Harry Connick Jr.

I am a big fan of Harry Connick Jr. During Christmas his CDs are always playing at my house, and he has some of the most romantic music around. A champagne brunch with Harry Connick Jr. playing is my idea of heaven.

I recently had the chance to review Harry Connick Jr.’s latest release, Your Songs. This CD is a compilation of classic songs in Harry’s jazzy style. I particularly enjoyed, “The Way You Look Tonight”, “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”, and “Some Enchanted Evening”. It confused me a couple of times when the songs jumped from a song from the 40’s to a song from the 70’s, but the music was beautiful nonetheless.

This album is smooth and relaxing. It transports you to another time. Harry Connick Jr. fans will love his silky voice and charming arrangements. Click here for a “Behind the Scenes” look at the Making of the album. You can also become a fan of Harry Connick Jr. on Facebook.

Look for Harry on TV on The Ellen Show, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Tavis Smiley and The Bonnie Hunt Show in November.

Harry Connick Jr. Your Songs CD Giveaway

One of you lucky readers will win a Harry Connick Jr. Your Songs CD! To enter – visit the Your Songs site, check out the track list, come back and leave a comment telling us which song you think you will like best. For an additional entry – you can tweet about this giveaway. Use #HarryConnickJr in your tweet and come back here and leave a comment that you tweeted with the tweet URL. Once daily max for tweet entries.

*Important – if you are reading this on Facebook, you must visit the Alpaca Farmgirl Blog directly to leave your entry comments in order for them to be eligible. (click here)

Giveaway winner will be chosen at random.org. Contest ends Sunday, October 12 at 11pm CST.

My thanks to One2One Network for providing information and product sampling for this review and giveaway.

For the Alpaca Bunny Smackdown, we are giving away a skein of white royal baby alpaca yarn. This yarn was home-grown on our farm. Made from the fiber of our alpacas, Earth Angel, who won a Blue Ribbon in the National Spin-off Competition, and her son, Bishop, who was a Champion herdsire. The skein is a natural white in color, 16 WPI. The skein is approximately 200 yds and weighs 4.0 oz.

Alpaca fiber is prized worldwide due to its luxurious fineness. Alpaca is very light, warm, and has a nice handle.  Alpaca also lacks the lanolin that wool has, making it wearable for those allergic to wool. This yarn can also be purchased in our Etsy shop.  This yarn Giveaway made possible by the alpacas at Fairhope Alpacas!

Win a Skein of Royal Baby Alpaca Yarn!

There are a total of 3 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would do with this luxurious yarn!

2. Leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet.

3. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on Sunday, August 9 at midnight CST.

This Giveaway is for 1/2 oz. angora fiber from Nougat! It is super soft and lustrous. Lynn took the above photo of it from her iPhone. In fact she tells me she does everything, blogging, tweeting, etc. from her phone rather than a computer. Amazing. Remember when phones had to be dialed? …feeling old. Back to the giveaway.

To enter, leave a comment telling us what you would do with this lovely bit o’ fluff from our hero, Nougat bunny. For an extra entry, you may tweet about the giveaway once a day. Use #AlpacaBunnySmackdown in your tweet. You may also blog about it for an additional entry. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Contest closes at midnight on Friday, August 7th (CST). Good Luck!

Win this Persuasion Alpaca/Angora Batt!

(Sorry we’re not giving away the bunny)

There are a total of 3 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Leave a comment telling us your thoughts on Alpacas, Bunnies, or both. If you have either feel free to leave a link so we can visit them.

2. Leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post and include #AlpacaBunnySmackdown. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet. Limit one entry per day.

3. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on Friday, August 7th at midnight CST.

I just finished reading Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn by Maggie Casey, and I have to highly recommend this terrific book. It has excellent photographs and she walks you through things slowly enough that you don’t get lost.

Ms. Casey begins by answering the question I had for many years – “WHY?” Why spin one’s own yarn? I mean, there are yarn shops for that, and mills to spin it, right? Once I fell in love with artsy yarns and realized how fun they could be I started to become interested in spinning my own. It is also more cost effective for a fiber grower such as myself to spin my own yarn. Economic times have made me look at these things.  But Casey really convinced me to give it a try when she spoke about the connection between spinning and our heritage. Not to mention the connection with the animals that grow our fleece and the consumers of our yarn.

This book teaches more than just how to spin. It teaches you about yarn. For alpaca breeders who aren’t spinning yet, this book is a helpful resource in understanding the process, and terms like “twist”, “wpi”, “ply”, and much more. As fiber growers, the more we know about our product and how it will be used, the better our product can be.

