Jewels By Jane FeelAble Wall Art: Review and Giveaway

There are times that I feel like the art of decorating a home should be an Olympic event. It can be a serious challenge to find things that represent your sense of style, but also adhere to your budget. In many cases, I turn to the website Etsy to find artisans who channel their creativity into amazing art that will liven up the rooms of my home.

Jewels By Jane "Feelable Wall Art" is an Etsy business started by a homeschooling stay-at-home mom of 4! Jane has a love of folk art and has channeled that passion into wall hangings that not only appeal to the visual sense, but also have depth from a tactile sense. Jane uses buttons as her medium of choice and every single button is hand-placed. You are guaranteed a unique piece of work each time! These are just a few of the amazing pieces that Jane has created.

"BIG Tree"

"Broken Glass"

"Spring-a-Ling"













Jane has generously offered a custom designed piece of art to the winner of this giveaway. The art will be in the style of "Spring-a-Ling", pictured above. The finished piece size is 7"x7". The winner will work with Jane to designate the color scheme that they prefer. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. only. If you do not have your email address in your blogger profile, please make sure you leave your email in your comment(s).

Mandatory Entry: Visit Jewels By Jane and let me know what your favorite piece is and why.

Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry):

1 Entry - Become a Follower of this blog or let me know if you already follow (widget is on the left sidebar)

1 Entry - Grab my button & put it in your sidebar (please leave your blog link in the comment so I can verify placement and come by to say hi)

1 Entry - Become a follower on Facebook or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower on Twitter or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Per day for tweeting this giveaway (please leave tweet url in the comment)

10 Entries - If you make a purchase from Jewels By Jane (please leave 10 separate comments to qualify and your purchase will be verified with the merchant)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, May 30th at 11:59pm ET. Winner will be chosen by random number draw. Winner will be contacted immediately and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation from this vendor, but I do own one of her pieces. All opinions are based on my personal experience with the art. Your experience might differ from mine.

The Queen's Wednesday Giveaway Linky

This is my weekly forum for other bloggers to list your giveaways and for readers to check out other goodies that are up for grabs!

First, please make sure you check out my 3 current giveaways.

One eskimO cd (ends 5/23)

Peter Rabbit Organics Fruit Snacks (ends 5/23)

A Three Dog Life book (ends 5/30)

Please list your giveaways in the following format.

Your Blog Name - Giveaway Item (ending date)

Please link directly to the giveaway post and not to the main page of your blog. If this rule is violated, your link will be deleted.

Thanks for participating and enjoy entering some great giveaways!

The Fey: Book Review

Title: The Fey
Author: Claudia Hall Christian
Genre: Thriller/Romance
Paperback
291 pages

From the book jacket:
"Released from Walter Reed Hospital, Sergeant Alexandra Hargreaves settles in her hometown of Denver, Colorado. With her family and friends close, and her enemies even closer, she strives to collect the pieces of her shattered life.

Then everything falls apart.

Haunted by the past, and terrorized in the present, Alex must reach past pain, through memory, and beyond the grave to find her self, and her future."

When I initially picked this book up, I was really unsure if it was going to be something that would appeal to me. I enjoy movies such as The Bourne Trilogy, James Bond, and pretty much anything that Angelina Jolie stars in. "The Fey" is a wonderful blend of these kinds of roles with a side of romance thrown in.

I love that the chapters are short and the story moves along very quickly. You barely have a chance to catch your breath before our heroine takes another twist or turn. The story is fast paced and just when you think that nothing else can happen to Alex, something happens.

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery or thriller. For people out there who don't gravitate towards this genre of book, well, there is plenty of romance thrown in to keep the fires burning.

This is the first in the "Alex the Fey" series. The second book in the series, "Learning to Stand", was released in January and will be reviewed here in the coming weeks.

Winners of $25 Walmart and Hallmark giveaways

I want to emphasize again how much I appreciate all of my readers and the time that you guys take to enter my giveaways and get the word out! You guys are wonderful!

