28 July 2009

Giveaways and more giveaways!

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Some cool giveaways....

My friend Heather Powers of Humblebeads just came back from a month of vacation at the beach all fired up to whip her studio into shape. I enjoy seeing glimpses into the studios of artists so this was particularly fun. But Heather is having a giveaway of some earrings. But hurry! The giveaway is only for today! Go here to read all about it.

And another bloggy friend, the great and talented glass bead artist Cindy Gimbrone is also having a fun giveaway. Check it out here.

And those fine folks at Interweave are holding an earring swap in honor of the new book 101 Wire Earrings by Denise Peck. Heather Powers likes the book so much that she has been crazy inspired to make all sorts of earring designs. I have to get a copy of this book. But participating in a swap with a couple thousand of my closest bead-y and blogg-y friends is too fun to resist. You can read the rules here. So...not a giveaway per se, but a swap to receive a randomly fabulous pair of earrings. How cool is that?
But the mother of all giveaway is happening on my friend Lorelei's blog. She is a fantastic artist and someone I admire deeply. She is teaming up with the great people at Green Girl Studios to promote Cynthia Thornberg's upcoming book Enchanted Adornments. She will be giving away a whopping 8 prize packages between now and November 2nd! WOW! Count me in! If you want to get in, too, check it out here.
And not to be outdone, I have a July giveaway of my own.

My friend Tom Girolamo just published his first book, Your Eco-Friendly Yard. Tom is a passionate and fun-loving person who really takes his mission to produce lifestyle-centric landscapes to heart. His book is fun and informative and has more than a few tips that even me with my black thumb and aversion to getting my hands dirty could do. You can read about the book at Amazon here.


And here is my review:
"Eco-friendly.

It means different things to different people.

Everything from cars to washing detergent to anything in between is being touted these days as Eco-Friendly.

What I think of as Eco-Friendly is a friend of the earth....someone who practices what he preaches....who cares for this place called Earth and shows that in every aspect of his living...who believes wholeheartedly in the truth that we are one people on one planet and we all must do what we can to make ourselves more sustainable while protecting and conserving our natural resources. That person is Tom Girolamo.

I have heard Tom Girolamo speak on numerous occasions. Tom is a perfect blend of entertaining enlightenment. There is one thing that defines who he is: Passion.

Tom is passionate about creating landscapes that suit your lifestyle and are therefore sustainable. There is nothing he likes better than to design a beautiful outdoor space that is inviting and Earth-friendly, or take your existing landscape and re-work it to make it fit your present and future lifestyle.

Tom shows his passion for sustainability throughout his book. And he is not into cookie-cutter landscape plans but really wants to tailor a space to be perfect for you.

Tom is a passionate educator. He has a great sense of humor and a warmth that always shines through in his presentations, and this book is no different. Since I have met Tom personally and heard him give educational talks on this very subject, I really enjoyed how his personality shines through in this book. It doesn't read like a textbook, but rather like having a conversation with a trusted friend who happens to know an awful lot of practical advice about landscapes and outdoor spaces.

Tom is a passionate about having fun. I love his ideas on things that are not what I would typically think of when planning a landscape...like the pleasures of outdoor shower rooms and a wood fired brick oven for entertaining. He really takes the time to get to know who his clients are to ensure that their landscape is not just pretty green space that is viewed through their windows, but rather an extension of their living spaces, integrated perfectly into their lives.

If you are looking for a fun, informative and passionate guide to help you create a personalized ecosystem for your green space, then Your Eco-friendly Yard: Sustainable Ideas to Save You Time, Money and the Earth is a great book for you or as a gift for anyone who loves the Earth."

If you would like to win a copy of the book (and a suitably earthy piece of surprise jewelry from me!), please leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

If you could have a yard makeover, what is the one thing that you would like to have to ensure that your greenscape fit your lifestyle?

I will choose a random winner of my July Giveaway for a copy of Tom Girolamo's book Your Eco-Friendly Yard on Saturday, August 1st.

Check It Out::Landscapes 4 Life
Enjoy the day!

15 comments:

Stacey said...

