a peek inside the fishbowl

Sarah really wants me to show you all something she made with her clementine the other day:

In case you can’t see it, it’s a king, sitting on a throne, reading a book. :)

Coming up: a post about Sugar Fast II and some other things. Hope you’re all having a great weekend!

You might remember how much I like the jewelry design at Blend Creations from a past giveaway. The goods at Blend are modern and cool and awesome. Just like me! :)

What I like best about Blend, other than the fact that I’ve met one of the owners and she’s superamazing, is that they live and work in OTTAWA. There’s a soft and squishy part of my heart reserved for Ottawa talent. Ottawa! Known far and wide for gray winters and equally gray business suits, and here’s Blend doing their part to make our town a much more fun and interesting place to live. Yay!

Anyway, Vivian at Blend (we follow each other on Twitter, she’s @blendcreations) couldn’t help but notice how much I loved their new Charmer necklace designs, especially their “At” symbol ones. If you’re into Twitter half as much as I am you will understand why I like it so much. :)

Vivian mocked up a little image to show me what it would look like. (That’s it right over there. Eep!) Wearing it will be like being a member of a secret club, almost like having a secret handshake or an Orphan Annie decoder ring! (But much cooler, because Blend Creations doesn’t actually have anything to do with Ovaltine.)

Would you like one of your very own? Youuuu caaaaannnn!

This giveaway is for any one charmer necklace from Blend Creations (and includes engraving if it’s one of the Twitter necklaces).
 
The fine print:

• This giveaway is for Canadian as well as US residents. (Yay!)
• In order for your entry to qualify you must tell me which Charmer necklace you like best. Check out the store and come back and leave your two cents in the comments below.
• I’ll close the comments at 12 noon EST on Saturday January 22, 2011 and pick a name that afternoon using random.org. I will post the name of the winner here and send them an email too.
• Please leave a valid email address! If I don’t hear from the winner within 36 hours I will do another random draw and give the prize away to someone else. Pinky swear.
• One entry per person please! We want lots of people to have the opportunity to win.

One last thing, if you (a) tweet a link to this giveaway or (b) update your Facebook status with a link to this giveaway, you will qualify for a 15% discount at Blend (before shipping costs, and after any Shopping Embargos of course)! This part is not required in order to win this giveaway. If you didn’t win and you’re ready to shop and want the discount, just send me an email (andrea AT quietfish DOT com) with a link to your tweet or FB update and I’ll send you the special promo code in return. Clear?

Please note that you only have until March 1, 2011 to use your promo code.

All good? Any questions? Over to you!

–

The Total Blogger Transparency Memo: I am receiving one of the necklaces pictured above from Blend Creations. I have also joined an affiliate marketing program for Blend Creations. If I set it up right (!) it means that if you make a purchase using any of the links in this post (and in the sidebar too) I receive a percentage of that sale. I set this up because I (a) really love Blend and (b) want to tinker and learn about affliliate sales. Thank you!

My piece over at SavvyMom today is about thank-you cards and highlights a really sweet little Ottawa-area e-shop called Dempsey Press.

I’m a paper snob with an undying appreciation for Great Paper Stock. Just like a wine taster swirls wine in a glass to check its legs, I’ve been known to hold various papers between two fingers and give them a thoughtful rub. Dempsey’s cards are the thick and warm letterpress variety, which appeals to the touchy-feely among us. In a word: they are lovely. (And fun! Who doesn’t like robots! And mustaches!)

Paper appreciation is a dying art. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who cares about my paper stock. But what about the art of the finely written thank-you card? Is that dying too?

In parenting circles, the issue of thank-you cards has been known to raise a few hackles. Some people think it’s an outdated practice, that a verbal or email thank-you is adequate response to the receipt of a gift, a meal, or any other kindness. Others believe that only a real honest-to-god thank-you card will do. We are not regular thank-you card writers here at Casa Fishbowl (sorry to disappoint), but I do like the practice, in theory. I can’t deny the warm and fuzzy feeling I get when we receive a thank-you card. Maybe I’ll start writing them more often. What do you think?