Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Disclaimer: I received a $25 coupon from Melissa & Doug in exchange for this post.

Happy November -- A little late

I took a bit of a break from blogging to get some other stuff done, but I think I'm ready to get back into it. I told you in my last post (admittedly months ago) that I wasn't going to post on my blog just for the sake of getting a post up that day. I wanted my posts to have some kind of meaning. I'm not sure, exactly, why tonight is the meaningful night, but I got the urge, so here I am!

So should I catch you up on things? I don't really have too much to report. Not nearly enough to make up for my absence, really. I've been doing some crafting over the past few months. I've mostly been planning the crafting, though. Do you ever do that? You get the inspiration for a project from a magazine article or from something in your everyday life, you get all the supplies to do said project, but then time gets in the way and you don't get to the project? I'm determined not to let that happen. I'll be talking more about these projects later. The holidays are coming, and most of these projects are for gifts, so I really have to get moving.

I also decided to join NaNoWriMo this month and I failed terribly. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a movement where you work to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. My boyfriend is doing it and he suggested I try too. Well Nov 1, I tried...Nov 2...tried...I've been trying every day but not much is coming. He's doing a fabulous job. I am not. But there's still time for the story to come to me.

See, my writing background is in poetry. When writing poetry, each specific moment, each line is vital. The crafting of a poem, for me is about each line as it comes, tweaking and changing as I go, so that when I finish, it's finished, for the most part. With this novel writing, my boyfriend told me to just write and worry about the edits later. It's very hard for me to do that. Much much harder than I expected. You novelists amaze me! :)

Ok so I've rambled on enough for the night. I'm glad I decided to do this tonight. It feels good to be back! Have a good one!

Guilty as Charged

Tonight, I was on Twitter and came across a link to a post on MomDot listing the Top 25 Most Annoying Blogger types according to bloggers. (Thanks for the link @Shopwithmemama!) I laughed through most of the list, nodded in agreement with some of it, and realized that I am guilty of not 1 but 2 of these blogger-faux-pas!

I am a Drive-by blogger (#19). I am definitely guilty of posting sort of consistently for a week and then disappearing for a few weeks and then coming back. And you know what I do when I come back?! #4 on the list. I apologize. I try to explain where I've been, I make promises about the great posts I have coming up and I apologize for being a bad blogger.

After reading the list tonight and realizing that I am a doubly annoying blogger, yes, my first impulse was to apologize. But I'm not going to. I could promise to be better, but I don't know if I can keep that promise. Sometimes I don't even want to look at my computer. Sometimes I'm lazy or tired or just cranky and anything I post would have a tone to it that I wouldn't mean if I was in a better mood. Sometimes my life just feels dull and not worth writing about.

I know we all feel like that sometimes. I can't be alone in this...

I love my blog and I don't think I could ever give it up completely, but I can only post when I feel like I have something worthwhile to share. Otherwise it wouldn't sound real or honest. No one would want to read that. So all I can say is that I may not post every day. I may get sidetracked with life and not show up for a few weeks. I may continue to drive-by and/or apologize for it and I may annoy you. But I won't post drivel. I won't hand out regurgitated crap or write mindlessly just to get something new posted. If it shows up on my blog, just know that I did think about posting it and found it to be worthwhile. That ought to count for something, right?

(I do want to add that I was not at all offended by this list. Most of the items on the list were dead on. It did make me look at myself in a less flattering light, but it was definitely good perspective to get. Rereading this, I didn't want to come across like I was whining. Then I'd just feel the urge to apologize again!)

Even Your Pins Deserve a Cute Home!

Yellow Felt Cupcake Pincushion from Maria Palito - $7.99

How cute would this be on your sewing table?! I love the bright shade of this pincushion from Maria Palito. It's made from Eco-friendly felt from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles too! This cupcake would also make a wonderful addition to any child's play kitchen! Maria Palito also offers stuffed toys and puppets in wonderful, vibrant colors and made of the same Eco-friendly felt. Super cute and perfect as party favors or package toppers!

Freschetta Winner!

Very rarely does Random.org choose entry number 1, but today's winner is entry #1:

Congrats!! You have been on quite a roll lately!! :) I'll be emailing you shortly! Thanks for entering everyone!!

Freschetta By The Slice - Review & Giveaway!

 *Closed*

When I'm working at home, I tend to dive in deep. Sometimes I get so involved in my projects that I lose track of time and work right through lunch. When that happens, I want a quick, tasty lunch that doesn't take forever to prepare.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try Freschetta's new By The Slice pizza. When it comes to pizza, I'm picky. I like a crisp crust and fresh ingredients. Many times, crisp crust and microwave pizza just don't belong in the same sentence. Usually, one just doesn't come with the other. 

