And the CSN Giveaway Goes to . . .

Thanks to the great folks at CSN for sponsoring this fun giveaway! And thanks to all who entered. I enjoyed reading the many ways you would use the Le Creuset bakers! And for those who didn't win - remember you can still purchase these at CSN's cookware.com.

And now the moment we've all been waiting for: the winner, chosen by random.org, is Jennifer M - you can check out her blog Mommy 2 Monkeys here. Congratulations Jennifer! Maybe we'll see your baked ziti in the new dishes on your blog!

Thanks again and stop by over the next few days for a chat about napkins and table settings!

What?! Another Giveaway! Le Creuset, you say?

Today is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year (as in the most hours of sunlight . . . not as in the day when everything goes wrong and you can't wait for it to be over, or as in the epic WWII movie The Longest Day!). And what better way to celebrate Midsummer than with Giveaways!

The Caro-Nan giveaway ended last night and the lucky winner (chosen by random.org) is Paula Michele! Congratulations!

And the good news is that I'm hosting another giveaway that starts right now! It's from the nice people at CSN. CSN's 200+ stores have everything you need, so whether you're in the market for indoor or outdoor lights, small appliances, or baby items, check them out. Our giveaway this week is from their cookware site and it's something I know you'll love:
A set of Le Creuset stoneware baking dishes! The larger dish is 10.5" x 7" and the smaller is 7" x 5" - perfect for summer meals. I'm imagining the larger one piled high with grilled corn on the cob!

These are available in many of Le Creuset's yummy colors: Caribbean, Dijon, Cobalt, White, Cherry, Kiwi . . . etc. Check out their site to find your perfect color!

The Giveaway Nitty-Gritty - The Giveaway ends at midnight June 28 and is open to readers in the US and Canada. To enter, simply leave a comment telling me how you would use these fabulous bakers.

For additional entries, do one or both of the following and leave a comment accordingly (the comments will serve as your entries).

• Blog about this giveaway, with a link to this post
• Follow this blog (if you're already following, leave a comment to let me know you want to enter)

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 29. Good luck!

Disclosure: I have received no compensation or merchandise from CSN.

Caro-Nan Giveaway - The Second Basket

So this is Day Two of my "I Can't Believe It's Been a Year" giveaway. See this post for details or to enter. Perhaps you didn't enter yesterday because the turtle bag is not your thing? Well, here's the second basket purse - it has the classic Caro-Nan buildings on the lid.

Caro-Nan traveled to different cities and personalized the baskets by painting the names of local landmarks and shops (including, of course, the shop that carried Caro-Nan!) and this one has a particularly detailed painting. This one features the Bonnet Shop and Book Nook - perhaps one of you will know these shops and tell us the city!

This one also has a bit of damage as seen here. I would still carry this as a handbag, but you could also find decorative uses for it - you'll see the hastily arranged plants to give you an idea. (Not to worry - the red fabric interior is well protected!)

One other thing that is really special about this Caro-Nan is the mirror inside the lid - and the original owner's name on an address label. Isn't that sweet?

Again, thanks to all of you who visited my blog over the past year and especially to those who commented and e-mailed. And good luck to all of you who enter - I'll e-mail the winner with details about the condition of both baskets so you can make an informed choice!

Stop by tomorrow for a chat about Iced Tea Month and that pesky iced beverage spoon!

The "I can't believe it's been a year" Giveaway!

Today is my blogoversary - or, more accurately, the anniversary of this blog! To celebrate the first twelve months of blogging bliss, I'm having a giveaway. I thought the most appropriate giveaway would be something that really had a connection to my blog - the most obvious thing would be cheese straws, but I know you can make your own, so . . . I'm going with the second logical choice. The search item that brings the most visitors to my blog is also what inspires the most e-mails. And that item is: Caro-Nan Bags!

Since blogging about them last August (click here to read that post), I've gotten at least one e-mail each week from someone who likes them, loves them, remembers them, wants them . . . or all of the above. This enthusiasm was catching and I confess I've added a few Caro-Nans to my closet since then!

So, to say thanks to all the friendly bloggers and blog-readers who welcomed me and my blog, I'm giving away a Caro-Nan Basket Purse! I've also found out a few things about Caro-Nan during the past year and I'll share those with you later in the week. The giveaway winner will have a choice between two bags - the first is shown today and the second will make its debut on this blog tomorrow.

The Details:

• The giveaway ends on Sunday, June 20 and the winner will be announced on Monday.
  
• To enter just leave a comment telling me which posts, or types of post, you liked most this year.
  
• You can also have a second entry if you're a follower - leave a comment to let me know.
  
• If you don't have a blog or profile with an e-mail address, please leave your contact e-mail info in your comment, or send it to me via email, so I can contact you if you win.
  
• Contest is open to those with US or Canadian mailing addresses.

Finally, please keep in mind the age of Caro-Nan bags - they're 40+ years old and have the wear expected from a well-loved, vintage item.

