Girls in the Know: 31 Bits

When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Firefighter? Mail girl? Astrophysicist?

I wanted to be a singer, but I couldn't say the word very well, so I would say I wanted to be a "seener." And I would wear pink turtlenecks and sing along to records, because I am that old.

My mom wanted to be a librarian. She even majored in it for a week in college until she found out she had to learn the Dewey Decimal System and couldn't just sit all day, reading books. Dang.

I asked Thea recently what she wants to be when she grows up and she said, in this order, "A rock star, an orthodontist, a mom and a veterinarian." She paused as the weight of these aspirations sank in and added, "I'm going to have very busy days."

My mom and dad never laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a "seener." Okay, maybe my dad laughed and then imitated me mercilessly. But he completely made up for it because he indoctrinated me into believing I could do anything. Doctor, lawyer, seener, even track star. Ahem. 

Through my dear friend, Makila, I have found a group of very talented peeps helping to make little girl dreams come true. Dreams of self-sufficiency, independence, education, creativity. Have you heard of 31 Bits?

Spirited, creative, intelligent women in our country found spirited, creative, intelligent women in Uganda, and they formed a partnership. They sell beautiful, fresh, I-want-one-of-those jewelry, and you can buy it here. Or you can host a party and encourage others to buy. 

Or you can enter my drawing to get your bad self started on the journey to spring cuteness.

Here's what I'm giving away:

I'm committing to this in writing because I really want to keep this and wear it every day of my life. 

It's easy to enter. Just tell me what you wanted to be when you grew up. Leave your comment below, message me on this Facebook page or on this Facebook page. I'll draw for a winner Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at high noon. Winner will post Thursday.

Shop 31 Bits. Be cute. And help an all-grown-up woman living across the world grab hold of a little-girl dream that still takes her breath away.

Girls in the Know Giveaway 2.13

Hoo, boy, am I excited about this giveaway. 

Here's the thing: I am weirdo about paper. Seriously weird. My favorite store when I was a kid was a stationery store. I like paper like some people like cocaine. Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but I promise that if cute cards were illegal, I would absolutely find a way. Prison would be an acceptable risk.

So our Girl in the Know this time around is the lovely Sarah McCoy.

She has the most delightful business called The Permanent Collection and let me just tell you, she makes beautiful things. She does it all in the basement of her very charming home, and all on these gargantuan letterpresses. Sarah (with the occasional mechanical intervention by her husband, Andy) hand-creates fantastic pieces of all types, from original wall art to birth announcements to brand new business logos and branding concepts. 

She is a whirlwind of inspiration, she has her own Etsy shop, AND she wears really cute clothes. All while raising two sweet girls and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes. She is very patient in both regards.

 Sarah has been kind enough to offer an 8 x 10 House Rules print for one lucky winner.

You need only to like her Facebook page here OR you may message her at the same place. As always, if you are Facebook-adverse, feel free to comment below, but please do not enter more than one place. We will find you and will need to send you to Paper Prison.

I will announce the winner on Friday, February 22, 2013 at noon.

Happy entering and happy winning! 

Girls in the Know Giveaway: K.Noel

One of my favorite byproducts about this whole writing adventure has been getting to meet so many creative women. That and crying with my mom every time we get the first printed copy of one my novels. And when people give me chocolate. And when I get to talk about books and get paid for it.

My name is Kim and I'm a crier.

But one of the best truly has been learning about and from all these wildly talented women who are creating whilst balancing careers, family, pacifiers, poopy diapers, poopy pets and poopy husbands. (I quickly outsource the conversations about poopy husbands.) 

So I think it will be fun to introduce some of these creative girls to you and show you how to get your mitts on what they're making. My friend Kristen Smith of K. Noel is the first up.

Kristen is the cute, feminine one on the right. Her husband, Matthew, is not feminine but he knows everyone and everything, so you might want to keep his name handy as well.

Kristen makes beautiful, modern crocheted lovelies with patience, skill and a great eye for design. Her grandmother taught her to crochet, and K loves to put a fresh spin on an ancient art form. Isn't her stuff cool?!

You and I both know you want these leg warmers, even if they are for children and can't fit over our big toes. WAY too cute.

Can you handle the cute factor of these Mary Jane booties? My booty, for one, is not nearly as cute.

Lucky for us, Kristen has offered to give a pair of Mary Jane booties to one blog reader.

All you need to do is like her Facebook page (facebook.com/k.noelbaby) OR if you are angry at Facebook (no judgement here), comment below. That's it! And the booties can be yours! 

We will draw a name Thursday, January 24, 2013, at high noon, and I'll announce the winner here. And if you are not the winner, take heart! K. Noel will give a 15% discount to orders placed on her Etsy store before March 15. 2013. Enter coupon code kstuart15 for your discount.

Life is good and there are lots of artsy girls in the know, turns out. Kristen is our first but stay tuned because every now and then, free stuff is going to fly around here. 

Now go try win. And buy the leg warmers.