Contest Corner

Friday, December 11, 2009

Jewelry Giveaway at Dressmaker in a Box

Dressmaker in a Box is giving away pearl jewelry to three winners. Click here to enter, ends December 16th.

New Music Spotlight: Selena Gomez, Corinne Bailey Rae, & Christmas Tunes

If your kids love Selena Gomez, then don't miss the world premiere of her new music video, "Naturally", which debuts on the Disney Channel tonight, December 11 at 8:40 p.m., ET/PT following the premiere of "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation." And I have an extra treat for you: click here to listen to a free stream of "Naturally"!

You might recall that I recently featured a talented artist named Nikki Yanofsky. I'm pleased to let you know that she has released her first Christmas single, "One Wish This Christmas". Click here to stream a 30-second preview of the song, which can be found on iTunes.

Corinne Bailey Rae just released "I'd Do It All Again", the first single of her new album, The Sea. Check out her live performance of the song above, and watch for The Sea to hit shelves on January 26th.

Finally, I have a silly take on some Christmas classics to share with you! This video is Fred's "Christmas Is Creepy", a tongue-in-cheek look at some of our favorite Christmas stories. Fred is the latest YouTube celebrity, becoming a kid-favorite and appearing at The Teen Choice Awards as well as making appearances on "iCarly" and an upcoming episode of "Hannah Montana". His holiday album, It's Hackin' Christmas, is available on iTunes.

New Giveaways at MomStart

Keeping Up With The Kardashians Season Premiere on 12/13

Reality TV junkies are likely to be looking forward to the season premiere of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E! this Sunday. If you're a fan of the show, watch this space, because I'm going to be offering a Keeping Up With The Kardashians poster giveaway soon. In the meantime, check out the trailer for the new season below:

The one-hour season premiere will air on Sunday, December 13th at 10 PM.

Holiday Pack Giveaway From Holey Donuts!

Holey Donuts! asked if I'd like to participate in a fun little contest that they're running. Here's the info:

HOLEY DONUTS! would like one lucky reader to win A Holey Donuts! Holiday Pack of:

1- Full box of Jumbo Low Fat Cinnamon Buns (4)
1- Full box of Our Awesome Jumbo Low Fat Blueberry Vanilla Buns (4)
1- Full box of Holey Donuts! Low Fat Cinnamon Bun Middles (16)

+$150 Holiday spending cash!

Enter to win by emailing info@holeydonuts.net. You will need to put "Contest Corner" in the subject line in order to enter. One entry per person, ends December 15th. If a reader from my blog wins, I will also win a cash prize, as Holey Donuts! are offering a separate blogger contest, too!

Also, if you're interested in making a purchase from Holey Donuts, you can buy two assortments and use promo code HGLL to get a 3rd assortment free.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Hershey USB Flash Drive Giveaway at She Scribes

She Scribes is giving away a Hershey USB Flash Drive from Jazwares. Click here to enter, but hurry - it ends tonight, December 10th!

Free Agent Go Giveaway at I Like It Frantic

I Like It Frantic is giving away a FreeAgent Go from Seagate. Click here to enter, but hurry - the giveaway ends tonight, December 10th!

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Anti Monkey Butt Powder - Review & Giveaway

Today I've got stocking stuffer for the man on your list that's both humorous and practical! Anti Monkey Butt Powder is designed to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation for people who lead active lifestyles. And one lucky Contest Corner reader will win two bottles of Anti Monkey Butt Powder, so read on!

What Is Anti Monkey Butt Powder?

Here's a little explanation and some further information that Anti Monkey Butt Powder sent me:

"Anti Monkey Butt Powder – perfect stocking stuffer for the active man whether he takes part in physical hobbies or has a job that runs him around. Anti Monkey Butt Powder is a new product, invented by motocross riders, designed to treat friction and irritation that can result from excess sweat. As you and maybe your husbands, boyfriends, brothers, friends know, excessive sweat can cause irritation of the buttocks and inner thighs, also known as "monkey butt". Unlike other powders, Anti Monkey Butt has calamine and talc which gives it a cooling sensation instead of the burning that you might get from other products. Anybody who has used those other powders will know what 'the burning' is we are referring to.

