J o e y & A l e e t h e a - super cool handmade monster clothing and more! :D

guess my baby's birthday and win a HANDMADE MONSTER SHIRT GIVEAWAY!!! :D

 

Update: Well everyone, here I am...Tuesday 2/7/12 8:30pm EST and I'm officially 5 days past my due date! We're still awaiting our baby boy who is apparently on his own little schedule. :) In order to have a winner for this sweet giveaway, I want all of you to have another shot at guessing the birthday of our little guy! So come on back to my blog -- and just comment again with a different date. And if you haven't yet taken a guess, then stop on by and let's keep this party going! Here's some new info for you guys: As of this evening, I'm 2cm dilated and 95% effaced. Woohoo!!! :D

 

We're all anxiously waiting for our "Baby 2012" to arrive. I'm due in 5 days, and cannot wait to meet him.

The Hubbs Joe has spent many nights fixing up lots of things around the house, making it more comfy for us all. He's also gotten all of the remaining boxes unpacked from our move, thank goodness. Every room in our home is now box-free!! (umm...except for those dozen or so boxes that we're hiding upstairs in his office...but we won't talk about those, mmkayy?)

My wonderful Doula Helen is on call, and my awesome Midwife Barbara will be ready at the birthing center, along with the tub for our planned water birth. These area exciting times!

The baby's nursery awaits. Joey and Lily await their little brother's arrival. Our pup Souvlaki naps at my feet, and won't leave my side - even more so than usual. Gosh how I wish Aleethea were here too.

The super cutesie and tiny little newborn sized Ankle Biters lounge pants are hanging in his closet, the handmade newborn monster onesies and necktie shirts await, the sweet little colorful handpainted onesie from his patient big sister Lily, some art for his walls made by big brother Joey, a cozy little sleep sack for him to travel home in, and the crib bedding I made is (almost) all ready to be enjoyed. I keep sewing more and more things for him. Maybe if I stop sewing, then he'll get here already! :)

Wanna guess our baby's birthday? Cool, because it's giveaway time!!!!!!!!!

It's time for some FUN! If you can correctly guess what day my baby boy will arrive, then I'll make you a little something awesome; either a monster onesie or monster shirt, handmade by me, especially for you. Woohoo!!

Ready to guess? Need some more info?

- our son Joey was born 3 days past his due date

- our daughter Lily was born 4 days past her due date

- my official due date is Thursday 02/02/12

- I've had very strong Braxton Hicks contractions every night like clockwork for all of January

- as of three days ago, I'm 1cm dilated.

- Groundhog Day is also February 2nd...will we see my baby??? hehe.

- my beloved dog's birthday is February 3rd, the Hubbs Joe thinks the baby will be born on Aleethea's bday

- my nephew's birthday is also February 3rd

- Superbowl Sunday is February 5th...and I do NOT want to be anywhere but HOME to watch it...so I will need to do everything in my power to either have this baby on his due date in order to get back home in time for the Superbowl...or, hold my labor off until Monday, at least. haha.

So that's pretty much everything. Now your guess is as good as mine!

Sometime shortly after our new babe arrives, I'll let you know via my blog (which also updates my Facebook page), to annouce our baby boy's arrival. I will contact the winner directly for their address, and since we'll have a newborn in the house, I probably won't get to sewing the prize until March.

Here I am with my belly, so you can sort of see who needs to come out and have a birthday. And don't laugh at my funny hat!:

 

 

:D

Here's how to win:

First, go and pick your favorite item from my Etsy shop, Joey & Aleethea's sold items here, or you can also pick your favorite item from my Facebook photos here.

Then come back here to by blog and comment here to let me know the following:

1) what's your favorite item from Joey & Aleethea?

2) what date do you think our baby will be born?

3) if you win (WHEN you win!) which monster would you prefer -- Vasilis, Limoni, or Daphne?

4) what size would you like? (available up to size 24mos as a onesie, and 2T thru 10 as a t-shirt)

5) your email address

 

Giveaway ends whenever my baby arrives.

Only 1 entry per person.

Open to US and International commenters too.

