A Fun Little Contest and a Giveaway from Me to You!

So as you know, I am due with my third child, a baby boy, on September 6th.  Right now I am scheduled to have a repeat c-section on that day.  I had a regular delivery with my oldest, Savannah, and then an emergency c-section with Matilda due to her heart rate dipping and her face front presentation.

If I go into labor naturally prior to September 6th, I will attempt a VBAC (assuming everything looks good).  If not, we'll play it safe with our scheduled c-section. Things are kind of up in the air.  But I thought it might be fun to do a little guessing game with you guys if you feel like playing along.

Here I am at almost 39 weeks with my enormous belly.  I can't tell you how many people have asked if I am carrying twins.  Nope, only one baby in there and I always carry really far out in front.  My oldest daughter was born five days LATE with an induction due to preeclampsia and PUPPS.  She weighed 7 lbs. 15oz. and was 21 inches long.  Matilda was also a preeclampsia induction, but five days EARLY and weighed 7 lbs. 12oz and was 20.5 inches long.  So far with this pregnancy no signs of preeclampsia at all!

So I've let you know about my previous deliveries to give you a basis for your entry into the contest.  Here's how it will go.  Leave me one comment and let me know 3 things:
1) How much you think baby boy is going to weigh?
2) How long will he be? and for the tie-breaker........
3) What day and time you think he will be born (hour and minutes, please)? 

So I will pick the winner based on the person who gets the weight or closest too it, but if we have two people who picked the same weight, then I will use the length and if we still have a tie then I will use the date and time as the tie breaker.  Sound good?

Want to know what you are playing for........here's the prize - I'm going to let you choose two yards of fabric from my personal collection.  You can choose two full yards of one print, a yard each of two different prints, or a half yard each of four different prints.  I'll leave it up to you.  But these are all 100% designer cotton fabric and some of this fabric can be a little difficult to find lately.

Here are your choices:

These are all fabrics that I currently own by the bolt.  I may be selling some of this yardage off in the near future if I don't need it all for the shop......we'll see.  So if you aren't following along on Facebook, it might be a good idea to head over and join us to find out the latest from The Cottage Mama (click HERE to visit the facebook fan page).

**PLEASE NOTE: This contest is for The Cottage Home blog readers ONLY.  Why?  Because I love you guys and want this opportunity to be just for you.  You MUST be a follower, feed subscriber or email subscriber to enter.  If not, feel free to become a follower or subscriber and enter to win!**

And one last thing, I am writing this post on Sunday, August 28th and am pre-scheduling this post.  So who knows..........have I already had baby boy?  Probably not, but you never know!

Fat Quarter Shop Fabric Giveaway Winners

I'm so excited to announce the winner(s) of the Fat Quarter Shop "Meadow Friends" jelly roll giveaway.  Did you notice how I said winner(s) plural?  Well, Fat Quarter Shop contacted me this week and said because you guys did such an awesome job at visiting their shop and ordering fabric, that instead of just giving away one jelly roll, they are giving away FOUR!!!

Here are the FOUR lucky winners.........

Congratulations to all four of you!  Each winner will receive a jelly roll of "Meadow Friends" by Deb Strain from Fat Quarter Shop and can choose whether they would like the boy or girl version.  If you were one of the lucky winners, please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information, your boy or girl selection and we will get you your prize as soon as possible!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and if you didn't get a chance to visit Fat Quarter Shop, make sure to pay them a visit - their shop is like a slice of fabric heaven!

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com for rates and more information.

Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway: Meadow Friends Jelly Roll Fabric Giveaway

Have you heard of Fat Quarter Shop?  Of course you have! They are only one of the most awesome fabric shops online with the most amazing collection of precut fabrics around.  Did you know that they are a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog?  Well, they most certainly are and I just wanted to take a moment to share a few things from their shop before we move on to their generous giveaway.

