NOTE: Entries for this giveaway closed at 11:59 pm on 12/16/2020
Welcome to my happy holiday giveaway! With the year we’ve had, I think we all deserve a little fun, so every day for seven days, I’ll be giving away a package of art supplies to a lucky winner. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here on the Everyday Artist blog.
To make this more interesting, in your comment today, answer the question…
What is the best gift you ever received for Christmas or Hanukkah?
GOOD LUCK!
Today’s prize includes:
- A spiral-bound 7″ x 7″ Stillman and Birn Beta Series sketchbook (Donated by Stillman and Birn, value: $19.99)
- A set of six Staedtler Pigment Liner pens with permanent black ink (Donated by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, value: $15.49)
- An Escoda Versatil size 4 Synthetic Kolinsky round brush (Donated by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, value: $12.99)
Giveaway rules:
- The Everyday Artist Christmas Giveaway week starts December 16 and ends December 22, 2020.
- To enter the drawing each day, leave a comment on that day’s giveaway post. It can be a simple “Please enter me in the giveaway” or (preferred) answer the question of the day with a personal comment.
- One entry per person for each daily giveaway.
- US addresses only.
- Winning name will be drawn at the end of each day using a random number generator.
- All winners will be announced at the end of Giveaway Week.
- For more detailed rules, click here.
102 Comments
Yes enter me in your giveaway. So nice of you to do this.
I wanted to spread some holiday cheer. I think we all need that.
My Bernina! I was just begging to learn how to smock and see for my two year old daughter many years ago. My husband surprised me Christmas morning with the machine of my dreams and I have been sewing and creating with it for 33 years!
I'm a Bernina gal, too. 33 years is a long time for a machine to keep chugging away. What a smart guy your husband was to get you the perfect gift!
A couple of years ago my beloved dog had surgery and I was unable to leave her. My sister and brother-in-law made a surprise Christmas visit and brought all the food.
What a generous and loving thing to do!
A surprise appearance at a dinner by out-of-state children.
You must have been so excited to see them! And I'll bet they were tickled about surprising you. I can imagine all the secrets being kept in the days leading up to Christmas.
My spouse surprised me with track lights for my craft room.
That's one guy who was definitely on Santa's "nice" list that year. 🙂
What a nice gesture
My best gift ever was my engagement ring. (Of course, it was actually the guy who gave it!) Celebrating the 30 year anniversary of our engagement this Christmas 💗
Thanks for the giveaway. My best present ever was a box filled with handmade and hand knit clothes for my Betsy McCall doll. I had pneumonia that year and my mom told me that Santa knew I was sick and came early.
What a good mom you had! You must have loved that gift. My grandmother always made fancy Barbie clothes for my sister and me for Christmas. I think she was a frustrated clothing designer, because we had ball gowns, fur coats, wedding gowns, and stylish dresses with teeny tiny piping. She was really a special lady, and we had the best Barbie doll wardrobe in the neighborhood.
THANK YOU — please enter me too!
Will do, Lin!
What a nice christmas giveaway! My husband and I enjoyed a lovely trip to the Greenbriar in WVA one year. The place is beautiful and the decorations were lovely and over the top!
He knows how to treat his woman right!
My best Christmas is always being with family.
Mine, too, Faith.
What a nice way to end this challenging year! My favorite Christmas present was an antique high chair my father refinished for me. To this day, my grandchildren argue over who gets to sit in the chair!
That's really neat. I love family heirlooms and traditions. They enrich our lives.
Thank you for this nice surprise Leslie. Your work on Croatia is beautiful.My best Christmas gift was a doll that had the size and feel of a real baby and it sucked its thumb. it came with a little red suitcase of things needed for babies (can't remember those). Thanks again.
That sounds like a wonderful present for a little girl. You must have loved mothering her. Do you remember what you named her?
My husband and I took a cruise around the Hawaiian islands. That was a wonderful experience. Thank you for the giveaway!
Wow, what a great gift! I was born in Hawaii and have been back twice since then – oh, to be there now instead of in the middle of a huge snowstorm!
My most favorite Christmas gift is getting together with all our children scattered from east to west!
That's the best! The shared memories, laughter, babies, traditional foods, stories of past Christmases – there's nothing like it.
One of my best Christmas gifts was a Grandma coffee mug from my granddaughter.
Seems like we get at least one "Grandma" or "Grandpa" mug every year and I love each one of them. There's nothing like the look on their faces when you open their gift. They're so proud and happy – almost makes me cry to think of it.
Woops, I posted this in the wrong place. I've never done this before. My best Christmas present ever was a lovely bedspread crocheted by my husband's 86 year-old grandmother. It was made with such love and care. It took her over a year to crochet in the only pattern she could remember. (She could not read patterns or charts.)
How special! I have a white crocheted cotton bedspread from my grandmother too. The time that went into it amazes me. What a gift of love!
My favorite gift as a child was a transistor radio. I was sick in bed so it helped pass the time!