 

This is so exciting, isn't it? Have fun everyone...I hope YOU win!!! :D

 

 

 

it's a BOY!!! :D and the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered my recent giveaway and took a fun guess at our baby's gender! So are you ready to see what we're having? OK so you may need to imagine a baby sitting on a glass table, and you're underneath the glass table looking upwards. Wait for it...

We're having a BOY!!! And for the record, this is the only time you will ever see me post a photo of our offspring's private parts. I think at 18.5 weeks pregnant, the photo is still pretty much rated G. :)

I've known our baby's gender since Friday - and lemme tell ya, it has not been easy keeping this a secret online - I've had to keep it hush everywhere from Facebook to Pinterest to Twitter to Etsy...so I'm very happy this moment has finally arrived.

Of the 19 total guesses in my "boy or girl?" giveaway, 7 guesses were for a girl, and 12 of which guessed a boy. At first, everyone was guessing a girl! Then the boy guesses starting rolling in. It was lots of fun reading all of the comments and guesses.

And so, we have a winner! It's comment # 9 of the boy guesses.

Congratulations to Amanda Sue!! She commented "I'm gonna guess a boy!" - and she was not only right, but also the lucky winner!

Amanda Sue, I'll be emailing you momentarily to ask you which monster you'd like, also your preference of monster onesie or monster tee, and the size you'd like. Congrats again!

Thank you to everyone who played along!!!!!!

And now, I'll leave you with a much better image of our baby boy:

Isn't he awesome? omg...IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

oxox

boy or girl? and a monster GIVEAWAY!!!

This giveaway is over and comments are closed -- see the winner here!

Tomorrow is the day!! Tomorrow we find out if this baby in my belly is a baby boy, or a baby girl!!! Our kids Joey and Lily are both so excited to find out if they're having a little brother or sister, it's the cutest thing how they start jumping up and down when we talk about it.

Joey says he wants a baby brother because "if we bring any more girls in this house, then forget it. Just forget it!..." And he goes on and on...and at 5 years old, he means it! He's referring mostly to our German Shepherds Aleethea and Souvlaki, who are both females, and how he helps feed them and train them on a daily basis, which is alot of fun for him, even though they're super intelligent beasts and very stubborn...yet they listen to him of course, and it's also important and responsible work - even if it only takes 15 minutes per day. Plus this year Joey is starting Kindergarten, and so smart and quite specific about what he says and wants. That "forget it" he speaks of also covers a wholelotta ground! He's also quite the listmaker, and that list of an answer gets longer and longer each time he's asked the question about the baby's gender. Joey has always been so great and kind and loving with his little sister, and with any younger kids or babies, so I know he'll be a fantastic big brother again.

Lily says she wants a baby girl so she can "help dress the baby, and give the baby a bath, and play with the baby, and tell the baby 'no, baby, that's not your doll, that's MINE." Nice, eh? Already so helpful, yet already fighting with the baby. All very good reasons, though. I know Lily will be such a wonderful big sister, and I think she will enjoy having more responsibilities around the house. She is always happy to offer her help, which really is so sweet. You should see her reinforcing training with Aleethea and Souvlaki, and how well they both listen to all 3 feet tall of her. She is so strong, and so adorable, and so amazing.

But I do have to often explain to my little monster babes that just because they tell me that they want a baby brother or a baby sister, it doesn't actually mean that they will get what they ask for. That's still a grey area around here. We tell them it's all in God's hands. But at their age, they think if they ask for a baby boy or a baby girl, then that's what I'll deliver! You know, like any other typical choice I give them such as "What do you want for lunch? Peanut butter n' jelly...or...macaroni and cheese?" So I give them a choice, they answer, and I deliver! Yeah...not quite the same situation here.

So I told my sweet, smart, and overall just so awesome children that they should add "baby brother" or "baby sister" to their Christmas Lists. haha. That way, I figure if they don't get what they want, then they can blame Santa instead of me. ha! Yes that's right I will milk whatever resources I have available. We start that whole threatening talking about the Naughty or Nice list in July. At 5yrs and 3yrs old, that works like a charm!

