We Have a Winner!

Since Blogger isn't allowing me to add a link, you may visit BJ at http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  If you didn't win and you are still interested in this fun and versatile software, you can still use my discount code to receive $10 off the regular price of $39.97.  This would make a fantastic birthday or holiday gift for your family and friends. 

Discount Code: STMMMS97883

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Gift Idea

Hello Friends.

Need a unique gift for the holidays, birthday or wedding shower?  Why not make a fantastic cookbook for the recipient?   I know my family is always asking for one recipe or the other of mine or from Mom's collection.

You could personalize the cookbook with recipes based on the tastes of the person you are making it for.  Also, you could intersperse pictures of that person throughout the book.

While playing with the My Memories Version 2 Software, I put together this recipe card.  It only took me minutes to put it together.   The recipe is from Taste of Home (my photo).

You can make recipe cards and cookbooks, too.  Go HERE to enter to win My Memories Version 2 Software.  The winner will be drawn on October 15.  Within minutes, you will be making a family cookbook that will be treasured by all.   


I will be linking up to Foodie Friday and Potpourri Friday.  Hop on over and say hello to these wonderful ladies.

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Fuzzy Friend

This post was designed using My Memories Version 2, a digital scrapbook program.  The generous folks at My Memories is sponsoring a giveaway HERE.  Be sure to enter to win this fabulously versatile and fun program.

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

I will be linking up to Blue Monday.

Penelope

This post was designed using My Memories Version 2, a digital scrapbook program.  The generous folks at My Memories is sponsoring a giveaway HERE.  Be sure to enter to win this fabulously versatile and fun program.

I will be linking up to Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday. 

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

My Memories Review and Giveaway!

Do I have a treat for you today!  

Recently, I was contacted by My Memories, a digital scrapbooking software company.  They asked if I would like to review their software, My Memories Suite Version 2.0.  After checking out their website and blog, I heartily agreed.

Last Sunday, I loaded the scrapbook software to my computer.  I’m happy to report you do not need to be computer savvy to load the software.  I did it all by myself.  Woo-hoo!

After familiarizing myself with the program for a short time, I started putting pages together.  It was so much fun!  

There are so many things you can do with this program.  You can make fabulous layouts for your blog for Mosaic Monday…

You can make personalized calendars for those hard-to-buy-for people on your holiday shopping list…

And you can share your memories and events electronically with loved ones who live out-of- town.    

The software comes with all the papers, embellishments, and journaling capabilities you will need to get started.  For even more fun and versatility, My Memories also offers scrapbook kits, just like your favorite scrapbooking store, which include papers, embellishments, and lettering…at a fraction of the cost…and some for FREE!  You can’t beat that!

Guess what?  The generous people at My Memories are also giving My Memories Suite Version 2.0 to one of YOU!  Time for a happy dance…   

Stop the music!

Although only one person can win this fabulous prize, the company is also offering my readers $10 off the purchase of My Memories Suite Version 2.0!  You can own this software, with all its versatility, for the low price of $29.97 (Regular $39.97).  To receive the $10 discount, simply copy and paste this code STMMMS97883 in the promotional code box when you check out.     

HERE’S HOW TO WIN!

Mandatory Entry – Visit My Memories and tell me which scrapbooking kit you like best.  This must be completed in order to win.

Bonus Entries –  Please leave a comment for EACH completed task

1. Be a follower of A Musing Potpourri.
2. Like A Musing Potpourri on Facebook and leave a comment, then come back here and tell me you did.
3. Post this giveaway on your sidebar.
4. Tell your friends on Facebook about this giveaway.
5. Follow My Memories Blog.
6. Like My Memories on Facebook.
7. Complete all of the above and get a bonus entry.

That is a lot of ways to win so make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry so you get credit for them.  I will draw a winner using a random number generator on October 15.

GOOD LUCK!

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Labor Day and a Winner

Hello Friends. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend. It has been a busy one here.  We've been on the run to family functions since Thursday.  It's been a lot of fun, but I am tired today and have piles upon piles of laundry to get done before I go back to work tomorrow.

Thank you to all the lovely ladies who joined in the fun of the End of Summer Celebration Party.  It was a lot of fun to see what you have all been up to this summer.  The winner of the gift basket is #6, Susanne  at Forget-Me-Not.  Susanne is having an end of summer giveaway of her own.  Hop over, introduce yourself, and enter the giveaway.

What have you been up to this weekend?

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

End of Summer Celebration

Hello Friends!

Did you enjoy a spectacular summer this year?  It has certainly been a summer of extremes:hot and humid in the east, rainy across the country's midsection, hot and arid in the southwest.  The iffy weather didn't hamper our enthusiasm for the season though.  

