Giveaway // October Native

**Update: The winner of the giveaway is Elise from Black Ant Beads. Thank you everyone for entering, and keep Beckie's shop in mind for Christmas gifts!!**

I can't think of a more perfect way to start off the beautiful month of October than with a giveaway! Beckie from October Native (how appropriate) is giving one of my readers a gorgeous button ring that she has created. Beckie's etsy shop is full of vintage and handmade items that were inspired by her grandfather's travels around the world. She has lots of treasures! This forest green button ring can be yours if you leave a comment telling me which item you like the most in her shop! There are a lot of other ways to win below!

First, a bit about Beckie!

"I am from Florida, born and raised, and I currently live in St. Petersburg. I was just blessed to be able to move into a house with my husband and cute little choweenie puppy, which is ever so peaceful compared to apartment living! I work part time as a companion for those with disabilities and I am a full time volunteer as a team leader for a non profit called Young Life Capernaum - a club for those with special needs. In the midst of all this I get to indulge in my crafty and eclectic obsessions with my etsy shop!

I started collecting vintage when I was a kid. My grandpa was a big traveler, going all over the world and bringing back amazing unique items. I loved to go to antique shops as a kid and look for notes in old books, imagining who those people were. I have always been fascinated by the fact that those notes were written by ordinary people, and that maybe one day my scribbles could have an impact on someone in the future. I love the timelessness that vintage items hold. I also love crafting - that excitement and challenge of working on a project and coming to the point when you've finished and it looks amazing! The feeling never gets old.

My shop stands out because I have vintage items that will have a new life, and I also have items that I have worked hard on bringing to life through my crafting. My shop's tagline is "Bringing Fragments in Time to Life."

Now onto the giveaway! Good luck everyone: )
(GFC refers to Google Friend Connect and that is located under the ads on the right side of my blog!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ArtPrize 2012: Part 1

I have been so incredibly busy, so I've had all of two hours time to see ArtPrize this year. No wonder the outdoor pieces tend to do so well, outside is the only 24/7 venue and we didn't even get downtown until half an hour before the venues officially closed. We went to West Coast Coffee first, where we saw this fun vinyl piece! 

Then we walked around outside because we wouldn't have had time to stop in any museums: / We saw some really neat things though! These animals were made out of recycled materials. I'm all about that!

This one is so cuteeeeeeee!

This is how it looks right before a T-Rex skeleton eats you.

Doug a.k.a. BIG BUBBA

Muahahaha, so silly.

This one is super pretty! Last time I checked it was in the Top 25.

We accidentally ended up going to this space, called High Five. I loved it! I love getting to go into secret spaces, and this was certainly that. I proceeded to tell lots of people to go though!

Photos of a hand, like way blown up, (I think)

 Verrrrry relaxing piece. The chairs were a nice touch.

Paper cutouts!

Shot of (most of) the space

Have you gone to ArtPrize this year? It just seems like everyone I know is way too busy and that's such  a bummer! I love getting to see all the art but I have no timeeee. I have to work tonight until late then wake up early and work, but I am determined to go with Andrew before the Top 10 voting is over tomorrow night! What piece is your favorite?

A Gorgeous Grand Rapids Autumn Morning

Andrew and I volunteered for the United Way 5K in downtown Grand Rapids the other morning. It was so hard to wake up after a long day of moving (with more moving to be done later that day), but it was so worth it because it was a gorgeous morning (and Starbucks was open early, thank goodness)! Here are just a few shots we took while waiting for the runners to race by:

 Hey, it's not so cold out here! And have you tried the Anniversary blend? It really is kinda spicy!

 We were stationed at the Sixth Street Bridge. Not really an area of GR I have been in, but so pretty!

Pretty city.

 Hey, cutie pie.

 When I told him to smile.

 When I tried telling him to frown. Look at the pretty fall tree!!!

 Boy band wannabe.

After a day of moving, no shower, not enough sleep. Rejuvenated by the beautiful morning: )

Happy Wednesday! They are just about to talk about women using Old Spice on the Today Show, which is what I use! Women's deodorant doesn't cut it for me: / Now I don't feel so weird!

Spotlight on (and discount for!): Nüwoods

Whoosh, moving is so much work! I have been wanting to update for days and just have not had the time! Anyway, with all the buzz about the iPhone 5, today I am able to feature a Grand Rapids father and daughter team that creates beautiful iPhone and iPad skins. They call their project Nüwoods and they "bring nature back into our modern lives." If you visit their Etsy shop in the next two weeks, Nüwoods is offering my readers a 20% discount with the code llorys20. How exciting! They already have great prices, so if you've been looking for the perfect iPhone or iPad case, check them out! They are local and lovely! Also, Nüwoods is working on a case for the iPhone 5, so if you've hopped on the bandwagon, stay tuned for the new skin!

