VejiBag Giveaway!!!!

How do you keep your veggies crisp and fresh? I have often employed a paper towel system that seems downright wasteful.  I was recently contacted by the makers of vejibag and they asked if I would test their product in conjunction with a giveaway. The company makes bags specifically with the purpose of keeping veggies fresh. It just so happened that I had, on that very day, tossed out some swampy veggies.



Why not I thought I shall give it a try. So the bag was shipped and I opened up the 100% organic cotton bag and I reviewed the instructions. I will admit I was a teensy bit skeptical when I read that you are supposed to wet and wring the bag....seemed counter-intuitive. I gave it a try and it totally works! I love it!



They aren't paying me to say this, but I was really happy with the product. It does what it claims and I really love that it is a reusable alternative to other methods I have employed. I can see these being in heavy rotation during the upcoming farmer's market season.



Now! You too can win your very own vejibag! What?! AMAZING! Just hop on over to their site and check it out. Leave me a comment and tell me what you like about the vejibag and I will announce the winner in a week! Click here to check out the site.

GIVEAWAY!

I was recently gifted with this awesome book and I thought I'd like to give away another copy as this book is so great. While it isn't entirely vegan (I haven't found a good canning book that is all vegan) I hope you will, like me, gag as you quickly flip past the few  non-vegan recipes. Anyway, the book has loads of great information about home preservation of food. Interested?

Well, here is how you enter to win a copy of your own:
1) Follow this blog, just note if you are already following.
2) For additional entries blog about the giveaway, tweet, facebook, tell your computer savvy grandma, etc. Let me know what you've done in a comment.
3) Not very comfortable with any of that? Just tell me if you've ever done any home preservation if so, what?

Go forth! I will announce the winner next Monday!

Bursting at the Seams Giveaway

So, I am due in less than a month! July 17th to be precise. We are all getting very excited and I am feeling very, very, very pregnant. I have started packing the hospital bags (one for me, baby, and one for Cordelia). I am starting to read through the dreaded labor portion of the birthing books and going, oh yeah...that's gonna hurt.

More than anything though I am just getting so excited to meet this wiggly baby who has hiccups several times a day. I want to hold this little person in my arms and marvel at the miracle of life. I can hardly wait. I am excited to be exhausted from sleepless nights. I am anxious to watch Cordelia interact and to see Eric hold this baby. Oh, it is going to be amazing.

I have started having random people guess the due date and I decided that you should probably get in on the fun. Why not have a little giveaway? So, I am offering the closest guess a little box of wonders to be shipped as soon as I am able to get it together after the baby is born. How to enter:

In the comments section please leave your guess:

Guess the date and time (the time will be used in the event of a tie break). The closest guess without going over will win the box of goodies from your truly! Good luck!

**Hints**

• I am feeling like I won't be late, but that may be the wishful thinking of the extremely pregnant.

• With Cordelia I was given 2 due dates (had 2 doctors as we moved mid-pregnancy) and she was born on the 2nd due date.
• The doctor thinks this little baby is already in position.

Guess the Gender Giveaway

Both of Eric's sisters have lots of boys, something like 92 boys between them. What? Oh wait that's not right there are only 7 boys between the two sisters, but when they were young they were really active boys so it was challenging to get an accurate head count. They were running all around, playing with toys and vying for our attention and it would seem that they kept multiplying.

When we would visit I felt as though I was swimming in a sea of boys, which was great for the "cool aunt." For the record they never called me a cool aunt I just assumed. Anyway, his sisters both always joked that Eric and I would be the ones to give a girl to the family...then one of his sisters beat us to the punch. Good thing our one and only niece is such a charmer or we might begrudge her.

When I was pregnant with Cordelia I was certain that I was having a girl. I just knew it. I felt as though I had always known that our first child would be a girl. We did have a boy name picked out, but I was reasonably certain it wouldn't be put to use.

This time around I really have no sense of the gender of this baby, at all. One day I am sure that it is a girl and then the next day it is absolutely a boy. So I have concluded two things 1)I am not psychic 2)I really and truly don't have a preference about the gender of this baby.



With that said I can't wait to find out the gender of this little one who is dancing around my interior. We find out on Thursday morning.

Do you want to get in on the guessing game? I know many of you have voted on the sidebar, but now is the time to do away with anonymity. It is time to stand proud behind your guess. Leave a comment with your guess at the gender of this baby. The winner will be randomly selected from those who guessed correctly...and if you win you will be getting your very own copy of Simple Sewing for Baby.

For those of you who want to know here is a little info that will add fuel to the old wives tales:

• The heartbeat has been in the high 150s.
• I am carrying neither high nor low, right in the middle.
• I have had cravings for bell peppers, pickles,chocolate and one day I desperately wanted a fuzzy navel (don't worry I abstained).
• The baby is active and kicking low.

I think that should do it. Join in the fun!

