Pick Your Plum Daily Deal: WASHI TAPE!!!

Just wanted to give y'all a heads up that Pick Your Plum's Daily Deal for Today is WASHI TAPE!!!  If y'all follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know I LOVE me a good deal on washi tape...I just can't help myself when the price is this good!! 

Click here to buy...it's coming in at $1.50 a roll, a total steal for these pretty Spring colors!!!

Click here to see a my Washi Tape Pinterest board for fun ideas on how to use it!

XOXO,

Where I've Been and a Few Giveaway Winners!

Hello friends! It's been a while. Maybe some of you haven't noticed the quiet around this blog but for those that did let me tell you it wasn't on account that I was vacationing in Hawaii or anything fun like that. I've been struck with a horrible head cold and a crazy killer cough, blah!  I rarely ever get sick...hello, I'm a mom, mom's don't get sick...right? WRONG!! And when us momma's do get sick we get it good unfortunately :-(  It super stinks because I am usually fending for myself most of the time since my husband is running our office 6 days a week and we don't have any family nearby.  Sigh.  Being sick and having to nurse a baby is not high on my list of fun things to do lately, especially when he is wanting to teeth on me while he eats.  You can paint that picture yourself.  Oh, well. Let's think of happier things shall we?  There is no reason I can't spread some happiness even if I'm tired and groggy!  Here we go...some winners shall we!

The winner of the $25 gift certificate to Southern Fabric is...

The TWO winners of their choice of THREE ePatterns each from Seamingly Smitten are...

The THREE winners of Dana's FLIP vest ePattern are...

Hooray for all of you!!  Please email me at SmashedPeasandCarrots@gmail.com with your preferred email address to receive your winnings or for those that won a choice of patterns please email me your choice of patterns, duh! :-)

Have a great day, friends!

XOXO,

The Flip Vest: Pattern Review and Giveaway

I was lucky enough to be asked by Dana of Made if I would be willing to test her newest pattern, the Flip Vest, a few weeks ago. Ummm, yes!  Of course I would!  I just love Dana and all her patterns and tutorials...well, her whole blog is pretty darn perfect in my opinion.  

Her newest pattern, the Flip Vest is a reversible child's vest and it was just released last week. Can I tell you what a keeper it is.  You will definitely want to have this in your go-to sewing pattern stash, it's a pretty quick sew...I'd say I made Penny's in about 1 1/2 hours.  In classic Dana fashion, this pattern is beautifully designed and doesn't miss a single detail.  

Easy to understand?  Yes ma'am.  

Lots of beautiful step-by-step pictures?  You got it. 

Lots of sizes for lots of little bodies?  Sure thing, it's for ages 6 months-5 years

Lots of details to make every vest unique? Of course!

You can use Fleece, Flannel, Cotton, and even Denim to make the Flip Vest.  For Penelope's I chose to use a pink fleece on the outside and a funky dotted striped cotton for the inside.  You can have as little as two or up to a whole row of buttons as a closure (or even velcro if you desire to make it reversible!) I knew I wanted lots of buttons as Penny is 4 years old and I figured she would want it totally buttoned up to keep warm while playing outside!

And what a hit it was!  She loved the sweet little flower button details all along the front.  Girly...just like her!

And she loved to unbutton it and show off the lining, even in the 20 degree temps of Chicago! It was like a crazy fun secret that only she knew about!

For this pattern you will learn how to sew with fleece (yup, it can be a bit stretchy!) and knit ribbing (for the armholes and neck!) But I know you can do it...Dana really does make it so easy for you to learn.  Her pictures are perfect for beginners, detailing every step so you can make the perfect little vest for that perfect little one in your life!

And guess what?

Now is your chance to win one!!

Dana is offering up one Flip Vest pattern to THREE lucky winners today!  How's that for sweet!

To enter, click here, or enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XOXO,

Seamingly Smitten Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday! I've got a great giveaway from one of my super fun blog sponsors for you today, can I get a woot, woot!  

Seamingly Smitten is a PDF sewing pattern shop where you can browse and buy clothing patterns for women, girls, and yes...even boys!  The ePatterns get sent directly to your email account and you just print them off in the comfort of your very own home.

 Some of my favorites are the Cozy Hooded Cape for Girls.

One of their newest patterns to hit the shop is the All Ruffled Up dress for girls, how cute is that neckline!

 And how about this Miss Mod Top for Women...I think it is just perfect for Spring!!

 I just love these Womens Yoga Pants, I need to make a pair for my pilates class!