I’m dying to learn to spin! We will be holding a Beginning Spinning Class at our alpaca farm on Saturday, May 23th for anyone who would like to join us. Our teacher will be long-time Fiber Artist and Alpaca Breeder Sheri Watkins. Sheri is so kind, patient, and full of knowledge. Wheels will be available for rent that day or for purchase. If you ever wanted to learn to spin, and if you’d love to meet our alpacas ~ Join us! Click here for a registration form. You can also contact me at alpacas (at ) bellsouth.net for more information.

In the meantime, I am so impressed with this book, that I am going to give one away. There are four ways to enter to win a copy of this book:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you love about fiber, spinning, alpacas, anything really related to this topic.
2. Tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment including your tweet URL. (After you tweet go to your “updates”. Click on the date/time under your contest tweet. That’s the URL you want)
3. Subscribe to our RSS feed (top right corner of page). Leave a comment saying you did so.
4. Sign up for our farm email list (both are in the top right corner of this page). Leave a comment telling me that you did so.

Thanks for your entries and good luck. Contest will close Monday, May 4 at Midnight (CST). One winner will be chosed at random.

Fiber Arts Friday Blog Carnival!

To participate:

1. Add the permalink to a specific blog post that features something Fiber Art related, rather than your general blog address and not your Etsy store. (Please DO put a link in your blog post that takes us to your store though.)
2. Link back to Fiber Arts Friday from your post so that your readers can come and see everyone else’s projects! Use the button or a text link to http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com.
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what helps us all connect!
4. Double-check to make sure your link works and goes to the right page so it doesn’t get deleted.

Be sure to visit our wonderful participants AND please leave them some comments!

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Designed by Design Chicky

How would you like to win a FREE Blog Design or Blog Makeover? Whether you’ve been blogging for years, a total newbie, or would just like a new look for the Holidays, this package has everything you need to create a smashing, put together blog.

Thanks to Design Chicky, who is donating her time, design skills, and artistic flair to one of my lucky readers this Holiday season. Design Chicky is also Domestic Chicky and the Apronista. She’s a bloggin’ whiz! I have gotten so many great blogging tips from this gal…her expertise is truly priceless. Here’s what you can win:

A Deluxe Blogger Design~

• Choose 1, 2, or 3 columns
• Custom Header/banner
• Custom Background
• Up to 5 custom sidebar titles
• Signature
• Divider
• Blog button (non-animated)
• Up to 5 credits at istockphoto.com (additional credits may be purchased)
• Includes Installation

Win a FREE Blog Design or Makeover!

There are a total of 4 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Visit any of Deanna’s blogs (Design Chicky, Domestic Chicky, and the Apronista). Come back and leave me a comment telling me which one you visited. Then tell me what your favorite blog is. I want to know which blog you always read. Write the address so I can check it out.

2. Subscribe to our RSS feed so you can keep up with what’s new on Alpaca Farmgirl. To do so, click the pink button on the homepage to subscribe to Alpaca Farmgirl. This means that you can receive updates from my blog each time I write a new post. You can choose to read them in a reader such as Google, or have them sent to your email account. Once you’ve subscribed to our RSS feed, leave a comment and tell me that you’ve subscribed. (If you are already a subscriber just put that in your comment. Thanks!)

3. Leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet.

4. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on December 20th at midnight CST.

View a list of all the giveaways so far. Happy Holidays!

Win an Alpaca Scarf (or Kit)!

There are a total of 4 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Visit our Alpaca Sales list and then leave a comment answering this question: If you had got to have one of these pacas in your backyard, which one would you choose? (Disclaimer: You actually cannot have only one alpaca. They are neurotically extremely herd oriented and must be kept with at least one other alpaca. This is just pretend. For kicks.)

2. Subscribe to our RSS feed so you can keep up with what’s new on Alpaca Farmgirl. To do so, click the pink button on the homepage to subscribe to Alpaca Farmgirl. This means that you can receive updates from my blog each time I write a new post. You can choose to read them in a reader such as Google, or have them sent to your email account. Once you’ve subscribed to our RSS feed, leave a comment and tell me that you’ve subscribed. (If you are already a subscriber just put that in your comment. Thanks!)

3. Follow me on Twitter and leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet.

4. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on December 17th at midnight CST.

Each day from December 1-6, I will be announcing 2 Giveaways per day. One prize will be unveiled in the morning and one in the afternoon. View a list of all the giveaways so far. Happy Holidays!

Williams-Sonoma is fabulous! I am a huge fan of this store. Their chocolate croissants are divine. We have them for breakfast every Christmas morning. And Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day (brought to me in bed of course). Sometimes the kids will request them for their Birthday breakfast as well. They are a big hit! In fact, we gave some away here on the blog in September.

Recently, we purchased their potato ricer and the Calphalon Contemporary Multi Pot to make mashed potatoes. We loved them both. The ricer is large, but I found it very manageable and the potatoes came out so smooth with a velvet texture. Delicious! And the Multi Pot can be used to make pasta and other things. This is a great addition to our kitchen. I would eat pasta every day if the rest of my posse would let me.

