Do any of you need a house or an extra $500,000?

Recently Erin and I have been contacted by a few people who are running contests for artists.  We normally don't post these sorts of things but when the winner of one of the contests is awarded a house (yes, you read that right) we had to look twice. Win a house? Yes. Seriously.  I didn't believe it at first and read the fine print with extra care, waiting to find the words "nigeria" and "bank account."  Thankfully, both terms were omitted and, instead I got "park city, Utah mansion" "lovely art-loving couple" and "send us your art for submission."

 Oh, who wants to read my blabber when you can just watch here for yourself:

If your boss raised an eyebrow at all the noise coming from your office and you had to stop the video, here's a summary:

It's been our longtime dream to start a foundation. About a year ago we decided to sell our dream home in Park City, UT for the funds to start The DO Tank. You've probably heard, the market is slow so we had to think outside the box to try and make our dream come true. The 200 Story Home was born!

The contest is called "The 200 Story Home" as we are collecting 19,000 "stories" in the form of written stories, photographs, collages, scrapbooking, poems, etc. We'll narrow it down to the top 200 entries and our panel of judges will pick the grand prize winner who will pick a charity to receive $50,000 and win our home or half a million dollars in cash! Every piece of art will be on our site after the contest closes. We also created some awesome Early Bird prizes: Mini Coopers, Harley Davidsons and cash...it is possible that one person could win 12 Harleys or 6 Minis! (We are giving another $50,000 to our favorite charities.)

Here are some photos of the home up for grabs.  Remember, winner gets choice of the house or $500,000. 

Oh, I miss the cold weather so much living here in Austin, I think I could get used to having a second, snow-covered home.

Ok, normally, I would take the $500,000 cash (did you catch that the winner gets their choice between the house and $500,000) but that in-door heated pool could tip the scales.

Interested?  Here are the rulz:

  • ALL PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED OR YOUR MONEY AND ART SUBMISSION WILL BE RETURNED!
  • Tickets are $100. Each ticket is good for one art entry into the contest. THE ART CAN BE SUBMITTED AFTER (LONG AFTER) YOU HAVE BOUGHT YOUR TICKET. Please enter early so you are eligible for Early Bird Prizes.
  • An art entry is anything 8 1/2" x 11" x 1/4" in size or smaller and relates thematically to "home." It can be a photograph, poem, scrapbook, collage, mosaic, story or a photo of something larger like a sculpture, a quilt or a cake! NOTE: We cannot accept submissions electronically/via email.
  • We'll narrow the entries down to the top 200 and the panel of judges will pick the Grand Prize Winner.
  • The Grand Prize is our home in Park City or $500,000 in cash.
  • The 199 runner-ups will each receive $500 in cash.
  • The Grand Prize Winner will get to pick a charity to receive $50,000 in cash.
  • The top 200 entries will be published in an ebook or bound book and we plan to take them on a traveling art exhibition.

Be sure to consult the Official RULES and the FAQs for all the details 

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I know it sounds insane, but I strongly encourage any artists among our readers to look into this.  You can see the entire site here:  200 Story Home

G Select CONTEST!!!!!!!!

You know what we love around here?  Love letters.  You know what we love even more?  When said love letters include an offer for our dearest darling readers.  Last week the lovely gents at G Select, purveyors of awesome men's care products, wrote us with a preview of their newest endeavor:  a web store chalk full of awesome home goods.  The note got better with the offer of a contest.  G Select is giving one of our commenters a fine fine prize from their new shop.  Let's take a look at the goodies that they carry and I'll announce the prize at the end of this post.

There are 2 key things I look for in home decor: 1. quirky-ness.  I love an item that makes me giggle.  Or think.  Or both.  and 2.  Clean lines.  No fuss please.  I'm happy to say that the goodies in G Selects shop kill on both counts.  Clockwise from top left:

Hippo Door Mat (psst, they also have a rabbit version)

Black Moose Trophy Head

Aurea Dish Rack

Dip Vase in Black

Ballfinger Floor Lamp in White

Leti Table Lamp in Brown

Bloom My Buddy Vase

Tableau Tablecloth

There's tons on this well stocked site, but the section that caught my eye was appropriately labeled to die for

Oh, I wish they could give all of this away.  To me.  Here's what we've got, clockwise from top left:

Milk Bottle Lamp

Tomas Eyck Multi Color Pillow

Chandelier 85 Lamps

Bespoke Pillow

Thomas Eyck Yellow / Purple blanket

Thomas Eyke Red Lime Black Small Blanket

Don't worry, for our discerning male readers, you can still get all spiffy clean with their well-packaged men's care line, GESSATO

And now, for the fun part, our give-away:

G Select is giving one of our readers a Tam Tam stool in their choice of color:  indigo, red, jade, black, white, or orange.

Leave a comment to be automatically entered to win.  You have one week to enter, deadline is midnight central time next Monday (August 17th).  I'll then activate the random number generator and beep boop beep boop:   The winner will be announced in my post next Tuesday.  How easy is that?

 

The Great Rug Giveaway!

Here at Design Crisis, we are givers. True, we like to give to ourselves most of all, but every now and then Karly and I have our Oprah moments and get spazzy with the giveaways. I trust that you will all stampede each other in cyberspace, and/or faint at the awesomeness of our latest contest sponsored by CSN Rugs, because -- let's face it -- what is a giveaway without drama? I know, I know -- simply reading DC is already prize enough, right? Well, your heads are all bound to spin at the extra special prize you can win just for submitting a comment, which will make you eligible to win your choice of these fabulous wool rugs -- oh and check out their entire selection of rugs while you're at it!

csn rugs

Mmmm, mmm, 2x3 feet of sexy tufted wool...

csn rugs

Maybe you'd prefer this one?

csn rugs

Or perhaps bold and graphic is more your style?

csn rugs

Neutral with a kick is always in vogue.

csn rugs

Or maybe you're having a soft and flowery moment...

So, is your head still there, or did it spin off into outer space at the very thought that you could win a brand, spankin' new wool rug just by leaving a comment? Hello...?

THE FINE PRINT -- READ IT!

To make yourself eligible for the contest, you must leave a comment on this post by Sunday, June 28. A random drawing will be held in top secret by Karly and myself on Monday morning, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

The winner will be able to choose ONE of the rugs featured in this post, all of which are available in the 2'x3' size. Sorry -- wish we could giveaway an area rug! Maybe if you're reallllly good, then next time... But, check out their entire selection of rugs to lather up your lust in the meantime.

Only readers from the United States are eligible, and we can't ship to PO Box addresses, either. Use your grandma's address, already!

Once the winner is chosen, CSN will ship the 2x3 foot rug of your choice directly to you. If -- for some crazy reason -- your top choice is out of stock, we'll just ask you to choose again.

Ok? Sound good? Aaaannnnnnnndddddddddddddddd GO!