Archive for the ‘giveaways’ Category

First for the winner of the $25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway courtesy of the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save Challenge….

Oh Kristy,  I had three in diapers once too!  It was a smelly expensive couple of years.  But from my current perspective, it passed way too quickly!  It just doesn’t seem so when you’re in the middle of it.  I’m sure you’ll appreciate having a little extra to spend on diapers…  (I truly wish you could get a little something for your self.  With three in diapers, I’m KNOW you could use it!)

Email your address to me at callimakesdo at gmail dot com and I’ll get your gift card in the mail as soon as possible.

I thought I’d also share a few quick pics of some projects I’m working on.

Sarah Jane of Sarah Jane Studios made my heart go pitter pat when I saw her new embroidery pattern at Quilt Market.  The downloadable PDF pattern is in her Etsy shop now and I couldn’t wait to make it.  Nothing is better than having an embroidery project to work on in the summer while the kids are playing at the splash pad at the park, or for early mornings on the porch swing while the rest of the family is still asleep.  Aside from choosing my colors, the hardest part will be whether to frame it or make a pillow.

I can hardly wait for Sarah’s new lovely fabric line from Michael Miller to show up in stores.

After much begging, I finally got around to make a dance bag for my girls… one down and one to go.

The fabric is from Momo, the pattern is my own design.  I wanted it to be perfect for holding a sweatshirt and dance shoes.  It’s just the right size for my girls…. but after making it, I realized it would also be a great library bag too.

I’ve lined it with fusible fleece and added nylon straps inside the handles for some nice stability.

I used the Slice Fabrique to put Emma’s initial on the bag.

Lily’s bag will be out of this line of sweet Lecien fabrics…

Today I’m sewing a new little sundress pattern that I’ve been working out and thinking about for sometime.  It’ll be fast and easy as long as it all goes according to plan…

I’m so happy to have some great sewing projects again after what seemed like a couple of months of being too busy for much of anything.

As part of the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save Challenge I have a few more tips on dealing with dirty laundry.

When I asked about your biggest summer laundry challenges there was A LOT of discussion about stained and stinky laundry. Here are a few solutions that are working for me:

First, conquering smelly laundry:  I wrote about my husband’s smelly running clothes last summer…  after discovering the power of baking soda to conquer the sweaty stink.  Since then, I’ve refined my process even more.  I’ve found that if I use 1/4 cup baking soda in the pre-wash dispenser and 1/2 cup vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of my front load washer it works wonders for removing the stinky running smell.  I use a HE front loader washing machine, but this process can also be achieved with a top loader by simply adding 1/2 cup baking soda in the wash cycle and waiting to add 1 cup of vinegar when the rinse cycle starts.  To really knock out any lingering smell, hang your clothes outside to dry on a clothesline. Sun and breeze work wonders on smells.  This wash and dry treatment is always enough to tackle even the stinkiest clothes my husband can produce.

Here’s another stinky wash problem some of you might have faced.  Sometimes I forget to take clothes out of the washing machine for a day or two… and the clothes take on an awful mildewy odor.  I used to rerun the whole load… which seemed SO wasteful.  Nowdays, I sprinkle in 1/2 cup baking soda right on top of the load and run a “rinse and spin only” cycle.  This is so much better that running the whole load through a complete cycle again.  Unless the clothes are really stinky, this has been enough to freshen them up.  Plus adding the baking soda to the rinse really softens the clothes up nicely.  The best solution is not to leave clothes in the washer… ah huh…  hopefully someday I’ll be that smart.

Last but not least, since I started using Arm and Hammer plus Oxiclean Power Gel Laundry Detergent over the last month and a half, I’ve experimented with it as a pretreatment on some nasty stains.  I simply rub the gel detergent right on the stain before washing.  This trick has worked great for removing more stubborn stains that might not have come out without pretreating… ie. grass stains on the jean knees and ketchup spilled down the front of a t-shirt.

OK, enough stain talk, are you ready for another giveaway?   Enter for a chance to Win a $25 Visa Gift Card compliments of the Arm and Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.

To enter leave a comment completing the sentence,  “I could use $25 for…. ” Fabric…. or a night out with my husband to the movies or to Five Guys for their outrageously good french fries with some malt vinegar sprinkled on top (not a very healthy craving I have at the moment)… or flowers for my garden… or some new flip flops – well that’s what I might spent it on anyway.

The Rules:

• Contest closes on Thursday, June 23th, 2011 10:00 MDT

• Only one comment per person please.

• Random winner will be announced on Friday, June 24th

Be sure to head over to the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save website and enter for a chance to win $25,000!  How fun would it be to win $25,000?!   Let’s see… how would I spend that?

****** This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc,  the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me  to try different products. Click here for a coupon to Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergents.