Happy day and giveaway winner!

As I said in my previous posting, I'm not into this celebration AT ALL. However, I find it a great chance to make all kind of heart crafts and get all these uplifting colours (pink, fucsia, red) around me. Yesterday I had a wonderful time at school, where I taught them how to make this card with a lovely surprise inside:

via this link

It proved a rather easy and enjoyable craft for kids (and me for that matter!). One class traced their own hands, however the result was not very nice, as their fingers came out really thin.So, for the rest of the classes we used a template.When they finished, I told them that they should give it to a person they love. I can't describe my hapinness, when I found four cards on my desk addressed to me right after the break!

Of course, this whole hearty card making triggered funny incidents, such as, pupils teasing their mates by hiding cards in their  bags (mostly boy to boy), hiding cards in their Valentine's cabinet (the boys proved to be more courageous!), lots of laughs and so on!

This card, not only helped me deliver a nice lesson, but it spread a happy feeling all over the school!

Nice...  

And may I announce the lucky one of my V's giveaway!
It's Greenthumb from one of my favourite blogs called Made with Love ! 

Congratulations dear! 
 Now you got me sewing!

A big thanks to everyone for participating! 
I only wish they were even more entries... That would have been even more thrilling!
 
Have a wonderful Friday and an exciting weekend ahead!

 

Valentine's GIVEAWAY!

I was really happy to see that many people liked my Key-to-My-Heart keyring! So I decided to give one away for Valentine's day, since I don't have a Valentine and I don't believe in it! No, I'm not going mad! I just find it a wonderful occassion to give a heart to you, that will lift my spirits while I make it and hopefully yours, when you win it.

  My last two giveaways became an opportunity to meet some wonderful people and follow their blogs and I decided that this one will be a way to express how much I love blogging lately!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this posting. Since I will make the keyring especially for you,you get to decide the fabric. So, make sure you mention which one you prefer, the red dot or the romantic one. 

The deadline is February 14th, 24:00 pm (Greek time).

Feel free to spread the news to other bloggers! I'd love to meet some more wonderful people!

GOOD LUCK!

Giveaway reminder

Just a quick posting to remind everyone that tomorrow (20:00pm Greek time) is the deadline for my two giveaways.

You're more than welcome to enter, if you already haven't.

I hope you're lucky enough to win either this earbud pouch that I made especially for you...

....or a small bottle of fresh olive oil (just a week old!) my family produces.

...or if you get really lucky, both!

To enter, just follow these links :

olive oil giveaway 

 earbud pouch giveaway

Good luck!

Earbuds in style and another GIVEAWAY!

That awful laryngitis, that has been troubling me for a week, has had a positive effect upon me. 

No, it has not harmed my sanity as well as my voice!

I mean that, not going  to school for so many days, and being all by myself at home speechless,  I've had plenty of time to surf a bit AND get creative to pass my time a bit more meaningfully. So,I came across some lovely and quite inspirational blogs and websites. Most importantly, I found a few crafts that I immediately tried out. 

For example, I just couldn't resist making  a stylish pouch for my earbuds, that I sourced on the lovely crafty site called  Dog Under My Desk . I just hate it that my earbuds ALWAYS get tangled. Don't you ?

So, I made not one, not two, but three, all in one afternoon. I can easily make something just by looking at it, but a good tutorial such as this, was a great time saver for me, thus the three pouches! 

As there are birthdays ahead, I decided to make some more for presents for my friends.And then I thought, why not give one to my blog friends! 

So, another giveaway for you with all my love!

This polca dot pouch, which, even if you don't have earbuds, can be used for keeping all those tiny bits that we usually search for in vain in our bags (keys, paper clips, coins etc.). The best thing about it is that it can be attached on the bag due to the ring, which means, it's sooo handy!

