Edwards Dessert’s Crème Pies Holiday Celebration & Giveaway *CLOSED*

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Edwards for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

]Christmas is almost here! Can you believe it? This year has gone so fast. Did you manage to get all of your cards sent? If not, there is still time to send en ecard. Edwards Crème pies has set up a wonderful site where you can send a holiday e-card to your friends & family. And the best part, you each get a coupon for Edwards pie AND a portion of all sales of Edward’s Desserts products will be donated to Toys for Tots! Edward’s Dessert will be donating a $1 for every Edward’s Desserts product purchased during November and December. How great is that?

This is the holiday e-card I chose to send. I love the blues and the deer. It was very simple to fill out, and you can send the same message to several people at once if you'd like. Right after I sent it, the link to the coupon came up. Such a great idea! Who would you share a holiday e-card with?
Now for the pies.

Georgia Pecan Pie would be great for your holiday celebration. It looks so good!

And this Cookies & Creme Pie looks amazing. This is always one of my favorite flavors.

But this time I chose the Hershey's Creme Pie. It looked so good, and I figured that everyone in my family would enjoy this one. The kids tend to be picky, but who doesn't like Hershey's? It was very  creamy & delicious. I will definitely be buying this one again!

Now, how would you like to win a coupon for a FREE Edwards Pie? And guess what, Edwards Desserts will be making a $20 donation to Toys for Tots in the name of my winner!

To Enter:

1. Visit the Edwards Crème pies website and let me know which flavor you'd like to try and why. (Mandatory).
2. Head on over to the Edwards Pies Facebook page and LIKE them. Leave me a comment letting me know you did. (Optional).
3. Become a public follower of my blog, or let me know that you already are. (Optional).

This will be a quick giveaway. It will remain open until 12/26/12. Good luck!!

 

Teachers Gifts 2012

 I know this is last minute, but I thought I'd still share. If you like the idea you could always pin it & save it for next year! Blake has 3 teachers this year, Layla has one, and Morgan is in pre-k, so I needed cute teachers gifts that wouldn't be too expensive.

 

 I started with the cups. The two with the bands were purchased 75% off at CVS during their post-summer clearance. The three in the middle were purchased at Old Navy. They were all $1.97 or less each!

 I didn't want to just give cups, so we stuffed them with dry erase markers, Hershey's Kisses and a Walmart giftcard. That way they had something sweet, something they could use for class and a giftcard to get something they want or need.

 First we added the giftcard and some markers.

 And then filled it in with chocolate.

 Here is one all stuffed with the lid on.

 Just to make it cute, I added a washi tape flag to each straw.

To finish them off, I hung an ornament that the kids made from the straw. Then we placed them in paper bags with a card. Super simple and affordable. And of course, you can customize the colors and contents to suit your needs.

Here are four of them so you can see how they came out. The kids said the teachers really liked them!

I am glad to say that with these being done, everything is finished! All of my shopping is done, my wrapping is done and my cards are mailed. All that's left is a little bit of baking. How about you, are you ready for Christmas?

Torani Syrups Review

I am a HUGE coffee fan! I mean, who isn't? Actually, I know there are a lot that don't drink coffee. And Torani syrups are great for both! I recently got the chance to try out some Torani syrups. As you can see, I received Salted Caramel and Peppermint. They are delicious!

I have only used them in my coffee so far, but I know they would be great to add a little flavor to hot cocoa as well. And how about frostings? I really want to try adding the Salted Caramel flavor to some buttercream frosting. Unfortunately, no one else in the house likes peppermint, so I will have to save that one for myself. Of course, you could also add them to recipes for a boost of flavor. I haven't had the chance to try that out yet, but I know I will eventually. 

If you haven't heard of Torani syrups yet, or haven't tried them. Here is a little info on their company.

Since 1925, 3rd generation family-owned Torani has been crafting great tasting flavored syrups that coffeehouses use to make their flavored drinks taste so delicious. With over 120 flavors in Regular and Sugar Free varieties, Torani flavored syrups are perfect for flavored lattes, mochas, coffees, cocoas, Italian sodas, teas, lemonades, cocktails and smoothies. Coffeehouse professionals choose Torani flavors because they are expertly crafted and made with the highest quality ingredients, like natural flavors and pure cane sugar. The Sugar Free flavors have no calories and are sweetened with Splenda. Now, Torani flavored syrups are widely available at retail so you can easily create authentic coffeehouse quality drinks at home.

Now that I've tempted your tastebuds, head over to the Torani website and let me know which flavor you'd most like to try! They have SO many! There is something for everyone, even sugar free. How would you use Torani syrups?


I was provided with products to review courtesy of SheSpeaks and Torani, however all thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Duck® The Halls with Duck Tape®

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who doesn't like Duck Tape®? I know we certainly do! And since Duck® Brand has been delighting  consumers with DIY products for over 20 years, I'm sure we aren't the only ones! In case you didn't know, Duck Tape® doesn't just come in silver any more. There are so many colors and patterns to choose from, even NFL and college teams. But the best part, is they have new holiday patterns!

