The Quiet Life of Violet

Got Health? (A Giveaway, Too!)

Hi there!

I had a huge long day of shopping at Michael's for photo frames today. Actually, I was only in the store for about thirty minutes, but I swear, it takes all day to get the timing right and get anything done with a baby. Bath time and food time then nap time then more food, then clothes change and maybe another nap and then a quick snack and... out the door. Not to mention the whole feeding and showering myself thing. I did laundry today, too. Wooo! Actually, I do laundry everyday, but I FOLDED AND PUT IT AWAY today... Go me! Oh, gone are the days where I could loaf on the couch all day and still have things done before Dustin got home. Ha! What the heck did I do with all of my time before the baby came?!

Anyway, ( I may be sipping wine and feeling fabulous, at the moment), my sweet friend, Miss Lacy of LacyLike, has been brewing something new for you, my sassy, amazing readers.



She, along with her friend Lisa, has launched a super important wellbeing and health coaching course, Thriving Through The Holidays. If you need more than just the desire to get healthy, need a little accountability and inspiration, this is totally for you. EVERYONE wants to be healthy and  look and feel amazing. I don't know anyone who says, "I enjoy feeling bad not only physically, but mentally, as well."  Do you? Like many things though, the urge is there shining and shimmering as bright as a Christmas candle, but the "getting there and doing it part" is where you get lost. Well, pretty lady, let Lacy help!

Not only has she been working on the above, she's personally launched a pretty little something called Campaign for Confidence. The message is: when you eat beautifully, you'll feel and look nothing but! She's taken a few (veg?) saucy, confident pictures with only the beautiful body that God gave her and some choice veggies. She wants you to do the same and share.



Racy Lacy! Join her and women everywhere by taking and sharing your picture, complete with the veggie or fruits of your choice, with the world. Dustin (who will have no complaints, I'm sure) is going to take mine this weekend! I can't wait to share!

[Yeah, I totally cried the first time I watched this.]

The Holidays are about family, traditions, giving and making beautiful memories, right? What better way to honor all of the above by honoring you and your well being? Like the saying goes, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Let Lacy and Lisa help you find the most beautiful you, even if she's hiding deep down and scared.

It's time, friends. Do it for your Husband. Do it for your sweet children. Do it for YOU -- you're worth it. <3

 

Now for the giveaway part!

Lacy is also offering an eBook that she created herself: 12 Tip & 12 Recipes to Thrive Through the Holidays and one lucky reader will win a free copy! Just leave a comment (one per person, please!) stating which fruit or veggie you'd most like to take your picture with, plus your email address, and I'll draw one lucky winner's name on the 26th!

Have a great Thursday!

XO,
Veggie Lovin' Violet

 

 

 

Mr. Dapper Contest WINNER!

Congratulations to Miss Tamara!

(I better see pictures of whatever onesie you decided to go with!)

 

I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend, and thanks to everyone who entered the Mr. Dapper contest and also to Miss Sara of Sara Sweet and Small!

xo,
Violet

 

Mr. Dapper - A Giveaway

In September when we went down to Disneyland for our friend's wedding, I knew that Squid needed an exceptional outfit since this was his first. I searched in the stores and looked online and didn't find much that I liked. One night, I was Etsy trolling and happened upon a cute little shop called Sara Sweet & Small.

She had the cutest tuxedo onesies and I just knew that I Squid had to have one. Out of all the etsy shops, I like the shape of the vest on her onesies the best, so I decided to get one.

OH MY GOSH.

I pulled it out of the package and my heart got all fuzzy. Cute boy clothes! Girls get all the fun stuff and FINALLY I had something cute and playful that wasn't covered in cartoon animals or "My Dad's a hunk. "

 

[Mr. Moose approves.]

The bowtie was hand formed and everything was stitched either by hand (buttons, bowtie) or by machine (cute little vest).

We tried it on and I nearly swooned myself to death! If this not the cutest little man you've ever seen, I don't know what to tell you. (Your boy is just as cute? Okay, tied for first then!)

The pictures above were taken in September. I had ordered the onesie in size "3 month" and it was a bit big on him at first, so I just tucked it into his pants and the vest looked as cute as ever! I did another photo shoot with him yesterday (below) and the onesies now fits him perfectly. I'm so excited for him to wear it in a few weeks to our many Thanksgiving celebrations! 

Did you just die of cuteness? I did. Twice.

