I thought it would be fun to put together a giveaway package that includes a variety of goodies, several of which are labors of love made by real-life friends and family members. Thanks for helping me celebrate the relaunch of Gidget Goes Home.
I thought I might review each one of these items separately... but then I thought about it again, I realized you probably didn't want seven separate blog posts crowding your inbox or reader, so I'm going to squeeze them all in here for ya.
The important thing is that these are all things I love, which is why I'm celebrating the relaunch of my blog by giving them away to a lucky reader.
In this little gift package of love you will find something for him (thanks to the awesome hubbies out there!), for the home, for the kids, and of course, for you, lovely lady (since I'm assuming most of my readers are women). You will also find three of my favorite eBooks, two of which are not part of the gigantic sale going on right now, but which will complement the other 97 nicely.
This is a long post, but trust me, you're going to want to see what these goodies are all about!
For her: Sarah Undercover
I've always been a journaler. My husband isn't too happy about the storage tub full of old journals taking up precious space in the garage, but I can't part with them; they are part of me, of my story. Nowadays, I don't journal the same as I used to, although I miss writing out my prayers and thoughts like I used to (back when I had all the time in the world for that sort of thing!). For now, my journals serve as more of a brain dump, recipe file, and collection of sermon notes, prayer requests, favorite verses, dreams and big ideas, and sketches-- the stuff of life you might say.
For a couple of years, I used Moleskines, and now have moved on to a beautiful handmade journal made by my good friend Sarah. When we first met, I was thrilled to hear that she had an Etsy shop (kindred spirit!!) and was greatly impressed by her handiwork. Sarah collects vintage maps and papers and other lovely embellishments that she uses as she hand-sews her journals together.
They are so beautiful, and well-made at that. I have the aqua-colored one pictured-- she made it just for me and used a map of Hawaii on the inside cover (which I love, because David and I honeymooned there). The royal blue one pictured will be the winner's journal-- it features a map of the west coast (represent!) on the inside cover. Visit the Sarah Undercover shop to see more of her creations.
For him: Fifty Five South
Fifty Five South is the clothing line designed and screen printed by my talented brother, Alex. He makes men's and children's t-shirts, and men's crew neck sweatshirts as well, printed with his own designs and photography.
I'd tell you which one was my favorite, but I really love them all. If you're looking for a guy gift, you can't go wrong with one of these. My husband David has the top two shirts. As for the children's line, any kiddo would look adorable in one of these hip prints. Hallee has the birdie shirt. :)
Visit Fifty Five South for lots more tees & sweatshirts, and know that if you buy a shirt from Alex it comes screen printed with love in Costa Mesa, CA. :) Today, I'm giving away the choice of one men's shirt.
For the home: Mr. B's Luminaries
These beautiful, wonderful-smelling candles are hand-poured by a friend of mine, Shem; we serve together in the church worship ministry and I had the super-fun honor to have my recording debut singing a few background vocals on his forthcoming album (I'll let you know about it when it releases!).
But back to candles for now... Shem's company, Mr. B's Luminaries is really just getting started, but I can already see that it's going to be successful because of the quality of the candles and ingredients and the lovely and hip branding. I really love the different jars and the stamped tags.
It doesn't get much better than this, as far as I'm concerned: scented with %100 essential oils, no fragrance oils, organic and biodegradable soy wax grown by farmers in the U.S.A., no paraffin wax , no GMOs , only ingredients from Fair-Trade suppliers, hand-poured in small batches, made with the finest ingredients. The winner today will receive the candles pictured, three scents in a variety of jars.
For the kids: Squooshi
It's not often these days that a baby/kid gadget comes my way and finds me smitten. But after discovering a love for applesauce pouches and planting one in Gigi's lunch every time she goes to school and taking them on the go with the kiddos all the time, I often wished I had a reusable version. I didn't like the cost of the pouches or the waste involved, but convenience was winning that battle on a weekly basis.
When I was giving a chance to review the Squooshi pouches, I jumped at the chance, hopeful. And indeed they were exactly what I was looking for! These refillable pouches are easy to use and surprisingly easy to clean. I simply fill them up with applesauce -- often flavored with cinnamon or even blended with berries and spinach-- and we're good to go for over four times less the cost of the pouches I was buying regularly before. I love the cute designs and colors and so do my kiddos; I'm sure yours will too if you win the set-- if you don't have kids, I'm sure a little friend, niece or nephew would love them as a gift.
eBook #1: Nurturing Creativity by Renee Tougas
Since Renee is one of my favorite bloggers, I wasn't surprised at how much I loved her book, Nurturing Creativity: A Guide for Busy Moms. This quote sums up what I took from it: “I’ve come to describe what I do simply as creative living, not defined by any one craft or activity but an overall approach to life"-- and that's really become a mantra for how I live my life.
You can read my full review that I wrote up last year to see what other nuggets I took from it, but you can trust me when I say that this book will encourage and inspire you in your creativity.
eBook #2: Healthy Snacks To Go by Katie Kimball
This eBook is one of my favorite digital cookbooks. Katie's granola bars are a family favorite and since we went grain free we have discovered her amazing power bars (reverse engineered LaraBars) and her coconut flour muffins, which we've already made countless times.
I can't recommend Healthy Snacks To Go {affiliate link} enough.
eBook # 3: Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin Odom
I'm going to take a stab in the dark that at least a few of you readers arrived here because of my DIY Diaper Sprayer Post. If you are a cloth diaper-er, Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert will be an invaluable diapering companion, and if you're interested but unsure about taking the cloth diaper jump, this book will give you everything you need to know to decide what will be best for your family.
I've been cloth diapering off and on for five years, and I'm still learning-- and I'm stoked on a particular simple tip I found in Erin's book that I never thought of before. I love that cloth diapering doesn't have to be all or nothing, and Erin gives so many options for how it can be done, that there really is a method for anyone whose interested. I personally am looking forward to going through Erin's "challenges" that she presents to see if I'm taking proper care of my diapers and if there's any solutions that will help our issues. I also love all the quotes she includes from real-life mamas about their diapering experiences.
And now for the fun part...
This giveaway has now ended!
Today one lucky winner will win:
- one men's t-shirt (design of your choice) from Fifty Five South
- one handmade journal from Sarah Undercover
- three candles from Mr. B's Luminaries
- one set of Squooshi pouches
- one copy each of the following eBooks ~ Nurturing Creativity ~Healthy Snacks to Go ~Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert
Woohoo!! That's a lot of fun (and useful, and beautiful!) stuff. Just enter with the rafflecopter widget below. You'll start by leaving a comment on this blog post (mandatory entry, answering this question: What's one thing you like or that you want to see more of on Gidget Goes Home?) and then go from there if you want extra entries.
Special thanks to my pals for donating these items for giveaway. Some asked me to do review (and provided a sample); others were simply companies I wanted to support by showcasing them for you because I already loved them.
Good luck and thanks for reading!!