12 days of cheer, preview & info:

So I thought I'd post a small preview of some of the shops participating in the 12 days of cheer, and explain what is going to happen for the next 12 days to you so you can understand what it's all about :)

What exactly is this 12 days of cheer? Like I said the other day, if you're familiar with groupon, the 12 days of cheer is something like that. I'll be posting a new store each day and they will be offering a really sweet deal on one item from their shop!

What will my savings be? Please keep in mind that all the shops participating are small businesses where all the items are handmade (minus a couple) but the discount can't be as amazing as 70% off like deals you sometimes see on groupon. The savings will be anywhere from 15% - 40% and there are limited amounts of each item available (anywhere from 10 - 30) so you may want to act quickly as the deal can potentially sell out.

How can I buy the item? Within each daily good cheer post, there will be a paypal 'buy now' button. Here is a preview of what it will look like so you will know what to look for:

Just click the 'buy now' button and you will be able to purchase the deal directly from the post! The funds are sent directly to the shop owner and your good cheer item will be sent off! Really easy & simple. Note: Shipping fees will be added at checkout for some shops - but don't worry, everything will be noted accordingly in each post.

That's it! I hope it is simple and understandable.

I know times are hard for some of you, financial situations for some of us are different than past years and I really wanted to get some fun deals going to bring to you and spread some good cheer. :) Who doesn't like a good deal? I am really excited for this promotion and I hope you will enjoy it and maybe score a couple good deals! I am really grateful for each of the shops participating, their generosity in discounting an item to offer is what makes the 12 days of cheer possible!

If you have any questions about anything related to this promotion, please leave them in the comments below and I can update this information with more details if needed.

Okay, so have your paypal accounts ready! Tomorrow will be the start of good cheer! The deal will be posted at 8:00 am Pacific Standard Time! Happy Tuesday, friends.

Holiday 2010 Trade Guide:

The 2010 Holiday Trade Guide is here! Trading is really fun: the following list of shops are all trade-friendly! So if you have a shop, get to trading! You can also get creative, if you have some sort of skill you could trade for, or I've even traded for sponsor banners too! This also sort of makes a great gift guide ;) Have fun!

If you didn't make it to the guide (there were a lot of submissions, sorry!) but you are open to trades, simply post your shop link in the comments below.

Click below to view the trade guide!

How trading generally works: If you see something you like, simply message the seller to see if they'd be interested to trade and be sure to include your shop link. Then figure out a fair trade for both parties and trade! Please do not be offended if someone says no and please be courteous in your messages to each other :)

HOLIDAY & CLOTHING: Lovely holiday goods + cute shirts!

(1) cutthecakedesigns

(2) quotesandnotes

(3) dressingontheside

(4) inklingpaper

(5) designsofartisan

(6) sookiesays

GIFT GUIDE: These would make lovely gifts :)

(1) ginpins

(2) HumbleLikeThisChild

(3) virtuebathandbeauty

(4) postaltreats

(5) samandemma

(6) sidneyann

VINTAGE:

(1) lacklusterco

(2) recy

(3) birchandbird

(4) bellalulu

(5) thedootdootstore

ART & PHOTOGRAPH PRINTS:

(1) shannonpix

(2) alifethroughthelens

(3) cameracrazy

(4) sarahmarguerite

(5) lizzimarie

(6) somethingmonumental

(7) toniweberphotography

JEWELRY: One can never have too much jewelry!

(1) linkeldesigns

(2) otherlovelythings

(3) shopnimo

(4) sumikoshop

(5) ofmatter

(6) oooohshiny

(7) armellejewelry

(Sorry, the rest of the numbers got cut off!)

(8) pinkstreet

(9) suzannemade

(10) psiheartyou

PAPER GOODS:

(1) ohSmile

(2) AJthePurple

(3) No #3!

(4) saratops

(5) sealevelcreations

(6) kristimariehowell

(7) earthtogirl

ACCESSORIES:

(1) kdaviscreates

(2) lemonjitters

(3) SweetbriarOriginals

(oops, sorry there are 2 #4's!)

(4) specsandwings + (4) sandyalamode

(5) urbanitejewelry

(6) ThiliBlooms

(7) inhonorof

black friday sales:

Hello! How was your Thanksgiving? I wanted to share some awesome black friday buy worthy sales going on - all (well, most) of these shops are offering 50% off their store! Happy shopping friends, have a lovely long weekend!

1) Olive Manna - an amazing sale going on: get a free gift certificate or 50% off your entire purchase! read the details here!

2) Tulle - 50% off everything sale! Lots of cute winter coats to keep you warm.

3) Chronicle Books - Okay, it's not 50% but it's 35% + free shipping! Lots of great books that will make great gifts! Use code "FRIENDS"

4) Sumiko Shop - 40% off the entire shop! I love everything from this shop, use code "BFCM2010"

5) The Modern Marigold - 50% off all skirts + DIY bunting kits! Prices as marked.

6) A Life through the Lens - Buy 1 get 1 free! Off the entire shop!

7) Clever Betty - 50% off the shop, prices as marked.