Anti Monkey Butt also has a lady friend – New Lady Anti Monkey Butt – which makes a great stocking stuffer for women, too. Lady Anti Monkey Butt delivers the same great results only made with calamine and cornstarch. Perfect for frictional discomfort that women often experience when using exercise equipment, running, driving, cycling or just walking (even discomfort from bras).

Keep up to date on the latest from Anti Monkey Butt Powder by fanning them on Facebook."

My Take:

I received two bottles of Anti Monkey Butt powder to review. Since I've been working out a lot, I applied some of the Lady Anti Monkey Butt powder before heading out to the gym. I've never really experienced problems with chafed skin, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. It has a pleasant scent, and it did seem to absorb some of the perspiration as I huffed and puffed on the treadmill. I could see this being helpful for athletes (football players, surfers, bicyclists) or anyone who participates in a lot of outdoor activities, like jogging. It also has the added bonus of a hilarious name and packaging, which makes it a funny stocking stuffer - I'm actually giving my second bottle as a gag gift for Christmas!

And I'm not the only one who thinks this would be a good gift item; check out this silly Anti Monkey Butt holiday video featuring Santa himself:

Win It!

One lucky Contest Corner reader will one bottle of Anti Monkey Butt Original Powder and one bottle of Lady Anti Monkey Butt Powder - so you can give one to your man and keep one for yourself! This giveaway ends on December 17th, so I can't guarantee delivery before Christmas, but we'll do our best! Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to visit Anti Monkey Butt's website. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me something that you learned or thought was funny!

This step is required to qualify for the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that I may notify you in the event that you are the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Anti Monkey Butt. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person.
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by entering your email into the "Subscribe" box in the sidebar. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow" button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Grab the Holiday Gift Guide badge and put it on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Post my regular button on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on December 17th at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US residents.

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Softlips Winter Flavors - Review & Giveaway

Tweens can be a hard age group to shop for. You want to give them a gift that's fun, but not too "childish". Tween girls often love fashion and beauty, but they might not be old enough to wear loads of makeup yet - so I have the perfect solution for you! Softlips make fun, flavored lip balm that is pampering and appropriate for all ages. And one lucky Contest Corner reader will win a set of the new Softlips Winter flavors, so read on!

About Softlips:

Here's a little info that Softlips sent me about their new flavors:

"This winter don’t let the cold air damage your lips. Prepare your pucker for the mistletoe with the new limited editions flavors of Softlips® lip conditioners– new Sugar & Spice and Sugar Plum Berry as well as Winter Mint and Sugar Cookie.

Perfect as a stocking stuffer or gift to yourself, the seasonal flavors help protect lips from the sun with SPF 20 and have the same great moisturizing properties as Softlips’ other popular flavors. Each winter flavor comes paired with a complimentary Softlips® favorite lip balm:

New in 2009! Softlips® Sugar & Spice
New in 2009! Softlips® Sugar Plum Berry
Softlips® Winter Mint
Softlips® Sugar Cookie

For a suggested retail price of $2.99 to $3.99 for the dual-stick pack. Now through out the holiday/winter season, the limited addition flavors Sugar & Spice and Sugar Plum Berry will be available in Target and Winter Mint and Sugar Cookie will be available at Walgreens.

Stay up to date on the latest from Softlips by fanning them on Facebook."

My Take:

My lips get extremely dry and chapped, so I always keep something on them. During the day, I wear moisturizing lipstick or lipgloss; after I take my makeup off at night, I switch to lip balm. I always have a tube (or three) of lip balm sitting on my desk, and Softlips is one of my favorites. So when they asked if I'd like to try the new holiday balms, of course I said yes! I am a sucker for anything with festive flavors - I love pumpkin lattes and peppermint coffee creamer! - so I love that they have released these seasonal lip balms. I really enjoy using the yummy flavors (sugar cookie, anyone?!). It's so seasonal and fun!