I remember those cute little transistor radios. They were so cute and compact. You must have loved that gift.
So nice of you to do this! What fun! My favorite present was an early one when I was 6…a sled from my dad on a rare snowy day in Tennessee. He brought it to school and picked me up for an afternoon of sledding. We used it for many happy snowy days in our moving around the country and he presented it to me on my wedding day to carry on the tradition with my own family. ❤️🎄
That is the sweetest story! Your dad was a very special man – I wish I could have known him, Wendy. How wonderful that you have so many great memories of your life with him. He'll always be with you.
When I was 10, my parents went on a business trip to the big city and brought back a cowgirl costume and Christmas ornament. I still put the ornament on the tree every year.
Wish I could see a picture of you in that costume. I'll bet you were rockin' the cowgirl look!
Hi Leslie,
I am glad that you will be offering some online classes in the future. Hopefully the new year will open up some good opportunities. The biggest surprise Christmas gift for me was when I was about 7 and received my Schwinn bike for Christmas. Still a believer in Santa!
Susi Gordon
Wow, a Schwinn was top-of-the-line back in the day. You must have been the coolest kid on the block!
my favorite Christmas gift was the year my husband got me the red goblets I admired. I pull them out every year and marvel.
He actually paid attention and got you something you loved – that's an amazing husband. 🙂 He's a keeper!
My favorite was not really the gift, but the feeling…When I was about 7 (52 years ago!) I really wanted a cowgirl outfit. When I didn't see it, I was inconsolable. I remember my mom pointing out a present I had missed under the tree–yes it was the outfit! My favorite photo is of me in that outfit baking on my Easybake oven. It's crazy what you remember so many years later, but the joy was real..
Oh, Carla, what a sweet story! Thank you for sharing it with us. I'm having so much fun today, all snuggled in at home, watching the snow fall, and reading these heartwarming stories of love and family.
I had surgery a right before Christmas many years ago and my parents who were in their late 60’s then, flew across the country to take care of me and my 3 and 5 year old daughters. It was the loveliest Christmas I ever had!
Now that's love! Aren't you fortunate to have such caring and generous parents?
My best Christmas present was my corgi, Rocky!
I hope you've had him for lots of Christmases since that first one.
An Easy Bake Oven when I was probably 7 or 8. I was busy cooking when everyone else finally woke up.
I never had one – how did I miss out on that craze? What a fun memory for you!
My favorite Christmas gift was a book of paintings by Richard Schmid!
He's a wonderful artist. So inspiring!
One year my husband did a scavenger hunt for my present. It was so fun I don’t remember the present.
How sweet of him! We do treasure hunts for gifts sometimes with the grandkids when the present is too big to wrap, like a bike. But today I wrapped a huge double sled for them, just because I can't wait to see them go crazy when they tear into the wrapping paper. 🙂
So cool! I bet it will be wonderful! You should take video!
My favorite gift was a doll in a baby buggy. every Christmas I would get a doll and still love dolls to this day but, of course, do not get them as Christmas gifts. Art supplies took over.
My favorite Christmas gift remains my engagement ring, which is 58 years old now. Thank you for doing this, Leslie.
How romantic, to get engaged on Christmas! Looks like it worked out for you. 🙂 Congratulations on 58 years together.
I actually don’t remember this but it’s on film so I know it happened. When I was about 2 1/2 my parents had taken away my pacifier. When I
came out Christmas morning with my older brothers and we started opening our stockings I found a brand new pacifier inside. I popped it in my mouth and the look of sheer joy and contentment on my face was captured on film for years and years to come. 😉. Thank you for doing this Leslie. It’s really fun! Beverlee
Wish I could see that! 🙂
Thanks for such a kind giveaway in these crazy times. My favorite gift was always the cookies my mom sent in my Christmas care package every year. I was rarely home at Christmas because of my work. I sure miss her!
What a wonderful memory, Marlene! Do you make any of her recipes at Christmastime?
Christmas 2019…my brother spent his last Christmas…. at my house with our family . I will always cherish that.
What a precious gift! I'm so glad you have those memories of him to bring to mind every year at Christmas.
A Thumbelina doll when I was five…
Ah, Thumbelina! My sister and I had one, too. We loved our baby dolls. What fond memories…
An Irish Mail when I was about 8. An Irish Mail is a sidewalk vehicle that is a cross between a tractor and a rowing machine. Great exercise! And I was a terror on the sidewalk for the next five years. I loved that toy!
Hi Mary – I had to look that up. I'd never heard of an Irish Mail toy. They look like a lot of fun. I wonder if kids today would work that hard to get around. My grandchildren love their electric scooters, and I always feel a little like it's cheating. They should be pushing with their feet to get some exercise!
How fun! Thank, Leslie, I like to think i was "gifted" Deer Valley ski resort that opened on my birthday 40 years ago..
Hi Karen! Oh, but how is that possible? You're only 39! 🙂
The best thing I received for Christmas was a watercolor paint set two years ago from a friend. It was the beginning of my watercolor journey.
