winners & catching up.

First off:

Holy. Moly. 

308 comments?! Thank you SO much for being so excited about this giveaway. I will admit, I was equally excited and am so pumped to get to share these goodies with y'all! Welcome to the few new readers that started to follow. Glad to have you :)

Let's get to it. 

The winner of the $10 Starbucks gift card & the oh, sweet joy coffee cuff is:

http://christanicoleandjohnrobert.blogspot.com/

The winner of the t-shirts for wearing sewing machine tee is:

((http://newsfromfernstreet.blogspot.com/))

The winner of the $50 credit to oh, sweet joy ((you lucky duck!)) is:

((Erin Woods))

email me and I'll get those prizes to you asap!
((if i haven't heard from you by Monday evening, another winner will be chosen. Also, as stated before, the store credit will expire 60 days from first contact with you))

In the meantime, we are busy busy busy with wedding stuff. Chase's sister is getting married tomorrow and then two of our good friends are tying the knot on Saturday. Rehearsal dinners,  bridal showers, weddings, good food, traveling, wedding gifts and receptions/dancing galore! 

So that's why things are a bit quiet over here...plus we don't have internet in our hotel room. Thank goodness we're connected to the galleria so we can come post up outside of Starbucks! :)

Not to mention, we make the big move to Boulder on Monday/Tuesday. YAY! 

Also, if you are interested in sponsoring Yellow Songbird for the month of January, we have a few spots that opened up. Please email me for rates & information! I'd love to have you. 

Hope you're having a great week & congrats to the lucky winners!

love. 

merry christmas!

((click here to enter the giveaway, that includes a starbucks gift card and a $50 credit to Oh, Sweet Joy!))

I won't be getting on the computer tomorrow, so I wanted to go ahead and get this out there :) No Favorite Things Friday today, just a little virtual Christmas card.

Merry Christmas.

Happy Festivus.

Happy Hannukah.

Happy Kwanza.

Merry Christmukkah.

Whatever you are celebrating, I hope it is wonderful. 

As for us, we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus,  and the hope that He brings to our lives. 

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given...and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

 

love. 

reader appreciation/Christmas giveaway!

Hi friends! To make up for the lack of blogging recently, how about a baller giveaway?

I'm so appreciative for the crazy number of people who follow & read this blog. Seriously, I am baffled by it most days. Anywho, I was going to do a giveaway when I reached 500 followers, but time has just literally slipped away in the 22 days we've been home. 

We're now at 512 and I'm so thankful for each & every one of you. To prove it, I'm doing a giveaway with not one, not two, but THREE PRIZES and THREE WINNERS! 

Just like the Blogiversary Giveaways we had in September, you must be a follower in order to enter. If you aren't already, you're not too late. Just go ahead and click the follow button over there on the left & join in on the fun!

Winner #1 will receive:

$10 Starbucks Gift Card and an Oh, Sweet Joy! coffee cuff

Winner #2 will receive: 

the T-shirts for Wearing Sewing Machine tee in grey--size Medium

 Here I am rocking mine :) I love it. ((posting a review for this sweet gem of a tee soon!))

Winner #3 will receive:

$50 credit to Oh, Sweet Joy! FIFTY DOLLARS! Do you know how much loot you can get with that?! Lots, i tell you. Lots. 

5 headbands

OR

7 pairs of covered button earrings

OR

an owl family

OR

Custom Party Skirt

Matching Headband

Coordinating Covered Button Earrings

OR

2 fabric frame necklaces & a headband

OR

some of the super secret new products

OR

any combination your sweet self can dream up!`

((the shop will be open by mid-January and then you can shop your heart out!))

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Here's how you enter:

1. Follow Yellow Songbird via Google Friend Connect (one entry)

2. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas gift you've ever received

3. Follow me (@ohsweetjoy) on twitter (one entry)

4. "Be a Fan" of Oh, Sweet Joy on facebook! click here to do so (one entry)

4. Tweet or Facebook or Blog about this giveaway (one entry each). 

Feel free to use this:

"@OhSweetJoy is having a reader appreciation/Christmas GIVEAWAY! Enter to win one of the THREE PRIZES! www.yellowsongbird.blogspot.com "

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have fun! :)


the store credit will expire 60 days after first contact with winner. 

love. 

favorite things friday

...and we're back! 

here are a few things making my life a little bit sweeter lately :)

1. handmade markets.

2. surprise visits. 

((excuse me, glasses, you are in the way of my eyeballs))

3. exciting business opportunities.

4. new products that make my heart happy & are a big hit.

((yucky photo, but these are my last 4 until i re-open my shop in late january! email me if you are interested))

5. gorgeous boulder sunsets. 

6. giveaways. 

((i have a baller one coming up for y'all next week!))

happy weekend!

love. 

designs by katrin reifeiss: silk scarf review

So here's the deal, I love to accessorize. If I didn't look completely ridiculous, I'd wear a scarf, hat, belt, headband, earrings, bracelet, watch, tights, and some cute boots all in one outfit..and probably a necklace under the scarf.  My favorite accessory of all time is the scarf, and my collection is getting ridiculous awesomely ample. 

