Meet the Artist and Giveaway: Nil from Nakpunar

It has been WAY too long since I hosted a giveaway.

Better late than never, right?

Next up is a lovely item from Nil.

Nil runs 4, going on 5, Etsy shops:

Nakpunar

ILoveYoYo

ILoveYoYoWedding

ILoveYoYoDIYFlowers

NakpunarButtons

Nil has kindly agreed to give one lucky winner
a tutorial and a set of 100 pre-cut fabric circles, everything you need to make your very own appliques!

Buy it here

Buy them here

The very talented featured artist, Nil sent me a pincushion from Nakpunar for review:

Buy one here

I've never seen anything like it!

This is not your run of the mill tomato pincushion, these have got pinache!

Nil send the royal blue pincushion on the bottom left, the color really pops.

I can't wait to put it to use :)

You've just got to run over and check out Nil's stores.

First of all, I don't think I know a single other seller with so many shops. 

I can hardly keep up with 1 store, let alone 5.

Are you trying to make us look bad? Just kidding ;)

It actually made me think about opening a second shop....

If you're looking for a supplier, Nil most likely has what you are looking for.

Nakpunar is all about pincushions, threads and ribbons.

Buy it here

ILoveYoYo has pre-made appliques galore, from silky satins to crocheted flowers.

Buy these here

ILoveYoYoWedding sells a combination of everything with a focus on weddings.

If you are looking for pre-made accessories and gifts, this is the shop for you.

Buy it here

ILoveYoYoDIYFlowers is all about making your own appliques.

This is what originally drew me to Nil in the first place.
I'm dying to try the flower applique tutorial!

Nil has a great variety of pre-cut fabrics and various other supplies.

Buy it here

 Have I put you in the mood to craft?? Thought so!

If you haven't already, head on over and check out the stores:

Nakpunar
ILoveYoYo
ILoveYoYoWedding
ILoveYoYoDIYFlowers
NakpunarButtons
Let Nil know I sent you!

It's Giveaway time!

How to Enter the Giveaway:

1. Follow this blog (Mandatory)

and leave a comment here saying you did.

2. "Heart" any or all of Nil's stores on Etsy (links above)

and leave a separate comment here saying you did.

3. "Heart" an item or 7 from one of Nil's shops (links above)

and leave a separate comment about it.

Nil would also like to offer my readers an exclusive coupon code.

Receive 5% off your entire purchase from any of Nil's shops

using coupon code BLOGFEATUREMARCH at checkout!

Best of Luck!

Make sure to bookmark my giveaways page if you haven't already, 

and READ THE FINE PRINT

Fine print:

Only 3 entries per household please

Giveaway ends March 20th at midnight PST

Winner will be chosen by random.org

Entries will be validated

Winner will be announced here

Winner will have 3 days to contact me, 

after which a new winner will be chosen

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter

Otherwise open to everyone!

Tutorial: Party Favor Seed Packets

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for a friend and I was in charge of the invitations, dessert, a corsage, a game and party favors. Since the new momma had already decorated the baby's room with butterflies and trees I decided to go with a sort of "nature" theme.

Here's what I came up with:

1. Dessert
I "ordered" cupcakes from a friend with little owls, butterflies and flowers.

2. Invitation
I created this flier to hang at church:

3. A Game
I don't know about you, but I've had enough of candy bar diaper games! Thank goodness, my sister had a great idea. She'd been to a wedding shower recently that had a game called "The Brides Purse." Each woman was given a list of items that might be in a brides purse. Points are designated for each item the participant has in their own purse. So I created the same idea, but called it "Momma's Purse." It was really hilarious to watch all the ladies digging through their purses for things like coupons, band aids, and crayons.

4. A "Corsage"
I had looked around at a few stores for the makings of a corsage or button for the new momma to wear, but everything seemed cheesy. I'm not gonna lie, my co-host actually bought one because she didn't think I'd be able to pull it off. It was this huge monstrosity with a stork on it and feathers shooting out from behind. Anyway, this is what I came up with:

5. A Little Extra Project-"Acts of Kindness"
I had another idea while working on these projects. During my internship to become a dietitian I worked for the Women, Infant, Children program (WIC) in Long Beach with a wonderful group of people right after the birth of my second child. I happened to be working there when they celebrated Mother's Day, and boy did they make a huge deal out of it. One thing that really stuck with me was a list they gave me of things you can do for a pregnant woman. It had wonderful ideas, and I've actually hung onto that paper for a long time now hoping it would be put to good use. I decided to create little "tickets" with these random acts of kindness and have each shower guest select one to bestow upon the guest of honor. I didn't snap a picture, but I think you can imagine long skinny strips of paper in a small bucket. The guest just went crazy over this idea.

6. Party Favor - Seed Packets
I've saved the best for last. My favorite project I worked on was making seed packet favors. I've made a template to share with all of you!

Envelope


The top pattern makes an envelope close to the size of an actual seed packet (2.5" x 3.5"), whereas the second is a slightly smaller version (~2"x3"). I used the smaller one for my project.

I printed the pattern on cardstock and cut it out. I then traced it onto double-sided scrapbooking paper and carefully cut each one out. Using a bone folder and ruler I made creasing lines where the envelope would be folded (2 vertical creases and 2 horizontal creases forming a rectangle in the inner corners).

The most challenging part of the project was finding strong enough adhesive since I was using very thick paper. Since my husband works for a sign company I ended up borrowing banner tape. I have bought some tacky glue to try as it is much easier to work with. I also want to experiment with other papers, such as old book pages. You'll likely see these in my etsy shop once perfected. Anyhow, here's how they turned out:

I used a simple tag punch with the scraps using the reverse side of each paper, punched a little hole in the corner and designed a little rectangle to place in the center of each. Tape runner worked fine for this portion of the project. On the back side I used trimmed return address labels to thank the guests for attending.

I used California native wildflowers as they are very easy to grow in Southern California. This tiny little packet only needs about 1/4 tsp of seeds.

The shower turned out to be a HUGE success. It is such a blessing to host for a dear friend. I know I gave her some great items to treasure.

I hope you'll enjoy doing this project yourself! Let me know if you have any questions, or ideas of your own!

-Melanie