Freebie Friday by LemonTreeStudio

19 Feb, 2010 by in russian nesting dolls 16 comments



Today’s Freebie Friday is from a super colorful and happy Etsy shop. It is summer there now and all year long! Hi and welcome to Lemon Tree Studio!

Thanks for stopping by…I’m a stay at home mom with a passion for fabric & paper (and other yummies)! I love scrapbooking, card making, sewing, painting, jewelry making and crocheting.

Check out my other shop for vintage yummies: LemonBlooms.etsy.com
Say “hello”: http://mylilyeden.blogspot.com/

♥Convo me and request to be added to my {Lemon News} mailing list…where you will receive EXCLUSIVE discount codes, offers & upcoming info on Studio Sales

♥I heart my fabrics from MaterialGal.etsy.com

♥I heart CherryDelightVintage.etsy.com
♥Visit JaneSays.etsy.com for fresh and fun stuff!

Female, Born on August 25

Enter here to win: A Darling set of Russian Nesting Doll tags, made with Japanese import fabric….so cute!

You will receive 3 tags total, each measuring in at 4.75 x 2.5 inches.
{Each doll is unique and different and may vary from the exact ones pictured (but still equally CUTE!)}

Simply leave us your name and email address in the comments below!
Additional entries
+1 Tell us the name of your favorite fairy tale
+2 go to her shop and comment on your favorite item by pasting the link
+2 go to Etsy and heart her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/LemonTreeStudio
+2 visit her blog and leave a comment http:///
+3 tweet this contest-leave the link
+5 post it on your blog or facebook- leave the link
+5 add our button to your blog
+3 follow us on twitter @FireIcePhotos
+3 follow our blog
+3 become a fan of Fire and Ice on Facebook

Add your entries up and leave the total in your comment Contest ends March 19th and is open to International Entries. Good Luck!

Introducing Illustrator Asja Boros

18 Feb, 2010 by in photography 13 comments

Our spotlight today is on Children’s Illustrator Asja Boros. I found her art on Flickr where she posts book pages and photos as part of the 365 project to post a photo a day. It is whimsical and detailed…I would love to live in her imagination for a day because her work is stunning



Here’s what she had to say in our interview...

“I was born in Vukovar , small town in eastern Croatia.
I’ve graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia, and I majored in animation.
Right now, I don’t have much time to pursue any hobbies, but I love being outdoors , so whenever I can, I go hiking or at least go for a long walk.
I know this is not a very original answer but my all-time favorite book would probably be The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
I started drawing more seriously when I was 18, and I first got published when I was 21, one of my illustrations was published in Croatian daily newspaper, Jutarnji List.
Some suggestions I would give to young illustrators are to draw a lot, whenever and where ever they can, not to be too critical of themselves and to have as much fun as possible.
I’ve been full time freelance illustrator since the beginning of this year, although I occasionally work as a photographer. too. So I guess photography/photo retouching is my another day job 🙂
Alternative rock would probably be my favorite music genre , although I enjoy all kinds of music. I love both music and art but I find the biggest inspiration for my work in nature , in patterns and shapes occurring in nature and since I love drawing animal characters, in animal world.
Currently I’m working on a picture book about a little fox and his friends.
My all time favorite children’s book would be Ježeva kućica by Branko Ćopić. It’s a story about a hedgehog who loves his home. I learned how to draw by practicing a lot”

She asked us to donate four 4×6 autographed prints of the seasons to one lucky blog reader.

To enter to win: leave your name and email address in the comments

+2 for visiting her photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25102254@N03/and commenting below your favorite photo
+2 for visiting her blog at http://threelittlecameras.blogspot.com/
and becoming a follower
+3 for sharing this contest on facebook-leave the link
+5 Share this contest on your blog
+3 Tweet it on twitter- leave the link
+5 add our button to your site
+3 become a fan of Fire and Ice on Facebook
+2 for following us on Twitter @fireicephotos
Total your entries and leave them in the comments below

Giveaway ends March 5th, 2010 and is Open internationally

Gnome Bracelet by Flirtbuttons

17 Feb, 2010 by in Uncategorized 14 comments

It is no secret that I absolutely adore gnomes.
So when I ran accross Flirtbuttons shop on etsy it was instant love…
She says “I have wanted a button maker since I was in elementary school. I just love the concept. So I took my birthday money and bought a professional machine. I now make buttons, pocket mirrors, bottle openers and magnets. All are 2.25 inches. I am doing paper and fabric coverings, and of course I accept wholesale and custom orders. Then I bought a one inch machine and make magnets, buttons, pendants, earrings, bobby pins, jumbo paper clips, rings and bracelets.”

