Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

12 Days: Cardboard Castle Kits

These lovely building playsets are affordable, recyclable and sturdy. And you can customize them because the painting part is up to you (or the clever little one you 'gift' it to). I love things like this because they're great for playing in general for girls and boys of many ages, for adding to storytime but they're also great for grownups who are involved in theater and writing as a creative tool.
The buildings, which include a number of different castles, a tree house, a farm, a windmill, a dollhouse and a fort are by Calafant and come in two sizes. The smaller, less complicated buildings (like the one below) come with non-toxic markers. You can get small toys too which can be used on their own or as accessories, such as this carriage.Creative Toy Shop (which factors recycling toys into the products it carries) is also having a special 25% off sale on these Calafant buildings when you use code CMP25 at the checkout (for orders over $20).
You can buy these buildings and the smaller toys HERE (don't forget to use the sale code!).

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)


Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close IN LESS THAN A WEEK on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(Watch for a preview of the prize in the next few posts..!)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

12 Days: Rapunzel Skateboard

A Rapunzel skateboard - how can you not want one?

The art is by by Jasmine Becket-Griffith (a.k.a. Strangeling), whose art is becoming known everywhere and licensed with different stores too and she's selling products with her art through Zazzle (like this skateboard) and through her Etsy store HERE (you can even get her original acrylics through her Etsy store direct from her).

About this gorgeous painting:

"Rapunzel in Rococo" - Rapunzel is shown in a tall tower with a muted French country landscape behind her. The window is impossibly ornate in proper Rococo style, and her hair cascades impossibly long down the length of the painting.

Strangeling has carefully chosen, and in some cases adjusted, her designs for the skateboard shape (and her shoes too!) so these look really nice from all angles. You can order different types of boards according to your needs/preferences and they're less expensive than I expected ($63.50) too. Have a look HERE. The only thing is, I think I'd want another print to just look at... (You can see a close up of details at Strangeling's website HERE.)Strangeling has a whole series of fairy tale paintings (Red Riding Hood, Kitsune, Alice, Nutcracker Suite, Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, Miss Muffet and some other less specific) and various products they're printed on. You can see those HERE (eg. check out the gorgeous 'photo sculpture' of Snow White and Her Animal Friends, shown below, HERE). She also has an official website with even more exclusives HERE.
NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)


Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close IN LESS THAN A WEEK on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(Watch for a preview of the prize in the next few posts..!)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Monday, December 14, 2009

12 Days: Féerie Perfume

This item isn't fairy tale specific but I have a feeling it will appeal to readers of Once Upon A Blog. It was, after all, inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream.

This luxury perfume, in an incredibly beautiful bottle with a tiny fairy perched on top, came out last year. The perfume is called "Féerie" (yes, that's two 'e's) and is by Van Cleef and Arpels with the bottle designed by Joël Desgrippes. No idea what the perfume smells like as I haven't seen it in person but the bottle alone is present-worthy.You can see more about the fancy launch HERE (which included that designer mini-trunk you can see in the image below) and read more about the actual perfume HERE (btw this site is a great place to browse if you love perfume - the scents, the bottles, the ads, anything related to perfumes!) but if you're interested in a bottle for purchase I suggest shopping around - this, like many good perfumes, isn't cheap.
NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)


Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close IN LESS THAN A WEEK on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(A preview of the prize is coming soon too.)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.



12 Days: Fairy Tale Quilt

Fairy tales are a popular choice for advanced quilters (many of whom might be considered fiber artists with their innovative use of dying fabrics, applique and embroidery combinations). I have a few unique artworks in my archives to show you sometime, including the original subject I was looking for - a Princess and the Pea quilt - but while I didn't find any P&tP quilts that stood out to me, I did find a simpler, lovely multi-tale quilt for sale on Etsy. It comes with a rod pocket sewn into it so you can choose to use it as a wall hanging if you wish.This one is by MoonGazerQuilts and I'd consider grabbing it myself if it had a more gender-neutral color for the border. It's called "Fairy Tales and Dreams" and you can find the quilt HERE (for under $50!) and also see the details of a lovely Noah's Ark quilt at the shop too.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)


Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close IN LESS THAN A WEEK on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(A preview of the prize is coming soon too.)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

12 Days: Snow Queen Vodka

I was searching for drinks on a fairy tale theme and found this lovely looking bottle called Snow Queen Vodka. Apparently it's a multi-award winning 'distill' (I think that's the right word) and people are raving about how smooth and fine it is. It's also, so I'm reading, not marketed in any normal sort of fashion - the company relies on word of mouth, which keeps it from being well known and ultra commercial- exactly what the company wants (apparently). Although it's classed as a luxury vodka it's not priced like one (you can find 750ml bottles for around $30), which is very nice.Here's a little story I found to go with it:
Once upon a time there was a vodka called Snow Queen. She was born in the far-away land of Kazakhstan. Her father was the finest organic wheat and her mother was the purest water that flowed through the snow-capped mountains. Soon, Snow Queen became known as the smoothest, most beautiful vodka of them all. (FTNH edit: 'she' actually won the Gold Medal last year at the Vodka Masters.) Experts came from far and wide and were amazed that such a perfect drink existed. They showered her with prizes. Gold Medals. Awards and Diplomas. But what is the secret of her beauty? It was quite simple. Unlike any other vodkas, Snow Queen had been distilled not once, twice, thrice, not even four times. She had been distilled five times. That's what gave her such a unique, smooth, velvety taste.

(FTNH edit: here comes my favorite part) But, of course, as happens so often in fairy tales, her beauty carried a terrible curse. For whoever put Snow Queen to his lips was condemned to fall in love with her for the rest of his life.
Love it. I'm a sucker for products that have a story developed to go with them, I'm afraid - especially if they're fairy tale themed.The official website is HERE (aim the target at your country for your language) but you can buy bottle online all over the place, all over the world.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)


Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close IN ONE WEEK on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(A preview of the prize is coming in the next couple of days too.)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

12 Days: Frog Prince Cuff Links

These aren't cheap but I wouldn't expect sterling silver frogs with 18k gold crowns to be found at a bargain-basement price. Good timing for the release of "The Princess and the Frog" movie, some very nice Frog Prince cuff links from Red Envelope, found HERE. These would made a lovely wedding gift too.NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)



Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

12 Days: Nebulous Kingdom iPod & Laptop Skins

Here are s0me different and lovely 'skins' for your various electronic items. From iPods to laptops, Anne-Julie Aubrey, who creates fairy tale themed paintings under the banner "Nebulous Kingdom", has made a few of her designs available as 'skins' to put on your portable electronics. You can find the pieces and see a preview of them on various items HERE. (Amounts are in Euros but you can also pay through PayPal.)There's also an Etsy shop with a large and lovely range of fairy tale-type prints (I've included just a few in this post), cards, notebooks and more HERE.Just a note: Ms. Aubrey is closing the shop for a vacation from December 17th through to the first week of January, so if you're ordering for Christmas be sure to do it soon.NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)



Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Monday, December 7, 2009

12 Days: Classic Storytime Felt Character Patterns

The 12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule/Holiday continues...

In contrast to yesterday's expensive item, today I bring you something very affordable and perfect for crafty people on either the giving or receiving end.

Buggabug's Etsy shop sells lovely little patterns and instructions for a variety of things, including some storytime sets.I love the Billy Goats Gruff set in particular, even though it doesn't fold up for self-contained storage like many of the others. Each set is only $6 and you have the choice of buying the patterns and instructions (and perhaps the supplies) to give to someone, or if you're crafty yourself, you can make these sets for a handmade gift.For the “There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly…” pattern:
The animals are designed to easily slip into the old woman’s mouth as the story is told. When story time is over, the animals stay stored inside the tummy of the old woman for safe and organized storage.
Cute!