The winner of my Hallmark Edge of Motherhood card set is #25.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

25 

Timestamp: 2010-05-17 04:06:16 UTC

Julie D said... 25

My kids come up with some good ones, but at the moment, "Mommy Brain" has set in and I can't think of one.

May 16, 2010 8:59 PM

The winner of the $25 Walmart giftcard is #67.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

67 

Timestamp: 2010-05-17 04:07:12 UTC

bayctygrl said... 67

follow on twitter @bayctygrl

hippopurplemonkey at yahoo dot com

May 3, 2010 2:06 PM

Congratulations to both winners! Each has been contacted and has 48 hours to respond. In the event that a winner does not respond, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Thanks again to all who entered and I hope that you'll stick around as there are more reviews, giveaways and new things coming up!

A Three Dog Life: Book Review and Giveaway

Title: A Three Dog Life
Author: Abigail Thomas
Genre: Memoir
Paperback
182 pages

The author, Abigail Thomas, chronicles a life after tragedy when her husband is struck by a car and suffers a traumatic brain injury. We're taken on a journey with highs and lows and see the very real situations that families of TBI patients are confronted with every single day. The emotions are very raw. The pictures that the author paints are vivid.

I picked up this book based purely on the cover art and title. I am a dog lover and am always drawn to stories that center around them. However, this book didn't live up to that specific idea that I was looking for, which was ok. I am also drawn heavily to memoirs. This book is relatively short and a very quick read because the story is very captivating. The author grabs your attention and holds it as you take this roller coaster ride through life with her.

I really enjoyed this book because it gave me a fresh perspective on the emotions involved when this kind of accident happens to a family. True life stories are very interesting to me. And, while the dogs were not a central character to the story, in my opinion, they definitely played a part, which was nice to see.

One winner will receive a copy of the paperback version of this book. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. If you do not have your email address in your blogger profile, please make sure you leave your email in your comment(s).

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me one of your favorite books.

Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry):

1 Entry - Become a Follower of this blog or let me know if you already follow (widget is on the left sidebar)

1 Entry - Grab my button & put it in your sidebar (please leave your blog link in the comment so I can verify placement and come by to say hi)

1 Entry - Become a follower on Facebook or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower on Twitter or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Per day for tweeting this giveaway (please leave tweet url in the comment)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, May 30th at 11:59pm ET. Winner will be chosen by random number draw. Winner will be contacted immediately and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by me. I purchased the giveaway book because it's a good book and I want to share it with the public.

Peter Rabbit Organics Review & Giveaway

Finding good quality snacks for young children these days can be a real challenge. Many parents are concerned about all of the extra stuff on ingredient labels that they can't even pronounce and how those preservatives and chemicals will affect the developing systems of their little ones.

Peter Rabbit Organics is a charming little company based in London, England. This group of 4 individuals is focused on the common goal of providing a top-quality organic fruit snack that the whole family can enjoy.

The fruit pouches are made with 100% organic fruit and have no preservatives, no artificial ingredients and no added sugar. The packaging is BPA free and shelf stable, which makes them a great item to toss into a diaper bag or lunch box. Each pouch contains over one serving of fruit and has an easy access cap that is appropriate for ages 6 months and up.

My family recently had the chance to taste test the 3 flavors that the snacks come in. Hubby & I really enjoyed the Apple & Grape flavor, but the kids didn't. Hubby & the kids voted the Mango, Banana & Orange as their favorite flavor. I thought it was ok, but I'm not a huge banana fan. The Strawberry & Banana was our least favorite, but I think it had more to do with the consistency.

Overall, we agreed that this is something that we will definitely keep on hand for a quick & nutritional snack option. And because there is a wide variety of flavor choices, there's something that each member of my family will enjoy! Currently, you can purchase Peter Rabbit Organics online through Amazon.com. You can also use the store locator found here to find a local vendor near you that might carry the product.

One winner will receive a mixed box of 10 pouches of these organic fruit snacks! The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. If you do not have your email address linked in your blogger profile, please leave your email in your comment(s).

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which flavor of these fruit snacks you are most interested in trying.

Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry):

1 Entry - Become a Follower of this blog or let me know if you already follow (widget is on the left sidebar)

1 Entry - Grab my button & put it in your sidebar (please leave your blog link in the comment so I can verify placement and come by to say hi)

1 Entry - Become a follower on Facebook or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower of Peter Rabbit Organics on Facebook

1 Entry - Become a follower on Twitter or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower of Peter Rabbit Organics on Twitter

1 Entry - Per day for tweeting this giveaway (please leave tweet url in the comment)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, May 23rd at 11:59pm ET. Winner will be chosen by random number draw. Winner will be contacted immediately and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: I was provided with a set of 3 fruit pouches to sample for my review. I did not receive any other compensation. All opinions are my own. Your experience with the product might result in a different opinion.

One eskimO CD Review and Giveaway

As a self-proclaimed musicphile, I am always interested in checking out new bands. Through my partnership with the One2One Network, I was given the opportunity to listen to a cd by a new English band called One eskimO.

Billboard magazine has referred to One eskimO's self-titled debut album as "...catchy, ambient pop." I agree that their sound is definitely one that I would classify as pop, but I can't really identify another band that I think they sound similar to; which, in my book, is a good thing. Their sound is mellow and has some wonderful acoustic tones to it with both piano and guitar.

One of my favorite songs from the cd is called "Astronauts" and you can get a free download of that song by clicking here!

One eskimO currently has the #1 adult alternative song called "Kandi" which you might have already heard since it's the most played song on all adult rock radio for 4 weeks and counting. Check out the video for "Kandi"!



If you enjoy live concerts as much as I do, you will definitely want to check this band out live. They begin their tour of the U.S. tomorrow, May 14th, in sunny Miami, FL! You can check out their entire tour schedule here.

One eskimO is definitely a band that will make it into regular rotation on my iPod. Their sound is great for hanging out around the house, background music for a dinner party or reading a good book while relaxing by the pool. I hope you'll check them out on iTunes or in a music store near you!

And now for the giveaway!

I am giving away 1 copy of the debut cd of One eskimO. The giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian residents only. If you do not have your email address linked in your blogger profile, please leave your email in your comment(s).

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the name of your favorite musical artist or genre of music.

Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry):

1 Entry - Become a Follower of this blog or let me know if you already follow (widget is on the left sidebar)

1 Entry - Grab my button & put it in your sidebar (please leave your blog link in the comment so I can verify placement and come by to say hi)

1 Entry - Become a follower on Facebook or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower of One eskimO on Facebook

1 Entry - Become a follower on Twitter or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Per day for tweeting this giveaway (please leave tweet url in the comment)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, May 23rd at 11:59pm ET. Winner will be chosen by random number draw. Winner will be contacted immediately and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: I was provided with a band cd through my partnership with the One2OneNetwork. I did not receive any other compensation. All opinions are my own. Your experience with the product might result in a different opinion.

The Queen's Wednesday Giveaway Linky

This is my weekly forum for other bloggers to list your giveaways and for readers to check out other goodies that are up for grabs!

First, please make sure you check out my 2 current giveaways. They will both be ending this Sunday, May 16th.

$25 Walmart Giftcard

Hallmark "Edge of Motherhood" Card Set

Please list your giveaways in the following format.

Your Blog Name - Giveaway Item (ending date)

Please link directly to the giveaway post and not to the main page of your blog. If this rule is violated, your link will be deleted.

Thanks for participating and enjoy entering some great giveaways!

$25 Amazon gift card Winner

Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to my very first giveaway! I appreciate all of the comments of encouragement and ideas of things that you would like to see. You definitely gave me a lot to think about!

Out of the 599 comments received, random.org chose number 534 as the winner.

Kate said...

Thanks for the contest!! Your blog looks great, keep up the good work!

strycker@slu.edu

May 9, 2010 1:27 PM

Congratulations to the winner! If she does not respond to the winner verification email within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

I hope that you'll stick around as I've got some more great giveaways coming up this week and in the near future. Thanks for helping me get this blog off the ground with a bang!