I spent my summer (and spring) doing lots of fun things.  

I spent time at the beach...

Set a patriotic tablescape...

and tried new recipes.

I tried to grow a vegetable garden, which was a disaster, but planted flowers that thankfully flourished....

And enjoyed a Victorian tea with Makayla.

All in all it's been a wonderful summer and it seems too soon for it to end.  BUT, the end of summer brings my favorite season, fall. 

So how did you spend your summer?

Be sure to link up the permalink and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the "url" box.

Please include a link in your post back to this party so your regular readers will be able to find the party 

If you have any questions, email me. 

 I will announce the winner of the gift basket on Labor Day.
All those linking a post are eligible to win.

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

 

Welcome August

Hello Friends.  

Today is the first of the 31 days of August.  In our area, we see the hottest temperatures during August.  By the end of the month, the kids will be back in school, the pools will be closing, and football season will be upon us.  

It is during August that we try to squeeze in those last picnics, garage sales, and trips to the beach and amusement parks.  As we savor the last days of summer 2011 before welcoming autumn to the region, let's celebrate with a link party.

Before we know it, Labor Day will be upon us and we will bid summer adieu.  Let's finish up the summer right with a big bash.  

This is an anything goes party.  

What will you share at the End of the Summer Celebration? 

Terrific Tablescapes

Build Better Burgers

Remarkable Recipes

Meaningful Memories

Creative Crafts

Profound Poetry

Pretty Pictures

All participants will be eligible to win

a special gift package

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!     

DRUMROLL PLEASE...

We had 137 entries for the 

One Year Blogiversary Giveaway!

WOO-HOO!

Thank you all so much for your kind words.

To my vintage friends ~ 

Thank you for a phenomenal year

of new friendships, opportunities, and mishaps.

To my new friends ~

Welcome.  I hope you enjoy your visits

and I look forward to getting to know you better.

I feel like I am forgetting something....

Bare with me, my brain cells are getting vintage...

OH YEAH...there was something about a giveaway. 

Drumroll please.....

 ...and the winner is

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Sorry for the poor image

Number 39 - 

Marcia

One Heart at Home 

Congratulations, Marcia!

Please email me with your address 

so I can mail out your bag of goodies.

 

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Blast from the Past: Blogiversary Giveaway

Hello Friends.

This giveaway is now closed.  

Today marks the anniversary of my first blog post. It is hard for me to believe. It has been an amazing ride and I have met some fantastic people, from all corners of the world, along the way. I learn something new daily… and they say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. I beg to differ.

I'm fairly certain I chose baby names, when I was expecting Jordan, easier than I chose the name of my blog. As part of the process, I needed to determine the subject matter and ambiance I wanted to convey.

Aside from being a fairly decent cook, no one in the family is starving, I have no expertise worthy of devoting an entire blog. Although I have strong political views, this blog will never be used as a political platform and I rather doubt I’d have many visitors if I wrote about paralegal studies or workers’ compensation premiums.

Finally, I decided there were plenty of how-to blogs with far more creative and talented writers. What I do best is laugh at myself.  Although I am not an expert in any one area, I am interested in experiencing new opportunities, stretching my wings, and learning.

So the business plan, so to speak, was to write about a wide variety of topics, to keep the ambiance light and cheerful, and to admit my shortcomings (which incidentally gives me plenty of material about which to write). After playing with the dictionary and thesaurus for a while, A Musing Potpourri was christened.

Life can be a struggle at times and boring at other times. A Musing Porpourri is meant to be a fun, carefree oasis where you can relax for a few moments during your day. I hope when you visit you always feel welcome and comfortable. From time-to-time I hope I make you laugh and I guarantee there will be visits that make you scratch your head and think, What was La thinking?!

Thank you all for your encouragement, your generosity, and most of all for your friendship. You all mean the world to me.

Now, let’s have a giveaway! Woo-hoo!

What should I give away? I’ve been thinking about this giveaway for quite some time. I decided I wanted to make the giveaway a representation of the past year’s posts, and of A Musing Potpourri’s readers.  For the…

Foodies: Bake Potato Bag

Tablescapers: Placemat and Napkin Set

DIYers: Gorilla Glue and Painters Tape

Crafters and Artists: Assorted Embellishments

Photographers: Photography the Art of Composition

Tea Lovers: Teatime Treats, Tea, Chocorooms, and Tea Towel

Gardeners: Herb Picks

Thrifters: Blogging Tote

As always, there will be a surprise or 

two thrown in because I love surprises!

Here’s how to win…

PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!

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You do not have to be a blogger to win.

