Amoretti Purse

2010-03-25T23:48:00.000-07:00

OK . . . the moment has officially arrived! Random number generators have been consulted, and the results are in! The winner of an Easter dress is . . .

Jen!

And, I'm afraid that there are several Jens who entered, so just to keep confusion to a minimum, here is her comment:

Oh boy - what a purse! We have one in red swirls, but one daughter has outgrown it and one is a couple years away. It is the prettiest, best-fitting, most well-made dress we have ever had. I LOVE the cornflower.

So yahoo for Jen! Drop me an email at: info@amoretti-designs.com with your choice and we'll send it out right away!

2010-03-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Ok then . . . Easter is fast approaching, and obviously the crying need of the hour is for everyone to get their daughters' Easter dresses sorted out. I'm deep in it at the moment, designing patterns and choosing fabrics, and if everything goes according to plan, those will be the dresses you'll see next Spring here on Amoretti! (One hopes, anyway. We'll see how they turn out.) However, here are the dresses that I humbly suggest for your consideration for this year's Easter dresses. (I'm especially fond of the zig zag one - it's wicked cute on.) So in celebration of Easter Dress Season, I'm offering one of the dresses as this fortnight's giveaway. Get busy and leave your comment - and the lucky winner will get the dress of their choice!

However, just as a word of warning . . . these dresses have been quite popular and we're beginning to sell out of some color / size combos. So my personal (totally unbiased) recommendation for all of you is that you'd better hurry up and order - and if you're the lucky winner, well then you can get a second dress for free!

And of course, you wouldn't be properly dressed for Easter without a Skirty - so the winner will also receive a Skirty, in their choice of size! (Except for medium. We're spang out of mediums. There will be more - I promise! But for the moment you'll have to size up or down!)

So there you go! Get busy and comment . . . and don't forget to link! (Linking will get you your second entry.)

NOTE: Giveaway is now officially closed! But there will be a new one up soon so just hang tight . . .

2010-02-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

So, the lucky duck winner of the last purse (The Knave of Hearts) is . . .

Bethany!

Her comment was,

The book looks fabulous. I'd enter even if it was just for a Skirty. Thanks!

So congratulations to Bethany - drop me an email at: info@amoretti-designs.com

And the rest of you . . . hang tight because there will be a new purse up shortly!

You really want this one. Really.

2010-01-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

OK, this is rather thrilling. There is now a facsimile edition of the long out of print Knave of Hearts by Louise Saunders, illustrated by Maxfield Parrish! It was first published in 1921 by the Atlantic Monthly, and although I was familiar with all the illustrations of the book, the book itself has always been impossible to find. (Or, once found, impossible to afford!) So I'm thrilled that they've reprinted it. It's quite a ridiculous little story about Lady Violetta having to pass a pastry test in order to become queen, and it's very funny. Here's a sample quote, pulled at random from the book.

The Lady Violetta is slim and fair. She does not, in my opinion, look like the kind of person who is capable of making good pastry. I have discovered through long experience that it is the heaviest women who make the lightest pastry, and vice versa.

And it's illustrated by Maxfield Parrish! I might as well admit that Maxfield Parrish is one of my favorite artists of all time. It's true. I went through a very heavy Maxfield Parrish phase in my junior high years as a matter of fact, and I'm afraid that PG Wodehouse and Maxfield Parrish may have, in equal parts, shaped my imagination. Then I decided that I ought to be more dignified than that and go in for art that was a little more, well, serious. But when you come right down to it, I'm not more dignified than that. I love Maxfield Parrish. And PG Wodehouse. So there. Wanna make somethin' of it?

Seriously though. Look at these pictures! Aren't they totally gorgeous? And silly? They're perfect.

I've tried and tried to find this book over the years, so what I'm telling you is that this is a really fabulously cool thing to win!

And of course, The Skirty!

(But with fair warning that size Medium may not be available by the time this is awarded!)

So leave a comment, and don't forget to link so you'll get a double entry!

CLOSED NOW!

2010-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

OK . . . the winner of the last purse, (sachet sewing kit and Skirty) is Janine!

Congratulations to Janine, and drop me an email at info@amoretti-designs.com to let me know what size Skirty you'd like! And the rest of you hang tight - there's another purse on the way!

2010-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

So here it is! This fortnight's giveaway. Our brand, spankin' new addition to the Amoretti lineup - the "Sew your own lavender sachet kit." And who couldn't use a lavender sachet? Seriously now. How cute is this?

The kit comes with everything you need except the sewing machine and the time to do it. Incidentally, the time commitment involved in sewing this is seriously minimal. If you're holding off on entering because you just don't have the energy, let me tell you that if you're the one doing it, it should take you 20 minutes max. If your favorite 8 year old is doing it, then it's a leisurely 1-2 hours. So it's not like you're committing yourself to a queen size quilt or anything. We're talking pretty basic.

And, of course, the Skirty!

Now - I usually say at this point, "In the winner's choice of size." But this brings me to my next point . . . which is that the size Mediums are pert near sold out. By the time we hit the giveaway date, there may or may not be any left. So get yourself spiritually prepared for that possibility.

This means, obviously, that we're going into another production run - but this time I'm actually considering (due to the volume of emails I've received on the subject,) possibly moving into some other color options. So, if you have strong feelings on this subject, go ahead and cut loose when you leave a comment. Tell me your deepest feelings on the topic of Skirty colors. These could range from, "I'll never purchase anything from you ever again if you do anything as tacky as offering the Skirty in other colors," to "Please, please, please, I'm in desperate need of a magenta Skirty." This is your moment to tell me which, if any, other colors should be in the Skirty lineup.