OK so getting back to this baby...as for me, for a while I was on the fence about finding out the gender of this baby, and almost wanted to leave it all up to be a surprise. The Hubbs Joe has never been indecisive about it, he's always wanted to know the gender. It's really just more practical with our hectic lives these days. The Hubbs Joe wants to find out also because he says he knows it'll just be so much easier on me since I can pace myself and start sewing up the baby's 1st year wardrobe and get it done before he or she arrives. Which pretty much was the deciding factor for me, because that definitely does sound like a whole lot of fun!! :D

When I was preggers with our son Joey, we didn't find out what gender Joey was until moments after his birth. Does anyone even do that anymore? Joey was our surprise gender, and the Hubbs Joe and I loved the whole mystery of it all, throughout my pregnancy. Months and months of contemplating the gender, talking about what if's, hearing all about how patient we were from other people when we told them we weren't finding out, and decor and clothing in lots of neutral colors like sage, yellow, and orange filling the nursery...until the baby blue gifts starting pouring in once our bouncing baby boy arrived. Good times.

When I was pregnant with Lily, we wanted to find out what gender she was since we had a toddler at home and not as much time on our hands - so we wanted to ensure we could prepare everything for her arrival. If she would've been a boy, easy peasy, we'd have all the hand me downs and no need for anything new. But then we found out a sweet baby girl was on the way! So I had to get to sewing, and make her the most lovely dresses and the most pretty little things, yet as non-uber-girly as could be. No frilly frills around here, yet I had lots of time to start thinking like the Mama of a girl, and not just a little boy's Mama. It was quite a transition in thinking, and I was glad to have that time to prepare and research some of the girly stuff I needed to know. Which, of course, is never really accurate because the day arrives and then your daughter tells you and shows you the way it really is, and not what you've read! :)

So...what do I think we're having? That's the question I hear alot. I think...based upon the amount of morning sickness I've had these past few months, I think we're having a boy...only because when I was preggers with Lily I was sick all day long for months and months...and this time around although I've been sick here and there, and for a few weeks it was kinda bad...but still, it just hasn't been as awful as before.

At my last OB visit, the baby's heartrate was 140 bpm. They say a faster heartrate could mean a girl, a slower heartrate could mean a boy...but I'm told this heartrate is right in the middle. So...who knows!

So what do you think? Are we having a boy or a girl?

And you know I love sewing and giving things away...and wow it's been so long...so how about we have a fun little G I V E A W A Y to make this even more fun (as if that's possible!), and to celebrate!!!

How would you like one of those super cutesie monster onesies in the photo? For freeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Your prize is one of my signature items from my Etsy shop, Joey & Aleethea. So it will be custom made by me, just for you! You could have either Vasilis, Limoni, Or Daphne...on either a onesie or a tee shirt if you prefer! It will be handmade by me especially for your baby or big kiddo, or a present for your friend or family!

The GIVEAWAY is open starting right now, and all you need to do is leave a comment with what you think I'm having! From the correct guesses, a random number generator will then select the winner!

Giveaway ends on Labor Day (hehe), Monday night 9/5//11 just before midnite, at 11:59pm EST.

The winner - and my baby's gender - will be announced...ummm...when this pregnant Mama feels like it, darnit! Or...on Tuesday 9/6/11 before midnite...whichever comes first. :P

Be sure to leave your size and monster preference in your comment (Vasilis, Limoni, or Daphne, in any size, newborn thru 10yrs), because you know you're gonna win!

This giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere! You only need an email address and a mailing address in order for me to contact you and mail out your awesome monster onesie or shirt. Please note: it will take a couple of weeks for me to get your super cutesie monster onesie/tee out to you. Just sayin...I'm kinda busy building life here!

Oh and only one entry per person.

Isn't it neat for you that you have a friend who is pregnant...and who also sews? haha. :D

Good luck, peeps!! And I can't wait to tell you guys what we're having!!!!!!!!!!!!

oxox

 

goodbye, my loves...SHOP CLOSING SALE...everything is 15% OFF!

