Winners for the "Hit the Books" accessories challenge!

Congratulations to the winners of the accessories challenge this month!!!

The Voter's Choice award, by one vote, goes to LaToya, with her primary-color bow that had an apple center! She wins a tutorial of her choice from Birdsong Bows and Patterns!

The Judge's Choice award winner was chosen by Cecilia Jorcin of Lily Bird Studio! She chose Ashley's bow with the ruler and crayon center! Ashley wins a $15 gift certificate generously donated by The Ribbon Retreat.

Thanks so much to everyone for entering! Both winners can contact me at birdsongbows [at] gmail [dot] com. I'll host another contest next month! :)

Entries for the "Let's Hit the Books" accessories challenge

Thanks to the 4 women who sent photos for our 10th challenge! The theme of this challenge is "Let's Hit the Books," and I asked participants to send a photo of a bow, hair flower, or tote that fits the theme!

There will be two awards! The first winner will be chosen by Cecilia Jorcin of Lily Bird Studio. The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate generously provided by The Ribbon Retreat.
But there's another prize! The second way to win is to have your friends, family, Facebook friends, etc., vote for you! There's a poll in the upper right corner of my blog (in the sidebar). Voting will continue until 4 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Aug. 14. The winner will receive her choice of a free tutorial from Birdsong Patterns! :)

Enjoy the entries! And thanks again for participating. I will post the winner here no later than Thursday, August 16! Please check back here and on the Birdsong Facebook page for an announcement of the winners.


From Ashley:

From Kourtney:

From LaToya:

From Melissa:

Accessories Challenge: Let's hit the books!

Photo from ModGenesDesigns on Etsy

The theme for our 10th challenge is, "Let's Hit the Books!" Yes, (sadly) it's time to start thinking about back-to-school time again. You may make a boutique bow or bow set, a headband, a bowband, a funky loopy bow, a fascinator, a hair flower, or basket/tote-- basically, anything you've fashioned using a Birdsong pattern or tutorial -- following the theme of "back to school." The design must be made from a Birdsong tutorial or pattern. You can focus on making your accessory to match an apple theme, ABCs, numbers, rulers, school colors, crayons, books...anything that reminds you that it's time to hit the books!

There will be two prizes again. The first will be chosen by a judge to be revealed soon (not me)! The winner of this award will receive a $15 gift certificate generously donated by The Ribbon Retreat!
The second way to win a prize is through "Voter's Choice." I'll put all the submissions on the blog and will host a poll in the sidebar. Invite your friends and relatives to vote for your photo! The winner of the Voter's Choice Award will receive a FREE e-book from Birdsong Bows and Patterns.

To enter, E-mail your best photograph of your finished product (either on a model or not) to me at deanna [at] birdsongbows.com by 2:59 a.m Pacific time (11:59 p.m.  Eastern) on Monday, Aug. 6 (so, basically before you go to bed Tuesday night). Please keep your photos around 600 pixels wide, so that they're neither too big nor too small. And remember: They must be recognizably made using at least one Birdsong tutorial or pattern. No more than one entry/photo per contestant, please. If you're on Flickr, feel free to post a photo to the Birdsong Flickr Photo Group as well, for all to see!
Good luck! I can't wait to see your entries! All entries will be posted on the blog by Wednesday, August 8 for voting.:)

Congratulations to the winners of Accessories Challenge 9

Congratulations to the winners of the accessories challenge this month!!!

The Voter's Choice award, by one vote, goes to Heidi, with patriotic hair flowers! She wins a tutorial of her choice from Birdsong Bows and Patterns!

The winner of of the Random.org drawing goes to...Lora! I was surprised when the number 1 popped up on the Random.org page...because Lora was in second place for the voter's choice award. Lora wins a $15 gift certificate generously donated by The Ribbon Retreat.

Thanks so much to everyone for entering! Both winners can contact me at birdsongbows [at] gmail [dot] com. I'll host another contest next month! :)

Entries for "Summer Picnic" accessories challenge!

Thanks to the 4 women who sent photos for our ninth challenge! The theme of this challenge is "Summer Picnic," and I asked participants to send a photo of a bow, hair flower, or tote that fits the theme!