I think these would make an excellent stocking stuffer for any tween girl on your list - the packaging is fun and sparkly, and a nice set of lip balms will appeal to any girlie girl!

Win It!

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a set of the new Softlips Winter flavors - four dual-stick packs containing Sugar Plum Berry, Sugar & Spice, Sugar Cookie, Winter Mint, two tubes of Vanilla and two tubes of Cherry! This giveaway ends on December 17th, so I can't guarantee delivery before Christmas, but we'll do our best! Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to check out the Softlips Lip Q&A page. Then come back here and leave a comment mentioning something that you learned!

This step is required to qualify for the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that I may notify you in the event that you are the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Softlips. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person.
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by entering your email into the "Subscribe" box in the sidebar. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow" button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Grab the Holiday Gift Guide badge and put it on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Post my regular button on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on December 17th at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US residents.

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Money Savvy Pig - Review & Giveaway

Every year, there are new trends in popular toys - products that will later be nostalgic to a specific age group (Like my Power Rangers action figures!) . Then there are toys that are classics: iconic items that every generation seems to have, such as building blocks, dolls, and army men. Another item that every child seems to own is a traditional piggy bank - how would you like to tuck this timeless gift under the tree this year? One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a Money Savvy Pig, so read on!

About The Money Savvy Pig:

Here's some information that Money Savvy Generation sent me about their piggy bank:

"With today's American family struggling to make ends meet, how can parents teach their children--especially during the holiday season--that it's time to cut back and give back? With the must-have gift for 2009 - the Money Savvy Pig®, of course!

Created by Susan Beacham, founder and CEO of Money Savvy Generation, the Money Savvy Pig comes in a variety of colors and retails for $14.99 (there's a cow and a football for those who have an aversion to pigs). The bank has been featured on The Oprah Show, The Today Show and The Dr. Phil Show.

The Money Savvy Pig includes a guidebook to help you talk to your kids about their money choices (its blue transparent plastic is divided into four labeled compartments: save, spend, donate and invest). Each compartment has its own slot on top and plug at the bottom and it comes with a curriculum aimed at teaching kids the basics of money management."

My Take:

When Money Savvy Generation sent me one of their piggy banks to review, I was glad, because I actually needed a new bank to store change in! I normally keep my change in a jar, but it never seems to be big enough. The Money Savvy Pig is cute and convenient - he has four different sections to put money in towards different goals. I could see this being a fun tool to use in talking with your children about finances. In fact, the basic concept is similar to how I have my bank accounts set up: I have my checking account (spend/donate), savings account (save/invest), and tax savings account - okay, there's no compartment on the pig for that one, but unless your children are self employed and need to withhold part of their earnings for taxes, you're probably OK!

I decided to use the pig's handy compartments to serve another helpful function: I use it separate pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters! It's extremely useful to me, since you can open up each of the pig's hooves to access the money from each section, keeping everything organized. And since the bank comes with a sheet of customizable stickers, I was able to mark each compartment as "1 cent", "5 cent", etc. You can even choose the color of the pig's eyes (I opted for green!).

Win It!

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a Money Savvy Pig! This giveaway ends on December 17th, so I can't guarantee delivery before Christmas, but we'll do our best! Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to check out Money Savvy Generation's other products. Then come back here and leave a comment mentioning another that you like!

This step is required to qualify for the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that I may notify you in the event that you are the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Money Savvy Generation. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person.
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by entering your email into the "Subscribe" box in the sidebar. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow" button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Grab the Holiday Gift Guide badge and put it on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Post my regular button on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on December 17th at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US residents.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: (seed)+ Body Care - Review & Giveaway

I've mentioned previously that bath and body products are one of my favorite things to both give and receive. I think we all like to be pampered, and bath items serve double duty as a gift that is both a treat and practical. So when Buzz Cooperative and (seed)+ invited me to join their blog tour and try out their line of all-natural soaps and lotions, I was glad to participate. And (seed)+ would also like to give one lucky Contest Corner reader 2 bars of their specialty soap and a bottle of lotion, so read on!

