Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Crafty Mamas 7th Birthday! Ottobre Design GIVE-AWAY!

Winners announced in the morning.....



#3  ( the finale) 7th Birthday GIVE-AWAY!

Before I announce our fabulous final Give-away..let's take a short stroll down memory lane, and look at how Crafty Mamas came to be?!



Crafty Mamas began way back in 2004, I was a very busy mama of 4- the youngest being Lil, at 1. 
I had been sewing since about 1988 ( eek!!! ) and was possibly a tad CRAFT OBSESSED.
Anything that could be made at home- I'd give it a go. 


Cheese making, soap making, felting, sewing, knitting, crochet, homebrewing, root beer ( still have the stains on the ceiling form where the bottles exploded!). Bread making, chook raising, vegie gardening,  sausage making, Beef jerky, fruit dehydrating,
sauce bottling, jam making, fabric dyeing...
you get the picture. My poor, long suffering husband!

Lil


And I thought, how cool to start an Australian online community, for people like me ( the CRAFT- OBSESSED). Because really, all home skills are a craft, even raising kids!
Only another Crafty Mama understands why you would stay up all night, sewing up a Gnome costume for the Christmas play- with a 6 week old baby in a sling!

Miss B

So the Crafty Mamas forum came into being. And , much like a child, it was nurtured, loved, and it GREW! 

Crafty Mamas developed into such a wonderful community, with members as far away as The Netherlands!
Members enjoy the opportunity to meet other CRAFT OBSESSED mama's, chat about their projects, ask for help if stuck,review patterns, even meet up for coffee and chats in real life ( hence our annual CRAFT RETREAT).

During this same time, I was still sewing up a storm and frantically hunting for Ottobre Design mag here in Australia. Frustrated, I emailed the editor, Tuula 
( coincidentally, also a mama of 4..but with very different weather to us!) 
and she  kindly agreed to let me take on Otto in Australia.



And so, finally, Aussie sewists could get hold of Ottobre Design again ! 
But wait, we also wanted fabrics that we saw IN Ottobre Design mag..and so, with Tuula's help, I managed to bring HILCO, of Germany, to Australia.

Now, of course, we have many European fabrics available, and Crafty Mamas is renown for our quality fabrics and patterns. We also are Aussie agents for Farbenmix, and Stenzo too! 

So, now you know our history- stick around, because our future is looking pretty nifty too!

We are looking forward to another 7 years working with our friends at Ottobre Design!



GIVE-AWAY!
 

Your chance to win one of these 4 prizes!! :

OTTOBRE is  very kindly  helping us celebrate by giving away;

2 x one-year subscriptions for 6 issues (4 kids + 2 women) 
2  x gift cards worth 50EUR to spend at their Etsy shop 

( awesome!)
All you need to do is leave a comment here on my blog by the 31st of October and you will be entered into the prize draw. Good luck!
ps; if you are already subscribed and win, it will simply be added to your current sub!


~Lisa~









143 comments:

Brighty said...

Would love to be in the running to win this

Rainbow Made said...

Awesome giveaway..thankyou Crafty Mamas and Ottobre!!!

Tara Watts - jjtfwatts@hotmail.com said...

Wow Lisa, that would be a great prize to win. Wishing myself the best of luck :)

zofia said...

Oh my- What a giveaway Lisa!
Congrats on 7 amazing years of Craftymamas. May there be many many more....and many more crafty chats online! :D

Rachelle said...

Love reading your blog. I don't currently have an Ottobre sub, but I did for some time and really like their patterns.

Maya, Mo and Me said...

Happy birthday to you! Thank you so much for the giveaway

Unknown said...

I have no words to fully explain how much I love Ottobre magazines. :) Even my Mum has said she wished there had been pattern magazines like that when we were little kids (but our 1970s home sewn clothes were pretty rad anyway!) Congratulations on fostering such a lovely little community, and thankyou for working so hard to make great magazines and fabrics so accessible.

Liz said...

Yay on 7 years!! How fantastic - I hope to still be here and crafting away in another 7 too :)

margo said...

congratulations on 7yrs Lisa.... hope there is more lots of 7yrs to come!

Krystal L said...

Wow, what an awesome journey and a great way to celebrate!!! Congrats on 7 years :D

Leah said...

Happy Birthday! I love Ottobre too!

willow and moo said...

