Sunday Giveaways!

Soul Food Mug

Prize: Soul Food Mug

• Prize value: $16
• Number of winners: 1
• Ending date of the giveaway: 02/19/2011
• Where it can be won: Worldwide
• The prize is from: silentmoments.etsy.com
• To enter this giveaway, you can: Leave a comment, Blog/tweet/etc. about it, Follow/fan a blog/fb page, etc.

Click here to enter!

Vinyl Wall Decal Set
(I really love this. My room is that same color, so it would look awesome!)

*Win (Prize):: Vinyl Wall Decal Set - Tree and Birds
*From (Shop):: Janey Mac (janemacpress.etsy.com)
*End date (Last day to enter):: 02/18
*Open to (Restrictions):: US Residents
Click here to enter!

The Caramel Jar

*Win (Prize):: THE CARAMEL JAR - SAMPLER OF MIXED CARAMELS - 3 WINNERS!
*From (Shop):: Sampler Village - The Blog
*End date (Last day to enter):: 02/16
*Open to (Restrictions):: US Residents
Click here to enter!

FAIL of the day

8 Things to do on a Snow Day

This is me, way back when :)

I woke up this morning to find that there was ice on the roads and that classes were cancelled until 10am. So I went back to sleep. Later when I was getting dressed for my 10 o'clock class, I got a text from the school that said that classes where cancelled for the day. SNOW DAAAAY! Here's a list of seven things to do if you find yourself stuck at home on a snow day.

1. Take a long shower. This is the first thing I did when I found out the news (after the happy dance of course). Usually my showers are short and rushed, but not today :)

2. Build a snow man

3. Play catch up.  Are you behind in your schoolwork? Laundry? Knitting?  Dishes? DVRed television shows? Today is your chance to get caught up!

4. Do some spring cleaning. I don't know if it's just me, but I can't be happy when my world is in chaos. Sadly though...it usually is. So today I'm definitely going to take some time to get my room in order. There's a place for everything, and everything should be in its place, I always say.

5. Do some online shopping. It's always nice to shop on your day off, but since you'll be stuck inside on a snow day, you can shop online instead. By the way, I know of this cute little online shop called Tyler Handmade, you should check it out. Wink wink ;)

6. Read a book. Its rare for many people to find enough time to curl up with a good book. Hey, if you're snowed in, why not? I recommend Hide in Plain Sight or Stuck in the Middle. I've read them both on Kindle for free and you can download a Kindle app for just about anything from PC to Android :) (Sorry for the infomercial, but I <3 my Kindle.)

7. Exercise. Get your heart pumping with an exercise tape. If you don't have one, this website has some great videos.

8. Do some DIY projects. If you click on the DIY tag on my blog, you'll find plenty of great projects to try.

Now I'm off to catch up on some knitting!

("Ultra Femme" from the book "Stitch n' B*tch Nation by Debbie Stoller)

Etsy Finds: Black History Items

Handmade Leather Bag (Martin Luther King) by Walimay

Rosa Parks 11x17 Print by Senioritis

George Washington Carver Switchplate by TackiedAndShakled

Harriet Tubman Stamp Pendant by WitchHazelHandmades

Nelson Mandela T-shirt by TeeRevolutionary

Malcolm X Scrabble Pendant by francinagirard

"I Am Not A Perfect Man" Obama Lithograph by Metaphorchid

WHY ME? Christmas Horror Stories

Today, I asked my boyfriend what he wanted for Christmas. He then told me that he would only tell me if I promised not to get mad, so I agreed. He told me that he wants me to start working out because I'm getting fat.


Today, my boyfriend's mother called me. She assumed that I bought him a PS3 for Christmas, and she and the rest of his family have only purchased him games to go with it. The thing is, I already got him an expensive gift. Now, I have to scramble to come up with the money to get this for him instead, and save the coat I bought for his birthday.


Today, I told my mom that I wanted professional head-shots done for Christmas. When asked why, I said "I want to submit them to a modeling agency." My mom exchanged looks with my sister before laughing so hard that she wet herself. 


