Giveaway :: Lovely World Handmade

Maribeth, from Lovely World Handmade is a mother, blogger, crafter, and a midwife by training. Her blog is visually inspiring and full of crafty goodness. I am in love with everything she does. Those mushrooms? Those dolls? That fox?! Eeks! She has kindly offered to do a giveaway here at Bluebirdbaby! Yay! Thank you Maribeth!

Here is what Maribeth has to say ::

My mother is a talented seamstress and I credit her with inspiring me to learn to sew. I was very lucky in that the home I grew up in had a sewing room, and some sort of project or another was always in the works. I began to sew in earnest when I was in college. I studied art and women's studies, and wrote my thesis on the history of quilt making. I made quite a few quilts around that time. I went on to graduate school and became a nurse-midwife by profession. Caring for women and their families is incredibly satisfying, although sometimes exhausting, work. I continued to work as a midwife after I had my children (9-year-old Miriam and 6-year-old Adam), but found it increasingly difficult to balance my work with being the mother I wanted to be. So, for the time being I have made the decision to be home full time. This change has opened up more time for creative work. I started my blog a year and a half ago, and opened my Etsy shop this past December. I do some sort of creative work every day. I sew, embroider, knit, crochet, and sometimes make things with paper such as collage and paper cutting.

My inspiration comes from diverse places. I live in a rural area and spend a lot of time outdoors, finding much inspiration through observing the natural world around me. I also love looking through old illustrated books - whether children's picture books, naturalist guides, or art books. I enjoy discovering images that I can translate into a new creation. Japanese craft books have also been a wonderful treasure-trove of inspiration. And, of course, I am incredibly thankful for and inspired by all the lovely art and craft blogs I read and all the bloggers who have been so supportive and kind to me. It is an important community of women, and I'm always discovering something new.

Maribeth's shop is just full of lovely goodies. She has graciously offered to give away a mushroom to one lucky reader. Can't you just picture it on a nature table? Or on a shelf? Or on a windowsill? Or on a nightstand? Okay...it could go just about anywhere! To enter, leave a comment and tell us where you'd  put it in your home. I'll close the comments at 9 a.m. EST on Friday the 5th.

Good luck! And thanks Maribeth for the fabulous giveaway!!