Thanks Lisa and Tuula! What a lovely giveaway!

Lesley said...

Awesome giveaway Lisa and Congratulations on 7 Years!! With many more to come I hope

Siobhan said...

Happy birthday, Crafty Mamas, and thank you for the lovely giveaway!

Dani Castley said...

OOOOOOHHHHHHH yeeesssss. Ottobre has become my only pattern vice now. I just adore the designs and I am looking forward to making some designs for my daughter as she is hitting the adult sizes. Luv ya work Lisa!

Rhoda said...

how generous of you lisa!!
Congrats on the 7years and may many many more come :)

sallyb said...

How could one resist this giveaway??? Happy birthday to Crafty Mamas and may there be much more craftiness in the future!!

H said...

Amazing prizes! I need a new sub too :)
It was interesting reading how it all got started. I've been around a few years now but you've been around a lot longer. I'm pretty much on the same mission too, make anything and everything I can myself though I'm with Charlotte. My children are my Magnus Opus.:D (Charlotte's Web)
I love being part of the CM community. And thanks for feeding my addictions and compulsions lol

Tina said...

WOW!! 7 years Congratulations on your achievments!! what awsome giveaways.
Would love to win an Ottobre sub. currently only own 1 ottobre mag and absolutely love the patterns.

NZmum said...

Happy Birthday Crafty Mamas, and looking forward to many more. I found Ottobre about a year ago and oh how it has changed my life! Less housework more sewing!

toadstooldots said...

I only have a couple of mags but love them. So thanks for that great give away and HAPPY BIRTHDAY Crafty Mamas. Looking forward to the next 7 awesome years with you.

Monica said...

Awesome... Love Ottobre Patterns.
Wow has it been 7 years? Leep it up Lisa

Tin Can Daisy said...

I am so happy I stumbled across the Crafty Mama's forum. It's been such a help to me in so many ways so thank you!!

mistyeiz said...

o my goodness lisa!! such a huge n generous giveaway indeed!!! :) love reading how CM came to b and i'm glad to be part of it. thanks to u n CM, i've come a long way in my crafty journey. so thank you and happy 7th birthday....here's to another 7 and more birthdays!! :D

Heidi Payne said...

I'm just new to Crafty Mamas, the forum and all your goodies! I love your story on how Crafty Mamas came to be! Congratulations on a building a wonderful business in 7 years....here's to many more!!!!

Ms Marple said...

I discovered Ottobre through your site and love it (also love your shop!). Great giveaway!

Ali said...

Wholey Moley - Generous Ottobre. Show why we LOVE it soo much.

Happy birthday CM's !!! You're growing it a big project now aren't you

Tim & Kate said...

Pleeeease choose me!! I would love to have a subscription again! The magazine has truly inspired me in sewing for my three boys! Thanks for the chance!

Emily said...

THis is awesome - glad i found your little blog via "the sewing Library" on FB (i'm the crazy one with the wee blog)

Love your new faithful follower
Emily
studiousstitch.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

My Goodness, congratulations on all you have achieved!!!
I'd love a chance to win a subscription :)

Kooka said...

Happy Birthday Crafty Mamas , its my birthday tomorrow so your in good company ;) I love the CM forum , it really feels like home to me and have come along way with my sew skills since joining and learning from you wonderful ladies .

Jane said...

Congratulations on seven years! I'm a relative newcomer to all of this but I'm so thankful people like you have brought all this quality crafty loveliness to Australia. You must've been quite a pioneer! I'd love to be entered in the draw, thanks.

Carina Seth said...

Carina Seth
scottandcarina@bigpond.com

Happy Happy Happy Birthday :o)
Congrats on the 7 years and the many more to come xo

Susan said...

Congratulations! Fantastic prize! Susan :)

Ros said...

Congrats on 7 years! May there be many more to come!

Leeah said...

Awesome giveaway! I love my Otto's I can always find something to sew from them, such good value!!
lmu20509 at bigpond dot net dot au

shell said...

Oooh what an awesome giveaway!!!!
I love love love Ottobre, I have made so many beautiful things from my magazines. And I didn't even know they had an Etsy store, I just went for a sticky-beak and they have some beautiful fabrics in there

Suzanne Walters said...

Congrats on the 7 years! I'm a Otto fan through and through, rarely if ever use other patterns, there is just so much choice in Otto!
Thanks CM's :)

Pam said...

