You Can Make This: A gift from the heart

I can't sew a button. Seriously. My poor Mexican grandmother would be ashamed of me, with all the crocheting and knitting she put into my treasured baby blanket collection. But it's true: I am sewing-challenged!

And yet, I have high hopes that everyone on my Christmas gift list will get a personalized pillow with the help of an easy-to-follow e-book from YouCanMakeThis.com from me and Buttercup in 2009. That's right...I'm going easy on myself and giving myself a pretty large margin for error.

Seriously, aren't they adorable? I'm already picking up fabrics and can't wait to work on Buttercup's pillows (she'll get one with "Buttercup" on it and one with her real name) as soon as I have more than five minutes to myself and I figure out how to use a sewing machine.

I'll be sure to let you know when that happens.

But just because my life is crazy-busy doesn't mean I have to make you wait for a chance at an e-book of your choice from YouCanMakeThis.com, does it? They've got some great Christmas gift and craft ideas with over 700 e-books in 34 categories, like the Duet Apron set for Adult and Child, or the Donut and Cupcake Felt Food set!

The e-books are very affordable, but every little bit helps, right? Through December 1, you can score 10 percent off your order with code MakeGifts!

So here's the deal: In order to make sure my TWO winners get the time they need to go out and buy their supplies for their e-book of choice ($20 value or less) and still have time to get the gift under the Christmas tree, I'm running a live contest via Twitter for FOUR hours only! That means that at 3:20 P.M. EST, time's up!

To enter, all you have to do is stop by YouCanMakeThis.com and find your favorite e-book, then stop back here and leave me a berrie (read: comment) telling me which one you want emailed to you if you win AND a comment sharing your thoughts on the site. You know, do you like it? Is it easy to navigate? Do you like the selection of e-books? Will you be back?

And make sure that your comment included a valid email address, cuz if my email gets bounced back, I'm moving on to the next winner. One extra entry are available for retweeting the contest link.

That's it! Why are you still reading? The clock's ticking, people. Let's get crafty!

DIY: Cute shoes for baby

Okay, so I've been to a million baby showers and pretty much always give a different version of the same thing to the mom-to-be. You know what I mean: the expected, requested, and everybody-else-has-one diaper bag, welcome baby bath kit, or little baby PJ's. It's all super-sweet, of course, but it's not really, well, personal, ya know?

So I about flipped when I received these DOLCISSIMA (That's Italian for very sweet, thank you very much!)do-it-yourself baby shoes from the Etsy Crea Baby Shoes shop.

The adorable Italian creation is a perfect first shoe that comes in pre-cut kits that you actually, well, do yourself! Available in ten different styles,
these little shoes are perfect for babies 0-3 months old, and I think, would make a perfect (and personal) gift for any mom-to-be.

And you can stop holding your breath now because yes, we do have a contest and a discount code! Up for grabs is is one pair for each sex and the winners get to pick the style the like best! To enter, visit the Creakit Shop and leave me a berrie (read: comment) with your favorite style and if you'd like to win the shoes for a boy or a girl. Comments must be received by midnight, EST, on Oct. 15.

As always, extra entries will be available for those who:

* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* And as an added bonus through the end of the month, get one extra entry per $1 donated FOR THIS CONTEST ONLY to my DonorsChoose.org Blogger Challenge! Just click on the widget at the right hand top of the page and leave me a comment telling me how much you've donated.
Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

Oh, and about that discount: Creakit is offering Berrie Sweet Picks readers a 15 percent discount. Just place your order and contact Creakit through their Etsy shop with code "berriesweet" and you will receive a revised invoice. Enjoy!