[joi-in-the-tardis]

Dragon Giveaway 2018

It might seem silly or strange to do a give away of things I bought while going home to see my family in the midst of tragedy…

But, hosting giveaways on my blog makes me happy and I kind of what to gather up all the happy I can right now and bottle it.

For those of you who might not have followed me so closely on my journey:

I found this basket of sad-eyed dragons at the Bob Evans in Westover, WV.

At the time there were three blue dragons in the store.  I got one, @anafiassa (who was along for the ride) got the second one.  The other, we left behind.  But, I thought about that third dragon the whole time I was in MD.  

The dragons we did get went everywhere with us.  To the hospital to visit my dad for the last time.  The mass and funeral and reception after.  They were there with us watching documentaries, tea, and random excursions when it all became too much.  It was a fun dragon narrative to dive in to when everything got too hard.

And, that was something I wanted to share:  Life is really, really wicked hard sometimes.  It can suck beyond the telling of it.  But… There’s also whimsy. There are fuzzy, shiny, colorful things that catch the eye.  There are dragons that aren’t trying to destroy you.

So, I want to send a dragon to someone. The one I’m sending did not come from the Bob Evans.  When we returned a week later, on the way home to Cincinnati, that dragon had sold.  I went on Amazon and found another.

Pictured above are our dragons, Gerald and (Midnight) Blue.  Your dragon is currently sealed in plastic.  I live in a small apartment with a cat and I know some people are allergic.

As a secondary prize, we also found these frankly adorable Harry Potter stickers in a little shop in MD:

Each came with 3 sheets and anafiassa suggested that since we both only really needed one sheet of each maybe you guys would like the third.  She’s a thoughtful sweetheart like that.

So, that’s the giveaway: (1) prize is the dragon just like Gerald and Blue and (1) prize is the set of three Harry Potter sticker sheets.

What do you need to do? Just like this post.  Yep, that’s it.  Feel free to share it, too, so other people can have a shot at a pocket-size dragon.  (or not, if you don’t want the competition lol)

On Friday, January 26th all names go in a cup and I’ll pull two out.  First name gets their choice of dragon or stickers.  Second name gets the leftover prize.

ETA: I have no problems shipping internationally!

[joi-in-the-tardis]

AwesomeCon Art Haul Giveaway

Coming back to reality land after vacation was a… rough landing.  So, I apologize that I teased an art giveaway as soon as I got home and then waited nearly a month to actually do it.  Sorry!

Still, I’m here to do it now.

This one is going to be super simple:  Just like this post.  You can share it, too, if you’re so inclined (I would like that- help spread the word) but no obligation.  I won’t even be checking if you’re following me.  That was a pain in the butt last time. So, everyone gets a fair shot: one entry per person.

As with last time, I’ll draw three names.  First name gets first choice of the three prints.  Second name gets second choice.  And, the third will receive the remaining print.  

With my work schedule being the chaos that it is, I can’t promise that I’ll get the prints in the mail straight away, but I will let you know as soon as I’ve shipped them.

As a reminder, these are the prints that I’ll be giving away:

Artist: Bianca Roman-Stumpff  (she’s also on instagram- artofbianca- where she posts her new projects and also paints live!)

Artist: Robert Jenkins

Artist: Barry Sachs

Giveaway will carry on from the time of this post until July 13th.

[anafiassa]

Woo! Awesome art in an awesome giveaway by an awesome person! :)

[anafiassa]

JEM’s Art Party Challenge - May 2017

@jem-scribbles​ - All right! So, I’m going to try this whole posting-to-tumblr thing again. Woo!

As you can probably guess, this is the necklace and earring set that I made for this month’s Art Party. I was actually so inspired to make it, I finished it a day after seeing the prompts. Which leads me to...

The prompts I used:

The object - The shape of flames is what originally drew me to the pendant... My first thought was to use a sunburst pendant in orange (or yellow), but I could only find one in blue. That ended up being fortuitous, though, because that made me expand into the next prompt. 

The phrase - “Whether the weather” is made me decide to go ahead and use the blue pendant. To make it fit, I went with the juxtaposition of bright yellow (sunshine) and cloudy blue (rain) for the main colors--and the pendant works, since it’s a combination of both. So, whether the weather is sunny or cloudy, this necklace matches it. (I tried to find a yellow raindrop-style bead to hang from the chain extender, to even further the meaning, but alas I could not!) 

The color swatch - I added the orange as a nod to the orange in the color swatch. Besides, orange is complementary to blue (on the color wheel, that is), and just seemed like a natural addition. It helps soften the shift from blue to yellow. 

