Spooktacular Giveaway Hop {2011}

I cannot believe that it has been a whole year since we last did this hop!! Time has flown by so fast!

Anyway on to the giveaway!

For this hop I am giving away....

On her fourteenth Halloween, Lizzy Mortimer sees her first death-specter.

Confused at first, Lizzy soon learns from her grandmother Bizzy that as Death Catchers, they must prevent fate from taking its course when an unjust death is planned-a mission that has been passed down from their ancestor, Morgan le Fay. Only, Lizzy doesn't expect one of her first cases to land her in the middle of a feud older than time between Morgan le Fay and her sister Vivienne le Mort. Vivienne hopes to hasten the end of the world by preventing Lizzy from saving King Arthur's last descendant-humanity's greatest hope for survival. It's up to Lizzy, as Morgan's earthly advocate, to outwit fate before it's too late.With its unique spin on Arthurian legend, this fresh, smartly written story will stand out in the paranormal genre.

Open to US only! 

Since I personally do not like a ton of entries when it comes to giveaway hops - All you have to do is be an EMAIL subscriber and leave a comment with your email address.

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There are also a ton of other giveaways going on at Ashley Suzanne. They can be found on the sidebar!

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AccuQuilt {Go! Baby Review & Tutorial}

As many of you may know, Ashley Suzanne is not only a place where is post my book reviews, but it is also a place where I share my projects and all the products that I love. Today I have an awesome little “baby” to share with you all.

Tada!

That my friends is a Go! Baby fabric cutting device. Remember those die cutting machines {seem like old dinosaurs} that you can use to cut out different shapes of paper with? I remember having one at the library in high school and we used it to make decorations for the bulletin board. Well this little baby is almost like those except it is small, easy to carry, and it cuts out fabric!

 

Leave it to the experts…

 

The AccuQuilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter is a fast, precise, affordable fabric cutter that allows quilters and fabric crafters to cut fabric as much as 90% faster than scissors or rotary cutting. Perfect for the beginner and occasional quilter.

 

 

Not only is this for quilters, but you can use it in just about any everyday craft. Which leads me to my next activity, My Tutorial!

 

{Please bear with me this is the first tutorial I have ever written!}

 

 

 

{Tutorial}

 

 

I am going to go ahead and apologize for my picture taking. My camera battery decided to die, so I while it was on charged I continued taking the pictures with my camera phone.

 

Today I will be sharing with you all how to make a simple. easy applique shirt or onesie in this case.

 

 

Supplies

 

 

Go! Baby cutter

Pumpkin die

Cutting mat

sewing machine (optional)

embroidery hoop (optional)

onesie

scissors

fabric or felt

{in this case I used felt}

iron

Heat n Bond

 

 

Instructions

 

Step 1. Apply Heat n’ Bond to back of material!

 

  

 

Step 2. Cut fabric!

 

 

I loaded my fabric on top of the die, trimmed it, and then put the cutting mat on top. I must admit that getting the mat into the machine was difficult for me, because I was not doing it right {go figure!}, once I figured out how to do it, it was a breeze. It is not hard at all like you would expect it to be. After it came all the way back thru, I loaded the next color and did it all over again and volia! 6 beautiful little pumpkins.

 

 

Step 3. Assemble pumpkins!

 

Cut off the orange pumpkins’ stems, and peel the backs off of them. Iron them onto the green pumpkins.

 

 

Now take the backs off of the green pumpkins and iron them onto the onesie.

 

 

 

Remove the iron and you will have a cute little fall onesie.

 

 

Tips!

 

- Before you iron the pumpkin onto the onesie give it a cute little face or even embroider a name onto it.

- Once it is attached to the onesie go back over it with the sewing machine for that extra sturdiness.

 

 

The Go! Baby fabric cutter made this project one of the simplest that I have ever done. What would have normally taken almost an hour, really only took about 10 minutes!!

 

I love it and I will continue to use this for years to come. No other fabric cutter can replace the love in my heart for my little “baby”!

 

Another neat thing about the cutter is that they have a rick-rack die! Now you can make your very own ric-rac to match any project you need!

 

 

 

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I hope you all enjoyed my review and tutorial and I hope it leads to many adorable outfits for you all! Be on a look out for a giveaway coming soon!

 

 

 

Dream. Create. Inspire!

