100th POST CELEBRATION AND GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO JOINED IN THE FUN!

Welcome to Michele Made Me's 100th Post Celebration! Yippee!!!

Great to have you! Please, please have a seat and nestle in for a bit. As they say in Spanish: "Mi blog es su blog." Now, not only is this my 100th post, it is also (almost) simultaneously my 6-month bloggiversary. I'm really kind of amazed and aghast at how quickly time has flown! Wow!

So while I have your attention, please let me re-introduce myself by telling you some stuff you wouldn't otherwise know. A bullet list of Michele facts (minus the actual bullets; this is strictly a non-violent crafty blog):

• The obligatory photo update: Me and a rock, 2 Oct 2010.
• Born and raised on the outskirts of small town Espanola, Ontario, Canada.
• 4th of 11 children of Roman Catholic French Canadian parents. I have 3 sisters, 7 brothers.
• Bilingual: french and english
• Grew up out in the countryside in a 4-bedroom house which my parents built.
• Father was a millwright.
• Mother worked inside the home.
• Father was a scavenger; he made furniture, toys, and garden structures from junkyard finds.
• Our clothes were often donated to us by relatives in large green garbage bags (the clothes not the relatives). Was like getting a bag of gold.
• Beds were covered in simple quilts made by my mother when she had a rare moment.
• I loved playing in old cars. They made perfect playhouses. In fact, I remember there were usually a couple of them around in various states of disrepair. Most of the time, these buckets of bolts sat frozen in the driveway until my father or older brothers found time to pull them apart and make them "new" again. One day, 3 of my young siblings and I decided to play "Holiday" in the Blue Car, the one working family vehicle. Our driveway was on a distinct incline, so when my brother Robert decided to put the car in neutral, the car naturally rolled down the driveway, across the road and into the woods on the other side. As the car rolled, my brother Robert jumped out of the driver's side, I jumped out on the passenger side, and the other two kids sat tight in back. Needless to say, those two were fine. I'd somersaulted out of the car and managed to escape with only a couple minor scratches. My brother Robert, however, was lying face down in the driveway. When my mother came screaming out of the house, we all rushed to him. Tire tracks travelled from the top of his shoulder, diagonally across and down his back. Despite this, Robert slowly raised his head, got up and started dusting himself off. My mother was beside herself crying, but she nonetheless bundled him into the car, managed to wrangle that Blue car out of the woods, and drove him to the hospital. They came back a few hours later. My brother had made a miraculous escape, the doctor claimed. He had the tire prints etched in his skin proving that he'd been fully run over by the car, but had sustained no other injuries. (Oops. That bullet got away on me didn't it?)

• That kind of "miracle" was common in our family.
• Left home at 18 years of age to get married.
• Blessed with 2 awesome kids (they are 23 and 18 years old)
• Marriage in smithereens after 8 years.
• Survived.
• Found Lo (my amazing man) 3 years later in 1997.
• Moved to Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 2001.
• Gave birth to "the Boy" in 2004. He's 6 (you did the math…).
• In June of this year, left my job of 8 years to take a break and stop the flow of tears that gushed out of me every night when I got home from work.
• Haven't cried since.
• Still figuring work-related things out.
• Otherwise, so happy I could spontaneously combust.
• Love making stuff.
• Make stuff in my lovely basement workroom, which I call "The Dungeon".

(End of Bullet List)

Now, I've created a few things in the last 6 months. Here's a look at a few of my early favorites:

Left to right: Sockrates, Painted Tape Dispenser,Toilet Roll Flower Ornaments, Felt Needle and Hook Book

And some later ones:

Left to right: Teddy Bear Swim Needle and Hook Book, Styrofoam Tray Flowers, Plantain Seed Flower, Crocheted Ripple Throw

And. And I have met YOU. That has been the most heart-warming part of this little crafting adventure of mine, meeting you and having a chance to see what you are up to as well. It's been an honour for me to get to know you a little over these past 6 months. But today, I'd like to share with you in a more tangible way. It's my way of thanking you for accompanying me on this crafty road, for encouraging me with kindness, for being there. With that in mind, I'd like you to join me in my FIRST-EVER GIVEAWAY!

A GIVEAWAY? Yes, a giveaway.

There are 2 packages to be won. Each package includes the following:

• 1 original denim tree pencil case
• 1 package of original handmade wooden buttons: 2 large, 2 medium
• 4 fat quarters of the Afternoon palette of Market Fresh fabric by Hokkoh House (Japanese imports)
• a small surprise

Are you ready?... I am!

So the giveaway is a game. No worries. It's a super-easy one.

HOW TO PLAY THE GIVEAWAY GAME:

Leave a ONE-WORD COMMENT on this post. The word must be the first word that pops into your mind when I say the red word I will tell you in a moment. Yes, it's a free-association word-game!

For example if I say, WHITE, the first word that pops into your mind could be, say, BLACK or SNOW. See what I mean? Your word is your choice by the way, it doesn't have to make sense to me. Just to you.

Furthermore, the 2 winning words in combination will be my inspiration for a crafty post. Yes, I will be creating something based on the two winning words. Hee hee!

Anyone, anywhere can enter. If you are a no-reply commenter please leave your email address so I can reach you with the good news.

The giveaway closes on Sunday, October 10th at 12 pm EST at which point I will randomly choose the two winning words. I will announce the winners sometime Monday (exact time unknown) in the word-inspired crafty post.

Now let's get to it already!

What is the first word that pops into your mind when I say:

ATMOSPHERE ?

Good luck and thank you so much for being there. It means alot to me.

And, of course, have a fantastic day!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO JOINED IN THE FUN!