Fall Event Launch: $50 Shabby Apple Giveaway

 We are so excited to be hosting a giveaway of a $50 gift card from

Shabby Apple!! 

That's right $50 from Shabby Apple so you can browse, shop and choose what ever you want from their site!

What we love about Shabby Apple is their ability to make women feel feminine and beautiful. They have beautiful dresses, blouses, jewelry and accessories, maternity and kids and more.

We have been checking out the New Arrivals in Jewelry and Accessories and came across The Charleston, a vintage marquis rhinestone necklace. Love it and it's only $50!

Oh and how about this Navy Circle Skirt they call the Curiouser and Curiouser? This would be a great addition to your wardrobe!

How about the Oscar Shirt? On sale now for only $37!!



The list of things we love goes on and on.....

Enter to win the $50 Gift Certificate in the Rafflecopter Giveaway Below: 

 You can enter on either of the sites hosting this giveaway.
Popcorn and Pearls or Frugal Family Tree

a Rafflecopter giveaway





 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Sept. 1 2012 and ends on Oct. 1, 2012 at midnight EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize

Farewell Hamilton

 Well its official I have broken my Hamilton Beach Blender. This is a somewhat sad small appliance to break. I have had this same blender since my husband and I lived in our first place place. We bought it right after my 21st bday to make drinks for parties we hosted. I bought it for the Ice Breaker function. I loved making smoothies, home made coffee drinks and mixed drinks. Oh the memories a small appliance can have!

You dont realize how sturdy something was or how long you have had it until you break it. I am sure that blender would have kept going if not for me and my multi tasking. This morning I was making a smoothie like I always do. Instead of holding my hand on top of the container as it blended I wanted to put a pizza in the oven just really fast. Well my loyal blender got mad at me ignoring him during his shining moment of turning frozen fruit into a smooth as silk drink. The container shifted a bit causing it to come up from the spinning gears and it spun like crazy against the bottom of the container. There was a lot of smoke, my son yelling Oh No! and me baffled as to why did I have to take my hand off it.

I broke my Hamilton and now must say farewell to my loyal blender who for 10 years has kept up with whatever I threw at him and made it awesome!

But guess what?!??! This means I need a NEW Blender. I must get over the loss of my old friend with a new one!! What blender do you recommend??

Books! We Love Them

Pinned from Kellie Durbin on Pinterest

I live in a family that treasure books. I love it. As a kid when we moved books were packed and carried with the care of fine china. I grew up knowing the value if a good book and to pass the admiration of books on to my own kids. My son is a book lover too, I smile proudly about that. He loves to curl up on my lap like a cat and listen to me read, then "read" it back to me when he declared its his turn. The first "grown up" book I read as a teenager was The Horse Whisper, I still love that book to this day. I love Martha Stewart from reading her books from my Moms book shelves as far back as I can even have memories. The books my Mom put in our home I think helped shape my personality. I have books that are expensive and ones I have bought for $0.25 at a yard sale and I treasure them all the same. As a busy Mom it seems I do not read chapter books as much as I would like to but I do love the kids books I get to read with my son.

I like the The Catalog and The Mountains Crack Up by Jasper Tomkins, not just for the story but the memories of reading it with my family as a kid. There is a value you dont see until you have your own kids how much your parents influence your like or dislike for books. I encourage you to grab a book, sit with your kids and get lost in the story, even if its one you have read hundreds of times lol.

What books are you reading? What books are your kids loving right now?

3 Days Left to Enter $500 DownEast Basics Fall Fashion Pinterest Contest

3 days left to enter the DownEast Basics Pinterest $500 Fall Fashion contest (ends Aug 31)! More details at: http://bit.ly/O7vkYN

To help you get into the fall spirit, DownEast Basics is kicking off their “Fall Back to Basics with DownEast Basics” sweepstakes, our first-ever Pinterest contest! One lucky winner will receive a $500 gift card to help bring in the cooler temperatures with a new, fresh look.

I am off to enter! I love the creativity of a Pinterest contest. Good luck and let me know if you win!

Let's Bake Love! Kitchen Product Ideas

As soon as the weather cools and September is here I turn into a bake a holic! What better way to show someone you love them then with a hug and a serving of a delicious baked goodie right?!? I like to shop Cost Plus World Market for the variety of unique items they carry in store and online.

1. Keep Calm and Bake On Apron When I saw this apron I giggled a little to myself. It really is my attitude. When things are rough keep calm and bake something.  An apron is a great start to a theme to build a kitchen decor around. I love the red!

 

 2. Vintage Measuring Spoons Love these for my kitchen. All bakers know you need good measurements on ingredients. A slight too much or too little of a dry ingredients can throw off the recipe. Why not have your measuring spoons be as beautiful as these.

 

3.  Citrus Colors 3 Piece Mixing Bowl Set - I like the handles and pour spout on these. Makes it easy to pour your mixtures into your baking pans. I love the citrus colors on these, so bright and cheerful.

4. Mini Metal Baking Molds - How cute are these! They make it easy to make a mixture of cute designs for baked goods. I can picture a cute mini cake using these shapes stacked on top of one another frosted with different colors for each layer. Who would not love that!!

5. Cake Pop Baking Pans - These have been on my must make list for a year now. I have been so impressed with the cute ideas and themes I see for these I have to get some to make for the upcoming holidays. I know my son will love them and they make a cute gift.

6. Green Silicone Mini Muffin Cups - I love the color and that are reusable. I like to serve my muffins without the papers on them and its such a waste to use it one and toss it. These are really a "green" solution. They could be used for jello and ice cubes too!

All of those items from World Market would make it much easier to Bake what I love and share with the people I love.

I love to cook, bake, shop and eat, who doesn't right! World Market is hosting a sweepstakes for you to be able to do all that! The Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes is going on now until 9/21/2012.

Grand Prize package includes:

-A trip for two to to Santa Fe, New Mexico (this is a 5 day Trip for 2 to Santa Fe which includes airfare and hotel)
-Hands on Southwestern Cooking class with Master Chef
-Personally signed glossy cookbook
-Multi-course dinner at the acclaimed Geronimo
-Southwestern Foodie Tour with a cultural kick
-A $1,000 World Market gift card

 
** There will also be 3 runner up prize winners that will each receive a $500 World Market gift card!

**The Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes runs from August 18, 2012 until September 21, 2012.
**If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.

I have found fabulous decorating and gift ideas from World Market online. You can get great ideas by following them too.

World Market Twitter
World Market Facebook
World Market Pinterest

*This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own.