Happy Monday to you all! I have two really exciting things to share today so I’ll get right to it. The first announcement has been so hard to keep quiet but I am so thrilled to announce that yours truly will be part of a Halloween/Fall feature in Better Homes & Gardens! Three other bloggers and myself were asked to contribute and take part in an online contest where we’ll each create four designs based around a specific concept. Our first project (sneak peek above) is scheduled to appear in the October issue due on newsstands September 5! Each project will be voted on by online readers and the Better Homes & Garden’s Staff to select an ultimate winner. The blogger that wins the entire contest will then be featured in next years issue along with another Fall themed project.

I have some seriously talented competition and am beyond humbled to be part of this exciting event. I never, in a million years, thought I’d be featured in such an iconic magazine nor be competing with several of my favorite bloggers! The other three are: Nicole Balch of Making It Lovely, Elizabeth Owen of Mabel’s House, and Suzonne Stirling of Urban comfort. I’ve already seen of what they’ve been up to and I can honestly say that the butterflies are starting to flutter. These ladies have got some skillz so it will be a challenge for sure! I’ll be sharing more about each of the projects as I go and shamelessly asking for votes as well. I hope I can live up to the task and maybe win one or two rounds. Keep your fingers crossed for me and stay tuned!

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The next bit of news is about the posts for this week. I will be taking some much needed vacation and have asked my good friend Tara Lee to hold down the fort while I’m away. You probably all remember her ADORABLE circus themed letterpressed baby shower invites from awahile back. Well, she’ll be here starting tomorrow, sharing more of her creative projects and design inspiration for the rest of the week!

Tara is such an inspiration to me creatively and she really is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known. You’ll be in great hands so please join me in welcoming her to Twig & Thistle! Check back tomorrow for Tara’s first post.

Hi gang! Remember those super cool Lost Posters by Ty Mattson that I posted about a few months back? Well lucky for us, the folks over at ABC teamed up with him and are now selling them online at the abc.com store. Right now the smoke monster poster is available and the others are soon to follow. Ty was also fortunate enough to meet up with most of the Lost cast at LOST LIVE: The Final Celebration, here’s a pic of him getting his business card from Daniel Faraday!

Some other exciting news, the lovely ladies at The Bright Side project are in the middle of their month long series of featuring some of their favorite bloggers. I was asked to submit 10 of my favorite things and you can now enter to win a few of them for yourself! One lucky winner will receive a set of 20 personalized letterpress recipe cards from Petite Press, Two prints from artist Alyssa Nassner and a ‘Hello’ wood sign by artist William Dohman!

Is it wrong that I want to enter my own name?! Seriously, the prizes this month have been amazing and the series has been so much fun to follow. I’ve read about so many of my favorites and discovered more blogs to watch! Be sure to stop on over for a chance to win some of the fabulous prizes and say hello to the lovely ladies of The Bright Side Project.

I have an exciting giveaway to announce today! In honor of Mother’s Day, the lovely ladies at TapesWell are generously offering two combo packs of coordinating decorative tapes to be awarded to one very lucky winner; one for the winner and one for their mother (or friend)! How sweet is that?! The combos come in a reusable canister and will make the perfect gift for mom. With so many designs to choose from and loads of “Tacky Ideas” to be inspired by, this is a fantastic prize!

My personal favorites are the Black & White Lace and  the Leaf Medley & Faux Bois Sets. To enter, visit TapeSwell and tell us which of the combo packs is your favorite. Have a favorite memory of mom? We’d love to hear that too!  Giveaway ends this Friday, April 30th at 12pm PST and I’ll announce the winner Monday, May 3rd. Good luck everyone! *CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

I am so excited to announce the winner of the Vintage Pearl giveaway today, but first I’d just like to say thanks to everyone that entered. This was our largest participation to date and I couldn’t be happier. I’d also like to note that each and every response was so incredibly thoughtful and sweet. It’s lovely to read such heart warming stories of personal pieces you each own. As I mentioned, one name was selected at random and another was chosen by me as my favorite. You all made it pretty difficult to select just one but alas I had to narrow it now. So, without further ado, the winners are…

Congratulations ladies, I’ll be in touch with you both soon.

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I’d also like to say a big thank you to all our Twig & Thistle sponsors. They help keep the blog running and allow me to do what I do here. Show them some love and check out what these fine merchants have to offer. …Also, if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor send me a note and I can fill you in on all the details.

Garnish Your place for all things packaging and inspiration.

Hello! Lucky One of my favorite letterpress companies of all time! Plus, don’t miss Euince’s wedding in Martha Stewart Weddings Spring issue and see more behind the scenes photos on the Hello! Lucky blog.

Tape Swell An unending supply of adorable tape. Be sure to check out their three newest patterns in the ad to the left!

The Vintage Pearl Beautiful handmade and customized jewelry

Kitty Caller The best $o.99 you’ll ever spend! Kittens that meow when you dial – adorable!

