Great Things-Whimsy Couture Sewing Patterns & Giveaway!

It's Monday and time for another Great Thing!  I am very excited to share today's Great Thing, Whimsy Couture Sewing Patterns.  Denise is the fabulous seamstress behind Whimsy Couture.  Like many of us crafty Moms, her business came out of making clothes for her first child.




If you like boutique clothes or all those custom clothes you find at craft fairs, then you will love these patterns.  They are absolutely adorable!  I have six of Denise's patterns so far and they are amazing!  The directions are very clear and easy to understand.  Even if you are new to sewing, these are patterns you can conquer.

Unlike most patterns, Whimsy Couture patterns are for a big span of sizes.  You are't just getting small sizes, most of them go to teenagers and some are even for adults!

Let me show you some examples of these fantastic patterns:

Petti Ruffle Romper

This is absolutely precious and would be perfect for any photography session.

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Great Things-Ambassador Crochet Patterns & Giveaway

It is time for another Great Things and for all you Crochet fans, I have another great pattern writer to share with you.  Today, I want to introduce Ambassador Crochet!





Kristine Mullen is the creator of Ambassador Crochet.  She is very talented and her patterns are very easy to understand.  Before I show off some of her patterns, I want you to know a little about Kristine.  Here is her biography from her blog, Ambassador Crochet:

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Crochet Dreamz Pattern Winners

We want to thank Shehnaaz of Crochet Dreamz for partnering with our Great Things and giving away two patterns to three of our followers!

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Great Things-Crochet Dreamz Patterns & Giveaway

It is Monday and you know what that means. . . time for another Great Thing! Today, we want to share with you Crochet Dreamz patterns! Shenaaz is the talented woman behind Crochet Dreamz.  She is a stay-at-home Mom of a six year old who loves to dabble in all things creative.  Shenaaz has lived and traveled all over the world, which is where she draws much of her inspiration.

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A Great Thing-An Ice Shaver!

Many years ago, I bought this beautiful contraption from Pampered Chef. The bad news is Pampered Chef doesn't sell them anymore. The good news is there are MANY available on ebay and other sites. If you don't have one... get one!

Here's the beauty!

Here's a batch of watermelon lemonade I mixed up.  I used the blender to blend fresh watermelon chunks with lemonade concentrate and water (to taste). Pampered Chef included these great little containers to make your ice.

Here's the watermelon lemonade ice block.  I stick it in the shaver...

I shave into the bowl...

...and my girls have a delicious, healthy treat when it's 100 degrees outside. It's perfect!

There are MANY recipes you can create!

Here's my version of a Frappacino. I took weak decaf coffee, mixed it with some milk, and some of my husband's french vanilla coffee creamer and yum!

Seriously, the options are endless: chocolate or strawberry milk, a carton of yogurt, any beverage.  My ice shaver is certainly a GREAT THING! If you can't track down a Pampered Chef one, maybe you can try one from WalMart or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They are great during these warm months!

Inner Hooker Giveaway Winners!

We want to thank Scotti of Inner Hooker Crochet Patterns for partnering with our Great Things and giving away three patterns to three of our followers!

If you aren't one of the lucky winners, you will want to visit Inner Hooker to purchase some great patterns.  Make sure to check out the Buy More Save More section to save yourself some money!

Thank you to all who entered to win!  We welcome our new followers and thank all our loyal followers for making our blog part of your day!

On to our winners. . .

Winner 1:

 101. Blessedbabs said...

Yes, I like OSD on fb...(actually LOVE :))

JULY 16, 2011 1:24 PM 

(Thanks BlessedBabs for the love!)


Winner 2:

74. erinll said...

I get your e-mail updates (and love them)

JULY 14, 2011 4:09 PM 

(Thanks Erinll for your love as well!)




Winner #3:

11. annemarie said...

I have been a long time email subscriber.

JULY 11, 2011 9:33 AM 

(Thanks Annemarie for getting our emails for a long time!  We love it.)


We couldn't be happier with the kind comments and love that all our entries shared.  Thanks for making us feel good!

All our lovely winners have 48 hours to contact us to claim their prize.  Please email us at oursevendwarfs@gmail.com if you won!