So, to enter this giveaway (deadline 10th February) there are 3 requirements (to match the 3 pouches I made;)  )

1.Leave a comment on this posting

2. Make a link on one of your postings

and

2. Become a follower (if you're not already)

 Just make sure you mention in your comment that you fill these 3 requirements.

And don't forget about my other giveaway that is still running!

Looking forward to seeing your comments and more importantly to sending my two gifts to the lucky ones, with aaaall my love.

Have yourself a maaaaaaarvellous weekend!

Olive picking and a GIVEAWAY

The heart of winter. 

It's the time of year that olives are ready.

Can I describe it? Certainly. 
I have just two words for you: tough work.

As romantic as it may seem, olive picking is not. 
Yes, we practically 'live' in the olive grove as we go early in the morning and leave just before sunset.However, there are hardly the perfect weather conditions for it: cold, rain, frost and wind are no friends to olive pickers. Of course there are times when there is sun and it's warm, in which case it's a feast! You can only hear the birds, bells of sheep that are gazing or even the distant voices of olive pickers in nearby groves. Sometimes it's so quiet that even insects can be heard.It's the time that the sun makes this rare silver green colour of the olive tree leaves shine in the breeze. It's then that I take my camera and start picking photos instead...

Our olive grove. What a striking difference of the grass green and the olive green...

Olive picking is really hard work. When I get back home after a day's work my body aches aaaall over. Imagine how this is when it goes on everyday for weeks. On top, olive pickers are always in stress since they need to make the best use of the weather and the short ammount of hours during winter daytime.

After the olives are picked, we make sure we leave no twigs or bad olives that will inevidably destroy the oil's flavour.  It's quite time consuming, but it's worhtwhile. I like dipping my hand in this pile! The feeling is awsome!

Not only is it hard, but a dangerous work, too! During the olive picking period the hospitals get filled with people who have accidents. The most common is that they fall off  ladders and they break legs, hands, or backs. Unfortunately, I  had this experience with my father falling off the ladder and ending up with his both hands broken- nothing romantic about it. I can assure you!

Peacefulness...

Yet, all this pain, effort and exhaustion simply dissapear the moment the first golden drops of the new olive oil that have just come home from 'liotrivi' (the place where olives are pressed) touch a slice of homemade toasted bread.It's the highest reward an olive picker can get. Not to mention the best snack to take with them to the grove the next day!

The healthiest snack

 How does fresh olive oil taste like? Heavenly!
 It has got a light greenish colour and as it matures, it gets clearer and turns yellow. Of course it's flavour also changes getting deeper and it loses these fresh, fruity tones to an extent.

This year our oil was of an amazing quality (not every year is the same, as the weather conditions greatly affect it)! It has the most subtle fruity taste and I just can't stop dipping chunks of bread in a bowl with olives and olive oil- it's my favourite lunch and supper these days. 

Another version I like is bread, a pinch of salt, olive olive and fresh thyme: an explosion of flavours in my mouth!
 

 My dad has a spoonful of olive oil everyday before breakfast: a bomb of vitamines! And of course all kind of food gets more exciting drizzled with olive oil. In Greece olive oil is in our everyday diet and we use it everywhere. There is no salad dressing without olive oil in it, it's the most basic ingredient! We always use it in cooking, in baking, even in desserts, practically everywhere!

A green river of olive trees flows into the blue sea in my father's village

So, to celebrate this year's harvest,
I'm happy to announce a giveaway!!!!!!!!
A small bottle of our fresh olive oil along with ideas how to enjoy it, will be sent over to you!

What do you need to do to enter?
2 options:

1. Just leave a comment on this posting and become a follower 
 of my blog (in the case that you aren't already)

If you would like to double your chances to win:

  2. Spread the news to other bloggers either by linking to this posting  or by reffering to it in one of your postings 
(in which cases make sure to let me know)

The giveaway will be open until 10th February.
The winner will be announced on the 13th February.

Hoping that I challenged your appettite enough!
Looking forward to your entries!