Have you entered this week’s THREE giveaways yet?  Well, what are you waiting for? GO!

It’s here!  Tonight I’ll be selling my handmade items in person for the first time ever.  For all you Kansas City ladies, please stop by my booth if you can, would LOVE to meet you.    Sorry if I haven’t been visiting your blogs lately, I’ve been frantically crafting away and coming up with new booth design ideas every night for the past few weeks.  I’m pretty happy with everything I have planned and made for it, so I’ll let you know how it goes later, and of course, I’ve commissioned my husband to come out and take pictures of the booth too, so that I could blog about it of course! 

So anyways, for today’s post I wanted to share something cute and fun with you.  You see this little piggy below?  My mother-in-law gave it to me a long time ago, when me and Marvin were still dating in fact.  In the Chinese Zodiac, I am a pig/boar so that’s my connection with pigs.  When I lived in an apartment by myself, I always had this pig on my dresser as decoration.  But since I moved into a house with Marvin, he’s a big stinker about making sure all my accessories, clothes, etc. are organized.  Well, I can’t blame him, since a clean home is a happy home. 

So… here’s what happened!  This little piggy turned into my headband oink-anizer!    Isn’t she so pretty??  She really is the perfect size for all my hard and soft headbands.

There’s definitely a good amount of store bought headbands, like from Forever 21 and J.Crew, a Burberry headband and of course handmade headbands from Ink & Button | Oh, Sweet Joy | Spotted Lobes | Much Love, Illy!!    So I’m curious…

How do you store your headbands?

And while we’re on the topic of handmade goodness, just wanted to let you know that two of my sponsors will be closing up their shops for a little bit of time, one due to pregnancy and one due to a move.

First, is the lovely vintage inspired shop of Josiah’s Nest!  I own a few fabric knot necklaces and earrings from her and I love them all.  I’m actually going to be wearing this lovely tonight at my booth. 

HURRY!! TODAY is the last day she will be open for a few months!  Get your order in NOW, and you can use code ONEYEAR for 15% off your order!!

AND

Have you gotten your Allora Handmade necklace yet?  Or any of her accessories for that matter?  Well, I just wanted to let you know that she is closing up shop for a few weeks so APRIL 1 is your LAST DAY TO ORDER FOR AWHILE.  I couldn’t let another day go buy without ordering this lovely.

So now I am happy to say that I have a mustard and a pacific colored rosette necklace and I am ready for Spring (I know Spring is officially here but weather wise, it needs to catch up)!  And by the way, there are a whole lot of CLEARANCE items as well, so go check them out, hurry, ONE MORE DAY!!!

What Josiah’s Nest and Allora Handmade goodies do you own?

Entries for this giveaway have been closed.  Thanks!

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Our third and final Sponsor Love + Giveaway this week comes from the amazing My Girl Thursday!  I don’t know how this girl does it, but she does it all!  She has an amazing etsy shop full of items with the prettiest fabrics you ever did see.  And she blogs about new projects, creative goals, second-hand scores, Etsy obsessions, DIYs and totally rad outfits of hers.  Seriously, you should probably add her to your daily reads list or your blogroll right now, b/c I said so, k?  You can thank me later.  Well you know the drill by now, read on to get to know Thursday a little bit better and then go ahead and enter yourself in a beautiful apron giveaway! 

{MEET THURSDAY}

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you decided to open up shop?
Hello friend!  My name is Thursday. On any given day you can find me jotting notes on scrap paper, rolling around on the floor with my kid, scoring fabulous things at The Salvation Army and loving up my handsome partner Jesse.  I live a very blessed life and I try to celebrate it every day.  I blog over at MyGirlThursday.com about these things and more with fibre-like regularity.  If you like your bloggers a little bit on the quirky side,well, you should come say hello so we can be pals.

I’ve had a little Etsy shop open for just over three years.  At the moment I’m keeping my handmade business as a more casual gig.  I sew up a little something when I’m feeling inspired and forget the fuss when I’m not into it.  I realize that this may seem crazy to some, but it’s keep me happy and allows me to focus my creative energy on projects that benefit myself and my family (yup, we need curtains too!).  When I do a shop update you’ll usually find a tote bag or two, some pretty aprons and vintage fabrics printed with my own illustrations.

