In Photos: A Thirty-One Giveaway and Brandy Nicole Photography

Do you remember when I had headshots done this summer?  My sister-in-law, Brandy, ofBrandy Nicole Photography did an amazing job.  Check these out awesome shots that she took of me:

Not only is Brandy an amazing photographer, but she now is selling Thirty-One products.  Between swim lessons and hanging out at the pool, I have to say that I pretty much lived out of my Expand-a-Tote that I bought from her.  I also love my Picnic Thermal bag!

Brandy is going to be giving away this super cute thermal tote in Pink Parisian Pop.  I have this tote in another print, and I love it!  I can fit water bottles for me and the kids (that actually stay cool), and it fits in the expand-a-tote very nicely!

This print is part of the U R U collection, and a thirty-one cents from each U R U collection will be donated to a charity that helps to empower women and girls. 

What do you have to do to win such an awesome prize?

-  Become a member of Brandy’s Thirty-One Group on Facebook by clicking this link and leave a comment of your favorite product.  Be sure to check out the new fall catalog for new products that might become your favorites!

- Leave a comment on this post about your favorite Thirty-One product and that you signed up at her group.       


To be eligible, you must live in the continental United States.  The contest ends on Wednesday, September 19^th at midnight EST. 

Good luck!

All Things Fabulous – A Flirty Fashions Review/Giveaway and my 200th Post

Ladies and Gentlemen (and by gentlemen, I mean my three regular male readers which include but hopefully are not limited by my husband, father, and brother), welcome to me 200th post!



Two hundred times I thought about something to say, actually sat down to write it, and clicked the publish button (which still makes me feel all fluttery inside).



I love writing and blogging. I feel all lit up and alive inside whenever I do anything remotely blogging related: talking about it, doing it, thinking about it. I feel incredibly lucky that I found something that makes me happy and more in tune with myself.



And what better way to celebrate than to host a Flirty Fashions giveaway for my readers as a thank-you for being such an awesome and integral part of the blogging experience.



Last week, I attended the Flirty Fashions Grand Opening at Partridge Creek Mall. I dressed up in my best Little Black Dress and had a blast. This is a local fashion boutique that originated in Rochester that is opening a second location just down the street from me. How lucky am I?!

Flirty Fashions Partridge Creek Location

The store is gorgeous and for the Grand Opening Party, there were beautiful, live models showing off the store’s incredible merchandise.

In addition to all the amazing clothes, there was a sugar scrub station set up like an ice cream parlor. We got to pick out a scent and add sugar and sprinkles that looked just like an ice cream treat.

I had a great girls’ night out with Shannon, Christina and Melissa (but due to some technical difficulties, Christina and Melissa are not pictured here).

Are we totally hot or what?!

The party was fun, but I have to say that I cannot wait to go back to the store and do some shopping. There were so many pieces that I loved. Here are a few of my favorite looks:

I love the design and color of this dress.
 It has this 1960’s retro feeling, yet without being to costume-y.

I fell in love with this beautiful purple, silk dress.
The necklace totally gives the dress a glamorous touch.
 I think I need to create an event to which I could wear this dress.
Maybe I’ll wear this when I hit the publish button on my 300th post.

I love the delicate pearl details on this cardigan.
I see me wearing this at Thanksgiving. And Christmas.
And Friday at the bus stop.
Yes, I would probably live in this because it is so soft.

They also have amazing jewelry!

Colorful . . .

 . . . and sparkly!

Flirty Fashions is a beautiful store with a unique and diverse selection. In addition to the pieces I pictured here, there is a huge selection of evening and formal wear. The merchandise is reasonably priced, and I love that this store is Michigan-based since supporting the local economy is important to me.



I am happy to say that Flirty Fashions is giving me a $50 gift card that can be used at either the Partridge Creek location or their newly relocated store in Rochester.



Thank you to everyone who reads my blog! It really means so much to me!

________________________________________________________________________
So here’s what you must do to snag this incredible prize:

Please leave a comment on this post about your favorite fancy clothing item you like to wear.

Here’s what you must do for extra entries. Please leave a comment on this post for each thing you did. Each comment is an extra entry:

- Like Flirty Fashions and My Flirty Fashions on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Like Mommy on the Spot on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Follow Mommy on the Spot on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Follow Flirty Fashions on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of this blog by either subscribing to my RSS feed or Google Friend Connect.

- Share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network site.



You must live locally or willing to drive to the area. The contest will start Tuesday, November 1st and ends on Tuesday, November 8th midnight EST. The winner will be picked at random.

Good luck, everyone! And have a great week!



*I was given a $50 gift card to attend the Flirty Fashions Grand Opening Event and to blog about it. These opinions are completely mine. Oh, yes, all mine.

And the Winner of the Thirty -One Giveaway is . . . .

Michelle!  Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Thank you, Beth, for donating your products for the giveaway.  It was so much fun!

Remember, if you need some Thirty-One products, please be sure to check out Beth's website at http://www.mythirtyone.com/ladystapleton/.