Delilah Fat Quarter Set

Fat Quarter shop sells an amazing array of designer quilting cotton yardage, but they also specialize in "precut" fabrics.  If you aren't familiar with "precuts", here is what they are - they are fabrics that have been cut to a certain size and are generally bundled together in coordinating sets.  For example, charm square packs are 5" x 5" cuts of fabric sold in coordinating packs of 42 (or other number depending on the seller).  These "precut" fabrics make it super-easy to do fun patchwork projects like quilts, table runners, wall hangings, clothing, ect.  There are also several other different types of "precut" fabrics that come in other sizes - jelly rolls, layer cakes, fat quarter bundles, and fat eighth bundles.

 Joel Dewberry Heirloom Fat Quarter Set

The neat thing about Fat Quarter Shop is that they bundle a lot of their own fabrics into "precuts" that are exclusive to their shop.  Some manufacturers will sell fabrics already "precut", but at Fat Quarter Shop you can get these plus a variety of cuts not available elsewhere.

Tula Pink's Parisville Fat Quarter Bundle (on sale)

I am so excited about today's giveaway and I know you guys will be too!  Our lovely blog sponsor, Fat Quarter Shop, is giving away a girl or boy (your choice) jelly roll of Deb Strain's "Meadow Friends" to one lucky The Cottage Home Blog Reader.

I have seen so many fun projects online using jelly rolls lately.  Here are a few projects on my "to do" list (tutorial links underneath)...........

Jelly Roll Floor Pillow

Jelly Roll Tea Towels

Jelly Roll Quilt

Remember the quilt I showed you a few weeks back that I made for my daughter, Savannah's room (blog post here)?  

Well, back in the day (3 years ago) I purchased a jelly roll and fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop to complete this quilt.  I still have a few scraps left over - fat quarter bundles go along way!

So here's how to enter the "Meadow Friends" jelly roll giveaway.  Two entries allowed per person.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  Open to US residents only.

1) Go check out Fat Quarter Shop and tell us what you like (click HERE to do so).

2) Become a fan of Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open until July 29, 2011 at midnight (CST).

If you love designer cotton fabrics, you need to go check out Fat Quarter Shop.  They have an amazing selection to choose from and you can be 100% assured that this is quality, top-of-the-line fabric!

*If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com for rates and more information.

Mamarazzi Book Giveaway Winner

The winner of the book, "Mamarazzi - Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids" by Stacy Wasmuth, is.............

Congratulations, Clover!!  You are going to love this book!  Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get you your book as soon as possible.  Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and if you weren't the winner, I highly recommend checking this one out.  It's a really easy read and a great reference book.  

Another great giveaway coming tomorrow (Monday)!!

Winners!

Sorry for the delay in posting these lovely winners, but we have been without power for several days due to some heavy storms.  And I must say, it's been mighty hot for this pregnant mama.  But thankfully, we just got power back this morning - woohoo - I definitely have a new appreciation for electricity!

Without further ado, the winner(s) of the Tie Dye Diva Sewing pattern giveaway are:

And the winner of the "Playdate Sew Along" Design Contest is.............

Natalie from Our Old Southern House

Congratulations to all three winners!  The Tie Dye Diva** winners will each receive a PDF pattern of their choice and Natalie has won a $50.00 gift certificate to Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops!  Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will make sure to get you your prizes as soon as possible.

**Also Tie Dye Diva is offering The Cottage Home blog readers 15% OFF all patterns for the next 24 hours with the coupon code: COTTAGEMAMA.  So if you weren't one of the lucky winners, hurry on over and snatch up one of her adorable patterns! 

Click HERE to visit Tie Dye Diva Sewing patterns.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com for rates and more information.

Mamarazzi by Stacy Wasmuth {Book Review and Giveaway}

I was recently sent a copy of "Mamarazzi - Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids" by Stacy Wasmuth for me to review here on the blog.  How adorable is that little girl on the front cover?  Seriously, I don't know if it gets much cuter than that!

I was so excited to get my hands on this book because, though I love to take pictures of my girls, and I do have a nice camera, I don't exactly know what I'm doing.  I hope that's ok to admit.  Yes, I'm outing myself - My name is Lindsay.  I have a dSLR camera. And I don't know exactly how to use it. 

But with that being said, I have been working really hard to learn more about photography and how to take good pictures, so this book came at the perfect time!  I find so many photography books are way to technical for my liking.  I am a visual learner, so I love pictures and examples and many of the books I've picked up are just filled to the brim with text.  I want to take good pictures of my kids, but I am by no means looking to become a true professional.

