The V2B Do Something Good Giveaway.

Did I ever tell you my life story? It's long and boring, and you might as well settle down and get comfortable because it's probably going to take all week long to tell it.

What's that? You're not interested in my life story, you say? You're just here for the giveaway, you say?

HOW RUDE.

Well fine, then. If you insist. Jeepers, a girl can't even tell her life story anymore without people trying to shut her up. Pffffft...

GUYS! I have been SO FREAKING EXCITED about this!!!! Forget everything you just read! I couldn't sleep last night because I was so stoked (stoked? Who says that anymore? Only crazy Canadians that give away things for free, apparently)!

Remember that pretty little wrap called Inara's Rainbow? Perhaps you've heard of it? Yes well, the lovely Giselle was kind enough to send me my very own Inara's Rainbow a few weeks ago, and I immediately set to work deciding what to do with it.

With your help, I decided to turn half of it into a ring sling. And I was tricky when I asked YOU what color you liked the most for the rings (most of you liked the deep red ring color) because I had an ulterior motive all along...

(Hello, gorgeous!)

I had Giselle send the wrap directly to Jan at Sleeping Baby Productions, and she was so sweet to work with. I asked her to convert half of it into a ring sling (in the interest of full disclosure, Giselle gave me the wrap for free, but I paid Jan to turn it into a ring sling) with the intention of giving it away.

You think I'm crazy. You think I've lost my marbles. And it's probably all true, but there's also this. Ever since this whole incredible journey began, you guys have been nothing but supportive. There has never been an ounce of jealousy, competitiveness, or anything other than pure love and light shooting through the internets for me, my daughter, and this gorgeous wrap. I am so awed by your kindness and generosity of spirit, even when some of you wrote to me and said how you wished you could own one of these limited-edition wraps, even though you had not a penny left to spare....

 
...that really moved me.

So I thought about it, and I decided that want to give it all back to you - and more, if there's a way. I want to give each of you a chance to own this gorgeous piece of our babywearing legacy, without any cost involved on your part. I want to Do Something Good.

And that's how the Do Something Good Giveaway was born.

So after consulting with my expert readers (that would be you), I've decided to give you LOTS of chances to enter this giveaway. The more chances to win, the better - don't you think? Here's how it's going to work. The whole concept of the giveaway will center on Doing Something Good. I'm going to stretch it out allllllll week long, and close the giveaway on Friday, April 15th at midnight EST. I'll pick the winner on the weekend and announce the name a week from today - Monday, April 18th. Every day, there will be a new way to enter. You don't have to enter each day, and certainly if one of the days is something you're really not interested in doing - then don't do it! Or send me an email and suggest something else that you would like to do. I'm all ears!

As of today, my giveaway schedule is looking like this (with more details about each to be shared on that day):
Monday (today) - leave a comment after this post
Tuesday - share the giveaway online
Wednesday - follow me online
Thursday - subscribe to the blog (I know a lot of you might not want to do this, so this is something I'm willing to change if I get any better ideas)
Friday - submit a link to the pictures of your Do Something Good Challenge!

Now you're asking...what the heck is the Do Something Good Challenge? Well, I thought you'd never ask!

(But first let us pause for a moment to admire the beauty of this sling...)

Last week, I ran this idea by you guys and I think it went over pretty well. The idea is to make my giveaways mean something more for all of us. Rather than the typical enter-and-spam-the-interweb idea (which is good for  me, but a PITA for you), I wanted all of us to think outside the box. Why? Because WE CAN. And we should! Why NOT do something good for our world, for our community, for our fellow human beings, for OURSELVES - to win something good? Or why not just do something good because it's the right thing to do?

I have to say, I have the best readers - because all of you responded with a resounding BRING IT ON HELL YEAH BOOYAH!

I love you guys.

So here's what you have to do to enter my first ever Do Something Good Giveaway TODAY:

1. Leave me a comment at the end of today's post (comments will close at midnight, so get on it!) telling me why you would like to win Inara's Rainbow. Is it for you? For a future baby? For a friend? Maybe to wear as a funky turban or shawl (be careful if you go that route though...those rings might hurt!)? To use as a picnic blanket or a tent or just to love and pet and drool over...er, wait. That's my personal fantasy. Forget I said that.

 (Don't worry - you're not getting this half of the wrap.)

2. Get to work on the Do Something Good Challenge. I asked my resident do-gooder (Inara) what she thought a good challenge would be, and she said that Earth Day was coming up, so we should do something for the Earth. Great idea, right? So you have until Friday to work on repurposing (or upcycling) something in your house for another creative use. Do you have lots of something that you usually throw away? Can you reuse it in a creative way instead? Or do you have old clothes that you can cut and sew into something else? Have a little think about it, get your kids involved if you want (a great way to get them Doing Something Good!), and go nuts! Be creative! And submit your entry on Friday. Not earlier. If you submit it earlier IT WILL NOT COUNT.

I am really excited about this, and have found some neat things online, if you're stumped for ideas:
- My friend Carla makes all of her wares out of old clothes. (I took those pictures!)
- An entire blog dedicated to repurposing! I don't know if you can do anything like that in a week...if you can, then I shall bow to your superiority!
- A few repurposing craft ideas.

The possibilities really are endless. Make something pretty for yourself - you deserve it! Or make something for someone else - they probably deserve it too. Or, let your kids' imaginations run amok with the idea. I can't wait to see what you come up with. You have FIVE DAYS, so make them count!

You won't be the only ones Doing Something Good...I'm going to do some repurposing too! I have an idea involving the millions of paint chips that are strewn about my house. I'll share more about it over the next few days, along with more luscious pictures of Inara's Rainbow.

Ready, Set, Giveaway!

(Other important things to note: ANYONE can enter this giveaway. If you have an address, I will do my best to ship this to you. Did you hear that, Russian readers??  Also, please feel free to share this post with the world at any time. You don't have to wait until tomorrow. Think of all the people that can get in on Doing Something Good together! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!)

(Carrying your baby is Good. Winning a free sling is even Gooder!

Unrelated aside: My baby turns two in exactly ONE MONTH. 

I'm going to miss these tender moments so much. Sniffle sniffle...)