Williams-Sonoma has great things for cooking with your children during the holidays. I especially loved Stained-Glass Holiday Cookie Cutters. You can pick up great stocking stuffers there, and don’t miss the Winter Forest hand and dish soap from their Pure & Green Collection. Perfect for this time of year. Their on-line store is easy to shop. Visit Williams-Sonoma and tell me, what would you buy with your $50 gift card?

Win a $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card!

There are a total of 4 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Visit Williams-Sonoma and leave a comment telling me what you think looks good OR if you can recommend a product from Williams-Sonoma, please tell me about it!

2. Subscribe to our RSS feed so you can keep up with what’s new on Alpaca Farmgirl. To do so, click the pink button on the homepage to subscribe to Alpaca Farmgirl. This means that you can receive updates from my blog each time I write a new post. You can choose to read them in a reader such as Google, or have them sent to your email account. Once you’ve subscribed to our RSS feed, leave a comment and tell me that you’ve subscribed. (If you are already a subscriber just put that in your comment. Thanks!)

3. Leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet.

4. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on December 16th at midnight CST.

Each day from December 1-6, I will be announcing 2 Giveaways per day. One prize will be unveiled in the morning and one in the afternoon. View a list of all the giveaways so far. Happy Holidays!

Alpaca Baby Blanket

Wrap up in this scrumptious throw and feel the luxury of alpaca! Light, super soft, wonderfully warm, you will be amazed and fall in love with alpaca! Loomed by hand and brushed gently to create a soft and supple knap then finished with hand twisted fringe, this blanket is top quality. Our pure natural undyed blanket is perfect for your eco friendly and organic needs. This blanket (retail value $119.00) is brought to you by our new store at Alpaca Farmgirl which will be launching soon. If you’d like to order one of our blankets as a gift, contact me at katy@alpacafarmgirl.com.

Cuddle or wrap up a new addition with reassurance that it is as soft as soft can be! This blanket is sustainable, organic in nature, eco-friendly and a free trade product! Protecting the environment has never been so luxurious. This giveaway is for one blanket in your choice of:

Pink Plaid

Blue Plaid

Organic Natural Plaid

Generous Size: 50″ X 53″ + Fringe.

Win this Alpaca Blanket/Throw

There are a total of 4 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Leave a comment telling me which color plaid blanket you would choose.

2. Subscribe to our RSS feed so you can keep up with what’s new on Alpaca Farmgirl. To do so, click the pink button on the homepage to subscribe to Alpaca Farmgirl. This means that you can receive updates from my blog each time I write a new post. You can choose to read them in a reader such as Google, or have them sent to your email account. Once you’ve subscribed to our RSS feed, leave a comment and tell me that you’ve subscribed.

3. Leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet.

4. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on December 14th at midnight CST.

Each day from December 1-6, I will be announcing 2 Giveaways per day. One prize will be unveiled in the morning and one in the afternoon. View a list of all the giveaways so far. Happy Holidays!

We have been buying our alpaca supplies from Useful Lama Items for close to 10 years now. The people at Useful Lama are very professional and helpful. Many times they have come to the aid of myself or one of my customers when we were in a bind. They have everything you can think of for alpacas and lamas, as well as for fiber enthusiasts. Check out their wide selection of books as well as medication, wormers, and supplies. We use their hay bags (shown below). What Useful Lama item is at the top of your wish list this holiday season?

Fabric for giveaway hay bale bag

Win this Hay Bale Bag!

The one we are giving away is just like the bag at the top, except it is made from the Silver Fabric shown on the hay bag in the lower picture.

There are a total of 4 Ways to Enter to win, and everyone is eligible, except people I feed on a daily basis or write a weekly paycheck to. You can enter as many ways as you like. Each method of entry = 1 entry into the contest. Here’s how:

1. Visit Useful Lama Items and leave a comment telling me which of their products you like the best.

2. Subscribe to our RSS feed so you can keep up with what’s new on Alpaca Farmgirl. To do so, click the pink button on the homepage to subscribe to Alpaca Farmgirl. This means that you can receive updates from my blog each time I write a new post. You can choose to read them in a reader such as Google, or have them sent to your email account. Once you’ve subscribed to our RSS feed, leave a comment and tell me that you’ve subscribed.

3. Leave a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. You can write whatever you like as long as you link to this post. Leave a comment that you tweeted with a direct link to your tweet.

4. Write a post on your blog about this Giveaway. You can write whatever you want, just link back to this post. Leave a comment that you did this with a direct link to your post.

* It is important that you leave a separate comment for each method of entry.* Winner will be chosen at random. This giveaway ends on December 13th at midnight CST.

Each day from December 1-6, I will be announcing 2 Giveaways per day. One prize will be unveiled in the morning and one in the afternoon. View a list of all the giveaways so far. Happy Holidays!