried. So, into Skipping Stones I went and spent the next 30 minutes exploring all of Patti's gorgeous creations. I loved her felt flower corsages too... the rich textures, the colors, the pretty embellishments.

And then I came to her nature inspired earrings. Look at these sweet Soleil Dangles... you'd just have to feel happy wearing these!

As for these little Blue Bells! Oh my gosh... don't you just 'have to have?'

I have asked Patti to set a pair like this aside for me as my Sister-in-law's birthday is coming up (Carrie, don't read this). My brother and sister-in-law lived in England for the longest time. Each spring they would take a trip into the blue bell forests. Have you ever been in a blue bell wood? It is pure magic! I have a photo of the two of them, sitting together, happy and smiling, in the middle of hundreds and hundreds of tiny blue flowers. They look like the King and Queen of the fairies. It is my favorite photo of them. In march, we are traveling to New Zealand to see them. It will be the first time I will meet my two nephews and I could cry just thinking of how I am looking forward to seeing them. I couldn't get a more perfect birthday gift for Carrie, could I?

So, lucky you... in celebration of Valentines Day, Skipping Stones is giving away this Old Fashioned Sweetheart Broach to one lucky reader. Isn't it beautiful?! It is made of a wool felt blend, filled with cotton batting and embellished with glass seed beads. It is such a pretty pink, so soft and gentle.

To enter Patti's Giveaway, please leave a comment at the end of this post. One lucky reader will be drawn and announced on Wednesday evening, 3rd February. The Giveaway is open to all international readers, so be sure to leave your comment, wherever you are. Once again, if you Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this Giveaway, let me know and I'll enter your name an extra 3 times in the draw.

Thank you, Skipping Stones, and welcome to The Magic Onions. Your shop is gorgeous and I'm sure there'll be many of us who send your link to our husbands, hoping for one of your beautiful creations for Valentine's Day!

Blessings and magic and GOOD LUCK to all!

Puzzled Winner...

Congratulations to Ivy from Into the Wind!! Lucky you... Mr Random Generator chose your number... yay!

Ivy chose the tree puzzle...

I don't have to tell you that I'm VERY envious!

Thank you to all of you who entered our Giveaway... I wish you could all win, really I do! Don't be too sad because Puzzled is having a HUGE sale right now! Pop on over to pick out your favorite puzzle.

We will be having another Giveaway next week so be sure to keep an eye out for it.

Thank you to Jeannette of Puzzled for a fabulous Giveaway!

Blessings and magic.

Last Day of Puzzled Giveaway.

Today's the last day of our Puzzled Giveaway. I will announce the winner this evening... enter here if you haven't already.

Blessings and magic.

Fantastic Puzzled Giveaway!

I am so excited... you guys are in for a special treat!! My sponsor, Jeannette from Puzzled, has offered to give one of you lucky readers a gorgeous puzzle.

The truth is that I have been coveting a number of Jeannette's puzzles for quite some time. Both of my children love puzzles. A favorite 'together' time is 'puzzle time'. We sit on the floor together with all of our puzzles strewn across the living room floor and do puzzle after puzzle. I love watching my children figure puzzles out. K has become really good, ever since she accepted my advice of completing the outside pieces first. I see how her confidence has grown as she is able to finish increasingly complicated puzzles. And then, Mr T shouts an awestruck 'Good One, K!' He has learnt to look for matching colors in the puzzle pieces and he now 'jiggles' the pieces together when he thinks they won't fit and is very proud of himself when they do.

I like the concept of puzzles too... that life is broken up into little pieces that all fit together perfectly. The big picture is only The Big Picture because all of the little pieces make it so. Each little piece is vitally important.

What I love most about Jeanette's puzzles is that they are so unique. They are customized to your own preferences... bright colors or plain stain, favorite shapes, she will even make you a puzzle with your child's name in it! And I just adore her 3D puzzles... they are such fun!

All of her puzzles are handcrafted by her very own hands. Each piece is filled with her own love and care. Her puzzles are hand-rubbed with non-toxic, water-based stain, so you can trust that no 'horrid stuff' will come off of them and onto your little love's hands or into her mouth. They are wooden, handmade, American, heirloom treasures that your children will love for years to come.

So... which puzzle is Puzzled giving away??? YOU have a choice! Jeannette has chosen my 3 favorite puzzles for you to choose from. What you need to do is pop over to her website shop, Puzzled. She has a special section in the task bar called 'The Puzzled / Magic Onions Giveaway'. Click on this and you will see the three puzzles that you can choose from. Oh, you are so lucky!!! When you have chosen which of the three you would want if you were the winner, come back and leave a comment on this post with your choice.

If you Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this Giveaway, let me know and I'll enter your name an extra 3 times in the draw. Please email me (my email address is listed in the sidebar) if you have trouble leaving a comment.

Puzzled is having a huge sale too, so, head on over for a look!

The Giveaway will end on the evening of Sunday 24th January. Random Generator will choose the winner and I'll announce it immediately. This Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.

Thank you, Jeannette, and Good luck to all!!!!!

Blessings and magic.