artists 101: modern nature with eloise renouf

beautiful nature-inspired artworks by the talented eloise renouf!

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bravo nicies! 
thanks for all of your wonderful entries in the beautiful miranda britton jewelry giveaway! so excited to read about the lovely things inspiring each of you from the natural world! love it! in honour - hope you're loving the nature-inspired beauty of some of artist eloise renouf's brilliant works! love 'em!

now onto the congrats... 3 cheers for our lucky winner ... random.org's #694 - amanda davis light (sadly... no relation!)  author of the superfun blog primandpropah! congrats nicey - you've won yourself those gorgeous sterling silver earrings. enjoy!

which artists are you loving these days, nicies?  

check out all of the artists 101 stars so far: 

alex steinweiss 
noriko ambe 
lucky jackson 
taylor holland 
shigeru ban 

jeanette johns

emily barletta

kinnon elliott

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congrats!

congratulations paper banner | by cucuco

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yippee! it's our first congrats post of the year! 

woohoos today go out to our lucky random.org winner of the december *i love my sponsors* giveaway! 

yay to #912 : rachel e. wang! 

you've won a fabulous $25 gift certificate to the rikrak studio sponsor shop of your choice! 

be sure to enter to WIN our current fabulous giveaway: a gorgeous pair of $75 miranda britton sterling silver earrings! you'll love 'em! (on thru sunday!) 

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yay & hurry! hurry!

yay letterpress pennant card | the iron curtain press

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congrats to the winner of the november *i love my sponsors * giveaway:  # 621

wild flower child! 

you've won yourself a $25 shopping spree to the sponsor shop of your choice!

and kiddies:  JUST 1 MORE DAY to enter & win the rikrak studio MEGA giveaway, with prizes valued at over $600! hurry hurry!

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and the winner is...

congratulations awards: a little handmade book by goldencatstudios

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congrats to our latest rikrak studio blog winner ... random.org's lucky #246 ... emily robinson! you've WON the fabulous ReComputing giveaway!

thanks so much to everyone that entered!

and great news ... just incase you didn't win this time... still a chance to WIN the fabulous october *i love my sponsors* $25 gift certificate to the sponsor SHOP OF YOUR CHOICE giveaway, on now!

hope you have a lucky day!


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latvia wins!

:: handmade in latvia ::

1st collage

gayana + Rotdaris + QooQooFashion + LenitaGM + SvetlanaN 

2nd collage

maddadesign +  RAROlv + binkaminka + lazysundaysshop +  earringsfeelings

3rd collage

boutiquedemarmelade + LivaRutmane + filigree creations + marthalindberg + FunTango

4th collage

 earringsfeelings + kenzakenza + EJbutik + ZaiShop + happyment 

5th collage

OlgaJemceva   + TheIDentityKID + BaibaOsite + christinaseller + MallinaDesign

 

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WOOOOHOOOOOO!
blast those vuvuzelas!

latvia has WON the 2012 handmade world cup!
after 4000+ votes, latvia has claimed a momentous victory by beating out last year's winner ITALY in the final match of our round robin tournament!

congratulations to the 36 nations that played and voted!
what an amazing world of handcrafters we have!

hope you'll take a few moments to visit some of the fabulous handmaking etsy shops from latvia

you can use the Etsy *shop local* tool and search for the county:
latvia

or
search for cities and towns in latvia, too!

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and the victory wouldn't be complete without a funfun contest winner... thanks to random.org, the $30 shopping spree to ANY LATVIAN etsy shop goes to.....

(vuvuzela buzz, please....)

#3731

yay! - congrats to efrat of efrat jewelry 
of Israel!

thanks so much to everyone who entered,
and spread the handmaking cheer!

see you next year sweeties!

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custom family portraits

how-to cross stitch family portrait via marthastewart.com

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family is a magical, mysterious thing sometimes, isn't it?

i've been especially inspired this week about how-to depict family artistically thanks to the amazing TIMO handmade. 

don't you just love this martha stewart project with custom DIY family cross-stitch artworks? wow!

how do you capture your family's unique nature creatively?

we'd love to hear!

