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Giveaways & Reviews

Random Friday

by Megan on January 14, 2011

I’m taking a break from the usual Alphabet Project posts to talk about a bit of randomness.

  • School didn’t start this week. Because of the snow, school is now starting on Tuesday. I’m slightly disappointed because I get really anxious the week before school. Though I’m not as nervous this semester, I still have no idea what to expect from my classes (Physics, Western World Lit II, Psychology of Aging, and Psychology of Personal Adjustment–I dropped speech because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself this semester). At least I get one more weekend without homework, I suppose!
  • Husband and I might be getting a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN in early March for a couple of nights. Since Gatlinburg is just a couple hours away, I think it’ll be a nice getaway for us, and even if the weather is cold, we’ll be able to just stay in the cabin, cook food there, and relax in the hot tub.
  • CSN has offered to let me review one of their many products. CSN has everything from home bar furniture (which we need!) to bakeware. Husband and I have been looking for a new knife set lately. (We got a knife set for our wedding, but the knives are starting to dull and rust in some spots.) We’ve been looking at a Chicago Cutlery set, but if you have other suggestions, let us know!
  • I’ve slowed down with my reading this week. I’m still on the second Lord of the Rings book, and then I plan to start on the third. Any suggestions for books after that?

What sort of randomness do you have to share today?

{ 4 comments }

My Favorite Sugar Cookies (and a Giveaway)

by Megan on November 29, 2010

When I bought the Pioneer Woman’s cookbook, I was beyond thrilled. I almost immediately made the sugar cookies on page 236, and everyone loved them. Now, I try to make them each holiday (and as much as possible in between). Luckily, they’re really easy to make!

Step I. I find it easier to cook or bake whenever I gather all of my ingredients first. So, I gathered:

2 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Step II. Cream together canola oil, eggs, butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.

Step III. Then add cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and flour. Mix well!

Step IV. Refrigerate dough for an hour. After the hour is up, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out and form little balls. I use my hands, but you can use an ice cream scoop as well. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Step V. Smear some butter onto the bottom of a flat glass, and pour some (extra) granulated sugar into a bowl. Dip the buttered glass into the bowl of sugar.

Step VI. Flatten the dough with the sugared glass. Be sure to add more butter and sugar when needed so the glass doesn’t stick to the cookie.

Step VII. Once they’re all flattened, place in the oven for 9-11 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the edges. Don’t let them burn!

Step VIII. Once the cookies are done, remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet. Once the cookies are firm enough, carefully move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. This batch ended up making 16 (LARGE!) cookies. If you make the dough balls smaller, this could easily make 20+ cookies. They’re delicious and perfect for the holidays!

Final Step. Eat the cookies and enter my giveaway to win a copy of the Pioneer Woman’s cookbook!* Even if you already have a copy of the cookbook, it would make a perfect gift! The book contains wonderful recipes: baked macaroni & cheese, meatloaf, sangria, red velvet cake, pot roast, chicken pot pie, and many other delicious recipes. Here’s what you can do to win:

1. Answer the following question in the comments: “What is your favorite cookie/dessert recipe?” Link to it if you can!
2. Tweet about the giveaway. Leave a separate comment that links to your tweet.

The giveaway will run until 7:00 a.m. EST on Friday, December 3, 2010. I will use random.org to find a winner before emailing the winner and announcing it here. Please leave a valid email address with your comment so that I can get in touch with you if you’re the winner. (If your comment doesn’t post immediately, don’t worry. If it has links in it, I may have to approve it, so I will do so as soon as possible.)

*I have not been asked by the Pioneer Woman to post this recipe or giveaway. I’m using money out of my own pocket to buy + ship the cookbook to the winner.

{ 18 comments }

Giveaway: A Little Thistle

by Megan on November 2, 2010

I’ve been reading Kyla’s blog for quite some time now, so when she announced her Etsy shop, A Little Thistle, I was beyond excited. I knew Kyla had a very prominent creative side (she created my blog design, afterall), so I knew her shop would be something I’d fall in love with. I wasn’t wrong. A Little Thistle is lovely and simple and bursting with creativity. Kyla offers five lines (pins, headbands, scarves, notebooks, and necklaces) in her shop, and you can tell that she spends quality time making each item. I emailed Kyla on Wednesday asking about the possibility of doing a giveaway and interview on my blog; she happily agreed.