Have a great rest of the weekend and stay cool!

Great Things-Inner Hooker Crochet Patterns & Giveaway! (3 winners!)

It has been awhile since we've featured a "Great Thing," but not to worry, we have one for you today!  If you read the title, you might have taken a second look or had to think about the name!  Nonetheless, we are sure it grabbed your attention!

Scotti is the creative genius behind Inner Hooker Crochet Patterns.  We love how Scotti describes herself, "Nose and butt wiper by day...creative business woman by night!" We can completely identify with the by day part, but maybe one day we will have the by night part as well!

Scotti is one busy lady! She has over 50 patterns in one of her many shops.  You can catch her on Big cartel, Etsy, Ravelry and Artfire.  If that wasn't enough, she also has a blog, where she shares stories of her family and some free patterns (hint hint)!

Jill wanted to share with you some of her favorite patterns from Inner Hooker Patterns.

Owl Earflap Hat Pattern

Bunny Rabbit Hat Pattern

Honey Bee Hat Pattern

The Vintage Chic Headwrap Earwarmer Pattern

Polka Dot Pom Pom Pattern

Flower Bonnet Photo Prop Pattern

Oh, I must stop or I would just list every pattern she has in her store.  Aren't they all just precious!  I just want to squeeze the little babies in the pictures too.  They further enhance her fabulous designs!  Scotti's patterns are very reasonable and she also offers three "Buy More Save More" options.  You can get 10 patterns for $30, 6 patterns for $20, or 3 patterns for $10.

You will also want to check out the Inner Hooker on Facebook.  Scotti often offers specials or even asks for testers for some of her new patterns.

What is better than saving money on wonderful patterns?  How about FREE PATTERNS?  Scotti has generously offered 3 patterns to 3 different winners!  (Jill is highly envious as that owl pattern has been on her radar for a long time now).

Here is how you can win 3 new patterns!

*Leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Are you an email subscriber to Our Seven Dwarfs? Leave a comment telling us you are or subscribe and leave us a comment telling us you are a new subscriber.

2. Visit Inner Hooker and leave a comment telling us what 3 patterns you would choose.

3. Do you follow Our Seven Dwarfs on blogger? (see sidebar under Follow us) Leave us a comment telling us you do or become a new follower and leave us a comment telling us you follow OSD now.  By the way this is a great way to view all your favorite blogs in one place!

4. Do you like Our Seven Dwarfs on Facebook? Leave us a comment and tell us you do or like us and tell us you did.

5.  Send some love to Scotti on Facebook.  Go like her page and then tell her Our Seven Dwarfs sent you!  Leave a comment here that you did gave some love!  *Make sure to click on the little lock button (choose everyone) when you post on facebook so this shares your post with everyone.  That gives more love to all!

There you have it, 5 possible entries.  You don't have to do all of them, but it sure increases your odds of winning!

Giveaway ends at midnight (EST) on July 16.  Winners will be chosen on Sunday, July 17.  All winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize by emailing us at oursevendwarfs@gmail.com.

Good luck and enjoy this Great Thing!

Great Things-Lowes and Home Depot's Children's Building Workshops

Jill and I discovered the free kids' workshops offered at Lowes and Home Depot every month.

Mariella is with her grandparents and her finished product: A Goofy Golf Game from Lowes.

GraciAnn's building the Goofy Golf game with her Grandpa.

GraciAnn built a Gingerbread house at Lowes a couple of years ago.

Lowes workshops are called Build and Grow and they are offered twice a month. Each participant receieves a kit, goggles, an apron, and a patch that matches the project they made. Lowe's clinic is at 10 am.  It is strongly recommended that you sign up ahead of time and print the waiver to bring in to the store when you go.  They have a limited number of projects. Here's the website that will give you more information. http://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/

John and GraciAnn working on a project at Lowes.

