Showing posts with label Favorite Things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Favorite Things. Show all posts

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Favorite Things Swag Bags Giveaway {CLOSED}


I gave these swag bags to each guest at my Favorite Things Party.



As I filled these bags up with some of my favorite things, I got excited myself.  I don't know about you, but I love a goodie bag!


Let me tell you what was in them and then I'll tell you how you can win one yourself!

Sonny Bryan's Barbecue Sauce.  Sonny Bryan's is the best barbecue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area hands down.  They've been around since 1910 and they've perfected brisket, ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and sausage.  Their barbecue is my favorite!  They've recently opened three new restaurants in Salt Lake City, Sandy and West Valley, Utah.  They'll cater any size event as well.  You can order this sauce on their website and have it shipped straight to your door!  You can also order smoked brisket, ribs, and sausage.  The send it on dry ice and it's ready to reheat and serve!  My insider tip: heat up your sauce before you serve it directly on anything.  It makes the flavors really come out.  They serve it hot in their restaurants.


Lush body products.  Lush is known for their handmade cosmetics and body products.  They were kind enough to mix up three things for each guest: Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream, Enchanted Eye Cream, and  Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub.



Hairbo gummy bears.  Is there any other brand?  Oh, really?  I wasn't aware.  These are the only kind I'll eat.



A File Catty.  I love these files because they come in a case.  I absolutely hate nail files floating around in my purse, scratching who knows what.  They also stay clean this way.  I always carry them with me in my car, in my purse, in my diaper bag.    They come in cute patterns and colors.  You can find them here at Ulta or here at Sally's Beauty.  They both carry them in the stores as well.



A pendant from Art Girl Pottery.  I stumbled upon this artist last year at a craft fair in Chicago and loved her work.  She makes custom and personalized pottery platters, bowls, picture frames, jewelry trays, vases and pendants.  She'll put any design or name on them you want.  You can find and order her pendants here on Facebook or order her other pieces through her website.  I have several pieces of hers and I love that they are unique and I love supporting local artists!  She gave me a variety of pendants so each bag had a different one.  Here are a few she sent for the party:


Here are some of her other beautiful pieces. 



Out The Door Fast Drying Top Coat.  I have two little ones running around.  I don't have time for nails to dry and set.  That's why I love their top coat.  It dries and sets in seconds so you can be "out the door."  And it works on natural or sculptured nails.  They sent us their Northern Lights Top Coat Trio which includes a clear coat, a silver hologram top coat and a gold hologram top coat.  The glitter isn't too flashy, it's very subtle and gives the perfect amount of sparkle to your nails.  You can find these at Sally's or other beauty supply stores.


Lemonheads.  I have a weakness for sour and gummy candies.  I'm like a little kid.  I can resist chocolate when I'm trying to be good.  But, I can't resist Lemonheads!


Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa.  I'm a Texas girl.  Born and raised.  And now I'm living in the Midwest.  And I'm freeeeezing.  So, I drink hot cocoa all winter long.  Several times a day if we've been in and out playing in the snow.  It's a staple around here.  I used to drink whatever was on sale until I stumbled upon Stephen's.  And now I'll never go back.  Their mixes make the best hot cocoa and it is creamy and delicious!  They make all sorts of flavors like dark, mint truffle, roasted hazelnut, candy cane, raspberry cheesecake, white, and peanut butter cup (I know!  It's my husband's favorite).  But, my favs are their french vanilla and their milk chocolate.  So, they sent me those two flavors to share with my friends.  And I stole a few for myself.  They also sell teas, wassail and ciders. Try the caramel apple cider!  I buy them at my local grocery store but you can order online here if you can't find them near you.



A knotted elastic pony tail holder from PlumPosh.  These are cute, comfy, and stylish and don't leave crease in your hair.  She sent all different colors and everyone went home with one.  She also makes all sorts of pretty garters to be used for weddings or baby headbands, fabric flowers, bows, accessories and even baby wipes cases! 



Here are a few of her other creations listed for sale on her Etsy site.

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitizer.  I love a good sale.  So, when I saw the Christmas scents on clearance for $0.32 each I stocked up.  And I shared them with my party guests.  Having kids, I carry hand sanitizer in the car, my purse, the library bag, you name it.  So, I love these little travel sizes.  My little girl loves their brand of sanitizers because they "smell so good!"


Hollywood Fashion Secrets Lint Removing Sheets and Oil Blotting Tissues.  I carry these little oil blotting tissues in my car and purse as well (I know, my purse sounds like a pit by now, right?).  They are perfect for mid or late day oil build up on my face so I don't have to reapply makeup.  They get rid of that afternoon sheen and make you look fresh again!  Hollywood Fashion Secrets make all sorts of great fashion and beauty helpers like fashion tape, deodorant removing sponges, and clear bra straps.  They've thought of what helps us women look better weather it's keeping our girls up and covered or quick fixes for clothes when we're out and about.  I find my oil blotting tissues at JoAnns and Old Navy around here but I'm sure you can find them all over.


