a little luck & a little giveaway

Contests, sweepstakes, raffles, giveaways. . . I cannot get enough of them!  Here are some of my simple tips and tactics.  Keep reading for a chance to win your own little giveaway.

I've had a lot of "luck" with contests for as long as I can remember.  In elementary school I won a coloring contest (I used the school's colors, blue and gold, in the design) that earned me lunch with the principal, including a Nestle Crunch ice cream bar for dessert (strangely memorable).  I've also won $100 and an art tote bag in two different writing contests in the past couple years.

• Tip:  Skill contests draw far fewer entrants, increasing your odds, so look for those that match your talents.

• Tip:  Consider your audience when entering a skill contest and tailor your entry to appeal to their preferences.

Two years ago I attended the annual Christmas party at my apartment complex and was the grand prize winner - $500 off a month of rent!  The next year I won a free carpet cleaning and this year I won a $50 gift card to a fancy Portland steak house.

• Tip:  Enter local contests!  These are some of your best odds.  Check the websites for radio, newspaper, and local businesses for even more opportunities.

Just yesterday I won a new casserole dish, pasta fork, cheese grater, and a jar of steak seasoning from a small cooking blog!

The About.com Contests & Sweepstakes page is a great resource for contests across the internet.  These are often for the biggest prizes like cash, vacations, and vehicles, but there's also a page for instant win contests with more prizes and better odds.

I'll also search Google on occasion, looking for contest, sweepstake, blog giveaway, or some similar search terms, and then restricting the results to the last 1 hour, 24 hours, or 1 week.  I'll try searching for the word giveaway along with a specific item I want to win, too (like an iPad2 or a Silhouette Cameo).

Now, for a modest giveaway of my own.  

For your chance to win a Powell's Books mug and a copy of Coffee Time with Perk Up Puzzles, Brainteasers, and Trivia, comment below with your answer to the following question AND make sure you're a follower of SaraPDX.  U.S. residents only, please.  Entries will be accepted until midnight PST on Wednesday, January 11th.  Good luck!  

What's the best prize you've ever won in a contest?

mesquite

The bad news is that I got sick midway through my visit to Arizona, didn't pull my camera out of its case once during the trip, and now I'm going to miss at least my first day back to work.

The good news is that I snagged my sister's old cell phone, which boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera (opposed to my old scrawny 1.3), and I remained standing and somewhat active till the end.

The trip was relaxing, with very nice weather and a lot of time spent with my family.  We hit up the Sierra Vista Farmers' Market and the annual Home Show.  I also managed to visit with the "grandparents" I adopted/appointed after all of my biological grandparents had passed away, as well as enjoying a dinner out with two of my sisters-in-law.

Speaking of which, I visited the grave site of my much loved paternal grandparents, and the marker honoring my maternal grandparents, whose ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.

I enjoyed the company of my parents' and sister's menagerie of pets.  This photo is of my dad's cat, Lucy, who is believed to be an unusual Sokoke.  Tree climbing must be a hobby of the breed.

Then there was Murphy, my sister's 9 month old pup, who I wanted to steal.  He was such a mellow, gentle sweetheart.

Kate's newest addition is Otis, a Labrador/Shepherd/Great Dane mix, who's been deemed a "piranha" because of his sharp, bitey teeth.  He still has a LOT of growing to do, and he could never really muster the energy required to move his heavy little body around quickly.

Before my family brought me to the airport, we visited Tucson's Reid Park Zoo.  In tow was my adorable, chatty 4-year old niece, Leah.  She must have quoted Spongebob Square Pants for 2 straight hours of drive time. :)

One last note before I retire, once again, to the couch.  I got an email from Powells.com while I was in Arizona letting me know I'd won the contest I'd recently entered!  The contest on their blog asked that readers submit a 50-word story beginning with "Once upon a time..."  I whipped up a Portland-themed story and was the first person to submit an entry.  My prize is a funky Alice in Wonderland tote bag featuring artwork by Camille Rose Garcia.  Pretty cool to win a writing contest from the illustrious Powell's Books!

skillful

Since the money trees haven't finished their spring bloom yet, I've turned to locating sewing tutorials online.  My honest preference would be to print my well-crafted wish list from Powells.com and head to the Burnside location, but it turns out searching the Interweb (as my husband likes to call it) is a lot more affordable.

