Anniversary Book Giveaway :: Week Four!

This is the final week of the Anniversary Book Giveaway month, and I have to say that I've saved a really good one for last.

Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule

If you have never visited Amanda's very inspiring and oh so lovely blog, I highly recommend dropping by. This book is full of sweet, heartwarming, comforting and creative ideas for homemaking, many drawn from projects featured on her blog. But don't take my word for it, here's a bit about the book from the publisher:

"For many of us, our home is the center of our life. It is the place where our families meet and mingle, where we share our meals and share our dreams. So much more than just a space to live, our homes offer us a place of comfort, nourishment, and love for us and for our children. 

In Handmade Home, Amanda Blake Soule, author of The Creative Family and the blog SouleMama.com, offers simple sewing and craft projects for the home that reflect the needs, activities, and personalities of today’s families. As Amanda writes in the introduction, “As a crafter, I’m always looking for the next thing I want to make. As a mama, I’m always looking for the next thing we need—to do, to have, to use—as a family. The coming together of these parts is where the heart of Handmade Home lies.” 

Filled with thirty-three projects made by reusing and repurposing materials, all of the items here offer a practical use in the home. From picnic blankets made out of repurposed bed sheets to curtains made out of vintage handkerchiefs, these projects express the sense of making something new out of something old as a way to live a more financially pared-down and simple life; lessen our impact on the earth; connect to the past and preserve a more traditional way of life; and place value on the work of the hands. Also included are projects that children can help with, allowing them to make their own special contribution to the family home. 

More than just a collection of projects for handmade items, this book offers the tools to create a life—and home—full of beauty, integrity, and joy. 

Projects include:
Papa’s Healing Cozy: This hot water bottle cover becomes a simple way to offer comfort to a sick child
Baby Sling: A simple pattern for an object that offers so much to a small child—refuge from the world and a place to lay their head next to a parent’s heart
Beach Blanket To-Go: Repurpose old sheets to create the perfect picnic blanket for special outdoor meals
Cozy Wall Pockets: A creative solution for storing a child’s small treasures."

And here's how you can win it:

• Sometime today before 10 pm leave a comment with a resource, idea, tutorial link, story or some other inspired thing about your own handmade home.
• Tweet (or retweet) about the giveaway—with the all important @magpiepatterns mention so that I know to include you in the drawing.
• Or share something from the Magpie Patterns Facebook page with your FB friends (and then send me a note so I know that you did!). 
• Or become a follower of the blog (and send me a note or something so I know).

And like last time the book drawing is for US and Canadian crafters only, BUT I don't want to diss all the wonderful crafty birds in other parts of the world. SO if you don't happen to live in North America, you can do any of the above to win a pdf pattern of your choosing (shipping books beyond this continent can get pricey), which is also a very happy thing if you ask me.

After all the entries are in I'll randomly choose a winner, once more using Rae's rather successful toddler method (although mine's a preschooler, it has still worked well) and then contact that person by email, twitter, or Facebook (so be sure to include a method of contact) to get shipping digits.


Good luck and happy homemaking!