 

How great is this candy cane pattern? I think it would look great wrapped around a foam cone tree, woudln't it?

These reindeer are really cute, too. These would look great as a tag. Just cut out some tags (or use pre-cut) and apply the Duck Tape® to one side. Trim off any sticky parts that overhang, punch a hole, add some ribbon and you're done! It would look fabulous on your gifts.

 

And of course, this time of year, there are a lot of packages to be wrapped and shipped. These would be perfect for that. Everyone likes getting fun mail, and I happen to like it even more when it's packaged cute. These could hold the package shut, obviously, but they would also be great as decorative strips.

Let's not forget that you could also use these adorable tapes for stocking stuffers! They would be perfect for your crafty friends & family members. You could even slip one or two in your own stocking. I won't tell!

Which tapes do you like? What would you do with them? Oh, and don't forget to visit the Duck Tape® Facebook page, and give them a like while you're there. You can stay on top of what's happening with the Duck® Brand.

 

 

Too Late to Share Halloween Costumes?

 It's not too late to share our Halloween pictures is it? It's only December. Oops. Regardless, here's my brood all dressed up for trick-or-treating.

 Blake is usually the most difficult kid when it comes to choosing a costume. He had no ideas this year. Didn't like anything. Then I thought about his favorite game, Minecraft. And I asked if he would want to be one of the characters. He said yes! So he decided on Steve.

 Of course, the head was the most complicated. But it was made in a day, so not too shabby I don't think! Steve wears a teal-ish shirt, this was the closest we could find.

 Morgie knew she wanted to be a princess. We just had to decide which one. Layla had been Cinderella in the past, so we went a different route. Snow White!

 She loved it! And now she is obsessed with Snow White. Which, by the way, is apparently one of the hardest princesses to shop for! Everything is Cinderella, Belle & Sleeping Beauty.

 It's so hard to get her to smile normal sometimes!

 Layla always has lots of ideas. She went the Monster High route this year. She was Cleo de Nile.

 I made the headband, earrings & matching flip flops. I think her costume was pretty cute!

  Of course, she had to have matching gold nails as well.

The photos above are from when we went Trunk-or-Treating. A few days later, I finished the sword for Blake's costume. He says this is a butter sword.

Kids. 

I might do a separate post about Layla's accessories. Now that I've finally posted Halloween, maybe I can knock out a Christmas post before Christmas!

Purex plus Oxi Winners!

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway! 

Now, on to the winners! 

Comment #8, Terry!

Comment #19, Kati at Obscured Flair!

Comment #2, Rachel!

Congratulations ladies!

Purex plus Oxi Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

 Who else hates laundry? I know I do. And with five of us in the house, there is a lot. I swear, one day we will have all of our laundry bins empty & everything put away, and the next day, they are all full again! It's crazy. Anything that makes the task easier or better is a plus for me. Which is why I was thrilled to get to try out Purex plus Oxi laundry detergent.

 It has three stain fighting enzymes, making it the most powerful Purex detergent. Plus, it smells great! I was very pleased with how all of my laundry turned out, even if I wasn't pleased with having to wash it and put it away!

Now, on to the giveaway! Actually, there are two chances for you to win! I am giving away three bottles of Purexp plus Oxi right here on my blog. PLUS, you can enter to win $1,000 from Purex by visiting this link! But hurry, because you only have until 11/30 to enter the contest for $1,000!!

And here is my giveaway! Three lucky readers will win a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex plus Oxi. 

To Enter:
1. Tell me, what is YOUR least favorite household chore? (Mandatory).
2. Head on over to the Purex Facebook page. LIKE them, and leave a comment letting them know that Ramblings from the Sunshine State sent you. (Optional).
3. Become a public follower of my blog, or let me know that you already are. (Optional).

Please make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry! This giveaway will remain open until Thursday, November 29th. Good luck!!


Purex provided me with a sample of Purex plus Oxi so I could review them. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty Giveaway Winner!

Thank you all so much for entering! Now, the lucky winner of a brand new Trunki is... 

Comment #10, Shooting Stars Mag! 

Congratulations!

Share Your Style Swap

Recently I participated in something new over at Vintage Wanna Bee, the Share Your Style Swap. I was paired up with Julie at From Awkward to Art. We filled out questionnaires about what we liked, an then we swapped! This time it was hair accessories.

 I wish I had been inspired enough to create something from scratch, but I had a tough time. Julie liked soft headbands, so I found this cream, lacy one. I really hope she likes it!

I also found this pretty grey flower and added a clip to the back side.

Here's a closeup of the headband.

I added the clip so that the flower could be worn by itself, or attached to the headband.

And these are the cute goodies I received back!

These sparkly clips are fun!

These little bows are sweet, too.

And how pretty are these flowers? This is actually three different clips!