You guys have until midnight tonight to snag coupon codes for 25 FREE HOLIDAY CARDS from SHUTTERFLY! All you have to do is leave me a comment and follow me on Google Friend Finder!
View the blogpost HERE
I’ve got 3 codes to give away!
I’ve been ordering my cards from Shutterfly for a few years now. I’ve used them for Christmas cards two years running, and also used them for Marco’s birth announcements and 1st birthday invitations. I love the designs and the quality, so I was even more excited to be invited to take part in their Holiday Card blogging deals!
This was our card design last year:
Here’s a few of the Holiday card designs that are catching my eye for 2011:
I love the chevron stripes, and I want a sweater in these colors!
Cute and simple design
This design is elegant. It can be customized as a flat or folded card, with different colors. I like that there’s room for plenty of photos.
Such a cute idea for an update on the year! The back has room for another picture and some more text.
So here’s the awesome part:
I am so thrilled to be able to offer three readers an online code, each good for 25 FREE CARDS! The savings! The adorable cards – all yours! 
To win, you must be a follower through Google Friend Connect, and you must leave a comment letting me know which designs you like. Be sure to include a way to contact you with the code! Winners will be contacted Tuesday, November 1st.
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post with a code for free cards from Shutterfly.
just like…
Stevie of Seattle Stevie!! Please email me (michelle@booksnshoes.com) with your address so I can mail you your goodies!!
Thank you to everyone who entered! I can’t wait to do another giveaway for you lovelies.
XOXOXO
Happy 2 years, my dear readers!
I wanted to show my appreciation for you by coming up with something fun to give away to one lucky reader…
You’ll receive a fun pack of the following items:
1 bpa – free resusable cold drink tumbler – perfect for iced teas, or, say, an iced double shot non-fat sugar-free vanilla latte (mebbe just me?) from Starbucks…
Speaking of which, here’s a $10 gift card to Starbucks! Yay!!
Whilst sipping your delicious drink, why not scribble down some happy thoughts? Easy enough with these adorable notebooks!
How to enter:
Leave me a comment, telling me about your favorite book – 1 entry
Tweet about this giveaway – 2 entries
Become a follower through Google Friend Connect – 2 entries
Blog about this giveaway – 2 entries
Make sure to share your favorite book in the comment! 
Giveaway ends Friday the 13th – !!! – and the Winner will be announced on Saturday, May 14th.
OMG! My blog will be turning 2 years old on May 5th! In honor of this occasion, I shall be putting together a lovely giveaway. I will be announcing details later this week, so stay tuned!
For now, enjoy these Cookie Monster cupcakes! NOOOOMMMM….COOOOOKIIIEEESSSS
Last week I won a giveaway from Julie, over at Brown Eyed Belle! I was the proud winner of a $25 credit to the online stationery shop, Pixie Chicago.
I decided to order the Hydrangeas print cards with the Strawberry-hued envelopes, and on Saturday they arrived in the mail! They look so adorable! I can’t wait to use them.
Marco’s first day of daycare went by smoothly – as long as you don’t count the fact that I almost threw up! I only slept about 4 hours Sunday night, so I was exhausted. Factor in anxiety about leaving my baby AND starting a new job, and you have one (hot) mess on your hands. Luckily, I made it through, and Marco had a BLAST! He was laughing and smiling when I picked him up, he giggled at home, and went to bed grinning his little face off. Seems like a good sign.
Day 1 of the job was good. It was a little overwhelming, but the main tasks I’ll be given are nothing I can’t handle, and most are things I’ve done before. The people seem nice, but it will take me a bit to figure out how I fit in.
All in all, a very good start.
I won a giveaway! From Laura of Radiator Tunes. The prize is a handmade card from her Etsy shop, Nosce Te Ipsum. Can’t decide which one to pick!
THE GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES OMG YES WOOO HOOOO!!! So exciting. I had to work, so I was constantly checking my phone for texts and tweets to keep abreast of the situation. When I got the news that they’d won, I did my happy dance (and my co-workers laughed at me). It makes me even more excited for Marco to see them play next season.
Did you vote today? I mailed in my ballot the same day I received it! I was so excited to register to vote when I turned 18, and every election I love to exercise my rights as an American citizen! I remember the first time I voted (it was a primary) and I couldn’t wait to get to the fire station near my house to cast my ballot. I ran all the way there (in flip-flops), sprained my ankle, and ended up on crutches for a week. But it was still awesome!