You can see all the sets available HERE.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)



Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close December 20th, so be sure to mails me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

12 Days: Bento Boxes


Continuing the 12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule fairy tale themed things for gifting with something far more affordable this time!

Sweet, cute and original designs of Snow White and Alice in Wonderland for two-tiered bento boxes.

Available HERE for $34.95 each from Monkeytail & Wellington.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)



Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
Entries close December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas & "The Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway

Although the 12 Days of Christmas really starts on December 25th (or in some places the 26th) I thought I'd do something a little different.

Today is the 6th and in exactly one month it's Epiphany (the traditional time when the Wise Men were thought to have brought their kingly gifts to the Baby Jesus). We tend to concentrate on giving gifts on Christmas Day so I thought I'd sort of combine the two. During the next 12 days I'll be showing you a very different range of gifts with very specific people in mind - fairy tale enthusiasts. And there's something special for you too.

Thanks to the generosity of the lovely people at London Particulars, I'm also having a giveaway!
In order to participate you need to know about Professor Aubrey Aubrey Thistlequick and his pursuit of Happiness:
Professor Aubrey Thistlequick was so excited with the fruits of his new experiment (concerning moonlight, earwigs and ale), that he quite forget to keep an eye on Happiness, his beloved cat (who for mutual convenience accompanied him on his journeys securely tied to balloons) and a sudden gust of wind took her up and off and away; floating over Primrose Hill.
In hot pursuit, the Professor sprung up a nearby ladder and was on the rooftops in a trice, but his nimbleness and quick thinking wasn’t enough to secure dear Happiness, who mewed angrily as she sailed across London town.
With his lightning-quick mind, a ball of string and a handful of seeds (which he kept about his person at all times), Professor Thistlequick took to the skies, in pursuit of Happiness, in a race through the clouds that was to last for much longer than he should have hoped…
Had Professor Aubrey Thistlequick known that morning that he would be in such close proximity to the moon, he might have dressed in more suitable clothes and he certainly would have bought along four knitted gloves and a small coat for Happiness...
What happened next? Where did they go?
That's what you need to find out!
WHAT TO DO:

1) Go visit London Particulars (the website is HERE) for more of the story and to see where the Professor and Happiness have been sighted so far.
2) Email me directly at fairytalenews AT gmail DOT com and tell me one of the locations they were seen (in the body of the email) - country and landmark's name please. Make sure you put "Happiness" in the subject of the email so it gets counted.
3) Email me with your answer (1 entry per person) before midnight on December 20th, PST USA - which is when the contest closes.
THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS:

3) Correct entries (on which I will check with the Professor to be certain they are accurate) will be given a number then entered into an independent number generator, which will choose a winner at random.
4) I will contact the winner (before December 25th) and ask them for shipping details and for their choice of a lovely poster or a print collection of the Professor in his pursuit of Happiness.
5) I'll announce the winner on the blog AND link to their blog or website too (if they wish).
EASY, ISN'T IT?

There's lots to see and many wonderful gift ideas at London Particulars (some of which I'm showing in this entry) so be sure to have a browse while you're there. I recommend checking out the particulars of the 1888 Fair poster (that may, or may not have happened).

PSST!
Anyone who also tells me exactly what Professor Thistlequick's invention was
that he displayed at the fair, gets an additional entry in the contest!
(Hint: a portion of the poster that has the details is shown in this post,
but you'll have to visit the website for the answer...)
London Particulars can be found on Facebook HERE and you can get all the latest updates on Twitter HERE and at their blog HERE.

I look forward to your mails. Happy gift hunting!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Sci-Fi Fairy Tale Competition at Super Punch

The fabulous all-things-eclectic blog, SuperPunch, is having a December giveaway any artist can enter, and the art theme is Sci-Fi Fairy Tales.

