Happy New Year.  I am excited to Welcome Back Ella Lane and their gorgeous store.   Are you looking for some new pieces for your closet? Have some Christmas Money to Spend? This is the store for you!

Ella lane is such an affordable website,  and it’s full of beautiful things

Ella Lane is owned by the trendy discount shopper Casey Bagby. She believes anyone can accessorize their personal style on an affordable budget. That’s why her site has all the top trends without the expensive designer prices. Her fashion accessories online  include bags & wallets, accessories, scarves for winter and more is a real find! Don’t forget to browse the vintage finds and handmade accessories sections to see what unique items she has found for you!

These bags are so fun!

I love  all her fashion accessories online.  She has so many of the latest trends!

Exclusive Reader Giveaway

Enter to win $100 {Shopping Spree} at Ella Lane!

All you have to do is leave a comment .

For extra entries: Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Six entries max. (Totally optional)

2. Tweet about the contest! Feel free to use this sample tweet,

#Win $100 shopping spree at @ellalane_shop  @cindyhopper Comment to enter! http://bit.ly/tYyKyo Pls RT

or just click this button to Tweet Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on Facebook.

4. Follow Skip to my Lou on Pinterest.

5. Like Ella Lane on Facebook and please say Hello from Skip to my Lou!

6.   Follow Ella Lane on Pinterest .

Are you ready to start shopping?

Have a little more fun! We have hooked you up with

a exclusive skip to my lou 20% off code {squeal}!

Just enter the code “Skip123″ at check out.

No purchase necessary.  US Residents Only.  Must be over 18. Giveaway will end on Wednesday Jan. 11th, 2012 at 12am CST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winner will be emailed, the winner  will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.  Cindy Hopper and Ella Lane are not responsible for lost or undelivered emails.

Hosting a party was easy & fun!

I chose a design. All the supplies needed are  listed on the back of the package.

Each pattern pack contains easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions with photos!

We painted…

and talked, laughed, connected and painted some more!

I have an amazing family full of creativity. Our paintings didn’t  exactly look like the original picture,  each person gave them their own original touch!

The family that paints together stays together!

We definitely had a sweet time!

To learn more about how to host your own party and where you can purchase supplies please visit the Social Artworking Website.

Win a Social Artworking Party

Leave a comment here on this post for a chance to win 6 cupcake pattern packs, 6 Social Artworking brush sets- which are the only brushes used in all of the Social Artworking designs and the paint to complete a party for 6. What fun!

Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each thing you do!)

Like Social Artworking on Facebook

Tweet about this giveaway with a tweet like this:  Win a painting party for six, DecoArt has @anewwaytopaint http://bit.ly/tDKU7N

Follow Social Artworking on twitter @anewwaytopaint

US entries only please. DecoArt supplied the Social Artworking supplies. I supplied the family! All opinions are my own.

Congrats to Megan West  #52!

This week I am ready to set you up with a great giveaway! I really love this stuff!  {Squeal}  

 Are you Looking to transform a plain wall into a custom space?

  Want to add the finishing detail to your room?

 Janey Mac wall decals are the perfect wall decor for your home – easy and fast to install.

 Janey Mac is a design company specializing in Vinyl Wall Decals.
They use only the highest quality vinyl - your decal will look as if it is painted onto the wall.
Their wall decals are removable, and won’t ruin or damage your wall surface. {Love that}!

Janey Mac products are made in the USA of non-toxic materials.
You can purchase their products through their website - Janey Mac

Exclusive reader giveaway!

Enter to win $125 worth goodies from Janey Mac {you choose}!

All you have to do is leave a comment .

For extra entries: Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Four entries max. (Totally optional)

2. Tweet about the contest! Feel free to use this sample tweet,
#Win $125  Vinyl Wall Decals @Janey Mac @cindyhopper Comment to enter! http://bit.ly/rKIJE2 Pls RT

or just click this button to Tweet  Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

4. Like  Janey Mac on facebook (you can even tell them hi from Skip to my Lou if you want)!

Love Janey Mac’s decals?  Want to make money selling them yourself?
Janey Mac is expanding their retail line into direct sells.  You can sell Janey Mac products as a Consultant, and make a commission from your sales.  Check out their website for more information.

No purchase necessary.  US Residents Only.  Must be over 18. Giveaway will end on December 7th, 2011 at 12am CST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winner will be emailed, the winner  will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.  Cindy Hopper and Janey Mac are not responsible for lost or undelivered emails.

