Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Apothica $25 Gift Card Giveaway

I am so excited to introduce to you awesome readers, Apothica!  If you already know about this amazing company then you're going to love this giveaway.  If you've never heard of of Apothica, then allow me to enlighten you, and then you'll love this giveaway too!  Apothica is an online beauty boutique, which carries the best products you will find, including one of my all time FAVS Becca Makeup.  Reese Witherspoon is one of my fav all time gals and pretty much anything she wears that's within my budget I will try and so that's how I came to know BECCA. And since BECCA is sold at Apothica, you can call me a very happy chica!

My ABSOLUTE Favorite item is the Jewel Dust.  I love the light weight shimmer and pop it gives to eyes.
Apothica has so many brands, products, and fun offered in their shop.  A girl can never have too much fun with makeup in my opinion!  They carry all the hottest brands including GloMinerals, Clinique, Paul & Joe, and more!”  Don't wear makeup?, well they have hair products, men products, skin care and more.  This company knows how important health is to us and so they are dedicated to providing you with high quality products formulated to promote and enhance your natural beauty.

So are you ready to win yourself a $25 gift card to pamper yourself a little bit? 

Entries (Enter 1, 2, or all 3)

  • Visit Apothica THEN Write on Apothica's Facebook Wall about what you think of Apothica and what products you like.  (1 Entry)
  • Visit Apothica THEN Tweet a Tweet from your own Twitter Account about Apothica. (1 Entry)
  • ReTweet this Tweet from Apothica (2 Entries)
  • Visit Apothica THEN Write something on your blog about what you think of Apothica (3 Entries)

  • Bonus Entry: Write about the brand I highlighted and link it to Apothica (2 Entries)
Be sure to leave a comment for each entry.

 
This contest will run for 14 days and end on April 13th.  Winner will be drawn via random.org and notified via email and have 48 hours to respond.  Apothica will contact the winner to verify information is correct.  A code will be emailed to the winner to redeem.  Contest is open internationally but Apothica does not ship to all countries.  Please add SkinCareRX as a contact in your email so that you don't miss the newsletter or winner info. 

Good Luck and Happy Wednesday Ya'll

Monday, March 28, 2011

All About You Link Up Party

It's Time For All About You Monday! Our weekly session where we get to show off our projects and creations. 




Texas Monkey








NOW, Let's see what you've been working on.


  • Link up to your post, not to your main blog.
  • Link up your craft, DIY, project, recipe, party, or post about you.
  • Grab the button and put on your post or sidebar.
  • Enjoy visiting other post link ups and learning more about fellow bloggers and tell them you're visiting from All About You.
  • I will choose the features from those that carry the button on their post or sidebar and that visit and comment on the other link ups.
  • If you follow me let me know in a comment so that I can follow you back.
Happy Monday Ya'll

Monday, March 21, 2011

All About You Link Up Party

It's Time For All About You Monday! Our weekly session where we get to show off our projects and creations. 


Texas Monkey




NOW, Let's see what you've been working on.

  • Link up to your post, not to your main blog.
  • Link up your craft, DIY, project, recipe, party, or post about you.
  • Grab the button and put on your post or sidebar.
  • Enjoy visiting other post link ups and learning more about fellow bloggers and tell them you're visiting from All About You.
  • I will choose the features from those that carry the button on their post or sidebar and that visit and comment on the other link ups.
  • If you follow me let me know in a comment so that I can follow you back.



Happy Monday Ya'll

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Blogmania Sponsor - CCARIA Jewelry

I am so excited about Blogmania, do you realize it's just right around the corner?!  Man do I have some amazing prizes lined up for you lucky readers!  Over the next few weeks I will be highlighting my sponsors and their products just to tease you a little of what's to come!  I hope you show them some love and support as they are really hooking you up!



Let's give a big TEXAS Monkey welcome to Cari of CCARIA Jewelry!  Cari started making jewelry as a hobby because she needed something she could do to unwind. Next thing she knew she was overrun with pieces. She was giving them to friends and family to get their reactions and everyone told her that they were wonderful and that she should start selling them. Years later, she still enjoys making pieces for friends and family, they are often her best advertisers! But nothing is more thrilling to her than to be out in public somewhere and seeing a piece of her own jewelry on a total stranger. It's so rewarding!

Please tell us all a little bit about yourself and your store, Cari.


What Kinds of products do you offer?