There will be two awards! The first winner will be chosen by Random.org. The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate generously provided by The Ribbon Retreat.
But there's another prize! The second way to win is to have your friends, family, Facebook friends, etc., vote for you! There's a poll in the upper right corner of my blog (in the sidebar). Voting will continue until 1 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, May 21. The winner will receive her choice of a free tutorial from Birdsong Patterns! :)

Enjoy the entries! And thanks again for participating. I will post the winner here on Tuesday, May 22! Please check back here and on the Birdsong Facebook page for an announcement of the winners.

From Lora:

From Kat:

From Deborah:

From Heidi:

Hair Bow Challenge 5: Celebrate the holidays!

Image of invitation by Kathy Weller of Weller Wishes

The theme for our fifth challenge is "Celebrate the holidays!" You may make a boutique bow or bow set, a headband, a bowband, a funky loopy bow, a fascinator, a hair flower -- basically, anything you've fashioned out of ribbon or fabric -- following this theme. The hair bow or flower must be made from a Birdsong tutorial or pattern. You can focus on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa - any fall/winter holiday that you'd like.
There will be two prizes again! The first will be a RANDOM drawing completed through Random.org. The winner of the random drawing will receive a $15 gift certificate from The Ribbon Retreat!
The second way to win a prize is through "Voter's Choice." I'll put all the bows on the blog and will host a poll in the sidebar beginning Tuesday, Oct. 25. Invite your friends and relatives to vote for your bow! The winner of the Voter's Choice Award will receive a FREE e-book from Birdsong Bows and Patterns.
To enter, E-mail your best photograph of your finished product (either on a model or not) to me at deanna [at] birdsongbows.com by 2:59 a.m Pacific time (11:59 p.m. Eastern) on Sunday, Oct. 23 (so, basically before you go to bed Sunday night). Please keep your photos around 600 pixels wide, so that they're neither too big nor too small. And remember: They must be recognizably made using at least one Birdsong tutorial or pattern. No more than one entry/photo per contestant, please. If you're on Flickr, feel free to post a photo to the Birdsong Flickr Photo Group as well, for all to see!
Good luck! I can't wait to see your entries. :)

Hair Bow Challenge 4: Let's go to the movies!

Image of invitation by Pink Pickle Studios

The theme for our fourth challenge is "Let's go to the movies!" You may make a boutique bow or bow set, a headband, a bowband, a funky loopy bow, a fascinator, a hair flower -- basically, anything you've fashioned out of ribbon or fabric -- following this theme. The hair bow or flower must be made from a Birdsong tutorial or pattern. Are you a fan of Gone with the Wind, or do you prefer cartoons and comedies you can watch with the kids? You can base your accessory on any movie you like. Or are you inspired by popcorn and candy - the "ambience" surrounding the event of going to the movies? You can make an accessory based on your favorite movie snack as well!
There will be two prizes again! The first will be a RANDOM drawing completed through Random.org. The winner of the random drawing will receive a $15 gift certificate from The Ribbon Retreat!
The second way to win a prize is through "Voter's Choice." I'll put all the bows on the blog and will host a poll in the sidebar on Friday, Sept. 9. Invite your friends and relatives to vote for your bow! The winner of the Voter's Choice Award will receive a FREE e-book from Birdsong Bows and Patterns.
To enter, E-mail your best photograph of your finished product (either on a model or not) to me at deanna [at] birdsongbows.com by 2:59 a.m Pacific time (11:59 p.m. Eastern) on Wednesday, September 7 (so, basically before you go to bed Wednesday night). Please keep your photos around 600 pixels wide, so that they're neither too big nor too small. And remember: They must be recognizably made using at least one Birdsong tutorial or pattern. No more than one entry/photo per contestant, please. If you're on Flickr, feel free to post a photo to the Birdsong Flickr Photo Group as well, for all to see!
Good luck! I can't wait to see your entries. :)

Hair Bow/Flower Challenge 3: Off to the State Fair!

Image by Lora Risley Images

The theme for our third challenge is "Off to the State Fair!" You may make a boutique bow or bow set, a headband, a bowband, a funky loopy bow, a fascinator, a hair flower -- basically, anything you've fashioned out of ribbon or fabric -- following this theme. This time, the hair bow or flower must be made from a Birdsong tutorial or pattern. The state fair is a time of carnival rides, "fair" food, animal showings, 4H projects, freak shows and magic. What type of hair accessory can you make that will follow this theme?



