Oh my…5 days and counting until Santa’s here! I still have a few gifts to find, many to wrap (as soon as Santa aka the UPS man aka my father-in-law delivers them!) and many to give! Giving is the best part, I think! So as a gift to you (and me!) the generous folks over at Rollip.com are offering a select number of my readers a chance at testing out their website – yippee! Well, what is Rollip.com? Glad you asked – it’s a professional online photo editing website that lets you add a filter to your photo in one easy step. They have 40 filters to choose from (do the cropping and such before you upload your photo) that will give your photo an interesting effect.  The various filters include 10 categories with 4 filters in each category; Classics, Vintage (my favorite!), Added Character, B&W/Sepia, Styled Lenses, Glows, B/W Added Character, Extreme Stylized, Bold Tones and Drawing Styles.

Here is what I did with some of my photos…

Yeah, that yellow Kodak date is why you want to do the editing and cropping before you upload to Rollip…   We were on vacation in Costa Rica for this pic.

And of course I played with some of my favorite pics of my baby girl!

Aawww…I love that one.

Anyway, here is the lowdown! Rollip.com is giving the first 15 of you to sign up the chance to test out their website for FREE! What you do is click over to the link below, sign up for an account (really simple – just an e-mail address and password and you can get started), and you get to edit 30 photos because they’re giving you 30 credits for free!  That’s a value of $5.98 – at Rollip.com you pay per credit, not per month or per year like some photo editing sites.  I think that’s great because you only need to pay for what you need and you’re not wasting time if you don’t use the service!

Okay, get to clicking because it’s first come, first serve with only 15 Pro Accounts with credits available!  Enjoy!  And Merry Christmas!  Oh, and if you do take advantage, please let me know what you think here on the blog – we’d love to hear your feedback for this new site.  Thanks!

Click here to get started!  http://www.rollip.com/pro?coupon=lcdesign

xo, L.

{Note: I was compensated for my time to advertise this service by receiving 1 free account of my own with 30 credits to review Rollip.com}

I just had to share this (and get an extra entry into her fabulous Fabulous Necklace Giveaway by doing so! Muah ah ah ah!). {ohbrooke} is a regular read of mine, and you should check it out as well!  Especially if you’re interested in graphic design, interior decor, blog tips, sewing tips and more! She has a special place in my Bookmarks Toolbar…reserved for a select few blogs.    And I just realized that 1/2 of the links up there are preggo girls’ blogs…including Brooke – she’s expecting a little baby boy!  There must be something going around…I better be careful so that Harper doesn’t become a big sister any time soon!!

Anyway…back to Brooke.  Click over here to enter to win a fabulous necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs.

This one is my favorite (the Oval Monogram Necklace) – many are available for customization.

Can someone please tell my husband that THIS is what I want for Christmas??  I hinted around for something like this as an anniversary gift…and nada.  But I guess if I win I won’t have to ::try:: to hint any more.    Wish me luck!!

And if you’re curious about who else is sperminated like Brooke…visit Sherry here…and Katie here.  Congrats, ladies!! 

xo, L.

First thing’s first – my Rosebud Card giveaway has ended and using random.org, we have chosen a winner!

The winner is comment #5 – Colleen – congratulations, Colleen!  We’ll be in touch!

I can’t wait to hear how she loves her cards.  Thank you Rosemary at Rosebud Cards for your generosity, I appreciate it and I’m sure that Colleen will as well!

Up next, if you haven’t noticed yet – there is a new little ‘tab’ at the top of the blog, pointing you to the new “Lillie + James” page.  Lillie + James is my new venture in partnership with my sister-in-law, Erin.  We have been crafting and coming up with decorating ideas like crazy, so please contact us if you’re interested in taking advantage of our services!

We had a ball setting up this Christmas table, and photographing it was interesting to say the least…can you say ‘timer?’   Thank goodness Erin’s son came home so he could capture this angled shot for us, ha!