CCARIA jewelry consists of one-of-a-kind earrings, necklaces and bracelets. (I will replicate a piece if requested, but mainly do one-of-a-kind items) I also have a section of Awareness jewelry for both Breast Cancer Awareness, my mother died of breast cancer, (proceeds go to the American Cancer Society or Susan Komen Fund) and Diabetes Awareness (my son has Type 1 Diabetes and all proceeds go to JDRF). I really enjoy using natural stones, like freshwater pearls, jasper, quartz, agate and more. But I also like using beautiful colors of Czech pressed glass.


Describe your typical client?

I'm not sure I have a typical client. I think it’s anywhere from the girly girl that likes big bright and bold pieces, to someone that just likes something simple. I try to make a wide range of pieces for everyone's style, from beaded necklaces and bracelets to sterling silver and antiqued brass. I love doing custom orders too, and I think people really enjoy getting a piece made exactly the way they want it and they know that no one else has it.


How long have you been in business?

I have been making jewelry as a hobby for a while but it became a “business” in August 09. I still consider it my hobby, as I enjoy every minute of it, and do it in my free time.


What sets your business apart from other's in your niche?

Honestly I'm not sure. But what I think sets my business apart is that I try to always use natural stones, I offer low and competitive prices and I always provide excellent customer service.


What is your most popular product?

Since I don't make duplicate pieces, I would have to say that overall necklaces in general seem to be the hot item. Freshwater pearls are also very popular, especially in bold bright colors.


What inspires you?

I actually get my inspiration from colors. No matter where I am I notice other people’s clothing and the jewelry they are wearing and then I start working on different pieces in my mind based on the colors around me. Sometimes I just feel bright and happy and I tend to make pieces around that feeling etc. It varies from day to day.


Where do you see your business heading in the future?

I really can't predict where it will go in the future. Right now I'm happy with it being a hobby and a creative outlet from my everyday life. I enjoy creating pieces and being able to offer them to people at an affordable price. Because this is a passion for me, I’m not sure that I want it to be a “full time job". I love doing it so much, because it is pressure free for me.


What countries do you ship from?

Right now I ship free within the US and I ship to Canada for a small fee.


How can people find you online?

At www.ccaria.etsy.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/c_caria


Now what could one of you lucky readers win?  How about this gorgeous one of a kind necklace!


It's an 18 inch necklace made up of baby blue freshwater pearls wire wrapped on an antiqued brass chain.

Valued at $25.
Now show Cari some love and follow her on Twitter and stop by her STORE for some online shopping, did you catch she does FREE shipping, HELLO, I'm sold!

Thank you Cari for being one of our Blogmania Sponsors.

Happy Thursday Ya'll

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Kitchen Lover's New BFF!

Have you seen this amazing little baby?!  I am so excited about The Bag Holder and how it is going to change my life and time spent in the kitchen! 


If you have learned anything about me by reading my blog, you've learned that I LOVE to make memories with my Monkey.  It's my passion and motivation in doing most things.  So when I was told that The Bag Holder will not only help me make memories with my child in the kitchen but that it would also do it without the mess, I was pretty much sold right then and there.  However, it does so much more for us kitchen lovers.

With the help from her mom Carol, Kara, a mom herself of 2 and a Breast Cancer Fighter and Survivor began her adventure of bringing to us The Bag Holder. 

Let me give you the low down of what all this little baby can and will do for you:

  • Minimize the steps it takes to put together meals
  • Easily transfer food in plastic storage bags and minimize clean up
  • Create with your Kids in the Kitchen and enjoy making meals with your family
  • Assemble freezer meals for OAMC (Once A Month Cooking) in half the time
  • Take camping and boating to make meal prep and clean up a breeze
  • Make hundreds of recipes, including cakes, cookies and piping desserts
  • Marinate meat and eliminate contamination of raw meats on counters
  • Minimize the space needed for food storage by using bags not plastic containers
  • Reheat leftovers effortlessly in the Bag Holder
  • Wash, reuse and recycle the bags using The Bag Holder
  • Where ever you need a bowl replace it with The Bag Holder
  • Store leftovers easily and mess free
  • Breakdown bulk items with no more messy counters and contaminate free
  • Save on your monthly electric and water bills by using fewer dishes and less water
  • Buy and prepare meals in bulk to cut grocery costs
So how does it work?
The Bag Holder is like having a personal assistant in the kitchen.  It works by holding your gallon sized storage bags open so you can easily assemble or pour your ingredients hands free and build your meals quickly with little to no clean up.