Hallmark Edge Of Motherhood Cards Product Review and Giveaway {CLOSED}

**Reminder: To see a listing of my current giveaways, please check out my left sidebar for direct links.

I am a greeting card fanatic and my "go to" store for my card needs is Hallmark. No matter what the occasion, or no occasion at all, I always seem to find the perfect card at one of my local Hallmark stores!

Hallmark has come out with a line of cards that I identify with so well. It's called the "Edge of Motherhood" series. These cards address the highs and lows of parenting, with humor that is right up my alley. Here are just a few of my favorites from the line.


The inside says: There now...feel better?

















The inside says: Hope your birthday is free of bad-mommy moments.

















The inside says: Welcome to the "do as I say and not as I did" years.
















Mother's Day is this weekend and I'm sure you probably have some moms in your life that would appreciate these cards throughout the year. This Mother's Day will be mark my 5th as a mom to some wonderful children and so to celebrate that milestone, I am giving away a collection of 5 cards from the "Edge of Motherhood" collection!

This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian residents only. If you do not have your email linked to your blogger profile, please leave your email address in your comment(s).

Mandatory Entry - Leave a comment on this post telling me your funniest mom moment. It can one that happened to you or someone you know.

Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry):

1 Entry - Become a Follower of this blog or let me know if you already follow (widget is on the left sidebar)

1 Entry - Grab my button & put it in your sidebar (please leave your blog link in the comment so I can verify placement and come by to say hi)

1 Entry - Become a follower on Facebook or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower on Twitter or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Per day for tweeting this giveaway (please leave tweet url in the comment)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, May 16th at 11:59pm ET. Winner will be chosen by random number draw. Winner will be contacted immediately and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by me. Hallmark doesn't have a clue who I am, only that I purchase a large volume of cards from them each year!

The Queen's Wednesday Giveaway Linky

I'm starting a new feature this week that allows others to link up their giveaways here. With any new feature, I'm sure there will be kinks to work out. I appreciate your patience and welcome your feedback!

So, to kick things off, let me first mention that I have 2 current giveaways going on that you need to check out if you haven't already!

$25 Amazon.com gift card (ends 5/9)

$25 Walmart gift card (ends 5/16)

For this first week, I'm going to use a standard Linky Tools setup. Please list your giveaways in the following format.

Your Blog Name - Giveaway Item (ending date)

Please link directly to the giveaway post and not to the main page of your blog. If this rule is violated, your link will be deleted.

Thanks for participating and enjoy entering some great giveaways!

TSRphotography Winner Announced

First, let me thank everyone who entered the TSRphotography giveaway! I love the idea of helping small businesses, especially Etsy shop owners who are little fish in a big pond, in terms of getting their product in front of people.

The winner of the TSRphotography giveaway was comment #53!

janetfaye said... 53

I follow with GFC - janetfaye

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

May 2, 2010 7:18 AM

Congratulations to Janet!

And thanks again for all who have visited! There are more giveaways on the horizon, so stay tuned!

Cascade Complete Product Review and $25 Walmart Giveaway {CLOSED}

Through my membership with My Blog Spark, I was given the chance to take the 24-Hour Challenge with Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs, thanks to P&G and My Blog Spark.


We have been loyal Cascade users in this house for many years. When I heard about a new product in the Cascade family that was supposed to be even tougher on food particles, I knew that I wanted to see this product in action.

According to the packaging, "Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs give you the confidence of a job done right. It breaks down, dissolves, and rinses away tough food particles without the need to pre-wash."

To put this product to the test, I filled my dishwasher with utensils covered in dried peanut butter, plates covered in macaroni & cheese sauce and a baking dish with dried au gratin potato residue. Most of these dishes had been sitting in the machine for 48 hours, so I knew this product was really going to have to live up to it's claims.

To my amazement, not only did every item come out clean as a whistle, but I didn't see any food particles anywhere. Normally, at least one of my peanut butter covered knives has something left on it. I'm definitely a believer in this product now!


I would definitely recommend that you check out this product in your local stores. As an incentive to do just that, I am offering a $25 Walmart giftcard to one of my readers! Here's the details on the giveaway.

