**This giveaway is now CLOSED**

I had made myself a camera strap for my Nikon a year or so ago and really liked how it transformed my boring camera strap to something fun and colorful. But I could tell it was homemade. My sewing skills were not to great and it was just a slip cover. Then I was introduced to August Blossoms. They sell beautiful hand-made camera straps! There were so many camera straps I liked, it was hard to choose just one.

Kristen Duke, our Photography specialist, and I were able to try them out and we both have loved using them. In fact, when I was at a local fourth of July parade, I was stopped several times by people admiring my camera strap and wondering where I had gotten it.

The thing I love most about this camera strap is how comfortable it is to wear. I take my camera everywhere and like to be able to have easy access to my camera. In fact, I carried my camera all oer San Francisco recently and was able to wear it around my neck for long periods of time without feeling uncomfortable.

I also loved all the great fabrics. Such fun and colorful designs to choose from. I was also impressed with how well the straps were sewn. I do not have to worry about this strap lasting a long time! But…perhaps the most clever thing about this strap is that it has a perfect spot to store your lens cap. PERFECT!

Well today, August Blossoms is giving away one of their fun camera straps to one lucky Idea Room Reader. All you have to do is go to their site and choose which strap you would love to own. Then come back here and leave us a comment. That’s it!

This giveaway will close on Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 11:59 pm PT. Good luck to everyone and a big thank you to August Blossoms for sponsoring this fun giveaway!

**This giveaway is now CLOSED**

We have a great giveaway from Delicate Fortress this week. Delicate Fortress is a shoppe and blog that have been set-up to give back to others in desperate need. A portion of each item sold from Delicate Fortress’s shoppe goes toward major causes affecting many underprivileged people and countries, ie. Poverty, Human Trafficking, Illiteracy, Slavery and Children at Risk. You can read more about their mission here.

Today, Delicate Fortress is going to be giving away the Lydia Bracelet. It comes from the Trade Justice Mission and benefits women in the Philippines fighting their way out of extreme poverty. It is a $40 value and is designed from orange rough cut carnelian intermixed with sterling silver Thai and Bali beads, ending with a sterling silver toggle clasp.

To enter simply go to Delicate Fortress’s shoppe and have a look around. Then come back here and tell us what you would love to own from their inventory or how you feel about their mission. This giveaway will close on Sunday, July 18 2010 at 11:59 pm PT.

And, if the giveaway weren’t enough…Delicate Fortress is also offering all Idea Room Readers a 10% discount for the entire month of July on any purchase. Simply enter the coupon code “IDEA” upon checkout and they will apply the 10% discount to your order!

You can also find Delicate Fortress on their blog where you can learn about their mission in more detail and the causes they support, or on Facebook.

Good Luck everyone! And thank you Delicate Fortress for the great giveaway and all you are doing to help support some great causes.