Going back

Not sure what happened, when I decided that I was not going to write any longer. I didn't even leave the last post as a cute, cheery goodbye. 

I blame the reel feature and the video blogging trends for putting writing on the back burner. But that it so not me, and I didn't even realize how much I miss writing. Words are powerful not matter what, but the willingness to put things in writing is superior in my opinion. Fight me if you must. 

 So, I am back! I am going to take up on writing again. Random thoughts, random things. Just a mom, a teacher and a crocheted trying to make sense of this world, trying to be less sad. 

What is this post even about anyway? I don't really know. Maybe to fill a void, maybe to scream into the void knowing that nobody will listen. 

 Why is the time after Christmas always so depressing? I used to get excited about new opportunities for the new year, now I just feel like "what now? how much more can I handle?" The answer is "infinite amount" it seems. 

 Why so gloom? I blame everything on hormones, it seems to be the answer for everything lately, which let me tell you, it just sucks. Now excused me while I go scratch the inside of my ears...

Last day giveaway!

This is last day to enter my giveaway of 3 books from Galaxy Press. 

We have very low entries, so don't be shy and go enter. 

You might as well be one of the winners! 

Colgate mouthwash review

Thanks to Influenster I was able to review my own bottle of Colgate Total advanced Pro-Shield and I couldn't be more thrilled about it!! 

First let me say that I ALWAYS use Colgate Total toothpaste to brush my teeth: seriously the other toothpastes do not compare, even my dentist noticed the difference and suggest it to all their patients. But when it came to mouth wash, I went to my old Listerine, not sure why? Maybe habit or brand popularity. Either way, I find the Listerine very harsh on my gums and can't use it regularly, I have to take breaks with it, no matter what flavor I get. 

I did however, bought Colgate mouth wash for my kids before and I can definitely see the difference in their breath smell. It was about time I tried for my self and I'm so thankful that Influenster gave me this chance! So now that I used the mouth wash I can honestly say that I love it. It really holds true when it says that is protects against germs for 12 hours even after eating and drinking, I notice that my morning breath improved as well. 

Among the things that I love about Colgate Total Advanced Pro-shield mouth is that is alcohol free, so it didn't burn and irritate my gums. The Peppermint blast flavor I was sent was surely of my liking, but I bet other flavors will work as well. Definitely in my "to buy" list next time I go to the store!

Last day: Crocheted Little Things giveaway!

Don't miss you chance to win a $15 gift certificate from my shop, Crocheted Little Things. 

ENTER HERE

 

$15 gift certificate giveaway from Crocheted Little Things

Well folks, Crocheted Little Things adventure is coming to an end. 

I will always love to crochet, but truth is that as much fun as it is to have an online shop, it's not worth all the taxes and paper works that are necessary to keep this ship sailing. 

Yes, I know that there are people out there that do it nonetheless, completely disregarding the law without the necessary permits, but it's not me. 

I need to find something else, that "other thing" that I want to know when I "grow up" LOL 

So my Artfire shop will officially close its doors on July 25th. 

I have a "Liquidation" section with items ready to ship available at 50% discount.....Take a look! 

 In the mean while, who says that we can't have fun until then??? Not me! 

So here a giveaway all for you! 

The giveaway: A lucky winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to spend in the Liquidation section ! With items discounted at 50% off, $15 goes a long way! 

 You must be 18 and older to enter this giveaway. 

Open to US Residents ONLY. Sorry, international peeps! 

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway with 1 mandatory entries and 4 optional entries with the possibility to tweet everyday for 2 weeks..... that's a lot of chances to win! 

Contest will run from July 9th 2013 and will end July 23th 2013. 

Good luck!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Featured!

Had the honor to catch my products and my shop featured by 2 amazing people. 

The first feature comes from the amazing blogger Krafty Max and you can catch up her blog post about me HERE. 

Least, but not last, the wonderful owner of kgkrafts, Karen, shared my product in an article on amazine 

Please join me in thanking this ladies by checking those features and let me know what you think.

The Phantom Patrol: Review and giveway

I'm having the chance to read and review another book published by Galaxy Press , just like a did for The Iron Duke (HERE) and Dead Men Kill (HERE).

In my previous post, I also talked about the author, L.Ron Hubbard and briefly explained about gold Age pulp fictions.

But if you need to refresh your memory, here an informative video for you.

 Synopses of The Phantom Patrol: (from book flap)
On the trail of dope runners on the high seas, Coast Guard CPO Johnny Trescott receives an SOS from a transport plan that's crashed and sinking. With lives at stake, Johnny must cut off his pursuit and rescue the downed plane.
Unfortunately, the dope-smuggling pirate he's chasing hears the same alarm, and greets Johnny and his crew at the crash scene with something far more than they bargained for.