About (seed)+:

Here's a little information that (seed)+ sent me about their product line:

"SEED+ offers soothing lotions, moisturizing soaps, and unique shampoo bars enriched with nutrient-rich grape seed byproducts, which are packed with powerful antioxidants, Vitamin E, and beneficial essential fatty acids, ingredients shown to promote healthy skin and help prevent premature aging."

My Take:

I received a box containing a variety of (seed)+ soaps and lotions to try, and I was eager to put them to the test. I have very dry skin, so the first product I used was their Invigorating Citrus Thyme body lotion. This lotion has a nice scent that smells like grape candy with an orange zest. I've been using this almost daily since receiving it - it's a nice, fragrant lotion that leaves a pleasant fruity scent on your skin.

The lotion makes a nice compliment to their body bar, which is available in the same scent. I particularly liked the addition of pomegranate, apricot and strawberry seeds, which add a little exfoliating kick. I normally find soap to be too drying to use as a body wash, but this left me less parched than others that I've used - my skin felt drier than I would have liked after using, but using the body lotion counterbalanced that.

I also tried out their unique shampoo bar, a soap specifically designed for your hair. This soap really works into a big lather, with a pleasant natural scent. I color and bleach my hair constantly and use heat to dry and style my hair every time I shower, so the products that I use have to be pretty specialized to deal with all that abuse. I found the shampoo soap to be a little drying on my hair, but Jai is a big fan and has been using it a lot.

I've really enjoyed trying the (seed)+ line, and this is definitely something I would give as a gift. The products are nicely packaged, smell great, and I love the luxurious look and feel of the soaps - these would look great tucked into a gift basket for someone.

Twitter Party:

Buzz Cooperative and Global Influence (formerly Momfluence) are hosting a twitter party tomorrow, December 10th at 2:00pm (EST) for the (seed+) line of body care products. Join me and other bloggers from the (seed)+ blog tour for even more chances to win! Co-founder Rebecca Gournay will be on hand to answer questions, and you'll have the chance to win one of two Seed gift baskets valued at over $50, as well as gift cards to Amazon.com and Drugstore.com! RSVP here and use hashtag #seedbodycare to join in - I'm @hardertobreathe, so be sure to say "Hi"!

Win It!

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a bottle of (seed)+ lotion, one body bar, and one shampoo bar! Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to check out the (seed)+ website. Then come back here and tell me something that you learned!

This step is required to qualify for the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that I may notify you in the event that you are the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and (seed)+. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person.
4. Click here to follow (seed)+ on Twitter. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Twitter username!
5. Subscribe to my blog updates by entering your email into the "Subscribe" box in the sidebar. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
6. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow" button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
7. Grab the Holiday Gift Guide badge and put it on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

8. Post my regular button on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on December 16th at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US residents.

Joshua Bell "At Home With Friends" Winner

And the winner of Joshua Bell's At Home With Friends album is...

Comment number 6, jakiesmom, who said: "e-mail subscriber".

Congratulations! I hope everyone enjoyed the free stream of the album and Sandra Lee's special holiday recipes. Joshua Bell's At Home With Friends is available on Amazon for $11.99, while Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cocktail Time can be purchased for $1 2.21.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Gift Card Giveaway at The Happy Housewife

The Happy Housewife is giving away a $100 gift card of your choice - click here to enter, but hurry! Giveaway ends today, December 7th.

Thai Kitchen Curry Challenge - Review & Giveaway

I've always enjoyed making - and eating! - curries, and I recently had the opportunity to participate in a fun "Curry Challenge" from Thai Kitchen. They heard that I had never made Thai food before, so they mailed me a Curry Challenge cooking kit, full of ingredients and a recipe for Red Curry Chicken that is meant to be as easy as it is good. So how challenging was this Curry Challenge? I've documented my whole experience to share with you - and Thai Kitchen would also like to give two lucky Contest Corner readers a Thai Kitchen Cookbook, so read on!

