This and That........and Giveaway Winners

This has been a good week. Lots of things going on around here, but all good. Gorgeous fall weather has swept through Chicago and I'm loving every minute of it. Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, how about you?

This past weekend it was the perfect weather for us to go on our annual apple picking excursion. Our regular orchard wasn't open this season due to the unpredictable, crazy weather we had this last spring. But we decided to try a new one that turned out to be lots of fun.....

Gigi (Brett's mom) came along on our fun apple picking adventure.

Earlier this week, we made a giant apple pie from the apples we picked. I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to do a crumble or crust on top, but I ended up doing a crust since our apples were almost falling off the top of the pie. This was only four of the apples we picked....they were huge! And the pie was delish!

Instagram Photo 

(follow me @thecottagemama)

We also brought out all the fall decorations so our house looks nice and cozy. The girls had so much fun sipping hot chocolate and helping me decorate. We made this vintage yo-yo garland together and I think it turned out really cute.

These pretties arrived in the mail this week from Riley Blake Designs for my next Design Team Project. This is from the line "The Sweetest Thing" and the small little flower print is the new knit fabric they are carrying. I've already washed it and it came out beautifully. I can't wait to start creating my next project!

There has been A LOT of sewing going on this week as I prepare for our first styled book shoot this weekend! I'm so excited to meet all of the little models and work with my book photographer. Fun, fun!

We have had quite a few giveaways in the last couple weeks, so it's probably about time that announce the winners. Sorry to keep you hanging. Here they are.........

Jo Totes Camera Bag:

Simply Color Charm Packs and Jelly Roll:

Modes4U Japanese Fat Quarter Bundle and Washi Tape:

Congratulations to our winners! Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get you your prizes as soon as possible! Don't worry if you didn't win, just keep trying. We have more giveaways coming up and you just never know when the random number generator might pick you!

So that's what has been going on around here. Some of those pictures are from Instagram and if you want to check out our daily life around here, you can follow me @thecottagemama. I hope you all had a great week and are finally getting a little taste of this beautiful fall weather.

Happy Weekend!

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Baby Lock and The Cottage Mama

I've been wanting to share my new machines with you for several months and now it's finally time!

Meet the two newest members of The Cottage Mama team.......

 The Baby Lock Ellegante 3 Sewing and Embroidery Machine 

The Baby Lock Evolution 8-Thread Serger & Cover Stitch Machine

I was recently sent these amazing new machines from the folks over at Baby Lock and let me tell you that they are truly "dream machines". I was content sewing on my Brother Sewing Machine (CS6000i) and Serger (1034d), but these Baby Lock machines take things to a whole new level. I kind of feel like talking to them and saying "Where have you been my whole life?" But the truth of the matter is that I just didn't even know some of these fantastic features existed on the higher end sewing machines.

I am thrilled to be working with Baby Lock and to have them here as a sponsor. I will be doing some new tutorials and sewing projects for them over on the official Baby Lock blog, Totally Stitchin' coming up soon. You will be able to find a link to their blog under the sponsors heading in the right side-bar of The Cottage Home.

So let me tell you a little bit more about my new machines.......

First up is the new Ellegante 3 Sewing and Embroidery Machine. I guess you could say Miss Ellegante and I had sort of a 'Love at first stitch' experience when she first arrived. She is so quiet and just purrs along as I sew.....music to my ears.

Here are some of the features on this fabulous machine that I really enjoy:

•  Automatic Needle Threading. Just push the button and in 4 seconds the machine is ready to go.

• Automatic Thread Cutting. Again, just push the button.

• Two Thread Spool Holders

• Drop-In Bobbin

• Low bobbin thread indicator

• Stitch memory library - Great for stitches that you use a lot such as gathering and machine applique. It saves the stitch width, length and tension for easy recall.

• LCD Touch Screen that shows you your actual designs and stitch settings and also has a informational guide included so you never have to pull out the manual!

• On Screen Embroidery Design Editing for combining words, pictures, frames and more.

• 531 Built-In Stitches - Everything from a wide scallop stitch, heirloom stitches to borders and decorative characters.

• 492 Built-In Embroidery Designs - Including 14 different font libraries for personalizing and monogramming, applique embroidery, gorgeous floral and seasonal motifs. I love that you can view the designs in the different size hoops before you actually embroider.