Read more about Lillie + James here.  Happy Monday!  And happy birthday to our other sister (or sister-in-law, in my case), Kayte!

xo,

Lindsay & Erin (aka Lillie + James)

Good morning, everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was great! Just too short…I cleaned my office (aahhh – that is a big sigh of relief), made a few Christmas cards and helped Glenn build the frame around a box that is protecting our septic tank in the backyard.  Gross.  Well, the box isn’t gross, just the thought of a big tank of poo that is right underneath our feet in our backyard.    It’s just weird.  The tank isn’t buried very deep – the top of it is actually level with the ground, so we have these big plastic lids that stick up on the lawn, so we’re building a box to protect it from the sun.  You really don’t want those plastic lids getting sunbaked and brittle!!  A few weeks ago, Glenn dug some holes, poured some concrete in and set some posts.  And yesterday he started on the frame…and I helped.  Anyway, more on that later!

Next up is the results of the “He Says/She Says” bedroom paint dilemma poll I posted last Friday.  So far it’s 53% for painting the trim, chair rail and ceiling brown…41% say leave it how it is…and 6% (1 vote) says Other, but I don’t know what Other means!  Anyway, to let you in on who is who…I am the one who wants to paint. Surprise, surprise, right?  I feel like at the very least the orange and white needs to be broken up (by painting the chair rail).  And I saw a photo online SOMEWHERE of a bedroom with a chocolate brown ceiling and I LOVED it.  But I can’t find it anywhere now…let me know if you have seen it or know where I can find it…please!  Glenn wants to paint the trim around the windows the same color as the lower wall and be done with it.  And he is seriously fighting me on it…straight up says ‘no! Do not paint it!’  It must be nice to have such amazing psychic powers and knowing how ugly my idea must turn out.  ::Grrrr…::

I’d even consider doing a tan ceiling instead if chocolate brown is that scary for a ceiling.  I still think the chair rail would be best in chocolate, though.  But I could always paint that tan as well and if I don’t like it I can paint it darker.  Whatever, Glenn, ha! 

Thank you all for your votes – I win, I win!!  But we’ll see if it ever gets done…I’m still waiting for Glenn to fill all the nail holes in the new trim so that we can get those painted.  We’ll also paint the bathroom ceiling (back to white) when we paint the trim.  It’s VERY dark in there…you can still do your makeup, but I think we just need a little more white to balance out all of the brown. It keeps it looking crisp.  And I need to get new towels and finish sewing my new shower curtain…

And speaking of paint colors, I recently finished an e-decorating Paint Consultation project for a client. I chose colors for the ENTIRE house and I hear through the grapevine (aka Facebook) that their painters are done and they LOVE their colors. Can’t wait to share those photos with you all!! After I see them, of course…

Edit: My brain and my fingers aren’t working together…I thought I left the contest open until TODAY (Monday, 11/9) but I originally was holding the giveaway open until Monday 11/16.  So I’m going to keep it open for another week, so if you want to enter you still have time!  Sorry, Trisha…maybe you’ll still win!   Head back to the post to enter.   And last, but not least – the winner of last week’s Rosebud Cards giveaway!! The winner is Trisha!! Congrats, Trisha!! Enjoy your free cards!!  Here are her favorites:

And a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE ‘Thank You’ to Rosemary of Rosebud Cards for offering this very generous giveaway to Likely Design readers!  Your card idea is absolutely adorable, and Trisha is a very lucky winner. I am so appreciative that someone would contact me because of my blog and offer to give something away for free that you worked so hard on.  Thank you so much to everyone who entered – you guys rock! 

It’s still open: enter the giveaway here!

And another exciting thing coming up – I submitted a guest post to Michelle over at the blog “When I Grow Up” about my path to becoming a creative professional.  How exciting, right?!?!  I’ll let you know when my guest post is up!!  See you all tomorrow and have a great Monday…. xo, L.

