Giveaway

My Favorite Crafting Tool + Silhouette Portrait GIVEAWAY

1 · Nov 24, 2014 · 240 Comments

+ Silhouette Portrait GIVEAWAY brought to you by Silhouette America +

It is no secret that my favorite crafting tool is my Silhouette cutting machine. Each and every time I start planning a project, 9 times out of 10 I will turn to my Silhouette for help in some fashion. I’ve decorated whole rooms with my Silhouette CAMEO…

One of my favorite all-time projects I’ve only shared on Instagram!

It’s my living room wall… I painted it black with chalkboard paint, added a chalk rub to give it texture and dimension, then I placed swiss crosses in a grid on the wall. I cut each of the crosses on my Silhouette CAMEO using the Silhouette Premium Vinyl.

Another favorite is my “handwritten” canvas on the other side of the room…

This is a simple canvas, all I did was cut the letters in black paper and then Mod Podged them onto the canvas. You can learn how to do that HERE. It gives the look of a hand lettered sign, without having to develop the hand letter skills! I LOVE it!!

Honestly, I don’t know where I would be creatively without my Silhouette machines.

I use the print and cut feature ALL THE TIME to help the kiddos with their school projects or my church projects.

I love how I can whip-up a simple Happy Birthday banner in minutes and it looks so much better than anything store bought.

With the holidays upon us… It’s PRIME Silhouette season.

Now’s the time to be dressing up your table with all kinds of custom cut goodies. Making fun wall art for gifts, making custom Christmas ornaments, planning out your room makeover for the new year… The sky’s the limited when it comes to a Silhouette Cutting Machine!

This is the time of year to get your new Silhouette… BLACK FRIDAY is the BEST day of the year to get your new friend!

I can’t spill then beans just yet, but they have some amazing deals for Black Friday this week.

To celebrate… the folks at Silhouette are giving away TWO Silhouette Portraits to TWO lucky WhipperBerry friends!

All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter widget below…

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New Sundae Fundae Tradition + A Top it Your Way $125 GIVEAWAY from Smuckers®

0 · Aug 13, 2014 · 1 Comment

We have a new tradition here at our place… Sundays are now Ice Cream Sundaes!

Especially during the summer, it’s so fun to get together with friends and share an ice cream sundae out on the porch and just enjoy being together. Now that some of my kiddos are in their teens it’s even more fun to see them get together with their friends and laugh and enjoy their time together…

What better way to do that then with a fun sundae bar. Did you know that the folks at Smucker’s® have come out with some fun new premium ice cream toppings this summer?

Their Simple Delight line is absolutely inspired!! Hands down the Chocolate Coconut is my favorite but the Salted Caramel, Hot Fudge and Dark Chocolate aren’t too far behind.

Toss in their new Magic Shell® flavors like Chocolate Pretzel and you have a real PARTY!!

The nice thing about Ice Cream Sundae parties, they are so easy to throw together! Gather some of your favorite Smucker’s® Ice Cream toppings, grab a gallon of ice cream or two and there you have it.

It doesn’t need to be over the top, you don’t need anything fancy just some good ole’ ice cream fun!

We love our Ice Cream Sundae tradition, we come home from church have a quick dinner and then it’s out on the porch with our friends enjoying all of our crazy ice cream concoctions! Did you know that Smucker’s® is having a #SundaeFundae Contest right now… If you share photos of your favorite Sundae, you could win $5000!! Visit the contest page for more info…

Our friends at Smucker’s want to make it even easier for one of YOU to have your own Ice Cream Sundae party!

They have put together a fantastic Top it Your Way GIVEAWAY with $125 worth of fun…

$50 VISA Gift Card

Scallop Edge Hanging Chalkboard

West Elm Outdoor Metal Serving Tray

Branded Ice Cream Toppings Bowls + Scoops

All seven NEW Smucker’s toppings flavors including:

Smucker’s® Simple Delight Salted Caramel Topping

Smucker’s® Simple Delight Chocolate Coconut Flavored Topping

Smucker’s® Simple Delight Dark Chocolate Topping

Smucker’s® Simple Delight Hot Fudge Topping

Smucker’s® Magic Shell® Chocolate Pretzel Flavored Topping

Smucker’s® Magic Shell® Rainbow Sherbet Flavored Topping

Smucker’s® Microwavable Hot Dark Chocolate Topping

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German Ham and Cheese Garlic Toast // GIVEAWAY

16 · May 27, 2014 · 6 Comments

This post brought to you by the Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster Oven// A few years ago, our family traveled to Germany and one of the first meals I had there was a simple ham & cheese toast from one of the local bakeries. We had stopped at the Rhine Neckar Zentrum (Mall) in Viernhiem for dinner, my husband and the girls decided to eat at KFC and I just couldn’t swallow the idea of eating American food while in Germany. I mean really?

I set out on a hunt for a more “German” quick bite to eat while the family was eating their “American” chicken. I found a little bakery inside the mall there and had the most interesting, simple meal. It was a loaf a good German bread cut in half with some type of garlic spread, diced ham and lots of sharp melted cheese. It was simple and boy was it tasty!

Recently, the folks at Panasonic asked it I would be interested in trying out their FlashXpress™ Toaster Oven and to develop a quick, in a flash meal with the FlashXpress™ and I immediately thought of my first German meal. It would be perfect in a toaster oven! Of course I said yes, and set out to recreate one of my favorite quick German meals.