Veganist Winner and How Everyone Can Win

Oh man I always get so excited about the giveaway business and then I have to choose a winner, or three in this case. I wish I were rich and I could just give you all something, but alas I am not and I can't. So I used random.org to help. The three winners of the Veganist cookbook are...
Victoria (I already have your address)
Junko (Please contact me with your address)
Roxee (Please contact me with your address)

So...now I still want to share my copy of the Veganist book with you, let's start a little book train. I propose that I mail it to one of you and you mail it to the next person down the line when you are done reading it and so on until it finds its way back to me. Any takers? If you are interested in doing that just email me your mailing address and I shall start up a little train. Let me know.

Yummy Dinner and Veganist Giveaway

Last night we were running errands after Eric got off from work and as a result we got home a bit later than expected. I had planned a dinner that would take at least an hour to make, but we were all hungry so I ran out to the garden and grabbed a few odds and ends.



I had a small zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano from the garden. Everything else I happened to have on hand.

• 1 box of whole grain rotini pasta, cooked and drained
• 1/2 onion
• 1-2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. chopped basil and oregano (just a mix, I went a bit heavier on the basil)
• 1-2 cloves garlic (more to taste) minced
• 1 jar of oil packed sun dried tomatoes chopped, most of the oil drained
• 1 crown broccoli divided into bite sized florets
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 1 small jar of marinated artichokes chopped, drained
• 1 can white beans, drained

Cook the rotini and set aside in colander. Meanwhile in a big pot heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook until it becomes slightly translucent. Add the basil and oregano. Mix. Add the broccoli and eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally. Add more olive oil if things start to dry out.Once the broccoli is bright green and tender and the eggplant is soft add the rotini, artichoke hearts, and white beans. Mix and serve hot.
*I would have liked to add some crushed red pepper, but I have a husband who hates spice.
*Also, pine nuts would be good.

I served mine with a simple salad of heirloom tomatoes, slivered almonds, mixed baby greens and a simple vinaigrette.

Now, don't forget to check out the post from yesterday. There is still time to enter the awesome giveaway.

Veganist: Big Giveaway!

Let me preface this blog by saying that nobody has sponsored today's giveaway, well beyond myself of course.

Yesterday I was out to lunch with Cordelia, my parents and my brother Sam. We were at the mall, weird tradition that sprung up from a group of people with serious dietary requirements. We sat around our little cafeteria table chatting and people watching. We have one woman that is always there and always has the same meal, but never the same seat. When we were done we started the familiar drift toward the coin operated rides, led by Cordelia. She loves to get on the rides, but does NOT want them to move which saves us quarters.

I decided to leave Cordelia in the care of my parents for a few minutes while Sam and I made a quick stop by the bookstore (even though I have a Kindle I still buy books). I started looking through the books, searching for nothing in particular. Shifting through books is something I just love to do, all of the potential in each book leaves me breathless. A story, some self-help, a little entertainment, enlightenment, whatever it is all there waiting for me and all I have to do is read.

My fingers stopped on the spine of Veganist:Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World by Kathy Freston. Have you read it? I haven't read it yet, but I have heard good things. I also read several glowing reviews on Amazon. Sounds promising doesn't it? Want to read it with me? I happened to buy 3 extra copies to giveaway here...

How to get it for free from me to you.......up to 5 entries

1. Leave a comment letting me know you follow my blog/start following if you don't already.
2. Tweet, Facebook update, blog about this giveaway (up to three entries here) and let me know that you have done this in the comments.
3. Simply tell me in the comments why you are interested in this book.

Good luck! I will announce three winners on Friday!

Project: Flowers and GIVEAWAY WINNER

I love flowers, a lot. Maybe it is because my middle name is Rose, not really sure. Maybe it is because I can be a bit of a girlie girl. I often wear flowers in my hair. My friend Sarah commented on it the other day. She mentioned that it was my "thing". I shared with her a little secret, I did not invent the trend of flower wearing. So, I invited her over to make some flower clips of her very own. Now, I did not invent the burnt flower technique, but there are many variations on it. I thought I would share with you how I go about it.

Supplies

• Satin fabric. You really don't need a lot. I bought 1/2 a yard of several different colors and I can make about one zillion flowers from this.
• Paper and pencil
• Something round to trace, I used a small cup
  
• Felt square, you won't need much (the vegan in me says to use synthetic felt and not wool felt)
• Needle and thread to either match or contrast your button and/or fabric
• Hair clip
• Candle and something to light it with
• Scissors
• Pinking shears, not necessary, but helpful
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  
• Buttons
• Beads, glitter, other ephemera (optional)

Directions
First you will need to trace and cut out a circle onto a piece of paper. The finished flower will be about one to two inches smaller than the circle you trace.



Take your satin fabric and fold it several times, you will want 6-8 circles. Pin your paper circle to the top of the folded fabric.



After you have cut out your circles you can remove the paper and pin. Hold your stack-o-circles in one hand and cut at an angle into the center to create the petals. Be careful not to cut all the way to the center, you will need an area to sew them together in a bit. I think I cut about 5 petals, but you can experiment and see what you like.



