a Mr. Color book giveaway with the modern sybarite!

{ all images by michael arnaud.}

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love vivid, tantalizing colour? 

me too!

well it's your lucky day, nicies!

design superstar carleton varney's latest book is brilliant! " Mr. Color: the Greenbrier and other decorating adventures " is filled with BIG BOLD COLOUR. Varney is a legend " for his inventive use of unexpected color combinations and for creating bright, happy interiors." 

love it... that sure is a fabulous thing to be famous for!

"Mr. Color" dances off the coffee-table with over 300 gorgeous photos by the brilliant Michael Arnaud.  and now... a signed copy can be YOURS!!!

the very generous art expert & design guru richard rabel (a.k.a. * the modern sybarite*  - be sure to check out his 3-part guests posts here on the rikrak studio} is giving away a copy of Mr. Color to one lucky reader! fantastic!

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WIN a newly released copy of Carleton Varney's 

 {Architectural Digest's "Dean of Design" } 

 book Mr. Color.  

The copy is signed by the author as presented 

by the Wall Street Journal. List price $95 US.

:: PLEASE NOTE ::  

each entry must be its own comment.

thanks!

1. visit the glorious *the modern sybarite* blog & leave a comment there on your favourite post.

come back here and tell us.

=   1 entry

 

2. in the spirit of Mr.Color, tell us what colour combos you're loving these days.

= 1 entry

 

3. subscribe to the modern sybarite blog  via rss or email.

= 1 entry

 

4. follow BOTH richard {he's @modernsybarite } AND the rikrak shop (that's me! @therikrakshop )  on twitter

... & tell us.

= 1 entry

 

5. tweet on twitter

... about this giveaway and come back here and tell us! be sure to include @therikrakshop so i can find you! 

= 1 entry PER DAY

 

6.  follow or burn the rss feed  to the rikrak studio blog

... & tell us.

you can become a google friend connect *follower* by clicking "follow" on the top left of the blog home page OR subscribe via email or *reader* on the left hand column.

= 1 entry

7. blog about this giveaway

... come back and tell us.

= 1 entry

8. grab one of my rikrak studio buttons
  for YOUR BLOG!

<center><a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiorectangle.jpg" /></a></center>

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and add it to your blog!

{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above onto your blog sidebar! thanks! }

9. :: PLEASE NOTE ::

each entry must be its own comment.

thanks! ::

............................

:: RULES ::

a) it is possible to have numerous entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as its own comment. thanks!
c) using random.org, 1 winner of the modern sybarite giveaway will be chosen on friday, november 11th @ 11pm EST.
d) open to contestants worldwide.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.

 

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20 beautiful DIY sweater repurposing ideas & tutorials

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happy autumn, niceykins!

have some lovely fall sweaters you've accidently shrunk, or maybe some that are too small, too big, or that you fell in love with at the thrift shop?

how about turning them into fabulous new things/

here's a roundup of 20 of my favourite repurposed sweater DIY tutorials and ideas. (& here are some helpful tips on how to sew with knitted fabrics, too!)

1. turn a sweater into fingerless mittens

2. make a felted stuffed animal from an old sweater

3. repurpose a sweater into mary jane slippers

4. stuffed animals from kids' drawings made from old sweaters 

5. repurpose your sweater into a tote bag

6. how to turn your sweater into earrings

7. make a sweater pendant lampshade

8. turn a sweater into a beautiful bag

9. turn an old sweater into mittens

10. tutorial: turning a sweater into a coffee cozy

11. make a child's skirt from an adult sweater

12. repurpose a sweater into a charming rose pillow

13. recycled a sweater into little girl's dress 

14. sweater into child sized pants and shirt

15. or another sweater into a little girl's dress DIY

16. turn sweater into a herringbone pillow

17. make a pet bed from recycled sweaters

18. make these cashmere bunnies from your old sweater

19. how about always chrysti's 100+ ways to reuse your old sweater post! brilliant!

20.or how to  unravel a sweater to recycle yarn

happy repurposing!

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a giveaway & a recipe: with the june bride

mmmm...