Here's some more info about the shop from Nüwoods' facebook page! 

"The world is becoming very fast paced, with great advances in science and technology. These advances have helped form who we are, but we need not forget to take time to slow down and remember creativity and the natural world all around. We believe that the simplest and most effective way to do this is with wood. Wood is both a sustainable and eco-friendly material as it is renewable, unlike metals and plastics, and doesn't require the chemical processing that paper does. Wood is also biodegradable, since it came directly from nature itself. Because of this organic quality, all of our products are one-of-a-kind and truly unique works of art. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Nüwoods was founded by father-daughter team, David and Stephanie Farina, in the great city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Being in a state surrounded by water and full of natural wonders, we naturally both love spending as much time outdoors as possible. David has been a craftsman since childhood and has always been very mechanically and technologically inclined. He loves working with his hands. David also has many years of experience in the printing industry. Stephanie has a fun loving personality, formally trained in Graphic Design. She is very creatively inclined and has a great appreciation for the arts. As a fundamentally down-to-earth team we merged our combined passion and experience in the form of laser engraving on a natural medium, wood veneer."

Enjoy the discount and happy Tuesday!

How I Met Your Mother

Do you guys watch How I Met Your Mother? I love that show! It's so relevant to my life. Not that I live in NYC or have friends quite like that, but I just love the references and humor in the show. From the jokes about Canada, to Robin Sparkles, to Slap Bet, to Maury Povich being everywhere all at once, to Ted reciting an Italian poem at a chic soiree, this show cracks me up to no end. A lot of my friends prefer Big Bang Theory, but I just think it's cheesy, no offense! Anyway, revisit some of the funniest shows (this list is from 2009, so it misses out on the most recent season finale, which was hilarious; magician's coooode) and get ready for the new season to start in a few days (Monday, September 24th).  It will be legen- wait for it...

P.S. who do you think the mother is??? I TOTALLYYYY know. Have you figured it out?

DARY!

Glade Expressions Collection BzzCampaign

A couple days ago I picked up my oil diffuser and fragrance mist from the Glade Expressions collection for my latest BzzCampaign! I received these items for free because I am a bzzagent. I went with the Lavender & Juniper Berry for the diffuser, and Pineapple Mangosteen for the spray.

I've been a little stuffy the past couple of days, so it's sort of hard to tell how strong the oil diffuser is working. It is supposed to last for 30 days. I thought I would like the scent more, but it's less lavender than I was expecting. It's nice though, and as far as I can tell, not overwhelming. I love the design of the diffuser; it's simple and classic. I also like that it doesn't need to run off of electricity! The oil diffuser starter kit was $5.99 at Target (and I have a $4 off coupon for you if I know you in person!)

I love the smell of the fragrance mist. I think this design is neat as well. It's probably not necessary (and might even be confusing!) to have your air freshener camouflaged, but once you know what it is and how to use it, I think it looks really nice in the bathroom. The Pineapple Mangosteen is definitely my favorite of the four scents available right now - the other two I didn't get are Cotton & Italian Mandarin and Fuji Apple & Cardamom. The starter kit was $2.99 at Target and I have a $2 off coupon in person or online if you're interested!

Final thoughts are that I love the design and strength of the product, but I would love it if they changed up the scents a little bit! That's just a personal preference. Have any of you tried the Glade Expressions collection?

Photo an Hour / My 24th Birthday!

9am: Enjoying a cup of coffee to start my 24th birthday off right!

10am: Andrew made me Nutella-stuffed French Toast!!! It was soooo yummy!

11am: Andrew gave me a Kate Spade watch that he knew I wanted because of Pinterest! So excited! Then the tweet made it even better!!

 

Noon: We stopped by the Eastown Street Fair. I wanted the black cat named skunk. Gaby and I had cute outfits on, and the weather was so beautiful, so two pictures were necessary here!

1pm: We just barely made it to the Team Trivia tournament. No one on our team could go, so Gaby joined! The questions were ridiculously hard.

2pm: Half time at the Team Trivia tournament. Probably the easiest question we had.

3pm: Finally leaving the tournament. Gaby asks us questions we might actually have a shot at knowing.

4pm: Nap time!

5pm: Checking facebook for happy birthday messages!

6pm: Cleaned up the house for guests/preparing to go out for dinner!

7pm: High-fiving the mural before dinner.

8pm: Our soft-core veggie pizza from Brick Road Pizza! Yummy.

9pm: Pretty accurate group shot post-dinner with Andrew, me, Gaby, Erika, and Ryan.

I had such a nice birthday! Andrew did a really great job of making it all about me. So it was perfect! It's not pictured, but we have some serious ice cream cake from Coldstone leftover as well. So so delicious! Hope you're having a great weekend!