If I made this set at the beginning of the month, why am I just now sharing it? That’s mostly because I had planned a second necklace, focused more on the campfire-feel of the object. Sadly, the pendant that I want to use for that hasn’t arrived yet--and I figured I’d go ahead and post this now, so I’m not any later. Hopefully if the pendant shows up anytime soon (and if I get time to make what I have planned), I’ll go ahead and share pictures of that one piece, too.

Thanks again for the chance to play along! I’ve really been enjoying these prompts!! :D

P.S. Oh, that’s right... I get bonuses! Go Getter (for using more than one prompt) and Crafter’s Bonus (my natural inclination to make matching earrings worked out for me!).

P.P.S. Like last month, I plan to blog about it on my other blog (found here), with a bit more of a technical jewelry-making write-up. I figured I’d spare you the details of what thickness waxed linen I used to knot it. ;)

[joi-in-the-tardis]

As some of you know, I experienced a rather dark time this past winter.  Really, looking back, it started way before that.  But, I didn’t hit rock bottom and seek assistance until winter was nearly over.  At that point I felt that I had nothing else to give because my anxiety and depression had stolen all of my energy.

Seeking help from my psychiatrist was the best move I could have made (really, I should have done it sooner) and I’m feeling so, so much better.  I’m practically my old self again. I haven’t had a panic attack since mid-February. I’m enjoying my crafts, friends, and job.  I’m living my life instead of surviving it.

So, that leads to my giveaway…  I want to spread just a bit of my joy.  And, also, bring a little bit to those who helped me most in my darkest hours. Some knowingly, some not.  When I needed someone, they were there, even if they weren’t feeling up to snuff themselves.

Prizes (4 possible, all told):

1 copy of the book You Are Here by Jenny Lawson*

1 TARDIS blue wrap bracelet with TARDIS charm with matching earrings, hand-crafted and donated by Jenny Kyrlach of Wonder and Whimsy (@anafiassa)

1 8 x 10 photographic print of a painting of your choice donated by @jem-scribbles from her Redbubble

Disclaimer: Photo shown is from my collection and is actually 16x16, so yours will be a bit smaller than that.

The minimum of what you can do (1 entry) to get a chance at any of these prizes:

Follow my Tumblr blog (I will be checking).

Like this post.

Reblog the post one time (You are welcome to share it as many times as you like, but it will only count once in combination with the follow and the like).

But you can get extra entries for doing the following:

1 additional entry for visiting each artist’s blog/store and snapping a screen cap so I know you were there.  That’s one entry per artist, not per cap.  I will respond to your message to let you know I have received and made note of your cap.  If I have not responded within 48 hours, send it again (preparing for Tumblr gremlins).

Jem-Scribbles Store and Commission Page Wonder and Whimsy Store and Blog

Finally, to make things interesting (for you and me), I’ll be making a video of myself at the end of the promo/giveaway.  You’re welcome to send me questions, requests, what-have-you.  You want to hear an American accent? Well, how about one who grew up in Maryland but has spent the last 8 years in Ohio? Have a certain word you want to hear?  Want to ask me to quack like a duck?  Have a burning question you’ve always wanted answered?  If you can’t think of anything feel free to look up one of those Ask Meme things and pick one at random.  Ask me as many things as you like, but it will still earn you (1) entry. I do reserve the right to choose what I do and do not respond to, but even if I don’t choose yours you can earn an extra entry for your request. Please keep it clean. This is more about me putting myself out there in a fun way than anything else.  I know I’ve enjoyed seeing and hearing the bloggers behind the art, words, memes, and gif sets and I would like to give a bit of myself back to my followers.

So, to sum up: You can earn up to (4) entries in the contest to win the offered prizes.  Combination of follow, like, reblog will get you (1) entry.  Visiting each of the artists who graciously donated their art to my promo/giveaway will earn you (1) entry per artist.  Sending me a silly/heartfelt/interesting request for my video will earn you (1) entry.

Contest will run until 3am EST May 1, 2017  

Winners will be announced by May 3, 2017, video will come as time (my day job) permits.

Fine print:  If you win one of the copies of You Are Here, you have to be okay with me and Amazon having your address.  If you win the painting you have to be okay with me and the artist having your address (we’re divided by a continent so it’s really the only reasonable way).  And, if you win the jewelry it will be only me seeing your address.  Prizes will be given out in the order the names are drawn: first prize gets their choice, second chooses from the remaining prizes, etc.  Artists featured in the promo/giveaway may enter the contest, but will not be allowed the entry of the cap of their own blog/store. ;)

*I’ve never met Jenny Lawson and we’ve never spoken.  She is not in any way affiliated with my blog or my person.  But, her books and her blog have been one of the things that helped me cope with my own mental illness gremlins over the last year.  If you’ve never heard of Jenny Lawson and her blog, The Bloggess, I highly recommend checking her out.  My favorite story she tells is about the 5ft Metal Chicken.  I never make it through without a good belly laugh.  Her latest book You Are Here is a unique blend of doodles (which are color-able), inspiration, commiseration, and journaling. It, like most of the things she does, lands squarely at the crossroads of self-help, humor, and self-deprecation. She’s real, she’s funny, she’s human. I love her to bits. If I could I would send EVERYONE a copy of all of her books.