Be sure to check out her blog Stape's House.  It is awesome!

In an unrelated note, thanks for all the feedback on my last post about "The Pool Incident."  I really appreciate it, and it's one of the reasons I love blogging so much: the sense of community.  Thank you so much!

Summer Days – I’m going to Lighten UP with a Thirty-One Giveaway!

I will not lie; I’ve hit a few speed bumps during this week. Here’s a quick bullet list as to keep me from dwelling on it now. I will save them for a separate blog post. Obviously. (See title).

• My epic search for the best non-toxic sunblock that does not smell like vomit *and* works (such high standards, I know)

• The tantrums of my 2 year old that end up in pouts and antisocial behavior (please check out Skinny Scoop for my poll on how to deal with such behavior)

• Making sure I do the Kindergarten packet with Marie that includes about 207 points of interest

• Reading an awesome and incredible, yet completely depressing book by Ashley Judd called Everything That is Bitter and Sweet (I love love love this book, and I greatly admire her strength in finding herself and setting personal boundaries all while going to the worst slums of developing nations; however, it’s just a little heavy for me at this time)

So here are the some fun things to lighten up all this drama:

• BlogHer11 is a month away! Yeaaa! I cannot wait!

• My garden is taking off and looking awesome!

• And last but certainly not least, a giveaway!

My friend Beth at Stape’s House is a Thirty-One Gifts Director. She has been kind enough to let me try out the utility tote. Here it is:



The one she gave me is in the Pin Dots print.  I love it!  The one I will be giving away is in the Floral Celebration print.
Awesome for some summer fun!

Here are the rules:

Please leave a comment on this post about your favorite product Thirty-One product at www.mythirtyone.com/ladystapleton

Here’s what you must do for extra entries. Please leave a comment on this post for each thing you did. Each comment is an extra entry:

- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).
- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).
- Become a fan of this blog.
- Become a fan of Stape’s House.
- Share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network site.


You must live in the continental U.S. The contest will start Thursday, July 7th and end on Saturday, July 14th midnight EST. The winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Monday, July 13th.

Good luck, everyone!

And the Winner of Pure Dark Chocolate is . . .

Michelle!

This?  All yours!!  Plus a yummy slab of Pure Dark Chocolate!

Yeaa! Congrats! Get in contact with me so that we can arrange a drop off for you delicious Pure Dark treat.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway! I really appreciate it! And be sure to check out Pure Dark to order yourself a delectable piece of dark chocolate.

Also, drop on by tomorrow when I post my year-end review and write about the 28-day crazy experiment challenge I plan on subjecting myself, my family, anyone crazy adventurous enough to join me.

Pure Dark Chocolate Review and Giveaway

I was recently contacted by Pure Dark to review their product. Let me think about that, sample chocolate and write about it. . . I’m in!

Pure Dark creates hand-crafted specialty dark chocolates that are minimally processed making a product that is close to nature as the cocoa pod. Let me tell you, these chocolates? Delicious! These dark chocolate treats are unlike any other chocolates that I have ever tasted (and this coming from a card-carrying member of a certain upscale chocolate store that shall remain nameless).

Pure Dark offers chocolate slabs that are almost one inch thick. They offer barks of dark chocolate with all kinds of different ingredients like cherries, blueberries, walnuts, almonds, mango, macadamia nuts and crystallized ginger. And speaking of nuts and berries, they also cover those delicious goodies in their signature dark chocolate and have them available in these canisters for snacking. For a really unique taste, there are Pure Dark Rounds with flavors such as raspberry acai, chipotle cinnamon, and cardamom allspice. Another distinct product that Pure Dark has to offer Pure Dark Nibs. They are cocoa beans that are lightly roasted and crushed which come in three different flavors: caramelized, dark chocolate, or a variety mix.

Pure Dark gave me a Pure Dark Slab and Classic Bark to sample. The Pure Dark Slab was fantastic! It was sweet, but not super-sugary. This chocolate had more of a beautiful, earthy-sweet taste. There was also this interesting texture of smoothness to the chocolate that was balanced out by a delicate crunch of Pure Dark Nibs. This piece of chocolate is so thick that I would not recommend cutting it with a knife. They have this awesome cutting board gift set that includes a slab cutting tool, but since I didn’t have one, I used a cutting board and a big serving fork to break up The Slab into bite sized pieces.

Just look at all that mouth-watering chocolate!

The Classic Bark that I tried was delicious! In this masterpiece, chunks of dark chocolate are punctuated with crunchy almonds and tangy dried cherries. Now, I have to say that typically, chocolate and cherries are not my favorite combination. But these cherries were plump and tasty, which totally complemented the rich, dark chocolate. I loved this blend of chocolate, fruit, and nuts.

Packaging is another aspect of this product that I really liked, as well. The brown paper bags and hand written tags are completely in alignment with the pure and natural approach to chocolate. The gift sets are packaged in these beautiful hand-crafted wooden boxes and burlap sack.