• Gorgeous fonts, including a floral alphabet.

• Direct connectivity to your PC and can be used with external drives (floppy, flash, CD)

• Circular Sewing Attachment to make perfect circles with straight or decorative utility stitches.

More specific details on the Ellegante 3:

So not only did they send me the Ellegante 3, but I also received the Baby Lock Evolution 8-Thread Serger:

This serger is so easy to use. If you're not familiar with Baby Lock, their sergers essentially thread for you and they don't have tension dials to fuss with when you switch stitches.

You see those little holes in the picture above (the ones labeled U, L and C). Well, you put your threads in those holes and the machine sucks them in and threads it for you. It is incredibly cool!

Also, one of the biggest challenges with my other serger was that if I wanted to change out one of the threads or if one of them broke, I had to re-thread the whole thing from start to finish in the appropriate order. Well, not with the Evolution. If I want to just change out the upper-looper, I simply remove it, put the new thread in the hole, push the button and I'm ready to go!

I absolutely love not having to worry about the tension on this machine. I just pick my stitch and the machine knows how to adjust the tension for perfect serging every time.

Here are some more specifics about the features of the Evolution:

To say that I was excited when these machines arrived a few months ago is probably an understatement, I was ecstatic! I can't wait to incorporate more machine embroidery, monogramming, serging and more into my designs. Like I said, these machines are truly a dream to sew on and I am so excited about my partnership / sponsorship with Baby Lock.

Look for upcoming projects and guests post over on the Totally Stitchin' blog (the official blog of Baby Lock Sewing Machines and Sergers). Also if you have any questions about my experience with these machines, feel free to email or leave me a comment.

To keep updated with Baby Lock feel free to visit their website, blog and facebook page.

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Goose Creek Candle Co. Giveaway

I recently had the opportunity to try out Goose Creek Candle Co.'s lovely candles from their American Heirloom Collection. If you like scented candles, you are going to love these.  

Goose Creek sent me my scent of choice and I must say that it was really hard to choose. I love all the smells of fall......pumpkin, apple, spice, ect., so I ended up going with Spiced Gourmet, but like I said, it was a tough decision.

Here are some of the fall scents that looked pretty wonderful:

I really liked the American Heirloom Collection candle that they sent. It had a pretty metal top with no label on the side so it actually blended into my decor a little bit better than the ones with the big labels. But they offer the candles in both styles.

The Spiced Gourmet smelled heavenly! I made sure to burn it for a week, so I could really tell you whether or not I liked it. The scent was just right........some candles are a little much for me (and especially for my husband), but this one was great. It made my house smell so nice and cozy and was perfect for the start of fall. Also, I feel like I barely put a dent in it and I had it burning for quite a few hours.

So do you want one for yourself? 

Well, luckily Goose Creek Candle Co. is giving away a 16 oz. American Heirloom Collection Candle in the scent of your choice to one lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

And, Goose Creek Candle Co. is offering a coupon code for 25% off your total purchase.

Enter code: 1050

Here's how to enter:

Visit Goose Creek Candle Co. and come back and leave a comment on this post letting us know what scent you think you might choose if you win. (Click Here).

Giveaway will be open until September 30, 2012 at Midnight (CST).

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The Delicate Art of Balance

The Wilkes Family - Apple Picking

September 22, 2012

The art of balance in ones life is something that I think we all struggle with on a daily basis. I am a firm believer that we cannot be all things to all people at all times. I cannot tell you how many times, I am hit with the phrase "how do you do it all?", whether it's via email, on The Cottage Mama Facebook page, or in real life with my friends and family.

I am always a taken back by this question, because the true answer is simple, "I don't." I wish I knew how to get it all done. But for that to happen, I would need two of me and a lot more hours in the day. I think you make time in your life for the things that are important to you. And somedays certain things are more important than others.