Good luck!

And the Oil Bottle Goes To . . .

Thanks to everyone who entered the Emile Henry Giveaway! The lucky winner is Mom Union, whose blog you can see here. And a big thanks to CSN for sponsoring this giveaway! If you didn't win the fabulous oil bottle, remember you can purchase it at cookware.com at a special price (it's on sale right now!).



I used random.org to select the winner - if you haven't seen their website, you should check it out. You can find out the truth about true randomness, generate a random number, or flip a coin. The coin flipper is really handy for people who are flip-challenged. I admit it - I'm one of those people whose coin inevitably rolls across the room.

But, with the coin flipper I can flip coins all day without a single mishap. And, as shown above, you have a choice of coins. I flipped a 1913 Liberty Head nickel, but could have chosen a Belgian euro instead or a New Jersey quarter (only a few state quarters are available, not sure what's up with that - perhaps the states are randomly generated . . .).

Must run - have many coins to toss!

Add Panache to Your Kitchen with This Emile Henry Giveaway!

Huile d'Olive Bouteille Prix!

As January rolls into February, you might be dreaming of spring and thinking of sprucing up your nest. If so, you'll like this fun giveaway from the nice folks at www.csnstores.com. You may be familiar with CSN's websites - especially if you're in the market for mailboxes or kitchen ware.

Our giveaway this week is from their kitchen site, cookware.com. I'm so excited about this item - I know you'll love it. It's an oil bottle from the famous French ceramics company Emile Henry (regular price $48 - if you can't wait for the giveaway, they're on sale for $36). I keep two of these right by my stove - one with regular EVOO and one with hot pepper/garlic oil (which I'll be making later this week - check back for the recipe!).

Emile Henry produces the highest quality kitchen ceramics - in fabulous colors. Cookware.com offers the oil bottle in several colors, so you can choose the one that's perfect for your kitchen!

Also, check out their beautiful cookware and dinnerware as seen below.

The giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada and it's easy to enter. Just visit cookware.com to see all the great color choices then leave a comment here telling me which color you'd like.

For additional entries, do one or both of the following and leave a comment accordingly (the comments will serve as your entries).

• Blog about this giveaway, with a link to this post
• Blog about CSN's moremailboxes site by mentioning the word mailboxes and linking it to CSN's moremailboxes.com website
  

The contest ends at midnight next Monday, February 1. Winner will be announced on Tuesday!

Disclosure: I have received no compensation or merchandise from CSN.

Giveaway Winners!

A big thanks to Two Leaves and a Bud for co-hosting such a fun giveaway - and thanks to all who entered. The winner of the grand prize is Deb! The winners of the sample packs are Suburban Prep and Milton! Congratulations to all three and I know you'll enjoy your wonderful tea - I'd love to hear about your favorites!


Hope your weekend includes a few nice cups of tea!

Two Leaves, One Bud, Three Giveaways

"I don't drink coffee, I take tea, my dear" -- Sting, from 'Englishman in New York'

Feeling a bit blah after the excitement of the holidays? Here's something that will perk you up - a Tea Giveaway, well, actually three giveaways! I'm so excited to host these giveaways with the fabulous folks at Two Leaves and a Bud! Their premium, whole leaf organic teas are delish and if you haven't already discovered them, you're in for a treat.

The grand prize, shown above, is a large sampler with four types of tea - black, green, white, and herbal. The lucky winner will receive 15 sachets of each type (a $35 gift). The Two Leaves and a Bud sachets are wonderful. The combination of whole leaf tea and the sachet's pyramid shape gives you an excellent cup of tea - you'll never go back to dusty, flat tea bags once you've tried these!

Two Leaves and a Bud will send two lucky runners-up 15-sachet sampler packs - perfect for deciding which teas are favorites and for expanding your tea horizons a bit!

Here's how to enter:

Visit the Two Leaves and a Bud website and check out their teas - then leave a comment here telling me which of their teas is your favorite.

For additional entries, you may do one (or more) of the following and leave a comment telling me which thing you did (leave one comment per item as the comment is your entry):

• Become a fan of Two Leaves and a Bud on Facebook at www.facebook.com/twoleavesandabud
• Sign up to follow Two Leaves and a Bud on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/twoleavestea
  
• Join the Two Leaves and a Bud T-mail club by visiting their website (www.twoleavesandabud.com), big bonus here - you'll get a 10 percent off coupon code for your next order just for signing up!
• Sign up for an RSS feed of their blog, by visiting www.twoleavesandabud.com/blog
  
  

Entries will be accepted until midnight EST on January 14 (sorry, but you must have a US shipping address to enter). The three winners will be announced on Friday, January 15! (If you don't have a blog or profile with an e-mail address, please leave your contact e-mail info in your comment so we can contact you if you win.)

Good luck!

All photos courtesy Two Leaves and a Bud.