My review: 
I fell yet inlove with another of L.Ron Hubbard novel. As the previous ones I reviewed, there is everything is these pages: romance, thriller, action and justice with an happy ending. As the other books, I drink it up in one afternoon unable to put it down.
This one impressed me a little more about the descriptions of the surroundings as the story takes place on boats on the open sea and with the description on the storm on the very first chapter I could swear I was on the same boat with the characters getting sea-sick. A writer able to do that, needs my respects and L.Ron Hubbard certainly earned mine.
The characters are very credible and well described too.
You can't help but feel pure admiration for Johnny Trescott, for his strength and his high moral in doing what's right no matter what it might cost him. And through him, you literally can feel in your heart the same feeling he shares for Alicia, the unspoken but undoubted trust and respect they have for each other.
But what will a hero be without his loyal side kick, Heinie? His character is very pleasant, no pathetic as other side kicks in the other books I've read. He has a good heart and a good brain and, mostly importantly, helpful hands.
The villain of the story is pure evil which leaves very little to mystery and imagination, but it's still totally believable. And as every evil, he has no brain and no loyal friends, just scumbags submitted my fear.
I was skeptical of this book as I don't know much about boats or fishermen, that's why I left it for last as among all the titles it was the one that grabbed my attention the least, but I was pleasantly surprised!

The giveaway:  {The phantom patrol book and Audio set}

 

You must be 18 and older to enter this giveaway.
Open to US Residents ONLY. Sorry, international peeps!
This is a Rafflecopter giveaway with 2 mandatory entries and 7 optional entries with the possibility to tweet everyday for 2 weeks..... that's about 24 chances to win!
Contest will run from May 13th 2013 and will end May 27th 2013.

Good luck! 
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAST DAY: Dead Men Kill giveaway

Don't miss out the chance to win a book and audio set of Dead Men Kill from L.Ron Hubbard

ENTER HERE

LAST DAY: The Iron Duke giveaway

Don't forget to enter to win a copy and audio set of The Iron Duke

 ENTER HERE

 



And you still have some time to enter the Dead Men Kill giveaway!
Don't miss out!

ENTER HERE

A Great Way to Help You Save on Glasses {Giveaway Alert}

If you're anything like me, you wear prescriptions glasses and chances are that you haven't changed them for a while because of lack of time or money (or both) and laziness in getting another eye exam.

I must confess that I'm also ashamed to go to the eye doctor and have to tell him that it's been 5 years since my last exam!

But I need to get it done, before I ruin my vision for good! And I'm also tired of my old frames, I feel that my style has changed a little and need something that looks a bit more professional.

If you are still like me, you also know that is time to get those eyes checked and what a better timing to get a new pair of glasses now that you could get them for free??

  http://www.firmoo.com/z/blogger-crazy-giveaway.html

 Several days ago Firmoo (http://www.firmoo.com/) contacted me to collaborate with them because they are giving out free glasses and would like me to spread the great news to you! 

I am so glad to share it with you here as it is a wonderful chance for those who need glasses! 

Can’t believe your eyes? (pun intended! XO)

Yes, it is totally free for you! Frame + Lenses + Shipping = $0! 

How long have you kept your current glasses? I can bet for most of you the last time you bought a new pair of glasses is three years ago or longer. It is highly suggested by professional ophthalmologists that you should have a yearly eye exam and replace your glasses regularly to ensure your eye health. If your prescription has changed but you still wear the old prescription eyeglasses, you are in high-risk of deteriorating your vision. 

  http://www.firmoo.com/z/blogger-crazy-giveaway.html 

I really love the shape of the glasses in the picture above! The good thing about Firmoo (http://www.firmoo.com/) glasses that I've noticed is that the piece above the nose doesn't have those annoying little plastic things that leave marks on your face and make the glasses wiggle around. They are definitely my brand of choice for my next pair as they offer a wide variety of exactly the flames I want. 

So are you thinking about getting a pair of new glasses but worried it would cost you an arm and a leg? Head over to http://www.firmoo.com/z/blogger-crazy-giveaway.html and get your free glasses now!

I hope to be able to win a pair and show it off soon!

Giveaways from the web!

Every once is a while I come across cool giveaways around the web and I thought I'd share them with all of you! 

So here they are!