]]> http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/30/125-janey-mac-giveaway/feed/ 811 http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/19/a-day-at-scentsy-giveaway/ http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/19/a-day-at-scentsy-giveaway/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:40:00 +0000 cindylouh http://www.skiptomylou.org/?p=20646 Recently I was treated to a fabulous day at Scentsy headquarters. I have used and enjoyed Scentsy products, but I really didn’t know much about the company. I walked away with a new respect for Scentsy! This day had quite an impression on me and I will use the things I learned to run my own business.

This now wildly successful company started from humble beginnings in an old shipping crate because they didn’t even have enough money for office space! You can learn about their inspiring story here .

When I arrived I was welcomed to a beautiful hotel room with goodies and the room smelled amazing!  We learned about every aspect of the company. Great care  is taken in crafting the warmers, it can be seen in the rock to warmers video where we were shown the entire process.  They have the most unique warmers, each one is touched by human hands in their creation!

Loving these design boards!

We learned about the science behind the scents in a Fragrance 101 class. I will never look at scents the same again.

We enjoyed a fun Scentsy party.

I met the inspiring Heidi and Orville Thompson, who started Scentsy and I got to hang out with so many great friends!

Top row: Tenielle  Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous, Kari  Ucreate, Heidi and Orville Thompson (Owners of Scentsy), Juliet  Juicy Stuff, Shelley  House of Smiths, and me.

Bottom Row: Brooke All Things Thrifty, Kami  No Biggie, Shelley  How does She, Heather  Whipperberry, and me  Skip to my Lou.

I Loved my time at Scentsy!

EVERY single person that worked there, beamed as said that THEY had the best job at Scentsy. This can only happen with a unique company culture! Heidi and Orville dared to dream big  and guide their company with authenticity, generosity and simplicity. This was not an empty motto!  It was easy to see it hand been carefully injected into every aspect of their business.

Great care has been taken into growing this amazing business. Orville Thompson’s guiding principle is that in every task and interaction with others, “You give more than you take.” I love this! Can you imagine if this was everybody’s guiding principal?

Next time you see a Scentsy warmer you will know that this is a wonderful company that cares about the people that work for them and the products they sell!

If you’ve never been to a Scentsy party , consider hosting one and sharing a fun experience with your friends! If you don’t know anyone near you that sells Scentsy and you want to check it out, a great way to find a consultant is to use the Find A Consultant link on the Scentsy website.  If you’ve been looking for a way to make money from home consider signing up as a Scentsy consultant . You would be working for an amazing company.

I totally stole this picture but I just can’t help but share this group, doing what we all do best! Thank you to Scentsy for a wonderful day with wonderful friends … truly inspiring!

Do you want to try Scentsy?

There is no way I could spend all that time enjoying their products without offering something to YOU! Thanks to the wonderful, and I do mean {wonderful}, folks at Scentsy they were more than happy to offer you a…

Exclusive Reader {Giveaway}

Scentsy is giving away 5 plug in warmers and 5 bars.  That means five readers will each win a plug in and a bar of their choice!

If your new to Scentsy let me tell you what it is :

How it Works: Fragrant wax is heated in a decorative ceramic warmer using a low-watt light bulb. The wax slowly melts, infusing a room with fragrance.

Scentsy Wickless Candles are the simplest and safest way to bring memory-filled fragrances into a home. With no wick and no flame, there’s no worry or mess. And, the wickless candle warmers add color and style to holiday décor.  These are the only thing I would use in my house. No smoke = No fire danger.

Aren’t these cute plug in warmers?  Available now through the exclusive holiday collection.

Scentsy is Sold through more than 130,000 Independent Consultants.

To find out more and locate your very own Scentsy consultant visit www.scentsy.net .

All you have to do is go to Scentsy and pick your favorite scent and plug in warmer and leave me a comment!

For extra entries: Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Four entries max.

2. Tweet about the contest! Feel free to use this sample tweet,
Free plug in Scentsy Warmer and bar from @cindyhopper @scentsy. Comment to enter! http://bit.ly/uCuS7V Pls RT

or just click this button to Tweet Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

4. Like Scentsy on facebook.

Thanksgiving is next week! Are you ready? You do know what is next, don’t you?  Christmas! Are you getting excited for Christmas?  I know I am!

To kick off the holiday season count down next week I’m excited to be sharing a week of advent calendars.

I {adore} advent calendars and I love finding and even creating new one’s.

I have been working on a fun one and I can wait to reveal it to you {cheers}.  But first… I want to share with you an amazing giveaway that just might help you create one of my advent calendars next week {stay tuned}.

Get excited readers {squeal}!   I’ve arranged for one of you to get a brand spankin’ new and by new, I mean {newly released}  Silhouette CAMEO!  A lucky reader will receive a FREE Silhouette CAMEO machine. Valued at $299!