Also wanted to share a few family pictures I took this weekend, with the help of the handy-dandy remote feature on my Nikon.
Working tonight, Friday night AND Sunday night. I hope my co-worker doesn’t ask for any more time off, because I am not happy with all these extra work days! I usually miss out on tucking Marco in, and I hate that. He’s always super-cuddly and sweet right before I put him in his crib.
Hope everyone is having a good day!! Don’t forget to V O T E !
I was so excited to do this giveaway with Kate! I had 43 entries to choose from, and am thrilled to be able give something fun to my readers.
In honor of the San Francisco Giants winning the Pennant, and going on to the World Series (yay!!) I used my baseball cap to hold the entries.
Marco picked the name…
And Roux sniffed the paper. You know, just in case.
Drumroll, please….
Julie, of Brown Eyed Belle!! Congratulations, Julie!! Email me at michelle at booksnshoes[dot]com so we can get the awesome Flapper Doodle calender sent to you!
Thanks to everyone who entered! I can’t wait to do another giveaway for you.
I found a recipe in October’s Food & Wine magazine for Eton Mess, a dessert often found in Windsor, England. It sounded good, so I went ahead and tried it out.
It’s a really simple dish, not too sweet and very tasty! I left out the pistachios, and started with vanilla meringues purchased at Trader Joe’s, instead of making my own as the recipe suggested. I love fresh meringues – the bit of crunch and sweetness, and zero fat!
Anyway, here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
3/4 C Confectioner’s sugar
1/4 C thinly sliced mint leaves
2 pints Raspberries
3 Vanilla meringues (as I said, you can make your own – but this dessert was perfect with the Trader Joe’s version)
1 vanilla bean pod (I used 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, as I did not have a bean pod on hand)
In mixing bowl, whip the cream into soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and 1/2 C of the confectioner’s sugar to mix, and blend to thick peaks.
In separate bowl, mash about half the raspberries with remaining 1/4 of sugar. Leave the remaining berries whole. Fold mashed berries into whipped cream mixture.
Coarsely crumble 2 of the meringues, and stir into cream, along with the mint.
Spoon into cups/bowls, top with remaining berries and crumble the last meringue over the top. Enjoy!!
If you want to add the pistachios, take 1/2 C shelled and chopped pistachios, and sprinkle over top of dessert.
This week I also undertook to making up some butternut squash for Marco. The Beaba Babycooker finally made its debut! This thing is awesome, and super-easy to use. I put the squash into the steam basket, filled the steamer with the appropriate amount of water (handy chart included) and it steamed itself to perfect tenderness (automatic shut-off when finished!).
Then I just dumped the squash directly into the blender part (along with the cooking water) and blended it for 10 seconds.
Voila! The perfect puree for Marco! It tasted so good; I hope Marco likes it. Might have to use some of the extra for a soup.
Have you entered my giveaway yet?! Winner will chosen at random and announced on Monday, October 25th!! Go HERE to enter!
Hello my lovely readers – I have a wonderful surprise for you today!!
The fantastic artist, Kate Gabrielle of Flapperdoodle and Cupcakes and Antlers, has teamed up with Books N Shoes (that’s me) to do a giveaway!
We will be giving away one adorable 2011 Flapperdoodle Calendar, featuring Ramona and Eloise, everyone’s favorite flappers – TO ONE OF YOU!! Yay!!! If that isn’t a reason to do the Charleston, I don’t know what is! Click on the image to be taken to the website directly, and view the images that will be included in this fun calendar!
Taken from the website: The calendar is printed on 65 lb smooth white stock and spiral bound. It comes sealed in a clear archival plastic bag. It measures 8.5″ x 11″when closed, or 11″ x 17″ when hanging open. The monthly grids include National holidays as well as fun little holidays like Talk Like a Pirate Day and National Fudge Day.
ALL IMAGES ARE THE ARTIST’S COPYRIGHT!!
Here’s what you need to do to enter:
1. Go to visit the flapperdoodle site
2. Write me a comment letting me know which piece you liked! Be sure to leave your email in the comment
EXTRA ENTRIES:
-Sign up for my email notifications (2 extra entries!!) Or let me know if you are already signed up!
-Follow me on Twitter (1 extra)
-Follow Kate on Twitter (1 extra)
-Tweet this giveaway! (1 extra)
-Blog about this giveaway! (2 extra)
Leave comments for each entry. Winner will be chosen at random on Monday, October 25th! Good luck, lovies!!
