Emily -- draft

I WON Flip and Tumble's Summer Foodie Contest!

So excited to share with you that I am the winner of Flip and Tumble's Summer Foodie Contest. The contest was to create a yummy summer treat and the winner would receive Three 24/7 reusable bags in the colors of their creation.

Since I am a Flip and Tumble addict, I had to think hard about this one! So I purchased some popsicle molds and went to town, keeping it healthy of course!

For the popsicles:

Left -- lowfat vanilla pudding and mandarin oranges

Middle -- fresh cut strawberries, mandarin oranges and skim milk

Right -- lowfat vanilla pudding and fresh raspberries

lesson learned: As much as I wanted Hershey's Chocolate Syrup to work for this project, it does not freeze and creates more mess than fun :)

They have chosen red, orange and lemon yellow 24/7 reusable bags for my prize -- 3 super yummy summer colors I might ad :)

Meet Rawley...

I would like to introduce you to Rawley. He's an adorable bichon/terrier mix (with a schnauzer face and dalmation spots all over his skin) my husband and I adopted from Small Paws Rescue. He is a true joy to be around and we can't wait to teach him tons of tricks. He has already mastered his doggy door! A big thanks to his foster mom for training him to be a good boy!

Modern Coasters that have something to say...

Yes, they are incredible, yes they are mildly expensive and yes they are eco-friendly...Made by type experts as VEER, this set of bamboo baskerville coasters will someday have a place in my living room or on my dining room table...

So fun...Tie-Dye Cupcakes by the Crafty Chica!

I have to try this! I've made a ton of cupcakes but apparently was never creative enough to try this...so many holiday options....orange and black for halloween, red and green for christmas....so fun! My sister would love the multi-color ones for her birthday :)

Get the instructions and more pics here!

Confetti Mixing Bowls at Urban Outfitters for $14.99

Thinking about investing in these for parties and such. I've always been drawn to Rachel Ray's garbage bowl but this set from Urban Outfitters is even more colorful and on sale for $14.99.

Visa Signature Pumps Up its Perks!

We've being using our HHonors Visa Signature Card to collect points for free hilton stays across the country for years but recently I've found that we are entitled to a lot more than that!

With any VISA SIGNATURE card (has a bar on the front of your visa card that states this), you can receive 25% off advance hotel reservations with Hilton, Buy one night get the next night 50% off with Starwood Hotels (includes our current fav the Westin), 20% off Alamo car rentals...and much more!

We used one of the Perks last night by going to the movie theatre (which we rarely do these days). With a visa signature, you can preorder your tickets online through Fandango and get 2 tickets for the price of one! We went to a late night movie for $10.25! And the real beauty of this deal, you can use this discount every 30 calendar days!!

Go eBay! ....

Starting today, you can create 5 auctions every 30 days and not pay any insertion fees! ...

The best part? eBay stresses that this is a policy change and not a promotion. Time to get my act together and finish my spring cleaning!

Click Here to read more...

bare ... good for the environment and no more washing dishes!

New love for summer parties! bare by the solo company has created disposable plates and cups that are made from sustainable materials, can be recycled and some products are even compostable. Now I can be lazy about washing dishes and be good to the environment too.

above image from bare website

Smitten with Flip and Tumble...

So I don't always recycle, green is not my favorite color and I can't always afford organic fruit... but for earth day or earth day week, I wanted to do my part. After researching reusable bags (because I'm more fashionable than those white plastic bags), I found the most innovative and design-friendly bags!

They are by a company called flip and tumble and you can now order them online in a boatload of modern colors. Be sure to watch the video to see how they fold into a little ball! Then make your own set and save even more $... with a mere $4 shipping cost, you can afford to try them out and add more to your collection each season!

above photo from flip and tumble website

I'm the Feature Artist at Art Garage Sale!

Check it out! I'm the feature artist at Art Garage Sale :) Also check out my etsy shop for lots of new products/designs!

i am not your doormat....

So simple yet so dramatic :) Search google for this gem or purchase it here....

Portion Size -- Getting Smaller Every Day...

Peekaboo Picks has a great article on portion control. Its the easiest and best way to lose weight and I have applied this method to my own eating the last couple of months and it works great (especially paired with lots of water and exercise).

Its very simple to follow, just cut in half what you would normally eat at home or at a restaurant and follow simple portion sizes in the peekaboo picks article (like a serving of pasta = ½ ounce of pasta --Cooked, this will be about one rounded handful.)...

I would also recommend the book "Fat Ass No More" by Kim Reinhart for further reading and study. It's a very simple to read book with a lot of common sense advice that will get your body and mind back on track!

photo courtesy of Peekaboo Picks

Climbing Picture Frames...a new Japanese Art

Apparently the multi-color hand and foot pulls weren't good enough for this swanky gym. Yes, I said gym...Japan takes interactive art to a whole new level :)

read more here

pink dolphins? perfect!

Sometimes I think we get a glimpse of heaven on earth...and this pink dolphin makes me wonder what else we're missing! Beautiful and unique, the dolphin resides in Lake Calcasieu, Louisiana, (an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico in southwestern Louisiana).

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read more here