So all you dark chocolate aficionados, because these delicious treats from Pure Dark are awesomely delicious, I want to share them with you in a giveaway. (And I do have to say that this is the hardest part of this review: departing with deep, dark chocolate). I would like to find a good home to someone who will love Pure Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries and Pure Dark Slab. I will also give you some wonderful recipes that call for Pure Dark Chocolate, too!

This could be all yours!

RULES

Please leave a comment on this post about what Pure Dark product looks most delicious to you.

Here’s what you must do for extra entries. Please leave a comment on this post for each thing you did. Each comment is an extra entry:

- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).
- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).
- Become a fan of this blog by either subscribing to my RSS feed or Google Friend Connect.
- Share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network site.

Here’s what you must do to gain an extra 5 entries:
- Write your own blog post about this contest and be sure to add links to this post and Pure Dark. Post the link of your post on Mommy on the Spot fan page.

You must live in the continental U.S. The contest will start Wednesday, December 22nd and end on Tuesday, December 28th midnight EST. The winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Wednesday, December 29th.

Good luck, everyone! And have a great week!

*As stated above, these products were donated to me to review. These opinions are completely mine. Oh, yes, all mine.

And the Winner of My Very First Giveaway is . . . .

Geekbabe!

Congratulations! Email me at spotonmommy@yahoo.com, and I will give you the contact information to claim your prize!   (I will imagine that you are jumping around like the dad from A Christmas Story and singing, “Hot damn, I won!”)

Thank you to everyone who participated! I appreciate it very much!  Laura has given you a coupon code to use until the end of the year: GIVEAWAY10

*Be sure to place your orders in by December 14th to ensure delivery in time for Christmas.*

Thank you, Laura, for the generous prize! This giveaway was a lot of fun!!

Have a great Monday!

My Very First Giveaway - Sassy Girls N Curls

This weekend, I had an opportunity to meet up with my friend Laura of Sassy Girls N Curls at her open house event. Maybe you remember her from my post about what to do with too much leftover Halloween candy. She came up with the GENIUS idea of the Switch Witch.

Not only is Laura incredibly clever, but she is incredibly crafty, as well. Her product lines of handcrafted hair clips and accessories are amazing! She has clips with super cute felt shapes, fancy ribbon clips, beautiful bows, and pretty Posey clips. Laura makes these awesome headbands with interchangeable bows so you can change up the look for different outfits. She also carries these gorgeous hats and tutus.

So here’s all of her incredible stock at her open house:

See all those pretty flowers? 
All attached to non slip clips!

How adorable are those
 Hello Kitty and Sesame Street clips?!

See all those bows?
Made them.  All herself.

I love the Santa and Gingerbread clips.
Oh, and the birdies.  And the cupcakes.

Her Pretty Posies Line

Lovely hats!

Cute tutu!

The creator herself, Laura, with her tutus!

Be sure to check out her etsy store for detailed pictures (because I am so obviously not a photographer).

I love that Laura makes everything herself and runs her own etsy store. Laura donated some clips for me to review. Check them out:

Don't those Rudolph clips so cute? 
And this was after my 45 minute
power walk in the mall.  No slipping!

Here they are up close.

Ooo, shiny red!

Also in fancy black!

I LOVE this one!

When I saw the non slip clip advertised, I was a bit of a skeptic. Marie has a TON of hair. I’ve tried everything, and the only this that kind of works are the plastic kind of barrettes I used to wear as a kid. However, they often slip out or snap open. And then they are no longer a pair, but of course I don’t realize that we lost one so I spend precious time in the morning searching for the match that no longer exists. Inevitably, I have to give up. So by the time we get to school, not only is she wearing barrettes that don’t match, Marie’s hair is a mess because the barrettes are already on their way out.

But these clips? Totally Do. Not. Slip. I tried one with this special grip and a regular barrette without the grip. They were going nowhere! Seriously?! So excited!


Since I love them, and I want to share, I will be giving away $25 gift certificate for Sassy Girls N Curls!

These accessories would be perfect for the holidays, make fantastic stocking stuffers, or add just the perfect touch to any outfit.

Did I mention that they do not slip?


The Entry Rules

 So here’s what you must do to snag this incredible prize:
Please leave a comment on this post about your favorite product of Sassy Girls N Curls.

Want extra entries?  Please leave a comment on this post for each thing you did. Each comment is an extra entry:
- Become a member of Sassy Girls N Curls group on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of Sassy Girls N Curls on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of this blog by either subscribing to my RSS feed or Google Friend Connect.

- Share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network site.

*Remember to leave a comment for each entry*

Gain 5 extra entries:
 Write your own blog post about this contest and be sure to add links to this post and Laura’s etsy store. Post the link of your post on Mommy on the Spot fan page.

You must live in the continental U.S. The contest will start Tuesday, December 7th and end on Saturday, December 11th midnight EST. The winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Monday, December 13th.

Good luck, everyone! And have a great week!

*As stated above, these products were donated to me to review. These opinions are completely mine. Oh, yes, all mine.