Great list of fun goings on! :) I checked out the August bead trends while in Barnes and Noble yesterday (I was impatient cause I haven't received mine yet :) )and saw your beautiful sweet pea! Beautiful work as always Erin! hope you and yours are having a wonderful summer!

Valerie said...

Hi Erin! What a pretty blog, and so informative with your friend's book. In answer to your question, I would plant a big garden in my yard to make it better fit a sustainable yard. Then, I guess I'd need to hire a part time garden tender, because, golly gosh, I'm so dang busy crafting that the gardening would all go to seed!

Cindy said...

Thanks for all of the info, Erin! I am participating in Heather's and Lorelei's give aways so I have my fingers crossed. This looks like a very interesting and timely book. We are building a new home and we are no where near the landscape design yet, so reading this book would be so helpful. We actually have the opportunity to start from the ground up! :-) For now, I'm envisioning lots of wildflowers and perennials as I'm not a gardener. However, I would love to learn more about how to make it an eco friendly plan. Looking forward to seeing your nature-inspired piece of jewelry!

stregata said...

If my garden was being done over, it would need to still have some untamed corners - for the insects and wild animals. For example, I have hedgehogs in my garden and they need a place to live...

stregata said...

Erin, I did want to say that I would love to take you flea marketing with me - if that Atlantic Ocean just wasn't soooo big... I'm sure we would have so much fun...

Mellisa said...

My "garden" is patio bound so I'm quite limited in the makeover category. The changes I'd love to see would be elevated stands for all my plants to keep the ants at bay and a few more plants that draw the hummingbirds (I'm lucky to have them visit several times a day already but would love for them to have even more choices!). If I were to be the lucky winner my mom would get the book, she's an avid gardener and has a huge space to plant.

Silver Parrot said...

Okay, I'm sure it's not eco-friendly, but the one thing I want is to have the whole thing paved over with a nice patio and a patio cover. The only plants would be a few large pots. Not only do I have a certified "black thumb" and kill grass and plants just by looking at them, but I just don't the time to take care of a yard. A nice patio to hang out on and bead would be awesome, though!

rosebud101 said...

I think I'd like to have a compost maker for my garden. That would be great, but I refuse to touch any worms that might come with it!

sharon said...

Hi Erin!! You always come up with the most unique questions and giveaways, your very conscientious!

I have some beautiful flowers, and a veggie garden that does so so, but would really like a nice herb garden, and more knowledge of natural ways to take care of bad bugs! I am interested in organic that is affordable!!

Thanks again for the opportunity Erin...you are a sweetheart!

peacockfairy said...

Sounds like a great book! If I could redo some things in my garden, it would be to get some more strong perennials from my Dad that do not need regular watering (as to not waste water). We already have several from him, and they are so great! Also, I'd love to start a vegetable and herb garden.

Heather Powers said...

thanks for visiting me during my Studio Tour Erin!

Well, living in Texas I'd love a water-saver friendly yard, which is something we are planning to create this fall. (when it gets a little cooler.) I think we'll be big on the rock/zen gardens to help conserve water. oh how I would love some magical little fairies to come and do all that work for me!

Beverley Baird said...

What a great listof giveaways and info.
We inherited gardens which we have added to a bit but I would love to expand our vegetable continer garden and learn how to expand perennials and create and use an herb garden.

justthecook said...

i just stumbled on your blog this morning... thank you so much for words and images of inspiration...and a peek at your friends new book:-)
i live in the mountains of NC, and my home is in a wooded area...i would like to make more of our outdoors another room of our home...
i look forward to reading his book!

thank you again.

Unknown said...

Dang - I missed the boat totally! Hope the winner enjoys their spoils. :)

Tom Girolamo said...

Hi Erin,

What a great give-away! The comments you received about what people would most like in their landscape showed how sustainable people really are. Yes, even the patio for Silver Parrot is a very sustainable option. Because it will truly benefit her lifestyle and personality; it will be sustainable. Keep up the good work!

Your Friend,

Tom Girolamo
Author of Your Eco-Friendly Yard
landscapes4life.com

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