When I think of balance my husband comes to mind. As I have mentioned here before, he is an avid home-brewer and makes award winning beers. Brewing is something he is truly passionate about and he makes time for it in his life. He leaves for work at 7:30 AM and is not home before 7:30 PM every single day. That makes for some longs days. So he does not get a whole lot of time to spend with the kids during the week. But on the weekends he is 100% devoted to having 'Daddy Fun Days' with them. If he wants to brew beer, he does it after they have gone to bed. He gives up sleep in order to achieve the balance in his life. I'm not advocating not sleeping to achieve balance, but it's what works for him. He wants to make room for brewing in his life and that's how he makes it work. My point being, is that you figure out a way to make time for the things in life that are important to you and sometimes you have to give up one thing for another.

But the truth is that balance is achieved through an ebb and flow in life. You cannot neglect one aspect of life completely and expect there not to be a negative reaction. Balance is a struggle. I don't know if it is for you, but it is something I am constantly thinking about and trying to keep myself in check. I have a true sense of guilt when I am not doing what I feel I should be doing in certain aspects of my life. But sometimes it is important to release yourself from that feeling of guilt in order to maintain balance in ones life. If one of my kids is having a hard day, then maybe I don't get to the dishes. If I'm trying to finish a project, then maybe we have frozen pizza for dinner. But you know what? That's ok.

For instance, right now I wish I was posting tons of different projects and tutorials for you all. I have all these great seasonal ideas in my head that I don't have time to share. Do I feel a little sense of guilt that I'm not making that happen? Well.......yes. But the reality is that I am working on my book and cannot share many of my projects right now. While I try to balance writing with paying attention to my family and my home life, it's what has to give during this time in my life. And I know you understand that and I am now officially releasing myself from that guilt. Ahhh, I feel much better!

I read Sarah Jane's post today and it just got me thinking, so I guess that's why I'm writing this post today. To be totally honest, I think I do a pretty good job balancing all the different things going on in our life right now and it is constantly a work in progress. But there is one thing I would like you to know about me.........I do not do it all. And that's fine by me.



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Jo Totes Camera Bag Review and Giveaway

I am excited to share today's review and giveaway with you. If you aren't familiar, Jo Totes, is a camera bag company that produces gorgeous, functional camera bags for women.

Here is a little bit more about Jo Totes:

 

We have been creating and sending camera bags to women photographers around the world since 2009. Our bags provide a fashionable way for women to safely carry their camera bodies and lenses, along with regular purse items, every day—whether it be to a photo shoot, while traveling, or just while out on a regular day. 

The main compartment of each of our bags is lined with padding (around each side and on the bottom) to protect photography equipment. Movable interior pads are also included to allow for configuration around a variety of camera bodies and lenses.

Jo Totes let me choose which bag I would like (yes, blogging does have some perks) and let me tell you, it was so hard to choose.  Here is the bag I ended up selecting:

I decided to go with the Betsy in Teal. My initial thought was to play it safe with some type of neutral color, but in the end, I decided to go bold. Besides, teal is my business color so I thought it was pretty fitting.

I chose this bag because it was on the larger size. I already have a smaller camera bag that my hubby bought me for Christmas one year from an Etsy seller, but it doesn't hold all of my lenses. The Betsy bag holds all of my lenses, my camera, my ipad, wallet, cell phone and laptop. Pretty good right?

The top of the bag zips up nicely so that nothing will fall out. And all the hardware and materials are top-notch.

The interior of the bag is a light gray silky cotton. It came with three moveable pads that easily velcro where ever you need them. Also there is room for a laptop, but I put my ipad in that spot since it has a pretty large case on it. My camera fits in the empty slot, but I was using it to take these pictures, so that's why it's not in there.

The front pockets are nice and large. There is plenty of room for your phone, keys, business cards, ect.

The back pocket can be used for your ipad or wallet.

The bag comes with two different straps (I put on both of them here to show you the different lengths). One is a longer, adjustable strap so you could wear the bag across your chest and the other strap is a shorter, more purse-like strap.

So guess what?

Jo Totes is giving away a camera bag of your choice (up to $119.00) to one very lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

Want to enter to win?  Here's how:

Please do one or all of the following, leaving a separate comment for each entry:

1. Visit Jo Totes and let us know what bag you would choose if you won. (Click Here).

2. Become a Fan of Jo Totes on Facebook. (Click Here).

3. Follow Jo Totes on Pinterest. (Click Here).

4. Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.

Giveaway will be open until Sunday, September 23, 2012 at midnight (CST).

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