And how cute are these Boys Classic Fit Pants?  Totally daper, eh? :-)

And now that I've got you excited....Seamingly Smitten is offering up THREE sewing pattens of your choice to TWO of my wonderful blog readers!!!

To enter just click on the link here or enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XOXO,

Sweetheart Dress Giveaway Winner and Michaels 'Craft it Forward' Winners-Revealed!

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hope y'all have an exciting weekend ahead of you...maybe even some rest and relaxation will be involved?  Our weekend started off with a bang, last night Penelope and Mr. Smashed Peas had their first ever Daddy/Daughter Dance.  Penny came home just over the moon excited about it...melted my heart!  She came bounding in the house with a sweet picture of her and her daddy that they took at the dance and excitedly proclaimed she would "keep it forever and ever!" She had so much fun dancing and twirling the night away with her daddy :-)  The dance was a huge hit and she cannot wait until they go again next year!!

So, how about I announce some winners?  

The winner of the boatload of Luvinthemommyhood ePatterns is...

And the FIVE winners of the Michaels Stores "Craft It Forward" Giveaway are...

I emailed everyone who won, so hopefully you will all receive that the next time you check your emails!  Hooray, and congratulaions to all!

Don't forget that we still have the Southern Fabric Giveaway going on right now...click here to enter!!

XOXO,

Southern Fabric: Sponsored Giveaway

Today I've got a great giveaway from my lovely blog sponsor, Southern Fabric!  You might remember my utter infatuation with this shop from previous posts. Umm, 'Hello, my name is Maggie and I'm a Fabricaholic!'

Southern Fabric is a fabric hoarders dream come true.  Aubrey, who runs the shop, has impeccable taste when it comes to fabric and always has the latest most desired fabrics available from the hottest designers out there!   Of course, not only does Southern Fabric offer yardage but they also offer precuts such as jelly rolls, charm packs, fat quarter bundles...you name they probably sell it! 

Some of the newest lines they have in stock include, Noteworthy by Sweetwater.

And Honey Honey by Kate Spain.

Southern Fabric also loves to have a good sale!  Currently they have a sale going that includes Ruby by Bonnie and Camille.

Good Fortune by Kate Spain

 and McKenzie by Dena Designs.

Yeah, all take one of each please!!!

Southern Fabric is so awesome that they are offering ONE of my lovely readers a $25 gift certificate to their shop today, hooray!!

Enter the Rafflecopter link below (or click here!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!!

XOXO,

TUTORIAL: How to Make a Vintage Wood Crate And Giveaway

Today I'm going to share my "Craft It Forward" project with you I mentioned yesterday in this post here that I made as one of my Random Acts of Kindness I plan on doing this week.  This gift could not be simpler to make and the uses...oh! the uses...they are endless! :-)

These crates are small in size and my mind was on over-drive thinking about all the fun things I could put in them to brighten someone's day.  I loved them more as the giftee could eventually re-use them for  a fun way to showcase a button collection or lots of pretty thread spools, maybe their CD collection, or a catch-all for iPod, iPhones, or remote controls?  So many options to play around with...I love a gift that keeps on giving!

Let's make a few, shall we?

How to Make a Vintage Wood Crate

Set of unfinished wooded crates (Michaels sells lots of cute options!)

Minwax Wood Finish (I used Early American)

Sponge brush applicator

I bought a set of unfinished wooden nesting crates at Michaels and thought they would look so good with some dark wood stain to make them all rustic-like.  You know, all flea market style, yo! 

I really loved that this set had vintage crate advertisements on them...how cute would these look in a craft room holding all your sewing notions? 

I decided to use Early American stain from Minwax as I love the rich color it gives.  We used this on a growth chart ruler we made last year and the color is outstanding in my opinion.  It has that feel of an old wooden ruler if you get my drift.  Just perfect for this project! I gave one good coat of stain to each box and let them dry for a good day and a half. On a side note, I felt these still had a bit of odor but am hopeful that it won't be overpowering or last long.  If you want to play it safe you may want to wait a few days before gifting these due to that!

Then I filled the vintage crate with lots of crafty goodness to brighten the day of some crafty peeps I know. Here is what I gifted (all found at Michaels!)