Last night marked the beginning of my foray into Thai cooking. I've always enjoyed eating at Thai restaurants, but hadn't prepared Thai food myself, so I was excited to try this. All of the ingredients I used are pictured above, so it was pretty straightforward. Usually when I make curry, it involves a lot of potato peeling, carrot chopping, onion dicing and so forth, so I liked the simplicity of the ingredients.

This is the recipe that was included in my kit:

Red Curry Chicken

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1 can (14 ounces) Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk, divided
2 tablespoons Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai basil
2 tablespoons Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce

1. Bring 1/2 of the coconut milk to simmer in large skillet on medium heat. Stir in curry paste until well blended. Add remaining coconut milk and sugar; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Stir in basil and fish sauce.
3. Serve with cooked Thai Kitchen Jasmine Rice. Garnish with additional basil and red chile slices, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

I started off by preparing the chicken breasts. I cooked them on a pan coated in coconut oil, since I thought that would compliment the other coconut flavorings in the dish.

As the chicken cooked, I chopped the basil. The recipe called for Thai basil, which I couldn't find at my supermarket; so I substituted it for regular basil, which seemed to work just fine.

After the chicken was cooked, I chopped it into small pieces. The recipe didn't mention if the chicken should be diced or not, but I decided it would be better that way.

The package of chicken was over 2 pounds, so I measured out 1 pound for the recipe and stuck the rest in a ziploc bag. During the coming week, I'll toss the cooked chicken into tortillas with avocado and cheese for a yummy quesadilla, and mix it up with mayo and a hardboiled egg as a topping for salads and sandwiches. I love cooking up a big batch of food on the weekend - it makes the workweek so much easier!

As I chopped up the chicken, I also started the water boiling for the rice and began simmering the coconut milk.

I didn't have a big enough skillet, so I used a stockpot instead!

I wasn't sure about the best way to coordinate the cooking time of the rice and curry - when I'm making dinner, I find the timing to be the most challenging aspect - so I started boiling the water at the same time that I began simmering the coconut milk. This worked out perfectly; all the food was ready to serve at the same time.

Dinner time!

Everything turned out perfectly - the curry was really good and got rave reviews from Jai. A word of warning to the meek: this curry does pack a spicy punch, so if you have mild-mannered taste buds like me, you might want to add less curry paste. I had to be careful not to get too much of the curry sauce on my plate, since it was so hot; Jai, on the other hand, enjoyed the spiciness.

I really enjoyed making this, and I would make it again. Realistically, this takes longer than 35 minutes to make, and there was a fair bit to keep track of as I simmered the curry and prepared the rice; but it was really nice to have most of the ingredients pre-prepared, and not spend an hour peeling potatoes. I thought this was a straightforward, yummy recipe, and I had fun making it - not too bad for my first time making Thai food!

Win it!

Did this recipe pique your interest in trying Thai cooking for yourself? Two lucky Contest Corner readers will win a Thai Kitchen Cookbook! Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, check out Thai Kitchen's Real Asian Made Simple. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what recipe you'd like to try!

This step is required to qualify for the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that I may notify you in the event that you are the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Real Asian Made Simple.. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One tweet entry per person.
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by entering your email into the "Subscribe" box in the sidebar. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow" button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post my button on your website - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on December 21st at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US residents.

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: "Santa's Sampler" Stocking Stuffer From Lovable Labels - Giveaway

Lovable Labels create personalized stickers, bag tags, and clothing labels to help kids decorate - and locate! - their stuff. And in celebration of the holiday season, they would like to give one lucky Contest Corner reader an adorable "Santa's Sampler" stocking stuffer!

