Etsy - Print Candee Giveaway

I am hosting my first giveaway from Print Candee - an etsy shop  I have purchased several items from.  She offers high resolution digital images that are emailed to you within 24 hours of purchase you can use for personal and commercial use.  Print Candee is offering a $10 store credit to her etsy shop for one of my readers.  Details on how to enter are below.  Plus everyone who likes her Facebook fan page automatically gets free clip art.

This is what Print Candee has to say about her shop-

I love creating fun and fresh designs that can be enjoyed by others! Each design is hand-drawn by me on my computer and usually takes hours to perfect them to be used by others for personal and commercial projects.

Print Candee always offers buy 2 items, get 1 free through her etsy shop.  She currently has over 275 items listed for sale.

Here are a few of the items I have purchased from her -

This Mod Owl kit.  I am using it to create our change of address cards...which I cannot wait to share.  It was just $3.50.

I also purchased this Summer Fun kit.  I am using to to design invitations for my daughter's end of the year pool party.  It was just $3.50.

Print Candee also has lots of other fabulous items for card marking, stickers, digital scrap booking, paper crafts, t-shirt designs, blogs, etc... such as these favorites of mine I cannot wait to purchase -

Here is how you can enter -

1. Make sure you are a follower of my blog.

2. Like Print Candee Illustration & Design on Facebook.  As an added plus - when you like the page you can get a coupon for free clip art.  So everyone is a winner :)

3. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you are a follower, you liked the Facebook page, and tell me what you plan on getting with your $10 gift card from Print Candee's etsy shop.

A winner will be chosen via random.org on Friday June 10th.  Winners will be announced on Saturday June 11th.

{Print Candee graciously offered to participate in this giveaway on my blog.  I have not been compensated in any way for hosting this blog.  I am in no way affiliated with Print Candee.  I am simply a happy customer}

Have You Heard of Small Words?

I have no idea how I first stumbled upon this blog...but it has been in my favorites for awhile.  She makes gorgeous hand painted canvases.   I am pretty sure I first heard of it from Kelly's Korner...but I am not sure.

Anyways, I LOVE her work.  I consider myself pretty creative and artistic...but her work is just....WOW!  I could never do anything quite like it.

So when she opened herself up for new orders last week... I JUMPED on it and secured spot # 49 out of 110.  She mostly does signs for children's room. Since Madison is almost 12... I doubt I will get one for her...I put my name on the list in the hopes by the time my # came up... I would be pregnant. 

If not, I can get a sign for my bakery business, order a gift for a friend, or simply pass my turn on to the next person. 

Does anyone else follow her blog that got on the list this time?

Free Canvas + Free Art = A Great Deal

One of the great blogs I follow eighteen25 posted today about a FREE canvas deal.  It isn't totally FREE, you have to pay $14.95 shipping and handling for the 8 x 10 canvas but it still works out to be a pretty great deal. 

I do not need any more photo canvases, so I quickly designed this with the initial of our last name -

The black and green will match nicely with our living room decor.  I cannot wait to receive it.  Here are a few more I did just playing around -

Let me know if you would like me to send you an 8x10 file of one of the initial designs I did above to order a canvas print for your family.  Simply post your email in a comment as well as the initial you would like me to use.

Be sure to check out eighteen25 - they have a fabulous blog that I am sure you will want to follow.

My Thursday via Blackberry Photos

After a very rough 90 minute class with my 5th bell I treated myself to to this yummy snack on my break.  A slice of the yummy homemade peanut butter banana bread I made last night.  I let Madison be in charge of the bananas.  Once I put the loaf in the oven and looked over where we keep the bananas, I realized she used 3 new organic (the store was out of the regular ones) bananas.  The 3 brown bananas I had intended for the bread were still on the counter.  By the way... I love Cherry Coke Zero.

I came home to find my new magazine subscription had arrived of Food Network Magazine.  I love cooking and baking and I love magazines...so I added this to my cart the last time I was ordering from Amazon.  I cannot wait to read it.

This morning I put this carnitas recipe into the crock pot.  I love this recipe because it requires just a few ingredients, cooks all day while I am at work, and my entire family enjoys it.  We use the filling to make soft tacos with all of the fixings with a side of Spanish rice.  My husband may or may not have had 5 soft tacos for dinner tonight...it was that good.  You should also make it because it is a recipe from Kelle Hampton - who is an amazing woman with a pretty fabulous blog.  If you have never read her blog, you must grab some tissues for some happy tears and start with this post .

December Plans and Goals -

I wanted to set some December goals for myself and my family and thought I would share them here.  I have been MIA for a few days mainly because my husband and I just purchased this -

Our 'new' v6 Toyota Highlander

I LOVE IT!! This is the first time I have ever went to a dealership...selected...and purchased a car.  It has low mileage,its roomy, and FABULOUS!!

Now on to my December plans and goals -

1. Wedding Photos - I want to finish ordering and framing my wedding photos and canvases.  I had no idea this would be such a time consuming and confusing process.
2. Get this House in Order - mainly my master bedroom closet and our closet both which pretty much looks like an episode of Hoarders.
3. Cook and Eat at Home - I like to cook.  I don't like going places in the winter when its dark and cold when I get home from work.  With a 2nd car payment...we need to watch out money f0r a bit. 
4. Read More.  I read blogs...and magazines all of the time.  I have two books which I need to read.  I would like finish both of them before the end of the month.  My books to finish are Thirteen Reasons Why which Madison and my friend Kara both read an enjoyed and Nanny Returns which my husband bought for me last Christmas and I have yet to read.
5. BLOG every day. This one is pretty self explanatory.
6. Save Money - I want to be more active with clipping coupons, using coupons, shopping sales, and saving money.
7. Start my Business - I am working on opening a bakery business...online first...through etsy...with a long term goal of having an actual small bakery/cafe.  So far I have set up etsy shop - Betty Ray's Bakery and a Facebook fan page (link to like it is to the right). The fabulous Miranda at Little Sailor Designs created my banner, reserved listing avatar, shop avatar, and label for my business. She also created my fabulous blog as well..so check her out if you are looking for some design work.  So in addition to working on the business aspects of it...I need to work on my bakery menu and perfecting my recipes.

What are some of your December plans and goals?