Panda Pillow?

Thanks to Akiyo from the lovely Etsy shop, "My Dear Darling," I got to be a part of giving away the adorable panda pillow in the picture above! I support buying handmade, and shops like hers on Etsy are great ways to do that. If you missed the giveaway, you can read about it here.

Who Won!?

Random.org says entry #42, which is Carolyn, for her comment on 2-Week Meal Planning. Congrats, Carolyn, and I'll get you in touch with Akiyo so she can send your prize your way!

How Can I Win?

Every month during 2009, one SimpleMakes reader will win a prize from one of the generous sponsoring shops. All you have to do is comment! (More details in each month's contest announcement post.)

Look out for my next post, announcing an exciting giveaway for March!!

How Can I Sponsor?

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me with your shop name, proposed giveaway item, and preferred month for giveaway (if any). I'm looking for a shop to give away an item each month in 2009, and will mention your shop's name and link in each post that month.

Enjoy Valentine's Day with your tastebuds and your crafty hands! Here are some treats & meal ideas from the kitchen, plus craft ideas to share.

Snacks: Sweet Snack Mix from scrumdilly-do

Drink: Healthy Strawberry-Banana Smoothie from SimpleMakes (er, me!)

Dinner: Candlelight on a Budget from MyRecipes

Dessert: Valentine's Day Treat Hit List from TipNut

Handmade Valentine: Little Acorn Valentine from Little Acorn

Crafty Gift: Valentine's Treasures from Schlosser Designs

Decor: Origami Cherry Blossoms from The Flirty Guide

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

Akiyo from My Dear Darling is giving away this adorable panda pillow to one lucky Simple Makes reader at the end of February! Find out how to enter all throughout the month.


How to Enter

There are two ways to enter... and you can do so over and over all month long!

The first way to enter is to link to any February Simple Makes post on your blog or in a tweet. In order to count, comment on THIS POST with the link. You can do this as many times as you would like, as long as all the links are different.

The second way to enter is to comment with something relevant on any SimpleMakes post not counting this one the rest of this month (February 2009). If you comment twice on one post, you only get one entry. But, if you comment on five posts, that's five entries!! So that I can contact the winner, you have to type in your e-mail address when you leave your comment. Don't worry, only I can see it.

Show Some Love!

Check out Akiyo's shop, My Dear Darling, to thank her for sponsoring this giveaway! Her handmade gifts are all as adorable as the one in the giveaway.

Only one person can win the free LOVE Panda Pillow, but if you can't help but fall in love with it (how could you!?) and want to give it to someone special for Valentine's Day, you can order your own from Akiyo's shop. She has several other designs, and takes custom orders, too!

How to Win

At the end of February, I'll use a computer randomizer to pick one comment out of all the qualified ones. The person who left that comment, assuming I can get to a contact e-mail address easily enough, will be messaged for a mailing address. That person'll have 1 week to respond, then we'll mail the prize or choose a new winner.

The Fine Print

Let's not be picky here. We're nice people trying to host a give-away, which is fun for me and fun for you. If I say Suzy wins, then Suzy wins. No challenging me, calling me a liar, screaming that it's not fair, or any other nonsense. It's up to me what is considered a "qualifying" and "relevant" comment.

One thing, though: the giveaway's pillow can only be shipped to a U.S. or Canada address, so if you don't live there, you'd better be entering to send it as a gift to a friend who does.

...and you?

Comment here with the link to a blog entry where you've linked to a January Simple Makes post! It's an extra entry to the giveaway :-)

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me. I'm looking for a shop to give away an item to a reader each month in 2009, which will get your shop's name and link out as I mention the contest in each post that month.

Chun Jie Kuai Le! I live in China, so figured I should share something of Chinese New Year with the rest of the world. Crafts, recipes, and characters... oh my!

When is it?

Chinese New Year, or "Spring Festival" (Chun Jie) is celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar, so it began on January 26th this year, 2009. However, in many parts of China including my own, the holiday is celebrated all the way through the Lantern Festival 15 days later... so you still have time to have some Chinese New Year fun!

What do you do?

Everyone who possibly can returns home to spend the holiday with their family. On any given day during the Spring Festival weeks, but especially on New Year's Eve and New Year's day, kids and adults set off firecrackers just before they eat their dinner meal. Kids get cash in red envelopes, red being the color symbolizing happiness. Families prepare and eat large meals together on New Year's Eve and day, plus any other days they're off work (some do get the full 15 days off!).

How to Celebrate?

What about some crafts? Kids Craft Weekly put out a tutorial series with four craft tutorials for the Chinese New Year: a Shiny Lantern, Lucky Garland, Paper Plate Ox, and Red Packet Lantern. Check them out here.

What to Eat?

You probably have heard about foods that are eaten for symbolic reasons: whole fish for success and family togetherness, oranges for wealth, uncut noodles for longevity, eggs for fertility. To celebrate at home, try a noodle dish, serve some oranges, have eggs in your fried rice, and if you want to be really authentic, have a JiaoZi (Chinese dumpling) making party! They're shaped like the old form of Chinese gold, so they symbolize fortune in the new year.

...and you?

Take pictures of your family's Chinese New Year celebration and add them to our flickr group!

Comment for a chance to win January's giveaway: Layla Legs!

Don't forget to check out Mary's Jewelry shop on Etsy and use the 10% discount code for this month.