Friday, April 01, 2011

Sew Inspired Blog Turns 5! -- Giveaway No. 1

Hi friends! On April 5, my blog will be having a 5th birthday! I am really excited about this and have some giveaways for a few lucky readers... make sure you stop by every day for the next 5 days, ok?

First off though I'm going to get all reminiscent... how did this thing get started? Well I had a couple of blogs before this one; one was in 2002 when we lived in Oregon for the summer for my husband's MBA internship, with the idea that family could keep track of what we were up to. And then after that I kept a personal blog for a while but I wasn't ever 100% comfortable with the idea (or the name I had chosen) and eventually I scrapped (and deleted) it.

Then I wanted to start a blog again, and decided to focus mainly on my sewing and see how it went. I just glanced through all 20 of my 2006 entries, and isn't it great that people can grow and change? My writing then reminds me of how I write in my personal journal, and I think I write differently now. I guess I had no audience at first though, and now I do, and I try to keep that in mind. I was dabbling in sewing things to sell on etsy/ebay too, which I didn't enjoy terribly much. Also, not really quilting very much.

Anyway, probably my favorite post from that first year is in April (and it doesn't have its' own permalink, how weird is that?) when I was complaining about my second child giving up naps. I'm going through that now with my third child, but she's 29 months old now and he was 21 months old when he did this. Other than that, it's pretty much the same.

So... moving on to the giveaway!
Today's giveaway is sponsored by Sew Inspired Quilts in Nauvoo, Illinois. Please visit their website and see what they have to offer! They have generously donated 2 charm packs for today's giveaway:
Modern Workshop
 and 
Sherbet Pips!
One lucky winner will receive both charm packs. To enter, all you need to do is leave one comment on this post. I'd love it if you make it a little interesting, but you can go ahead and say "pick me!" if that's all you have.

Now for the fine print:
*This giveaway will be open for 3 days. I will close comments and pick a winner on April 3 at 10:00 pm central (or I might be a little late. It won't be earlier than then).
*You must leave me a way to contact you! If you are not sure if your email address comes through with your comments (I get them emailed to me), check out this excellent explanation on the Pleasant Home blog. If you want, you can include your email address in your comment. If I draw a name that has no contact information, I will pick another winner. 
*I will contact the winner on April 3 and also post the winner here.

**Thanks again to Sew Inspired Quilts of Nauvoo!

86 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy 5th birthday to be! I hadn't seen the modern workshop fabrics before but love their geometry. And the pips I have been hankering after for some time now!
Fingers crossed (hillwards AT gmail DOT com)

Sew Create It - Jane said...

Congrats on your upcoming 5th birthday!
Please add my name to the hat...I'd love to have a chance to play with those fabrics!

SoSarahSews said...

Isn't it funny how going through the same things with each child is so new each time? I seem to forget between them.
Anyway, congrats on the birthday!

A.J. Dub. (Amy) said...

I haven't ever seen Modern Workshop before. I'll have to go poke around to see what the line is all about. Thanks for the giveaway!

Mary said...

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. What a neat idea, a giveaway for each year. Please include me in the contest.

Judy V said...

Happy 5th Anniversary/birthday. Love the charm packs. It would be fun to win them. Thank you for your blog. I really enjoy it.

B. said...

What a great achievement! Congrats! Now for something interesting . . . . lets see, how about a joke from my 4 year-old. What is a tornado's favourite game? Twister!

Miss Shelly said...

If I win, will you make something for me with the fabric?

You're amazing.

sookhyun said...

lovely! congrats on your anniversary. susan.h.hwang@gmail.com

Karen said...

Happy 5th Birthday! When I go back and look at things I've written in a journal or letter, I'm amazed at how much my writing and handwriting styles have changed. Thanks for your contributions to the quilting world! Thanks........

Karen said...

Happy forthcoming blogiversary! My youngest son is 3 and for the moment he likes to sit and watch me sewing... p.s. pick me! :o)

Michelle Bell said...