An all natural soy candle from a local artisan.  I buy all of my candles from her beause I love supporting local artists, they burn clean and they make my house smell amazing!  She makes scents to go along with the seasons and she always has something new.



A G2 Roller Ball Gel Pen from Pilot. In purple, of course.  Purple is my favorite color and this is one of my favorite pens.  I love the flow of the ink, the lack of a lid and I love the color.  Writing letters in purple is so much prettier than writing them in black or blue!


There were also coupons to local restaurants for a free Italian beef sandwich and a free ice cream sundae, a coupon for a local nursery, a coupon for my favorite olive oil / vinegar place and popcorn from my favorite local popcorn shop. They gave me their combo mix of caramel and cheese!  The best.  I'm not mailing you the local coupons or the popcorn because I figure by the time this giveaway closes, that popcorn may or may not be getting stale.  And I'd hate for that to happen.  So, I ate yours.  It was delicious.  You'll just have to trust me on that one.

So, who wants all of the goodies listed above???

Leave me a comment below and tell what you'd include in a bag of your favorite things!  If you start to follow me, leave an additional comment and you'll get an entry for that as well.  If your email address isn't linked up to your profile, make sure and leave it for me!

Giveaway ends Friday, March 16th so get your comments in by Thursday night!  U.S. residents only, please.

If you haven't entered the giveaway of my other favorites, you still have until Sunday night.  Go here to read about them and enter.

And the winner is: Suzanne!  Congrats!  Hope you enjoy my favorites.  Email your address to: sometimescreative (at) yahoo (dot) com.


These are truly things that I use and love.  I may have snagged myself a nail file and some hot cocoa but did not receive any compensation for this post.  These opinions are my own.


Pin It!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Favorite Things Party



Long before Pinterest, I saw a blog with an idea for a Favorite Things Party.  I've thought about it since then and now that they are popping up all over Pinterest, I was reminded of them and thought, "why not now?"

I invited my friends over and asked everyone to bring three of one of their favorite things in the $10-15 range.  I liked this better than getting six items in the $5 range.  We went home with fewer, but better, items in my opinion. 





First, everyone wrote their name down three times for the exchange and one time for my drawing. 



When it was their turn, they told us about their item, why it was their favorite and then drew three names and those lucky ladies went home with that item.  It was fun to see the variety of things that everyone brought and watch people cross their fingers as names were being drawn!




I gave away this cake pedestal for my favorite thing.  It is white, scalloped and just $14.99 at Pier 1!  They have a smaller one for $9.99 if you want two to stack.  Here's proof I was at the party.



Here are the favorites everyone else brought.  I wanted one of everything on that table!







Their favorites included:
Melissa gets an extra shout out because she listed Pinterest as one of her favorite things and she actually made three earring holders after she found the idea on Pinterest.  I'm going to show you hers because this is a creative blog, after all.


What did I get, you ask? My name was drawn for movie tickets & candy (Hunger Games, anyone?), Our Best Bites Cookbook (with tabs on her favs she's tried) and the bag of English goodies.  I've thumbed through the cookbook and can't wait to try the recipes in it!



After we exchanged all of the above, I drew names for some of my favorite items I got sponsored. 


Thanks to my sponsors I gave away:
Some of the above are still listed in a giveaway on this blog.  You can comment to enter on this post until Sunday evening.

And last, but certainly not least, everyone went home with a Swag Bag full of treats.  The bags are worthy of their own post so I'll blog about them tomorrow.  Come back and read all about them because I'm going to give one of them away to one lucky reader! 



As I spent much time and effort gathering items for the party, I decided I didn't want to do all of the food myself.  I asked everyone to bring their favorite appetizer or dessert to share.  I made this punch that is all over Pinterest, lemon bars and bought some fresh shrimp cocktail.  I love all things lemon and never make lemon bars because I'm the only one around here that will eat them.  Same for shrimp cocktail.  People brought fruit, hummus & pita chips, cupcakes from a local shop, bruschetta, cucumber bites, caprese bites,  and strawberries & cream.  I didn't get great pictures but, we enjoyed it none the less.



I didn't really decorate for the party but I liked having an excuse to bust out my spring decor and get ready for Easter. 





It was such a fun party, my guests all had a blast and you should totally host one.  Go plan it, now!  And don't forget to check back and see what's inside that Swag Bag you could win!


I did not receive any compensation for this post.  I already have and use these items, they are truly my favorites and these opinions are my own!


Pin It!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

My Favorite Things Giveaway {CLOSED}


I am hosting a "Favorite Things" party at my house this week.  My friends are coming over and bringing a few of their favorite things and we are all going to exchange them. 

