I’m still trying to recover from the onslaught of excess at the American Girl store yesterday. It was the birthday girl’s sole wish to be able to fully experience the American Girl world, complete with a lunch (with her newly acquired doll – a gift from both sets of grandparents), so my mom and I took her and her best friend to the massive store for the day. I may talk about it some more later, but I need to go cut out some coupons or something to alleviate the guilt I’m feeling from such extravagance.
While I frugalize my life, I wanted to pop in with a giveaway. Purging and budgeting go hand in hand, right?
I have for you some cheerful fabric in a verdant/yellowish hue. They’re both quilting cotton with so many options beyond quilting, if you so choose. The bold floral on the bottom is Farmers Market by Sandi Henderson, and the more petite flower motif is basicgrey/origins for Moda. Each piece is about a yard and a half.
I’m also including a wonderfully useful reference book on fabrics: Fabrics A to Z: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Using Fabric for Sewing. This is a beautiful and handy book, and it’s basically brand new. I already have other reference books, so this one turned out to be extraneous.
So. To enter the giveaway, please answer one of the two questions (or both, if you want!):
1. What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received?
2. Do you have a unique quirk that few people know about?
My best birthday gift, hands down, is my sewing machine from 2009. Big surprise, I bet. As for my quirks, I have so many, but the one that comes immediately to mind is that I won’t wear sunglasses. I’ve never been able to — the dark color throws my perception off, and I feel very self-conscious wearing them. A very odd quirk for someone from Los Angeles, I might add. Also, I love to read magazines backwards. I start from the very back and work my way to the table of contents. Maybe it’s because I grew up reading Japanese comic books…anyway, what about you?
The giveaway will be open until next Thursday, August 8th at 5pm. I will announce the winner the next day. And as always, international entries are more than welcome! Good luck!
Great giveaway! My birthday gifts must not have been that fabulous, as I can’t remember a single one! I think I got a puppy once. He ran away a couple years later. 🙁
My husband got me a white featherweight a few years ago for a birthday/valentine’s day gift.
Quirk-I can raise one eyebrow. I think it is genetic as some of my kids and grandkids can also and some cannot.
My favorite birthday present ever was my new sewing machine. I use it every day to make gifts for others, so it makes me feel really good. My semi-private quirks that I have to be very mindful about when I start reading a book, because I have such a hard time putting one down that I usually spend every waking moment (and many moments when I should be sleeping) reading until I finish it. I just can’t help myself. Sometimes it’s safer just not to start a book!
Best pressie – a surprise party! I was in the middle of exams, stressed out of my mind. I came home steeling myself to hit the books but instead got friends and confetti. Best birthday ever!
best birthday pressie was a chocolate making experience – lets just say it went down well.
one of my many quirks would have to be that when driving to someone’s place i always prefer to come back a different route so as not to repeat myself.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity… And can’t wait to read everyone’s responses! Such fun questions- I’m afraid my answer won’t be so fun, I can’t think of any interesting quirks, soi guess I’ll go with the b-day pressie. I’m torn between a very cool red bike I got when I turned 5, and my first DSLR this very June! Fingers crossed…
I do the same thing with reading magazines backwards! 🙂 I don’t know why I do it though. It would be hard to pick a favorite birthday gift, although my mother did give me a sewing machine for my 20-somethingth birthday (which sat unused for at least 7 years until I got brave enough to use it)and now I love sewing.
Gorgeous fabrics!
The best birthday gift I’ve ever received was finding out on my 30th birthday that I was expecting the child I had been praying for for years. My strangest quirk is that while I love a gorgeously wrapped and presented package (so much) I’m not so good with surprised so even if the package is sitting in my lap waiting to be unwrapped I want/need to know what is in it before I unwrap it. This may or may not stem from my families glee at giving embarrassing gift that you open in front of a large crowd.
The best birthday presents are the one my husband makes me. He loves working with wood so I get some really great stuff.
I read magazines backwards too, I blame my left handedness. It makes me do a lot of things backwards.
Best birthday surprise was my sewing machine and my serger both same day! It was n amazing day, best ever thinks to my husband.
I meant ” thanks” to my husband!!!
I got some really nice drop earrings a couple of years ago from my husband. I cant really remember much if my bday presents though!
Quirk: when hanging up clothes on the clothes line I can’t stand if the two pegs are not the same colour for each piece of clothing. Drives me crazy!!
My husband took me swimming with the manatees, which was so amazing. They are such gentle creatures. My quirk is I have a spider phobia (and I mean PHOBIA). Proper term is arachnophobia. Luckily I have it pretty well under control, well that depends on the size of the spider too. I can’t even look at dead ones without having palpitations. I think my three mean brothers chasing me with spiders probably scarred me for life. They finally stopped last week…just kidding.
My favourite birthday gift is from my husband on my last birthday….he bought me Addi Lace Clicks (interchangeable lace knitting needle set)!!! Thank you for the chance!!
My favorite birthday present ever was first suspecting I was pregnant 🙂
Secret quirk? I’m a golfer and have many things I “have” to do to play well – no sleeves on arms, multiple gloves so I can change it out if I hit a bad shot, two hats for the same reason.