'tis the season for sharing!

sharing joy.

sharing gifts.

sharing a batch of homemade cookies.

sharing kindness.

and here to help us out with all of those today is the amazing karen of *the june bride*.

the kindest of souls, i'm a longtime fan of *the june bride's* warmth and community-building in the handmade world. karen is a master textile artist and an encouraging advocate for good things in life. add master baker { look at this  cookie recipe she's sharing with us today!} and gosh... isn't she amazing?

so let's make a batch of these delightfully artisan sugar cookies for family or friends this weekend, AND... read on to see how you can WIN some of *the june bride's* beautiful brooches, too!

{ps: karen's so generous... she's doing a November charity event (which will likely continue into December)... $1 USD from every single item sold in her shop this month will be donated to local charities that benefit families in need (full details and updates are in hershop announcement). If any RIKRAK STUDIO readers write "i heart rikrak" at checkout, she'll donate $3 USD for each item you  buy! so wonderful! so let's do it!}

RECIPE for Sugar Cookies

{ by The June Bride }

This is the sugar cookie recipe of my childhood Christmases, and every time I make them, the aroma takes me back to baking with my mom on a day filled with carols and sugary messes. The cookies were ostensibly for parties and neighbors, but we always looked forward to gobbling up the ones that turned out a little less than perfect. It makes me so happy that now my own little ones look forward to the same things!

Traditional Sugar Cookies 

(we usually quadruple this, at least!)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture. Cover dough and chill for at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets, if necessary. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4” thickness. Cut into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2” apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes (I like these soft, so I only bake them for 6 minutes). Remove cookies from baking sheets to cool on wire racks. Cool completely before icing.

Sometimes I use a simple mix of milk and powdered sugar for an easy icing to top with sprinkles but, for the cookies shown here, I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for royal icing . Ice and decorate if desired. Place on waxed paper until icing is fully set. Enjoy!

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oh YUM!

and so beautifully decorated, nicey!

thanks so much for sharing!

you'll just love the june bride's beautiful shop of creations, too.  it's an oasis of eco-forward style and creativity. beautiful, luxurious handcrafted brooches; wonderful tutorials and more!

and NOW... 3 pins can be yours!

--> ONE lucky rikrak studio reader will WIN <---

  3 reclaimed cashmere flower pins

           :: Large cashmere crimson camellia, 4.75”

           :: Cashmere vanilla cream dahlia, 3.75”

         :: Cashmere moss green aster, 3.25”

 

Value :: $49.50 USD

1. visit the lovely *the june bride* shop

...  tell us about your favourite goodie & why you love it!

=   1 entry

2. heart/fave the lovely *the june bride* shop. 

...  & tell us

=   1 entry

3. become a fan of *the june bride*  on facebook.

...  & tell us.

=   1 entry

4.  follow/ subscribe to the june bride blog.

...  & tell us.

=   1 entry

5. follow BOTH the June Bride { she's @theJuneBride } AND the rikrak shop (that's me! @therikrakshop)  on twitter

... & tell us.

= 1 entry

6.  follow or subscribe to the rikrak studio blog

... & tell us.

= 1 entry

7. share  your favourite thing to cook or bake for the Holidays!

= 1 entry

8. tweet on twitter

... about this giveaway and come back here and tell us! be sure to include @therikrakshop so i can find you! 

= 1 entry

9. blog about this giveaway

... come back and tell us.

= 1 entry

10. grab one of my rikrak studio buttons,
like this one from the left hand sidebar, for YOUR BLOG!

<center><a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiorectangle.jpg" /></a></center>

<center><a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiosquare.jpg" /></a></center>

and add it to your blog!

{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above  onto your blog sidebar! thanks! }

11. :: PLEASE NOTE: 

each entry must be it's own comment.

thanks! ::

..........................................

:: RULES ::

a) it is possible to have a maximum of 11 entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment. thanks!
c) using random.org, 1 winner of the ika bags giveaway will be chosen on saturday november 27th @ 11pm EST.
d) open to contestants worldwide.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.
 

................................................

have a great weekend, nicies!

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