After Valentine's Day, my handmade children's boutique Joey & Aleethea will be closed indefinitely. As some of you already know, over the past four years I had closed up shop for 6 months, then re-opened again for a couple of months...and then I closed up shop again for an entire year. And this time? Who knows what the future will bring...I hope to return someday...but we'll see. It is definitely time for me, Joey & Aleethea to close up shop...and say goodbye, my loves.

In the meantime, please enjoy the SHOP CLOSING SALE!!!!

❤ ❤ ❤ EVERYTHING IS 15% OFF!!!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

From Saturday 2/12/11 @ 3pm EST

thru Valentine's Day 2/14/11 @ 11:59pm EST

please enjoy 15% OFF all items in our shop!

Thank you so very much to all of my super awesome customers and fantastic Etsy friends for your wonderful patronage and continual support!! I am of course still here, and always available via Etsy convo/eMail/my blog/etc, so if you have any questions please do contact me.

oxox

Sandra

One World One Heart 2011 - GIVEAWAY!!!!! :D

update 02/18/11: thank you all for entering my OWOH giveaway!!!!! The winner of my handmade Vespa Scooters Pillow was selected via random number generator and I am happy to annouce that the winner is...NoodleBubble from the UK!!! Her comment was "Lovely to meet you - we have a kitten the same age as your pup - HARD WORK! Having a whistle top tour of the OWOH Blogs today...will pop back again for a longer stay...look forward to see you soon - #728 http://noodlebubble.blogspot.com" Congrats NoodleBubble!! I hope you love your Vespa Scooters pillow!! I'm off to eMail you now. I had plenty of fun visiting blogs and participating in this OWOH, hope you all did too! Thanks again everyone for all your super lovely comments!! Stay tuned for more giveaways this Spring!!

 

Have you heard of the fantastic mega bloggy giveaway event called "One World One Heart"? It's where bloggers all over the world connect to meet other bloggers and make some new friends - and also offer a giveaway, absolutley free to their blog visitors...how fun!! Here's what I'm giving away...the pillow on the right side of the photo -- a handmade Cool Vespa Scooters linen pillow + pillow insert!

The main point of the One World One Heart bloggy event (other than the fun and free stuff) is for the online peeps to get to know the bloggers a bit more...and so, for anyone who hasn't ever visited my wee little blog before, (and for those returning) -- welcome to Joey & Aleethea's blog! I'm "Mamaaaaa!!!!!", but you can call me Sandra. I have two super awesome kiddos - a 4yo son Joey, and a 2yo daughter Lily.

Where did the name Joey & Aleethea originate? Well, when Joey was newborn babe and I was just launching my clothing line, I already had a furry baby named Aleethea, our loyal loving pet...who keeps me on my toes and tries daily to be the boss. :)

Here's Joey & Aleethea on a stroll in our yard:

I'll tell you a bit about me...but for those who are my regular (not that you're regular!) but my usual bloggy friends, you'll already know most of this, but do try to stay awake, k? :) I'm a wife of 6 wonderful and adventurous years to 1 amazing man whom I refer to as The Hubbs Joe, with whom I've been with for 10 years. I'm also a packleader to 2 crazy fun and well trained, loving, yet simultaneously ferocious German Shepherds named Aleethea and our new puppy Souvlaki, who is an adorable 6 mos old:

This picture sums up my days with them:

You can always find me with a camera in my hands as I adore photography.

There's always music playing in my background wherever and whenever possible, as it feeds my soul and allows my children and I to dance and sing together. We try to instill in them a true love for music and the arts, and incorporate that into our daily lives as much as possible:

This is me with my baby girl at the park, doing what she loves...singing and saying higher, higher:

And here's my son and I, doing what he loves...being a super hero:

Yes I am a lucky Mama of a super hero, for sure. I was born in New York City to Greek and Latin parents and into a big and loving family. I lived in the amazing and multi-cultural NYC 'til I was 30 - for a decade of which I lived most days in Manahattan as a workaholic in the corporate world. I've also lived in Athens, Greece and can still see my beautiful home there when I close my eyes. My college degree says I'm a Computer Programmer, but my Website and Application Development days have of late been overtaken by my creative side who likes to sketch and sew, run a handmade business, raise kiddos, train the dogs, go out and play, and sometimes cook and clean.