Home Depot's Kids' workshops are held on the first Saturday of each month. They give each participant a wooden project to build. They provide the tools and a place for the kids to work. Their recommended age for the children is between 5 and 12.  They have been very welcoming to us with our 4 year old (she started with these projects at two and a half) and graciously give our two year old a project to do too.  They give the kids aprons, awards, and pins that represent the project they built. The workshops begin at 9am and ends at noon (or when materials are gone). Here's their website where you can get even more information:   http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/free-home-depot-kids-workshop-first-saturday-month/

John and GraciAnn working on a project at Home Depot.

Lowes and Home Depot have done a wonderful job, coming up with a variety of great projects, and welcoming the community to participate.  These workshops provide an opportunity for children to practice reading directions, work with tools, create fun projects, and most importantly, spend quality time with their families. If you have not taken advantage of these workshops, we encourage you to. They are GREAT THINGS!

A Great Thing-Little Me Tea-A Giveaway with 6 winners!

Little Me Tea is a GREAT THING!

It's a drink, for children, that's caffeine free, all organic, with no added sugar. I know we're not used to buying "Tea" for our children; but, just look at the benefits and you may just change your ways.

Little Me Tea has two flavors of tea. Julia's Tropical Tea is a unique combination of organic, caffeine-free white and Rooibos teas  blended with hibiscus and chamomile, then sweetened with organic tropical fruit juices and vegetable juices. Zane's Grape Tea is unique combination of organic, caffeine-free white and Rooibos teas blended with hibiscus and chamomile, then kicked up with organic red grape juice and vegetable juices.

The chart above shows how Little Me Tea compares to other available children's drinks.  It's amazingly clear that this tea is a GREAT THING!

It's such a GREAT THING that not only will your child's health benefit from drinking Little Me Tea, your child will enjoy it. It's tasty!

Would you like to try it for your child or for yourself as so many adults have been reporting how much they like it and the benefits they're seeing from drinking it?  Little Me Tea is shipping 6 of our followers a winning prize pack. Each prize pack contains a carton of Julia's Tropical Tea and Zane's Grape Tea.  This one is easy to enter and you have great odds!

Here's what you need to do to enter.  Remember, leave a separate comment for each entry!

Comment 1: Are you an email subscriber to Our Seven Dwarfs? Leave a comment telling us you are or subscribe and leave us a comment telling us you are a new subscriber.
Comment 2: Do you follow Our Seven Dwarfs on blogger? (see sidebar under Follow us) Leave us a comment telling us you do or become a new follower and leave us a comment telling us you follow OSD now.
Comment 3: Do you like Our Seven Dwarfs on Facebook? Leave us a comment and tell us you do or like us and tell us you did.
Comment 4: Visit Little Me Tea's website  and leave a comment about the benefits of tea.
Comment 5: Like Little Me Tea on facebook and leave a comment telling us you do.
Comment 6: Follow Little Me Tea on twitter (it's under Big Organic Life) and leave a comment telling us you do.
Comment 7: This is the bonus comment: look at the comparison chart above and leave us a comment telling us what impresses you the most about this chart.

You will have until Saturday, June 11th at 11:59 pm EST to enter. We will announce the winners, that's right 6 WINNERS on Sunday, June 12th.

Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY-Tupperware-A Great Thing

Jill and I have definitely found some wonderful Tupperware items.  We wanted to share a few with you.

Our all time favorite is the tumbler impressions. They do not leak and are so convenient. They are also very easy to clean! You can use any disposable straws and the cups and lids are dishwashwer safe.

Jill also loves the fridge smarts. She thinks it is easy to store things in these and it makes her fruits and vegetables last so much longer.

Shannon really likes the vent and serves.  They stack so nicely, food warms evenly in them, and they are very durable.

We've both had great luck with Tupperware products.  Jill had a really old rectangular cake taker.  She got it out and noticed that the lid had split.  She told our Tupperware Consultant, Frannie and she got her a brand new one at no cost to Jill!  She just sent in her old one.  That is fantastic customer service.  Most businesses are not standing behind their products these days, but Tupperware goes above and beyond!

Frannie wants to spread the Tupperware love with our readers.  She is giving away 3, $20 gift certificates for Tupperware.