Thanks!
What fun! My quirk: I love spoilers. I scan the last few pages of a book to catch character names…. who’s still alive? who’s still together? And I almost always check MoviePoopers.com before I finish a movie. The suspense of not knowing KILLS ME.
The best present I got must be my sewing machine too, I got it last year from my mummy, but this year I got the second best present from my hubby: a sewing course. Can’t wait to start in September!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Great giveaway! My best birthday gift was our dishwasher, the first bday gift from my husband after we moved in together. Quite prosaic, but since both husband&I severely dislike doing dishes (and strangely don’t mind the other chores) this makes our marriage way more cheerful 😉
My favority birthday gift is from my sister who gave me a new Patagonia backpack to use as a new diaper bag. I needed to be “hands free” while taking care of a toddler and a newborn. Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
My favourite present was a little one-person tent my parents gave me when I was about 8 years old. It was one of those old orange and blue ones with heavy poles, lots of rigging ropes and a tarpaulin to put underneath. I felt like I had been given my own world…it was fantastic.
My quirks? I like to read books without cracking the cover. Before my daughter was born all my books looked like they had never been read (my chaotic husband and toddler have changed all that and funnily enough, I don’t mind).
My best birthday gift was a Pastry Chef cookbook my husband bought for me. He saw how many printouts I had, and how I was always scouring for more info on the desserts I made, or wanted to make. Since its arrival in my life a few years ago, I’ve used it countless times to both our benefit.
hmm. can’t remember too many b-day gifts, but the sweet handmade cards from my husband, and the treasures from my littles….
you might try amber colored lenses for sunnies, way better than grey!
I would love to hear your account of your American Girl visit! I haven’t been, although I would have given my eyeteeth to go as a kid. My husband went there before our wedding to buy thank-you gifts to our flower girls and he’s never been the same since. The sales associates had tears of joy in their eyes when he told them his purpose.
(I’m good on the giveaway as I’m trying to do some stashbusting/purging myself!)
The best birthday gift I’ve received would be my piano:) i didnt actually receive it on my birthday but it’s still awesome! ;D
Well my birthday happens to be today, so it would be super cool to win! 🙂 The best present came last night when my husband booked plane tickets for me to visit one of my best friends in California (I’m in Washington) who just had a baby. I’m going there over Labor Day weekend. I’m suspicioning that I’m getting my first serger tonight as well… this might be the best birthday ever!!!! 🙂 Who knew 38 would be so great.
Happy Birthday, Kristi!! What a thoughtful and generous gift (gifts?) – your husband sounds like a sweetheart!
Best bday present would probably be the sewing machine hubs got me for my bday 2 years ago. He’s always really thoughtful!
And I don’t know about quirks….I’m such an open book that everybody just knows me as is. 🙂
One of the presents i remember the most is a polly pocket set my dad gave me when i was 8 or 9 years old. I loved those tiny dolls, so sad they dont do them like that anymore.
My best birthday present was a Spanish flamenco dress my mum made for me when I was seven. They’re easy to buy online now, but back in the late 70s she had to make it herself and cut up an old evening dress of hers to make it! AND I’m a twin! So my mum had to make two! And quirk – well I love to hula hoop, and have even been known to get my hoop out at parties and dance about. If I’m not feeling shy…Lovely giveaway! Pretty fabric!
The best birthday gift was a hand picked starter pack of wool roving and felting needles from my (beyond un-crafty) husband. Actually, the best part of the gift was him picking up on my new (at the time) obsession and venturing into the yarn shop… alone without hints! That is the best birthday gift I’ve received …so far 🙂
The best birthday gift I’ve received was a pair of blundstone boots. Best footwear ever! My personality quirk is that I can’t check how many pages are in a book I’m reading because I then obsess about what fraction of the book I’ve read. Crazy but true!
All time favorite bday gift, my new roller skates I got for my 13th bday!
My quirk, one of my quirks I should say is……I separate my potato chips by size and eat them from smallest to largest. It happens!
I have so many quirks that I honestly can’t even think of them right now! They are just who I am 🙂 My husband thinks I’m weird because I don’t like paper plates. I think food just tastes funny when I eat off of them.
I have a quirk/birthday combination: Every 8 years since my 8th birthday, we’ve returned, as a family, to the same Japanese teppanyaki restaurant for a birthday dinner. We didn’t always live in this city so the first three times it was quite by chance that we went there. Coming up to another visit next year!
The best birthday present I have received? So hard for me.. hmmm. I think it would actually be when I turned 30, my parents watched my son and my husband and I went climbing all day together like the old days and then my whole family went out to dinner. A rare opportunity for us.
A quirk that I have is that I must brush my teeth that exact amount on each side or it doesn’t feel right and irritates me, so I count my brush strokes… Crazy, I know.