Now it's time to add an element of danger to this. Who needs safe crafting right? Grab your candle and light it. I do this next to the sink in case things get out of hand. Just use common sense and don't set yourself, your home, or anything else ablaze please.



Grab your circles of fabric one at a time and hold each petal to the flame, but not actually touching the fire. The fabric will curl away from the flame and darken. Note that if you have pre-washed the satin it may react a little differently to the fire and burn a bit more easily. You can play around a bit here and see how holding the circle at different angles results in different effects.



Once you are happy with each circle you can stack them back into a pile (once the risk of fire has passed). Blow out your candle and move over to your button stash.



Choose a button to go with your flower. Sew the button to the pile of circles. Once the button is secured and the flower is stable you are ready to finish this flower up.



Set your flower aside for a moment (you can take a second to admire your handiwork if you like). Grab your felt and cut a rectangle that is about the same width and length as your hair clip. I used the pinking shears to cut it out. This is also a good time to note that you will want your flower to be slightly larger than the clip, if it is small you can just make two flowers to attach to the clip.

When you have a rectangle of felt cut out you fold it in half lengthwise and snip it twice in the middle, don't cut all the way through, the idea is to make some slits.



Slide the top of your clip through the slits you just cut.



Now use your hot glue gun to adhere the flower(s) to the felt and the pin. Now you can add beads to the button top, some glitter, a little bee, whatever strikes your fancy.You're done!



They make great hair clips, but you are really limited only by your imagination. I can think of many places that I might need flowers (presents, decoration, headbands, necklaces, wristlets, shoes, bags, etc).


Crazy excited about her flower



Go forth and have a creative weekend. If you make these I'd love to see what you come up with, just send me a link.



GIVEAWAY WINNER!
The winner was chosen by way of the random number generator and the winner is...
AKM! Congratulations and please contact me to ensure that I have your mailing address.

Stay tuned I have some big giveaway plans in the not too distant future.

Organizing and GIVEAWAY!

When we first moved into our house in April I did a quick set-up in my sewing/craft/art/guest room. I planned to get things in good order within the next few weeks, but one project or the next would get in the way. I was able to use the space, so it wasn't really a priority. Well, yesterday afternoon during the golden hour (nap time) I tore the place up with the intention of re-organizing and making the space more functional.

Right as I finished taking everything out to assess the situation Cordelia woke up early. So I have a little carry-over. I have to get this space organized today. I am kind of excited about it all. Plus, while I was cleaning out the closet I found a few unfinished projects that I started before our move and just lost track of. Last night I finished two hats and two scarves!


Please excuse the shaky quality of this photo, I took it while practicing gymnastics...

I thought that perhaps today, while I am organizing, you could have something to look forward to. I am talking to you, anywhere in the world.


Where in the world are you?

I am giving away one bag of my favorite tea, Evening in Missoula. While I was visiting Missoula this summer I picked up a bag for myself and one for a giveaway. The bag looks kind of small in this pic, but I assure you it is huge enough for hundreds of amazing cups of tea.

How to Enter up to 4 times:
1) Follow me (let me know in comments that you are following)
2) Blog, tweet, facebook update about it (let me know in the comments what you have done)

I will announce a winner on Saturday!
I will also post photos of my newly organized space.

Kiss My Face Giveaway

Today I am excited to hold a giveaway of Kiss My Face products. Kiss My Face has just released their Holiday Peace Collection, featuring their new 100% natural all-purpose castile soap in a liquid form and also a foaming hand soap (free of animal products and testing).

Kiss My Face says, "As consumers are searching for ways to remove toxins from their lives, this versatile soap is the perfect solution. The liquid soap has over 101 uses from the shower to the kitchen to the lake and even washing man’s best friend. All bottles come with a to/from holiday card for easy gift giving."

The Holiday Peace Collection is available in 4 “peaceful” scents: grassy mint, lemongrass clary sage, pomegranate acai & lavender mandarin scents. In addition, they have soy wax Peace Candles in the same matching scents.

10% of the profits will support Seeds of Peace, an organization that brings together teens from countries of conflict, like Palestine and Israel, to a camp in Maine where they learn about “the enemy” and leave more educated and compassionate about their neighbors

So today I am hosting a giveaway of some of their awesome new products (all vegan and biodegradable!) and I think this may be one giveaway you don't want to miss. You could win three full sized products from their new collection as well as tons of great samples and big coupons!

You have several opportunities to enter this awesome giveaway.

The first way to enter is to visit their site (click here) and then leave me a comment telling me what looks good to you.

For additional entries you can:

a)blog about this giveaway.
b)tweet about this giveaway.
c) Facebook update about this giveaway.

Finally you can follow my blog, or just let me know if you already are following.

Just be sure and leave me a comment here so I know that you've done it! The winner will be announced on Friday morning!