Twitter: www.twitter.com/flirtbuttons
FB: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flirtbuttons/95434339022

To Enter to win the gnome button bracelet simply

leave your name and email address below:

Additional entries
+2 go to her shop and comment on your favorite item by pasting the link
+2 go to Etsy and heart her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/flirtbuttons
+3 tweet this contest-leave the link
+5 post it on your blog or facebook- leave the link
+5 add our button to your blog
+3 follow both of us on twitter @FireIcePhotos and @flirtbuttons
+3 follow our blog or hers
+3 become a fan of Fire and Ice or Flirtbuttons on Facebook

Add your entries up and leave the total in your comment

Contest ends on St. Patrick’s Day March 17, 2010

Good Luck!

WOW- Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

17 Feb, 2010 by in penguin USA 35 comments

Bitterblue (The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, Book 3)
by Kristin Cashore

published 2011 by Dial

details Hardcover

isbn 0547248059

Not quite sure how long we will be waiting for this one, but it will be WELL worth the wait…Taken from Kristin Cashore’s blog “Book 3, tentatively titled Bitterblue and currently in progress, is a companion book to both Graceling and Fire and takes place in the seven kingdoms six years after Graceling. As you may have gathered, the protagonist is Bitterblue. Yes, Katsa, Po, and others from Graceling whom I’m not yet willing to name do appear in the book. I don’t know yet when it’ll be coming out, and heartily invite you not to ask ^_^. That’s all I can say about it at this point.

EDIT 3/9/09: If you notice on Amazon that Bitterblue is cancelled, don’t worry! The Harcourt edition is cancelled, but only because the book has moved to Penguin. Once Bitterblue is written, it’ll be published by the Penguin imprint Dial Books for Young Readers.

In the meantime enjoy her first book Graceling on us…
You will fall head over heels for Po!

To enter to win the hardback: Simply leave us your name and email address!

Open Internationally and contest will end March 3rd, 2010

Teaser Tuesday-Dead Tossed Waves

16 Feb, 2010 by in Uncategorized 5 comments


The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
to be published March 9th 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

details Hardcover, 416 pages

isbn 0385736843

synopsis from Goodreads: Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves

I read the Forest of Hands and Teeth a couple of months ago and can’t wait to read the sequel!Visit Carrie’s website to learn more: http://www.carrieryan.com/books.php

Chesire Cat Scrabble Tile Pendant

16 Feb, 2010 by in etsy, paperpistol 18 comments


Our giveaway today is in honor of Grimilkin in J Kagawa’s “The Iron King.” Thanks to PaperPistol at Etsy. Hello! I’m Carissa and I run Paperpistol in my little homeshop. I love my Min Pin, History, and Cupcakes.Oh, and my family too!

Check out our sister site at:
Klodesigns.etsy.com

♥♥Need more? We also do custom amounts♥♥

http:///Twitter.com/paperpistol
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chico-CA/Klo-Designs/110487053394

To enter to win the Grinning Cat Scrabble Tile necklace
leave your name and email address below +1:
Additional entries
+2 go to her sister shop and comment on your favorite item by pasting the link
+2 go to Etsy and heart her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaperPistol
+3 tweet this contest-leave the link
+5 post it on your blog or facebook- leave the link
+5 add our button to your blog
+3 follow us on twitter @FireIcePhotos
+2 visit our Etsy shop and pick your favorite item http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeatherZahnGardner

Add your entries up and leave the total in your comment Contest ends March 15th and is open to International Entries. Good Luck!

