I’m feeling...  much better after starting a round of antibiotics to fight this dreadful sinus infection.

I’m listening...  to Patsy Cline. “The only different, The only thing new….”

I’m giving...  away a copy of the latest MixTape zine! Not only does it feature four tasty sweet bread recipes by yours truly, it also offers an interview of Dudley Redhead (a crafting fanatic), reviews of 10 non-traditional crafty books. and yet another funny cartoon by Shannon. It’s worth reading just for the ads (and I am rather fond of well-designed ads)!

The first article in the zine features several reader responses to the following questions:

Love is...?

I am inspired by...?

My favorite craft resource is...?

So enter your own answers to the above questions in a comment below and I’ll randomly choose the most fortunate MixTape recipient! (I will mail world-wide, so all you readers in Singapore, Budapest, and Nigeria, be sure to enter, too.)

Being slightly obsessed with paper goods, I love discovering unique and beautiful stationary. Here are a few exceptional sets I’ve stumbled across recently....

Hula Hoop stationary by Silhouette Blue: sweet, simple and fun

Butterfly stationary set by All Things Jenuine, featuring quilling – so cool -

and the font complements the design perfectly

From Red Stamp...

Gorgeous flowers with a gold foil bee: Blossom Deary stationary (above)

and

Understated with beautiful detail: Jockey Notes stationary (below)

A perfect color combination with bright, bold graphics:

Rabbit stationary by ScotiaMade

And now for the GiveAway! I started with a....

1. $ 50 gift certificate from Puro Papel (good toward any personalized stationary set)

And when I mentioned to Red Stamp, ScotiaMade, All Things Jenuine, and Silhouette Blue that their stationary would be on this list, they each contributed something fabulous to the GiveAway as well:

2. Two cards featuring amusing animal conversations (above) and a few flowery gift tags from ScotiaMade ($7 value)

3. A Lamy Tipo Rollerball Pen and Pink Bird Journal (below) from Red Stamp, ($22 value)

4. A colorful quilled thank-you card from All Things Jenuine ($3 value)

5. And a set of 20 Hula Hoop notecards from Silhouette Blue (as mentioned above) - your choice of name and color! ($25 value)

.... for a total GiveAway value of over $100!

Here’s how to enter:  check out any of the five sites just mentioned and find which beautiful/well-designed/unique item inspires you... leave a comment below with the site name, the name of your chosen item, and the link to that item! You may enter more than once, but each comment must link to a different item.

I’ll randomly choose 5 winners on Sunday 3/30 – each person will win one of the items listed above. (U.S. shipping addresses only, please, and the winners will be contacted via email.)  Note:  It may take several hours for your comment to appear as comment moderation has been enabled to prevent spam.

Have fun!

UPDATED 3/31:   The winners are PAB, Ellie, Deborah, Jennifer / The Word Cellar, and Doreen!

"The Goops are a study
of people kind and good.

But though they can be charming,
each has a behavior that is alarming.

Each name reflects the trait
that seals each Goops fate."

Goops are wonderful turn-of-the-century characters and each has a story to tell. Each simple black-and-white character illustration corresponds with a clever rhyme that describes him/her.

These delightful little characters (and you know I have a thing for delightful little characters) were popular with children over a hundred years ago and have been revived today at GoopWorld!  As a Mom of twin toddlers, I find this duo partularly amusing:

If you’d like a chance to win a goody bag of items (journal, magnet, and a large mug - $30 value) featuring your choice of Goop, check out GoopWorld – read about the characters - and find which cute item you’d like to give or receive...  then leave a comment below with the link to your chosen item!  (U.S. shipping addresses only, please)  I’ll randomly choose a winner on Sunday 3/9 and contact them via email!

Updated 3/9:  Congratulations to Jen, the winner of the Goop GiveAway!