Day to Day

Coffee cup sleeve winners!

Hooray, it's time to announce the two lucky winners of the gorgeous Alexandra Mackenzie coffee cup sleeves!

Beth Quah Soo Jing said...

Hi Melissa:) I could do crochet, just not as swell as Alexandra! I did however finished a pink cap once, sadly, that was it . A favorite in Alexandra's etsy shop would be her Pretty Garland with the crochet floral motif! It's absolutely a candied decor for my bedroom:)

and

Allana said...

Oooh, how exciting! I love everything in Alexandra's shop, the colours are scrummy too. I think I would have to chose this hottie cover for the gorgeous Turquoise border though:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79909992/hot-water-bottle-cover-winter-snuggly-a
Thanks to you both for the opportunity :)

Beth & Allana: Could you please pop me through your email address (onecraftymumma@internode.on.net) and I will put you in touch with the lovely Ellen from Alexandra Mackenzie to organise your coffee sleeves.

Happy crochet giveaway!

Remember my crocheted hot water bottles that arrived last week?  Well, the lovely Ellen of Alexandra Mackenzie has offered to give away two of her beautiful crocheted coffee cup sleeves to my lucky readers and you can choose your own colour combinations that she will then whip up for you.  So good.

{example of coffee cozies from Ellen's store}

I don't know about you, but I think coffee and tea looks much prettier with a little crochet goodness around it's middle.

This give away is open worldwide!  If you would like to enter, pop over to Alexandra Mackenzie and then leave a comment on this post letting me know what you most favourite item in store is!  Easy peasy :)

I'll close off the giveaway on Sunday (4th December 2011) and announce the two winners on Monday.  Good luck xo

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**

Parrot Carrot winner

Just popping in quickly to announce the Parrot Carrot book winner:

Cath R said...

My 5 and 2 year old girls would both love this book...thanks for the chance to enter! My happy comment is... thanks for the inspiration for a pressie for my Mum. After seeing your dream catcher - it is the perfect item for her whilst she travels Aust in her campervan!

*Cath, can you please pop me through your address details (onecraftymumma@internode.on.net) so I can get your copy in the mail :)

P.S. I'll be back later today with a new vlog that includes a Christmas card tutorial.

P.P.S. I also have another fabulous giveaway coming up this week!

Parrot Carrot give away!

A delightful book arrived in my mail box a couple of weeks ago - Parrot Carrot.

Parrot Carrot is a lovely little book, full of all sorts of rhyming animals and objects that are squished together to create a wonderful new creation - like a Snake Rake, Whale Snail and a Goose Moose. 

Here are a few favourite pages from inside:

It's the cutest book and perfect for pre-schoolers, although even my ten year old had a giggle as we turned and read the pages.  The illustrations are very adorable too - bright, colourful and full of fun.

You can take a peek at the Parrot Carrot video HERE.

If you would like to win a copy of Parrot Carrot for your little person, leave a happy comment on this post.  I'll close off comments this Sunday (27th November 2011) and announce the winner on Monday 28th November.  

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED**

Scrabble winner!

Just popping in quickly to announce the lucky winner of the Scrabble giveaway:

Anna has left you a comment: Mel, you really have a knack for posting things/competitions and such on your blog that are soooo relevent to something current in my life. Scrabble has always been an ALL-TIME favourite in our family's games cupboard all through my childhood and even when I got married I snavelled up an old preloved Scrabble game from my old workplace at an aged care home - however, it is missing about 20 letter blocks, so adequate word making is limited. My Mum put it on the family gift list for me as we believe it is an ESSENTIAL game to have in any household. When I skype my family back in Tassie, my Mum and sister are often in the middle of a Scrabble game. I would love to win it so I can pull it out and relive my childhood memories when my Mum and sisters come to visit. As for my old set? Hmmm, I have a few nifty ideas up my sleeves...

Anna, congratulations and may you have many fun games of Scrabble in the future!  Please pop me through your address details so that I can organise your new game to be mailed out - onecraftymumma@internode.on.net

On a Saturday

I baked a batch of Amish cookies today - the best cookies in the world!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 packet of choc chips

1 tablespoon hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add egg, water and vanilla.  Beat until fluffy. 

Add plain flour and mix well.  Gently stir through the baking soda and choc chips.

Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees) until golden brown.