And what a wonderful journey it is!
I guess I have 2 best things that I received for Christmas. One being a Chatty Cathy doll when I was young. The other being an engagement ring, one that I've been wearing for 38 years! Thank you.
Congratulations on 38 years of wedded bliss! And I remember the Chatty Cathy dolls my sister and I got one year for Christmas, too. My sister's doll looked just like her! It's so funny to think now about how low-tech those dolls were, but we loved ours. I think my mom still has one of them packed away somewhere.
When I was about 24, my parents gave me a large, matted/framed double-signed print of an angel by a southwestern artist named DeGrazia. I have it still, hanging in my bedroom.
Thanks for offering the fun giveaways. It's very generous of you and your sponsors.
It sounds lovely, Jeanie. And it probably reminds you of your parents whenever you look at it. Some gifts last forever.
That's one of the best thing about art as gifts. And yes, it does remind me of them.
The best gift I received for christmas was surprise watercolor supplies I didn't even know I needed. My daughter gave me a light board, plexiglass hand rest to go over your painting so you don't mess it up while painting and the cuties portable water cup.
What a thoughtful daughter! (I think I need one of those plexiglass hand rest thingies too.)
Hi please enter me in your giveaway. I always find my way back to you through your inspiring post
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2017
A Cacophony of Color
Hi Marie – you can always subscribe to my blog so you never miss a post. Look for "Subscribe by email…" in the right-hand column and fill in your email address. Every time I publish a new post, you'll get an email notification with a link to the post.
I asked Santa to bring me a microscope. My mom later told me it was next to impossible for "SANTA" to find one in the little rural Ohio town I lived in,but he did somehow!
What a sweet story! Aren't we lucky we can just send in an Amazon order now? 🙂
A set of golf clubs when I was a high school junior. My dad enjoyed golfing and it was our @daughter/daddy” thing to do starting when I was four years old. When I was a junior the gift of those clubs gave me the courage to try out for the all-guys golf team at our school—there was no girls golf team or program at all in the early 1970s in our league. I never did make it on the varsity team but those golf clubs took me to many Ordes as a JV team player and the only female golfer in our league. Daddy is gone now and sadly the clubs burned up when our home was destroyed in a wildfire. But I’ll always cherish the memories.
It's amazing what an impact that one gift had on your life.
The best gift i ever received was a little red stocking given to my by my son and his wife signifying they were to be parents and I would be having my first grandchild. That boy is now 25. Her mom also received one but sadly passed away shortly after he was born.
The best Christmas gift I have had is a Christmas pie my daughter made with figs and nuts. She had planned it a month before and it was a surprise to me. 😊
Please enter me! I love all these items! 😊
The best gift so far…finding out that I'll be Grandmother to a baby girl this coming April!!! I'm over the moon excited!! Thanks for entering me in the giveaway!
best gift- a baby girl Sally G
Learning the true meaning of Christmas.
A hand painted glass ornament from my grandmother. My grandmother died at age 98 but I still have the ornament and think of her when I put it on my tree. So many good Christmas memories.
please enter me, too 🙂 my best gift? I think just time spent with my children. this year is going to be a hard one – kids spread out between three states. trying to be safe at home. but we will face time and be together that way. Merry Christmas to you and your family 🙂
I know I am writing after the end of the giveaway but I want to say thank you! This is so kind and thoughtful of you. For many years Christmas was a rough time for me. My mom and dad both died at Christmas time when I was young. For many years I cried at Christmas. I have 4 children and I faked my way through Christmas for them. Then I got involved in a program called Rainbows. Rainbows was a support group for children who lost a parent due to death or divorce. I was a facilitator. It took a few years but through giving I unexpectedly received healing and suddenly one Christmas I was filled with joy again. That was my best gift ever. To find the joy of Christmas once again. Now I have a grandson and another on the way and I am filled with abundant joy. ♥
Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday!
Please enter me in the contest. My best gift or my most memorable gift was a tower of bells that you played with a keyboard. I know my mom had to have searched everywhere for it. It was the only thing I asked for that year.
I still remember the year I was surprised to get a bicycle pump. It was followed up with a two wheeled bicycle a few days later for my birthday.
I think the best Christmas present I've ever received was the bicycle my parents gave me one year (I think I was about 6)-I was totally surprised by it! As an adult, the best is on the rare Christmas when I get to see any of my grown children!
Best gift I received was a spotted pony my dad got me. He was an incredibly cranky animal, but I loved him. His name was Tony.
Best Christmas gift was one I gave myself… my pup, Coco
From Nancy S. I would love this gift!
The best Christmas gift was a gift for our whole family. It was our Schnauzer/Yorkie pup Riley. He was given to our family by my best friend Marie who managed a pet store at the time! He is such a character who loves nothing better than to do tricks and chase a ball! Can not believe it has been 14 Christmases since he became such an important part of our family!!