30 Days of Thankfulness, Days Nine through Thirteen

Oh, don't act all surprised. We all knew that I wouldn't stick with the one post every single day for a month thing. So, let's play catch-up, shall we? I'll keep this short and sweet, and save the rambling posts of gratitude for single blog posts, and also for days when I'm not posting at 1:16 in the morning.

#9: I am thankful for Great Value brand French vanilla cappuccino, which is both cheap and delicious and makes me feel like I'm an actual adult who drinks coffee, when the truth is that I really only like the smell and have to have copious amounts of flavoring before I can stand the stuff.

#10: I am thankful that at least one of my children loves books as much as I do, and I'm still holding out hope for the other one, even though she clearly received her father's video game gene. If I were independently wealthy and into the whole "designer babies" thing, that particular gene would have been the first to go. Also, maybe just one of my children would have gotten their father's dimples. Not that I'm bitter about that or anything.

#11: I am thankful for my smart phone. There, I said it. Look, I was behind the times - I've only had one since March, and no, the novelty has not yet worn off. It's a hateful little thing that randomly locks into desk cradle mode and will barely make a phone call sometimes, but it allows me to text, read on my Kindle, find cheap gas, use all kinds of nifty coupons, and waste all sorts of time playing ridiculously addictive games like Flow Free, which you should absolutely go and download right now if you've never played.

#12: I am thankful for my washing machine, because the notion of beating my laundry against a rock in the stream is just not appealing.

#13: I am thankful for my public library, even though I pay them enough in overdue fines that there should truly be a plaque with my name on it somewhere in the building. I just love being able to walk into a building, wave a card, and walk out with an armload of books without paying a single red cent for them. (Aforementioned child in #10 has gotten hooked on a series and gone into the library and cleared off an entire shelf. One of the proudest days of my life.)

And that will do for tonight. More (and more serious) gratitude coming...eventually.

Giveaway #3: Spunky or Sophisticated - You Choose! Cell Phone Case by Fancy Ferris

Okay, it's no secret that I harbor an active inner child. I strongly suspect that all of my 30-something friends are truly grown-ups and I'm the lone pretender, because I certainly don't feel like 32 most days. (I seem to have a lot of people fooled, though, which is kind of nice.)

Anyway, after drooling over cases adorned with cutesy animals for a while, I figured I should go and look at something a little more...adult. Something more appropriate for those occasions when I want to seem more mature and sophisticated, such as...such as...well, I can't think of any just now. But you know where I'm going with this one.

After much much much browsing, I finally found Fancy Ferris's Etsy shop, and fell in love with the design of her phone cases. A deceptively simple envelope shape...but with elastic on the edges to hold the phone securely, a pocket inside for license/cards/etc, and a detachable wristlet strap. Awesome!! And she has two pages, ya'll, of amazing color and pattern combos to choose from. I went through them at least five times before I finally decided that I liked this spunky little black and pink polka dot number best:

Look, black is sophisticated. No doubt. But a girl needs a little pink, and polka dots never hurt anybody.


This is actually one of the more "muted" combos in the Fancy Ferris shop. I also really really loved this one and this one and this one. And this one. It just really isn't an easy choice.


But all things considered, I'm glad I went with the black and pink dots. Silliness aside, this one is my go-to case for Sunday mornings, not least of all because it matches my Bible cover nicely, and because I can slide in my debit card, clip my keys to it, and not have to haul my whole purse into church with me. It's understated enough for more serious environments, without sacrificing the fun factor...and exceptionally well made to boot.

(All three cases in my giveaways are very well made, in fact. Kudos to all three of the amazing designers!!)


Chyrel - the creator behind Fancy Ferris - is just the sweetest, and reminds me once again why I love doing reviews and giveaways for fellow Etsy folks - I get to meet so many nice people along the way! Be sure to check out her shop, and enter to win one of her beautiful cases for yourself. Good luck picking one, though. Might I suggest eeny-meeny-miney-moe?  :)

Giveaway #2: Little Red Fox Case from Wild to Wear by ritaboth

The second case that caught my eye and made me stop and squeal a little was this precious little bird:

Now tell me, is that not sweet?! I just loved his little birdy shape, that big eye, even the teensy little black beak sticking out in front - can you see it in this picture? I hope so, because it's just too cute.

Truth be told, I had a hard time deciding which case I liked best in the Wild to Wear by ritaboth Etsy shop. Besides the little blue bird, she has a darling brown mole, a sweet polka-dotted whale, and a gorgeous little plaid fox that was a CLOSE contender for my favorite.

