2nd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway

The 2nd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway is off and running. I will be offering a book to giveaway to some lucky person. This is more for those that need help in the creativity area or someone looking to improve their creative skills. Most bloggers will be giving away their own works of art or crafts this will be great for someone striving to be more like us. Those creative guroos that have endless ideas, but no time to get anything done. Make sure you check out my review and giveaway of Child of Wonder: Nurturing Creative & Naturally Curious Children.

BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Child of Wonder: Nurturing Creative and Naturally Curious Children (Wonder Collection) by Ginger Carlson

Child of Wonder: Nurturing Creative and Naturally Curious Children
Author: Ginger Carlson
Publisher: Common Ground Press; First edition (April 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0979702704
ISBN-13: 978-0979702709



Have a seat, put your feet up, and get ready for a motivating creative activities you can do with your children or students. This is a wonderful book to help parents and educators better understand and stimulate their creativity. She begins by defining creativity and nurturing then goes on to describe how you can encourage a child’s creativity by giving you step-by-step instructions and recipes for creative activities. Even if you think your child is creatively challenged she will explain in detail how to spark that creativity that you feel is non-existent. The most helpful part of this book for me was how she went into detail about how to set up and organize your creative environment. Carlson briefly describes Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and has provided checklists developed by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., to consider your child’s natural intelligences when setting up your home environment. As an artist I have more supplies than is imaginable and it can be extremely disorganized. Not to mention my husband is a musician and both of us are athletic. As you can imagine my child is probably overwhelmed by supplies and tools to be creative. The first part of this book had me so intrigued that I could not put it down. As an educator, artist, and parent I was overjoyed to find a resource that had endless resources for me to refer to. There are often times that I question how I could be encouraging those around me in a different way and this is exactly what I was searching for. This is a book that every parent and educator with a creative child should read and enjoy.

About the Author :

Ginger Carlson, M.A., Ed. has nearly twenty years experience working with families of young children. She has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Oregon, and taught in public and private schools in the United States as well as in International and Embassy schools abroad.

http://www.gingercarlson.com/Welcome.html



GIVEAWAY:
Courtesy of the publisher, and The Opinionated Parent I have one copy of this book to giveaway. If you would like to win a copy, just leave me a comment. Please no I want to win stuff, but instead comment about my portfolio or give helpful advice on how to get discovered. You MUST have a U.S. address to be eligible for this contest. Be sure to leave me an email to contact you if you win... make it easy on me.
Anonymous comments without an email will be deleted.
OPTIONAL: I would love for you to write your own post, inviting your friends to check out this site. Spread the word because everyone can benefit from this giveaway! Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this contest let me know and you will be entered for this contest twice.
Deadline to enter is June 1st at 11:59 PM EST.
Winners will be notified via email as will be announced here on my blog. Winners have 72 hours to reply or will forfeit their prize to an alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

Blog Party at MommyFest

Hey, my name is Shay and I'm a visual artist and art teacher. Naturally, I wish I could make my living off my art, but instead I teach art for a living in a public school. Please feel free to check out my portfolio and get my home buisness started. Most of my models consist of my daughter. She's the sole inspiration for my recent work which is all that I'm showing in my portfolio. I'd let ya see all my old stuff, but I wouldn't want to get commissioned to do that style of art. I'm hoping to stay busy in my studio this summer my daughter is finally old enough to enjoy getting messy with me she'll be three in July.

What I Know NOW about motherhood

What I Know NOW about motherhood is that POTTY TRAINING IS FOR THE BIRDS!! My daughter is almost three and I feel as though we have been working on this for nearly a year. Finally we are getting somewhere with potty training. She wore panties for the first time to the bank, K-Mart, library,etc.... UGH!!! Hopefully before school is out for the summer she will be potty trained. Visit Notes from my Nest for their Mother's Day Bash!!!

P*A*R*T*Y

Come party with Three P's in a Pod and try and win some great prizes!!! I'm all for some free stuff. Visit their site http://threepsinapod.blogspot.com/2008/05/party.html

For the past nine years I have been involved in art camps during my summer vacations. This is the first time in my adult life that I am taking the summer off. Including all my years of college I had to work during the summer or take classes. However, I will be taking two courses because I don't want to overload myself during the school year. The bright side of it is that both the courses are free and one I even get a $100 stipend. If I were teaching it would be for three weeks instead of two. Two weeks to complete two courses!!! Sounds great instead of a semester long course.

On a personal note which is also professional I plan to update my portfolio so I can exhibit my work. I'm ashamed to tell anyone that it's been eight years since I have shown any of my work publicly. Since I have been married, started a career, and had a baby I have no time for my art. Now that my daughter can join me in my studio we will be spending our mornings creating.

If selected as one of the winners I'd like:
1) A FREE Blog Makeover by Shauna
2) Chesapeake Ribbons: A Meggan Gift Set and a $15 GC
3) Be Jeweled Designs: A Photographer's Tutu in Bubbble Gum Pink
4) UglyFish Organic Clothing: Musik Skirt in Dutch blue

Mother's Day Event Giveaway!

Calling all mother's make sure you stop by Hip Mama's Place to select three gifts from their two gift baskets for a chance to pamper yourself this Mother's Day www.hipmamasplace.com 10 lucky mom's will be selected bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome to enter.

If chosen as one of your winners I would like the following gifts:
1) Frankincense Toning Body Cream by Neal's Yard Remedies
2) Amy Butler design Purse from LooseCabooseDesigns
3) Chloe Retro Blue Cherry Apron from Boojiboo