On the fourth day of Christmas, Barb's Heartstrokes Giveaway

So did y'all have a good weekend? I took my daughter to a children's museum about 45 minutes from here & she had a ball! I must say that it was very nicely put together! The water table & acrylic wall painting were definitely the highlights! Are you ready for a bit more Christmas in July fun? I sure am! After weeding the garden a bit this summer & trading gardening notes with my cousin this weekend in some way too humid weather I must admit that Christmas seems kind of nice in theory (someone remind me of that when we're buried in snow- we had a fuzzy bear caterpillar on the porch last week that was WAY furry!)

Anyway, its time for our next Christmas in July giveaway! This giveaway is from Barb's Heartstrokes, another incredible etsy.com shop. I know that I shared my love with the shabby style with you last week. The other style that I absolutely adore is the whole country/primitive look. I love the homey, comfortable feel to it. I love getting issues of Country Sampler magazine and marking items for my wish list! Especially when it comes to Christmas decorating. Barb of Barb's Heartstrokes has absolutely captured that feel in her work. Her medium is hand painting on fiberglass black screen material and it is absolutely INCREDIBLE! I was showing my daughter some of Barb's pieces the other day and she literally wanted to bring all of them home!

Here are some samples of Barb's work

Barb was kind enough to share some of her insights and holiday favorites with us!

1. What is your name? Barb Stock
2. How long have you been selling on Etsy? Brand new since April 2010
3. How did you pick your shops name? ‘Heartstrokes ’ came about because I was an Intensive Care Cardiac nurse and was learning to paint. So between my job and learning to paint they were both quite a challenge. But anything that is a challenge usually is worth it. So when I started a business it seemed natural to combine the two.
4. What is your favorite item in your shop? That is a hard question to answer…I end up falling in love with what ever I happen to be painting at the present time. But my latest favorite is

I love this Witch!
5. What is your favorite holiday? Actually Halloween
6. What is your favorite Christmas memory or tradition? Since marrying my husband every Christmas Eve we light traditional luminaries in our driveway and side walk to guide the Christ child to our house. My children get the biggest thrill out of that.
7. What is your favorite Christmas song or carol? O Holy Night
8. How long have you been crafting? I have been painting for about 14 years.
How did you get started? My husband was in the Air force and was deployed overseas so I took an acrylic painting class at a local craft store and loved it!
9. What inspires or motivates you? Fun whimsical patterns and COLORS!
10. What advice would you give someone wanting to sell on Etsy? Jump in and get started. I wanted to do it for awhile but was to timid to start. It is quite a leaning curve and everyday there is something new to learn. But all the fun people I have met along the way have been by far the greatest part.
11. Do you have a favorite Etsy shop (other than yours)? Look at Dimdi’s watercolor art work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/dimdi It is incredible to me.
12. What do you do, if anything, to try to live a greener lifestyle? I grew up with parents that insisted we recycle, reuse, and reduce on everything so it has always been apart of my life. We grow, can, and freeze most of our food. We try to walk instead of taking the car and that has help not only cut down on gas money but we have become healthier.
13. If you could go on vacation anywhere where would you go? Antarctic. My son loves penguins and it is a land that looks very intriguing to me.
14. Do you have a season or a favorite that is your favorite to create for? Each one has a special feeling and it is the colors that attract me. Once I am tired of orange, purples, and black of Halloween I move to the reds and greens of Christmas then on to the blues of winter then there is all the bright colors of Spring!


Don't you just love the way the colors Barb uses just pop against the black background??? The winner of the Barb's Heartstrokes giveaway is going to receive this darling ornament

So you want to know how to win it, right? Read on my friend!

Buy It:
Barb's Heartstrokes HERE

Win It:
Mandatory: This must be done or all other entries will be deleted.
1)Publicly follow Sarah Simplifies (this has to show up on your Dashboard for it to count)leave a comment that you are a Sarah Simplifies follower- counts as 8 entries (leave 8 comments)
2) Head on over to Barb's Heartstrokes and take a look around. Come back here and leave a comment of what your favorite item is. Click HERE to go to Barb's Heartstrokes- 1 entry (leave 1 comment)
So just for publicly following Sarah Simplifies and going to Barb's Heartstrokes & telling me what you'd love to bring home you will get 9, count them, 9 entries!

Extra Entries:
-Blog about this contest and leave a link worth 5 entries (leave 5 comments)
-Add my Christmas in July button to your blog 5 entries (leave 5 comments)
-Subscribe to Sarah Simplifies worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Facebook HERE worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Twitter HERE worth 5 entries (leave 5 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Networked Blogs 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Enter the JessKay Designs giveaway 3 entries (leave 3 comments w/ your email)
-Enter the Mudpuppy giveaway 3 entries (leave 3 comments w/ your email)
-Enter the Loriette's Grammy giveaway 3 entries (leave 3 comments w/ your email)
-Enter the Shabby Boutique giveaway 3 entries (leave 3 comments w/ your email)
-Make Barb's Heartstrokes a favorite store if you are an etsy.com buyer worth 2 entry (leave 2 comments)
-Buy something from Barb's Heartstrokes (leave a message that you're a Sarah Simplifies reader) 10 entries (leave 10 comments)


Now for the fine print:
The giveaway will end on August 15th. Any comments left after August 15th 11:59PM CST will not be counted
Please make sure that you have a visible email link or include it in your entry
Winner will randomly be chosen from all entries
Winner will be notified on August 16th of their lucky win! They will have 72 hours in which to claim their prize. If the prize in not claimed within that time frame another winner is chosen.
Open to US and Canadian residents only

Disclaimer- NO monetary payments were received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own. Different people may have different experiences with products and/or the company. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and/or giveaway.