2) Who is your favorite fabric designer?
I actually don’t have one.  I plead total ignorance on all counts!  I buy almost all of my fabric at thrift and more often than not my materials are repurposed from bedding of clothing items.  Not only does it keep my creative costs down but it also keeps tonnes and tonnes of waste from landfills.

3) I love all your style posts on your blog, where are your favorite places to shop?
This will sound redundant, but thrift shops and vintage shops are my favourite places to buy clothing.  It’s rare that I’ll buy something new at a retail shop.  Although, if I had lots of money I might just run amok through the Joe Fresh section of my grocery store.  Ohhh, clothing shopping at the grocer – there’s something I swore I would never do.

I’ve been on a huge shoe buying binge recently too. Since my feet are on the larger side of the scale I have a hard time find great pieces at the op-shop. eBay and Etsy have been my favourite hunting ground for affordable and interesting footwear.

4) What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate mint.  Big time!  In fact, I think I have some in the freezer right now.

{GIVEAWAY}

Thursday is giving away this sweet blooms – full reversible apron!!

To enter:

1. Visit My Girl Thursday and leave a comment here letting me know your favorite blog post!

For additional entries, leave a separate comment for each action.
1. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of My Girl Thursday
2. Leave a comment on any My Girl Thursday post and let me know which one!
3. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of Sandy a la Mode
4. Follow @sandyalamode and @mygirlthursday on Twitter
5. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway (make sure to include @sandyalamode and @mygirlthursday in your tweet) and include the link (one entry each)

Feel free to use this tweet:

#GIVEAWAY Win a beautiful blooms full reversible apron from @mygirlthursday on @sandyalamode! http://bit.ly/dX0H9c

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and closes on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 12PM CST.  Good luck!

Entries for this giveaway have been closed.  Thanks!

Entries for this giveaway have been closed.  Thanks!

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Our second giveaway of the week is brought to you by bright and cheery The Bloomin’ Boutique!  Do you ever think that your wardrobe or hair just needs a bit of color or pizazz?  Well Jacki’s blooms have got you covered.  I mean, you know me, with my outfit posts, I’m all about color!  And with Spring upon us, these couldn’t be more perfect!  Read on and enjoy the eye candy!

{MEET JACKI}

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you decided to open up shop?
After graduating high school and then college, I was married and immediately went to work full-time. I had two children and did what we had to do at the time, and I continued to work full-time. 7 years into it, the time had finally come for me to stay home with my kids, who (if you do the math) are in school everyday until 3pm. But it was important for me to be available for school activities and after school homework. So a new adventure was about to begin and I knew I needed some kind of hobby to keep me occupied during the day. I have a couple very talented friends who sew and I wanted to be able to do what they were doing. The Bloomin Boutique was born and opened September 2010.

2) Who is your favorite fabric designer?
I have a hard time picking just one…. but a lot of my “blooms” will point you to Michael Miller. I love the bright colors that just immediately attract my attention.

3) What are your favorite color combos?
My color combo’s will change from each trip to the fabric store… so today I will tell you it is mustard and grey.

4) What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
MMMMM……. Ice cream… My all time favorite and never changing, always there for me flavor is good old fashioned Mint Chocolate Chip!!

{GIVEAWAY}

Jacki is giving away the winner’s choice of a medium bloom!

To enter:

1. Visit The Bloomin Boutique shop and leave a comment with your favorite item!

For additional entries, leave a separate comment for each action.
1. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of The Bloomin Boutique blog
2. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of this blog
3. Like The Bloomin Boutique on Facebook and leave a comment saying I sent you
4. Follow @sandyalamode and @bloominboutique on Twitter
5. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway (make sure to include @sandyalamode and @bloominboutique in your tweet) and include the link (one entry each)

Feel free to use this tweet:
Want to add instant flair to your wardrobe? The @bloominboutique is giving away a medium bloom over on @sandyalamode! http://bit.ly/hmAJvB

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and closes on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 12PM CST.  Good luck!

