Ivy & Co.: giveaways

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Clothes Pins - Fabric Strips and Vintage Buttons

I like pretty things. Who doesn't? I don't like spending $4.99 on 'chip clips' or 'good grips' or any other overpriced gadget to keep your snack bags closed. I just use clothes pins. Chips, crackers, frozen veggies, bags of rice, cereal... in my house you'll find clothes pins sealing them shut. But not just any clothespin... a pretty clothespin.

One Sunday afternoon I got tired of the bare wood look.

I dug out my modge podge and some fabric scraps and beautified these babies.

Then, an unexpected package arrived from my aunt in LA. It's the same aunt who gave me the vintage train case I upcycled, (click here to see that post), and the same aunt who lives in the awesome cottage I blogged about a while back, (click here to see that post.)

Vintage buttons!

Out came the glue gun and oila!

It's the little things that make life fun and pretty.

Do you do anything simple like this that just brings a smile to your face every time you see/use it?

Aloha, Rebecca

Album Giveaway! What Is Real

About 4 months ago, I think I was the last person on earth to discover Mumford and Sons. I still no nothing about them, but have downloaded maybe 5 songs and love them. I really like to know about the artists I listen to, so I should probably get on that. Let's just say I usually read those little descriptions on iTunes about the albums and I keep up with my www.people.com reading.

My husband's cousin's husband is a musician. His name is Paul Chase Jr. We've never met, but are facebook friends. From his posts, I could tell he was a musician, but I hadn't heard any of his stuff. Last week I finally moseyed over to his website to give it a listen and really liked what I heard! As I did a little more research, I learned that he is also the frontman of the band Syndicate 19. Reverb Nation says the band sounds like a cross between Talking Heads, Dave Matthews Band, Pink Floyd, Steppenwolf and Mumford and Sons. (There it is again. Good ole Mumford. Oh, and Sons.)

But Paul's latest album is not with Syndicate 19. It's actually his first solo acoustic album, titled "What Is Real." When I started listening to it, I felt like it would be a great soundtrack to the Contemporary Dance classes I teach. I'm always looking for lyrics with purpose, and tempos with movement. I love the tracks "Valentine," "Outlook," and "Walking, Talking, Drinking."

His website says:

"Influences clearly range from heavy alternative rock, such as on the aggressive title track “What is Real”, to folk/country on the song “Rest” to a lighter indie rock sound on the placid “Astronaut”. Strong feelings about world issues and human struggles provide “an endless stream of things to write about,” Chase says. Many of the songs on What is Real have been provoked by the news, radio and social media, yielding honest and raw lyrics paired with passionate vocals and a unique guitar style."

Because of my profession, I'm always on the lookout for new music. I like it even better when it's "good," and something that has yet to go mainstream. Since Paul is based on the East Coast, I think it's safe to say it's unlikely that the masses out here in Hawaii have heard his stuff yet. I'm the first on my block, that's for sure. Do you want to be first on your block? If so, it could be your lucky day. Enter the giveaway down below for a chance to win a free download code for his album. The giveaway will be up until 11:59 p.m., Saturday, March 30. It's super easy to enter. You just fill in your email address, so we can send you the code if you win. To get some extra entries, you can follow him on twitter or FB and such.

Thank you, Paul, for the generous giveaway, but more importantly, thank you for your music! I love to see people create things that they're passionate about. Even better when it's a member of my family. So important.

Visit Paul Chase Jr. on:

a Rafflecopter giveaway