If you read the comments section here, you may have noticed that I had the good fortune to win an Artbeads.com gift certificate from Dawno's blog (thank you, Dawno!). And perhaps you're sitting there thinking to yourself, "Gee, some free bead money would sure brighten my holidays." Well, now's your chance to win!Artbeads.com has generously provided this blog with a $25 e-mail gift certificate to be awarded to a reader. How do you enter the drawing? It's very simple. Just post in the comments section with a story about your favorite homemade gift -- it doesn't have to have been a Christmas gift, any occasion is fine! -- and make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win. Contest runs until 11:59 pm MST on Saturday, December 19th. I'll randomly choose one entry and contact the winner on Sunday.
This contest is open to US residents age 18 or over who are not personally related to me (got to keep things on the up and up, after all).
If you want to win even more free bead money (and really, who doesn't?), you can also enter Artbeads.com's $100 gift card give away! It's being run through Facebook, so you may need to be a Facebook user to enter.
My favorite homemade gift is from a christmas when I was a child - my mother spent WEEKS handcrafting tiny little cans and boxes and vegetables for my "store": they had only managed to get the money to buy a small toy cash register and the goodies that went with it were out of reach, yet she was determined that I would have it for christmas. So they used some money from an old Monopoly game for the register, and made everything else from scratch. The coolest mom ever.
ReplyDeleteOkay well, I'm not one to pass up a chance for free beads! My very favorite homemade gift - actually I have 2, one comes out at Christmas every year - it's 2 Styrofoam cups wrapped in foil with red ribbon to look like bells. It was made by my son when he was 5 - he's almost 33 now. I treasure it. The other is also by him - a plaster cast of his hand when he was 6, another school project that I treasure, it hangs in my office.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season AJ! Thanks for the chance for more beads :-)
It's hard to choose! I love the vase my stepdaughter made me in her art class. And I also love the wire sculpture frog my son made. But probably my all-time favorite is the weird chameleon head clay sculpture my son made in art class his freshman year. It's not classically pretty, but it sure is striking.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gift was a clothes pin angel that my son made in 6th grade. It was the last of the gifts that he brought home from school. I still have it safely tucked away and he is 23.
ReplyDeleteMy second favorite handmade gift is the pair of slippers that Maia knit and felted for my birthday this year. Perhaps the most thoughtful gift that I've ever received.
I agree that NEDbeads mom is definitely the coolest ever. :)
Thatnks for doing this AJ.
Karen
In my family we often give each other handmade beaded gifts. One of my favorites is a planter filled with beaded flowers that my cousin made.
ReplyDeleteN has made some great ornaments that I'll always treasure, too. :)
My nieces made me a giant Santa Claus out of papermache when they were much younger, every year I put it on my tree in the front of course, it and give me warm memories whereever I am at and not by them:)
ReplyDeleteJolene
btw, this is extremely awesome of you for doing this:)
ReplyDeleteJolene
NEDbeads, that's a wonderful thing for your folks to do!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite homemade gift is a pair of earrings made by a craft challanged friend. She kept experimenting, trying to find something she was good at, when she discovered beads! I hadn't started down that path yet, and was super suprised and delighted she honored me with one of her first pair. And they are really cool!
ReplyDeleteredpot@comcast.net
my very favorite homemade gift would not be one that i personally received, but assisted my son in making... he was 11 and his baby sister was 2 and he wanted to make her a hobby horse. he picked out the fabric and trim and stitched and cut himself, with only a little guidance from me. it turned out great and she still has it 6 years later :-)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite homemade gift would be a beautiful placemat that my niece drew, and laminated. She made a list of all her favorite things on it .. really cute!
ReplyDeletehappy holidays!