In preparation for the party, I contacted the companies of some of my favorite things and asked if they'd sponsor the party.  And they said, "yes!"  Good news for me.  Good news for you!


I will be doing a drawing at the party and here are a few things I have to give away:

♥ This silver dandelion necklace made by Lulubug Jewelry
 

          You can find her Esty shop here.  I found her when I bought my daughter that "You Are My Sunshine" necklace pictured below.  She hand makes all of her jewelry and it is pure silver.  Her designs are beautiful and include dogs, birds, owls, other animals, cupcakes and great quotes.  She even packages it up cute for you!  Here are a few of her other pieces:

♥ These cute letter press Thank You cards from 1canoe2

          She sells letterpress prints, greeting cards, coasters, recipe cards and more via her Etsy shop here.  I love, love, love all things letterpress.  I'm a big fan of real live mail so I send out many cards.  Her illustrations are so clever, yet simply drawn.  I bought that "Stars at Night" Texas print last month from her.  I couldn't resist a Texas letterpress print with those song lyrics!



Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.  I'm giving one away at my party and one to you!


          I bought myself one of these after my niece got one for Christmas.  I found myself wanting to use hers so I had to buy my own.  It is a journal / sketch book of sorts with instructions to destroy and mark up the pages.  Keri's illustrations and instructions encourage you to do things like poke holes in the pages, glue pages together, rip the pages, draw things, drip paint on the pages, and write your inner most frustrating thoughts.   I love having a book where I can be creative and fun but don't have to keep it picture perfect.  It's a great creative outlet for me.  Keri is super creative and also has titles like Finish This Book and This Is Not A Book  as well as fun titles for kids.  You can find them from any major bookseller like Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  I'll post pictures from mine in another post sometime soon.

♥ These cute Francie Pants for girls.  I am giving away two pair of these at the party and two pair to you, my readers!

I bought my little girl a few pair of these last spring.  They are lightweight, silky, comfortable shorts (if you will) that girls can wear under dresses, skirts, for gymnastics or for cheerleading.  My daughter wore them all summer long under sun dresses and with tanks to play in.  They are perfect underneath other things because they are tight and silky so things don't bunch up.  They are short enough that they don't show until she does somersaults or crawls around.  And that's when I'm glad she has them on!  She wears them around the house all winter because they are "cozy" in her words. They come in sizes for babies up to women and they have over 20 different colors and patterns to choose from.  I can swear by these because she's been wearing them for a year and we truly love them.  Here she is wearing them last week under her tutu.  I just love her chunky two year old thighs!


Here are a few of their other styles.


♥  The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain

Lisa is a fellow Texan who lives in New York.  She, like many of us who have left the Great Lone Star State, misses those great Texas restaurants and food.  She has blogged about it for years and now has compiled her awesome recipes into a cookbook.  She has great recipes for brisket tacos, migas, chipotle chicken tacosqueso flameado, Texas sheet cake,  and even kolaches!  I'm giving this book away at my party but I have a cookbook for you, my readers to have a chance to win:

Joy the Baker's Cookbook


Are you drooling yet?  The cookbook hasn't even been released yet so you are among a select few who'll have access to some of her mouth watering confections!  I'm going to make something from the book for my party.  I'm having a hard time deciding between the s'mores brownies, the lemon drenched lemon cake (I could die!), or the glazed lime cake.  I'll keep you posted!

♥ The books Snowflakes for All Seasons and Snowflakes by Cindy Higham.  I have one of each book to give away to you, my readers!


These two books are full of snowflake template ideas.  She begins with showing you how to fold the paper correctly.  I had been doing it wrong for years, who knew?  Then each page has a pattern for cutting intricate snowflakes of every shape and theme you can imagine.  The Snowflakes book has holiday themed ones as well as many more generic shapes and they are so intricate and beautiful!  I have cut several of these for holidays around here.  I even have a Snowflakes For All Seasons tab on the right side of the blog.  You can see some of the ones we've cut here.

So, that makes for several lucky readers winning some of my favs!  To recap the giveaway here are the things up for grabs:
  • Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith
  • Snowflakes by Cindy Higham 
  • Two pair of Francie Pants
  • Joy The Baker's cookbook 
  • Snowflakes for All Seasons by Cindy Higham
Leave a comment below and tell me which of my favorite things you'd love to win.  If you follow me, leave an extra comment and you'll get an extra entry!  I'll pick a winner next Monday so get your comments in by Sunday night.  Be sure and have an email address attached or leave one for me to contact you!  U. S. Residents only.

Stay tuned for my update of the party and another giveaway of the Swag {Goodie} Bags!  I have gathered all sorts of fun items to give each guest at the party and I'll be giving away a bag to a reader later this week!



Pin It!