24.4.12

a souvenir giveaway : natural dye and block printing - NOW CLOSED


I thought about you a lot on my travels, you know. Wondering what you were all doing and whether you would like me to bring you back a souvenir .. that kind of thing. So I decided to bring back a token from each of the three cities I visited.

In Vancouver there is an amazing shop on Granville Island called Maiwa. I discovered it last summer when we were there, so made a bee-line there once again. Twice in fact. It would have been more, only the family already knew what I was up to! The supply store is a treasure trove, filled with all sorts of goodness to get the textile creative juices flowing; be it knitting, crochet, felting, sewing, painting, natural dyeing or printing. It was the latter two that had me transfixed mostly and I thought it may be of interest to you, too.


I picked up a special natural colour kit that the shop had put together on the back of one of the courses it runs. The set comes with nine pre-blended colours, all from natural plant dyes and extracts such as logwood, madder root, cochineal, lac, henna, chlorophyll and pomegranate, together with alum which is used to set protein fibres such as wool and silk. However, if you got yourself some tannin, you could also use this kit to set linen, cotton and other cellulose fabrics. There is a concise instruction sheet, which will help you through your experiments, and it is completely safe to use in the kitchen and get the children involved. Also included is a natural dyed/block printed organic cotton tote (chosen by the Model) and a leafy hand carved wooden print block (as carefully chosen for you by the Boy). And just to prove it was a completely family affair, the Husband picked up the bill. Ha!


Secondly, the seriously fabulous and groovy Space Needle celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, so from Seattle comes a retro 60s style tin filled with mints. The perfect for your handbag tin was made especially for the Space Needle to commemorate the iconic landmark's milestone this year.

And finally, from Portland comes a Larabar. Now, this may seem an odd thing to include but, believe me, these things are seriously delicious. So much so that we ate our way through the entire range and back during our visit. We even ended up bringing home a box each of the apple pie and cashew bars to keep us going until we can send the Husband back again for more. Free from gluten, dairy, soy, peanut and added sugars but unfortunately not available in the UK, you can choose which flavour you would prefer. Believe me, if it were up to me I'd include one of each but there's no way the kiddos will buy that idea. Not a hope!


So if you would like to win this souvenir, all you need do is leave a comment on this post. If you put the button on your sidebar, or mention it on your blog/twitter/facebook, then let me know and I'll enter you a second time. I am prepared to send to anywhere on the globe and will leave the giveaway open until midnight GMT on Saturday 12th May. A winner will be announced on the Monday. Good luck!

The Model has an important celebration on Friday so I must put all my energies into that now. See you next week!

37 comments:

  1. Ohhh what a wonderful giveaway, these are lovely souvenirs from your travels!

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  2. Such wonderful treasures from your trip Kate...I love everything...The leaf block is sp pretty..a very good choice by your son I must say and the vintage style tin from Space Needle is fab..So kind of hubby to pick up the bill too!
    I would definitely like to be included in your special Giveaway and will go and add a link to my sidebar straight way!
    Happy celebrating,
    Susan x

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  3. What a gorgeous and generous giveaway - I'd love the chance to be entered! Thank you!

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  4. Oh such a lovely giveaway! Vancouver is a fabulous place. Glad you had a wonderful time. Laura xx

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  5. What a gorgeous, generous giveaway Kate! Great choices by you all and thanks to your hubbie too! :)
    Please, please count me in!
    I have put it on Facebook and I have also put a link on my blog (can you tell I'm keen to win ;)).
    Have a good Wednesday, weather is horrible here today. :(
    Vivienne x

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  6. such a fabulous giveaway - I will tweet about it too x

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  7. what a beautiful tin.....any more info on Vancouver...i'd love to go one day

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  8. Really fab giveaway! Count me in : )

    Gemma x

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  9. Oooooh, a natural dye kit, how wonderful. I would love to experiment with that, so please, include me in the draw. I'll put the link on my side bar as well. Anything else I can do for a third, fourth, fifth chance, lol?

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  10. wow what a great collection of goodies! xxx

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  11. I am thinking printing could be my next big thing, pick me, pick me, Olivia x

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  12. What a lovely, original idea for a giveaway! Please put my name in the hat too. Thank you!
    Helen x

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  13. I've just been reading about your exciting travels Kate. It must have been great to meet up with a fellow blogger in another continent! Great photos - looks like you had a fab time.