So I thought I'd share some of the clever tutorials I've come across and may experiment with in the near future.

Quilted Door Stop
I love the quilted panel on this - I was thinking of incorporating the same basic idea on a handbag or a cute dress for Chloe.

Stackable Boxes
This are so practical!  What a great way to keep organized.

Simple Party Clutch
This is a smaller bag than I would normally use, but just perfect for spending an evening running around downtown Portland.

Spring Ruffle Top
I haven't made any garments yet - this may be my first one!  I'm actually partial to the version without any ruffles.

symphony

It feels like spring is just around the corner – the subtle fresh smell in the air and the increasingly frequent appearance of the sun and tiny green buds on tree branches. This is likely just an illusion, one to be replaced with a damp, gray reality, but it’s fun while it lasts!

I just started reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink. I spotted this book on the Powell’s Calendar of Events, but the reading/author visit didn’t fit into my schedule well. Instead, I requested a copy from the library and I picked it up this weekend. It’s been great reading material for my daily commute on the MAX – and it’s a topic of particular interest to me because I find that my own motivation waxes and wanes due to...the phases of the moon...or something.

Overall, I’ve felt a lot more motivated this first month of 2010 and I attribute it to our new home environment and a sense of being more settled since getting married. Life is good and today’s sunshine is streaming through a magnifying glass and setting that belief on fire.

I spent the early part of the week working and continuing my first sewing project, which is now almost complete. Working from a pattern and instructions in Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing has proven very helpful to me. I’m good at following directions, which zaps good techniques straight into your brain. On the other hand, you can take note of elements that aren’t quite pleasing to you, and change them the next time around. I plan on making another tote bag to give as a gift this month, and there are a couple of changes I plan on implementing.



On Saturday, Lindsey and I ventured out to Forest Grove (much more of a “venture” for me than for her) for a knitting and crochet class. I already knew the basics of knitting, but I wanted my skills to be verified as accurate. When we arrived, we learned that a reporter and photographer from the Forest Grove newspaper would be present. (Hopefully a link to that article is forthcoming.) Lindsey decided to learn crocheting, while I breezed through casting on and the knit stitch. We were interviewed by the reporter while we stitched away. I was eventually taught the proper way to “purl” and lo and behold, it is a heck of a lot easier than I was making it out to be. I ended up with some new bamboo needles and a pretty skein of burnt orange yarn with which to make a lace-like scarf.

I stopped at home briefly, then drove in the opposite direction to SCRAP on the east side. I wanted to pick up some, well, scraps – of fabric – for two birthday projects I’m working on. I managed to find several, along with two balls of yarn, a few greeting cards, a knitting book, and a football trophy (long story), all for $9.


Next I stopped by the Mill End fabric store in Beaverton, which I’d been told was amazing. Turns out “amazing” is an understatement. I couldn’t believe the fabric selection – and the prices seemed very reasonable to my untrained eye. I selected some batting, canvas, and lighter cottons for my projects and spent a lot of time browsing the unimaginable array of fabrics. Several retro patterns caught my eye, including vintage Mexican prints that will someday live in our eclectically decorated home. Not to mention the gorgeous nature-inspired fabrics. Oooh, the possibilities. I have most certainly found a new passion.

Audubon on Sunday – not much needs to be said on that, as my shift was somewhat depressing. After that, however, Jesse and I headed downtown with Clara and the long-lost Danny. We hit up the Backstage Bar, which is hidden behind the Baghdad Theater on Hawthorne. This narrow, dimly lit space houses a restaurant, bar, free (yes – free) pool, and the all-important jukebox. We hung out for a few hours, playing generally not-very-good pool and choosing awesome songs to hear. It was a nice, low key way to end the weekend.

Then of course, back to work. It’s another very busy week into which I’ll try to squeeze an ounce of creativity. And several ounces of motivation for good measure.

As I walked home from the MAX station this evening, I had a moment of realization - or I remembered, rather - that I am very, very lucky and many pieces have miraculously fit together to make my life the way it is. In nearly that very same instant, I spotted a Great Blue Heron standing in the creek behind our home, so well camouflaged among trees and brush. I'm drawn to this type of bird in particular, and to see one at nightfall, sitting still and silent and hidden, made my heart jump. It was a moment of reassurance, of synchronicity - as Jesse would say. I'm on the right path and these meaningful, happy moments are my reward.