Happy Blog Birthday!! I hope I can do something fun for mine.

Those are cute fabrics! And thank you for the link to Pleasant Home-I am no longer a 'no reply' blogger! :)

Oh-one more thing---pick me!!

Sharon said...

Wow, five years? Happy anniversary! Those charm packs look very fun.

(logian@aol.com)

laura capello said...

happy five years!

time certainly flies, doesn't it?

Jen said...

Happy 5th! Those charm packs are so cute! I'm actually in the process of doing one of your quiltalongs with a Moda Wee Woodland jelly roll - it's going to look funky (hopefully in a good way!). Stay inspired!

-- Jen

Lindsay Conner said...

Turning 5 is fun! I'm also linking up your giveway at http://www.craftbuds.com/giveaway-roundup/

Mary Anne said...

Hey Vicki!

Your blog and I share a birthday! Happily, there will be no "5"s in my age...not for another 2 years and 4 days at least...after that, I'll have a decade of "5".

I love seeing what you're up to - and even better is the fact that I can see your work in person at our KC MQG meetings.

Linda at Roscoe's Ma said...

Happy fifth blogaversary!!! I like how you are celebrating with us with a cool giveaway! Thanks you! Best wishes for many more years of sewing fun!

Erin @ Why Not Sew? Quilts said...

Happy almost 5th blogaversary! I enjoy your blog and I love your header! I think I may have said that before!? :)

Kelly said...

Oh, the things I could do with those charm packs!

Kate S. said...

Congrats on 5 years, very impressive! The charmpacks look great, thanks for the chance to enter :)

Pepe said...

Congrats! Thank you for this pretty giveaway... my mail is on my profile!

erica christensen said...

Congrats on the 5 years! I'm better at reading and enjoying blogs than writing them. Thanks for all the work!

christensen.erica.l.b@gmail.com

Jenny said...

wow Sew Inspired Quilts has lots of great michael miller fabrics to pick from! congrats on 5 years...that is alot in blog years!!!

AnneMarie said...

Congratulations Vicki! What a milestone! So glad to have featured you on Gen X Quilters - you are a great inspiration in blogging for a long time. Thanks for sharing your creativity with us!

Nadilah Sungkar said...

Congrats on 5 years!, If I win I will make a quilt for my daughter. I'm a beginner and would love to win...Thanks for a chance!

Jodi said...

How times flies even more when you have little ones to take care of! Good for you - enjoy! I have a five month old grandchild who I just adore and can't believe he's been with us almost half a year already! thanks for the chance!

Sonia B said...

Happy Bloggerversary! Thanks for the chance!

Sara @ Sew Sweetness said...

Congrats on your anniversary! Wow, 5 years!!!! That's amazing!

Judy said...

Oh, I saw these in a shop a couple weeks ago and thought they were super cute. I kept walking but I would sure like to win them.

Jennifer said...

Thanks for the giveaway!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations and keep up the great work so I can continue to learn from all your wonderful posts!
Laurel@johnsonnorthwest.com

Katrin said...

Congrats for your blog anniversary and thanks for the giveaway!

Caroline @ Artfully Caroline said...

I'm stashbusting (see challenge @ The T-Shirt DIaries) so I'm not supposed to buy any fabrics, but I'm sure it's ok to win some :)
Happy bloggiversary !!
artfullycaroline{at}gmail{dot}com

Joy said...

Happy 5th! And thanks for including us in the celebration!

If you're looking for interesting, check out the Top 10 Worst April Fool's Day pranks at http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/worstaprilfools.html

lesthook said...

Happy 5th! How about my 5 year old grandsons comment yesterday after sneezing? Oh! He said, I didn't see that one coming! He makes me happy. Pretty fabrics make me happy too!

Dina said...

Congratulations on your upcoming 5th Anniversary!!! My favorite tutorial is your binding tutorial. I am not a quilter, and this helped me so much when I started making doll quilts :) I refer to whenever I am binding (cause I have no memory) and it's great! Thanks for the great give away chance :)

amylouwhosews said...

wow!! 5 years!! I love it! And yes, that sherbet pips is adorable. I'll take it thank you!

