More Hearts

So, here I was thinking my blog had disappeared into obscurity and completely giving up on it and all along people have been checking it out. I'm pretty happy about that and in fact its very touching to know.

In my life I get very distracted by my medical and mental conditions. They take up most of every single day. I pretty much sit in worry and anxiety trying all day to think about anything but them. Through this introverted battle of paranoia, illness, and depression, I spend most of my foggy days just thinking about how crappy I feel.

On some days, the real world punches through and I get a glimpsed at what my life is supposed to be like and what's really important. This blog is important. That's hard for me to remember sometimes.

Thank you to Devi for submitting a comment and letting me know that one of the links for free heart crochet patterns was not working.

Here are some suitable (I hope) alternatives for you guys. <3

http://www.crochetdoilies.com/crochet_heart_coaster.html

http://creativeyarnsource.com/Heart.pdf

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/warm-hearted-spirits

http://www.caron.com/projects/op/op_hearts.html

If you're good at reading diagrams, this page has loads to choose from! 

http://crochet-plaisir.over-blog.com/categorie-12330740.html

*The first few times I clicked this link not more than an hour ago, it worked. It has since stopped working for me. I'm sorry in advance if it doesn't work. :(

Please note that all of these pictures belong solely to their creators as listed in the links below them. I did not make these crochet creations, patterns, or take the pictures. Give credit where credit is due and be sure to read the guidelines for use of the pattern if and when they are listed. 

Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Mery Ann

It's for a GREAT Cause!

Hello Friends and welcome to my very first Blog Giveaway! I wanted to make it extra special so I'm doing this one in honor of Calvin's Hats Charity!

Calvin's Hats is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide hand made hats for babies who are born too early to survive. My niece was born too soon and she was only 1 pound at birth. We were fortunate in that she continued her fight for survival and now, 11 years later, she is a happy and healthy little girl. I can never forget the anguish and fear we all went through as a family, praying that she would get better. I know every little bit of love and compassion counts in those times of need and seeing people come together to do something as small as providing a warm hat for a tiny baby can make a big difference. I normally crochet tiny hats and mail them in but I really wanted to do more and I know that the more people know about it, the more they will want to help. 

Here are the links to Calvin's Hats on facebook and their official website:

Facebook.com/Calvin's Hats
Calvin's Hats Official Website

With that in mind I am running this blog giveaway and also raising money on my online shop this entire month to benefit Calvin's Hats charity! Now let's get into the details!

Here is the Prize: 

One lucky winner will be the proud owner of a handmade Cool Beans and Things Bear Scoodie. A scoodie is a scarf with a hood attached! I crochet them with adorable bear ears and pockets for your handsies at the ends of the scarf!The colors of the Scoodie may vary. It is one size fits all.  :)

How to Enter: 

Each person can have a MAXIMUM of 16 entries into this contest!

1. You gain 1 entry for commenting below. 
2. If you share a status about this giveaway with a link to the Cool Beans and Things facebook page and/or blog, that is worth 2 entries!
3.  If you have a blog of your own and you post about this giveaway with a link back to it, that is worth 3 entries! 
4. Finally, if you make a donation to Calvin's Hats charity you will get a whopping 10 entries!! There are three ways to donate:

• -You can go to http://www.calvinshats.com/Ways-You-Can-Help.html and click to donate using paypal. You would need to email a screen shot of the donation confirmation page to CoolBeansandThings@yahoo.com to confirm this.
• 
  
• -Or, you can make and send one or more micro preemie hats. The instructions and patterns are on this page: http://www.calvinshats.com/Hat-Creators-Area.html. For proof, please share the picture of the hat(s) you made to facebook.com/CoolBeansandThings.
• 
  
• -Or you can make a purchase by clicking ---> Cool Beans and Things shop as 20% of every sale will be donated to Calvin's Hats.

MOST IMPORTANT PARTS BELOW, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS I DO NOT WANT TO DISQUALIFY ANYONE.

Eligibility and Shipping: 

If you are under 18, please have your parents consent to enter this giveaway as the prize will be mailed to the winner and your address will be required. Please note that this giveaway is open WORLDWIDE but International winners may need to wait up to 6 weeks for shipping as each country has different customs rules on shipping. Continental U.S. shipping will be via U.S.P.S Ground. Shipping and Handling will be covered and this giveaway does not have any cost to the participants. No purchase is necessary to win. Please note that this prize is non-transferable.

Giveaway Dates and Details:

The last day to enter will be December 1st, 2012 and the winner will be chosen via Randomizer.com on Monday, December 3rd. 

The winner will be posted on this blog and it will be completely up to them to contact me via email to claim their prize. If by December 5th, the first chosen winner has not contacted me back, a new winner will be chosen. 

To make sure you don't miss out, be sure to subscribe to my blog via email so that you can get notified when the winner is chosen.

That's all for now folks, let's start the season of giving off with a BANG!

Thanks for reading.
Love,
Mery Ann/La Lady Panda