If you do not have a blog please provide a way

for me to contact you when you win.

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This giveaway is open to all
international readers.
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1. Leave a comment.

2. Become a follower of A Musing Potpourri. 

3. Post my giveaway on your blog (if you have one).If you are having trouble following, you may click on "Follow" on the title bar at the top of the page.  Thanks.

4. Like A Musing Potpourri on Facebook and leave a message.

5. Get a bonus entry for completing all four listed above. (Leave me a message stating “I did all 4!”)

Good luck and I look forward to the next 12 months.

Winner will be announced on July 6

Make it a Great Day!

Thrifting Finds

Hello Friends.

One of the wonderful revelations I can attribute to blogging is the initiation into the world of thrifting.  Aside from shopping at the Dollar Tree, I had never thrifted.  I had never been to a thrift store, a yard/garage sale, or an auction.  I KNOW, RIGHT?  Now, I hate to pay full price for anything.

This is the first time, in a very long time, I have some thrifty buys to share with all of you.  I am an estate auction junky.  I love to bring home vintage items that hold wonderful memories.  Although they are not my memories, I think you can just sense when something has been loved. 

I went to an auction, at the beginning of the month, with mixed success.  I missed out on a kitchen pantry because the auctioneer didn’t catch my bid and I had to leave before a collection of unique silhouettes were auctioned.  I was sad about missing out on those two items, but I did win a few items that I love. 

I spent $28.50 and walked away with a sweeper ($22.50) and…

Copper Kettle

Crystal Relish Tray

Sadler Teapot

Hand Forged Tin Bowl

Vintage Flatware

Are you a thrifter?  

Something all shoppers need, whether they are bargain hunters, farmers market consumers, or simply environmentally conscious is a tote bag.  Check out this fantastic blogging tote.  How many times a week do you say to yourself, I am SO blogging this?

Guess what?

This blogging tote can be yours.  

It is part of the One-Year Blogiversary Giveaway Package 

I am offering to one lucky winner.  

Want to win it?  

YOU KNOW YOU DO!

Come back tomorrow to enter this fun giveaway.  

There will be something for everyone 

in this spectacular collection of goodies....

and a surprise or two.

I will be linking to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday and Thrifty Treasures Sunday.

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

  

 

Garden Update and Another Giveaway Peek

Hello Friends.

Thanks to all of you who have been so encouraging about my lack of gardening skills. The squirrels have backed off the garden, probably because the tomato plants are bigger than them.

The strawberry plants still look iffy to me, but the tomatoes and jalapenos are doing great, and LOOK at my Topsy Turvy. Holy Cow! These plants are huge. I see a lot of salsa in our future.

My herbs that I planted from seed didn’t take off so I replaced them with some already flourishing plants. Hopefully, I don’t kill them… Every time I walk near them, their leaves shake.

Do you have an herb garden? Look at these cute garden picks. Aren’t they fun? Wouldn’t you love them for your herb garden? You can win them in my One-Year Blogiversary Giveaway. Stop back on June 28 to enter this spectacular giveaway full of fun items and perhaps a surprise or two.

Stop back tomorrow for the final peek into the giveaway package. 

I will be linking this to Outdoor Wednesday and Metamorphosis Monday.

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Patriotic Tablescape and Another Preview

Can you believe June is nearly over?  Independence Day is just around the corner and Summer is going too, too fast.  Last week I was in Hobby Lobby and they already have their fall and Christmas decor on the shelves!  I chose to ignore those aisles.

In honor of the approaching patriotic SUMMER holiday, I am setting the dining room table in red, white, and blue….how original is that?

I started with white square plates layered with blue bowls and each setting has a striped glass.  I purchased everything for the settings at Dollar Tree.    

For the centerpiece, I started with a wicker picnic basket.  Atop the picnic basket, I used this cute little red bucket I bought at Hobby Lobby to use on Jordan’s graduation buffet a couple years ago.  I added white and blue flowers and accented with the Stars and Stripes.  The star holds a tealight and came from Hobby Lobby...from one of the aisles not containing fall holiday decor. The little red pitcher was on clearance for 50% off.  

BIG NEWS!

Visit A Musing Potpourri on June 28 to enter my

One-Year Blogiversary Giveaway! 

I’ve collected items to interest all sorts of bloggers.  

The Gift Package includes more than $100 in prizes.  

For the tablescapers, there is a package of 

six placemats and napkins.  

Think of all the patriotic and nautical
tables you can set with this fantastic set.

Stay tuned for more peeks into the prize package.

I am linking to the following parties:

Tabletop Tuesday

Tablescape Thursday
Seasonal Sunday
A Holiday Haven 4th of July Party

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!