[anafiassa]

#giveaway #lastday! #letsseeifidothisright

[anafiassa]

JEM’s Art Party Challenge - April 2017

@jem-scribbles​ - Hi! So, I’m pretty new to tumblr... I made this account ages ago, but have never really used it. Still, I decided to come out of my hole and post my entry for this month’s Art Party. You can blame @joi-in-the-tardis​, if you want!

I’m a jewelry designer, so when I saw the prompts, that was immediately what my mind went to. The above necklace-and-earring set is the result.

Prompts used:

The phrase - This is what made me choose the pendant that I did. The gash in the agate is very much like a crack, which broke and left the middle empty. (I realize that’s not how geodes are formed, but I went with it!) I also picked out the turquoise hued barrel beads due to the lines that riddle their surface--reminiscent of cracks that have been filled in with gold. (They’re actually a type of jasper, in case you’re interested.)

The color swatch - I realize that the teal I ended up using is not quite the same shade as the teal in the prompt. When I was picking out the beads to use, they matched the picture on my phone exactly... it was only after I was committed that I realized there was a difference. Still, it was certainly my inspiration for going with teal!

The object - It was the pictures of the shoes that gave me the inspiration to add the contrasting red-purple beads. I really like how the sense of whimsy they add.

...I think that means I also get some bonuses?

Go Getter - I used the phrase, the color swatch, and the object.

Early Bird - I finished (and posted--woo!) at least one week before the deadline.

Crafter’s Bonus - I made a pair of earrings and necklace to go together as a set.

I had a wonderful time making this set... Thanks so much for letting me join the party! 

P.S. I hope to blog about it on my other blog (found here), with a bit more of a technical jewelry-making write-up, if you’re curious. :)

[lsbaird]

200 Followers Songbirds of Valnon Giveaway!

This morning I woke up and had 200 Followers! It’s hard to say exactly who hit it— there were a couple of spam follows in there that have since vanished, but of tumblrs giving the impression of having real live people behind them it was likely to be either mccleeoooo or ninjirate! Congrats and thank you! Kiriban technically come in increments of 1000, but it’s early days yet for that, and magical choirboy high fantasy queer romance is, I’m given to understand, something of a niche market. But two hundred people is two hundred people, so in spite of all that…

EVERYBODY WINS: * A Grayson and Willim love scene epilogue! * An 8tracks playlist of my favorite Valnon Songcalls! * FULL SCANNED PHOTOS of the Songbird Birthday Book from 2003, never before shared in their entirety! * And of course, my continued blogging of my unique blend of inspiration photos, worldbuilding tidbits, and me yelling at my characters. (You’re just so excited I know.)

Yay! All you have to wait on now is for me to get those things together. ^_^; I’ll try not to keep you all waiting more than a couple weeks or so, though. But the time will fly, because I’m also running a 200 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION PRIZE GIVEAWAY.

The winner’s prize pack will include (but is not limited to): * A Signed copy of Evensong’s Heir, for you or a friend! * A pair of handmade Dove-tribute earrings (by me!) * A burned CD copy of selections from the aforementioned Valnon Playlist! * A $25 iTunes gift card (to buy more music by the artists on the playlists, of course!) * A mini-manicure set in Dovecolors (exact polish colors and embellishments TBD) * A woven bracelet in the Songbird colors of your choice, with charm! (Also by me!) * Whatever else I feel like sticking in the box. Perfume samples? Confectionary treats? Stickers? Who knows!

TO ENTER: * You must be following valnon.tumblr.com * Reblog once to enter (multiple reblogs are not multiple entries). * DO NOT reblog as a link! Reblog as text, please! * No contest or spam blogs. * You must have your askbox open for notification if you win (otherwise I will pick another winner) and be willing to tell me where you live, ofc. * Likes are nice but they don’t count as an entry! * Having a tremendous crush on at least one Songbirds of Valnon character is preferred, but not required.

200 FOLLOWER CONTEST ENDS MARCH 15, 2014

THANK YOU ALL AND GOOD LUCK!

[anafiassa]

…My very first reblog ever! Because this is totally worth it! :D

[anafiassa]

Testing 1, 2...

Nothing to see yet, just getting my bearings.  :D