What better way to welcome a new sponsor to Twig & Thistle than with a giveaway! Erin of The Vintage Pearl is offering up not one but TWO $50 Gift Certificates to her fabulous store. Erin makes the most beautiful sterling silver jewelry and gifts, the ones pictured above are a couple of my favorites.

To enter, leave a comment saying what’s your favorite piece of jewelry that you currently own. I’ll pick one winner at random and the other will be my favorite comment. Giveaway ends Tuesday, March 2nd at 12pm PST and I’ll announce the winner Friday, March 5th. Good luck everyone!

*CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Thanks to everyone that participated!

Hello, hello! My goodness it feels like I’ve been gone for ages! I hope you all had a fabulous holiday and festive New Year celebration. I managed to squeeze in some rest and relaxation with both sides of our families and it was a great long break. In honor of the new year and fresh beginnings I wanted to start things off with a giveaway!

In the midst of all the holiday cheer Twig & Thistle had it’s 1st birthday! I had the best intentions to do some grand event but the day slipped by without much notice. So, I’ve decided to celebrate the blogversary this first week back. I went to one of my favorite paper stores here in Seattle and bought a few things that I would love to own myself and am giving away this little gift to one lucky winner. The set includes a beautiful fabric covered notebook from Elum, a set of 6 letterpress thank you note cards by Hello Lucky and twenty-five polka dot fabric thumbtacks from Girl of All Work.

In order to win, please answer the following question by Friday, January 8th, 2010. **Contest is now closed**

What one thing would you like to accomplish this year?

*The winner will be announced Monday, January 11th, 2010. Best of luck!

I can’t thank you all enough for your generous support and readership over the last year. This has been an incredible learning experience and adventure for me. There is something so special about sharing my love of design, weddings and crafts with an audience that is as equally as interested. Thank you all so much and here’s to another exciting year!

xoxo, Kathleen

I’m completely delighted by the turnout for the Pom Pom Giveaway! A huge round of thanks to Orange Kisses for providing the wonderful prize! And congratulations to Molly for winning, I’ll be in touch shortly! For everyone else make sure to check out their Etsy store for all your pom related needs!

In honor of December 1st and just cause I think the world of all of you, I have another exciting giveaway! The very sweet Pary, of Orange Kisses, would like to give away a set of 5 poms in any color to one lucky winner. I just adore poms and try to use them in every event, you won’t believe how much these beauties can add to a space. Perfect for your next party or even to liven up a drab room, Poms add instant cheer to any environment. I can think of a few upcoming holidays that these would be perfect for as well!

For a chance to win: Visit Orange Kisses Etsy Shop and leave a comment here with a note of how you’d like to decorate with your very own set of poms. Please be sure to include your first name and last initial.

*Giveaway ends Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 12 pm PST and the winner will be announced Tuesday, December 8th, 2009. Cheers and good luck! ** Contest is now closed.

Good morning and happy Monday everyone! As I mentioned Friday, I have a very special and exciting giveaway to announce today. The lovely ladies at Hello!Lucky have recently launched their new custom holiday cards and would like to offer one lucky Twig & Thistle reader 50 custom holiday photo cards with plain coordinating envelopes!!! These beauties are digitally printed on 100% recycled paper and there are over 20 designs to choose from!

These photo cards are not only perfect for sending an ubber chic holiday card but they could also be used as wedding announcements for all you newlyweds. I am beyond jealous of whomever wins this one. You can’t help but be a huge fan of Hello!Lucky. Their work is the perfect mixture of whimsy and sophistication.

To enter and send your own bit of whimsey: check out the Hello!Lucky Holiday Photo Card Collection and leave a comment with your favorite design. Please be sure to include your first name and last initial.

*Giveaway ends Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 12 pm PST and the winner will be announced Friday, December 4th, 2009. Good luck! **Contest is now closed.

Also just a friendly reminder, if you enter the code “GIVECHICKS” at checkout, Hello!Lucky will donate 20 chicks to family in need through Heifer International. Check out their blog post for more details!

Today is my birthday (Woo Hoo!) and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than finding out that I was a finalist in the DIY Wedding Crafts Contest with Etsy and Martha Stewart Weddings. The Sparkler Cards that I entered are one of 19 other finalists and one winner selected. It’s a huge honor to be a part of this fabulous collection and I couldn’t be more thrilled! The winner and finalists are featured in a slideshow on Martha Stewart Weddings. A BIG ol’ Thank You to Etsy and Martha Stewart Weddings for making this one of the most exciting birthday’s ever! You can see the adorable winning Cake Topper here and the rest of the finalists here.

If any of you are curious, I am now selling a downloadable PDF template for the Sparkler Cards along with coordinating Coat Check Tags in my Etsy shop. I’ll be sharing more details soon but feel free to check it out in the mean time. I’m taking the evening off from blogging to spend some computer free time with my husband so I’ll see you all back here Monday. Have a great weekend everyone! xoxo