Just found you via The Sewing Library, off to email subscribe :) Great giveaway, cheers!

Tas said...

Amazing giveaway! Hsppy birthday, Crafty Mamas. Here's to the next 7
years!

becci said...

What a fantastic giveaway. Thanks Lisa and happy birthday. You do a wonderful job.

Amy said...

Congratulations Lisa! Love your shop and site.
I would love the Otto subscription!!! :)

Lisa said...

Happy Birthday to you! It is my son's 8th Birthday today :) What a wonderful giveaway, I would love to get my hands on an Otto!!

SewSuzie said...

Congratulations on 7 wonderful years.

Gemma@prettybobbins said...

What a fantastic giveaway! Happy 7th birthday :)

Sew Wat said...

how very exciting!! HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY!

Sew Wat said...

how very very exciting! happy 7th birthday!

cherie said...

Happy 7th Birthday! Thanks for the great giveaway!

Pam @Threading My Way said...

Fabulous give-away. Thanks for the chance to win.

Elle H said...

Happy 7th birthday!

fenna said...

Ooooo if I could win a subscription!!!! that'd make my day--no, that'd make my year :) I've been eyeing a subscription, but it's a bit too expensive right now for me! Thanks for a chance! fenna_otten at yahoo dot ca

Kate said...

This is amazing!! I am so glad I found you!

Ruth B said...

We love otto and their fabric in this house - don't think I would have sewn so much for DS if we hadn't found otto

T5 said...

Congratulations on 7 years. I'm only new to the crafty mamas site but love it. I would LOVE to win this prize too, it's a great giveaway. Thanks for the opportunity.

Christy said...

I'd love to win - I need more patterns ;)

Crystal said...

Ohhhhhh my goodness, pick me, pick me! I am totally obsessed with this magazine. I love it. I so identify with your profile and staying up until all hours of the night making costumes for your children. I think I have become the joke of my friends but I love it and my girls just love to dress up. Lisa, you run a great business. Thank you.

Jacqui said...

Congratulations and happy birthday! 7 years is amazing.

And what an exciting giveaway too! Thank you for the chance at either prize.

Mel.J said...

Pretty much all my sewing in the last few years has been from Ottobre - and I would LOVE to order something from their shop! Thanks for a great giveaway :)

Mary said...

Wow 7 yrs! congratulations Lisa, you have created a wonderful business and community.

db said...

Thx for the chance to win this great gift. I LOVE Ottobre Mag - true addiction. Happy 7th birthday.

Helene said...

wow! congrats! here's to the next 7!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on 7 years. Ottobre is a staple around here. What a great prize!

rachelmp said...

Amazing give away Lisa! Thank you too for the wonderful service you provide ... and feeding my addiction too :)

Emily said...

Wow what a great giveaway! I love to see the big white envolope in my mail box (so does my daughter). Congratulations on 7 years

Alison said...

Oh I love everything Ottobre. Would love to be in the draw to win.

Megbud said...

Happy Birthday! It's my 6th anniversary of subscribing to Otto this issue to. Looking forward to the latest one arriving here... although it's a bit out of season!

Vic said...

A great Aussie success story teehee!

I know I don't visit CM as much as I used to but it honestly helped to set me on the path I am on right now, the one where I prefer to make (or re purpose) instead of buy value time spent crafting so much more... especially if it means putting off the housework. ;)

Thanks Lisa!

And of course, I have absolutely everything crossed, I miss my Otto sub!

Sew-4-Fun said...

Happy 7th Anniversary! You do a great job bringing us lots of the European crafting goodies our heart's desire.

Helen said...

Oohh love Ottobre and would love to win!

make it perfect said...

congratulations and happy birthday! how can i resist entering this one...

Kelley said...

What a fabulous story and I totally identify with being craft obsessed although my list isn't quite as long as yours.

Thanks for the chance to win an Otto subscription. I've had one for 5 years now and it's the one thing that makes me regret only having one child! There're so many cute baby patterns coming out now...and I've got no need to make them! LOL.

Kelley

SaraJ said...

I love Ottobre! Please, please, please pick me!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for organising a wonderful giveaway. I would love to win! Diana

sdare29 said...