AND... speaking of family, congrats to the WINNER of the TIMO handmade $40 gift certificate giveaway #105 jo of *the hungry crafter!* {what a gorgeous blog you have, nicey!}  ... now you can buy your own wonderful handmade family!  

PLUS ... still a little bit of time to enter 2 other great giveaways happening here on the rikrak blog: 

ENTER TO WIN :  the handmade world cup ( a $30 gift certificate giveaway to the Etsy shop of your choice!) - voting for this FINAL ROUND closes thursday!

ENTER TO WIN: the june *i love my sponsors* $25 gift certificate giveaway! 

have a great day, nicies!

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congrats

yay to our latest winner, infiniteblubird!

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congrats to our latest rikrak studio blog winner!

it's random.org's #1046 - allison of infiniteblubird!

supercute jewelry, nicey! what a fun shop.

you've won the may *i love my sponsors* giveaway - and a $25 shopping spree to the sponsor shop of YOUR CHOICE!

lots of other fun happening on the blog too!

don't forget to enter to 

WIN the havok designs $35 jewelry gift certificate giveaway 

(ends this friday!)

& 

 

and ROUND A closes friday for the the 2012 WORLD CUP $30 shopping spree, too!

yay handmade!

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where do you live?

 beautiful handmade places to live:
kellylasserre + selflesh

printparty + summersville

the haunted hollow tree + annasee

leahgiberson + broomhill pictures

stephanie levy + albiedesigns

aliette + blueday designs

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during the fabulous little red door giveaway...

i asked: * where do you live & what do you love about it?*

i loved reading folks' responses. here's a sampling...

 mulle wrote: I live on the top floor of a 5 floor builing in the city of Copenhagen, we have the most adorable view from our roof top terrace which I love... Just have a look at my blog, I can't stop fotoshooting it ;-)

katie wrote: i live in a beachy suburb of los angeles. i love that i can see the snowy mountains from my bedroom window, but then i can ride my bike to the beach. nature and adventure sports are all around and i can't imagine living somewhere else.

suki wrote: I live in a cosy little grey-brick house in Cambridge, UK, in a cul-de-sac street, with lovely neighbours and a long, narrow garden (which is my favourite thing about it!)

sylvia-louise wrote: I live in beautiful southern California. Almost all of my living space is dedicated to creating.

highwaycottage wrote: I live in New Zealand and I love it!! So much space and beautiful scenery, some which I can see from my back door. The hills behind the house are just getting their winter snow caps.

maegan morin wrote:  I live in a very very small town in Northern Alberta Canada. The thing that I love most about my little town is how small it is. With a population of about 700 everyone knows everyone and you never have to worry to much :D

despina wrote: I live in Thessaloniki, the 2nd largest city of Greece, with hundreds of years of history. I love the traces of ancient and Byzantine ruins and monuments throughout the city, as well as its lovely port

medoKartonski wrote: Live in Croatia, and the best thing is the sea

lara wrote: I live in Valencia, the third largest city in Spain and beautifully bathed by the Mediterranean. The best?? The weather!! A tad too hot in the summer, but perfect year-round.

themissus wrote: I live in Australia, the land of opportunity and hope. I love how friendly people are and how beautiful our beaches are. Travelling is great but home is where my heart is.  

windy cindy wrote:  I live in the house that our family built. We have been given the gifts of two wonderful
sons, 26 years of marriage, an adorable Daisy
Beagle and lots of family and friends...

heather & nathan wrote: Oklahoma...where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!

homebird wrote:  I live in Cheshire, UK near to a beautiful river where Kingfishers dart past, Swallows swoop by and cheery people on their boats wave as they sail past.

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wonderful! 


.... so without further ado... congrats to random.org's #68... dannie of colour me fun! (love love love your bright & beautiful crayon sets, nicey! WOW!) .. you've WON the amazing little red door $60 custom village giveaway!


and wherever you live, you can ALWAYS enter to WIN the various fun rikrak studio giveaways here on the blog, like this fabulous one on NOW! 

where do you live, nicies?
what do you love about it? 

 

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fun update & the FAN PRIZE winner!

so... to get us up to date nicies: 

--> nominations for the 2012 handmade olympics are now closed.