 

Ashley Suzanne

Say Not What If {Interview & Giveaway}

“Say Not What If” is about a man on death row, and has as its theme the concept that time is our most valuable commodity. As someone once said, “waste anything but time, because we really are promised no tomorrows.” This theme is explored through the life of a man who sacrifices his marriage and everything else for his career. He realizes much too late the terrible consequences of this decision, and then desperately tries to regain those lost years by making a much worse choice. The resolution of this latter choice involves an additional examination of the concepts of accountability and responsibility, redemption, and the morality of the death penalty.

 

 

Interview

How would you describe “Say Not What If?”

 

“Say Not What If” is a nearly 10,000 word story written as a long rhyming poem, but is nonetheless very easy to read and understand. It is about a man on death row, and has as its theme the concept that time is our most valuable commodity. As someone once said, “waste anything but time, because we really are promised no tomorrows.” This theme is explored through the life of a man who sacrifices his marriage and everything else for his career. He realizes much too late the terrible consequences of this decision, and then desperately tries to regain those lost years by making a much worse choice. The resolution of this latter choice involves an additional examination of the concepts of accountability and responsibility, redemption, and the morality of the death penalty.

 

Which of your characters do you feel you relate to the most and why?

 

I identify most closely with the warden of the prison where the protagonist is put to death. The warden embodies and reflects my own views on the death penalty. He supports believes the death penalty is an appropriate or at least morally defensible punishment for truly heinous crimes. But he also understands the claim that its imposition at least arguably makes the state no morally different than the person being executed. This is why he despises those who stand outside prisons and cheer while someone is being executed. He questions his own morality just for presiding over executions, and wonders if by doing so he has the same blood on his hands as murderers being put to death. He notes the awful stench of death, and the gasps of those being executed that accompany the death penalty. This guilt is ultimately one reason why he quits. He also quits because the demanding nature of his job prevents him from spending enough time with his wife and son. He wants to avoid having the same regrets that were ultimately why the protagonist ended up on death row.

 

Were you a reader in your teen years and if so, who was your favorite author?

 

School and studying took up a lot of my time as a teenager, but I read when my schedule would allow. Both my parents were readers, and there were always many books in the house. We made frequent trips to the public library and to local book sales.

My favorite author was George Orwell. “1984” seems more and more relevant now as our privacy is continually being eroded by the same technology we insist is necessary for a meaningful life. I also loved “Animal Farm.” Some of my other favorite authors and books as a teenager were Ray Bradbury and the “Martian Chronicles,” and Arthur C. Clarke and “Childhood’s End.”

But my favorite book then and now is “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich,” by the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The book is literally a day in the life of a prisoner in a Soviet gulag. Harrowing.

 

What one 2012 release are you most looking forward to reading this year?

 

My current situation unfortunately does not allow me to purchase many books. I am therefore unable to buy new releases. I buy most of the books I read at local book sales, or even more unfortunately, when book stores decide to close and therefore discount their inventory. Borders is a recent example.

I am currently reading “The Big Burn,” by Timothy Egan, which I did buy at a Borders that was closing. The book is about one of the worst forest fires in American history, in August 1910. Egan skillfully relates the frightening size of the fire, as well as the desperate attempts to contain it by a nascent fire service, overwhelmed forest rangers, and a collection of completely inexperienced immigrants, college boys, day workers, and miners. Many died. There are stories of heroism and bravery, as well as cowardice and greed. He shows us the best and worst of people, qualities that strangely seem equally likely to appear during a crisis. He also explores the broader conflict between the desire Teddy Roosevelt had to establish permanent national forests, and that of corporations and industry who wanted to harvest those same forests for their timber.

Egan is the author of “The Worst Hard Time,” another excellent book, about the dust bowl and its consequences.

I also recently read “Big Coal,” by Jeff Goddell, about the coal industry in the U.S. Another very good book.

 

Are you currently in the process of writing a sequel or newer book?

 

I am not currently writing a sequel to “Say Not What If,” but do have some ideas about writing a second part, or another story written in the same format. It is simply a matter of finding the time I suppose. But the importance of not wasting time and procrastinating is something I should be familiar with after writing “Say Not What If.”

 

 

Andrew is offering one lucky reader a chance to win a print copy of “Say Not What If”.

Just leave a comment with a way to reach you and you are entered.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing! I wish you the best of luck and the most success!

 

Happy Reading!

Ashley Suzanne