Oh my!!! your story is inspiring, and i would love to win this prize!!!
xoxx s

Theresa said...

ooooh! what a awesome giveaway! i really really really wanna win!!!
Theresa
theresa@samiraminammulticcolor.com

Anonymous said...

Gosh, what a fantastic giveaway!!! Thank you for being an Aussie source of inspiration.
Congratulations on your 7th birthday.

Deb said...

Happy birthday to you, I hope there are many more to come :)

Shell said...

Happy birthday!

Little Munchkins said...

Congrats on CM being 7! I remember discovering an Aussie online site (CM of course!) and being very excited about it!

Thanks for organizing a fabulous giveaway. And here's to many more 7 years!

Kelly Casanova said...

Oh wow - fingers crossed!!

Diana said...

Wow, congratulations on your 7th birthday! Thanks for the chance to win such a great giveaway too!

Sarah said...

Happy Birthday Crafty Mamas! Im so glad you created such a great community Lisa! Its been a big help to my crafting journey! :)

Cecilia Russell said...

Sounds lovely, would be wonderful to win

Sally said...

YAY for an awesome prize and chance to win!
Love love love Ottobre.

Anonymous said...

Happy, happy birthday! Well done on a beautiful web presence!
Melissa O'Rorke

Unknown said...

Happy 7th Birthday! Here's to 7+ more years!!!

Bev C said...

Thanks for the opportunity to enter your giveaway. A great magazine and congrats on 7 years of Crafty Mumas.
Happy days.
Bev.xoxo

Bec Clarke said...

Oh my goodness that is a super giveaway, thanks so much for the chance to win.

Selina said...

I discovered Ottobre Magazine last year through another forum, and I fell in love with it straight away!

justmejay said...

I loved reading the story behind Crafty Mamas!
Fab giveaway!

Unknown said...

wow what an awesome givaway. Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Michelle Wallis said...

Wow what a wonderful success story, i really hope that your business continues to grow. Thanks for the chance to win such a fabulous prize :)

angie said...

Happy Birthday Crafty Mamas. I hope someone's made you a cake!!

Helle said...

kan jeg være med for sikke en give away :)

helle@mody.dk

fra danmark

Unknown said...

Wow magnificent giveaway, thank you for the opportunity & also all your crafty mama goodness you've shared :)

KateS said...

Happy Birthday Crafty Mamas! A brilliant prize, I love Ottobre!

Gaylene said...

Would love to win this -oh so lovely things to make.

Sherry said...

Happy, happy birthday. Congratulations and thank you for all the hard work, also for bringing us the fabric so our clothes look just like the magazine.

Caroline said...

Congratulations on your 7th Birthday and for sharing the story of how Crafty Mamas came to be... how fantastic! I would love to be a winner in this competition, thanks for running it!

Tricia said...

Thanks Lisa for making Ottobre (and a bunch of other fabulous things) available here, for Australian dollars. And happy birthday!

Virginia said...

I would love to win this - i love Ottobre magazine. Thanks for making it available in Aus.

rachandcarl said...

great giveaway heres hoping a can win

Karen TW said...

i bought my first ottobre in 2003 and have been buying ever since, i'd love to win this giveaway! i'm an ottobre addict :D

Cork said...

It was lovely to read how Crafty Mamas came into being. Happy 7th birthday!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your 7th birthday. This is one amazing giveaway.

Sharon Jones

Treegirl7 said...

Wow. What a fantastic giveaway. I would love to win this.

craftynell said...

Wow. Congratulations Lisa on 7 great years. Thanks for all your hard work...would really enjoy the Otto sub! N

Kate P said...

OMG! Would love to win this! Congrats on 7 years!

Sam said...

What an awsome prize. Really would love to win something like this. 7 years, congratultions!

Amber said...

Happy 7th Birthday Crafty Mamas! You have done an amazing job Lisa!!!! XOXO

sooz said...

Lisa and the Ottobre crew - thanks for bringing out such a fantastic publication! I use my stock of back issues over and over again and almost never feel the need to source a pattern from elsewhere. Looking forward to many more years ahead :-)

Abbington said...

Awesome giveaway to celebrate the anniversary of an awesome crafty community, Lisa! I have benefited much from the advice & feedback from everyone, and I LOVE the Ottobre designs... it would be a great prize to win.

Karen said...

Fabbo give-away Lisa! Thank you for your wonderful on-line store, you are such an inspiration.

Kxx

Kat said...