This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian residents only. If you do not have your email linked to your blogger profile, please leave your email address in your comment(s).

Mandatory Entry - Leave a comment on this post telling me your worst "stuck on food" disaster.

Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry):

1 Entry - Become a Follower of this blog or let me know if you already follow (widget is on the left sidebar)

1 Entry - Grab my button & put it in your sidebar (please leave your blog link in the comment so I can verify placement and come by to say hi)

1 Entry - Become a follower on Facebook or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Become a follower on Twitter or let me know if you already follow

1 Entry - Per day for tweeting this giveaway (please leave tweet url in the comment)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, May 16th at 11:59pm ET. Winner will be chosen by random number draw. Winner will be contacted immediately and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Legal Disclaimer: This product review was based on using complimentary Cascade product provided by P&G. Bloggers also received a Walmart gift card to share with their readers. P&G does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blogsite.

Disclosure: I received a package of Cascade Complete ActionPacs from P&G and My Blog Spark in order to facilitate my review. I also received, from the same companies, a $25 Walmart gift card that I am giving away in this review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. Others might have a different experience with the product.

Glasses USA: Product Review

I recently had the opportunity to review an online eyeglasses store and was very excited about this challenge. As someone who has worn glasses since the age of 8, I have spent 26 years looking for frames that fit my face and are comfortable to wear. This kind of shopping is hard enough to do in a store where I can physically handle the frames and try them on. So, I wasn't quite sure how it was going to go in an online environment.

GlassesUSA offers a wide variety of frames including Full Frame, Semi-Rimless and Rimless choices. I was in search of a smaller frame that wasn't too heavy and did not have nose pads. I like the search function of the website that lets you narrow immediately to gender specific frames. It also lets you narrow by material type (i.e. metal, titanium, plastic) as well as what type of lens you need (i.e. Single vision, progressive). Finally, you can sort by the price range that you are looking for. This can be especially helpful for individuals who are shopping with a tight budget.

I was quickly able to find some frames that met my criteria and finally settled on the Revere frames from DC's Washington Collection. I liked that they have classic styling and would probably be a good fit for my smaller face.

The ordering process was very easy. After choosing your frames, you have the chance to choose standard lenses or other types, such as "Super Thin" lenses if you have a very strong prescription. There are also choices for tinting and coated lenses.

You will want to be sure that you have an easily understandable copy of your prescription because you have the option to enter that information yourself or you can fax or email the information to GlassesUSA. They also have a toll-free number that you can use for additional assistance.

My new glasses arrived in a reasonable amount of time and were packaged well. I really like the case that was included with my frames. My initial reaction after wearing them for the first time was that I didn't think they were the best fit. However, it takes me a while to get used to a new pair of frames. After wearing them for about a week, I felt sure that I made the right decision in choosing these particular frames.

My overall impression of GlassesUSA is that they are a reputable company who stands behind their product. I found them very easy to work with and would recommend them for anyone who is in the market for new eyeglasses. Their prices are very competitive and would be a great place to do some comparison shopping with your local retailers.

*Disclosure: GlassesUSA provided me a pair of prescription eyeglasses in order to facilitate my review. I was not given any other compensation. All opinions are my own. Others might have a different experience with the company.

Blogmania Giveaway Winner

WOW!

That's the only word I can muster up after seeing all of the wonderful comments that you guys left for me! I want to welcome all of my new followers here, on Twitter & on Facebook!

I have a brand new product review with giveaway set to start here on Monday that I think you guys will be really excited about! And I am going to be having a "follower" giveaway that I'll be announcing in another week. So, stick around because things are really going to get exciting!

And for the big news from my Blogmania Scrapbooking giveaway! Drumroll please...

The winner is comment #138.

Natalie (Mindful Musings) said...

I'd love to enter! Thanks for the giveaway!

n_monzyk_27(at)yahoo(dot)com

April 30, 2010 1:31 PM

Congratulations! The winner has been notified and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information. If the winner does not respond, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the giveaway and for visiting!