$1000 Original Abstract Painting by Carmen Guedez.
Choose from a selection of Flowers, Landscapes, Music Art, Geometric and other beautiful
100% Hand-Made Original Abstract Art. S
hipping is FREE to the Continental US and Canada.
Ends 07/05/2013
ENTER HERE 






Prize: Zeepo Starter Kit
Prize value: $9.95
Number of winners: 10
Ending date of the giveaway: 04/15/2013
Where it can be won: U.S. & Canada
The prize is from: http://zeepo.com
To enter this giveaway, you can: Fan on fb page
ENTER HERE 

And don't forget to enter mine!!! 

Win a copy and audio set of The Iron Duke 

 ENTER HERE

Tips

Spring break is here even tho you can't really tell as we are having temperatures in the lows 30's here in Florida. Not complaining too much tho, I know that in the states up north it's snowing :/ 

How do I relax? Browsing the web and specifically Pinterest! 

 I found few interesting things worth sharing in my opinion! 

 Ready for some tips? Here we go! 

 My first tip regards internet and money, oh yes! 

I found this interesting article on how to make money while browsing and do the things that you will normally do on line and basically working from home. I implemented some of the tips....well, I already own a few online shops, used Craigslist to clean up the garage and used few survey sites, but this gal knows a lot of them, some I never heard from! I suggest you take a peak and find the right fit for yourself. I used this down time to join as many sites as I could and some I like a lot, some I don't care for very much. 

Not sure I can keep up with ALL of them once my work days will start again, but hey, every little bit helps! 

 Like couponing? I'm trying to be super frugal, so I definitely love them, specially coupons for FREE products! If you're like me, you will love this list of companies that will give out coupon if you ask REAAAAAAAAALLY nicely! XO 

This other recommendation is more like an health tip about the many uses of raw honey and cinnamon. 

Did you know that these 2 ingredients combined can help your body fight most illnesses and even improve weight loss? I didn't, but Suzy Homefaker certainly does! 

I already tried the cold remedy on my daughter, it really worked and very fast! She improved by the very first dose, didn't complain about the taste or made a mess, plus I felt really safe giving it to her rather than use an over the counter medicine as she was miserable and I wanted to help her feel better, but really didn't want to give her chemicals. I, myself, am trying the weight loss remedy. I started yesterday and will keep updated if it really works. 

As Suzy suggest, use fresh cinnamon, the ground one that you found at the grocery store makes my mouth full of mouth sores...ouch! 

 The same goes for cream soups often called into recipes...I love using them, but I hate the chemicals in it! This recipe really helps in making your own, with ingredients that you already have home!

Hope you enjoy the tips I've found! Please let me know if you're interested in reading more of them or if you have some of your own!

Like a real blogger!

 

 I've been contacted by a company called Galaxy about reading and reviewing books from the golden age......YES! Imagine my emotion when I saw the package on my steps! 

Stay posted for a review and a giveaway ;) 

And in another box was my new shredder machine! It's not a giveaway win or anything like that, I simply bought it because my older machine finally went caput! 

  

I decided to go with this best seller from Amazon and I must confess that when I saw the box on my door I was very disappointed about how small it was....I guess I wasn't paying attention to dimensions at the time of purchase! 

My older one used to have the waste basket opening as a drawer, this one instead, you need to take the top off of the basket. 

BUT, I'm surprised of how quick it is in shredding and the small dimensions do have the advantage to make it light and easy to use and find a place in my tiny office.

 All in all, I'm very happy with it and it definitely gets my 5 stars rate in satisfaction! 

I felt like a real blogger this week with packages coming from giveaway wins, books to review and such! 

But today I'm awaiting for a very important parcel......don't want to say to much as this is material for another blog post! 

Anything you got this week that you want to share with me?

Friday Featured: Mimi Signature Sterling

Had the pleasure to be feature on an amazing blog, Mid-Life Greater Expectations by Sue aka Mimi!

 Please, go read up the article on her blog as I think she did a wonderful job describing my shop on her Friday Feature series. 

Would you like to be featured as well? Just follow Mimi's blog via GFC and she will contact you with instructions so you can be the next Friday Feature.

Giveaway win: toaster from Luxe In A City

I love entering giveaways, but I never in a million years I thought I will win the giveaway on Luxe In A City for a gorgeous Magimix Vision Toaster!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

But I did!!! 

I was very excited when Roxanne, the co-founder of Luxe In A City contacted me about it and even more so as the package was delivered very quickly!

 I was also very surprised as the box was huge, much bigger that I expected for a toaster. But I couldn't help my self by opening it and using it right away......that's right, we had breakfast for dinner just so I could test the toaster out.

 

The set up was pretty straight forward, basically you just plug the power cord in the outlet. Then you select the function you want to use by pressing a button at the bottom of the machine with the program you wish to use. you have a choice to use to toast bread, like I did and to select the timer.

