hey friends! i’m so excited to have partnered with uncommongoods for this fun salsabol recipe contest and giveaway! i’ve always loved uncommongoods- they not only have really unique gifts but always incorporate thoughtful design into their products as well. for example, this salsabol is perfectly designed to help you achieve the perfect scoop!

the recipe: for the contest, i created a refreshing delicious summer salsa recipe full of garden veggies, roasted corn and fresh avocado. click here for the recipe!

the contest: my summer salsa recipe is part of a contest (click here to view the others). you can vote for it by liking, sharing or commenting on this post (thanks!).

the giveaway: one lucky winner will win a salsabol and a $50 gift certificate to uncommongoods- read on for details!

deadline: giveaway will end monday, march 4th at 12am, eastern standard time. the winner will be drawn using a random number generator and announced on this post shortly after.

to enter: check out the salsabol, then let us know why you would love to win it, why you’re a salsa fanatic or what your favorite kind of salsa is!

additional ways to enter:

>> vote for my salsa recipe by liking, sharing or commenting on this post (thanks!). leave another comment here letting us know you did so.

>> like both going home to roost and uncommongoods on facebook and leave another comment here letting us know you did so.

>> follow both going home to roost and uncommongoods on twitter, then come back here and leave another comment letting us know you did so.

>> follow both going home to roost and uncommongoods on pinterest, and leave another comment here letting us know you did so.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

wrap up: {contest} {gift certificate} {giveaway} {recipe} {salsa} {salsabol} {summer}

good wednesday!  you might be able to tell from today’s theme that the forecast is a bit gloomy and rainy today. rather than feeling blue though, i’m feeling nice and cozy here in my home.  sometimes it’s nice to have a gloomy day, isn’t it?

p.s. today’s post is helpful for any business, so stay tuned!

whales at the coast

someone had a question during the survey about logo design, so i thought i would touch base on it today.  getting a logo is often the first exciting step in embarking on a new venture, and though it’s a fun process, it can also be a little daunting at times too!  first things first, you need to start thinking about what it is that you want.  it’s a good idea to create some style files or keep links on your computer of the things you love as you come across them.  getting some basic ideas of the look and feel you’re going for will really help your designer align with your vision.

blue sea urchin

where do you start?  other than the occasional magazine clipping, i’ll share with you two of my favorite places to browse for inspiration.  first is the lovely blog, print and pattern. here you’ll find a celebration of all things surface design.  you’ll be sure to find some patterns and logos that you love!

second is one of my recent discoveries, a blog called the dieline. it’s a blog dedicated to all things packaging, and you should know, it can be addicting!  it logs only the best and latest in the package design industry and with that, comes lots and lots of logos.  a great place to start thinking about what catches your eye.

in dreams

now that you have your thoughts together on what you’re looking for, it’s time to start thinking about a designer.  there are tons of options, of which we’ll discuss two of today.  first is to visit the place that’s all close to our hearts: etsy! a simple search for logo design will give you pages and pages of designers to choose from.  you can find anything from a simple logo, to an entire branding package.  most are very affordable and many even offer unlimited revisions.  what to look for:

- a strong portfolio with designs that appeal to you

- a reasonable timeline stated upfront

- a copy of the original images and copyrights to them

- great feedback from other sellers

umbrellas in the rain

another option that i recently discovered is a website called 99 designs. have you heard of it?  on their site, you set up a “design contest”, where thousands of designers compete to create the best possible design to meet your needs. all you need is a clear idea of what you want designed and how much you’re prepared to pay for it.  after you list your design portfolio, artists post designs they think fit your portfolio.  you then have the opportunity to rate each design and leave comments, making your end result all the better.  best of all, there’s 100% money back guarantee- what can you loose?

summer, sewn print

somewhat related to logos but more importantly to branding and getting your name out there are your business cards. do you remember us talking about moo cards?  well, just in case you missed this special in etsy’s newsletter yesterday, moo is offering free business cards! an opportunity each of you should take advantage of!

sale- april showers

i would love to hear your thoughts on logo design.  where did you get yours?  what works best?  do you have any resources to share?  i’ll meet you in the comments section. :)

wrap up: {branding} {contest} {design} {etsy shop help} {logo}

hi everyone!  we’re kicking off this week with a survey and a giveaway! your opinions really mean a lot to me, so i want hear them and get your feedback!  the survey is ten questions long and takes about 5 minutes.  and, it’s completely anonymous, so i want you to be brutally honest (i promise, i can handle it!).

let me know you took the survey by leaving a comment on this post, so i can enter you into the contest! there will be one randomly drawn winner that will receive $50 roost bucks to be used at any three of my etsy shops: home to roost, the kitchen roost or old renewed.  plus! a 30 minute phone chat with me! but, don’t worry, if you’re shy (like me) it’s totally optional.  but if you have questions for me or want to review your etsy shop or blog, or just want to shoot the breeze, here’s your chance!

click above to take the survey!

don’t forget- to be entered in the contest, you must leave a comment on this post!

thank you thank you thank you! XxoOoXoO, bonnie

wrap up: {contest} {giveaway} {phone chat} {roost bucks} {survey}

hi dear ones!  did you happen to follow the poppies awards last week?  well, i wanted to give a HUGE thank you to each of you who voted for going home to roost, it won 3rd place in the blog category! i was so excited!  thank you thank you thank you! and alas, if you fingers aren’t too tired of voting yet…

i’m really excited to announce that both of my etsy shops, going home to roost and old renewed have been nominated for rikrak’s handmade olympics! yay!  one of my aprons is nominated for favorite handmade goodie that inspires loveliness and wellness (what an pretty name!) and one of my vintage frames is up for favorite eco friendly goodie.

voting ends wednesday, february 17th so try to check out all of the amazing events before then.  if you would like to vote for going home to roost or old renewed, you can just click on the buttons below.  and, don’t forget to vote for all of your other favorite artists, too! have fun!

click to vote for going home to roost’s reversible apron!

click to vote for old renewed’s vintage frame!

are you nominated as well?  let us know in the comments so we can vote for you!

wrap up: {contest} {etsy} {handmade} {olympics} {vote}

have you heard of the poppies?  it’s a way to acknowledge & support the handmade community – and i am very excited to announce that going home to roost has been nominated for both the favourite handmade artist blog and favourite handmade housewares!

this is such an incredible honor to be a part of, and i would love it if you would consider supporting me, as well as your other favorite artists.  you can vote once per IP address (i.e. computer) and voting ends friday, january 29th.  winners will be announced friday, febuary 5th.  keep your fingers crossed!

to vote for going home to roost (the blog) visit ‘favourite handmade artist blog‘

to vote for going home to roost (the shop) visit ‘favourite handmade housewares‘

thank you thank you thank you!  xoxo, bonnie

wrap up: {award} {blog} {contest} {poppies} {shop} {vote}

“where the handmade world comes together to celebrate making things!

think alpine sewing.
downhill woodworking.
pairs cooking on ice!
and all of the other amazing things folks in the handmade world do + make + create every day!

oh what a wonderful handmade world we live in!“

have you all visited rikrak studio lately?  they are hosting a 2010 handmade olympics!  there are 8 fun events to enter and for each of them, you can nominate both yourself and another shop, blog or handmade item.  nominations end january 31st and after the {amazing} judges post a short list of their 10 favorites, everyone will begin to vote on february 8.  there are some amazing prizes and fun to be had, so get over to rikrak studio for all of the details and to start nominating! have fun!

wrap up: {contest} {handmade} {nominate} {olympics} {vote}