The Hubbs Joe and I were married on a beach wedding in Jamaica, West Indies while the waves crashed into the sand and our flip flops imprinted "Just Married" on the sandy shore.

Before we were blessed with children, The Hubbs Joe and I spent many hours each week playing sports together, and were usually found on the handball courts in NYC on weekends til the sun went down. Awesome days. Then when our babies were born and I started sewing much more than programming and building websites, we were living in Orlando Florida just a few minutes from Disneyworld, which was a very touristy few years for us, filled with many trips to famous destinations, busy theme parks and very busy beaches. After 5 years of forceful hurricaines, and days where the sidewalk was too hot to walk my dog, we decided to relocate where the trees were not all palm, and where our chances of getting struck by lightning were quite lower. :) Now our little family currently resides in Durham, North Carolina, I'm a stay at home mom to my kiddos (although for clarification, we don't just stay at home) and we're pretty much living a small town life. It's very, very quiet here. We live amongst the tall trees on a quiet block and there's not much noise here at all...oh, except for us of course. We bring the noise. Yep, we're those neighbors. :D

In my free time (haha, "free time") I love love love to design handmade clothing, touch textiles, and feed fabric to my sewing machine. We're the ones at the local playgrounds wearing the coordinating outfits in designer fabrics, handmade by me. Good times:

So, with a toddler and preschooler and two rather big and active doggies, my days tend to be very, very busy. Even if we just spend a day lounging at home or in the backyard, if you have kids you'll know what I mean - there is always a whole lot going on with the little ones, and always something to be done. In addition to raising my kiddos, I also run a handmade business where I make everything myself - and somehow, I actually get a whole lot of sewing and business tasks accomplished during the week. Not as much as I'd like to...but, alot.

But when I'm with my children, I actually focus on not multi-tasking, and so I don't usually have time to crank up my sewing machine and sew up any fun handmade goodness during the daytime...although I would really, really, love to be able to. But my children are very young, and I do know that it won't always be like this, and so I cherish this time in their lives and we spend as much time together as possible, because they won't be little forever. I adore being a stay at home mom, waking up with them, taking my children out to explore nature, museums, fun places, etc -- and watching my kids play and learn and grow (and fight, and nag, and yell, and scratch, and throw things and...I digress).

But after the day is done, and while they're all tucked into their beds and asleep, I'm a bit of a nite owl...and I really enjoy sneaking away to the other room for a few hours - to my little studio here to sew some super fun clothing.

And then...ocassionally...I get to make something just for myself, or for our home.

Something that keeps me up even after I finish it because now I have to stare at it :) and then photograph it, over and over again...something that keeps me awake, and makes it necessary for me to have to repeatedly slap my eyelids to keep them open the next morning...yet something oh so worth it.

Something...like this:

I adore sewing. I really, really do. And if a little piece of yummy couch happiness comes out of an extra late nite of sewing...then I am all the happier!

And what's better than that pillow on my couch? How about that pillow on your couch? That's right, I am giving it away!!!!!!! This super fab piece of lovely can be yours!!! Since I am participating in the "One World One Heart" event, I am giving away that incredibly delicious "Cool Vespa Scooters" designer pillow cover, and the pillow insert too! It's 18" x 18" (45cm x 45xcm) and it's made from a gorgeous and now out-of-print and super rare linen fabric, and it will be handmade by me, especially for you. It'll go out to someone, somewhere in the world, and it just might be you!!

How can you enter to win that lovely Vespa Scooters pillow? Just leave a comment right here on this post. So simple! The winner will be announced here on my blog on February 17th - via a random number generator. I'll also eMail you - so be sure to leave an eMail address and your blog address/Facebook with your comment. Good luck to you!! Hope you win!! :D

And I promise to have more giveaways in 2011...just because!

I really appreciate you stopping by my blog, and thanks especially if you didn't fall asleep while reading all the boring stuff about me and mine...and last but not least, your comments most definitley, really truly mean so very much to me.

oxox

 

This giveaway is part of the wonderful and mega bloggy giveaway event entitled One World One Heart - and if you're a blogger and want to participate by giving something away, then see info via this link.