8) Gaby Burger - 50% off the entire shop, use code "BLACKFRIDAY50"

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MORE SHOP 50% SALES:

BrideBlu - 50% off sale! Use code "blackfriday50" at checkout.

Suzannemade - 50% off one item! Use code "ohhelloblackfriday"

Urbanite Jewelry - 50% off the shop!

All Things Jane - 50% off entire shop!

* Visit paper n stitch for a huge black friday shopping guide too!

Is your shop having a sale too? Feel free to use the comments as a 'message board' and post your shop link if you're having a sale! Be sure to leave details about the sale, and a coupon code if one applies. :)

happy thanksgiving:

Hi Friends! Just wanted to stop in and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things this year. Wherever you are or whatever you're doing, I hope you are able to give thanks today! Hopefully you get to eat yummy food + spend time with loved ones! We are blessed. Have a great day!

(images from martha stewart)

12 days of cheer, coming soon:

I thought I'd post a little note about a fun holiday promotion I've been working on for you, my lovely readers. I've gathered 12 shops to participate in an exclusive promotion, here at oh, hello friend. Ever heard of groupon? I suppose it's going to be something similar to that, but with handmade shops! The festivities will start on December 1st -- have your paypal accounts ready! ;)

PS: I'm looking for shops who are offering a 50% discount (or more) for a black friday promotion blog post - if you're offering a really super deal, please email me and I'll put a post together!

diy with Brittni:

Hi everyone! Its Brittni from papernstitch again. Today, I am back with another roundup of my favorite diy projects from around the web. And this time it is all about accessories (fashion accessories to be exact). So, whether you are planning on making a few goodies for yourself, or seeking the perfect gift to make for a friend, one thing is for sure: You are going to fall in love with at least one of these totally awesome tutorials...

Here's a simple tutorial for a linen and lace scarf from Eva Foreva. Anyone with a little sewing know-how can recreate this look. And its the perfect scarf for mild fall temperatures, not to mention, a great use of a light-weight fabric like linen. Don't you think?

Once you've made your first linen scarf, its time to celebrate. Get ready to accessorize for a night out with this gorgeous chiffon and tulle hair clip tutorial from Project Wedding. This would be an amazing gift for a soon-to-be-bride.

And then, be sure to finish out fall with one of these gilded acorn charm necklaces found over on Design Sponge. The glitzy gold is a nice contrast to the natural acorn top.

Or make a unique broomstick lace bracelet, like this one, in an afternoon with a little help from Two and Six. It feel intricate and effortless at the same time.

And to wrap up things up for today, re-create my absolute favorite scarf right now, with this tutorial for a fun, edgy but sweet scarf from Honestly...WTF. What I love most about it, is anyone can make one. No knitting skills required!

See you next week for another roundup!

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About Brittni: She is the founder of the handmade exhibition site, papernstitch, and is also the editor of a handmade style blog, by the same name. When not working on papernstitch, she is dreaming up fun little tutorials and crafting projects for her home. If you love DIY as much as Brittni does, visit her free diy projects and tutorials section for more than fifty quick and easy projects.

business cards, my collection:

I was looking through my collection of business cards and decided to pull out some of my favorite's to share with you! I really love business cards. I've done some business card round up posts here & here so if you're new to the blog, check them out!

100 layer cake - beautiful, simple, letterpress

olive manna - square shape, kraft cardstock

ready go - handmade, sewn details - like the texture!

searchresq - custom lightbulb shape on wood, brilliant!

jennifer alden design - just downright really good design!

miniature rhino - using a really nice product image as design, lovely.

michael wysong - love the use of pattern - it works so well together.

katie frederick - simple, information is well laid out, like the square shape.

the other side of the jennifer alden card. so good.

k+c sitting in a tree - handmade card, really sweet + simple.

wiley valentine - LOVE these. they're letterpress + printed on seed paper!

nate butler - no idea where I got this card, but it's amazing! It's really light

wood veneer. The website on the card doesn't work :/

Detail / Close up shots:

& that's all! Hope you enjoyed the cards and gathered some inspiration :)

PS: If you have a unique business card that you'd

like to share, please send it my way!

I'd love to photo it and add it to my collection :)

weekly giveaway - oh, hello friend:

I realized I haven't really done many giveaways for my own shop. So here it is! A lovely giveaway for not 1, but 2 pocket watches. Keep one, give one to a friend. Or keep both, it's really all up to you! ;) So stop by oh, hello friend + don't forget to follow me on twitter & facebook! ps: sorry for the very delayed post!

win: Your choice of any 2 pocketwatch

necklaces, $60 value!

3 chances to win!

( COMMENT TO WIN )

simply visit oh, hello friend and leave a comment

with your favorite item from the shop.

( +1 EXTRA ENTRY )
Twitter or Facebook about this giveaway.

Come back & comment with the link!

*note: if you twitter, p

lease tag it with @ohhellofriend

so I can keep track of entries!

( +1 MORE EXTRA ENTRY )

Become a twitter / blogger follower or a facebook fan,

Leave a comment letting me know which site you follow for an extra entry!

*note: please only comment once for what site you are a follower of

Giveaway ends on monday, November 29th at 8am, pst

Please check back next week to see if you are the lucky winner!