Here's the announcement and details (from HERE):
The art theme for December is SciFi Fairy Tales - - give a fairy tale, fable, or myth a scifi update, like the one James Jean gave to the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf (Edit FTNH: shown at head of post). To enter, simply email me your illustration by 12:00 p.m. California time on January 1, 2010. The best design will win a $100 Threadless store credit. And I will also give a $25 store credit to one randomly chosen participant. You may send as many entries as you'd like, and this contest is open regardless of where you live. No nudity, please.
You can find more details about John Struan, who runs Super Punch, HERE in the sidebar, including his email address.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Great 'Sleeping Beauty' Rewrite (IV of IV) - Winning Entry

Please note: there's both an interview AND an excerpt so this post is a little longer than usual for this blog. Don't worry - it's not the new standard!

In the past week we've been having a look at the short stories written and entered in the Diamonds & Toads "Great 'Sleeping Beauty' Rewrite" contest.

Today, I'm happy to present the winning author, Tahlia Merrill, in a brief interview and show you an excerpt from her winning story, "The Prince With Good Manners".

Here's what Kate at Diamonds & Toads said about why her entry won:
Her charming retelling, "The Prince With Good Manners," won for the following reasons: It had a completeness to it that showed a good management of the 1,000-word limit. It was very much a retelling, with a sense of newness to it. Tahlia's story also featured a non-passive princess. Most of all, her story found a very clever way to have the princess and prince get to know one anotherbefore she woke up.
Tahlia was kind enough to agree to a quick interview withe the fairy tale news hound for Once Upon A Blog, about her story and her love of fairy tales.
____________________________________
Fairy Tale News Hound: First of all, a well deserved congratulations on winning the contest! Tahlia: what an appropriate name to win a 'Sleeping Beauty' contest with!

Tahlia:
Would you believe that I found out after the contest about that rather uncanny coincidence? I've read a lot of early versions of fairy tales, but somehow that one slipped through the cracks! I have a pretty uncommon name and I thought I knew all the cultural appearances of it in literature, but I definitely missed that one!


FTNH: What do you think of the first written version of 'Sleeping Beauty' in The Pentamerone (Sun, Moon & Talia)?

Tahlia: Well, it's not really a surprise that it's nothing like the Disney version, but it's amazing to see how drastically the entire spirit of the story has changed over time. When I read it for the first time, it actually reminded me a lot of a Greek myth, because it has the same crazy soap opera drama feel to it.

FTNH: Diamonds & Toads posted a small bio for you so instead of repeating that information I thought I'd ask you some questions about your story and your enjoyment of fairy tales in general.
What is your favorite fairy tale and why?

Tahlia: Probably the original Hans Christian Anderson version of "The Little Mermaid". It was the version that I was brought up on--we had a beautiful picture book version of that used dolls in the photographs. I also listened to it on a record over and over again when I was little. It's like an Andrew Lloyd Webber song--it grabs your emotions and connects you to the story in a way that many fairy tales fail to do. The image that always sticks in my mind is the little mermaid's new legs allow her to walk and dance with grace, but every step feels like she's walking on knives. It's that push and pull of wanting the thing that will hurt you that fascinates me every time I read it.

FTNH: What are some of your favorite fairy tale retellings and why do they appeal to you?

Tahlia: I will admit to being a sucker for Cinderella retellings. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was the first retelling that I read for the first time and just thought, "Whoah!". I've read that book half a dozen times because it doesn't just retell the story, but it takes it to a whole new level that I never knew fairy tales could reach. Her Princess Tales series is also delightful. Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a slightly grittier version of Cinderella that I appreciate because of the daring twist it takes at the end. Vivian Vande Velde's The Rumpelstiltskin Problem is what initially inspired me to write my own fairy tale retelling because she puts SIX radically different spins on the story into one book. That's the book that got me starting to think about all the practical problems that classic fairy tales seem to overlook.

FTNH: What made you decide to give Deidre a 'voice' prior to being woken up?