10% OFF EVERYTHING!! SHOP OUR HOLIDAY SALE!!!

★

It's

starting to

feel like Christmas!!!!:D

:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:

Beginning on Thanksgiving Day @ 8pm and

continuing thru Monday night 11/29,

:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:

Joey & Aleethea

is having a

☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆

H O L I D A Y  S A L E ! !

☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆

 You can shop at ourhandmade children's boutique and enjoy

15% OFF your entire order!!

☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆☆ ;:* ¨¨*:★:☆

As of Thanksgiving night @ 8pm EST, the prices in my shop will reflect the sale.

☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆☆ ;:* ¨¨*:★:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*:☆:*¨¨*:★:*¨¨*

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Happy Shopping!!!!

  http://joeyandaleethea.com

 

here's Lily in "My Child Magazine", Australia!

 

 

• 
• 
• 

This is so exciting!!!!!! For those of you who have asked, (and for those of you who didn't -- hehehe) here's Lily in the current issue of My Child Magazine, Australia. Yes, my baby girl is in PRINT!! It's such a wonderful feeling to see her in magazines, I wonder if some day she'll care. LOL Because I certainly do!! I tried to psyche her up about it, but she was just like "can you give me my cup, please Mama?" Yes, my sweet little bossy girl.

Anyway, so you can see Lily's feature on page 48 in her handmade and Super Chic Books and Elephants Dress. (there's also a discount code on that page!)

Special thanks to Heather Niciak for the feature and great write-up!Get your issue of My Child Magazine here, it's filled with lots of Aussie goodness.

in addition to being in print today, Joey & Aleethea (well, Lily actually - haha) also has a spread in the My Style bog too! Check her out in some of her handmade toddler dresses:

Oh the super cuteness! I don't know if I can handle all this excitement today!!!!!! :D

p.s. want a dress from my shop? cool! just say you saw this on my blog, and i'll hook you up with a 10% discount...today and tomorrow only (Nov 16th and 17th.) Happy shopping!

 

 

 

 

a monster RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!!

Giveaway comments are closed...winner announced here!!

 

  

Welcome to our monster RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!! Today is the day! I am sew happy to announce the exciting and fun monster re-opening of my handmade children's clothing boutique!!!

What??

YES!!

Joey & Aleethea is now O P E N !!!!!

And how are we celebrating??

With a super fun MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!!

M O N S T E R   R E-O P E N I N G details:

To all my bloggy peeps, returning customers, family, friends, and if you're new here - welcome! It's so great to be back! Just in case you don't know who we are and what we do..."We're all about family and fabric, love and laughter, and handmade super coolness.  That's how we rock."  - Joey & Aleethea™

And I'm Sandra, a Mama of two completely fantastic babies (an almost 4yr old and an almost 2yr old) / wife to a super husband, super geek, and U.S. Air Force veteran / pack-leader to an amazing German Shepherd / and I personally design, sketch, photograph, and sew all of the custom made and super cool clothing in my handmade children's boutique. Good times!! I adore what I do and would love to make some awesomeness for you too! You will have such fun enjoying all the compliments you and your kiddos will get when they rock my unique handmade designs - and I look forward to hearing them! Completely fab clothing made with fun and premium fabrics, each one totally made by me and custom made just for you! Please note: the waiting list for my baby and children's clothing gets pretty long pretty quickly...and a 6 week waiting list is not uncommon. So order what you want right away while the waiting list is only 1 week! So head on over to the monster re-opening of Joey & Aleethea and find some super cool clothing and accessories in our Etsy shop that you will no doubt fall in love with!! :D

M O N S T E R   S A L E  details:

In honor of YOU, once you enter our monster giveaway (which is detailed below) you are then eligible for an exclusive discount of 15% OFF your entire order!! So after you make a purchase from my shop and upon checkout in the notes to seller box you'll see there, just say "I entered your giveaway!" and then you can either await a Paypal invoice reflecting the 15% discount, or go ahead and pay and I'll refund your discount via Paypal.

