Giveaways Going On

I have two giveaways going on right now.  

The first is for an Easy Canvas giveaway.  Easy Canvas is giving away a free 8x10 custom canvas. You can click here to join in.

The second giveaway is a $50 credit to Novica.  You can click here to join in.  

DON'T FORGET TO STOP BACK TONIGHT AT 8PM EST 

FOR MY SIZZLE INTO SUMMER PARTY

-Judy

Embroidery Hoop Clock

I love embroidery hoops.  

They are just so versatile.  

You can check out here and here what I've done with them before.  

I made this clock for my daughter's room for a while back.  It's such a quick and easy project, that I thought it would be fun to share it again.  

For this project I used some left over Thomas Paul Aviary fabric I used on my daughter's desk chair,
an embroidery hoop, buttons and a clock kit

(which I bought using a 50% off coupon from AC Moore).

I started by painting the outside of the embroidery hoop an aqua color to coordinate with the fabric.

I then traced around the smaller embroidery hoop onto a sturdy piece of cardboard -

(I used a thick box I had).   I then cut it out using a sharp knife.

I put my fabric in the embroidery hoop and started to sew on the buttons for the numbers on the clock.

Once I was done sewing on all of the buttons, I added the cardboard to the back, blank side to the front (my fabric is a little see-through so I didn't want to see the words peak through by mistake).  The cardboard fit snugly so there was no reason for glue.

Now that the cardboard was in place it was time to add the hole for my clock kit to fit through.  I used an awl to make the hole.  I made the hole just big enough to fit the clock mechanism.

I then put together my clock kit.  The hands of the clock were gold, which I didn't love with the aqua.  I took the hands back off and painted them silver using some model airplane paint we had in the house.

It hangs in my daughter's room above her closet doors.

and coordinates perfectly with her desk chair.

What do you think of the clock?
I can't wait to hear.

-Judy

partying here

Novica Review and Giveaway

When Novica contacted me and asked me if I would like to review one of their products, I jumped at the chance.  If you haven't heard of Novica, you should know that Novica is a very special company.  They work with National Geographic to give talented artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their artistic talents.  They create a bridge between you the purchaser and the many talented artisans around the globe.  Novica provides access to unique and hard to find items at great values.  They have thousands of top fair trade corporate gifts, accessories, jewelry and home decor items on their website.

After enjoying every second of exploring their website, I chose a gorgeous owl created by an artist in Mexico.  The ordering process was very easy and delivery was very quick (less than ten days) considering it was coming all the way from Mexico.  Look at how beautiful the presentation is.

I was very excited when I got home yesterday and found this waiting for me.

It was wrapped extremely well.  I love that about Novica.

I have ordered from Novica before.  Here is a gorgeous vase I ordered from Novica.

Here is my one of a kind, hand-created, owl.  It's truly a masterpiece.
Each piece of art comes with a story about the artist and the piece.

The hand-carved details are just beautiful.

Here is an up-close view of the back.

The artist even signed it.

I love my new owl.  He's a perfect addition to my family room decor.
I am so lucky to have something so special in my home.

Novica is not limited to home decor.

They have gorgeous hand-made jewelry...

and beautiful hand bags.

They even sell hand-crafted mirrors.
They also sell Women's Clothing from Central America, Blue Dresses, Short Skirts, Double Hammocks, Margarita Glasses and Unique Table Lamps!! 

GIVEAWAY

Now it's your turn. 

Novica has generously offered one lucky DIYbyDesign reader 

a $50 credit to their online store. 

Here's what you need to do for a chance to win:

1.  Visit Novica and come back and leave a comment on what item you would choose.

2.  For an additional chance to win, post on Facebook or Twitter and come back and leave a comment letting me know that you did along with the link to the post or tweet.

3.  For an additional entry, like Novica on Facebook.  

The giveaway will close on Thursday July18th, 2013 at 11:59pm EST.  You must leave a separate comment for each entry in order to maximize your chances to win. Must be 18 years or older.  Open only to residents in the 48 lower states.  You must be a follower of DIYbyDesign. If your email address is not linked to your Google account, please make sure to include your email in your comment so you can be contacted in the case you win.  If you do not include your e-mail another winner will be chosen.

-Judy

Disclosure - I received a store credit to purchase my owl from Novica to review, but received no monetary compensation for this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.   

Sizzle into Summer - It's a Party # 126

Welcome to this week's Sizzle into Summer party.  It's really heating up this week in New York with temperatures near 100 degrees every day.  It's a perfect time for a party.  I can't wait to see what you have all been up to.  Here are this week's features:

HOME DECOR:

The Happy Housie is in the process of of updating her dining room and she shared all kinds of inspiration for the direction she wants to take the room.  You must check it out.

FURNITURE TRANSFORMATIONS:

Sunset Coast  transformed this bench from trash to treasure.  Love the fabric!

Marty, from A Stroll Thru Life, shares how she updated her bathroom by antiquing a mirror.  What a difference a little paint can make.  

CRAFTY CREATIONS:

Sew-licious Home Decor shared a tutorial on how to make twine cupcakes.  These are super cute!