I was really surprised that this wasn't the case with Freschetta By The Slice pizza. The crust was crisp and the slice was really delicious. Now, I've always been a fan of the Freschetta brand, but I never cooked the pizzas in the microwave. I always used the oven. The additional wait time was worth it for great tasting pizza. I was so thrilled to get that delicious, oven-cooked pizza experience from the microwave!

 The new Freschetta By The Slice pizzas come in 4 different varieties:

• BBQ Recipe Chicken
• Vegetable Medley
• Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom
• Six Cheese Medley

I love veggies on my pizza, so I chose the Vegetable Medley to try. The medley includes black olives (my favorite!) and mushrooms, as well as red, green and yellow peppers. I was really impressed with the quality of the slice I made. It was delicious and the veggies tasted really fresh!

**Giveaway**

Freschetta is offering a great prize package to one of my readers! One reader will receive a free coupon so they can try Freschetta's By The Slice for themselves and a 3 piece Freschetta storage container set!

To Enter (Mandatory Entry): Visit Freschetta and tell me which variety of By The Slice you'd like to try first!

Once you do the first, mandatory entry, you can do any or all of the bonus entries. Please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry you do. (Please also include your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

Bonus entries: 

- Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

- Like Jodibee Designs on Facebook *leave FB name* (1 entry)

- Like Freschetta on Facebook *leave FB name* (1 entry)

That's it! Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end on Sunday, May 8th at 5:00pm EST. I will use Random.org to choose 1 winner and notify them by email. Winner will need to respond to my email with their name and mailing address by 9am est on Monday May 9th or I will have to choose another winner.

***I know this is a holiday weekend and many of you will be very busy on Sunday. If you feel like you may not be around and might be unable to respond to a winner notification by early Monday morning, feel free to email me with your name and address ahead of time. I give you my word that your information will NOT be shared unless you are the winner, and then it will ONLY be shared with Freschetta for prize fulfillment.***

This is a very quick giveaway, so be sure to get your entries in now before you forget! Good luck all!!

Disclaimer: Freschetta supplied me with coupons and products to facilitate this review and they are also supplying the prize for the winner. The opinions here in this post are mine alone and they have not been edited or influenced by the company.

Winner!

And the winner of the Pear Tree Greetings $20 GC is...

Congrats!! I'll be contacting you by email shortly! Thanks to everyone who entered!

Tall Trees

Tall Tree Earrings from Madrin Designs - $12.50

 I am always drawn to natural motifs -- flowers, animals, trees, etc. I think these Tall Tree Black Frame Filigree earrings from Madrin Designs are so modern and cool! I love the simple tree image and the black frame gives a great contrast to let the cut-out really pop! There is some gorgeous jewelry in the shop. Lots of florals and crisp, modern designs paired with lacy, romantic pieces. Girly, but still strong!

New Products From Pear Tree Greetings & a Giveaway!

*Giveaway is Closed. Stay tuned for winner announcement.*

Pear Tree Greetings is always my one-stop shop for stationary needs. I love their products! They have a huge selection of unique, fresh designs and they're adding new items every day.

I could go on and on about loving Pear Tree, but I wanted to let the new designs speak for themselves this month.

Aren't they cute? I love the bright colors and really smart look to these. There are many more great new thank you card, address label, and gift tag designs too! Pear Tree Greetings also has really fun kids party invitations for those of you getting ready for spring and summer birthday season.

They have some really adorable party-themed and age-themed invitations. I even found that browsing through the designs gave me some great party theme ideas too! Who knew that Pear Tree Greetings would also be acting as a party planner?! I love the "arty party" card above and think that would be a wonderful party idea! What child doesn't love to draw or paint?!

*GIVEAWAY*

Pear Tree Greetings is offering a $20 gift code to their store for one lucky Jodibee Designs reader! Yep, you can use the code towards anything in their store!!

To Enter (Mandatory Entry): Visit Pear Tree Greetings and leave a comment here telling me what you'd purchase if you win the gift code!

Once you do the first, mandatory entry, you can do any or all of the bonus entries. Please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry you do. (Please also include your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

Bonus entries: 

- Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

- Like Jodibee Designs on Facebook *leave FB name* (1 entry)

- Like Pear Tree Greetings on Facebook (1 entry)
- Share a party theme idea! *It doesn't need to be kid-themed!* (1 entry)

That's it! Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and will end on Saturday, April 30th at 12:00pm est. I will use Random.org to choose 1 winner and notify them by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email or I'll have to choose another winner. 

