12.12.2010

{able mabel} etsy giveaway!

are you ready for yet another giveaway on this here Internet Website Blog Thing?  no?  fine then, I'll just give this $30 merchandise certificate from able mabel to someone else.

yes!  $30!  that's a whole $30 more than $0 (just to reiterate, in case you're  s l o w  like me and don't always catch things the first time.  it happens to all of us.  those.. those.. shoot, what are they called again?  I forget.  oh yeah, senior moments.)

anyway.

as I was saying, the amazing talent behind able mabel presents itself in the form of two highly intelligent, creative, hip and hilarious sisters, Jen and Leann, who, as luck would have it, also happen to be very good friends of mine. (or at least they tolerate me anyway ;)

and, for those of you with inquiring minds wanting to know more, here's a little insight behind their wonderful etsy shop... in their own words:
"We bring you quality and originality in the treasures we fashion. Mixing our father’s dry sense of humor with our mother’s artistic abilities, we come up with imaginative makings." 
"As artists, we are inspired by everyday things around us...family, nature, colors, emotions, moods, etc. Give us a fun piece of fabric, paper or beads and it's off to the races! We love finding the "unusual" and making it into something functional!"  -Jen and Leann
a small sampling of their products:


don't just take my word for it, though.  head on over and check out the awesomeness that is able mabel for yourself... where you'll find fabulous handmade bibs, blankets, lovies and other fun items. (so what if I'm biased?!)


you can catch able mabel here: etsy, blog, facebook, twitter


rules and regs: CONTEST IS CLOSED

  • contest is for one $30 merchandise certificate good towards any item(s) of your choice (did you get that yet?) 
  • winner assumes responsibility for any cost above and beyond the $30, including shipping and handling fees.
  • one winner; to be chosen at random
  • one entry per person
  • open to any resident on the face of the planet (yes, able mabel ships anywhere)
  • contest open through thursday, December 16th midnight PST
  • winner will be announced friday, December 17th


    so, do you have a "Christmas catastrophe" to relate (like the time your kids discovered their gifts in what was supposedly a "secret" hiding place), or perhaps a fun holiday tradition you'd like to share?  how about a favorite Christmas carol or holiday treat?  leave a comment on this post and I'll hook one of you up with this fab gift.

    ready?  GO!

    -jessica 

    37 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Since I'm first I have 100% chance to win :) -right now. um..no catasrophes(thankfully yet) But I LOVE those peppermint patty things white with green christmas trees. MMM! And lots of other things too :)-Brianna

    Eric said...

    My catastrophe this year: Found a gift that won't fit in our luggage to bring to MN. So Santa will make an appearance twice this year :)

    loukusa said...

    Hmm Christmas catastrophe.... none that I can think of, unless you count forgetting to buy all your kummi kids gifts!:O

    Keilah said...

    One Christmas we all had the puking flu bug. Since we were all up at 1 AM on Christmas Eve, we decided to open presents. That was one memorable Christmas, but one I'd rather not repeat.

    Corinne said...

    Best holiday tradition, christmas eve services at our church. All the lights are off, candles lit, and beautiful singing!! look forward to it every year!

    Sue Hill said...

    One tradition in our house is the kids always make gingerbread houses with Dad! They love it as much as I do!

    1crown3tiaras said...

    I am trying to forget 3 years ago when all 4 kids had the chicken pox!

    Keith and Kim Kesti said...

    Over the course of 25 years I'm sure we've had many, but I seem to remember the kids seeing their gift early one year. I was so disappointed. Heh. (cool giveaway)

    Brita L said...

    Wow nice giveaway! A Christmas catastrophe from when I was young: the whole christmas tree fell down while I was babysitting. My brothers were trying to see who could touch the angel by jumping up... Maybe that's where Owen gets his personality!!

    Anonymous said...

    Pick me, Pick me...can always use something cute from Abel Mabel for the grandkids.
    One year, Dan and Gordon found one of their gifts in the trunk of our car. They were sneaking around trying to find their gifts. Unfortunately for them our old blue bomb had a very squeaky trunk lid. As soon as Allen heard the squaking he knew they were digging and he promptly returned the gift to the store. Becca

    Selma said...

    Christmas catastrophe? I really can't remember one...I'm 2nd to the youngest and Christmas just "happened"! As I got older I helped out with present wrapping and meal prep. When our family starting growing grandkids, Santa started visiting on Christmas Eve. One memorable Santa visit: one of the nieces was peering intently at Santa and proclaimed, "That's not Santa, that's Selma!" Oops! I guess Santa should have worn sunglasses!

    Ramona J. said...

    One year Mr. & Mrs. Santa were stuffing the stockings after the kids were long since nestled in their beds dreams of sugarplums dancing in their heads and such, when what to Mr. & Mrs. Santa's surprise, Leilani got out of bed and wandered on in to see what we were up to. Mr. Santa quickly covered the evidence with a blanket, while Mrs. Santa brought Leilani back to be nestled in bed. Cool giveaway Jessica!

    Anonymous said...

    fun giveaway! Our favorite Christmastime tradition is the cookie bake where we all get together and bake over 1500 cookies. Sisters, in-laws, gramma, grandkids, all baking together and then we swap cookies. This years catastrophe, it got canceled because of a BLIZZARD in MN.
    ~Barb W

    Rebecca said...

