The winner of last weeks advent give-away with postcards and magnets is:

Bjørg Nina at Vilt og Vakkert!

For the final Advent goody give-away, I thought I´d give one of you a bread-bag. I make these in 50% linen/ 50% cotton, the motif is silk-screened on, with text from “On the shores”, and one of the 1004 islands in Bømlo. (Bread not included

Want to win?

Here’s 3 ways to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on any of my posts in the past week, and get an entry.

2. If you leave a comment on this post telling me your wish for the new year, you get 2 entries!

3. Promote my giveaway on your blog and get 3 entries! Feel free to pull this image to use on your blog. And don’t forget to leave me a comment so I know you did.

Mr. Random will tell me who won the Christmas day. 

So. What does the Advent activity calendar have in store for us today?

Learn how to play Silent Night on the piano.

If you don´t have a piano, learn to play it on the guitar. If you don´t have a guitar, learn all the verses by heart and sing it. This way you can really chime in, on Christmas eve.

I know, I know, there are only three candles, not four, but a little artistic freedom is allowed, isn´t it?

And as the days grow ever darker outside, we got lots more light inside yesterday. My workroom is now so much brighter, and I feel young again! I can see, I can see!!!

Yesterday´s assignment in my calendar was to make something with five jewelry rocks the baby sent me. So I made a bracelet. I like the idea of the big, chunky rocks dangeling around my arm. I´m not done with it yet, but this is how I worn it to last nights party.

Christmas is a time of giving, and I really enjoy making the gifts myself. I thought I´d include you guys on my Christmas-gift-list this year, and every advent Sunday, I´ll ask Mr. Random to pick out a name from the past week´s comments who will receive a little something.

I was going to give you some Christmas-cards this week, but they haven´t arrived yet, so I´ll do another little Christmas-ornament. It´s a knitted mini-mitten with a printed heart on it. (And if the Christmas-cards arrive during the week, I´ll throw them in as well)

Want to win?

Here’s 3 ways to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on any of my posts in the past week, and get an entry.

2. If you leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Christmas decorating tip, you get 2 entries!

3. Promote my giveaway on your blog and get 3 entries! Feel free to pull this image to use on your blog. And don’t forget to leave me a comment so I know you did.

Now, for the Advent activity-calender:

Make a wreath of ever-greens for the front door.

This probably means that you have to find your warm clothes and a solid pair of scissors, and go ever-green-hunting on your Sunday-walk.

December is almost here, and it´s time for a new free -bee wallpaper calendar. Just click the picture, and you´ll see a bigger version.

Tomorrow I´ll start the family activity advent-calendar, and you are welcome to join us!

For more ideas, and loads of ideas on how to celebrate December, click on the picture below.

This Sunday, I´d like to give one of you my handmade Christmas ornament. I make a new design every year, and this year it´s a little house, made in paper. It´s light-weight, but solid, so it´s not as fragile as it may seem. About 11 cm high.

Want to win?

Here’s 3 ways to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on any of my posts in the past week, and get an entry.

2. If you leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Christmas memory, you get 2 entries!

3. Promote my giveaway on your blog and get 3 entries! Feel free to pull this image to use on your blog. And don’t forget to leave me a comment so I know you did.

Mr. Random will tell me who won the 2nd Sunday in advent.

Click the picture if you want to win this super-cute Christmas ornament made by my dear Arting-friend Tyler at BablyLuxDesign.

Anyway, now they´re done, and they are super-warm and practical. Not very fancy, but practical. Alpaca yarn makes them yummy-soft, and did I mention warm?!!

And now for something entirely different!

I first saw this AMAZING silk sari yarn in the States when I visited in October. Being a sucker for silk, I immediately ordered some from Frabjous Fibers. Old silk saris are given a new life as they are ripped apart and used as yarn.(The colors are more vibrant live than on the picture here)

I have several plans for what I´m going to use them for. I already started using some of them as ribbon for Christmas-gifts. It looks really lovely.

How about another goody give-away? Click on the picture, and it will take you to Regina and her Creative Kismet give-away. Have a good look around, she´s got some lovely inspiration on her blog!

She´s got no less than two super-cute goody give-aways. A coo-coo clock and three camera-straps.

And while you´re there, make sure to take a look around. Her blog is filled with the most wonderful inspiration!

The nights are growing darker and colder, but there is no reason to feel gloomy. Let´s celebrate! Click on the sign below, and find suggestions on how to celebrate every day.

Thank you so much to three worthy contestants in my little Halloween-goody-give-away. Only one of you can win the earrings, but I thought I´d give you a “virtual” Halloween costume. These are all costumes I´ve designed and sewn for different shows I´ve worked with over the years. (Click on the pictures to see more photos from the shows)

This half-exotic bird with feathers, if not so many sequins and glitter, is for you, Gail. The big tail-feathers are actually mounted on a piece of wood that has to be screwn on to the rest of the costume. The rest of the costume is made of silk-velvet, tie-dyed silk, chiffon with feathers and stretch-jersey. (I didn´t make the mask) If you want a more domestic version, there´s a cute brown hen who can lay an actual, huge egg!

This ones for you, Linda. The ice-queen in Narnia. Loads of crinkled, metallic chiffons, a corset with silver fabric, sequins, glass-beads. White fur, silver knit, white dreadlocks and an icy crown. She was really scary!

And Birgitte, I´m sorry I don´t have Uma Thurman´s Kill Bill yellow track-suit, but here is a bunch of 60´s inspired POP-culture inspired costumes in the Arbiter´s dance-crew in Chess. A mix of shiny stretch-jersey, plastics white and see-through (a nightmare for the sewing-machine) silk shirts and mother-of-pearl-shimmering fabrics. A real feel-good scene.

So, now for the winner. Mr. Random says….

Birgitte!

Birgitte has a wonderful web-site, with loads of inspiration. She makes the most amazing knits, a fashion-design. And she´s a very valued costume-seamstress too, I´ll tell you! she´s helped me in more than one production, Amanda is the latest one. A true multi-talent!

So I thought, maybe I´d help you get a head-start on that drama-queen witchy goth Halloween costume with these black earrings. The metal is painted matte black, and the beads are black glass. If you want them, just leave a little comment on this post, telling me if and how you´ll celebrate Halloween, and what your dream-costume would be!

Halloween is a fairly new tradition in Norway, but costume-designer as I am, I love any excuse to dress up!

If you want an extra ticket in the raffle, promote my giveaway on your blog, and voilá! you get 2 entries! Feel free to pull this image to use on your blog. And don’t forget to leave me a comment so I know you did.

I will draw the winner the 28th of October with Random.