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PS: The winner of last week's giveaway from

Ruby Press is #35 - Fritzi Marie!

Please email me to claim your prize!

Thanks Ruby Press!

diy with Brittni:

Hi everyone. Its Brittni from papernstitch. And I am so excited to be here today for my first official post here on Oh Hello Friend as Danni's first regular contributor. Each week, I'll be featuring my favorite diy projects from around the web within a particular theme. So, each week will be a new theme with new diy inspiration. For those that don't already know me, I am obsessed with all things diy, and create quite a few tutorials of my own on my blog.

One of my favorite things to write about, and make myself for that matter, is diy home decor projects. So, I thought I would roundup my favorite home decor tutorials this week, for my first post. Here we go...

Bring nature in doors with a moss covered picture frame, spotted on Ruffled. With just a few supplies, and a sprinkling of craftiness, you can make one of these in a matter of minutes. And if you're like me, and you already have the holidays on your brain, this would make a great gift as well for pretty much anyone on your list.

And if your looking for a more unique way to display family photos, check out this ridiculously easy project on Apartment Therapy for displaying vintage photos in glass bottles. If you have the materials and the photos already, this look won't take more than a few minutes to recreate.

Keep bare feet toasty during the fall and winter months with this doily knit rug from Coco Knits using recycled rag yarn. The full downloadable pattern is available right here for free.

If you're thinking about switching out those old light fixtures for something a bit more interesting, you might want to check out this ball jar lighting diy from Secret Pocket: a straight forward weekend project that adds loads of charm to any space.

That's going to do it for this week. Be sure to join me next week when I roundup my favorite diy accessories perfect for gift giving this year.

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About Brittni: She is the founder of the handmade exhibition site, papernstitch and is also the editor of a design and style blog, by the same name. When not working on papernstitch, she is dreaming up fun little tutorials and crafting projects for her home. If you love DIY as much as Brittni does, visit her free diy projects and tutorials section for more than fifty quick and easy projects.

holiday '10 shop trade guide:

I thought I'd try to get an earlier start on the trade guide this year! Do you remember last year's and the summer guide? Trading is lots of fun, I've met lots of new friends through it too. So now is your chance to be a part of the 2010 holiday trade guide! Simply email me with your shop link + category and I'll try to publish it by next week. * xo.

*please note: based on the amount of submissions received, I may not be able to include everyone. But I'll try my best!

featured sponsor - the tinted mint:

Do you have all your Holiday tapes for wrapping this year? There is still time! Be sure to grab some holiday print rolls at The Tinted Mint, a featured sponsor of oh, hello friend. My personal favorite? Santa + Reindeer, so cute! Here's a cute simple diy from The Tinted Mint's photo gallery too.

Swoon! I love tapes. The tinted mint has the best tapes too.

* The Tinted Mint is a featured sponsor of oh, hello friend -

if you're interesting in sponsoring the blog, email me :)

a trip to the flea market:

Well, I figured it's been a while since I've shared my adventures at the flea market with you so here's another post :) I learned my lesson in buying stuff for the wedding (my place is over-flowing with decor from the wedding) So I didn't buy much this trip, but it's just fun to walk around and see all the treasures.

Oh how I would have loved to take home this yellow bike.

You know yellow is my favorite color? Yep, I suppose it's bound to happen

when I have a mother whose closet is full of nothing but yellow. ;)

Wouldn't have minded taking home these industrial drawers + boxes too.

Nick probably would have minded though. Just a little :)

I wish I had ruby's sewing skills so I could buy

this lovely fabric and make something pretty.

Really sweet Matryoshka doll collection. Come to

think of it, I think my mom has a few of these.

Maybe I'll take them and start a collection!

Bottles, printing blocks, pretty spools and old soda cans.

Love the can designs from back in the day.

I have a thing about drawers and cubby's. I love them! But I have lots of drawers + storage in my studio already.. Only, a lot of the drawers are empty, ha! Or I'll put something in a drawer and forget about it. Maybe it's the idea of having all the storage spaces or something. Anyway, these drawers were $140. What do you think? Reasonable? Or overpriced? I should have got them, they're cool!

Vintage wood rubber stamps, my favorite!

Well, that's all for this trip. I got a great shelf I'll be using at my craft shows for only $30. I love useful finds. Do you have any good antique market stories to share?

studio tour / valdirose:

Today's beautiful studio tour comes all the way from Italy from the lovely Valdirose. If you haven't stopped by her blog yet, you must! She runs this charming b&b and I wish I could fly to Italy right now to stay ;) For now I'll just dream about it through all her pictures. Thanks for sharing with us today Irene!

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This is my work place: an old table of my grand mother and a folding chair I bought to the market in Avignon. I love the orangerie of my b&b so I decided to work there. I started using everything I found there to separated and create order: the cutlery is perfect for keeping the paper well separated and the box of tea seems born to hold my tapes...Usually I do not use pencils but I have always some here and there... because of their smell: I love it so much!!! I l like also surrounding myself with memories: it helps me work better... I love this place :every hour is changing like the light of the sun...