Bring Lana into your Home - Giveaway

The next giveaway comes from StephanieCaldwell on Etsy. The Lana Scarf - Children's Scarf is hand crocheted from a cotton blend yarn. This scarf was made for children 12mo and up. It is warm enough for winter and light enough to wear during autumn and spring. It's made from multi color yellow, coral, turquoise and white yarn and bordered in turquoise. This scarf is adorable wrapped around a wee one. And they will love the texture and colors. The retail value for this great giveaway is $20.00.

I'll tell you all about the easy-peasy ways to get a chance at winning this sweet little scarf for your little one right after I finish sharing all of the great information about herself that Stephanie shared with me through the course of her "interview."

"My name is Stephanie Caldwell. I live in Michigan with my husband and two year old daughter. I love to crochet, knit, sew and make things everyday!" (Photo of Stephanie's studio area!)

At what point in your life did you realize that being creative was destined to be more than just a hobby? I was always creative growing up but I didn’t really realize it was a significant part of my life until after I became pregnant with my daughter. I think something about being a parent sparks a flame under you to discover your passions and what makes you truly happy. Creativity plays a central role in who I am as a person now. Not a day goes by that I don’t make something. Anything, even if it’s just doodles in my daughters coloring book.

Tell us a little about your "Black Dress Project." Oh there’s so much I could say about this. This project is so close to my heart. I started it because I wanted to raise money for charity and support the handmade community at the same time. The basic idea of the project is that I will be photo web-blogging everyday for 365 days. Each day I will wear one of five basic black shift dresses, created by handmade designers, and style it differently each time I wear it with accessories and clothing items. The items will be donated from handmade artists. So this will be a great advertisement for their products. After the items are used they will be posted for sale in the projects online shop. So readers can buy them. All the proceeds from the shop will be donated to Noah’s Ark Orphan Care Center in Malawi, Africa. I’ve gotten an amazing response to the project so far. I’m working with some amazing handmade artists and we are all so excited for the project to begin. The project officially begins on January 1st, 2010. We’ll be unveiling the five dresses in the month of December 2009. I’m so excited about it. The web address is http://www.blackdressproject.wordpress.com/ . Please come visit. And if you are a seller interested in being involved please contact me via blackdressproject [!at] yahoo.com .

Juggling marriage, parenthood, business, and following your heart in the process can take a lot of energy and commitment - are you a naturally energetic person to start with or do all of your passions just imbue you with more energy? My passions fuel my creative energy. Marriage and parenthood increase my creativity. My husband is an artist as well and he encourages me to pursue my artistic ideas. My daughter is a daily inspiration to me. Her creative play, learning and imagination all inspire me to see the world differently. Trying to run and promote a business sometimes stunts my energy. I try to take breaks from the business side as much as possible and keep my focus on the inventive part of things. And I try not to focus on one thing for too long either. If I get bored with it I just move on. There’s no use forcing creativity when it’s not there. Allowing myself to follow my sporadic artistic ideas helps enhance my energy and has resulted in a love of so many different creative outlets. Such as photography, drawing, knitting, crochet, scrapbooking, sewing, embroidery, fashion, writing, music and blogging. I also keep my energy up by eating way too much chocolate and drinking lots and lots of tea.

Name one thing that not many people know about you. Besides my family and friends not many people know that I’m only 21 years old. I don’t really publicize it. I think in the business world, even handmade business, people don’t take you seriously when you are younger. Being young is viewed as being less responsible. I’m just so blessed to have found my passions earlier in my life and have the resources and connections to accomplish my goals. I work hard everyday to further my creative endeavors and that makes me value my responsibilities.

Who was your secret childhood crush? I’m not sure it was much of a secret but I had a huge crush on the Hanson Brothers when I was in grade school. They had this thing where you had to save up so many Eggo waffle box tops and you could send it in to get a Hanson Brother’s tee shirt. There were two shirts and I saved up enough to get both of them. I think I ate waffles for breakfast every single day through 5th and 6th grade. Ha Ha.

You've been asked to write a short story about one life changing event from your past. What event would you select? Wow. There have been so many pivotal moments in my life that have shaped me as a person. Finding God and developing my faith and relationship with him is the one thing that has most shaped me into the person I am. He has truly blessed my life. Discovering God was not just a ‘life changing event’, it is a continually life changing experience.

Now that you know a little bit more about Stephanie and StephanieCaldwell on Etsy, let me tell you how to receive a chance to win that adorable little scarf!

1st entry for visiting StephanieCaldwell and then posting and commenting on a favorite item in this post.
1 entry for following Stephanie's blog http://www.stephanie-caldwell.blogspot.com/

2 entries for making a purchase at StephanieCaldwell and coming back here and posting about it
1 entry for following my blog here, or for following me on twitter or facebook (the buttons to those links are at the top of this page!)

Things you need to know :
The winning entry for this giveaway will be drawn on Monday, November 30, 2009 at Noon, MDT.
This giveaway is open to entrants worldwide
You must give contact information in your post so that I can easily contact you if you win.

Thanks for entering and good luck!