Bella visited a garage sale going on across the road this morning, with pocket money squished up in her little hands.  She wandered back through the front door with the above soccer table.  She was so proud of her purchase and spent the next few hours telling us what an awesome buy it was.

There some seat building happening in the back yard, using recycled timber.  I'll share photos when it's all finished.

I've been knitting little Blythe cardigans too.  The red one above only took me about, oh....5 hours with so many mistakes made along the way.  I have them a bit more down pat now though and am onto my third.  I plan on doing a stash of them to put away for Christmas - some for my niece's new Blythe doll + a heap for Bella's girls

I hope your Saturday was a good one too.

SodaStream giveaway winner!

I'm just popping in to (finally) announce the SodaStream giveaway winner.  

Remember when I announced the giveaway and shared a little step by step of how easy SodaStreams are to make?  Well, it turns out that they're even easier!!  I received a lovely email from the SodaStream team letting me know that if I put the syrup in last (after fizzing) then there's no syrup clean up (from the machine) and you can release the bottle from the machine super fast without any overflow or spillage.  Excellent :)

Here's a recap:

Fill the bottle with water and screw into position.

Pump the SodaStream until you hear a buzz.

Unscrew the bottle.

Add the syrup - Bella was making Cola for her brother.  Her favourite flavours are the lemonade and raspberry.

Enjoy!  The bottles also keep fizzy in the fridge for quite a while, so long as the lid is on nice and tight. Ours were still fizzy a day later.

Now, the lucky SodaStream winner is:

Suze: has left you a comment:

Mel you have no idea how much I want one of these. I try so hard to avoid sweet drinks and fail. I have discovered that I love plain old fizzy water. As you say it is refreshing and in summer it is one of my very favourite drinks. Add a twist of lemon or lime or some beautiful berries with mint leaves and suddenly water is pretty and looks so much more grown up! I have often looked at these machines and in the end I have walked away as there is always something that falls into the "need not greed" category.

Suze, can you please email me through your address (onecraftymumma@internode.on.net) and I will arrange for the SodaStream crew to mail out your prize.

A very big thank you to SodaStream for providing such a fantastic prize!

SodaStream giveaway...(oh, yes!)

A couple of weeks ago the lovely team at SodaStream sent me a drink maker and syrups to try out.  We've all been using it, but the youngest member of the family is a tad obsessed - she love, love, loves it!

**Please note that we've been adding our syrup first - it turns out that it's easier to pour in the syrup at the end!!  Pop over HERE to read/see my revised step by step photos for this**

I love that the SodaStream is easy to use and child friendly, with just a few steps:

• Step 1: Fill up the bottle with water - to the line.
• Step 2: Pop in a capful of syrup.
• Step 3: Screw the bottle onto the SodaStream - don't be tempted to not read the instructions and just hold the bottle in place like I did the first time. It was not pretty - imagine raspberry SodaStream being sprayed all over the benches, floor and yes, me.
• Step 4: Pump the SodaStream until you hear a buzz.

  

• Step 5: Unscrew the bottle.
• Step 6: Pour and enjoy!  The bottles also keep fizzy in the fridge for quite a while, so long as the lid is on nice and tight. Ours were still fizzy a day later.

Our favourite flavour so far has been lemonade, with raspberry and orange following closely behind.  I've also been enjoying plain old icy cold water with a little bit of fizz - super refreshing.

The best bit is that I also have a SodaStream to give away to one of my sweet Australian readers!  Just leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like a SodaStream drink maker for spring!

I'll close off the comments next Tuesday (6th September 2011) and announce the winner the following day.  Good luck, it's an awesome prize to win - we adore ours and it will be getting a serious work out all through spring and summer this year.

**This giveaway is now closed - the winner will now be announced when I return from holidays (weekend of 17th/18th September)...**

Best skincare products + Garnier giveaway!

This week for my top ten, I'm sharing my personal favourite skincare products and I also have a Garnier giveaway for you!

1. -  As you know, I recently attended the Bloggers Brunch in Melbourne and was very spoilt with lovely goodies to bring home and trial.  One of my most favourite items from the day was a Garnier anti-dark circles roll-on for under my eyes. I was sold as soon as they mentioned that the product contained 'caffeine + lemon essence' - bliss! I've been using it every day since the brunch and when this roll runs out I'm buying another.  Love!  As much as it pains me to give away my spare tube of this, I'm going to because I truly believe that it's an awesome product.