 Wait till you see the things you can do with the silhouette cameo -from holiday decorations, paper crafts to make your cupcakes the cutest, glass etching, custom vinyl and as if it that isn’t amazing enough….. how about temporary tattoos for your kids! Yes, soon you could be making the cutest cards on the block! The options really are endless.

Details for Black Friday Sale

Gear up for the best Black Friday sale this year – Friday, Nov. 25 through Monday, Nov. 28, save 40% on everything* at silhouetteamerica.com. Get a new CAMEO tote for just $70 (normally $99.99), or a starter kit for $28 (normally $39.99). Best of all you don’t have to wait in any lines or camp out in a tent. Just be sure to visit silhouetteamerica.com before the end of the day on Nov. 28 (MST) and use the promo code SKIP during checkout to save 40% off your entire order*.

* Offer excludes Silhouette CAMEO™, download cards, and gift cards. Promotion valid 11/25/2011 12:00 AM through 11/28/2011 11:59 PM only at silhouetteamerica.com. 40% off sale only includes physical products purchased at silhouetteamerica.com while supplies last.

Exclusive Reader Discount

If your  want the CAMEO {I know you do}  then they have to go to this secret page and use the code ‘skip’ it will get you a great discount there too!  http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/blackFridayCameo.aspx

To enter to win you…

Simply comment to enter.

For extra entries: Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Five entries max.

2. Tweet about the contest! Feel free to use this sample tweet,
Free Silhouette CAMEO cutting machine, a $299 value from @silhouetteam. Comment to enter! http://bit.ly/vwdJqg Pls RT

or just click this button to Tweet Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

4. Like  Silhouette on facebook,

5. Like Silhouette on Pinterest.

No purchase necessary.  US Residents Only.  Must be over 18. Giveaway will end on November 23, 2011 at 12am CST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winner will be emailed, the winner  will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.  Cindy Hopper and Silhouette are not responsible for lost or undelivered emails.

I have a few of my friends giving Cameos away too.  Throw your name in the hat everywhere people!

1. Infarrantly Creative

2. The Idea Room

3.  Crap I’ve Made

4.  Eighteen25

5.  Shanty 2 Chic

6. Ucreate

7. I Heart Naptime

8. Our Best Bites

9. Prudent Baby

10. Little Miss Momma

11. Make It and Love It

12. Skip to my Lou

13.  Kara’s Party Ideas

14.  Craftaholics Anonymous

15. Tip Junkie

16. I Heart Organizing

Welcome Marie LeBaron from Make and Takes.  I’m excited for her to share a craft from her new book! Read on for your chance to win a copy of her new book!

Hi everyone! I’m happy to be here at Skip to My Lou sharing a festive fall craft from my recent kids craft book,  Make and Takes for Kids. This Crunched Leaf Plaque is the perfect decoration for the kids to help make and display for the fall season. You can also enjoy your time together as you gather the leaves from around your yard or over at the park.

Supplies for a Crunched Leaf Plaque:

• 10–15 dried leaves
• Large bowl
• 4 × 24″ piece of craft wood, 1/8″ width
• Orange craft paint
• Paintbrush
• Pencil
• White craft glue

1. Paint your piece of wood with orange craft paint. Let this dry.

2. Using the photo as a guide, use your pencil to write “THANKFUL” in all capital letters on your painted board. Make sure the letters are evenly spaced across the board.

3. Trace the pencil letters with your white craft glue. Make sure each part of the letters is covered in a line of glue.

4. In a large bowl, crunch up your dried leaves. Try to get them as small as possible.

5. Sprinkle your crushed leaves onto your glue, shaking it around slightly to get each part of the glue covered in leaves. Shake off any excess leaves back into the bowl. Let your board dry overnight.

The kids are going to love to crunch up those leaves as they make a super cool sound. Have fun crafting for fall!

Thanks for stopping by Marie.

A little about her book…

Make and Takes for Kids offers 50 projects to make with kids, each centered around an upcoming holiday or season. The ideas are unique and simple to produce, and each project is thoughtfully constructed and designed to create an ideal environment and setting for crafting. Each craft requires little preparation, few supplies, and almost everything can be readily found at home or at a local craft supply store.

Author/Crafter: Marie LeBaron
Photography: Nicole Gerulat

A sneak peek of some of the cute projects!

Look at this adorable Turkey.

or this snowman puzzle.

You will have tons of things to do this winter when your kids have Cabin Fever.