**This giveaway is no longer accepting entries, but thanks for playing!**

On a Christmas card, that is…    Two of my favorite things combined into one for a GIVEAWAY here on the blog; Christmas cookies and Christmas cards!!  The lovely Rosemary from Rosebud-Online contacted me and has offered one (1) lucky Likely Design reader the chance to take home their choice of any 3 cards from their website!

I love this excerpt from their website, so I just had to share it with you.

{‘Thank you for visiting Rosebud. For as long as we can remember, our family has shared the tradition of painting cookies during the holidays. We initially photographed our hand-painted cookies and created cards to share with our family and friends on special occasions, which evolved into a collection of paper goods. In the spirit of a handmade gift, our card collections are created with love.

Our Cookie Collection recalls the fond memories of a simpler time: family, holidays and childhood excitement. The creation of our whimsical treats is a true family endeavor, baked from scratch and painted by hand, inspired by the sweet aroma and joys that can be shared over a cup of tea or tall glass of milk.’}

How sweet is that?  And if you look at the cards closely, the cookies are PERFECT and look sooo delicious.  What a sweet job, right?  None of my cookies would make it to the card!  I am so happy that they contacted me to offer this giveaway to you – another one that I wish I could win!!  Here are a few of my favorites.

How perfect would it be to send these cards along with a batch of baked goods?

What a perfect cookie!

I love the snowflakes!

They have cookie cards for every occasion!

So how do you get your hands on a few of these adorably yummy cards?  As usual, there are a few ways to get an entry:

1. Leave a comment below after heading over to Rosebud, commenting on which 3 cards are your favorite (that you’d like to win)!
2. Tweet about this giveaway (mention @likelydesign), and then leave a comment below letting me know that you did!
3. Become a fan of Likely Design on Facebook!  Leave a comment if you already are one, or after you become one!
4. Blog about this giveaway, then leave a comment with the link!
5. Do any or all of the above by Monday, November 16th at 8:00 AM PST and you’re entered to win!  Using random.org, I’ll choose one (1) winner and announce who the lucky reader is in Monday’s post!  Good luck!!
   

Unfortunately if an entry doesn’t follow these rules, I will delete it.  Read my Giveaway FAQ’s here.  Good luck and thanks for checking out Likely Design and Rosebud!  xo, L.

After a great roundup of comments to win a Mio Culture Softbowl, random.org has chosen: Sarah as the winner!!  She will be shipped a yellow “Beehive” Softbowl straight from AllModern.com and wants to plant a tree in it that is leftover from her recent wedding!!  Congrats, Sarah!!

Don’t forget to visit a few of the 200+ stores which are part of CSN Stores, where you can find anything from modern furniture to kid’s chairs.  And Sarah, enjoy your new Mio Culture Softbowl!!    Thank you to everyone who entered my 1st giveaway – more to come soon!!

And Happy Fall, everyone!!

xo, L.

**This giveaway is no longer accepting entries.  Check back tomorrow for the winner!**

Woo-hoo!! Likely Design (that’s me!!) is hosting it’s first sponsored giveaway!! Can you tell I’m excited? And I wish I could win it because I hand-picked the prize myself thanks to the generous folks over at CSN stores. If you haven’t checked out CSN and their HUGE variety of stores (over 200 stores – wowow!), I highly recommend it. This extra special giveaway is from my favorite site — so far — of the bunch: AllModern.com, which is a great resource for modern furniture at any price point, and there is quite a variety to choose from!  You know how I love modern and mid-century modern furniture. And if you don’t, you should keep reading!

Alright, alright – to the PRIZE!! This giveaway (open to US residents only — sorry if you’re not here!) will offer ONE lucky Likely Design reader their… choice… of… a… Mio Culture Softbowl! Wha-what? What is a Mio Culture Softbowl? Well allow me to elaborate. Straight from their site.

“Designed as an alternative to energy intensive decorative vessels, SoftBowls provide function and beauty with a reduced energy footprint. Available in three different designs, they can be mixed and matched into fun groupings. Practical as storage containers, planter cozies or decoration, these SoftBowls will liven any home or office.