And wouldn't you know that the fox is the one she'd offer to give away to one lucky reader. I think maybe she was trying to tempt me, at least a little, when she sent him along with my birdy. But I have not opened the tissue paper he's wrapped in, lest I fall in love and have to keep him too.  ;)

** UPDATE: I'm very sorry for a mistake in my original post. Rita contacted me this morning to let me know that it is not, in fact, the plaid fox that was sent for the giveaway, but the RED fox. See, this is what happens when I have willpower. I mess things up. Anyway, the red fox is adorable - who could resist that little face?

Anyway...back to my lovely little bird! He (I'm assuming he's a he, since he's mostly blue) is made of organic hemp and linen, and is just so much more cuddly and squishy than a mere cell phone case has any right to be. The inner lining is soft, to protect the phone, and there's a handy pocket on the back - just right for headphones, driver's license, debit card, whatever you need to keep close at hand. And did I mention how cute he is? He's more like a friend than a functional object. But I'm kind of weird that way.

Once I learned a little more about Rita, I understood why her creations are so unique. You see, she's an independent filmmaker and animation film maker. She says, "I've always had some creatures in my mind, and I tried to show them to other people. First it started with making plush toys of my own design for the children in my family. Then I wanted to make some creatures that are wearable and useful, like the bags, laptop cases, and phone cases. The first one was the Whale bag, inspired by a drawing by my sister...then came the owls, foxes, and moles, and I'm constantly working on new designs."

Personally, I can't wait to see what comes next. I hope it's an owl. Or a duck. Hint hint.

Want to win the mischievous little fox case for yourself? No? Oh, well, I can't force you to enter. If you don't, I suppose I'll just have to keep him for myself. That would be such a shame.

But here's the widget, just in case.

Giveaway #1: Adorable Felt Cell Phone Case by FeltLLang

Before I dive into giving stuff away, I should back up and post an explanation. Why three giveaways all at once, instead of my usual one? And why three giveaways of such similar items? Well, it's like this.

Back in August, my dear sweet darling husband decided to do a load of laundry for me. It was his own work clothes, so it only seemed fair. A couple of hours later, I asked to see a picture he had snapped with his phone...only he didn't know where his phone was. Not on the table. Or his desk. Or in the living room. It wasn't in his car. And that was when he realized...it had to be in his pants pocket. It sure was, and although it was very clean, it was no longer functional.

So off he went to the Verizon store for a replacement. One of their special offers was a free smart phone - something that neither of us had ever had. Knowing full well that I would use it more than he would, he generously took my old phone and presented me with a shiny new Samsung Gem. Which ultimately turned out to be a ginormous pile of poo, but I didn't know that at the time. I should have gotten my first clue when there was no case made to fit the thing.

Okay, you're with me so far? I have a brand new smart phone with no case or cover of any sort. Time to head for Etsy and see what's out there. There's a lot out there, but three cases in particular jumped out at me for their cuteness and uniqueness. I asked all three sellers if they might be interested in a blog review, never expecting that all three would jump on board - but they did!

Therefore, I have three gorgeous phone cases to show off, and three more to give away to a lucky reader.

Since then, I've sold the horrific smart phone and downgraded back to a nice, normal dumb phone that will actually allow me to make phone calls. And it still fits nicely in all three cases, which I love switching between and showing off.

So, are you ready to see case number one? This was the first one that I received, and it is darling.

This case was made by Yujin Kim, the creative genius behind FeltLLang on Etsy. Yujin recently moved to the U.S. from South Korea. She has always loved the arts (especially drawing), majored in the arts in college, and taught art to elementary school students before her big move. Now she lives with her husband in Cincinnati, where she began crafting in her free time. Her hobby led her to Etsy, where she now has an amazing shop full of adorable felt covers for most electronic devices, plus felt checkbook covers, wallets, keychains, etc.

All FeltLLang items are made of high quality polyester felt from Korea, which is very durable. Most items can be customized for size, color, etc. Yujin loves illustrating her creations with cute Asian influences, and says that she takes pride in each item that she creates for each and every customer.

As you can see above, the case that Yujin sent to me is purple (love!) with the CUTEST little balloon-holding bunny, and beautiful floral accents. Rachael immediately tried to take it away from me, before she even knew what it was. (I'm sure she'd have found something to keep in it if I'd been willing to let go.)  She customized it for me to fit my piece of junk smart phone, but my new phone - which is a bit smaller - still fits very nicely inside. The top strap is wide enough that it keeps anything inside from falling out. The case is so soft inside, so as not to scratch the face of the phone, and padded enough to cushion it in case of a fall too. (I know this because I dropped my phone within an hour after putting it in the case. Not the case's fault; I'm just a klutz that way.)

Go go go, check out the FeltLLang Etsy shop - there is SO much cuteness there!

Yujin has made a case just for one lucky reader...I'm not sure which one it is, so you get to be pleasantly surprised when it arrives! Just check out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on October 16. Winners will be emailed immediately, and announced here too.

Don't forget to check out the other two giveaways as well!