Congrats on all your work!

Audrie said...

Congrats Vicki!!! 5 yrs isn't anything to sniff at!

Something interesting... Umm... nothing interesting goes on here haha So pick me and I'll have something interesting to tell you! LOL!

Jane said...

The Modern Workshop is really enticing. First time I've seen it. Will have to investigate further. Congrats on the anniversary & thanks for the giveaway!

Jennifer D said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vail said...

I so enjoy reading your blog. you have some great tutorials and make the prettiest quilts. Thanks for having this great giveaway to celebrate your anniversary.

vail in tn

Jennifer D said...

happy happy 5th blog birthday! thank you so much for your tutorials. im new to the whole quilting scene and the tutorials have helped me greatly. :)

Anonymous said...

HAPPY 5TH !
SWEET GIVEAWAY!
THANKS FOR SHARING!

jldouglas@wispwest.net

Mandy said...

5 years...thats fab...congrats...now...seriously...i need to win this...i need something new to inspire me to get sewing...our winter is coming up and some new little bits would be fabulous...hugs...xxx

krisgray said...

5 years?! Wow! Besides a celebration for readers, are you having a celebration for the author?

Catskill Quilter said...

I love that you are talking about your blog's beginnings! It is a good way to celebrate #5...but then of course if you continued the thread as you approach #5 that would be great!
bethmcdonald89@yahoo.com

Kim said...

Five years- wow great job!

Alisa said...

Five years is a very long time! I've been reading for about a year. I enjoy it! Thanks for the giveaway!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Oh Wow - Congratulations on FIVE YEARS Vicki! That's quite an accomplishment if you as me!

Anonymous said...

Five years, wow to go, love your blog and all your ideas. Pick me.

Rebma said...

Whoohoo! Happy 5th Birthday! :D
Thanks for the giveaway.

magma.bebe@gmail.com

happy said...

happy birthday!! thanks for the giveaway!!

Cheri C. said...

AND, on April 6, it will be the 14th anniversary of my 29th year (you can figure that one out). So, I think this would be an AWESOME birthday present - better than those coupons for a birthday dinner!!!

DianeY said...

I didn't know blogs existed in 2002! And I can never have too many charm packs, especially when they are so cute!

Amy said...

Happy 5th! Its been fun reading along, looking forward to reading more to come!

amy(at)accidentalcrafter(dot)com

VickiT said...

Happy 5th Birthday and many continued years of more success in your blog. Ok ? Where's the cake? LOL

Those are both awesome fabric lines. I love the vibrant colors in Modern Workshop but equally love Sherbet Pips. Very cool. Thank you and Sew Inspired Quilts!

I know my email is linked but to make it easy on you ........

vburr at charter dot net

lej619 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lej619 said...

Happy 5th Birthday! and may you have many more.I love your blog.
HAHA as i type this i look down and see your march 30th blog and notice that you don't always follow the rules, yeah you!!! What i refer to is the quilt you have laid out on the floor, 3nd row from the bottom, the yellow square and now i see the gray/black square are slightly different! yea! you!!
I ,also will leave my email here
quiltingbug619@yahoo.com or you can us the other one also.
thanks for the chance to win the charm packs!!!

Jill said...

I agree with you about the dumbing down of quilts. Quilters do what they love (and have for ages) and making any quilt is an effort of love and we all benefit abd learn from that. It takes a lot of thought, energy and effort to make them all. None of that is dumb! Congrats on your 5th anniversary. I would love a chance to win those charms.

Anonymous said...

Happy 5th birthday Vicki. Keep writing and sharing your thoughts and talent with us. I have learned "sew" much!! Thanks for such a fantastic giveaway.
Christine M. luv2sew50@yahoo.com

Sharon@LoftyQuilts.com said...

The most fascinating women I know are the ones that work to evolve into their best selves.
You go girl because you are one of those Fascinating women, looking forward to the next five.

