and the winner is...

We assigned each comment a number, and my lovely assistants wrote down the numbers on scraps of paper. Here's my girls showing off the winning number! The winner of two sets of my custom NestInk note cards giveaway is:

Suburban Prep!


Comment #10
Suburban prep said:
"These are wonderful. I like the Contemporary Cluster for my self and the Iris for my mother. My mother loves Irises and well she has been a great help for me this summer during some stressful times."


Congrats, Suburban Prep! Please email me to claim your prize!! Thanks to everyone else who entered the giveaway. More to come!

no more chemo - let's celebrate with a giveaway!!!

beautiful Audrey, age six

***This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much for entering!!****

Our sweet little friend Audrey is now six years old and is in the first grade. Sounds pretty normal, until I add the fact that she has just finished TWO YEARS of treatment for leukemia! She has a clean bill of health now. I can hardly believe that it's finally over. I'll never forget when my mom called me on the phone back in July 2008 with the news that Audrey had been diagnosed with leukemia. Our hearts broke. Audrey is one of my daughter's good friends, and Audrey's mom is one of my very good friends. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. At the time, it seemed that October 1, 2010, would NEVER get here. The end of her treatment felt so far away. But now, thanks to the thousands of prayers to a faithful God, and the capable, loving hands at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, she has completed her treatment. WOW!!

my card design called "happy"...NestInk

So, I feel like a celebration is in order! To celebrate, I'm going to give away some of custom embellished stationery...one set for you, one for a friend! There are three ways you can win:
- Please check out my shop and then come back and leave a comment telling me which style you'd choose for yourself, and which style you'd want to give to your friend.
- share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and be entered to win again (leave another comment to let me know)
- write a post about this giveaway on your blog for yet another entry (leave another comment with the link to your post)

You'll have until midnight PST on Monday, Oct. 11 to enter this giveaway. So start commenting!! :-)

"iris cluster" (close-up)

And YAY for being cancer-free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Love you, Audrey!!!! <3

NEW Giveaway Winner!!!

set of 12 custom notecards designed by Nesting Instincts

Well, I tried and tried to get in contact with "becky up the hill". She was randomly selected as my giveaway winner, but after giving her about three weeks to get in touch with me, I'm forced to select another winner. I just want to give a gift, here, people - is that so wrong (said in a loud, melodramatic whine)??

So, I randomly selected another name from amongst those who left comments on this post within the required time frame, and voila! The new winner is: Alesha, who said:

"Just a few ideas:"Paper, Quill & Ink""Quill to Paper""Paper Aviary""Paper Nest""Inking Nest""Paper Quillery":-)Alesha"



So, Alesha, I've left a comment on your blog (which appears to be brand new). Please email me to claim your prize!

And the winner is...

personalized notecards from Nesting Instincts

My husband just assisted me with the random drawing to select my giveaway winner! And the winner is: becky up the hill! Her comment was: "Hi, my best is # 1. Thanks for your wonderful contest!1. Nest Paperie"

Congratulations, becky up the hill! You win a set of 12 custom notecards, personalized in the color and with the wording of your choice. You need to send me your address as soon as possible and contact me with your color and personalization preferences. (I would email you, but your Blogger profile is not open for me to view.)

Thank you so much, friends, for all of your wonderful comments! Not only did you encourage me greatly, but there was definitely a crowd favorite for a name for my new stationery line - more of you loved Ink & Feathers than any other name! I had honestly been leaning towards Nest Paperie, which many of you loved too, but Ink & Feathers was the clear crowd favorite, once I added up the numbers. So I think I'm gonna run with it. Ink & Feathers it is!

I do have an honorable mention, however. Many of you came up with additional ideas for names - thank you - and my favorite suggested name was "Nest Ink" from Julia. It's a great play on words and it was very tempting to throw the other names out the window and make you all vote on this one again. So, Julia, I'm sending you a little gift too, to say thanks for your creativity!

Thanks again for participating in my little giveaway, everyone! This was fun!