--> next tuesday, april 17th i will reveal the judges' shortlists in each category, at which time VOTING will begin on your faves! yay! can't wait to see those shortlists! and then we'll dole out over $1700 in prizes! woohoo!

but before we get to that, and all of THOSE amazing prizes, first we need to celebrate all the nominees! so as promised, a fan prize goes out today to one of the entries.

thanks to random.org, entry #164 is our fan prize winner ... moira t. , with her nomination of ToHOLD's charming LIVE plant earrings.  moira, you've won yourself a $50 shopping spree in my own little shop: rikrak! yay! i'm excited to see what you'll choose! so thanks to everyone for playing! 

i just LOVE all of the beautiful handmaking goodness that's been nominated, nicies! and i've found so many new-to-me faves! love that!

fabulous work, nicies! yay handmade!
what are YOU making today?

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lucky....

lucky horseshoe sign by AVelvetLeaf

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did you watch the oscars, nicies? fingers crossed for your fave stars?

how stunning you all looked on the red carpet, cuties!

well we have our own happiness to dole out here today: congrats to the winner of the beautiful vadjutka necklace giveaway - random.org's #177 - Gorgeous Heart {such a beautiful blog - check it out!)

i'm feeling oh-so-fortunate about things of late: including a fabulous fabulous trip we're just back from - more on that tomorrow, cuties!

how about you? feeling lucky?

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goldeny winners!

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:: goldeny goodness ::

gold metallic pixie boots | teastreetvintage

gold bloom pendant | nervous system

vera scarf blouse | halterhotties

triangulation earrings | corrieberry pie

monolith ring pendant | brazenhead

triangles tea towel | leahduncan

crochet cowl | theuniquebird

turban headband | bluebirdsfly boutique

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not quite enough goldeny light in your life today, cuties? 

fear not!

let's join george & friends as we bask in that gorgeous metally goodness from last night's golden globes!

so... congrats to our december *i love my sponsors* giveaway winner! random.org gives us lucky # 90 ... briss of the fabulous DIY ideas blog: briss days! such fabulous and fun tutorials you have, nicey! now you can choose where to spend your fun $25 gift certificate!

i've always had a thing for goldeny tones!

how about you?

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congrats!

congratulations banner by little retreats

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yay!

thanks so much to all of the many many nicies who entered our fun MEGA happy Holidays giveaway here on the blog!

thanks to the amazing sponsors who made the over $600 in handmade goodness prize packs sooooo fabulous!

here are the lucky random.org #s!

winner of prize pack A: 718: modern typography

 

winner of prize pack B: 388: vintage queen GF 

winner of prize pack C: 1092 : la alicia

winner of prize pack D:  1227  : hearting handmade 

winner of prize pack E: 96  : modern buttercup

hope you'll just LOVE your gorgeous prizes!

thanks for playing!

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congrats & gorgeous rugs!

agate rugs by studio bijoux - via between those things

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happy monday & congrats to our latest winner!

random.org has chosen lucky #43 ... athena of the gorgeous design blog *between those things* as the winner of the modern sybarite *mr. color* design book giveaway! be sure to check out athena's great posts with an eye for fabulous finds (loving these agate gem rugs she featured on the weekend!)

still time to enter to win the kanelstrand blog AD space package giveaway! 

see you tomorrow for something superfun!

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congrats!

congratulations letterpess notecard :: by inhauspress

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happy friday, sweeties!

i've got some happy congrats to dole out!

yay to random.org's #215 ... sunni from (editor's note: such a hilarious name!) " love affair with my Brother (and my Janome, and my Bernina and my Singer)"

you've WON the summertime *i love my sponsors* giveaway! now you can choose which lovely sponsor shop you'll be spending your winnings in! yay! love your blog by the way, nicey!

and fear not cuties.

lots of fun things to do on the blog if you didn't win!!

like ...

entering to WIN one of the 4 AMAZING prize packs in my $300 MEGA giveaway!

or

showing us your snazzy handmade film festival outfits! in my latest make-your-own-fun handmade challenge!

have a great weekend, cuties!