Patty said...

Happy blog anniversary! I am 5 months into blogging myself. I enjoy it. Still a small follower list but at least someone is looking at what I am creating. My family's 'oohs' and 'ahhs' aren't always sincere. Not because they aren't great people - they truly are - but their excitement over new fabric does not come anywhere close to mine.

Tina said...

such cute fabric.

Unknown said...

Happy 5 years Vicki! Such a huge accomplishment :) Have fun with your celebration here!

Tylynn said...

WOW! 5 years is awesome! I love browsing your talent. That is why I get NOTHING done! Way to go!

razberiswrl said...

Congratulations for completing your 5th year of this blog. I love reading, and have found lots of useful information and great ideas here. Thanks for the chance to win!

Jessica said...

congratulations on 5 years! what a great accomplishment, and how wonderful to have that record to look back on. these charm packs are both calling my name - thanks for the generous giveaway!

jesshea(at)gmail(.)com

Julie said...

5 years...congratulations! I love the charm packs. Thanks for the giveaway

jsample@pixius.net

Tam said...

Congrats on 5 years. The Modern Workshop looks interesting. If I don't win, gonna have to purchase. Already in love with the Pips. BTW, enjoyed your blog about dumbingdown quilts. I thought you handled that very well.

Anonymous said...

Oh very cool! Happy Blog Anniversary~ and thanks for the giveaway chance!

Cara said...

I've been focused on creams and browns lately, but I do love the colour and whimsy in both of these charm packs. :) Happy 5th Anniversary!
P.S. I can really relate to the whole idea of trying to find the right blogging fit. I've started many blogs over the years, and I still don't feel like I've found the one that's really me. But I'm working on it.

Kim U said...

I love this charm pack and really appreciate all the links you put in your posts. It is nice to see exactly where to find things.

Oh pick me.

Kim Uhrich
kcu14@sbcglobal.net

jan said...

Congratulations on 5 years! I have discovered your blog recently (through one of the other talented Kansas quilters, I think) Anyway, I have been inspired by your blog and I appreciate the effort that you make to share with us! Thanks for the opportunity to win one of these charm packs!

Patty said...

congratulations on your anniversary. Sherbet Pips is one of my favorite lines.

Sweetester1 said...

Congratulations. 5th years is a long time to write your thoughts & ideas. I wish you many more!

Cheryl
sweetester1@aol.com

The Hungry Crafter said...

5?!?!? WOW -- congratulations! Here's wishing you many more!

Ersula said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nicole said...

Congrats on 5 years, thanks for sharing your craftiness with the world!!

susan said...

how exciting to have 5 yrs on your blog. congrats! i have had a number of blogs over the yrs too but i seem to post less with each blog. great giveaway. i will have to check where nauvoo is, as i live in illinois but have never heard of it!

Judy said...

Congrates to five years! I have signed up for your news letter and for the sponsor of the nice charm packs. I have visited their store and think its very nice. Thank you for aa chance to win and a store to visit.

Jacque. said...

Wow...5 years! Congrats!

I, too, started my blog when I moved...as a way for my family and friends to keep up with my news (not that it was all that exciting).

That was before I got back into sewing...and before I became addicted to quilting! Thanks for the chance to say, 'pick me!'

Deb said...

Happy 5th Blogiversary!! how exciting! I love both of the charm packs you are offering and would love to make a quilt from them...two different ones of course! :) debgiro at wildblue dot net

Anonymous said...

Congrats on 5 Years! Love me some pips. Thanks for the chance to own some.

JuneBug said...

Excellent giveaway! It's nice to see that you've got staying power - 5 years is a long time! I've been blogging for about 4 and it seems like it's flown by, but then I see people who've been doing it for only a year and they're so together... It's a big bloggy world out there, huh?

Rainy said...

5th anniversary is celebrated with wood, not sure how yo can tie this in to quilting other then a nice quilt rack made of wood, anyways congrats, keep up the good blog.