After talking with Miss Sara, owner of Sara Sweet & Small (she has both an Etsy shop and a website), she agreed to do a giveaway just for The Quiet Life of Violet readers! Just in time for the Holidays... what could be cuter?! Are you as excited about this as I am? Eeeep!

Tell me a little bit about you, your family and life:  I have my Masters Degree in Education, but I decided to stay home right now with my three children.  I may go back to teaching in the future, but really enjoy sewing & designing children's clothing.  I have been married for 13 years to a wonderful man, who currently works 60 hours a week and goes to school full-time.  He is working on his executive MBA in business.  I can't wait 'till he is done in 8 months, so I get help around the house again!  I have three beautiful children:  Maggie 11 years old, Drew 8 years old, and Halle 4 years old.  They are great children and I enjoy almost every minute with them.  It is the toughest job!  If I am not sewing, I live in my car (running them around everywhere).  If I ever have free time I like to cook, shop, paint, and enjoy time away from home with my family.  I started sewing when I was 12 and never stopped.  

What's your shop/Etsy name and address? My shops name is Sara Sweet and Small, but can be found also under Flower Top. My etsy site is www.etsy.com/shop/flowertops.  I also am working on a website, that isn't yet finished www.sarasweetandsmall.com.

When was your shop created?  I started my Etsy shop one year ago.

Why?  I started selling girls flower headbands to my friends & neighbors first. They loved them so much, I started selling them at local craft shows. I then decided to sell them on Etsy.  I started researching Etsy for other children's items I could make, and realized that there wasn't a lot of boy's clothing.  I then came up with the idea of tuxedo onesies.  I made a pattern and started selling them.  They continue to sell great. I also love coming up with new ideas, and getting new ideas from my customers.  I will be coming up with my Holiday line soon.  I also have a lot of new things for girls.

 What is your biggest seller?  Right now my tuxedo onesies are the biggest seller.

Have any plans for future products?  I plan on coming out with some new girl's clothing items & some for boys.  My Holiday line will be coming out in a few weeks!

Thanks, Sara!

Can you give us some details about the item you're giving away?

I will give away any tuxedo onesie of the winner's choice on my Etsy page! The winner can choose the bowtie color, size, and I will ship internationally for free.

 

(Leave a comment below for each entry)

1. You must follow The Quiet Life of Violet with Google Friend Connect.

2. Follow Me (Violet) via Twitter.

3. Tweet the following message (only good for one entry no matter how many times you tweet!):

         Check out the Sara Sweet & Small giveaway on @Quiet_Violet  's blog! http://quietviolet.typepad.com/the-quiet-life-of-violet/

4. Pop on over to Sara's Etsy shop and let me know what your dream tuxedo onesie will be if you win!

5. Blog about the contest - link back this post, please!

Contest ends on Friday, November 11th and 11:59 p.m.

Winner will be announced on Sunday, November 13th!

Good luck!

 

Who Won?

 

:D

Have a great day!

 

 

 (Don't forget to vote!) 

A Summer of Birthdays & a Giveaway!

 In honor of what we've dubbed "The Summer of Birthdays" (Squid and I celebrated last month, Bub's was Sunday), a few of my amazing sponsors want to help celebrate by giving you goodies . Yippie!

Here's what's up for grabs:

 

Hi, I'm Lindsey! The mother to one long-awaited little girl, Selah Michelle, and wife of one long-patient husband, Daniel. I love to create beautiful things with my hands, be it sewing, crafting, gardening, cooking or decorating my home.We live in a little blue bungalow, in a teeny tiny town, smack-dab in the middle of Texas. I know my neighbors, have a barn, and eat tomatoes from my own back yard. Yet, I adore mid-century design aesthetic, dim sum, and other big-city adventures. I'm passionate about being a modern and radical homemaker. I share all of these things and more on my blog.

I also run an Etsy shop, Out of Alabaster, selling custom silhouette portraits. Silhouette portraiture has a rich history dating back to the 1600's, and I love creating these heirlooms with a modern twist. I take great joy in digitally crafting each portrait to capture the essence and quirks of your loved ones.

 

This giveaway is for a 1-person custom silhouette portrait. You simply provide a full profile picture of your family member, and each little detail of their image will be captured for you to cherish for years to come! You can make large prints of this image, use it to customize party favors, make a birthday cake-topper, or make gifts for grandparents. The possibilities are really endless for this timeless piece of art. Send me a picture of how you used your custom silhouette portrait, and I'll feature you on my blog at: http://outofalabaster.blogspot.com/

**Please allow 10 business days for the completion of your file. The digital file will be sent via email as a high resolution .jpeg and .png file.