    This is such a generous and thoughful giveaway Kate but would be entirely wasted on me as I am boringly un-creative!:D

    Lovely to see you back!

    Jeanne
    xox

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  14. I LOVE Larabars (Sainsbury's used to sell them)!! And natural dying. And printing. So obviously - wheel of fate, are you listening? - I am the perfect person to win :D

    Off to put a button on the blog now!

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  15. Count me in!!!
    Thanks for bringing some souvenirs of your journey to your readers, this is such generous of you ;-)
    Maider x

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  16. The link is in my blog on the right panel
    http://ytanyusha.blogspot.com/

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  17. What a fab giveaway!!
    I am into buying and making my own stamps so understandably my heart stuck to the natural dyes kit!!
    Thank you for organizing this!!

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  18. Tweeted about your giveaway! : )

    Gemma x

    @Gemma_GLD

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  19. Hi
    The creative juices they are a flowing and if not its no fault of yours, really inspired by your fab give away, that little shop I may visit when and if I am fortunate to visit vancouver. Maiwa here I come, please include me in your beautiful give .
    Regards
    Edel

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  20. Ahh...living in the USA I know how wonderful the LARA bars are!! How nice that you are having a souvenir give-a-way...very generous of you!

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  21. Hi. May I be included in the giveaway please?
    I'd love to try my hand at natural fabric dyeing. In fact, I picked up a little book about it in a secondhand shop only this morning.
    Many thanks, Alison.

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  22. oohh pop me in your hat, would love to try those natural dyes :-) x

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  23. Oh this giveaway looks so lovely - I've never tried dyeing and the books look truly inspirational. I'd so love a chance to win - thankyou!

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  24. How did I miss this?

    Of course, of course, of course......pretty please.

    The same is going on over at mine too - ends Sunday.

    Nina xxxxx

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  25. At last I have got around to putting in for your very generous give-away. You are right, that dyeing kit looks just up my street, fingers crossed.

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  26. Hello ! I've spent a happy afternoon procrastinating today (after marching in a protest against asset sales in NZ this afternoon, I deserve it!) browsing about Pinterest and following lots of lovely links... until I found you. Someone had posted an image of a Merchant and Mills pattern that you've made recently. I I love those Japanese dress patterns too and you've inspired me to send for the books (not sure who stocks them here in New Zealand). Your give away looks delicious ... please can I enter ? I'd love to try out the dyes on some of my hand spun merino and silk fibers. I've bookmarked Harmony and Rosie to come back to next time it's a slow Friday in my studio. Happy happy, and thank you Adele

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  27. How WONDERFUL! To think of us all and have a giveaway from your holiday, that's really very thoughtful of you Kate. I would like to put my name down for the giveaway please, thank you so much. I'm very intrigued by the edibles, and I love the idea of hand dyeing with natural dyes. Fingers cross I win! Vanessa xxx

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  28. Wow you treat your readers well! I went and looked at the Maiwa page. Such wonderful stuff. Set me to drooling! I would love to be added to your giveaway.

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  29. How lovely to find your blog. I particularly love the leaf block and dyes, oh what fun to be had . Catherine x

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  30. It is glad to acquaintance and greetings from Russia, I will be glad to see at myself on a visit my blog http://rukodelenkino.blogspot.com/
    Please count me in!

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  31. Greetings from the Niagara region in southern Ontario ... it's a refreshing change to be linked by a British blogger back to more familiar Canada!
    Many thanks!
    Sarah

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  33. Your giveaway is wonderful and very generous. Please enter me and I will keep my fingers crossed!

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  34. hello from Russia! Your geaveavay is greate!
    I like travelling too.
    and I invite you to my blog )) http://mksolokha.blogspot.com/

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  35. Hi Kate, I was just reading about your son's lovely new jumper (would like the same myself) when I realised I had missed your cool giveaway. Please enter me into the draw! Have a lovely weekend. Nicki x

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  36. please enter me in the giveaway - I love the blue of the boy's jumper

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  37. Such wonderfull giveaway!
    I put the picture on my sidebar. I will be glad to see you in my blog
    http://fantatrice.blogspot.com/

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