Change the way you’ve been making meals with The Bag Holder!




I love how their site has Kid friendly recipes that you and your child can make together, videos showing you all about it, and Cooking 101 with all kinds of tips, notes, and fun!

You can Buy yours nowfor $19.95 which comes with 20 recipes and a DVD and shipping will begin on April 15th but you also have a chance to win one.
They are giving 3 away so check out how you could win HERE.

Let's show this Mom/Daughter Team our love and support!
Like them on Facebook
Follow on Twitter

Please tell em Texas Monkey sent you! 

Monday, March 14, 2011

All About You Link Up Party - Rainbow Cupcakes

It's Time For All About You Monday! Our weekly session where we get to show off our projects and creations. 

Texas Monkey





St Patrick's Day is this Thursday and you can check out my Macaroni Kid site for all kinds of fun to enjoy with your family. One way you can make memories with your monkies on March 17th is making some yummy Rainbow Cupacakes. And no rainbow is complete without a leperchaun leaving some gold.




Ingredients:
Cake batter of choice
4 different food colors
Icing
Candy wrapped in gold (gold coins, Roll-O's, etc)

Directions
Make your batter as you normally would for cupcakes and divide the batter into 4 bowls.


Add drops of food color to each bowl. I used yellow, green, blue, and red.


Layer your batter into your lined cupcake pan one at a time in any order of choice. I did blue, red, green, then yellow on top. (As you can see from the picture it doesn't have to be pretty or neat and when you are letting a 2 year old help I assure you it is not going to be either but FUN it will be!)



Bake according to directions.


Tint your icing green and decorate your cooled cupcakes. Top with your gold candy.







Now my favorite part, give your Macaroni Kid a cupcake and watch their face lite up with joy! Oh and don't forget to enjoy one yourself.



Happy St Patrick's Day

NOW, Let's see what you've been working on.

  • Link up to your post, not to your main blog.
  • Link up your craft, DIY, project, recipe, party, or post about you.
  • Grab the button and put on your post or sidebar.
  • Enjoy visiting other post link ups and learning more about fellow bloggers and tell them you're visiting from All About You.
  • I will choose the features from those that carry the button on their post or sidebar and that visit and comment on the other link ups.
  • If you follow me let me know in a comment so that I can follow you back.


Happy Monday Ya'll

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Orglamix Giveaway Winner Announced

First , a big thank you to everyone who participated in their color challenge. It was a huge success and  many people had a lot of fun creating their own colors. There were over 150 votes and the winner (by 2 votes) is Champagne Bubbles! Champagne Bubbles is a light beige base, like a rich champagne, that is between matte and shimmer. For the crowd that is too mature for total shimmer, and not yet ready for matte. I can't wait to try it out AND my Winner for the upcoming Blogmania Event will win this color along with 2 other colors of their choice.  So exciting.


Now on to this giveaway winner

leanne_mac said...


I like the Cafe Au Lait, Teak and Roselle and I signed up for their newsletter

Congrats Leanne, you are the winner, please email me at texasmonkeyboutique@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

How To Save Money In Your Grocery Cart

Is it weird that one of my favorite things to do is go grocery shopping?  Well, let me rephrase that, if I'm by myself, one of my favorite things to do is go grocery shopping.   I do, I love it.  I love memorizing the aisles, I love standing there reading labels of products, I love seeing new products and getting new ideas for dishes, I love getting the circulars in the mail.  I love clipping coupons.  I love lining my purchases up a certain way at check out.  And I LOVE seeing the savings on my receipt and running home and showing Poppa how much I saved us.  Hey, more savings means more shoes for Momma!! Can I get an AMEN!?

I am a loyal customer to Kroger.  I have their savings card, plan my shopping around their sales and what coupons I find.  I love that I go in the store and it's clean, stocked with the items I need, good quality items, but at a very low cost.  Now add in the coupons and sales and you've got one very happy momma on your hands. 

There are so many ways to save money at many stores, that's no new concept.   And many of us have what works for us.  Many of us have brands that we are loyal to as well.  And Kroger helps me save on those brands with their already low prices, store sales, store coupons, and their Cart Buster Savings Program going on now.