Don’t want to wait?  Take 10% off your order with code “SANDY10″!!

Entries for this giveaway have been closed.  Thanks!

Entries for this giveaway have been closed.  Thanks!

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Are you a regular coffee or tea drinker in the morning?  Are you sick of those cardboard sleeves?  Then look no more, Little Bird Creations has got you covered, you can drink your drink in style with one of her adorable felt coffee cuffs.  But even cooler?  You can design your own colors from the variety of designs that she has!  OK, sorry for the infomercial, but really, Jaime’s shop is uber adorable and not only does she sell coffee cuffs, but she sells pendants and ring pin cushions (too cool) as well.  So what are you waiting for, read on to get to know Jaime and her shop just a little bit better!! 

{MEET JAIME}

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you decided to open up shop?
Hi there! My name is Jaime, I am a native Austinite (Austin, Texas), indie designer, obsessive crafter, lover of color, felt, coffee and most of all…I love being mom to my boy and soon to be daughter (we are adopting a sweet child from Russia). I am married to my best friend (we met at age 15, became best friends and never looked back!) going on 11 years! My life is not as I had planned it, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I have been making and designing for as long as I can remember. My Gramms taught me how to sew when I was 7 years old and I don’t think I have stopped sewing since! My first project was a rag doll…after that came a short obsession with sock bunnies. My poor family had to endure that phase for almost every birthday and Christmas present that year. In 2003, shortly after the birth of my son, Little Bird came to be. I decided to open my online shop in 2007 as an outlet for my creative making and it has grown into the shop it is today.

2) Where do you draw inspiration from?
A lot of my inspiration comes from daily living and my children! Whimsy, wild flowers, birds…bright colors. Inspiration is just about everywhere and I never know when that moment of “aha! must make this now!” will hit…it’s a fun process though and I love how just simply living can bring about fun ideas.

3) If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Being in the middle of our adoption, I have to go with Russia. I cannot wait to get back there and bring our daughter home!
If not being in the middle of our adoption, I would say Greece…the people, food, architecture, beaches…I would love to see it all.

4) What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Very Berry Strawberry from Baskin Robbins!

{GIVEAWAY}

Jaime is giving away $15 credit to her shop!

That’s two coffee cuffs, one for you and one for a friend! 

To enter:

1. Visit Little Bird Creations shop and leave a comment with your favorite item!

For additional entries, leave a separate comment for each action.
1. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of Chirpings of Little Bird
2. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of Sandy a la Mode
3. Follow @sandyalamode and @LilBirdChirps on Twitter
4. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway (make sure to include @sandyalamode and @LilBirdChirps in your tweet) and include the link (one entry each)

Feel free to use this tweet:
Win $15 credit to @LilBirdChirps handmade shop full of coffee cuffs, pendants and rings on @sandyalamode! #GIVEAWAY http://bit.ly/gLV0M7

This giveaway is open to U.S./Canada readers and closes on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 12PM CST.  Good luck!

Don’t want to wait?  Take 15% off your order with code “SANDY15“!!

Entries for this giveaway have been closed.  Thanks!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve hung out with my nephew and I think I’m going through withdrawl. So to help me cope, I decided to dedicate a post to him, my Evan bear, and his friends.

Bella and Evan, best buddies and siblings.  They like to share… my glasses.

Here he is with Jojo (our stuffed animal kid).  He feeds him Cheerios and apple cider, ain’t that the darndest thing ever?

He shares before he takes his own sip, he sure was taught well.

Well would ya lookie there, it’s a worm.  Don’t worry worm, Evan’s a friendly giant!

And what do we have here?  There’s a spider inside of the green thing but Evan has no fear.  Me, on the other hand… no comment.

GQ Kids, we found you the perfect model.

Man, I sure do miss this kiddo.  I heart and miss you, Evan bear!  You sure are going to make a great big brother, that’s right, I’m going to be auntie to another lil one coming this summer!