1. Cute teensy heart cupcake liners to warm the baking soul.
2. Pretty trims cause you can never have enough pretty trim in my opinion!
3. Washi tape!  Yes, Michaels carries their own line of Washi tape and it is fabulous (just an FYI, they call it Crafting Tape!)
4. Chocolate.  One of my most favorite flavors is Dark Chocolate with Raspberry from Godiva.
5. A set of blank notecards and envelope wrapped in some vintage trim I had on hand.  Just because :-)

This crate would also make the loveliest "Craft it Forward" plant or flower holder...think fragrant herbs for spring!

Then I just pinned a little note on it and it was ready to give!

I ding dong ditched these and can I tell you I've never ran so fast in my life!  I usually have my kids do the ding dong ditching as I watch from afar but I didn't want this to get spilled so it was all this momma this time!

And as I mentioned before, Michaels is participating in Random Acts of Kindness Week (Feb 11-17) by asking customers to share their own random acts of kinds on the Michaels Facebook page and to us the hashtag #RAOKDIY when sharing on Twitter or Instagram.   

In celebration of the holiday on Sunday Feb 17, Michaels hopes to inspire customers to participate by giving away more than $100,000 in gift cards!  They are encouraging you to "Craft It Forward" and exhibit your very own random act of kindness toward another person (love this!)

Check out Michaels Random Acts of Kindness Pinterest Board here for more inspiration!

And now for the giveaway!  Michaels is starting early and giving away FIVE $5 gift cards to FIVE of my lucky readers to get you inspired to "Craft It Forward"!

Enter the Rafflecopter link below (or here) to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck and "Craft it Forward"!

XOXO,

** I have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions are truthful and my own.  This post contains paid links.

Random Acts of Kindness Week: Feb 11-17 2013

Did y'all know that this week is officially known as "Random Acts of Kindness Week"?  Yup, starting today, the next 6 days are meant to spread kindness to others, one random act at a time :-)

If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE spreading acts of kindness!  I am very service-oriented and bit by bit I am trying to teach my children about doing acts of service for others whether it's their siblings, friends, neighbors, or just an new acquaintance we met in a class or at church.   

Every year in December my husband and I make it a point to take our kids with us as we do our daily errands and activities and we do acts of service for others as many times as we can fit it in.  (We do this throughout the year too, but we seem to drill it in their heads in December!) A few of the simple Random Acts of Kindess we did this December were...

1.Helping to address and mail Christmas cards for a neighbor in need.

2. Making Christmas cookies and other goodies to surprise friends and neighbors with and brighten their day.

3. Buying a few dozen donuts for our local fire stations along with saying "thank you" for their service to our community.  (As a bonus the kids got a tour of the fire station and were thanked for their good deed by getting to try on the fireman's very heavy gear!)

4. Buying a stack of Starbucks gift cards and handing them out to people we met while we ran our errands.

4. I found these great "JOY" Christmas ornaments and stocked up big time on them.  I thought they were so pretty, all glittery and all, how can they not make you happy?  We placed them on mailboxes, car windshields, trees outside of stores, you name it! It was fun to give our community a bit of sparkle!

5.  I made special treats for Noah's two bus drivers and surprised them at pick up and drop off one day! They were so surprised :-)  I wonder how often anyone thinks of them?  

A few other things we do off the top of my head are:

6.  Pay it Forward at the Starbucks drive through.  I pay for the tab of the car (or sometimes even a few cars) behind me to brighten their day!

7.  My kids love to draw and they love to make special cards to hand out to the check out people at our most frequented stores.

8.  Dropping off stickers, foam craft kits, crayons, and coloring books to our local hospital. 

9.  Bring Salvation Army ringer volunteers donuts and coffee.

10. Taping money to gas pumps with a note that says "To help you fill your tank! Have a happy day!"

I'm so excited to share a craft project with you tomorrow that is an easy way to show an act of kindness to someone else...maybe it will give you a bit of inspiration to show a little kindness to someone this week :-)   Michaels craft store is also celebrating "Random Acts of Kindness" week too!  They're hoping y'all will join them to "craft it forward" and are asking you to share your own random acts of kindness on Michaels Facebook page and to use the hashtag #RAOKDIY when sharing on Twitter and Instagram.

In celebration of the holiday, on Sunday, February 17 2013, Michaels hopes to inspire customers to participate by giving away more than $100,000 in gift cards at its nearly 1,100 U.S. and Canada stores. Gift card recipients will be encouraged to "Craft it Forward" and exhibit their own act of kindness towards another person.  

Customers who want to "Craft it Forward" can find inspiration for Random Acts of Kindness projects to give others on the Michaels Random Acts of Crafting Pinterest board.

Let's make this week a good one!

Til tomorrow y'all!! 

XOXO,