Author Spotlight: Anastasia Hopcus

15 Feb, 2010 by in shadow hills 2 comments


Anastasia Hopcus wrote her first book in the 2nd grade.It was entitled Frederick the Friendly French Ferret and was seven pages long. During high school she wrote numerous short stories and started (but never finished) three screenplays, all as an alternative to doing actual school work. At the very wise age of twelve her career ambition was to drive a Mack truck, but when that didn’t pan out, she tried acting, bartending, and being a receptionist in a dojo before finally returning to writing. Anastasia loves horror movies, Joss Whedon, obsessing over music, and British accents. She lives in Austin, Texas and her debut young adult novel is out Summer 2010 from Egmont. Taken from her website:

Kibbles and Bits of Writing
Gingerbread House
Silver coin streets glimmer

first sprinkling, now pouring

oil slick rainbows drain off

swirling colors bleeding into gutters

StreetSweeperSpring is barreling through

Still our clean slate has dirt underneath

debris trapped in ice

obscured by layers upon layers of resurfaced fresh starts

the bread crumbs lie frozen and buried

Here is a little toddler of a teaser from Shadow Hills. No full chapters yet. I’d say this just meets the minimum requirements to qualify as a paragraph.

The campus lay before me, pristine and untouched by the terror I was experiencing tonight. The school had dorms filled with people who would hear me scream, which made it my best option. The quickest path was through the graveyard, so, already gasping for breath, I took off at a sprint, bearing down on the old cemetery.

Become a fan on Goodreads
Visit her livejournal page
twitter @anastasiahopcus
Pre-order her book and enter her contest in the post below

Shadow Hills Giveaway

15 Feb, 2010 by in shadow hills 34 comments

Today’s Giveaway is SOOO awesome! Anastasia Hopcus, author of Shadow Hills and Egmont books sent us some swag in the mail and we are passing it on to you!~

First place winner receives: A new Hardcover book “Hunger” by Michael Grant,2 Shadow Hills signed bookmarks, one Shadow Hills Magnet, one Shadow Hills button, one of our Twilight inspired Cd’s, and one of our buttons

Second and third place receive one Shadow Hills button, one magnet and two signed bookmarks!

Synopsis from Goodreads: ” Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town…might cost her her life.
Click here to learn more about Anastasia and her book to be released July 13th, 2010 http://fireandicereads.com/2010/01/waiting-on-wednesday-shadow-hills.html

Three winners will be chosen.

To enter: Leave your name and email address below +1
Additional entries +3 visit Anastasia’s website http://www.anastasiahopcus.com/ and leave a comment
+2 Add Shadow Hills to your Goodreads list
+3 tweet this contest-leave the link
Contest Ends March 1st, 2010 and is open internationally

Steampunk and Fairy Bookmark Giveaway

14 Feb, 2010 by in etsy, Meredith Dillman, steampunk 31 comments

Our Valentine’s Giveaway is from the incredibly talented Etsy shop of Meredith Dillman Fantasy and Fairy Art and Illustration

“I mean by a picture, a beautiful romantic dream of something that never was, never will be – in a better light than any light that ever shone – in a land that no-one can define or remember, only desire – and the forms divinely beautiful” – Edward Coley Burne-Jones

————————————————-

I am an artist from the frozen north. I would prefer the real world was always filled with autumn leaves and colorful flowers, but at least I can paint them with my watercolors instead:)

My artistic influences include Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Art Nouveau and Japanese comics. I love painting fairies, elves, medieval and Japanese themes. My art has been published role playing games, the book Watercolor Fairies, How to Draw and Paint Fairies, and 500 Fairy Motifs and recently was the cover artist from the fantasy novel Mercury Brightman: The First Sign ( http://www.thefirstsign.com/ )

Blog: http://meredithdillman.blogspot.com/

She is giving away a prize pack of two bookmarks and one postcard to our lucky winner! To enter leave your name and email address below:

Additional entries
+2 go to her shop and comment on your favorite item by pasting the link
+2 go to Etsy and heart her shop
+3 tweet this contest-leave the link
+5 post it on your blog or facebook- leave the link
+5 add our button to your blog
+3 follow us on twitter @FireIcePhotos
+3 follow our blog
+3 become a fan of Fire and Ice on Facebook
+2 add us as friends on Goodreads

Add your entries up and leave the total in your comment

Contest ends March 14th and is open to International Entries. Good Luck!