2. - Garnier Intensive conditioning lotion - This was also a product that I bought home from the Bloggers Brunch.  I really like it!  It has the most beautiful cocoa butter scent and I'm wearing it on my legs and arms as I type.

3. - Girl meets Pearl (by Benefit) is another one of my favourite products at the moment.  Apart from the super cute packaging that Benefit do so well, it gives a very subtle glimmer to your face and you can wear it under or over foundation.  Love.

4. - Ooh la lift is another Benefit product that I bought recently.  Now that I'm in my late 30's I need all the help that I can get in the eye department!  I wear this underneath my Garnier anti-dark circles roll-on and it's a brightening boost for eyes. Magic.

5. - I've been using the Smokin' eyes (Benefit) eyeshadow and brow kit for a few months now.  I love that it comes with instructions - because I was more of a slap it on & hope for the best type girl, before I bought this.  I secretly want all of the Benefit eyeshadow kits, they're super cute (I'm a cute packaging girl at heart) and this eyeshadow will stay on all day. Hooray.

6. - Sparkly nail polish (Seed).  I'm wearing it now. I don't think I need to say any more about sparkly nail polish. Everybody should own some!

7. - Inglot Sleeks lip gloss.  I'm not even sure where you buy these sleeks from, but a friend gave me one last Christmas and I wear it on special occasions. It's pretty, shiny and nice.

 
8. - Some kind-a gorgeous (Benefit) - I bought this one on my recent Melbourne trip, it's an oil free foundation in the sweetest vintage record player compact. Are you seeing a pattern here with the cute packaging?  It's a lovely foundation and feels nice and silky on.

9. - Olay Definity -I've been using this night cream for a couple of months now and it's lovely.  I like the smell of it too :)

10. - 2000 Calorie mascara by Max Factor.  I bought this after seeing it on the Max Factor ad and while I'm not sure that it makes my eye lashes look as thick as the ones on the commercial, I do like it.  Mascara takes so long to get through, so by the time I've used up a tube of it, I am officially too lazy to track down another one to try/buy.  My current tube is nearly empty though, so any nice mascara recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Now, for the fun! I have a spare Garnier 2 in 1 tinted eye roll-on (fair to medium skin and full of caffeine + lemon essence) to give away. As I mentioned before, it actually pains me to part with my second and final tube, so you're very lucky :)

Leave a comment on this post telling me if you've tried a Garnier product before or will this be your first experience with their products?  I'll close off comments this Friday (19th August) and announce the winner on Saturday morning.  Entry is open world wide.

Also, if you do have a mascara recommendation for me, let me know at the same time!

P.S. Just so you know, I won't ever blog about products that I don't truly believe in.  Any brands or products that make it onto my blog are here because I want them to be here.  I would never recommend or talk about a brand that I only 'liked' - I have to LOVE something for it to make an appearance on the blog.  I'm very conscious that I have a super lovely readership and I'd like to reassure you all that I would tie myself to a tree and stay there for 90 days before I'd mention or talk about a product that wasn't awesome. xoxo

**COMMENTS for this give away are now closed**

Six 'Kiddie Food Kutters' to giveaway

A couple of weeks ago, the lovely Sarah at Belles Familles sent Bella a Kiddie Food Kutter.  She'd seen one of Bella's Kids in the Kitchen posts where she was using a sharp knife to cut up some ingredients and was kind enough to post off a surprise present.  

Let me tell you that this knife is pretty awesome! Bella has been able to saw through onions, potatoes, carrots and I don't have to be standing there having a heart attack as to whether her little fingers are going to be cut off at any moment.

 

You can press the stainless steel knife down on your hand and it won't cut.  Perfect.  There are no sharp edges at all, it works with a sawing action and I think every child in the world needs one :)

While I can't give one away to every child in the world, Belles Familles have six to give away to your little people - and you can enter from anywhere in the world, hooray!

To enter, leave a comment on this post and tell me why your budding little masterchef needs a Kiddie Food Kutter.  Also, please mention if your masterchef is a boy or a girl.

I'll close off entries this Friday (12th August) and announce the six winners in the evening.  Good luck!  If you'd like to know more about the Kiddie Food Kutter, go HERE.

**This giveaway is now closed**