Today, I went over to my mother-in-law's house to have dinner. I was excited she invited me, since I thought she didn't like me. I ended up hanging her Christmas lights in a snowstorm while they had s'mores by the fire. 


Today, we had our annual office Christmas party. The theme of the party was "Ugliest Sweater". The winner was a sweater that I have an exact replica of in my closet. It's my favorite 'special occasion', 'family portrait' and 'holiday' sweater.


Today, I was on the phone with my mother. She asked me if I was going to make it to Christmas at home. I told her that I would try and make it home since it would be my grandma's last Christmas alive. To my luck, grandma was sitting in the car with my mother, and speaker phone was in use. 


Today, my uncle got me a debit card and put one thousand dollars on it for my Christmas present. However, he forgot to activate the card. The recipt with the 14 digit activation code is in the garbage in Colorado.


Today, I work at a debt collections center and I had to call my own father. Merry Christmas.


Today, my entire extended family was over for Christmas. I opened a gift to see that it was a fruitcake and saw everyone looking at me, smiling. This is their way to tell me that they know I'm gay and that they accept me. I'm straight.

Chirstmas Wish List!

Christmas is around the corner, and everyone has a few things that they like to get. But me? Oooh no. I want LOTS of things. Here's the wishlist my greedy little mind has come up with.

A Yarn Swift

Winding a hank of yarn without a swift requires a) A friend to hold it for you or b) using your knees. Unfortunately I don't always have the luxury of A and B takes a long time, so an umbrella yarn swift would be awesooome! They also have the wooden version which is a little prettier and probably better quality, but eh. I just want it to work.

pH Testing Strips

This may seem a bit odd, especially since I'm not a chemist or anything, but I recently learned that anything you put on your hair should have a pH of 4.0 - 7.0 but 4.5-5.5 is best to close the cuticles. Theres no way I can test my hair products and homemade leave in conditioner mixes without this! 

Mandie and the Secret Tunnel

So, I read this whooole book series when I was a kid called Mandie mysteries, and now I just found out they turned it into a movie. MUST SEE! There's even a sequel. Eep! ^_^

HAIR STUFF!

Kinky Curly Knot Today and/or Curling Custard

Jojoba Oil

Castor Oil

Aloe Vera Juice

Besides the curling custard, these are all key ingredients to kimmaytube's leave in conditioner recipe! :)

Knee-High Chucks

Set of 4 Wire Storage Cubes

So, I've been having a problem with my cat knocking my my yarn out of its happy home in the bookshelf and them proceeding to BITE on it and drag it around. Might I mention that he did this with expensive alpaca yarn once? -_- 

This picture is one knitter's solution to the same problem with her cat, and I just love it! And Wally World is offering free shipping on it too! squee! ^_^

Hmmmmm, thats actually all I can think of right now, but don't you worry, I'll be sure to add to it when other things come to mind ;)

5 reasons why handmade items are pricier than Walmart and WORTH it!

1. Handmade items are...made by hand. The items I make aren't spit out by the thousands by some machine in China, I labor over them by hand usually for a few weeks before they're finished.

2. You have it your way. Try Going to Wal-mart and saying "I'd like a scarf with black and grey stripes with the stripes being about one inch wide each and the scarf length should be equal to my height. Also, I'd prefer if it was made out of machine-washable material." ....You won't leave happy.

3. Handmade items are unique. Ever bought something from JC Penney and then seen two other people wearing it that week? That is HIGHLY unlikely to happen if you buy a handmade item from me.

4. No sweat-shop guilt. My items are not made by poor children in Cambodia who get paid 30 cents a day. They're made by me!

5. Low environmental impact. My handmade items are not shipped in from Taiwan, burning fossil fuels and polluting the air. They're made right here in the United States. 

"Tyler! What are all these 'handmade items' you keep babbling about?" you may ask. Well head on over to www.tylerhandmade.com and hopefully all of your questions will be answered. If you have any more, you can always ask me here :)

Happy Monday, everyone!