This exclusive discount is only valid from Sat. May 8th thru Tues. night May 11th @ 11:59pm EST.

And just in case you're wondering...why those particular dates? Because 4 years ago today on 5/8/06, I was due to have my first child and get launched into this wondrous adventure called motherhood. My son Joey actually ended up arriving 3 days late on 5/11/06...so the dates signify my the original due date, and the actual birthday, of my first-born monster! :D

 

M O N S T E R  G I V E A W A Y  details:

That super fab baby blue Monsterlicious hoody shown in the photo up there can be yours FREE just by commenting here! A $52 value! Nero the Monster is charcoal grey monster, made from various fabrics he is soft, plush and fun, securely sewn onto a nice comfy baby blue hooded sweatshirt. Great for cool Spring and Summer evenings, and breezy beach days after a swim! Of course awesome for the Fall season too! Other color hoodies are available - great for boys and girls too - so if you win, (WHEN you win!) I'll contact you for the size and color you'd like! (Sizes newborn thru 4T as a zip-up hoody, and sizes 4T thru 10 as a pullover hoody shown in the photo).

How can you enter to win that Monster Hoody? Keep reading!

Here's how to enter:

Just by leaving comments here...you'll be entered to win that super fun Monster Hoody! This is so exciting!! :D 

There are many ways to enter to win this FREE handmade item shown in the above photo. See below for details:

* For the first entry/comment – just leave a comment here!

Then for all additional entries:

* 1 extra entry/comment – Visit our shop Joey & Aleethea and select your favorite item. Then come back here and leave a separate comment indicating which item is your fave.

* 1 extra entry/comment – Follow me on Twitter and then tweet about this giveaway. Then in a separate comment here, leave the link to your tweet. Find the tweet's URL by clicking on the timestamp. Here is some text you can use for Twitter and Facebook:

Check out the MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!! at Joey & Aleethea's blog! http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog

Good luck in Joey & Aleethea's MONSTER GIVEAWAY!!! http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog

Love handmade goods? Want a free MONSTER HOODY? Enter Joey & Aleethea's MONSTER GIVEAWAY!! http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog

I just entered Joey & Aleethea's MONSTER HOODY GIVEAWAY...and I WILL WIN!!! :D http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog

* 1 extra entry/comment – go and LIKE our Facebook page. Then come back here and in a separate comment, tell us you clicked that little LIKE button on our facebook page.

* 2 extra entries/comments – Write a blog post about this "MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!! at Joey & Aleethea's blog!" -- with a link to http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog -- And then leave a separate comment here, with the direct link to your blog post.

* 1 extra entry/comment - Post an update on your Facebook page saying you've entered the "MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!! at Joey & Aleethea's blog!" -- with a link to http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog -- And then leave a separate comment here, telling us you updated your Facebook page with a link here.

 * 5 extra entries/comments – Make a purchase from my shop Joey & Aleethea! Then come back and leave 5 separate comments here, and mention the item you purchased.

* 1 extra entry/comment – Happy Mother's Day! Leave a comment here and tell me what you're doing (what you did) for Mother's Day!

* 2 extra entries/comments  – Got a blog? Add "Joey & Aleethea" to your blogroll: http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog

* 1 extra entry/comment - If you tweet on Twitter AGAIN about the "MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!! at Joey & Aleethea's blog!", either tomorrow or the next day, etc...then you will get one entry for everyday you tweet!! So after you post those additional tweets, just come back here on those days and leave another comment to let me know you tweeted again, and include the direct URL to your tweet. You can have a max of 7 days of tweets.

* 3 extra entries/comments – Grab my Joey & Aleethea monsters button for your blog. Then come back and leave 4 separate comments here, and let me know you put my button on your blog. Here's my button:

<a href="http://joeyandaleethea.com/blog"><img src="http://joeyandaleethea.com/images/monster/joeyandaleethea_%20monsters_100x100.jpg"/></a>

 

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FAQ’s:

What are the important dates?

Here are the important dates you need to know for our MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!!

MONSTER RE-OPENING starts today, Saturday May 8th 2010 in our shop.