This is a quicker than normal giveaway, so be sure to get your entries in now before you forget! Good luck all!!

Disclaimer: Pear Tree Greetings is supplying the prize for the winner. The opinions here in this post are mine alone and they have not been edited or influenced by the company. I have not been compensated for this blog post.

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner

The winner of the $65 CSN Stores Giftcard is...

Congrats Sidney!! Look for an email from me shortly!! Thanks to everyone for entering!

Some Bunny Loves Me :)

Some Bunny Loves Me Ring - $11

Isn't this a fun ring?! Wouldn't it be a very fun statement accessory for this year's Easter egg hunt?! I always like to wear something festive for the outdoor Easter egg hunt, but we don't go too fancy since the Easter egg hunt is in Dan's Aunt and Uncle's backyard. The right ensemble for watching while the kids hunt around for plastic money & candy filled eggs is something casual. I love to throw in a fun Easter themed touch though.

I think this gold Some Bunny Loves Me Gold Ring from Lulu's would be perfect!

Giveaway Reminder!

My laptop needs to go in for repairs -- just a casing issue, thank goodness! But I may not have it for a few days, so I'm posting a reminder now, since posting from my phone may not work so well. (I've never tried it before!)

So this is a reminder that the $65 CSN Stores GC Giveaway ends this Friday, April 15th at 5pm est. Be sure to get your entries in. This is a really great prize! (I'm jealous!!)

A Pair of Swallows

Swallow Studs from Isette - $11

I'm just crazy about these swallow stud earrings from Isette on etsy. They are made with laser cut black acrylic and I think they are fabulous! I love the look of silhouettes so this pair of studs really caught my eye.

Isette has a great collection of designs in her shop, so if you're like me and you love these swallows, check out the rest of her shop. She has some really lovely pieces and her prices are really reasonable. Isette offers rings, necklaces and dangle earrings in black acrylic, white acrylic and bamboo, so there are choices for every style.  The shop even has a pair of green acrylic clover earrings, if you're looking for some color!

You know how I feel about whimsy, and this shop is packed full of it! I really love the look of these pieces and I think you will too!

*closed* With Spring Comes New Decor and a Giveaway?!

We've been waiting for Spring-like temperatures here in PA for a few weeks now. They're saying that it could get to be 70 degrees on Sunday, so we're getting there! It's feeling more and more like Spring everyday! Every year when the crocuses begin to pop up in the garden, I start to get the urge to clean house. I start massive cut-backs, bagging up stuff we don't need for donations and throwing away stuff left and right. I like to try and get organized every year at this time, and this process always leads to me buying stuff to help me get organized -- baskets, filing systems, plastic crates, etc. Sometimes I even buy new furniture!

This year, I spent a ton of extra time organizing my desk. This is a serious desk. It's massive and I like to use it for all sorts of purposes. It's my go-to workspace when I need to spread out. It's even more convenient for me to use it than the dining room table because it's out of the way from the rest of the fam. Once, I got it all set up the way I like it, I realized the lamp I have there is terribly outdated. My mother glazed it in a ceramics class before she even had me. It's a great mustard yellow shade, but it just doesn't go with the decor of the space. I also need to make sure I have enough light over there. My desk is in a space near a window, but it's tucked away where it doesn't get a ton of light. So I'm not really looking for a typical desk lamp that only shines down onto the surface of the desk.

In my search for the perfect lamp, I came across the table lamps at CSN Stores! Talk about selection! They have so many different styles and shapes to choose from.

 I especially love this Clear blue glass lamp with the nickel finish! It has such a beautiful contrast between the blue glass and the metal.

Uttermost - 27862 - Meena Clear Blue Glass Table Lamp - $191.40

It's not really a desk lamp but it was exactly what I'm looking for. I think it's just perfect for the space. It's a little more than I planned to spend for a lamp though. So I kept looking and found this one:

Pacific Coast Lighting Table Lamp With Shade - $119

This one is beautiful also with the same feeling. I love the shade of this blue glass and it's a little closer to my price range!

I've been going through the selection of lamps on CSN Stores and it's taking me a looong time! There are a ton of great looking lamps in there at a variety of price points! There are also lots of overhead lighting fixtures as well. Whatever kind of lighting you're in the market for, you'll find a great assortment here. I love the search features on the left side of the screen too. You can customize your search for lighting type, color, shade style, price, etc. There are a ton of options so you can search for exactly what you're looking for!

