Well, now, I’m getting positively giddy now with anticipation. Only one surprise left in the Generation T countdown calendar. But before we get to that, let’s see what was inside pocket #2…  Barbara’s Generation T surprise is the transform it kit with tools, sketchbook, and project bag. Congratulations!

And thanks for all your “My Tunes” entries. Y’all are a diverse crafty bunch, who have recently crafted to the likes of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (The Beatles), “Time Flies” (Lykke Li), “Fireflies” (Owl City), “Poker Face” (Lady Gaga), “Present/Infant” (Ani DiFranco), “Achrayut” (sp?) (Yoni Bloch), “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (various artists), and more! Me, I was most recently crafting to “The Heart of Saturday Night” (Tom Waits).

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s big surprise* in pocket #1, email me (megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “T-shirt Love” and the name of your favorite Generation T project. Please, please, please don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

As it’s been for the last 9 days, when the clock strikes midnight (EST), entries are closed for the day. I will randomly select a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

*Note: If you’ve been following all week, you know which of the 10 original items is left to win, but to keep things exciting, I will be adding a second prize item (yay!) to this final special countdown-to-solstice holiday surprise.

This “10 Days of Solstice” countdown means it’s sure been getting pretty dark around here! Luckily, to brighten everyone’s mood, we’ve been giving away Generation T surprises daily! So, what was inside pocket #3? Today’s winner, Lauren,  will be getting a set of canvas camouflage iron-on letters. Time to personalize!

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s surprise in pocket #2, email me (at megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “My Tunes” and the name of the song you most recently crafted to. Please don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly select a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!

I’m a huge advocate for giving handmade gifts, but there’s always the time issue–so many gifts to give, so little time to make them! So if you’re not sure you’ll have time to make that perfect something, might I suggest this as the perfect gift for a friend: a DIY T-shirt starter kit. You can easily assemble the pieces in no time with an old T-shirt playing the role of both wrapping paper and gift component. Here’s how:

1. Start with a clean old T-shirt (perhaps one that reminds you of a shared fun time with the recipient!), and lay it face down on your work surface. Place a copy of Generation T or Generation T: Beyond Fashion (or, dare I say, both!), centered, about 6″ to 8″ (depending on the size of the T-shirt) up from the bottom.

2. Wrap the book(s) carefully in the T-shirt, by first folding the bottom of shirt up over the bottom of the book(s).

3. Fold the left side of the T-shirt and T-shirt sleeve over the book(s).

4. Then fold the right side of the T-shirt sleeve over to the left. Accordion-fold the sleeve back if needed so it doesn’t overlap the edge.

5. Fold the wrapped book(s) up against the folded sleeves.

6. Fold the top back of the neckband down over the book package (revealing the T-shirt tag).

7. Flip the package over to reveal the front logo or pattern on the T-shirt.

8. Grab a piece of scrap fabric from an old T-shirt hem to use as gift ribbon. Wind the ribbon around the T-shirt to keep the “gift wrap” in place. (Optional: Use some safety pins if you’d like to make it more secure.) Optional: Get a pair of sharp scissors and tie or slip them under the ribbon.

9. It’s everything your gift recipient needs to dig in right away — what are you waiting for, give it to someone already!

Wow, so many Everests to conquer in the coming year! Here’s just a sampling of what you plan to tackle: learn to tailor, work with any fabric, make a pair of wrap pants from a wall hanging, learn to sew, make creative and unexpected wall art, and many, many more! Believe it or not, I’ve never tried crochet, so that’s my challenge in 2010. But back to the task at hand: What was inside pocket #4 in our “10 Days of Solstice” countdown? We do, in fact, have a winner! Julia, whose goal is to make her own sleeves, wins a Generation T craft tool belt complete with compartments for scissors, seam rippers, and chalk–plus a pin cushion. Sweet!

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s surprise in pocket #3 (we’re getting close!), email me (at megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “Memories” and a sentence telling me about a favorite T-shirt from your past. Don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly draw a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY (even if you’ve won already)! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!

We’re halfway there! Today’s pocket #5 winner is Claire–her art is inspired by color (“If I see a certain color yarn or fabric, including tees!, I can tell what I want to make with it.”) Well, I sure hope she’s inspired by red, because her Generation T surprise is a packet of red and black collegiate iron-on flock letters and numbers! (These are the numbers I used on the pockets of the Final Countdown calendar!)

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s surprise in pocket #4, email me (at megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “Everest” and a sentence telling me what craft project or skill you’d like to conquer in the coming year. Don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly draw a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!

Thanks for all the jokes you sent to make me giggle, snort, and guffaw. In honor of all the fantastic entries, here’s one of my own favorite standbys (courtesy of my sister who told this gem to me long ago): “What did the fish say when he swam into the cement wall?” “Dam!”

Without further ado, the winner of the contents of mysterious pocket #6 (that I made from a sister’s old tournament T-shirt from design school) is… Deborah! Her Generation T surprise is an green-themed “bold statements” patch and pin embellishing set. Have fun with it!

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s countdown to solstice Generation T surprise in pocket #5, email me (at megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “Muse” and a sentence telling me who or what inspires your art. Please, please, please don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly draw a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!

We have a winner for what’s inside pocket #7! Elizabeth (whose favorite tool is her soldering iron–how awesome is that?!) gets a Generation T “A T-shirt is a Terrible Thing to Waste” T-shirt. Raw material…to err…solder?

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s surprise in pocket #6, email me (megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “Funny” and a joke in the body of the email–nothing craft-related, just something that makes you laugh, snort, or groan and roll your eyes! Don’t forget to include your mailing address in the email so I can send you the prize if you win.

When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly draw the winner’s name and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!

What was inside pocket #8? We have a winner! Juliet (who remembers making papier mache bowls as her first craft project) wins the Generation T tattoo-themed patch and pin set. Embellishing time!

To be in the running to win tomorrow’s surprise in pocket #7, email me (megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “Cool Tools” and a sentence telling me what your favorite craft tool is and why. Don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly select a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.

Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN EVERY DAY! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!