Happy Birthday CM!!

Deb Cameron said...

What an awesome giveaway Lisa! Oh how I covet one of those Ottobre Subscriptions...beautiful, well designed, pleasure to sew patterns. Love them! Looking forward to sharing the next 7 years of your lovely shop! Thanks for all the great customer service!

Unknown said...

Fabulous giveaway! Congratulations on your anniversary!

annemarie levin said...

how exciting, thanks for the opportunity to win an Ottobre subscription! Annemarie Levin alevin@unimelb.edu.au

JodieR said...

Happy 7th Birthday!

michelle said...

count me in please! how exciting. :)

Claire said...

7 sensational years :)
Thank you for introducing me to Otto - I love it! Also happy birthday to you and the girl xox

Mama Lusco said...

Congratulations! I'd love to win one of these great prizes :) mamalusco at ortelco dot net

Stacey said...

Congratulations! Its a wonderful service you provide... so helpful to newbie crafters like myself :)

gianduia said...

Congratulations on CM's 7th birthday! I really appreciate all the gorgeous fabrics and patterns available, as well as the great advice, inspiration and encouragement! All the best for the next 7 years! And thank you to Ottobre Design and CM for such an awesome giveaway :) ~ Amanda

Sabine said...

Happy birthday Crafty Mamas!!! Thank you very much for being here :-) Love Sabine

ronnieh said...

Well congratulations on seven years, Lisa. I must admit it was a desperate search for Ottobre that led me here in the first place - I found one in a newsagent in Darwin of all places, the day my first grandchild was born she turned seven this year also! Then they disappeared from the newsagents - I was delighted to find you had them.

sew4my3 said...

Happy Birthday CM"S! Nothing but great wishes for your continuation for years to come.

Sarahtee said...

Oh, a giveaway :) Thank you Ottobre and CM :)

Suzie Evason said...

Wow. Seven years. Congratulations. I've never tried Ottobre but would so like to give it a go. Fingers crossed!

Lisa said...

What a fantastic story and happy birthday!

Pippijo said...

Great giveaway Lisa, pick Me, pick Me.

Sunrae said...

Loved reading your crafty journey. So nice to know others enjoy the crafty sewing side of life makes me feel more normal. Would love to win.
bsunrae@hotmail.com

Mel Ogilvie said...

oh what an awesome comp to celebrate 7 years of craftiness. And oh i'd love to win this too i could eaisly see this as becoming a new obsession eagerly waiting for the months to pass by until the next edition arrives.

Ronica Evans said...

I sooo would love to win that! Have just discovered the clever awesomeness of Ottobre as have 2 under 2 and think they are just the BEES KNEES! The designs are amazing so thank you for bringing them in to Australia! And they cheeky, cute, and irrisitible fabrics! Yay Crafty Mamas.

Clarinda said...

Congrats for 7yrs of successful business.

What an ace prize! I do love Ottobre!

Anonymous said...

I would love to win that prize, what a fantastic prize, I heard about it on facebook and just had to head over. What a great strory of how yu started I know I love you having the shop and browsing the blog. xx

Amy said...

Oh how fantastic would that be! I am a newbie sewer, set on teaching myself and making my son some awesome threads with beautiful euro fabric and Ottobre patterns. Soo very glad to have found your website!!

Sarah T-J said...

Happy b'day. I have only just discovered Ottobre & would love the opportunity to start sewing their patterns. Sarah.
Squiffy@iprimus.com.au

joey.a said...

First time on this blog- have crafted for ages but only just discovered crafty mamas. Feels like Christmas has come early! Happy birthday to you.

Di Nosaur said...

Happy Birthday Lisa! I have fallen in love with Ottobre, thankyou for bringing it over :D

Nikki

Tanya said...

Thanks for introducing me & Otto to each other Lisa

Kaja said...

Wow! I must participate in this! Thanks for an awesome chance of winning!

Kaja from Sweden

Romi Jade said...

What an awesome prize! Count me in please :) Thanks Lisa and Ottobre and happy birthday Crafty Mamas!

Crafty Mama said...

I still need to hear from two winners here please, so we can get your prizes happening :)

About Me

Crafty Mamas SHOP blog. Aussie agent for Farbenmix, Studio Tantrum, Stenzo fabric, Ottobre design. Stocking Hilco fabric, Mamu design and other cool stuff!