**GIVEAWAY**

CSN Stores is offering a giveaway to one Jodibee Designs reader to win a $65 gift card to use on their site! Our winner can use this gift card towards any purchase on CSNStores.com!

To enter (mandatory entry): Please leave a comment here, telling me your favorite of all of CSN Stores' table lamps.

Once you do the first, mandatory entry, you can do any or all of the bonus entries. Please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry you do. (Please also include your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

Bonus entries: 

- Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

- Like Jodibee Designs on Facebook *leave FB name* (1 entry)

- Tell me what you love about Spring (1 entry)
- Tell me what you'll buy from CSN Stores if you win! (1 entry)

That's it! Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and will end on Friday, April 15th at 5:00pm est. I will use Random.org to choose 1 winner and notify them by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email or I'll have to choose another winner. Good luck all!!

Birds of a Feather

How sweet are these salt & pepper shakers from Pier 1 Imports! They're glossy white ceramic and a perfect addition to your spring table. I love that they're crisp white so they'll work with any decor and they're adorable!

And the best part is, they're only $3 for the pair!!

Happy Monday!

It's a bright and beautiful sunny day here, but it's coooooooold!! Seriously. I'm ready for some spring-like temperatures to go with this sunshine!! I'm feeling sorry for the crocuses that have already popped up in the garden out front! For their sake (and mine) please, Mother Nature, we need some warmer temps soon! I know the forecast is saying it won't go above 50 degrees all week, but if any of you have any tricks to get the temps to warm up, please let me know! :)

This weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to be creative and try a little painting. We bought 2 of those paint-by-number sets. Mine is of 2 chickadees sitting in branches full of lilacs. Very pretty, but very intricate. It's taking me awhile to finish mine, while Dan finished his yesterday afternoon. He even added an octopus to his! (Yeah, I know what your wondering. It was a lighthouse on the shoreline scene and he added an octopus attacking the shore! lol. If he posts a pic later, I'll like to it for you.) :)

So I'm still working on mine, but when it's done I'll share!

Also stay tuned, later today I'll be posting a great giveaway from CSN Stores! :)

Our Trip to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

I haven't posted in a few weeks, but after yesterday, I knew I had to write up a quick post.

My birthday was at the beginning of the month, and for my birthday, my boyfriend got us 2 tickets to go see a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. So yesterday morning, we got in the car and drove to NYC for the taping. After checking in, they lined us all up according to letters we had on the back of our tickets. I think they were in order of when we originally ordered our tickets, first come, first serve. While in line, I noticed a group of people who appeared to work for the show walking up and down the line. I made eye contact with the one guy in the group a few times and then he came over to us in line. He started talking to my boyfriend Dan and the next thing we knew, Dan had volunteered to play in a game on the show! They pulled us out of line and gave Dan a release form to sign. We waited a few minutes and 2 more groups of people came over to join us. After everyone had their forms filled out, they told us they'd be bringing us into the studio early to seat us and go over how the game would work. When they walked us into the studio, they sat us in the first row!! Very very cool! The studio isn't very big at all, so it felt very cool to be that close.

They did the game in the 2nd segment of the show, so during the first commercial, they took all 3 players down offstage and filled their seats with people from the back. The guy that sat next to me, turned to me and gave me two thumbs ups and yelled, "Yeah!!" He was very excited to be up there, lol.

If you're familiar with some of the games they play on the show, they played The Wheel of Carpet Samples :) I could describe the game and everything, but it's so much funnier to watch it!

video screen captures from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon's Blog

(**In the clip, Dan has to say which Animaniac character he'd "sleep" with and there's a clip of an old commercial with some bad language bleeped out too. Just a warning in case you think you may be offended by this. The clip does not get graphic. I just wanted to be clear for everyone!)

The rest of the show was really fun too. Brian Williams (from NBC news) and Dwight Howard were the guests. They were both really funny and had a good time with the show. Dwight Howard had a 3 point competition too, where they tried to shoot random objects into the basketball net. It was a really fun and messy bit, lol. Richard Ashcroft was the musical guest (lead singer of The Verve, but now solo) and his style of music wasn't really my taste, but he played with The Roots which was cool and they also did an extra song for the audience after the show was over. Jimmy Fallon ran up through the audience at the end and I got to shake his hand too. He looked right at me and said "Thanks so much for coming!" and shook my hand. Very cool! :)


The taping took about an hour and 15 min and it was a lot of fun. Now granted, not everyone gets to sit in the front row or be on the show, but it was definitely a fun experience. Everyone at the show was super nice and we had a really great time. The tickets to see the taping are free, so if you're ever planning a trip to NYC, I definitely recommend trying to get tickets. It's really cool to see how the whole process works.

