holiday gift tags winner

 Random.org has spoken, and the winner is . . .

FLEM! So much for that "randomness will never allow #1 to be chosen" stuff. I've already got your mailing address so I'll be sending out your goods tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my little contest even though I wasn't giving away anything cool (like free Xboxes, for instance). It was entertaining to read about your favorite Christmas gifts, too.

To answer Gretta's question, I created the designs using Adobe Illustrator and printed out the tags on my trusty inkjet printer. Maybe next year I'll have more time and attempt the screenprinting method on my Gocco!

holiday gift tags + giveaway

When I woke up today I felt inspired to design a set of holiday gift tags to adorn my Christmas packages this year. About six hours into it I was kind of convinced that I was wasting my time because they would probably turn out horribly, but I'm actually really pleased with the result.

TJ says I should sell them, but I think I'll just give them away.

So: up for grabs is a set of 8 holiday gift tags printed on nice and heavy cream-colored paper. All you have to do is tell me about the best gift you've ever gotten for Christmas. Post your answer in the comments by next Sunday evening, and I will choose a random winner using random.org.

(My favorite gift? It's hard to say . . . but last year I got a really nice set of Gingher scissors from TJ's mom. Those things are amazing and I'm not sure how I ever functioned without them.)

Thanks for playing!

what's at stake

For the winner of our March Madness contest (clockwise from top left): market bag from Chocolate Mayordomo; cinnamon-flavored chocolate from La Soledad; black pottery keychain from Dona Rosa's workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec; chocolate from Chocolate Mayordomo; a tortuga alebrije from the MARO shop in Oaxaca City; and two postcards with Dia de los Muertos-themed artwork.

Thanks for entering!

Check back later for pictures from our trip.

hundreds—okay, maybe three—will enter, but only one will win

It's March Madness time once again. Here's a sneak peek at our picks for the Final Four and the championship game:

Lauren

Wake Forest
UConn
Pittsburgh
Syracuse

Title game: the Orange will take it all in an epic rematch against their 6 OT rival UConn.

TJ

Wake Forest
Marquette
Pittsburgh
UNC

Title game: the Big East will prove their dominance in college basketball when Pittsburgh beats Wake Forest in a landslide victory.

Which teams do you think will make it to the Final Four this year? Post your prediction in the comments, and whoever gets the most right wins a sweet prize from Oaxaca, to be determined, but specially handpicked by us. In the event of a tie, we will randomly generate a victor from among the winning entries.

For reference, here are the teams playing in the tournament, in bracket format.

If you want to play, please get your picks in before 12:20 PM ET/9:20 AM PT on Thursday, March 19. Good luck!