Marie’s book is filled with fun and simple crafts that you can do with you kids.  It’s a perfect gift for the holidays, maybe stocking stuffer for teacher, parents or grandparents, it’s also a great way to unplug and have some one-on-one family time, encourage creativity in your little ones.  I love it!   Do you want to see it for yourself?  Just leave a comment and one lucky winner will receive a copy!

and more fun crafts go to Wiley crafts.

I have enjoyed reading all your bucket list items and SO wish I could have chosen many winners! Thank you, all of you, for sharing  a piece of yourself with me!

It’s no secret that I love photography! One of the biggest factors for getting good pictures is the kind of camera you have and I promise you are going to get better pictures with a good camera. That’s why I am so excited to share this weeks giveaway with you : A Canon Rebel Camera compliments of Just Ask. {squealing} That’s right a brand new SLR Digital Camera valued at $650 to capture your memories?

Our friends at Just Ask asked me to come up with my own bucket list…

I realized when I was asked to come up with this bucket list, that I didn’t have one.

Oh sure, there are our places that I would like to visit

Like our dear friends in Australia.

I would love to take our kids back to see the places they lived in Germany.

Visit our friends we met while living abroad in their homes here in the states.

I have a long list of countries to visit that I could add to my list like China and Africa.

There are also things I would love to try like surfing etc…

Lot’s of things I would like to learn to do better like photography.

But I realized that when I thought about all of this, while it would be fun and exciting to try to do all these things, not one of these things would I regret if I never had the opportunity to do them (okay except visiting our friends).

It was really a reminder that it is the journey where all the blessings can be found and often when I focus too hard on the end I miss all the jewels along the way. I often have found the destination was not near as exciting or wonderful as the way to get there. So if I could want something for myself it would to be present each day, to make my kids, friends and family feel like they matter to me and share with others all of the blessings I have received.

Our friends at Just Ask want you to stay around for a good long while so you can cross activities and achievements off that bucket list of yours. That’s why they’ve developed a test that could save your life—the BRACAnalysis test—by warning you about your chances of getting breast or ovarian cancer.

Now I get to help you cross something off of YOUR bucket list!

Simply leave me a comment sharing an item from your bucket list. One random winner will win this Canon Rebel Camera

Just simply leave a comment to enter!

For extra entries: Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Four entries max

2. Tweet about the contest! Feel free to use this sample tweet,
$650 CANON SLR Camera Camera #Giveaway from @JustAsk. Comment to enter to #win! http://bit.ly/u7Ls8b Pls RT

or just click this button to Tweet Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

4. Like Just Ask on facebook.

Contest closes Wednesday Nov. 15th at 12 am Pacific time.

Wait there is more…

Share your list and you have a shot of winning a trip of a lifetime.

The grand prizes are:

• A family vacation of a lifetime to Universal Orlando® Resort.

• A Las Olas Surf Camp Safari

• Ski Lessons and stay at Park City Mountain Resort

To get the full details on how you can share your own bucket list and enter to win those Grand Prize vacation packages, head over to TodaysMama.com .

This is a sponsored giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things the want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of their health.

The Happy Wife/Danielle says:

These look incredibly simple to make and are just beautiful.

I’m excited to welcome Kelly from  Make Grow Gather.

Hi everyone, this is Kelly — thanks so much to Cindy for having me over! My new book Weekend Handmade is out and I wanted to share a project with you. The book features more than 40 projects and ideas for simple crafts that don’t require a lot of time or fuss.

Weekend Handmade follows two others in the same series by STC Craft: Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick and Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. I’m flattered to be in such good company! I think each of these books hits the sweet spot of well-designed craft projects that can be completed over the course of a relaxed, creative weekend.

Here’s one project that can be easily modified for any season. If you know how to measure, cut, and iron, you can make these lanterns. The most time consuming part is collecting flowers and greenery to press and waiting until they dry nice and flat. Once the lanterns are made, they give off a soft, gauzy light from the fused waxed paper.

Materials:

Flowers and greenery

Heavy book

Paper towels

Waxed paper

Ruler

Craft knife (like an X-Acto)

Cutting board or self-healing cutting mat

Iron

Ironing board or cloth for pressing

Washi tape (I buy mine here)

How-To:

Collect leaves, flowers and foliage, keeping in mind that delicate, thin leaves and petals will try faster than thicker specimens. Put flowers, etc in between two paper towels and place inside a heavy book to dry.

Measure and cut four 4 ½ x 9 inch rectangles of waxed paper. You can adjust and make these any size you want, but I’m partial to a nice-sized cube, which makes the math easy.

Fold the waxed paper rectangle in half to make a square. Open square, place flower or greenery inside.

Close the square so the flower is sandwiched between the two layers of waxed paper.