Afterwards, we got a few pics of Dan with his carpet sample (see video link above) and then we got some dinner and made our way home. We got back about an hour before the show aired live, so it was really cool to watch it after we experienced it. It was fun to see us on tv too! (You can see me in the audience shots! I'm wearing red in the front row.) It was a really fun day. We were both exhausted when we got home, but it was sooo worth it. A very nice ending to my birthday celebration!

Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the $20 gift card to Pear Tree Greetings is...

Congrats!! I'll be contacting you by email shortly!! Thanks for entering!!

Pear Tree Greetings - Save the Date Review (& $20 GC Giveaway!)

*closed*

I promised a great giveaway to celebrate my birthday and my 400th blog post, so here ya go!! :)

Have you been thinking lately that winter should be just about over?! I have! Yes, Spring is on my brain. I've had enough of the snow and cold weather and I'm ready for gloveless days. Bring on the sunshine and flowers!

The promise of Spring has Pear Tree Greetings thinking about wedding season. If you are thinking about your own wedding or have friends tying the knot this year, you might be aflutter with plans of cake and vows as well. I don't have any weddings on my calendar this year, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about them. I love looking at photos of dresses and flowers and daydreaming of outdoor ceremonies under blue sky. And being that I love paper, I also love looking at invitation samples. This is where Pear Tree Greetings comes in! Wait til you see their Save the Date cards!

They also have really fun Save the Date Magnets to send out. What better way to keep the date fresh in the minds of your friends and family than to print it on a magnet for them to put on their fridge and see every day!

Aren't they cute? I think it's such a fun way to give people a heads up about the date of your wedding!


Again, I'm always impressed with the variety of card designs that Pear Tree Greetings offers. They continue to add unique, creative designs that look fantastic!

*Giveaway!!*

Pear Tree Greetings is offering a fabulous giveaway this month! One of my readers will win a $20 gift card to spend at Pear Tree Greetings on whatever they want!! Isn't that cool of them?!

To enter (Mandatory entry): Leave a comment here telling me what you'd buy with your gift card if you win! Easy as pie!

Once you do the first, mandatory entry, you can do any or all of the bonus entries. Please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry you do. (Please also include your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

Bonus Entries:

- Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

- Follow Pear Tree Greetings on Facebook (1 entry)

- Follow Jodibee Designs on Facebook (1 entry)

- Tell me what you're looking forward to most about Spring! (1 entry)

That's it! Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end on Friday, March 4th at 5:00pm est. I will use Random.org to choose 1 winner and notify them by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email or I'll have to choose another winner. Good luck all!!

Disclaimer: Pear Tree Greetings is supplying the prize for the winner. The opinions here in this post are mine alone and they have not been edited or influenced by the company. I have not been compensated for this blog post.

Milestones and Birthdays All Together!!

Today is my 32nd birthday AND this is my 400th blog post! That's right! We're celebrating 2-in-1!

As for turning 32, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I am rational enough to know that 32 isn't old. Just older, right? :) It feels big, but I know it's really not. I have some fabulous friends who are 32 right now and they're just fine...great even. So I'm going to just enjoy the tiny celebration and be okay with it all!

And about my blog. I love this little blog. I don't always devote as much time as I'd like to it, but I really enjoy maintaining it and communicating with you all through it. This blog has given me so many great opportunities, and post #400 seems like a very, very cool milestone!

So celebrate with me! Later today, I'll also be announcing a great giveaway from one of my favorite companies, Pear Tree Greetings, to celebrate the occasions!! So be sure to stop back! :)

Smartly Dressed

bow necklace in seafoam by Uncommon - $15

My brother is turning 30 in a couple of weeks and he bought a bowtie for the party. What a way to stand out at your birthday party! :) Today, I came across this fabulous necklace from Uncommon and fell for it instantly. Isn't it the perfect way for us ladies to accessorize "smartly" without losing our femininity? I think it's adorable! I love the contrast of the bright seafoam color against the bronze metal too. Super cute. My birthday is Wednesday, so I know it's too late to get it here by then, but maybe for next year! Maybe my brother will let me steal his "birthday bowtie" idea!

Uncommon also makes gorgeous home accessories and furniture. I adore the intricately cut birch chandeliers and scallop-edged mirrors. Their shop is full of color and whimsy. There's a great old-fashioned, yet still modern look to their pieces that's really wonderful. Everything is really reasonably-priced too!

If you love this necklace, definitely check out the rest of the shop. You will probably love it all as much as I do!