Once I found a good garlic spread it was super simple to recreate. I used Mezzetta’s Savory Garlic Everything Spread which is SUPER tasty. I spread that on some good bread that I found in the bakery at Super Target, topped that with some diced ham that I sautéed in a little bit of butter, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a little parmesan cheese.

Popped it into the Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster oven and within 10 minutes I had a perfect quick meal for the family, in a flash!

The nice thing… I didn’t have to heat up my oven and my kitchen at all and the ham and cheese garlic toast turned out perfect!

I will have to admit, when I was approached by Panasonic to do this post I was going to turn it down. I didn’t want one more thing cluttering up my counter tops. I mentioned it to my husband and he flipped… He’s been wanted to get a toaster oven for some time and I just wouldn’t jump on board. I have never had a toaster oven and I just didn’t understand the magic that you can create in this little toasting machine.

This one especially is compact, it doesn’t take up much space, you can get it in white or silver and it has some of the best infrared technology around. I especially love that the rack is designed to pull out when you open the door, making retrieving your food easier and safer. It has several presets or you can just use the temperature and time controls. It’s super easy to use and clean and I will have to admit… I use it ALL THE TIME now! I hardly ever use my microwave anymore. I’ve been making homemade croutons, baking cookies and of course making toast of all kinds. I have been TOTALLY converted!

The folks at Panasonic would love to giveaway a FlashXpress™ to one of YOU!!

All you have to do is follow the direction in the Rafflecopter box below…

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Disclaimer // This is a sponsored post. I received a Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster oven to review along with funds to create a recipe. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

Drop Your Digital Device Here Free Printable + Disconnect to Reconnect GIVEAWAY

1 · May 15, 2014 · 23 Comments

+ This post brought to you by the JM Smucker’s Co. & The Power of Family Meals, Disconnect to Reconnect + I remember years ago, when the world was just opening up to our new mobile technology. Everyone was so excited to have the ability to connect ANYWHERE. It was revolutionary. I could not wait until I could get my first cell phone. It was a brick, but I carried it proudly and LOVED being able to contact anyone, at anytime and in any place. Then the technology continued to evolve and soon we could text, and then the birth of the smartphone happened. We could access the internet, our email ANYWHERE! It was brilliant.

Then I remember hearing a news story where the experts were saying that because of this new technology, we as humans will forget how to connect on a personal, face to face way. They said that we as a society would become more and more isolated because of this technology. We would forget how to make eye contact, we would forget how to make small talk, we would get sucked more and more into our devices and then society would face a human crisis. My first thought was poppycock! We as humans would never lose our personal connections.

And then as of late, I started observing… I saw people out at restaurants sitting together, not communicating, all of them with their eye glued to the screen of their smartphone. NO INTERACTION AT ALL! It made my heart hurt. Then it started to see it creep into my own family…

We would sit down to meals and my husband and I would be glued to the email inbox on our iPhones, or checking out the latest and greatest Youtube video. As our kiddos got older, they too started to get their own devices, and meal time became a place to sit at the table, eat food and stare at our devices. Minimal talking, and the poor younger kiddos without devices were ignored and bored. It actually shames me to have to say that, I’m embarrassed!

Once I woke-up and realized what was happening, I quickly took matters into my own hands and gently asked the family if we could make a change. At first, I met some resistance… what would we talk about? Ahhh Mom, really? But Honey, I have to stay connected to work. Does this sound familiar?

It took a little time, but we have successfully transitioned to device free meal times! No television, no iPhones, no iPads… just us, and we LOVE it! Our family has taken the pledge at The Power of Family Meals® to EAT SCREEN FREE this Sunday! You can take the pledge as well and join us. To help, I’ve created this free printable to help the family reconnect…

This is a simple printable that you can print, fold in half and place on a tray or basket to encourage your family to drop their digital devices on the tray, away from the table and then join the family for a screen free meal!

You can download the “Drop your Digital Device Here” by clicking this link

I plan on using this simple sign during our family meals and even when we entertain with family and friends. Hopefully it will encourage even more to take a few minutes to unplug and connect with what really matters.

Breakfast for Dinner GIVEAWAY

The J.M. Smucker’s Co. has graciously donated a Breakfast for Dinner prize pack valued at $125 for one of you who decides to take the pledge!

It’s packed full of all kinds of goodies that will get your screen free dinner of to a good start.

The Breakfast for Dinner giveaway includes:

Presto Jumbo Cool Touch electric griddle (1)
7-piece kitchen utensil set with stand (1)
Family Talk conversation game (1)
Smucker’s Strawberry Natural Squeeze jam (1)
JIF Creamy Peanut Butter (1)
JIF Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (1)
Folger’s Classic Roast (1)
Hungry Jack Breakfast Syrup (1)
Hungry Jack Complete Pancake and Waffle Mix (2)
Martha White Banana Nut Muffin Mix (2)
Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray (1)
Martha White All-Purpose Flour (1)

Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below to enter…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway

They have put together a fantastic Top it Your Way GIVEAWAY with $125 worth of fun…

You can download the “Drop your Digital Device Here” by clicking this link

Breakfast for Dinner GIVEAWAY

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