Mamarazzi by Stacy Wasmuth was written with a casual, friendly tone and addressed all of the issues I have with photographing children.  She covers a wide-range of topics that will interest many moms who just love, love, love taking pictures of their little ones.

Here is what the table of contents looks like so you can see what all the book entails: 

This book goes into some detail with how to use your dSLR camera but it also has other great photography tips for those that use basic point-and-shoot cameras as well.  I love that the author goes into some detail in regards to photo editing as well because I end up doing a lot of that with the pictures that I take.

She talks about shooting different children of all ages, what to have them wear for photo shoots and how to get those winning smiles out of them without them saying "cheese" (which if you've ever photographed kids before, you know that never looks attractive).

Mamarazzi has some of the best eye candy of any photography book I have ever seen.  The sample photographs are amazing and there are TONS of them.  Besides being very informative, who doesn't love looking at photographs of adorable babies, cute toddlers, beautiful children and happy families?

Here is some additional information from Amazon.com about Mamarazzi by Stacy Wasmuth:

Calling all mamarazzis! Every camera-toting mom will want this guide!

Moms, if you can't seem to take enough great photos of the children in your life, this is the book for you.  Now you can learn how to photograph children with the style, clarity, color, and beauty you see in professional photographs.  This fun guide combines humor with solid know-how to show you how to compose shots, handle cameras from basic compacts to advanced dSLRs, take portraits or candids, create prints that impress, and even work with kids! Packed with beautiful examples and written in a down-to-earth style from one mom to another, this book will help mamarazzis everywhere take better photos.

• Moms are one of the fastest-growing segments of the camera-toting demographic, and the blogosphere has a term for them, mamarazzis
• Mixes information, inspiration, and fun for women who want to take better photographs of the children in their lives
• Explains how to set up a camera and use the controls on basic compacts up to advanced dSLR cameras
• Covers shot composition, determining settings, exposing images correctly, the essentials of printing images, how to process for clear and bright color, and more
• Includes stunning examples of portraits and candids of children

So today, we are giving away one copy of "Mamarazzi - Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids" by Stacy Wasmuth to one lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

Here's how to enter:
Please use a separate comment for each entry (enter all three times or just once....it's up to you).
1. Tell me who you love to photograph or why you need this book.
2. Become an official follower of The Cottage Home blog.
3. Become a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open until Friday, July 15, 2011 at midnight (CST).

New Blog Sponsor: Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns and Giveaway

I'm so excited to introduce our newest blog sponsor here on The Cottage Home -

Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns!

I know many of you love, love, love downloadable PDF sewing patterns and Tie Dye Diva is loaded with just that! They have downloadable PDF sewing patterns for diaper covers, girls and baby dress patterns, ruffled rompers & more.   These are sewing patterns that are emailed to you and you can print out on your home computer.  Patterns are typically sent within 8 hours, if not sooner, so you can get sewing as soon as you find a design that you want to try!

Tie Dye Diva Patterns are very user-friendly for even the newest sewer.  You can save up to 25% by purchasing a bundle of three or more patterns which makes these sewing patterns some of the most affordable on the market.

Here are some of my personal favorite patterns:

Ruffle Back Romper Pattern for Girls

Sweet Summer Halter Dress Pattern

Ruffled Diaper Cover Pattern

Big Bow Dress or Top Pattern

And for the boys.........

Cargo Pocket Shorts

So those are just some of my favorites, now it's your turn to head over to Tie Dye Diva's etsy shop and let me know what are your favorites.  I just love anything with ruffles on the booty so that Ruffle Back Romper is calling my name!

Today Tie Dye Diva is giving away two PDF sewing patterns to two lucky The Cottage Home blog readers.  

Here's how to enter..........Please leave a separate comment for each entry. You can enter up to four times. Do one or all of the following:

1) Visit Tie Dye Diva's etsy shop and choose your favorite pattern (click HERE to do so).

2) Become a fan of the Tie Dye Diva on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

3) Become an official follower of The Cottage Home blog.

4) Become a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open through Friday, July 8, 2011 at midnight (CST).

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com for rates and more information.