Can you believe we’ve finished 6 weeks of giveaways? Alas, this is the last week though. So, if you don’t see your name pop up here as a winner, make sure you enter the last 3 giveaways this week. You still have a chance!

I really appreciate the work of Ru K’ux Na’oj, though I have to check the spelling every.single.time. I write it out. The winner of the handwoven table runner sold to benefit the local library there in Guatemala is Trista Z. Congrats, Trista!

Glad to know I’m not the only one needing to learn a thing or two about photography. Desi will be learning those things along with me as she downloads the photography e-book from Angela Braniff Photography for free. Everybody else, it’s only $15 and super helpful. Head over and download it and help this family bring their little one home.

Perhaps I’m into High Strung Designs because I’m high strung myself (feel free to disagree with that). Regardless, I’m not the only one who likes what they do from the looks of how many entered to win the recycled guitar string bangle bracelet. But, only one of you wins it. Congrats to Bee W Bedard on her win!

Gneiss Spice. So, yummy. And, all those little jars and colors strike me as a work of art. The mysterious hofken will be receiving the gourmet salts in the mail. Everybody else, these make really neat gifts as you know. Mother-in-laws will love these.

Olive Handmade. I do. Olive handmade. And, so do you. A record number of entries for the adorable pillow. And, I’m tempted to give a false name of a winner and have Fallon send me the pillow instead! But, alas, that’s not really in keeping with the whole purposeful giveaways thing. So, Kate Wilson, who said she wants this for her nursery…it’s yours! Feel free to still take a minute to pop over to Kassidy’s Facebook page and offer her some love and encouragement as she presses on in her fight against brain cancer.

Everybody who won–if we don’t hear from you by Friday, we’ll pick another winner because we want these all squared away before Christmas, okay?

Canada is a long ways away from Phili. Wish it weren’t though because I’d love to get to know this couple.

Married at 19 and now, 5 years later, a full family of 5 with a 4 year old daughter and 1 year old boy-girl twins. Martin and Jeannie and their little ones live in an 800-square-foot house built a century ago in Iron Springs, Alberta, Canada.

Nearly 3 years ago, they learned to knit together. It’s their “thing.” They sit, relax together, and knit. And, it’s one of those things they can put down and easily pick up again when little ones need some attention. They carefully and painstakingly unravel old knit sweaters back into balls of yarn and reknit them into hats, scarves, mitts, and more–resurrecting them into new creations.

It dawned on them as they were creating all sorts of beautiful things that they could make money doing this. But, they decided not to.


Martin asked me:

Can you imagine the global impact it would make if everyone found a realistic way of donating their spare time, even if it were only ten minutes a day? If we just worked hard with our hands and started creating valuable things and giving to those in need?

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Martin and Jeannie give every penny made from their Etsy store Resurrection Knits (they are personally covering the cost of supplies) to the International Justice Mission, a fearless organization committed to ending modern day slavery and oppression of vulnerable people around the world.

Their goal? To sell out. Every last item. Sold.

Come on, folks. We can help them do that. Every penny goes to International Justice Mission. And, you get an incredible handmade item that I can personally testify to is really a treasure (though I rarely get to wear it myself since I am finding some little people in my home keep stealing it)

And, in an effort to get people over to their site and rally them around the cause, they are offering one of these adorable headband, ear warmer, scarfette in ivory to one very blessed winner (and any little ones who might want to steal it from that very blessed winner).