Another Giveaway & Woot Entry

Double duty on the blog post once again. First, I've got a $10 gift code to Zazzle up for grabs, good on any purchase of $10 or more. It is valid through December 14, 2014, 11:59 PM, Pacific Time.

Here's all the fine print:

$10.00 discount applies to Zazzle orders with a subtotal (before shipping and taxes) of $10.00 or more when the coupon code is applied at checkout. Offer is valid until 12/14/2014 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. This promotional offer may not be used on Zazzle gift certificates. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

First person to email me at nharveyart@gmail.com (you can click the request box to the right) gets it! I'll be checking my email as often as I can, but I won't be able to monitor it constantly, so it might take me an hour or two to respond if you're the first. I'll update this post once it's been awarded. Good luck!

And on to part two...

The folks at Woot are already craning their necks in search of Cupid and this weekend's derby is to design a "Sweet and/or Sour Valentine." I came up with something I'm calling "The Ultimate Symbol of Love." 

I know what you're thinking..."Eww, the germs!" Well, there's germs in kissing too, isn't there? And if someone gives you a sweet chewed into the shape of a heart, you've got to assume that's on their mind. Or perhaps you'd prefer the idea of it without the actual germs. In that case, please vote for my submission.

Thanks for visiting and please come again!

-------------------------

Update: Though I had plenty of visits to this site, no one who came felt the desire to spend $10 at Zazzle and the code as now expired unclaimed. Perhaps the next time I offer one I'll be rewarded with making someone happy.

How to Make a Hoodie Pillow

It's a busy time of year for me, one when I put my energy into making the holidays enjoyable for family and friends, so I haven't been doing a great deal art-wise. Instead of a new artwork, this post will fall into the category of "other creative endeavors" as I share a little life-hack I've come up with. I'm not entirely sure it's original, but I did come up with this on my own and have not seen it elsewhere.

I'm not a morning person and loathe dragging myself out of bed at the required hour, often in darkness. Having to trade a warm bed for shivers can make this an excruciating task. Having the clothes I'll change into already warm is a small consolation I can enjoy, and here's how I manage it.

1.  I start the night before with a hooded, half-zip fleece which I usually wear in the morning anyway. Any pullover with a hood should suffice. Spread it out like this:

2.  Next I fold my clothing for the next day into a neat pile that will fit onto the chest area of the fleece. Here I'm using a sweater and a pair of jeans. Socks and underwear would go between these.

 

3.  Now, bring the arms across the center: 

 

4.  Next fold the lower half up over the clothes:

 

5.  Finally, bring the hood down over the center square and tuck the bottom corners into it:

 

The result is a fleece wrapped pillow. Take it to bed with you... snuggle it, place it beneath your knees or whatever feels comfortable, but keep it beneath the covers and close to you.

When you get up in the morning, your clothing will be as warm as your bed! If you aren't getting dressed immediately, be sure to pull the covers back over them until you do, but don't wait too long because it will all cool down without your body heat to warm it.

Here's another set of pictures using a hooded sweatshirt:

Thanks for visiting and please come again!