I want to share with you some of the few ways I save on money but don't miss out on quality.
  • I spend a little time each week going through the circulars and compare them to what coupons I have found.
  • I always make a list for that week's meals and needs for the house.  I never step foot in a grocery store without my list.  Doing so ends up in a bigger bill at the end.
  • When planning meals I always try to have at least 1 that can be used in a 2nd meal.  Like If I make tacos one night then I make enough meat where I can make Taco Soup a few nights later.  Or If I make grilled chicken and vegetables I know I can use the left over chicken in pot pie the next night.
  • I load coupons from Kroger's site to my store savings card.   This way I don't have to keep track of an actual coupon, save money from printing coupons, and save time from clipping them.
  • Always stockpile on your favorite more expensive items when they go on sale or when you have a coupon.  Some items I stockpile on are toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry soap, cleaning products, canned items, and deodorant.  I have a little closet where I keep my stockpile and it's so nice to pull from that instead of pulling money out.
  • Buy items to make lunches instead of eating out.  I have saved nearly $50 a week just by cutting out eating out for lunch and buying sandwich stuff or soup. 
So even though you won't find me on Extreme Couponing, I am a frugal shopper who loves to save money for more important things like shoes! :)  I enjoy finding ways to save my family money that doesn't cost me a lot of time in the process because let's face it, Time is Money.

So how do you save money in your grocery cart?
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms Kroger CartBuster blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

JAWS Giveaway - New Concept to Green Cleaning

It's Hump Day, how about a little giveaway to help us get over this hill?
JAWS Just Add Water Cleaning System - New Concept in Green Cleaning!


I received this set of JAWS cleaning products that one of you will win and I'm here to tell you I will never buy highly chemical based products again!  No need, these babies do the same work without killing my nose from odor. 

Plus aren't the colors so pretty, even motivates me to clean when dealing with fun colors.  :)
I can't wait to give one of you this set but first let me tell you a little about it and why I liked it so much. 


The JAWS System is what you need in your home and here's why. 
A wallet-and-earth-friendly clean.

Did you know that conventional cleaners contain up to 97% water? That means you’re paying for water every time you buy them. Not so with the Just Add Water System. With one reusable bottle, a compact cartridge refill, and your own H2O, the Just Add Water System costs you 30-50% less than the ready-to-use stuff.

Effective: Real results every time.
You might think that something so earth-friendly won’t work as well as other cleaners, right? Not so. Each Just Add Water cartridge contains super-concentrated cleaning power, which, when released in water, creates a high performance clean. JAWS cleaners work as hard as the other guys, if not harder. They’re as powerful on dirt as they are gentle on the planet.


Environmental: Reuse. Make a real difference.
There’s too much plastic, overflowing landfills and depleting resources.  JAWS cleaners use 70% less packaging material, leave 59% less packaging waste, require 59% less energy to transport, reduce water pollutants by 85%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 60%. With just one plastic refillable spray bottle and a powerful cleaning cartridge, you’re going green every time you clean.

Convenient: Simple to use. Simple to store.
The Just Add Water System makes it easier to stay organized and save space. With conventional cleaners, you have to buy a new bottle every time you run out - maybe even several bottles at once. That means you’re not only wasting precious storage space, but also the fuel it takes to get to the store - and all the other resources that are used to ship the bottles. Each JAWS reusable bottle comes with a refill cartridge attached. Everything’s in one uncluttered spot. In fact, Just Add Water cartridges use very little storage space. And that makes a big difference.


Ready to Use:Ready, set, spray!
The Just Add Water System comes with everything you need. One full refillable bottle, a reusable trigger sprayer and a super-concentrated cleaning cartridge. And after you use the contents of your first bottle, all you do is add water to the fill level, insert the refill cartridge into the bottleneck, insert the sprayer, screw it back in, shake gently and you’re ready to unleash the power. Yep, that’s all.

JAWS offers you four different products for your daily uses.

  1. Glass & Hard Surface Cleaner - Fingerprints, grease, smudges are history with the no streak formula.  All that’s left is an amazing shine.
  2. Multi-Purpose Cleaner/Degreaser Ink, grease, gunk and grime are no match for it's power.
  3. Bathroom Cleaner/Deodorizer Lime, soap scum, oil, grease, mineral deposits are no longer hard to get rid of.
  4. Disinfectant Cleaner Degreaser Reduce the spread of infection with this broad-spectrum disinfectant, guaranteed to kill 99.9% of germs while you clean.
JAWS can be found in many stores and available online at http://www.jawscleans.com/. Online, starter packs are sold with empty bottles and 2 cartridges:

Well now that you are well informed of these amazing products, let's give a set away!
You can enter with 1 entry or up to 4 times.  Good Luck.

