**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU**

Hi everybody! There’s Martin going to town over here. Someone at the hangar mentioned “winter in the tire house”, and BANG. He was a crowbar operating machine. More on all of our progress later.

But first? Here’s a little giveaway for any of you want to do a little DIY. 3M is offering all of this goodness to a Making This Home reader:

Items include:

How to win:

1. Like 3M Frameworks on Facebook.
2. Participate in the translation sweepstakes by posting a comment on their page where you translate dialogue and actions… like Martin’s remodeling response to the tire house. (This automatically enters you in their $250 drawing, too. BONUS.)
3. Leave a comment here telling us your translation posted on their fb page.

Open to the US only. Giveaway closes Monday, Sept 19. Winner will be drawn at random with random.org. GOOD LUCK!

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU**

Share on Twitter and Facebook if you want.

I was also stepping back, listening to my heart, and asking that age old question: “Now what?!”

My writing prompt journal shop was a fun little side business I was doing on etsy.  The responses I was receiving were humble and beautiful.  Stories were being recorded.  Lives were being celebrated.

There was that nudge.  The whispers to grow this shop and help celebrate stories were everywhere I turned.  And slowly, last April, I decided to fly.  Gadanke was born.

How time flies!

Today, my German guy and I are in the rural Rocky Mountains of the US.  It’s still snowing.  And, well, I guess we keep on flying. ;)

I learned to fly in 2009… while writing the very first journal now at Gadanke.

We’re living in a house made out of hundreds of recycled tires.  We’re carving out a handmade, simple home for ourselves. And Gadanke?  Well let’s just say it’s time to share the goodness and the pure joy.

I want to give TWO of you $40 gift certificates to Gadanke.  YEAH!

The shop is filled with handmade prayer journals, travel books, personal diaries, love letters, gratitude journals, doodle lists, and the ever-adored baby books.

I love the loose bindings – it’s so easy to add photos, postcards, and letters.

There are writing prompts, old school library cards, 100% recycled pages, and papers from Germany and Italy…

And receiving a green business award from my governor!

What are some of the stories you’d like to write down?

* * * GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED * * *

To enter:
Please visit Gadanke and tell me in the comments below which journal you love most.

For extra entries (leave a comment for each):
Follow me on Twitter – @makingthishome
Like Gadanke on Facebook
Subscribe to Making This Home via RSS

Note:
Giveaway is open worldwide.  Ends Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 11:59 MDT.  Winners announced Saturday.

Good luck!

* * * GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED * * *

Remember the Gadanke giveaway for $30 in shop credit?  You know – for putting a Gadanke button on your blog?  The response just completely humbled me, you guys!

So how about a winner?  Mary, it’s YOU!

I also have to give a big shout out to two lovely sponsors.

The Borrowed Abode has a tutorial for this awesome jewelry display using an old window frame:

Joyeful Art has created this beautiful watercolor.  Don’t those lilacs make you wish for spring?

Tell me – what’s something you like to create?

She also thinks that chocolate from Europe is the cat’s meow.

So I thought I’d give you some.

These chocolates from Germany are my all-time favorites. If you feel like shopping for something at Gadanke, you can have German chocolates. How cool is that?

Spend $35 and get two mini chocolates (36 grams or 1 1/4 oz).  Write FREECHOCOLATE in the note to seller at checkout.

Pssst…. buyers in Europe – there’s a special chocolate treat for you from America instead.

(Sale ends Sunday at midnight MST or when my grandma finds out what we have.)

** GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED – THANK YOU! **

Jane from The Borrowed Abode opened her handmade shop – Flourish Pets & Home – on Etsy a couple of months ago.  Go Jane!  I think it’s a huge step to open your own shop.  Don’t you?

I love Jane’s eco-conscious style of living.  She spotted a recycling bin at Blissdom so we could recycle all the pamphlets and papers we got at the conference, which was such a perfect find.

Jane is sewing up a storm with awesome little pet beds, gift bags from old coffee sacks, and these…

They’re reusable produce bags.

Jane noticed that while the reusable shopping bag movement is certainly catching on in huge waves, we’re still consuming heaps of plastic bags for our produce and bulk purchases.  I never thought to bring fabric bags for our bulk goods, but now that’s just what I’m going to do.  Awesome idea, Jane!

See all these produce and bulk food bags?  Jane hand-stamped and sewed these 100% unbleached cotton muslin together.  Now she wants to give one of you all FIVE bags.

Please show Jane your support.

Here’s how to win:

Prize: 5 drawstring bags from Jane’s new shop
Entries: One entry per email address and per household please. Leave a response in the comments section below with your answer:

Tell us a trick you use (or would like to use!) for reducing the plastic garbage in your home.

Ships to: anywhere!!
Contest ends: Thursday, February 17, 2010 at midnight in the Rocky Mountains. Winner announced here shortly thereafter.

…Barbara.

Barbara, please email me to claim your prize.  And to Joye – thank you so much for sharing your beautiful jewelry and painting all in one with us.  Your work is just lovely!