SALE of 15% OFF ends Tuesday 5/11/10, and is only for the lucky ones who enter this giveaway.

GIVEAWAY ends Friday June 11th, 2010 @ 11:59pm EST.  That's next month on my daughter Lily's birthday. My second monster. :D

WINNER will be announced on Sunday June 13th, 2010.

How will I find out if I won? 

The winner will be announced on Sunday June 13th, 2010 right here on Joey & Aleethea's blog! So mark your calendar now -- and be sure to check back here to find out if you won!! Also to say congrats to the winner if ya didn't! :)

I live outside of the USA. Can I enter the giveaway?

Yes!!! Our monster giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere. No matter where you live, this awesome handmade gift could be yours! So spread the word!!

How does this giveaway work?

On the day of the drawing, a random number generator will select a number. After all the number is drawn, the winner will be counted based upon the order in which they comment here in this post. For example: If you are commenter #23, and the number drawn is #23, then commenter #23 will be the lucky recipient of that handmade goodness! Please note: I keep track of the entries in my eMail folder, where they are numbered. They are also watched to avoid duplicates, and any invalid entries, etc. So please do not rely on the number you think you may be, because in the end that may not be accurate, and your number may have changed. Hope that makes sense! :)

How will I know if I won that awesomeness?
I will contact the winner via eMail to congratulate you and to request your mailing address. And that's when I'll also ask the size needed (newborn thru age 10), and color too. You will then have 7 days to respond to the eMail from me, Joey & Aleethea. Otherwise another winner will be picked. Ack! 

If I win, who will ship my lovely handmade item to me?

I will personally sew and then ship your gorgeous handmade item directly to you! And oh happy day when that super cool monster hoody arrives at your door!!! :D

It's beautiful to be back, and I hope you enjoy our super fun MONSTER RE-OPENING, GIVEAWAY, and SALE!!! Now is the time to shop for handmade super cool clothing from Joey & Aleethea for those amazing babies and children in your life!!

Have fun, Happy Mother's Day, and good luck everyone!!!!!!!

oxox

does it snow in Raleigh-Durham? yes it does!!

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This was our babies' very first time sledding and playing in snow. Joey was thrilled! He didn't stop cheesing for a minute. Lily had a "what is this??" look on her face the whole time. And Aleethea had a blast hopping and jumping thru the snow like a bunny rabbit!

Joey took Lily for a little ride in the sled -- she wasn't loving it too much though. It was still snowing while we were out there, so she didn't appreciate the wet snowflakes falling on her sweet little face. So Joe had to scoop up and carry his adorable little Daddy's girl.

We live on a pretty big hill on a quiet street -- which is awesome for sledding. And our driveway is also a hill -- so we had lots of slopes to enjoy our morning sledding fun.

Like our sled? Hopefully that treadmill will get as much use as it's box did! How funny is it that most of the stores out here don't carry sleds? I'm thinking of putting our handmade sled up in my Etsy shop. Equipped with rope and all! haha. You know you want one!!

That last photo up there with Joey on the floor was taken post hot cocoa. I spiked his hot chocolate with shredded coconut, butterscotch morsels, and mini marshmallows. Yum. So when he was finished with it, he asked to be excused from the table...then all of a sudden he just bust out into some crazy breakdancin' moves! hehe. What a super fun and beautiful morning we had!

Tomorrow the plan is to go 4WD'ing in my VehiCross. If Lily and Joey agree to stay with Dada for a little while -- Aleethea and I are hitting the snow-covered road! I haven't went four-wheeling in the snow in 7 long years...since driving in Queens NY during the Blizzard of 2003!! Yep -- I think it's Torque On Demand time. Could I be any happier right now?? Yaay for snow and playing in a winter wonderland!

 

handmade monster shirt GIVEAWAY!!

Want one of these super cute handmade monster shirts...TOTALLY FREE??!!

 
 

Then go enter the GIVEAWAY at this fun blog...Before The Baby Wakes!!

  

 Giveaway is open from Jan. 20 thru Feb 1st 2010. 

Good luck!!! :D