Here's what you need to do to enter the giveaway:

Comment 1: Visit Frannie's online Tupperware store and tell us what you'd like to buy with a $20 gift certificate. website: my.tupperware.com/frannietaysavang

Comment 2: Subscribe to Our Seven Dwarfs via email (must be verified) or RSS feed and tell us you do.

You will have until Saturday, May 28th at 11:59 pm EST to enter.  Good Luck!

Frannie is also giving our readers a special opportunity!  She's offering free shipping on orders $100 and more!  You will have to contact her directly for this opportunity. Just let her know we sent you.

Frannie Taysavang

tupperfrannie@gmail.com
Tupperware Director In Qualification

 website: my.tupperware.com/frannietaysavang
404-538-4137

Great Things-Grace, Sugar Momma's

These were the fabulous cookies we were sent!

Do you love cookies?  What about art?  Do you think it would be fabulous to find a place that wonderfully combines the two?  We've found it!

Somehow, when I was cruising through facebook, I came upon Grace, Sugar Momma.  I saw amazingly, beautifully, decorated cookies.  I scanned through her pictures and her wall. She said she sometimes sent out samples for people to try her cookies.  Well, Jill and I were in.  We wanted to try them.  I sent her my information and within days received a box of four beautifully decorated cookies.

Four cookies divided by two families (Jill's and mine) meant sharing two cookies per family.  They were like gold.  The girls and I divied the first cookie up between the three of us. It was so beautiful, I was reluctant to eat it.  Well, GraciAnn and Mariella dove right in.  Mariella proclaimed, "Yummy!" and GraciAnn asked for more. I explained that one of the three remaining cookies was for Daddy to try and the other two were Mrs. Jill's.  GraciAnn was POSITIVE Mrs. Jill wouldn't mind sharing her cookies with her.  I was positive Mrs. Jill would mind. John and I shared the last cookie when the girls were in bed (smart, I know!) and I gave Jill the other two to try.

This is what we all agreed on: the cookies were beautiful and the almond flavored icing was amazing!  I approached Grace about being featured as a "Great Thing" on our blog. She agreed and even offered to do a giveaway!  She will be giving the lucky winner 4-6 beautifully decorated butterfly cookies iced with her signature almond flavored icing. 

You could win beautiful butterfly cookies, like these!

Here's what Grace wants to share with you about herself and her new business:

** I am a professionally trained fine artist who put her training to good use in the kitchen.  I am a self taught cake-cookie decorator.  The baking talents comes from many generations of amazing cooks. 

Just a couple weeks ago I "officially" opened an Etsy store.  It took me WEEKS to figure out what I was doing and I was scared too because it's unknown territory for me but I realized if I ever plan on taking off as a mail-order business THIS was the place to start.

I haven't sold anything yet but I have faith in the quality of my products.  I take great pride in what I do, as an artist.  Every thing I make is a piece of me so quality control is through the roof!!  LOL

My ultimate goal is to do this full time so I can be with my family (I have 1 son, Jaymes 12y).  I currently have a full time "day" job and bake full time at "night" as well as do all my "Mom Jobs" at home too.  I am truly blessed, in so many ways Praise God, and thankful of the friends I have made on my little journey.  The opportunity you and Jill have offered me is an answered prayer to help get me closer to my ultimate goal of staying home with my family :)

Most of my orders come from word of mouth and free samples I offer periodically via FB.  Because I take great pride in my products and believe "Customer Service" is a lost art form the clients I do have are loyal and repeat for every family occasion that comes up - cookies, cakes, cupcakes and just because they have a craving.  I am not expensive and go out of my way to provide them with the best I can and it has paid me back in return.  Every penny I make goes right back in to sending out more samples and getting my name out there.

These are perfect for wedding favors!

Okay, now it's up to you!  Let's get this contest started! You will have 5 chances to comment in an effort to win cookies, delivered to your door!

Comment 1: Visit Grace, Sugar Momma's at etsy and tell us what you like best. (mandatory entry) 

Comment 2:  Follow Our Seven Dwarfs via email or RSS feed. (mandatory entry-see sidebar)

Comment 3: Become a facebook fan of Grace, Sugar Momma's and tell us you are.

Comment 4: Like us on facebook and tell us you do!