Pneumatic Addict shared a tutorial on how to make a DIY boxwood topiary.  What a fun project!

TASTY TREATS:

Grandparents Plus shared her recipe for Tequillaberry salad.  It's a great looking salad!

One Little Project shared her recipe for a quick and easy summer strawberry spinach salad.  Yum!

If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button (you can now find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header).  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes etc.   I will keep this link open through Friday.


<a border="0" href="http://www.diybydesign.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw62ZdrKpNmaJdWF0-T8fM7RV9-cuZSxfrIWZ_j8O996HWzXChosS5wOVixR0OXFygAvhfK7VB34IUIgHiT38YyF7GxGTfXiPhdmuMMlhadOaxv_VUL8kw37m08BRwJqtn31mvleXUpzi/s128/18542134351.jpg" /></a>

A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower (if you already follow me on Google, I would love for you to follow me on Linky Followers as well).  

2.  Please grab my party button above and display it either on your sidebar or somewhere in your post.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4. Please visit others who have linked up.   Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's Party

-Judy

Aulani - A Disney Resort & Spa - Review

We have just returned from one of the best trips we have ever taken.  My husband and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon, and I remember it being beautiful and wonderful.  But I was only 24 and didn't have a full appreciation of just how gorgeous and stunning Hawaii really is.  We have travelled many places over the years, and this trip to Hawaii trumps all other locations.
We visited three islands, starting with Oahu.  

We stayed at the Aulani, a new Disney resort in Kapolei, Hawaii.  For me, one of the best things about the Aulani is that it is outside of the "city".  We stayed in Waikiki on our honeymoon which is filled with mostly high-rises.  It's a bit more low-key in Kapolei.  We traveled with my parents, so we stayed in an 1100 square foot, two bedroom villa which slept all six of us.  The villa had 2 1/2 bathrooms which made it perfect for a family traveling with grandparents.  It was the only hotel we stayed at that had such an option where we could all stay together.  Every other hotel we needed to get two hotel rooms.  As always, Disney is very family oriented.  The rooms are new and perfect.  The villa has a kitchen, although we didn't use it.  But it is an option for families who want to buy some groceries for the room.

This was the view from our balcony.  This was truly paradise!  The hotel from check-in to check-out was top notch and the lei greeting was wonderful.

The Aulani has multiple pools and a lazy river.  They have two water slides.  One that you slide down using a float, and the other one you just slide down without a float.  My kids went on both.  I only went down the one with the float.  I'm sorry I didn't try the other one now.  At the time I was pretty jet-lagged and just wanted to relax.  So I mostly floated down the lazy river.

They also had a private snorkeling lagoon.  It was a great way to see all kinds of sea creatures without leaving the pool area of the hotel.

The Aulani also has a larger lagoon which borders the ocean.   There you can rent snorkel equipment, paddle boards, kayaks, boogie boards and stand up paddle boards (my favorite).

The dining options at the Aulani are awesome.  We ate dinner the first night in Oahu at the Ama Ama at the Aulani.  It was wonderful.  The Aulani offers several different options for breakfast including a quick service restaurant where we could order a hot breakfast sandwich.  As you probably know, Hawaii is super expensive when it comes to food.  However, of the three different hotels we stayed at on the three islands, the Aulani was the most reasonably priced when it came to food.  It was expensive, but now in retrospect after seeing what we spent at other hotels, it was the best deal of the three hotels.

The Aulani was absolutely awesome and I would definitely go back again.  There were only two negatives, both completely minor.   One, it was very difficult to get lounge chairs at the pool.  We usually got one, but it took some hunting each day.  The only other negative was the way the pool area is laid out, you have to walk almost all the way around to get from one side to the other.  Depending on which area of the pool you are standing in, there is no quick short-cut across the pool area.

I hope you and your family will get a chance to visit the Aulani.  It's amazing and worth the trip.

-Judy

Easy Canvas Prints Giveaway

I have a special surprise for you all today.  Today's giveaway is sponsored by Easy Canvas Prints.  Easy Canvas prints turns your photos into canvas, ready for hanging.  Easy, beautiful, customized artwork for your home.  

photo prints

When Easy Canvas Prints contacted me and asked if I would like to review their product I jumped at the chance, especially since we were going to Hawaii. I knew I would have plenty of photos to choose from.  Here is the photo I chose:

The ordering process is super easy.  All you have to do is pick the canvas size you want and your wrap thickness and upload your photo.  That's it.  It took me less than five minutes!!  So quick and easy.  In less time than it would take to find a frame for a photo, you can have a customized canvas print ordered.  I can't wait to get my canvas and hang it so that I can share it with you.

Now it's your turn.  

Easy Canvas Prints is giving away a free 8" x 10" custom canvas print.  What an awesome giveaway for your favorite summer photo, or any other photo. This is a Rafflecopter giveaway.  If you have any trouble with the link below, try another browser.  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Judy

banner maker

This giveaway is sponsored by Easy Canvas Prints.  I have been provided a product to review, all opinions are my own.