Here's some information that Lovable Labels forwarded me about their company and products:

About Lovable Labels

"Built on a reputation of providing families around the world with premium quality, kid-durable, personalized labels; Lovable Labels has an array of products for everyone from baby to senior. Specializing in the durable labels that make sure your kids stuff stays with your kid, Lovable Labels are a colourful way to identify who belongs to what. From labels that are safe from the dishwasher to the washing machine and a variety of other personalized products to help organize around the house or office, we are proud to provide organization and labelling solutions for all ages!"

Win it!

"A great gift idea to help you stuff those little stockings hanging off the mantel! For the holiday season, these personalized packs are the perfect size to slide into a stocking and they're already gift wrapped in a beautiful red foil package containing a message from the Elves themselves! Each sampler contains: 6 Star Shaped Fun Stickies , 30 Slimline Stickers,16 Dots (4 Lg, 4 Med, 8 Sm), and 8 Shoe Labels."

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a "Santa's Sampler" in their choice of either Rudolph's Rendition (geared towards boys) or Prancer's Picks (geared towards girls)! Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to visit Lovable Labels. Then come back here and leave a comment mentioning another product that you like!
This step is required to qualify for the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that I may notify you in the event that you are the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Lovable Labels. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One tweet entry per person.
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by entering your email into the "Subscribe" box in the sidebar. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow" button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Grab the Holiday Gift Guide badge and put it on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Post my regular button on your website's sidebar or links page - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on December 14th at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

New Music Spotlight: Norah Jones, Tamar Kaprelian

On the last "New Music Spotlight", I shared a video from Nikki Yanofsky covering Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why". And as coincidence would have it, this week's Spotlight features a new cut from Ms. Jones herself!

This is the official music video for "Chasing Pirates", the first single off Norah Jones' latest album, The Fall. You can click here to visit her Amazon page and listen to more clips from the album.

Tamar Kaprelian is a new artist who got her break after she won a music contest judged by OneRepublic. This is an acoustic version of her single "New Day", which was featured on MTV's The Hills. Look out for Kaprelian's debut album sometime in 2010.

Giveaways at Getting All My Ducks In a Row

Getting All My Ducks In a Row is hosting two fun giveaways:

Crayola Holiday Gifts - Ends 12/10

$25 EcoStore Gift Card - Ends 12/10

Saturday, December 5, 2009

FreeAgent Go Giveaway at Networking Witches

Networking Witches is giving away a 500 GB FreeAgent Go Portable Drive from SeaGate. Click here to enter, but hurry - giveaway ends tonight, December 5th at 11:59 PM PST!

Sweepstakes Saturday!

Welcome to Sweepstakes Saturday! Are you hosting a giveaway on your blog this week? Then list it below, so that we can all enjoy a few fun contests to start the weekend off right!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Yamaha PDX-60 Speaker Dock

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few months ago, I got an iPhone. As you know, Jai owns a computer business, and one of his customers had an iPhone that she didn't want, so he bartered with her and did some computer repair in exchange for the iPhone. I can't tell you how useful this device has been for me! I can check my email, take photos, surf the web - you name it. It comes in especially handy when I'm traveling, because I have so much information right at my fingertips.

I'm still learning how to use a lot of the iPhone's features - surprisingly, the one thing I haven't done yet is add music to it. Crazy, I know! All of my music is already loaded onto my Creative Zen MP3 player, so I just haven't made the time to sit down with my iPhone and load some tunes in. One reason is that my Zen has 30 GB of storage, while my iPhone doesn't have as much space; so it won't be able to fit all my music - I primarily use it for surfing the net and taking pictures.

Social Spark contacted me on behalf of Yamaha to share some info about their Yamaha PDX-60. This is a wireless speaker dock that plays music straight from your iPhone or iPod. I would like to get something like this, because it would be handy for rooms that I don't have a stereo system in. It says you can also charge two iPods at the same time on it, which is pretty awesome. So I'm curious: Do any of you own this system, or something like it? Would you recommend it?

Oh, and Yamaha love seeing pictures of people putting their iPods to use, so here's a photo of me on Halloween, using the iPhone while in costume as Lindsay Lohan!