Comment 5: Follow us on blogger and tell us you do! (see sidebar)

Make sure you have separate entries for each comment! You can enter until Saturday, May 21st at 11:59 pm. We will announce the winner on Sunday, May 22nd.

Grace is offering our followers an exclusive 15% off discount.  Use the code OSD15 at checkout.  Her cookies make great gifts!

Once you are a facebook fan of Grace, Sugar Momma's, you will be automatically registered for ongoing milestone raffles.  The latest one is at 285 fans.  She will give away a Father's Day Cookie Set in their choice of Golf, BBQ, Football or Tools.

What a great gift for golfers!

We're pretty sure our followers will help Grace reach this 285 fan milestone, this week! Well Grace, we are so glad we are able to give you this opportunity.  We can't wait for our readers to visit your etsy store and see what they'd like to try!

 

This Week's Great Things

This weekend was a family weekend for us! Family weekends are "Great Things"!  We hope all the Mothers out there had great weekends too.  We both spent Mother's Day away from our Moms, (physically) but with them in so many ways. Mothers are "Great Things" and we certainly appreciate ours.

Our husbands are "Great Things" in our lives too.  Without our husbands, we wouldn't have the privilege of being Mothers ourselves.  This Mother's Day, we celebrate the "Greatest Thing of All": being a mom.  There's just nothing greater in life.

So, this week, the great thing we want you to celebrate is your family.  We are!

EarthBOXes are GREAT THINGS!

I don't know how EarthBOXes first came into my life.  Was it my Mom who loves to garden and gets so excited about her EarthBOX success? Could it have been my grandparents? I can remember planting EarthBOXes with my Granddad. He was a perfectionist and followed the directions exactly.  He did have great results. Of course, I've had great results with mine too and I don't always follow directions correctly.

EarthBOXes are a great thing.  They are simple to plant, easy to care for, and have great results. My family has used them for tomatoes, okra, all kinds of peppers, blueberries, bok choy, lettuce, collards, squash, cucumbers, and I'm sure other things I don't remember.

EarthBOXes are reusable. That's another great thing! They are sturdy and meant to be used for many years.  We now have four and the oldest is at least eight years old!  You can even use the same soil for up to eight years.  Your EarthBOX comes with almost everything you need to start planting.  All you need to buy is the soil and plants. Replacement items, including fertilizer, and covers, are available from EarthBOX, for future planting.

Here is our newest EarthBOX.

It comes with the box, the screen, a watering tube, casters to make it easily portable, dolomite, fertilizer, 2 covers, and WONDERFUL directions! We bought 2 cubic feet of the soil (per box), EarthBOX recommended and plants, and we started planting.

First, we leveled the ground under the box.  Then we added the screen and watering tube.

We added the soil. We made sure to pack it in the corners as the directions said.

We added the premeasured dolomite.

We mixed the dolomite in.

We added soil to the top of the box.

We made a trench in the middle. (Depending on what you're planting, the trench could also go in the front).

We added the premeasured fertilizer.

We poured the rest of the bag of soil on top.  It made a little mountain.

We put the cover over the soil.

Following the directions (that include pictures) we cut slits in the liner for our plants.

We planted!  This box has 6 pepper plants.  After planting, we watered it using the watering tube.  So easy!

The girls are ready to plant the next three boxes.  This year, we're doing tomatoes, yellow squash, and collards.  We'll keep you updated with our results!

Who wants to give an EarthBOX a try?  EarthBOX has given us a complete box to share with one of our followers.  Here's what you need to do to enter the giveaway:

1. (Mandatory) Follow Our Seven Dwarfs on facebook and let us know you do.

2. Visit EarthBOXes website: http://www.earthbox.com/ and join their email list.  This will let you know all the specials they have going on. Let us know you joined their list.

3.  Follow Our Seven Dwarfs on email or RSS feed and let us know you do.

4.  Follow Our Seven Dwarfs on blogger and let us know you do.

5. Leave us a comment and tell us how you would use your EarthBOX.

That's up to five chances to win!  You have until Saturday, May 7th at 11:59 EST to enter. The winner will be chosen, and announced, on May 8th.  Good Luck!