***And in the small print, so tiny that you can't read it, and with a good many asterisks off to the side, I should mention that this isn't a democracy. You may all vote for khaki until you're blue in the face and I still won't do it. Some colors may have a fightin' chance to make it into the lineup . . . and other colors are scratched before they even reach the starting line.

So there you go! Enter away. Tell me your innermost thoughts on Skirty colors. Or then again, tell me about something else entirely. Just leave any sort of comment and you'll be entered! (And don't forget that if you link to the post you'll be entered twice!)

Finally!

2009-12-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It's about time for heaven's sake. Well here it is: the winner is Tori!

"Super cute stuff, been wanting to try out those skirties for my girls. And can think of lots of things we could do with that great lunch box."

So Tori, drop me an email at: info@amoretti-designs.com to tell me what name to get on this lunchbox, and what size Skirty to send! Hurry, and there's still a shot at it before Christmas!

2009-09-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Good Heavens. This fortnight turned into a fort-month somehow or other. You don't really want to know actually. It's dreadfully tedious and involves computers. And since other people's computer problems are endlessly tiresome, I won't bore you with it. Truly the only thing worse than having your own computer kerfluffles is having to suffer through the details of someone else's. (Then again, these weren't the usual, run-of-the-mill computer problems. This particular situation involved a thieving secretary - not mine, someone else's - and not one, but TWO lost, misplaced, or stolen computer shipments.) Suffice it to say that we're going to move on from this little episode and pretend it never happened. And in the meantime, I'm going to let this purse go until December 15 - at which point someone will win just in time for Christmas. What could be handier? So hop to and enter!

You know you need one of these right? There's clearly a crying need in everyone's life for a personalized pink Union Jack lunchbox. I'm sure you realize this without me having to point out all the obvious upsides to having one of these in your reportoire. Even if you're at that stage of life where you don't pack a lunch for yourself or anyone else . . . a handy box for keeping things in is always a net plus. Especially when so sportily decorated with pink Union Jacks. I'm feeling awfully attached to these myself at the moment . . . and I'm thinking of making myself a couple for various sewing supplies. One for buttons would be handy . . . or zippers or hooks and eyes for that matter.

How you use this little gem is entirely up to you. Have it personalized with your name, or with "receipts" or "curlers" or "popsicle sticks" or whatever else you dream up.

And then of course there's the Skirty. No purse would be complete without it!

So get busy and leave a comment . . . and make sure to link to this post for an extra entry!

2009-08-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

So . . . I'm trying to figure out why it is that I've never thought to include these books in the purse! I mean, sheesh!

For anyone who doesn't know this bit of personal trivia, the honorable N.D. Wilson is my very own younger brother. Which means of course, that with my priviledged standing as the much respected and revered older sister, I can prevail upon him to inscribe the book for you if indeed you happen to be the lucky winner. And it's no use saying that you already have a copy - that's no reason not to enter. Think of all the people who need one for Christmas! You can wrap up your old copy and give it to them . . . keeping the autographed version for yourself.

If you haven't read it . . . well then. It's absolutely a must. Plus, it's the first in a trilogy . . . the last of which will be released this coming January. That gives you a nice comfortable amount of time to read it, and move on to your autographed sequel . . .

. . . and you won't have to wait too terribly long until the release of The Chestnut King. (Need to preorder anyone?)

Anyhow, there you go. Clearly you need to enter for this. And - because no purse is complete without it . . .

A Skirty! In winner's choice of size. So have at it!

Now - just in case you're feeling too lethargic to enter, I have a cautionary tale for you. A friend of ours in Oxford was a student when JRR Tolkien's wife had just died and he had moved back into Merton College. Our friend lived just downstairs from him. And he kept meaning to take his copy of Lord of the Rings upstairs to have him autograph it - but he just didn't get around to it before the summer holidays. And when he came back in the fall, Tolkien had died. Now, I'm not insinuating that Nate might die . . . but merely that you shouldn't pass up opportunities to get your books autographed!

2009-08-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

So the moment has come once again to announce the winner of the purse! And this time it goes to "InFocus" who has 4 daughters, and thus may have a hard time choosing a size! Congratulations!

And for the rest of you . . . hang tight because I have a very festive purse which will be up and ready to enter for tomorrow!

2009-07-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well . . . I've given away the other new Summer dress, so in the interests of fairness and not showing preference, I'm now giving away this one!

The zig-zag Fancy Free Dress!

I adore this dress. It's very low-key and super summery.

And of course, anyone who would fit this dress also needs a Skirty to wear underneath! So it would clearly be remiss of me to not also include in the purse . . .

. . . a Skirty! In winner's choice of size.

So hurry up and leave your comments to be entered . . . and don't forget to link and you'll get an extra entry!

2009-06-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

OK - I'll be honest. This purse is fabulous. Plus, you get a sneak peek of what will be showing up on the website quite soon!

The new cornflower dress for Summer. And you can enter to win one - and then feel entirely smug that you've got it before anyone else does!

And of course, because the dress would be incomplete with it . . .

. . . a Skirty! I mean, come on. A whole new outfit!

So hop to and leave a comment to be entered to win! And don't forget to link . . . you'll get an extra entry that way!