I was recently contacted by Katrin Refeiss to review one of her gorgeous scarves. I gladly obliged ;)

Katrin makes silk scarves and hand dyes them in her Brooklyn studio. That alone makes me want to be friends with her, but it gets even better. Katrin has a scarf set in her shop that she gives 100% of her profit to the Silk Lab Project in Cambodia. SO cool, right? You can read more about Katrin here. 

Anywho, I chose the pinwheel scarf and I l-o-v-e it. Nothing like a pop of color to add to your outfit. The scarf is ridiculously soft ((hello, it's silk)) and it just makes me feel fancy. The quality is great and I was impressed with the size of it ((most square scarves are too small to wear the way I prefer to wear them)).

So, as you can see, I chose to layer it with some summery colors ((I was feeling colorful, ok?)), and but I can't wait until the spring when I'll be rocking it with my favorite white v-neck. Jackpot!

Please check out Designs by Katrin Reifess this instant and see the pretty pretty silk scarves she makes. 

Here are some bonus features to help convince you ((not that you need to be convinced, you're probably already adding 3 to your cart)):

1. Free shipping through December 20th. Can't beat that!

2. All scarves come in a silk drawstring bag to help keep it nice & neat.

3. Buying handmade makes you cooler.

love. 

the homeless man

((photo credit))

This past week, I was driving to Dallas for a meeting. I took a wrong exit and was paused at a stop light, when I noticed a homeless man walking his way down the street, flashing his sign at anyone who would look his way and read it. 

"I'm homeless and hungry. Anything will help."

Straight and to the point. For some reason, this time more than others, I was legitimately concerned for him. I immediately started scrambling for any cash I had. I was two lanes over, so I second guessed even trying, but my heart was tugging. 

I thought of people saying to me in the past, "He'll probably only buy booze and cigarettes. Why doesn't he just get a job? I bet he's not even homeless." How many times have we heard these cop-outs to serve someone in need?

Honestly, I didn't even really care if he would buy beer. Since when did it become our place to judge that?

Anyways,  I had just made a deposit with any cash I did have and I didn't have enough change to make it worthwhile to give to him. Let's be honest, even gum costs more than a dollar these days. 

As I kept searching for something to give him before the light turned green, I noticed I had some bottles of water. I rolled down my window and yelled, 

"Hey, do you need some water???" 

His face lit up as he jogged over to me. As I handed it to him, I took my sunglasses off and looked him in his desperate blue eyes and said, 

"Hey. Jesus loves you. No matter what, OK?" 

and he looked at me right back, smiled, and said, 

"Oh, I know it. I know, ma'am."

I teared up as I drove away just thinking about how often I throw myself a pity party when I can't get a new pair of boots, when I have to return a sweater at Anthropologie, when we can't stop by Starbucks every day, or when we have to trust in the Lord to provide for us as we take a huge leap of faith. 

Despite this guys' circumstances...despite his homelessness, his past mistakes, his hunger, his thirst, his lack of basic needs, he knows in his heart that his Savior loves him. His life is rough, his body is letting him down, and yet he still proclaims that Jesus loves him and he knows it.  

I was so challenged by his faith, his realization that God hasn't let him go, and his smile as He told me that he knew Jesus loved him. Know that our King is for you, friends. Know that He is good and that He wants the best for us. Know that He never ever lets go of His children. 

 "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."

Isaiah 58:10

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love. 

oops.

soooo sorry for the mini blog hiatus. life is a bit crazy right now, and we hardly have time to come up for air. being busy is good & exciting for a change, and we are trying to just hang on during this crazy season of life. 

we are in boulder right now and i have my first night of firefly handmade this evening & i am so pumped about it. if you are in the denver or boulder area, you should totally come check it out! 

it's tonight from 5-9 (with free wine!), tomorrow from 10-5 and sunday from 10-3. there are over 60 shops and fun crafts for the kids to do while you all shop. that's a whole lotta handmade goods, people. the address is 1904 pearl st. it's going to be rad. hopefully i'll see you there!

if not, i'll be back soon on a regular posting basis. aaaand there will be fun giveaway promised because we reached 500 followers. so fun!

love. 

today on {in}courage

Check out my post about "growing" that is featured on the {in}courage blog today. I'm really pumped to be sharing it with some solid ladies. 

click here to read

love. 

favorite things friday & a giveaway winner

My list looks a bit different this week and I could honestly go on and on and on. This week has been such a great time of good food, family, and friends....and the weather has been incredible! It's been great to get back and readjust to life in America. I'm continually counting my blessings. 

fresh milk

 fresh eggs

bacon

meeting brooke of pure & noble

layered clothing, tights & boots

chips & salsa

dr. pepper

sweet tea

an all day sewing & cooking day with memaw

surprise visits from our best friends

starbucks

clean restaurants

my car

target

family

God's faithfulness & sovereign plan

cold weather

sleeping in a comfy bed with comfy pillows

central heating/ac

cozy fires

catching up

reuniting with my sewing machine

prepping for firefly handmade

playing with/making new products for the shop

familiarity

oh and the winner of the aPearantly sew giveaway is:

((email me & i'll get you hooked up with alison!))

have a wonderful weekend!

love. 

a little holiday fun for you.

i love fossil. i love confetti. i love the combination of robin's egg blue and cranberry. i love a good, happy song played on a ukelele ((i have no idea if it's really a ukelele)). therefore, i obviously love this video.

love may be an overstatement, but let it be known that i have strong feelings of happiness towards this video. amen.

love.