Support a Good Cause!

Check out these great Raffle Prizes! (yes...that's me on the bottom there.)


Click here for more details!

Je Ne Sais Quoi: Giving Back (a fundraiser for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer)

That generosity is a quality of exceptional women goes without saying. Of course a charitable habit would be part of the alluring attraction of je ne sais quoi.

The trouble is figuring out how to give...

I was just reading an article about how volunteerism and charity have evolved over the past twenty years. No longer do we as a culture have an army of stay-at-home moms ready and able to donate hours of their time to noble causes. We're busier. We work more. And because of the recession, we have less money to give.

Which is why I have been feeling a little guilty lately. There are so many needs--Haitian earthquake relief, AIDS orphans in Africa, my local food bank--but my time and money aren't always easy to give.

Which is why earlier this year I started searching for opportunities to give back that fit within my particular set of skills (craftiness, for instance). Because I want to be charitable, but I don't exactly have the deep pockets of a philanthropist.

I do, however, have a stash of baby blankets that I made last year just sitting in my house. A house, I might add, that does not have any babies in it. So when my friend asked if I would be interested in donating something to her team's Avon Walk for Breast Cancer fundraising event, I knew immediately that I could help.

Tucked within this little anecdote is a principle that I LOVE to talk about: resourcefulness. I've mentioned it plenty of times in the past, usually referring to updating used clothing or making clever recipes from pantry misfits. But resourcefulness works just as well for charity, too.

The key, I think, is to start by asking what you have that you can give. I, for instance, don't have much discretionary cash, but I do have baby blankets. And my friend--the one raising money--can walk for a good cause. And that's just the tip of the iceberg:

Knitters can donate socks to the homeless.
Quilters can make quilts for sick kids.
Bankers can offer financial reviews for single moms.
Social butterflies can use their facebook and twitter accounts to spread the news about needs.

In other words, there are a million and one ways to give back, even for a busy, cash-strapped person. All you need is a little creativity, a resourceful eye...

...and a little je ne sais quoi.

To learn more about the "Wine*Music*Massage fundraiser" happening on Tuesday, May 4th, click here! I'd love to see you there!

What is your favorite way to give back? Share by posting your comments below!

I Want to Hear from You! (plus a chance to win free jewelry!)

Hello and Happy Friday to you all! Today I'm announcing a Special Project that I need your help on!

I want to find out who inspires us as women, and I'm petitioning for your thoughts! Keep reading to learn more:
I know that we all have women in our lives that we look up to as role models (for instance--it's not a coincidence that I'm posting our answers right before Mother's Day, since I know that many of us think first of our moms...), and so I'm submitting to you all the question above, and hope that you'll send me your responses!
And to further entice you, one lucky reader will win this lovely necklace, courtesy of Lily Leighs jewelry!
To enter, send your thoughts to the email address above! The winner will be announced on Friday, May 7th!
Also, I wanted to extend an invitation to all of you local Northern Colorado readers to join me at Roller Derby this weekend! It will be my first ever Bout and I'm so excited to see these women in action!

For more information, email me at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com or click on the "foco derby" button on the left!

I can't wait to read more about who inspires you!
Have a great weekend--
steph

Five Things I'm Loving this Friday

It is a cloudy Friday, so my end-of-the-summer plans to lounge by the pool soaking up rays while reading books suddenly looks a little gray.

But I'm not worried. I have other things to tickle my fancy. Here are five things I'm loving on this cloudy Friday afternoon:


These earrings, which I'm raffling off today. I love the fresh green color, don't you? They'll be a reminder of summer during the whole year!


These strawberry cupcakes With strawberry frosting. I had a hankering for them when I saw a photo of a similar sugary delight on a blog last week. So I consulted Martha, and found a recipe. After a few modifications and a lot of licking the frosting beaters, I now have strawberry goodness to last all week!


These vintage fashions. Oh how I wish I was born in a bygone era... (for more info and links on these dresses, click here.)


This cardigan I'm knitting with fervor. Yes, it is probably the fifth cardigan I've tried, and yes, all of the others were disasters. But what can I say? I'm shamelessly hopeful that this is the The One that will turn out.


And these socks, which I just finished. Didn't I tell you that summer was a great time to knit--if not wear--socks? They're complete in plenty of time for fall weather!

Hope you enjoy your Friday!

Previous Related Posts:
Creative Hour: Wool Socks in Summer
Crave
Box Store Boycott

Weekend Plans...sans internet

I'm hanging out here in the local bookstore, soaking up their free wi-fi since my modem decided to officially crash this morning. Not that I'm complaining--now I have a chance to snatch up my copies of Julie & Julia literature for weekend reading!

And since it looks like I'll be spending the whole weekend sans internet, here are a few other things I'm planning to do:

Admire this week's raffle gift--this summer-time patchwork pillow--before I hand it off to the lucky winner! (you, too, can enter to win by signing up for my newsletter!)


Play fetch with the die-hards....



Admire the flowers before they fade for good...

Eat ice cream. Lots of it. And maybe some peach cobbler...but more on that next week!


And perhaps dig into this stash of thrift store fabrics I've had laying around. I'm envisioning some cozy throws and pillows for the Fall....

Hope your weekend plans are as fun--if not, perhaps, modem-free--like mine!

Previously Related Posts:
Soaking up to the End
My End of Summer Reading Hit List

And the Winner Is...

This week's newsletter raffle winner is Jessica!

Host: tell her what she's won!
Announcer: well, Bob, she's won a spanking new handmade Buttercup Bag!
Host: and how did she win?
Announcer: well, Bob, it's easy! She signed up for Stephanie Hillberry's newsletter and entered the weekly raffle by answering a simple question.
Host: and how can readers enter to win next time?
Announcer: well, Bob, they can simply enter their email address in the sign-up form in the above right corner, wait for the following Monday to receive their first newsletter, and enter to win!
Host: It's just that simple?
Announcer: Yes, Bob. It's just that simple.

Note: Okay--so perhaps there really isn't a "Bob" per se, or an "Announcer," but the weekly raffle is real. Sign up today to receive next Monday's email and enter to win! For more information on the newsletter, click here.

Missed some of this week's Recessionista posts? Catch up below:
But I'm not Crafty, and other misconceptions about being an entrepreneur
Can I Get a Pulse? --checking your financial vital signs
Thrift Store Design Day! (an event coming soon!)
Creative M-E-S-S
In the Land of Small: why Big isn't always Better
Oh Cruel Coupons: a soliloquy

Friday Giveaway!

At last it has arrived: my first giveaway here on Deviantly Domesticated!  

Those of you who were reading during the Handmade Holiday series over the months of November and December might recall that I developed a love affair with knitting.  I even stayed up until 3:00 am one night knitting a pair of gloves because I was so eager to see what they looked like completed!

Well, since a person only needs so many pairs of gloves (I've reached my quota), I thought I would make a set for one of you lovely readers out there.  This pair of fingerless gloves are perfect for keeping your hands toasty while still giving you the freedom to do important things (like fiddle with keys and strap kids into car seats and find your lip

stick in the bottom of your purse).  

Knitted from a Debbie Bliss silk-cotton blend, they are super soft and warm in rose pink.  Thanks to Cheryl Niamath for creating such a great pattern, and for Knitty.com for providing it for free!  (Download the pattern here to make a set yourself).  

The winner will be selected through a raffle via comments posted here (only one comment per person, please).  Comments will close at 5:00 pm MST and the winner will be announced then!  

note: comments are closed.  Leah Frink is the winner!  Enjoy!