 
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I'm Gillian, a 20-something crafter from Canada, and lover of all things crafty, reused and beautiful! I live in Ontario with my boyfriend and cute cocker spaniel-poodle mix pup Jesse.  I'm always getting flak from my friends for basically doing most crafts in existence (sewing, knitting, jewelry making etc) and the name of my shop comes an image of myself as "Craftzilla" stomping all over the world and demanding love for my crafty handmade stuffs. I'm an IT professional by day, Brownie leader in my spare time, and stomp all over as Craftzilla in my new studio by night.

Craftzilla Conquers the World is a blog where I share fun tutorials, thrifted finds, recipes, snippets and photos from my life (I won't lie, there may be a lot of cute dog photos) as well as sneak peeks from my brand new Etsy shop, Craftzilla Conquers. My shop is currently in it's early stages at the moment with largely hand-sewn housewares, jewelry and baby items on it's shelves, but I'm currently developing some new products with a spinning/knitting focus that will be available soon, as well as finishing up some unique purses and bags! I try to reuse materials whenever possible (which is helpful for me that my mom is an avid quilter with lots of extra squares!). Follow me on Twitter, too!

 

This flowered picnic blanket is made out of a vintage sheet and backed with a flowered, Vinyl tablecloth, making it water-resistant to ground that's a little wet! Perfect for use at picnics, concerts or just sitting out in the yard /park! A handy tie is great for carrying it to your destination, and scalloped edges lend a hint of fun.

I have a blanket like this I made for myself a few years ago, and it has saved me from many a wet seat at concerts and picnics, and is super durable and holds up well to use.

 
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Hello! I'm Marie, and Marie Bee is my little space for sharing what's on my mind, shop news, and probably most of all, my 18 month boy, Ephraim. I also design pretty vintage inspired jewelry, which I currently sell in my Etsy shop,  The Blue Balloon and also some brick and mortar shops throughout the country.

A gold plated cornicello- which translates to 'little horn', better known as an Italian horn- hangs from a delicate 18 inch gold chain. Historically, the Italian horn is a charm or amulet worn for protection against the evil eye superstition. Comes in a little kraft box for easy gifting and safe shipping.

 

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Hi! I'm Sandi from over at AdaLou Vintage. I am a crafty chick who is a designer by day, plush maker, blogger and thriftaholic by night. In addition to that, I am a full time working momma of 2, Wyeth (age 3) and Penelope (age 1). On top of writing my blog, I also run two small etsy shops, Benandi my handmade shop and if you're on the hunt for vintage I run AdaLou, a vintage shop.

 

 

This  lovely little plush elephant is handmade and hand stuffed with extra love. This toy is not intended for extreme rough play and it should never be left unattended with young children who may think such things taste delicious. The eyes I use are safety eyes, and are very well fastened but anyone who may chew on them will surely cause damage to either the plush piece, their own teeth or both. Also, your sweet little one will just love these two vintage children's books by Ladybird. Learn about colours and letters of the alphabet, Fun!

 

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You have four to win the lot!

1. Become (or already be!) a follower of  The Quiet life of Violet with Google Friend Connect. Leave a comment with your email address and the phrase "Google Connect!"
2. Tweet about the contest and use the hashtag #QVgiveaway. Leave a comment below.
3. Visit each of my sponsor's shops and leave a comment here stating what your favorite item is!
4. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the link.

 

A winner will be randomly chosen next Wednesday, the 3rd.

 

 

 xo,
Violet and the Squid-Kid

A Pretty Song

Isn't this a beautiful video?

It's by one of my favorite new bands, Elizabeth & the Catapult.

Very Fall-ish and it feels just right for today!

Have a good Tuesday, my loves.

xo,
Violet

 

P.S.~

Oh, and we have a winner from last-last week's 1,300 lip balm Give Away. Miss Kelsey (hehe! Love you girl!) of Everythings Coming up Roses. Only entry wins the lot! Ha!

Isn't Kelsey adorable?

She has a beautiful face and a beautiful soul! :D

P.P.S. ~ Stay tuned for tomorrow's post -- more adventures from Canada!

 

Okay, bye for reals.