Tahlia: Well, I started thinking about how awkward it would be to wake up to some random guy you've never met kissing you! That was my initial thought, and then I started wondering if there could be any way for the sleeping princess and the prince to actually get to know each other before the kiss. So I came up with a way to let them communicate and fall in love so that when they kissed, it actually meant something to them. Many fairy tale retellings are all about trying to break the damsel in distress stereotype, but I wanted to focus more on the prince and his feelings about the whole situation because he's the one who ultimately has to break the spell! Once I started running dialogue in my head between the two characters, everything else just fell into place.

FTNH: What did you learn/receive from the experience of retelling a fairy tale, especially one that had to include certain elements (besides the lovely prize, of course)?

Tahlia: For me, I have spent most of my writing years working on manuscripts for novels that I hope to publish someday, so it was extremely hard to keep this story under 1000 words. It was originally 7000 words, with a much fuller plot arc and character development. I had to save that copy and then cut out the first 3/4 of the plot and start the story there. So I learned the invaluable lesson of how to mercilessly cut down a story while still preserving the spirit of it. Thinking about creative ways to twist Sleeping Beauty has also given me lots of new ideas for more fairy tale related stories.

One unexpected gift that this contest has given me is a large spike in visitors to my website (guardianghost.wordpress.com) that features the current writing project I'm creating with my friend. I've never been published or won any writing contests before, so it's really helped me feel more confident as a writer and gives my parents some hope that I might not have to be the starving artist type.

FTNH: If you had been in an enchanted sleep for one hundred years what sort of breakfast would you order on waking up?

Tahlia: All perfect food is made by my mom, so that would be my first of my criteria. I think I'd want a berry smoothie with bacon and cheese quiche, some raspberry tarts, and LOTS of homemade doughnuts. Oh, and pancakes! And poptarts! And just the marshmallows of Lucky Charms! Gosh, I hope my prince has a good appetite, because there's no way I'm going to be able to eat all of my first breakfast without some help!


Thank you so much for chatting with the Fairy Tale News Hound today! We wish you every success in your studies and your writing.
________________________________

You can find out more about Tahlia HERE at Diamonds & Toads on the August 6th entry.

Here's an excerpt from the beginning in which you can see this is no ordinary Sleeping Beauty:
“This is the last quest I am ever going on,” Patrick muttered to himself.

He struggled up the never-ending staircase, sweat weighing down his tunic. At the top, a door was finally in sight. Before he could reach it, his brother Prince Conrad burst out of it and rushed passed him, muttering to himself, “…didn’t work…bad omen…voices of ghouls…” Before Patrick could say a word, Conrad was gone.

“Well, I’m not giving up now that I’m here!” Patrick called to the sound of retreating footsteps. Plodding behind Conrad for hours chasing this legend had been bad enough. For Patrick, there was no turning back. Moving closer, he could read a stone plaque on the door.

“Here sleeps Princess Deirdre of Acrasia, until after a hundred years have passed from the twelfth day of Yune, 988. Whence that time arrives, she shall be awakened by a kiss, and the rule of the royal family shall continue.

“That silly ninny!” Patrick laughed out loud. “Con was a whole year too early!” It was the year 1087, not 1088. Stepping into the room, he saw an ornate canopy bed with the princess on it. “What?” A female voice said. “Back for more are you?”

Patrick spun in a full circle, frantically searching for the speaker. Confused, and a little frightened, Patrick crept over to the bed. The princess talking must not be asleep after all, maybe she was just pretending. There she was, lying on top of the covers. Her breathing was deep and relaxed. She certainly looked like she was sleeping.

Patrick swallowed hard and tried to remember his manners.

“Sorry to disturb you, err, Miss.”

“Oh! You’re a different one,”

You can read the rest of the story HERE.
Here are some more interesting interpretations of Sleeping Beauty. Click on the covers for more information on each. You can find even more HERE at SurLaLune.

NOTE: The illustration at the head is by Ivy Izzard. You can get a closer view and see more of her work by clicking on the image or HERE. The black and white illustration is by the legendary Gustave Doré. Click on the image or HERE to be taken to more information about him.