Image by 3L Photography
There will be two prizes again! The first will be a "Judge's Choice" Award. Our judge is Jen of Tie Dye Diva. Jen is a fantastic pattern designer and has a great eye for color and design. The winner of the Judge's Choice award will receive a $15 gift certificate from The Ribbon Retreat!
The second way to win a prize is through "Voter's Choice." I'll put all the bows on the blog and will host a poll in the sidebar, beginning Friday, August 5. Invite your friends and relatives to vote for your bow! The winner of the Voter's Choice Award will receive your choice of either a selection of unused ribbons and notions from my personal stash, or a FREE e-book from Birdsong Bows and Patterns.
To enter, E-mail your best photograph of your finished product (either on a model or not) to me at deanna [at] birdsongbows.com by 3 a.m. Pacific time (midnight Eastern) on Thursday, August 4 (so, basically before you go to bed Wednesday night). Please keep your photos around 600 pixels wide, so that they're neither too big nor too small. And remember: They must be recognizably made using at least one Birdsong tutorial or pattern. No more than one entry/photo per contestant, please. If you're on Flickr, feel free to post a photo to the Birdsong Flickr Photo Group as well, for all to see!
Good luck! I can't wait to see your entries. :)




Image by Raceytay

Princess Week Photos, Part IV

I received 16 entries in the photographic portion of the Princess Week contest! I also have several entries from those who made purchases this week. Both winners will be announced tomorrow!
For now, here are two more entries into the photographic portion of the contest. I will not be posting all entries, but at least one from each person who entered. However, all will be judged by my daughters tomorrow! Good luck to all!

From Tiny Hearts Bowtique:




From Kylie:

Princess Week Photos, Part II

Got some more bow photos today! Don't forget that this week you can win $15 from The Ribbon Retreat+Fabric by either sending bow photos to deanna@birdsongbows.com or making a purchase of $8 or more on the Birdsong Bows website or the Birdsong Etsy shop for hair bow instructions, ribbonwork instructions, and tutu tutorials! Purchases of $16, $24 and $32 get more entries!
Here are two entries for you to look at today! Isn't it fun to see what your fellow designers are doing?

From Mandy:




From Kimberley:

Princess Week!

It's the dream for almost every little girl - to grow up in a regular, everyday home and be swept up into the arms of a prince. Are you caught up in the hubbub of the Royal Wedding? Will you wake up at 4 a.m. Eastern on Friday to see the festivities? How are you going to celebrate the wedding of Wills and Kate?
If you can't make it to London this week (I wasn't invited, either), you can celebrate with Birdsong! We all make or love bows that could be worn by royal girls everywhere. Last week I launched my latest pattern, "The Elizabeth Headband: Ruffles and Roses" (with a name inspired by my lovely daughter's middle name). It's a headband certainly appropriate for any little princess or her queen mama. And this week we're going to have even more fun!



You will have two opportunities to win ribbon and prizes from me this week!
The FIRST way to win: Anyone who purchases tutorials worth $8 and over, from either the Birdsong Bows and Patterns Website or the Birdsong Etsy shop, will be entered into a contest to win a gift certificate for $15 from The Ribbon Retreat+Fabric! If your purchase totals $8, you gain 1 entry. If you purchase $16, you earn 2. Want 3 entries? Then make a purchase worth $24. And for 4 entries, make a purchase worth $32. I will keep a spreadsheet of all entries, with the winner being chosen through Random.org. The contest will continue from now until 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 29.
Already have hair bow instructions from Birdsong Bows and Patterns? That's wonderful, and there's a way for you to win as well. Take a photo of your little princess wearing one of your creations (or of the bows alone if your princess isn't available), and send it to me at deanna@birdsongbows.com. Please keep your photos no larger than 600 pixels wide, and I will post them on my blog throughout the week to share. On Friday afternoon my two princesses will choose their favorite bow photo, and the winner will also receive a $15 gift certificate from The Ribbon Retreat+Fabric! This method is not scientific, since my daughters are 5 and 10, but believe me when I say that they are hair bow connoisseurs.
You may enter both ways and as many times as you would like.
So join in the fun! If we can't actually *go* to the royal wedding, at least we can find ways to unleash our own inner princess. :)