Gigi's Petals $50 Target Gift Card Giveaway [CLOSED]

In April I hosted a giveaway for Gigi's Petals, an Etsy shop selling cute jewelry and accessories. Gigi's Petals is now launching a new site that will feature an Etsy seller every day and offer discounts to their shop. The new site will open tomorrow, October 24.

To celebrate the opening, Gigi's Petals is giving away a $50 Target gift card. All you have to do is sign up for their daily emails. For a second entry, like Gigi's Petals on Facebook. No comments necessary--they will choose and notify the winner. This giveaway ends November 1. But it's just the beginning to hundreds more giveaways on their new site every day for five days! So hurry and sign up for these incredible giveaways and more deals to come!

For Harry Potter Fans

Cheap & Easy Penguin Costume

One Halloween night in high school I was going to a party but had no idea what to wear. I didn't want to wear a costume I had worn before. I browsed through my dismal closet and saw my old tuxedo shirt from middle-school band. An idea hit me: I could make a penguin costume! Here is what I did:

1. Wear a tuxedo or white button-up shirt, a bowtie, black pants, black shoes, and a black sweater or blazer.
2. Paint your forehead and nose black. Paint the rest of your face white.
3. Cut out penguin feet from yellow construction paper and tape them to the top of your shoes.
4. Use the cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper to make the beak. Glue yellow construction paper to the tube.
5. Flatten in and cut out a triangle, starting at an open end. Cut through both sides but not all the way to the other open end so that it stays intact.
6. Keep the beak in place with string or elastic.
7. To be Tacky the Penguin, wear sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt.

How to Make an Angelina Ballerina Costume

abt.org

Angelina Ballerina, or Angelina Mouseling, is a mouse who loves to dance ballet. Created by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig, Angelina Ballerina was first a book series and is now a TV series. And Angelina Ballerina can be a cute, easy costume for your little girl.

1. Angelina Ballerina is a white mouse, so dress your daughter in a white long-sleeved shirt, white tights, and white gloves.
2. For ears, buy a thin, neutral-colored headband and pink and white paper at the dollar store. Cut out large white ears and smaller pink ears. Glue the pink ears on the white ears to make the inner ear. Glue the ears to the headband.
3. Make Angelina’s tail by inflating a long, white balloon (the kind used to make balloon animals) and tying it around your daughter's waist with string. Another option is to pin a stuffed, white tube sock to the costume.
4. With makeup draw three white whiskers on each cheek and a pink nose.
5. Finish the costume with a pink leotard, pink tutu, and pink ballet slippers. (Check thrift stores and online to save money on the ballet accessories.) Tie a pink bow in her hair, or tie or glue it to the headband. Sometimes Angelina Ballerina has a red rose pinned to her right above her tutu.

Now your little girl is ready to dance and twirl like Angelina Ballerina!

Flanders Field Photography Giveaway [CLOSED]

Another one of the prizes I won in a giveaway by Modern Typography was an 8x10 print photo from Flanders Field Photography. I had such a hard time choosing a favorite. The photography is beautiful! I am very picky about what I will hang on my walls. I am not an art person, and the little art I like is usually of nature, especially nature photography. Flanders Field knows how to capture the beauty of nature on camera.





Flanders Field also creates note cards, pendants, and coasters with the photos.



Although I prefer flowers, Flanders Field also shoots fruit, water, the sky, and more.

Alaskan glacier



Smiles

*Beautiful!

*Variety of colors, subjects, and sizes

*Clear, high-quality photos

*Shows how the photo would look matted and framed

*Did I mention beautiful?

Frowns

*None

Flanders Field is generously giving away an 8x10 photo of your choice, a $25 value!

Mandatory 1st Entry: Visit Flanders Field and tell me which photo you would choose.

3 entries: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect.

2 entries: Like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on Facebook.

1 entry: Like Flanders Field on Facebook.

1 entry: Heart Flanders Field on Etsy. Leave your username.

1 entry: Post this giveaway on Facebook.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, October 25. The winner will be announced Wednesday, October 26. Please leave your email in one of the entries so I can contact you if you win. Good luck!

Cheap & Easy Mouse Costume

Want to dress up as a mouse for a costume party? This easy, cheap mouse costume is especially designed for those with no sewing ability, like me.

First, choose what color mouse you would like to be: white, black, brown, or gray. Wear clothes in that one color. For paws, wear white or pink gloves and shoes. With makeup draw three long whiskers and a pink nose.

To make ears, buy a thin, neutral-colored headband and a pad of colored construction paper at the dollar store. Cut out large ears in your chosen color. Cut out smaller ears in the color of your gloves and glue them on the larger ears to make the inside part of the ear. Tape the ears to the headband.

For the tail, inflate a long balloon (the kind used to make balloon animals) in the same color as your clothes or gloves and tie it around your waist with string. Another option is to pin a stuffed colored tube sock to your pants.

Choose accessories: cheeseheads or fake cheese, a mouse stuffed animal, or a mousetrap. Put on sunglasses and use a cane to be one of the three blind mice.

To be Remy from Ratatouille:

1. Remy is a gray rat with pink hands and feet, so wear all gray clothes and pink gloves and shoes. You can buy cheap gray sweats at Wal-mart.
2. Make a pink tail and ears. With makeup draw three white whiskers on each cheek and a pink nose.
3. To make the Remy costume complete, wear a chef hat and carry a wooden spoon. (If you wear a hat, then be sure to tape the ears to the sides of the headband instead of to the top. Or tape the ears to the hat.)
4. A cute costume idea for couples would be for one to dress up as Remy and the other to dress up as Linguini (the young chef Remy helps) or Gusteau (the fat chef that inspires Remy to cook).

WINNER!

The winner of the set of 3 fabric-leaf branches from Jane Joss is comment #62 "Hearted Jane Joss on etsy, user name is name Armada Volya" by Armada Volya. Congratulations!