This toaster also has the ability to defrost frozen slices of bread which for me it a big plus as I always freeze leftover bread!
 The last function is to toast bagels, that I have yet to explore, but I'm sure I will soon.

Easy peasy, insert the bread slices in the opening at the top, scroll down the little level on the side (very smooth too) and voila'! The glass window allows you to see your bread getting toasted with a bright red light so you can play with the timer if the bread toasts too much or too little.

When the timer is up, a cheerful bell sound will let you know and the slices will pop right up for you to grab and eat.....see for yourself!!

 

 Peanut butter and jelly toast in the morning just became yummier, easier and fun!

If I really have to find one thing to complain about it would be that the instructions came only in French, Spanish and German, no English. But as I said, it was pretty easy to figure it out, so it wasn't a biggie for me!

 

$15 gift certificate giveaway: Last day!

Last day to enter my giveaway!! 

 If you wish to win a $15 gift certificate for my shop, ENTER HERE and you won't be sorry!

 

Feature and giveaway!

I'm having the honor of being featured on my friend Kayla new blog: The Eclectic Element: Handcrafted and Vintage jewelry 

I've been featured by Kayla in the past on her other blog, but we thought of a come back. 

You can read about my feature on this blog post of hers: Crocheted Enjoyment 

Please show us some love and thank Kayla for me! 

But it's not only a feature, oh now. We wanted to make it special, so Kayla graciously accepted to host a giveaway for me. 

So if you wish to win a $15 gift certificate for my shop, ENTER HERE and you won't be sorry!

  

What will you get if you win???

Giveaway win: Free Spirit Jewels

I always enter giveaways I find all over the web, from friend's blogs to community forums and it's always a nice thrilling sensation when I finally win something! 

This time, I found this giveaway promoted on the Artfire forums from a seller there and I'm happy to report that I was the lucky winner of a $10 gift certificate from Free Spirit Jewels! 

I immediately went on the search of something awesome in her shop and found this amazing Bohemian Petina Dangle Earrings 

 

I loved the bohemian style and the "antique" looks they have, plus they come in many colors included my favorite: blue! 

What else could I ask? 

 I won this giveaway before the holidays, so I was tickled to have a little package to open for myself. Lorraine promptly sent my prize out and even during the holiday postal overload, they showed up at my door at lightning speed! 

Here some eye candy that I got as soon as I opened the package: I felt so spoiled!

Finally I had to try them on and show them off. Bear with me, it's not the best picture on the planet! (And yes, my hair have already grown THAT much!)

I can honestly say that they look awesome on me! LOL 

Jokes aside, I love the medium size of the earrings and how light weight but sturdy they are! 

You need to get yourself a pair too, you say? I hear ya! And I'm telling you for head over Free Spirit Jewels and get yourself some! 

And while you're at it, visit her blog from more giveaways! 

Right now, she's giving away a beautiful ring and another $10 gift certificate! 

Change

Every time a new year starts, I like to go around the house and make little changes, moving furniture around and make some home improvements. 

The same goes for my business. 

I used to be able to send a newsletter with news and updates to my customers every month, but the truth of the matter is that lately I've been so busy and I wasn't able to keep up with monthly updates. So, what I decided to do, with the suggestion of my friend Kayla at The Eclectic Element, is to send out updates about my blog. 

I intend to keep it as a monthly update to keep my promise to the customers that signed up, but it will be different as instead of creating a new content exclusively about my business, my blog post have a little bit of news, personal updates and actuality facts and everything that strikes my fancy. 

I do expect to see people unsubscribing eventually and I wanted to assure you that I will understand, you can unsubscribe at anytime and I will not take it personally or have my feelings hurt. If you don't know how to unsubscribe but want to do so, just contact me and I will do manually. 

Just baer with me in this phase of change, as I set up the campaign but I have no clue how good this will work. 

 Thanks!

PS: I've done my first boo-boo as the first email sent out was completely blank! I apologize I had some kinks to work out and thanks Kayla for your patience!
 

I've been featured!

Few days ago, I received an email in my inbox from Jill's stuff telling me that I was featured on her blog! 

She posted about her favorite Christmas ornaments and included my strawberry ornament in the list. 

I would appreciate if you go and take a pick to the list and show some love! 

 

 I don't know if the feature has anything to do with it, but it just so happened that after being notified of it I sold one of those strawberry ornaments to a sweet lady that wanted to give a little Christmas present to her grand daughter but couldn't afford much, but was so happy that she found a little strawberry for $5. I was so touched that she decided to spend those hard earned money with me, I know lots of folks are really struggling with money year around, let alone around the holidays. 

So Santa Clause delivered 2 strawberries instead of one....ooooops!