wreathweek2

Welcome to Dollar Store Crafts’ Wreath Week! Please join us for our Handmade Wreath Contest; you can win over $150 in prizes plus your wreath could be featured on Dollar Store Crafts!

Total value: $151.95

Thanks to my Sponsors! Find out more about them, most of whom are personal friends of mine!

Contest Rules:

  • Your wreath must be handmade; that is, it must have a handmade component. Using readymade wreaths or wreath forms is fine, just make sure you alter them in some way to make them your own.
  • Your wreath DOES NOT have to have a dollar store component.
  • Post only your own work and photos.
  • One entry per person.
  • Post your entry comment by Friday, December 11, 2009, 8pm Pacific Time.

To Enter:

  • Comment on this post with a link to your handmade wreath (can be on your blog, flickr, facebook, etc.). One bonus point if you write up a tutorial for the wreath!
  • Contest ends Friday, December 11, 2009 at 8pm Pacific time.
  • Winner will be chosen by a panel of judges (to be announced – still working on that!)

Meet My Sponsors (An International Collection of Awesome People):

carveit15

Prize: An 8×8 custom plaque from CarveIt.ca, with custom text (a $45 value)
All Carveit.ca signs are made from local British Columbia pine – each sign is machine carved and then hand finished. Use CarveIt.ca’s cool online tools to design a custom sign, or email your own artwork.
Sponsor: Jack, a student in Canada, who operates a custom signmaking business out of his garage. He’s a really nice guy, and makes really cool projects! I made the wreath shown above with one of his quality signs. He’s also offering a discount to readers of Dollar Store Crafts. Check here for details on the discount!

cr-gifts

Prize: A signed copy of Crocheted Gifts by Kim Werker (a $21.95 value)
A collection of projects from today’s most popular crochet designers, Crocheted Gifts includes 25 designs suited for gift-giving—even if the recipient is you. From baby gifts to mittens for the whole family, from home decor to fancy lace, this book is full of perfect projects for every occasion.

Sponsor: Kim Werker, a friend who I had the pleasure of meeting at a wild and crazy craft weekend in Portland. She’s written six crochet books, edited a magazine and co-hosted a television show. She’s awesome and she also lives in Canada.

mixtape11Prize: Mixtape Zine, Issue 11 (a $10 value)
mixtape is a craft maga(ZINE) about making time for small things! It’s a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch, and it’s totally DIY. They produce, design, and pack it all from home.

Sponsor: Justine from 62Cherry and mixtape. I’ve “known” her from afar for a couple years, when she started the zine and we discussed ways and means of publishing a craft zine (I had a bit of knowledge from my experience with CROQ Zine). She lives in Australia, but if I ever get to visit that continent, I’ll definitely stop and visit.

belakoi-shan belakoi

Prize: A $25 gift certificate + free shipping on BelaKoi Designs’ Etsy Shop ($25 value)
I started making my own jewelry at the young age of 12 and have been creating ever since. Some of my other passions include dj’ing, making clothes, painting, writing poetry, and decorating antique furniture with magazine clippings. I love all things vintage and am most inspired by the early 1900’s. I am most happy when I’m able to put these passions into action.

Sponsor: Rachael Caballero, who I met back in college in the late 90s. She’s soulful, drop-dead gorgeous, creative, and an awesome mom of 3. Most recently, she and I have been commiserating about being 9 months pregnant, followed by being mamas to newborns! She recently started her Etsy shop and has had great success because her designs are so amazing! She lives in Northern California, and I’m just waiting for her to come up and visit Oregon so I can take her to my favorite vintage jewelry secret spots. Bonus info: that’s my sister in the photo. I totally just stumbled upon it as I was looking for a photo of BelaKoi jewelry to post!

rubygirlsquirrel

Prize: A Gathering Nuts necklace from RubyGirl ($50 value)

The incredibly detailed little squirrel on this necklace was hand cast using a technique called sand casting. This casting technique is unique in that while the original form is left intact, the mold is destroyed and must be re-formed for each piece. This means that every piece cast will have subtle differences, making each piece one-of-a-kind. For a view into the process, check out the mini-tutorial I did on Facebook. The squirrel was cast from a vintage plastic button. He measures approximately 1/2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide. A cute little copper acorn charm dangles from a one inch long piece of chain. I gave the squirrel a black patina and then brushed it back to better highlight the detail. The necklace is 16 inches long and is finished with a sterling lobster claw.

Sponsor: Shannon Conrad, who I met a few years ago when we were working on the PDXEtsy street team together, and we are also both members of the Portland Independent Artisans Cooperative (PDXIndie). She’s an awesome metal artist, and a great lady and mama. I am so excited about this sand casted squirrel necklace! It’s so cool and the process to make it is amazing. I totally want to try it. I wonder if there’s a way to do a Dollar Store Crafts version of sand casting?

dollarstoredecor

Prize: Winning wreath will be featured on Dollar Store Crafts (priceless!)
Sponsor: me. I’m your friendly neighborhood Dollar Store Crafter. Do you ever look at patrons at your local dollar store and wonder if they’re me? :) Here are some recent facts about me: I had my third son in October, I am a pathological blogger (I blog here there and everywhere), and my favorite craft tool is my sewing machine. My pick for Christmas music is the Sufjan Stevens holiday station on Pandora.

Once again, just in case you missed it:

To Enter the Handmade Wreath Contest:

  • Comment on this post with a link to your handmade wreath (can be on your blog, flickr, facebook, etc.). One bonus point if you write up a tutorial for the wreath!
  • Contest ends Friday, December 11, 2009 at 8pm Pacific time.
  • Winner will be chosen by a panel of judges (to be announced – still working on that!)
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