My odd quirk is reading the newspapers backwards. I started when I we a kid because I wanted to looking the TV pages first and it stuck. I also can’t wait to figure out book plots so I’ll speed read through a book once so that I can figure out what’s going on, them reread the book at a slower pace. That, or I’ll Wikipedia the book as I’m reading it. Can’t stand suspense! Thanks for the giveaway!
My husband is sooooo good at gifts it’s a tough pick…but my DSLR gets the most use and is much loved and a complete surprise.
I do the same thing with magazines! Also a manga kid, though.
Best b-day pressie was going to a favorite restaurant for (supposedly quiet) dinner with my husband and son, only to be surprised with 3 special friend guests – most notably my childhood best friend who flew across the country just to be there! Sure beats the dish-rack my hubby got me our first year married.
Quirk…I am a sucker for climbing. (Especially after a few drinks!) Trees, buildings, vehicles, anything.
rock climbing lessons- awesome gift
Looks like a great book. As for quirks, well this is not very exciting, but reading novels while blow-drying my hair is something I have done all my life, and is an essential start to my day, since it gives me 10 minutes of quiet time to read for myself in the morning rush.
Ooooohhhh, the fabrics are a DREAM! And I have been eyeing that book for so long!
Best birthday present? Serger AND sewing machine from my mom!
I have plenty of quirks. Like: I always eat my pizza in a circular/spiral way, I never slice it! I also eat the crust of the sandwich first and then the middle part.
Aaanyway, I really hope I win this… 😉 Thank you for the give away!
I’m a shy person so people can be surprised at times by my quirky and penetrating questions. When I was a teenager I worked as a film clerk in the photo department of a big store and one of my co-workers was a pudgy middle aged guy with a strange look in his eyes. It suddenly occurred to me why, and so I asked him if he had a glass eye. There was no embarrassment from him or from me (the answer was yes), but my manager thought it was hilarious that I asked him so casually what nobody else dared to.
My best birthday gift ever was a present I bought for myself the first year I wasn’t poor anymore as a grown up- it was a beautiful antique Chinese cabinet that I still have many years later and even shipped with some other things when I moved to Spain from the midwest a few years ago. It’s now holding all of my 3 year old son’s excess of clothes and toys!
I am so surprised by all the people who also read magazines backwards, as I am also one who does this! I also have the ability to shake my eyeballs back and forth extremely fast, as if they are vibrating. As a kid I would do it while looking at the Christmas lights. My mom flipped out when she saw me doing it. I hadn’t thought about what it looks like from another perspective!
My husband had all of my friends make a scrapbook one year, and that was pretty great.
Hi Sanae, thanks for the nice giveaway 🙂 The fabrics are really cute.
I wonder if this is counted as “quirk”: I collect boxes and jars and all sort of containers, those with nice designs of course. Sometime I buy things just because the containers are nice lol 😀 And so far my collection has grown quite big, my closet is now full of containers.
The best birthday present I’ve ever received is from my boyfriend. It was a trip for two to Thailand. Ahhh it’s such a nice country 🙂
Looking forward to your new post every time!
Its funny, but the best gift i got was my american girl doll. She’ll be 20 years old next year! Im looking forward to passing her down to my daughter.
My birthday last year was pretty awesome, I got an overlocker, and lots of days of being spoilt, dinner out with kids, and my partner and friends.
But this year I got a new sewing machine .. a Janome 4120QDC and I’m totally in love! So I think it’s a combined thisyear/lastyear best birthday! 🙂
It was my birthday when I found out that I was pregnant. Considering that it took about two years to get to that point, I considered it fabulous. My daughter just turned eight 🙂
My favorite birthday gift was when my husband got home from his deployment on my birthday. Something I do is prefer to drive down back roads, neighborhoods, or dirt roads than sit through lights and congested traffic, even if it takes twice as long. (This may or may not drive my husband crazy, but my boys enjoy it) You never know when you might have an unexpected adventure or discover something new…
My best birthday gift? Two pairs of crystally earrings from a crafty vendor at Pike Place Market… My two sons ages 2 and 5 at the time, went with dad to pick them out and they did a great job! I wear them all the time! Thanks for the giveaway!
I hate to be a copy cat but the best birthday present I ever received was a sewing machine for my 21st in 2002. I also never wear sunglasses – they give me headaches!
my best bday present to myself is a course of 4 sewing lessons which i made a shirt dress for my daughter, learnt to measure and drafting.
Hi Sanae,
Thank you for hosting this awesome giveaway! Dana’s one of my favourite bloggers and I’d love to get my hands on that book!
The best birthday gift I’ve received was from my husband when I was pregnant. He got me a beautiful maternity top, and books, some of my favourite things. I get extremely self-conscious when I’m out & about so sometimes I might take the wrong turn/bus stop/door even when I know it’s wrong. At least I don’t avoid blinking or scratching my nose in public places anymore, so I guess I’ll be perfectly normal in 200 years.
Quirk: I have a VERY squishy nose. I’ve never met anyone else who seems to be missing so much hard cartilage right at the end of their nose, but you can squish mine in every which way. When I was a teenager my best friend Craig used to call it my “on” button and he’d squish my nose any time I seemed to be feeling down. 🙂