Wonderful One Hundred - and a Giveaway!!

boxed set of custom stationery designed by Nesting Instincts

***

As promised in yesterday's post - Number One Hundred - I'm having a giveaway! Yay! Here are the details: Some of you super-observant folks may have noticed I recently mentioned working on my own custom stationery line for Etsy. It is still in the works, although losing my hard drive was a blow; I lost over 30 original designs that I haven't had time to recreate yet. But I'm shakin' it off, and I thought it would be fun to give away a set of 12 custom-designed notecards to one lucky winner. The winner will be able to choose one of the three designs shown below, or a combination of all three. Each card is hand-embellished with a brilliant Swarovski crystal, and will be customized in the wording of your choice...your first name, last name, or both, or monogram will be placed on each card. You can also choose the ink & envelope color!

Design #1: "Estate" - embellished with Swarovski crystal

***

These are pictures of personalized stationery I recently designed as part of a wedding gift. The couple's last name is on each card, in the colors of their wedding (blue, obviously!), and each is embellished with a Swarovski crystal. (Please forgive the blurry photos - we are in the market for a new camera that will - among other things - take great close-ups of stationery. I promise this stuff's not blurry in real life!) I'll be giving away notecards with these designs, but with the color and wording of your choice.

Design #2: "Line-up"

***

Design #3: "Vintage"

***

Here's how you can enter to win: help me name my custom stationery & invitation line! Here are my top three ideas for names:

1. Nest Paperie
2. Ink & Feathers
3. Nest Couture



I already have a favorite, but do you? Leave a comment telling me which name you like best, and you'll be entered into the drawing. And if you have your own suggestion for a name, I'd love to hear it! (You can see I'm playing off the whole "nest" idea because it will remain a division of Nesting Instincts.). The last day to comment on this post and be entered for the drawing will be Saturday, June 7.

I'm excited to design this stationery for one lucky winner! So please leave a comment!

Candle Giveaway Winner...

I put all the names in a hat, and last night my three-year-old picked one. (She had no idea what she was doing but was pretty cute doing it anyway.) And so, drumroll, please...and the winner is...

LAUREE, who had this comment: "My favorite candles are from the "Old Virginia Candle" company. They are made from soy wax (so they burn a lot cleaner) and come in these darling primitive looking jars. They burn cleanly and evenly and smell wonderful! They are a bit pricey purchased online, but I have recently found some for about half-price at HOME GOODS."

I may post a photo later of the cute little gift bag I put together with the candle in it. And, by the way, I discovered to my dismay that instead of it being a 26 oz. candle, it was only a 16 oz. candle!! Yikes! So I immediately threw in a second smaller Salt City jar candle ("Cappacino Brulee" flavor...yum) in addition to the Apricot Basil one to try to make it equal to what I originally posted. I can't believe I did that...I'll be more careful next time. Want to keep up the good rep. and all!

Thanks for playing, my friends, and I daresay I'll do this again in the near future...so keep reading...keep commenting...keep in touch!

One Day Left to win a Salt City Candle!

The Salt City Candle Giveaway is just one day away! Tomorrow I'll put everyone's names in a hat and let my three-year-old daughter draw one. (So if you don't win, you can take it up with her!) If you'd still like to enter, go to this post and add a comment, telling me what your favorite kind of candle is, and why. I'll announce the winner on Saturday morning. (Or late in the day Friday, if I just can't help myself.)

Also, coming this month...an interview with Portland artist Nancy Kremiller. I introduced her in the February issue of my E-zine, Feather Your Nest, as the Artist of the Month. Nancy will be giving us a glimpse into who she is, what inspires her to create, and what it's like to be an artist in Portland. She is already showing a generous spirit by sending me some of her handmade magnets as a "thank you" for featuring her in the E-zine. I am trying to act nonchalant about this, but really I am so excited to see them! Thank you, Nancy! (I'll post pics when they arrive.)

Okay that's all for now...until Friday's Fabulous Finds! See you tomorrow!

Salt City Candle Giveaway!!!

Here's a chance for all you "covert" readers out there to come out of hiding! I have a fabulous 26-oz. jar candle from Salt City Candles in the Apricot Basil scent that I would like to give away to one lucky reader. Just add a comment to this post, telling me your favorite kind of candle, and you'll be entered to win the candle you see here. My favorite candles, of course, are Salt City Candles, so I thought it only fitting that I give away one of my favorites here.

I will put all your names in a basket and draw one name on Friday, February 8, and will post the winner's name here.