Working on an ironing board or on top of a cloth, pass an iron set to medium quickly over the waxed paper to seal. This will fuse the two layers together. Repeat until you have four finished square panels.

Lay two panels side-by-side with the edges touching, orienting the panels so the sides you want to be the front of the lantern faces you (not facing the table). Cut a length of tape about an inch longer than the panel. Center the tape over where the panels meet and press in place.

Flip panel over and press the extra tape to the wrong side.

“Hinge” panels together and run your finger along the tape to make a sharp crease.

Continue joining the panels together until all four panels are taped into a cube.

Set candle (inside of a glass votive) or LED tealight inside the luminaria and enjoy!

Weekend Handmade by Kelly Wilkinson includes more than 40 projects and ideas for inspired crafting. Published by STC Craft. Photographs by Thayer Allyson Gowdy. Available at bookstores and online, or signed copies are available at Kelly’s blog Make Grow Gather.

Sunday Surprise! Leave a comment and one lucky person will win a copy of her book, Weekend Handmade!!

]]> http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/05/lanterns-tutorial-guest-post/feed/ 36 http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/02/where-women-create-magazine/ http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/02/where-women-create-magazine/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:37 +0000 cindylouh http://www.skiptomylou.org/?p=20268 Contest closed. Congrats to the winners!

Susan Phelpssays:

I just LOVE this magazine!!! It never fails to get my creative juices flowing!

Amy says:

I have never heard of this mag before! Thank you for sharing!!!

Make sure to stop back over to the Canorganizer giveaway and see if you were my winner!

I love to support anything creative or anything that helps women {like you} get your ideas out there.  So I am excited to tell you about this magazine.

Where Women Create Winter 2012 Magazine Giveaway

For extra entries: Separate comment for each entry, please. Three entries max

2. Tweet about the contest!   Feel free to use this sample tweet,
Enter to win #wherewomencreatemagazine and art supplies from #Decoart via @skiptomylou http://bit.ly/sdL4Ez PLS RT

or just click this button to Tweet Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

*Only open to entries in the continental U.S.

Contest Closes Wed. Nov.9, 2011 at midnight pacific  standard time.

If you have a kitchen, pantry, or any sort of food storage then I think you will love CanOrganizer.com. An affordable new way to organize your canned food! You can easily store, organize and rotate your canned food by using this simple and effective design that will maximize your cupboard space.   I don’t have a big pantry and have to keep canned goods in a cupboard. I notice they have several size options to fit  a  standard cupboard.

The 11″ deep Cupboard Organizer is perfect for smaller spaces like my cupboard where I need to maximize space.

The 16″ deep Shelf Organizer is deeper so you can store even more cans!  Designed to fit nicely on your standard shelf so it is perfect for storage areas like your garage or storage room.

And finally the 22.5″ deep Pantry Organizer is the deepest of the bunch. This system is optimal for those deep pantries or storage racks where you have plenty of space. You will be amazed how many you can fit in the Organizer and well organized your food storage will be. Now you can hit those canned good sales and stock up for your family, saving money and having food on hand for whenever you need it.

Of course if your cupboards are crammed with different odds and ends and you don’t have space to fit several organizers in a row, customize what you need for the space that you have.

Are you ready to be organized and clean up those cupboards?  Pop over to  CanOrganizer.com find the perfect size for your home.

Watch how easy they are to assemble

Man! I really need to organize my can goods.  It makes get excited just seeing the CanOrganizer and all the space it saves. Think how easy it will be to find things! This makes me even more happy to tell you  that CanOrganizer has offered a fantastic giveaway to one of my readers.

The winner gets to pick five 4 packs of can organizers, of any size and  a $50 Target gift card to restock your pantry!  {Squeal}

The  best part is that you get to choose what works best for you!

Just visit CanOrganizer.com pick the size you would like to win and leave a comment with your name and size.  It’s as easy as that!

For extra entries: Separate comment for each entry, please. Three entries max

2. Tweet about the contest!   Feel free to use this sample tweet,
Enter to #winCanOrganizers and a $50 Target giftcard to restock your pantry @Canorganizer via @skiptomylou http://bit.ly/v0fN0w PLS RT

or just click this button to Tweet Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

*Only open to entries in the continental U.S.

Contest Closes Wed. Nov.2, 2011 at midnight central standard time.

Closed! Congrats to our winner:

Shannon J says:

Pantry Organizer! Facebook fan.

Are you ready to organize?

if you aren’t feeling lucky, or end up not winning the giveaway, CanOrganizer is offering a 10% discount off any purchase
Just put in the code ‘skip‘ at checkout (expires Nov.15th).