1. I know it’s like asking which child is your favorite, but what has been your favorite item to create so far?

Well let’s hope I feel more strongly about my future children than I do about my etsy shop, when the time comes! My favourite pieces to create right now are the jewelry because the process doesn’t take too long and you get a beautiful result. The larger pieces I create take a lot of time, so the necklaces are a really rewarding change of pace!

2. How long is the process for creating your items? What does your schedule look like when it comes to creating?
 
Once I have my idea worked out and have revised my concept to the point that it’s in the shop, the process tends to be pretty streamlined. It can take a number of hours for the knits to a few minutes for the necklaces. But at the same time, to get an item into the shop at all I also have to think beyond the creative time- there’s listing the items, photographing them and communicating with buyers as well as administrative and accounting time. It’s a big job!

My schedule changes depending on what needs my attention, but I set aside time every day for any admin work related to the shop. I fill orders mid-week, and that has been an afternoon of work every week so far. It’s still very young so I’m just working as I need to at the moment while I’m learning the ropes.

3. Do you plan to incorporate other lines into your shop in the future, or will you stick with the five you currently have?
 
I would love to expand the shop to be much bigger- right now I’m really focused on getting new scarves and neck warmers online. I’m excited to have the time to keep up with knitting orders and I really want to make sure that the shop is full of them in the colder months.
 
4. What has been the hardest part of creating your shop?
 
The hardest part has been juggling my time. I have four major jobs to fulfill every week: designing blogs, my etsy shop, writing KylaRoma.com and working in a little shop in my city. It’s been a challenge to find the hours in the day for everything I’m doing, but I’m in love with all of it and it’s fun and fulfilling.
 
5. What aspect do you find most rewarding when it comes to having an Etsy shop with your creations?
 
Shipping out orders! I love putting together beautiful packages for people who like what I’m doing. Every time I go to the post office and I see the A Little Thistle stamp on all these packages I feel very lucky to be doing what I’m doing.

6. Any advice for people like me who would love to start an Etsy shop someday?

Jump on in! The etsy community is fantastic and setting up a shop is very intuitive. If it’s something you want to do, read up on the community and selling and then just make it happen. Someday doesn’t have to be that far off if you don’t want it to be. It just means some sleepless nights, a little imagination and being stubborn enough to follow through.

 Being the lovely lady that she is, Kyla has offered to give one of my readers an item from her shop: a beautiful antiqued filigree locket.

I’m giving my readers two chances to enter to win. Here’s what you can do:

1. Visit A Little Thistle, browse around, and then comment here with your favorite item.
2. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet.

The giveaway will run until 7:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, November 9, 2010. I will use random.org to find a winner before emailing the winner and announcing it here. Please leave a valid email address with your comment so that I can get in touch with you if you’re the winner. (If your comment doesn’t post immediately, don’t worry. If it has links in it, I may have to approve it, so I will do so as soon as possible.)

*Image from A Little Thistle.

{ 42 comments }

CSN Rug Giveaway!

by Megan on June 19, 2009

I was contacted a few days ago about doing a giveaway for my readers that live in the United States and Canada! Being that I just moved into a new home, I think this is such an awesome thing to give away to any homeowner (or renter).

CSN Rugs has a beautiful selection of indoor/outdoor rugs. Most of the rugs have amazing designs making it hard to choose a favorite. However, I did, and I hope you like it because one of you will be getting it!

rug

The Kane Carpet – Legacy Vine Neutral Asian Inspiration Rug has a neutral base color with a beautiful colored design. Even if you don’t use it as a rug, you could hang it on the wall for a unique art piece!

Features:
Construction: Machine made
Technique: Wilton Woven
Material: Polypropylene / Olefin
Origin: Israel
Collection: Legacy
Color: Ivory, beige
Pile height: 0.5″
Size: 23″ x 35″

I’m giving you three chances to win this gorgeous rug for your home!

1. Take a look at the area rugs and tell me (in the comments) which is your favorite. This entry is required.
2. Tweet about this giveaway. (My twitter account: @somewhatvoluble) In a SEPARATE comment, link to your tweet.
3. Blog about this giveaway. In a SEPARATE comment, link to your blog post.

The winner must live in the United States or Canada, and you must have a valid email address. (Please remember to leave your email address in each of your comments so that I can have CSN Rugs contact you if you are to win.) The giveaway will end on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 12:00 P.M. (noon) EST.

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