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congrats & the appalachian quilt trail

morning nicies!

as you know, i always love *meeting* new folks by reading your lovely comments, and curiously clicking to visit your beautiful handmade shops, blogs and sites! i can honestly say i've found 100s of folks to feature by following those fabulous hyperlink names from your lovely notes here! yay to that!

in keeping with this... i love feature a little something  by (or found by!) the winners of our rikrak studio giveaways!cause hey: i'm proud to say my readers make, dream, think, find the most amazing things!

today's lucky winner is random.org's  #209 ... christy of salvaged fabric . YAY! you've won the june *i love my sponsors* $25 gift certificate giveaway!

when i went to visit the winner's blog, i was delighted to find a most fascinating post about her adventure along the fabulous appalachian quilt trail. 

what fun: it's a 300 mile tour that features over 350 painted wooden *quilt blocks*  - such a great way to see rural tennessee & beyond! {and superfunly - you can choose your route by location or by favourite quilt blocks! it must be a quilters paradise!}

how about you? 

been on any fun tours lately?

{and psssst: one more day to enter to WIN the gorgeous jenny pong studio clutch purse giveaway here. oooh how i wish i could win it!}

thanks for always inspiring me, cuties!

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congrats!

 savoury campfire chai recipe from the beautiful *blessed bee* blog! congrats! 

{and yum!} 

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two fabulous winners to report today, sweeties!

{ i } congrats to the lucky winner of the beautiful valerie tyler designs twig earrings... random.org's #33 the little red door 

{i'm SUCH a fan of the amazing little red door: famous for her fabulous miniature ceramic houses. i know you love 'em too!

{ ii } congrats to the winner of the gorgeous vadjutka textile necklace giveaway - random.org's #31 blessed bee - zoe - gosh - i just love your beautiful blog & shop, sweetie! many congrats!

AND

fear not... 2 other super giveaways you can still enter on the blog this week lovelies.

enter to WIN a beautiful handmade brooch & ring set here.

&

enter to WIN a $25 shopping spree to the sponsor shop of your choice here.

have a lucky day!

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 adorable mini ceramic houses by the fabulous little red door.

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lucky number ...

supercute central park cufflinks by the skinner studio

happy monday!

congrats goes out to lucky #13 ... skinner studio, winner of the *magic hand jewelry* personalized name necklace giveaway! i'm a great fan of the gorgeous skinner studio shop: love love love the sterling map necklaces (& these great cufflinks for father's day! ... hurry!)

congrats, nicey!

thanks to everyone who played.

be sure to tune in tomorrow to see which 2 teams advanced to the handmade world cup FINAL!

& just one day left to enter to WIN the MAY sponsors giveaway (win a $25 gift certificate to the sponsor shop of your choice!)

we're off to a great week!

see you tomorrow!

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this & this & this & that!

 

it's a pot pourri o great things for a lovely long weekend friday, loves!

congrats

thanks to everyone who played! congrats to the random.org winner of the CHILDish custom bowl & plate set ...  #156 melissa at *all sewn up* 

(such a great & fun shop! woohoo! love that handmade playdough!) 

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come read

hope you'll come read my latest Etsy article ... a gorgeous collection of vintage pincushions with the brilliant and lovely lana of simple joys paperie!

3 giveaways!

that's right... right here

be sure to vote to enter the 2011 handmade WORLD CUP here. you can WIN a $30 gift certificate to an Etsy shop OF YOUR CHOICE from the winning nation

(round B closes tonight! hurry!) 

& enter to WIN a gorgeous personalized custom NAME necklace valued at $25!

& enter to WIN a $25 shopping spree to my lovely sponsor's shop of your choice

have a glorious weekend, sweeties!

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pictured below: gorgeous vegan rainbow olive oil dough by today's winner all sewn up!

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congrats!

yay!

happy monday sweeties.

thanks to everyone that entered the *oh my handmade goodness* ad & pr package giveaway! congrats to random.org's lucky #109 ... lesley of *smidgebox* ... woowee do i ever love the smidgebox design studio & blog! be sure to check out her gorgeous textile works and inspiring finds, nicies (and she's a sweetie, too!) 

congrats lovely!

and... fear not ... there's still time to enter to WIN the 

april *i love my sponsors* giveaway

and...

don't forget to add your gorgeous handmade outfits to our

*what are you wearing to the royal wedding* 

challenge!

woowee!

what a fun week it's gonna be.

what are you looking forward to this week? Pin It