* Available in Beehive, Wobowl, and Swoop designs
* Made from 100% wool
* Renewable, recyclable, compostable”

As soon as I saw them, I just couldn’t help myself. Function. Check. Aesthetically pleasing. Check. Eco-friendly. Check. A little quirky. Check and check!  They’re handmade in Philadelphia from locally sourced wool, molded by local crafts people using traditional millinery technologies, all to reduce their carbon footprint.  Awesome.  And if you have a chance, check out Mio Culture’s full website and browse their amazing wallpaper, lighting, and accessories.

Now what would I pick and how would I use it if I could win?  (Obviously I can’t, but I’m excited for you!!)  I really like the Beehive in Charcoal or the Wobowl in Pumpkin.  I’d use them to hold my new embroidery projects that I’m creating as Christmas gifts, or to hold oversized matches by our wood stove.  I might even put fruit in them and display them on the kitchen table!

How do you enter, you ask? Easy! There are a few ways and you can enter up to 4 times… (once each way, and leave a separate comment for each entry).

1.  Leave a comment below (by Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 11:59PM PST) telling me how you’d use a Softbowl if you win!! And don’t forget to tell me which Mio Softbowl, and in which color you’d like if chosen: The Swoop, the Beehive, or the Wobowl!

2.  Blog about my giveaway! Not sure what to say?  Here’s a little blurb to copy and paste: “Likely Design is having a great eco-friendly giveaway sponsored by CSN Stores and AllModern.com, who carries everything from kids chairs to modern furniture. Giveaway ends September 20th!”  Be sure to leave a comment below, linking to your post.

3.  Tweet about my giveaway! Here’s a sample blurb: “@likelydesign is having a great eco-friendly giveaway! Enter by September 20th! http://trunc.it/20jyg“  Be sure to leave a comment below, linking to your Twitter page!  And feel free to follow me: http://www.twitter.com/likelydesign!

4.  Be my fan on Facebook!! Leave a comment here letting me know that you’re a fan — even if you already are one.  You can find my page here: Likely Design.

Good luck and thanks for entering!!

xo, L.

Giveaway ends Sunday, September 20th, at 11:59pm PST. Winner will be chosen randomly via random.org and announced on Tuesday, September 22nd and will be contacted by e-mail. Open to U.S. residents only. Prize will be shipped to you directly from AllModern.com.

(images: via Mio Culture)

Hey everyone – With moving my blog to its new home, I’ve been trying so hard to post at least once a day during the week – but my poor little laptop just couldn’t take it anymore and has become powerless (power cord no longer works, boo!).  A new power cord is on it’s way (thank you, eBay!).  I browsed new batteries while on there and might have to invest in one of those as well! I love eBay.

So to tide you over until my FIRST GIVEAWAY (which will take place NEXT WEEK!!!  Stay tuned and keep checking back!!) I’m going to put in a cute slideshow of pictures I took over the weekend of my 13 month old. We were a little bored by ourselves out at my in-law’s ranch (housesitting) so I decided to take a million pictures of Harper. The background is breathtaking, though, and that’s why I wanted to share it with you all! I love it out there. Enjoy!!

More prizes!!  I found this little beauty today over at Living with Lindsay (no, it’s not my blog, but I LOVE her name!  :)

It’s called the Five Dollar Challenge and it’s a cute idea!  You spend $5 (before sales tax) at a dollar store and come up with some thrifty home decor.  Post some before and after pictures on your blog, or e-mail them to Lindsay, and you might be chose for A GRAND PRIZE!  Follow the link below for details!!

Living with Lindsay: Are You Ready for a Challenge?.

Wanna win ALL 3 of these pillows??  I do!!  I think I might make  my blog name by posting about other freebies and giveaways, ha!!  If you want to win, just click the link below, post a comment and you’re in!!  

My chances are going down by posting this, but if they’re meant to be mine, they will be!  I have a good feeling!  ;)

Brainiac the art and life of Matte Stephens: Pillow Giveaway !!!!! Leave a comment and win all 3.