    We always get our Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend so we can enjoy it all month long. Christmas catastrophe: It didn't happen this year, and we ended up with a homely artificial tree from Target.

    Heather D said...

    the kids love tromping in the woods to find the perfect tree. This year, the first tree came in and I didn't approve. It hardly had any needles left on it...the second one came in looking good, but it doesn't hold the weight of the ornaments.

    Brenda said...

    We love going up North to the hills to pick out a Christmas tree... This year we even had a weiner/marshmellow roast and went sledding!

    Eric and Celeste said...

    We love decorating a gingerbread house! The kids can't wait until after Christmas to start nibbling, nibbling on the house!

    Kelly said...

    We've made a tradition of heading out to a tree farm, finding a perfect "old fashioned" looking tree..no perfect triangles allowed..
    This year Abby, Jamison and I headed to a tree lot, chose the most imperfect of the green triangles, and drove it home. So far one of the few dislikes of living here! ...and definitely in the catastrophe category.

    Anita K said...

    Strep throat on Christmas Eve when I was little. Horrible!!

    Kendra Jean Photography said...

    We all spent christmas day barfing one year, so Santa came a couple days late! Fun giveaway, I love her blankets/lovies!

    Christy said...

    Spent Christmas one year with strep throat. I guess it wasn't so much of a catastrophe because I was feeling so miserable I didn't even care that I missed out. One thing I LOVE every year though is the Christmas singing fundraiser in Phoenix. It is beautiful!

    Caroline Jacobson said...

    I can't think of any catastrophes but one year Stephanie & I opened all of our gifts before Christmas. We found them and VERY carefully opened the gifts, then rewrapped them. Needless to say Christmas morning was kind of boring :( I hope I really win!!

    Kristina said...

    I'm not sure if this fits in the catastrophe column but this year is the first year that one of our kids suspects/is pretty sure that Santa is really mom and dad :(

    Danny and Ashley said...

    No catastrophes.. but love just about every Christmas carol out there!

    Alissa Forstie said...

    Here is a fun holiday treat:
    On a cookie sheet, lay out small Pretzel twists.
    Place a Rolo candy on each pretzel. Heat in oven til Rolo is shiny (which doesn't take very long), take out of oven and push a nut into the Rolo. My favorite is an almond.
    Cool in the freezer til chocolate candy is hardened.
    Enjoy!!

    Liisa Tarnanen said...

    Levi had hand foot and mouth on Christmas Eve!

    Anita said...

    Like Kim, we have enjoyed many Christmas times with our tribe. This year will be our 25th Christmas together. I'm sure there have been many "interesting" Christmas times ... some with sick kids, some with early found Christmas gifts, many with struggles of finding that "right" gift. The years have been filled with many lovely Christmas parties filled with so many wonderful friends and family. I can't really remember any disaster that stands out in my mind. In reading through people's comments, I had a special memory come to mind from many years ago with the older kids were much younger. Gary Nickerson playing Santa and coming to the house on Christmas Eve. It was such a special treat for all of us ... and perhaps a bit of a "catastrophe" for the youngest at the time.

    Christy Simonson said...

    Christmas...makes me think of our darling little angel! Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year!!

    Anonymous said...

    We spend one Christmas morning at the Emergency Room with our son Wyatt when he had the flu. He was dehydrated and needed a few bags of IV fluids. He perked right back up and was himself by afternoon. Certainly not planned but with kids you just never know.
    JoAnn

    Jeremy and Brooke said...

    love christmas songs, cant help but get in the spirit before thanksgiving!

    Retail Therapy Lounge said...

    WE make gingerbread men for ornaments - took a week to make, frost, paint, dry.....then my kids were do disappointed - we forgot to cut holes in them to hang on the tree with ribbon - broke a few trying to "drill" into them..oops
    retailtherapylounge at gmail.com

    Kelly Massman said...

    Well, my Christmas "catastrophe" is THIS year. I swear that I put the little wooden snowman on our tree this year, and now I can't find it! This ornament is so special to me because my son turned it on the lathe last year! His daddy turns all of the time (he even sells his work), but Mitch being 16 thinks anything his step-dad does is not that cool! So, that particular ornament is so special... hoping to find it soon! Thanks for a chance to win!

    Anonymous said...

    no catastrophes this year yet.. always look forward to eating lots of goodies and food at christmastime! and hanging out with the family! the last couple of years our family has done a pinata for the little kids on christmas eve and its a hit. -Amy

    Anonymous said...

    Shucks, I had it all typed up and then tried to post and it deleted :( ...that is a catastrophe because I wanted a chance to win! Brita R

    Kim R said...

    i love your blog Jessica and I am a faithful reader. Thanks for the humor, insight and saying it just like it is!

    Kara Herrala said...

    Favorite carol: The little drummer boy. Also the new Christmas CD, Beside Thy Manger, is a new favorite!

    Anonymous said...

    Fun game for a Christmas party is the $2 gift game. Rolling doubles you get to open a gift, or steal from someone. Have a crowd and a few sets of dice flying around, ends up being quite funny. We just played it at Randys family party and was pretty hilarious. People fighting over scissors, soaps and various other treasures! Makes for some excitement! -Katie H.