  1. Follow me via any social network you would like and let me know which one.  FACEBOOK, TWITTER, GFC
  2. Subscribe to my Macaroni Kid weekly Newsletter
  3. Visit JAWS and tell me what product you need the most.
  4. Tweet, blog, or post on facebook about this giveaway, leave me a link to it.
Leave a seperate comment for each entry.


Open to U.S. Only, concluding March 18th 7pm CST. I will contact the winner via email and they will have 48 hours to respond.  Winner will be drawn via random.org. I was provided the Jaws System for this review and giveaway put was not paid for it.  Thank you to JAWS for this giveaway.

Happy Hump Day Ya'll

Monday, March 7, 2011

All About You Link Up Party

It's Time For All About You Monday! Our weekly session where we get to show off our projects and creations. 
Texas Monkey


NOW, Let's see what you've been working on.


  • Link up to your post, not to your main blog.
  • Link up your craft, DIY, project, recipe, party, or post about you.
  • Grab the button and put on your post or sidebar.
  • Enjoy visiting other post link ups and learning more about fellow bloggers and tell them you're visiting from All About You.
  • I will choose the features from those that carry the button on their post or sidebar and that visit and comment on the other link ups.
  • If you follow me let me know in a comment so that I can follow you back.

Happy Monday Ya'll

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Happy Birthday Dr Suess - Cat In the Hat Party and fun ideas



Today Is Dr Suess' Birthday
Dr. Suess was born March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His 44 children's books have thrilled many children throughout the years with imaginative characters and tongue twisting rhymes. His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and sold more than 200 million copies.

To celebrate the birthday of such a famous author, here are some fun activities:
Cat in the Hat dot to dot (printable- includes numbers 1 to 78)

Can you match the Dr. Suess character with the name (on screen, takes a bit to load the graphics.)

Cat in the Hat Coloring Page (Make sure you change your printer setting so it prints on one page.)

Dr. Suess Word Search Puzzle (Includes names of characters. Best suited to a child who is reading well.)

And here are some fun party food ideas that I did at a Cat in the Hat Party I threw last year.

You could not, would not Miss
The fun to be had with food like this!
I meant what I said
I said what I meant
It's Dr Suess' birthday
One- hundred percent
March is the month, the 2nd is the day
There is lots of fun coming your way!

Green Eggs and Ham


Prepare Deviled eggs as your favorite recipe calls for but add a few drops of green food coloring to the filling. Then fill your eggs with the green filling.

Ham Sandwiches:
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Brown Sugar Ham from the deli
Dijon Mustard
Swiss Cheese

Cut the rolls in half and spread mustard on one side, stack ham and cheese and put sandwich together then broil in the oven for just a few minutes until cheese melts and tops crisp up. Serve and along side the green eggs and enjoy.

Colored Popcorn

Pop your favorite popcorn and fill up a brown paper bag.
Melt butter, corn syrup and food coloring of choice together
Pour mixture over popcorn and shake around in the brown paper bag
Pour popcorn out onto wax paper and let it set

Serve in your favorite see through server and listen to your guests oohh and ahh

The Cat in the Hat Marshmallow Pops


White Candy Melts
Red Candy Melts
Sucker Sticks
Marshmallows

Melt your candy melts adding a little oil if needed to smooth it out. Dip one end into the red and place on wax paper undipped side down to set. Once hardened do the other side of the marshmallow leaving a white stripe of marshmallow showing. Let dry.

Optional:

Using a piping bag, fill with the white candy melts and pipe a hat brim around the marshmallows and let dry.

Using the tip of a very sharp object (ice pick, knife, etc) make a small hole on one end of the marshamallow (the side with the white brim if you went with this option). Dip your stick in the melted chocolate and stick into the marshmallow where you just made the hole. Stick into foam or glass jar and serve.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes


Make cupcakes as you like and use blue icing to frost. About 15 minutes before your party or before you serve the cupcakes take blue cotton candy and place on top of the cupcakes to look like Thing 1 and 2 hair. This is so fun and so easy!

And don't forget to read their favorite Dr Suess book with them or to them tonight before bed!  We will be reading all of Monkey's as they are all her favorites! 

Happy Hump Day Ya'll
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Copy and Paste Code