A "Diversion" Giveaway

This post is to create a "Diversion" for those of you that are sad (or happy) that the kids have gone back to school.  Hopefully, you now have a little more spare time.  That is, unless you are a teacher and you now have no spare time - arghhhh!

 It is definitely time for me to host a giveaway.  This summer seemed to be lucky for me. 

• My beautiful daughter was in to visit from London. 
• I have passed my 100th post. (How did that happen?) 
• I now have surpassed 100 likes (actually 120) on my Facebook fan page, Dillman's Diversions. 
• I won 2 giveaways.
• My son proposed to his lovely girlfriend.
• I just had the grandkids to visit for my birthday week.

Guess I should have bought a big lottery ticket.

A big THANK YOU to all who read my posts, shop in my Etsy store, and follow my Dillman's Diversions Facebook page.  To celebrate and share the good luck, I would like to give away a pair of my handmade lampwork earrings.  

So how can you enter?  How about a variety of options and you can choose one or several ways to participate?  
Here goes.

1.  Become a follower of my blog, Dillman's Dallies. (leave a comment below)
2.  Like (or already follow) Dillman's Diversions on Facebook.  (leave a comment below)
3.  Share this on your blog and leave me a link to see it. 
(This contest is open only in USA and Canada due to high postage costs.)

You must leave a separate comment for each way you participate to be counted. 
So there are three (3) chances to get your name in the drawing. Just be sure you leave an email to contact you if clicking on your name doesn't give it to me.

Still with me? Then hurry and take action because I will draw a winner at the end of the day on Thursday, September 5, 2013 Monday, September 9, 2013.  Good luck to all!
I have extended the deadline to give time for more entries.

Keep creating,
Carol

Backyard Visitor

Just a quick post to share some pictures of my favorite backyard visitor. 

This little hummingbird visits numerous times a day and occasionally lets me get a decent picture. 

I rarely see more than one at a time because they are very territorial and will chase each other off.  I have tried two feeders this year but I think I have them too close together to allow them to feed together. 

I hear others that say they have lots of hummingbirds at their feeders.  So far I have not been that lucky.
Lots of butterflies also check out the flower beds around the house.   
 

Have a happy day and keep creating,
Carol

Little Missy Bead by Jane Perala

I would like to share with you one of the cutest beads you will ever see.  This lampwork bead is made by the talented Jane Perala of Jane Perala Designs from British Columbia, Canada.  I think anyone can appreciate the time and talent it takes to create such a detailed bead with molten glass. 

Not only does she create these colorful little girls on the front of the bead but provides more eye candy on the back.

And the most fun for me is that I won this cute "Little Missy" from Jane.  Woohoo!  So I do hope that you will check out Jane's work on her blog and her Etsy site, JPeralaDesigns.

Keep creating,

Carol

Whimsical Monkey's Earring Swap Blog Hop

Jessica at Whimsical Monkey has hosted an Earring Swap Blog Hop. 

THANK YOU Jessica for organizing this fun event. 

My partner is Mowse Doyle.  Her blog is Mowse Made This and she is Mowse Made This on Facebook. Here are the earrings she sent me.  Just look at the detailed roses on these dainty heart beads.  Don't you just love them?!   My picture really doesn't do them justice.

Be sure to scroll down on her FB page and see the seashell she made.

And here are the earrings I sent her.  They are made with my own lampwork beads and sterling silver dangles.  I have made similar designs before with the silver dangles and I hope Mowse will love them as much as I do.

Here is the list of the participants.  Please grab your favorite beverage, find a comfortable spot and hop around and enjoy!  I hope you find new blogs to follow and make a new friends.  Or maybe you will find some inspiration to further your creative endeavors.

Blog Hop:

Jessica Wensell:  whimsicalweavings.blogspot.com
Inge von Roos: ingetraud.wordpress.com

Nancy Smith: wirednan.blogspot.ca
Marianne Baxter: http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com/
Leah Tees: mybeadylittleeyes.blogspot.ca
Andrea Trank: www.heavenlanecreations.com
Miranda Ackerley: http://blog.mirandack.com/
Cheri Mitchell-Reed: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Susan Kennedy: www.suebeads.blogspot.com
Michele Dotson: http://star-jewels.blogspot.com/
Deanna Cox: www.deannaaki.WordPress.com
Shelley Graham Turner: www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Ingrid McCue: www.wrappedinsilver.com
Lennis Carrier: http://windbent.wordpress.com
Ginger Davis Allman: http://thebluebottletree.com/
Mary Anne Flesch: www.handcraftedserenity.blogspot.com
Nicole Valentine Rimmer: www.nvalentine.blogspot.com
Stephanie Weiss: uniquelymebwd.blogspot.com/
Silvia Sernicola: http://pipa-the-latest.blogspot.it/
Karla Morgan: www.TexasPepperJams.blogspot.com
Kay Thomerson: http://KayzKreationz.blogspot.com
Paula Hisel: http://simplybeadiful.weebly.com/simply-stated.html
Carol Dillman: http://dillmansdallies.blogspot.com/ (you are here)
Spun Sugar Beadworks: Spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com
Tara Plote: http://newbiebeader.blogspot.com/
Rachel Baron: http://rbarondesigns.blogspot.com/
Laurie Keefe: http://treeofliferootedinmysoul.blogspot.com/
Kashmira Patel: http://sadafulee.blogspot.com
Gina Hockett: http://www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com
Shellie Grindy: http://www.creativeeclectica.com/
Shai Williams: http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/
Dyanne Cantrell: http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com
Mimi Gardner: www.OtherCuriosities.blogspot.com
Jessica McMullen: http://pheonixgatedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jennifer LaVite: www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com
Laura Medeiros: http://zoeowyn.blogspot.com/
Alenka Obid: www.pepita-handmade.blogspot.com
Elsie Fonseca: http://www.ladelizchica.blogspot.com/
Cheryl Dunham: www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com
Sandra McGriff: http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.ca
Tania Spivey: http://moobiegrace.blogspot.com/
Mowse Doyle:  http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com
Mischelle Fanucchi: http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
Beccy Peterson: Beccy's Baubles
Marde Lowe: FanciMar Designs

 

You can never have too many pairs of earrings!

Keep creating,

Carol

What a Challenge!

Because I just love to sew, I attend meetings of a quilt guild.  Occasionally we take on a service project.  This time it will be a charity quilt, so one of the members came up with a way to get the quilt squares made.  Members were offered a challenge fabric fat quarter for designing a quilt square.  I decided to jump in and give it a try.  Here is the challenge fabric:

So yes it was a challenge.  With all the words and shapes in the design, it didn't seem to work with some of the traditional quilt patterns that would have cut it in to very small pieces.  To bring in fun and humor, I designed an owl similar to the one found in the challenge fabric.  I didn't want the square to become too dark and somber so I found a light blue print to lighten up the color scheme. I used the fusible applique method to add the owl and used a blanket stitch around all the pieces. 

I still had some of the challenge fabric left so I pieced two more squares to be donated for the charity quilt. I kept a little diagonal in each piece.

So what do you think?  Did I meet the challenge?

What are you creating?

Carol