Welcome to the Valentine’s Day Forget Me Nots Hop, hosted by MamaNYC! I’ve teamed up with some awesome bloggers to bring you great giveaways, which include some fabulous Valentine’s Day ideas. This is going to be a very big event with lots of prizes! It will run until February 14th, giving you enough time to browse through them all. 

Good luck!


Since Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, I wanted to bring you some fun prizes!



First of all, something delicious! 

My grandmother was always the baker in our family and I would find that usually nothing ever measured up to her treats. However, I was really excited to discover My Grandma’s of New England. 

I have had their Cinnamon Walnut Cake and I have to say that it is just as good as my grandmother’s (Sorry, Nana!) It is, as the expression goes, to die for! 

I was also given the chance to review their Patriot Coffee Cake. It was mouthwatering and I loved the tartness of the Cape Cod cranberries mixed with the sweetness of the fresh New England blueberries nestled in a delicious cinnamon coffee cake.

I absolutely loved that the cake came beautifully packaged and was as moist as if it had just come out of the oven. Unlike other bakery goods I have purchased from other places, it actually stayed fresh for a good amount of time. The top was crunchy and each mouthful was a little bit of heaven. It wasn’t too sweet, but just right.


These cakes are top-rated in the country and have received many rave reviews.

They’ve been served at the Plaza Hotel in NYC’s Tea Room, The Vatican, The Major League All-Star Game, The Ryder Cup and the US Tennis Open.


My Grandma’s has mini-cakes, gluten-free treats, no nut and low fat options, and many other flavors. I think this is a fabulous Valentine’s Day Treat for your sweet! They also have beautiful decorative tins.

And, thanks to their generosity, one of my fabulous readers is going to win their choice of cake from  My Grandma’s of New England. Cinnamon Walnut, Blueberry, Raspberry, Chocolate and more are available as well as the delicious Patriot cake.

All My Love Necklace

You Make My Heart Spin Necklace

Key To My Heart Necklace

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a cake from My Grandma’s to facilitate my review, however all opinions above are strictly my own.

Oral health is so important, yet sometimes it’s one of the things that can get forgotten in the deluge of day to day activities or skipped at night when everyone is just too tired. Whether it’s kids or adults, the same principles come into play.

I try to maintain good habits when it comes to my teeth and gums as I know from family members how painful swollen gums can be. I, myself, have had times when my gums were red (not fun at all!), and I know I should floss more than I do! I do brush morning and night, and occasionally in between, however, I recently found out that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth. That was shocking to me.

Even if you brush twice a day, you’re likely to miss a majority of your mouth which leaves room for germs to proliferate.

By using a LISTERINE Antiseptic mouthwash twice a day for just 30 seconds, you can clean virtually 100% of your mouth.

You can get:

• Up to 5 times healtheir gums in 2 weeks
• Up to 9 times healthier gums in 9 weeks

Talisman of El by Alecia Stone

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS A LIE?

One Planet.

Two Worlds.

Population: Human … 7 billion.
Others … unknown.

When 14-year-old Char­lie Blake wakes up sweat­ing and gasp­ing for air in the mid­dle of the night, he knows it is hap­pen­ing again. This time he wit­nesses a bru­tal mur­der. He’s afraid to tell any­one. No one would believe him … because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago – the day before his dad died.

Char­lie doesn’t know why this is hap­pen­ing. He would give any­thing to have an ordi­nary life. The prob­lem: he doesn’t belong in the world he knows as home.

He belongs with the others.

Author Alecia Stone

Alecia Stone is the author of Talisman Of El (Centrinian, 2012), the first book in the Talisman Of El trilogy. She graduated with a BA in Film & TV and has worked in television for a short period of time before branching out into storytelling. Alecia loves anything and everything paranormal. Her fascination with all things supernatural sparked her obsession with books, particularly young adult fantasy fiction, which she has never grown out of. She was inspired to become an author after reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen at the age of fourteen.

In 2008, Alecia started working on Talisman Of El, a contemporary young adult fantasy fiction inspired by people who disappeared mysteriously, including, but not limited to, Amelia Earhart and Percy Harrison Fawcett, who went on an expedition in search of an ancient lost city. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys going to the movies, listening to music, and travelling.

Talisman Of El is her first novel. At present, Alecia lives in England, United Kingdom with her family.

BookBlast $50 Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/17/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Emmy Rossum’s Sentimental Journey takes vintage sounds and gives them a modern flavor.

I know Emmy Rossum best from one of my favorite wacky and outrageous programs on Showtime, Shameless, where she plays the ever vivacious Fiona Gallagher. I wasn’t aware that she sang until I was given her latest cd to review, Sentimental Journey.

What I know of Emmy is that she’s beautiful, intelligent and an incredible actress. What I didn’t know was that she could so seamlessly bring her gifts in embodying a character into her music. The album comprises covers of classic hits from the ’20’s to the ’60’s. I really love the tone of her voice as it fits each and every song. The Old Hollywood sound is unlike most of what I hear lately and I really love it.

I enjoyed all the tunes on this cd as they aren’t your standard fare these days. Some of my favorites are The Summer Wind. This song takes me back to Ol’ Blue Eyes with its jazzy feel.

I also really like These Foolish Things. Here Emmy’s voice has an airy sensual quality that is intriguing and beautiful.

Emmy’s 12-song ‘passion project’ is an emotional musical journey for her, with each song representing a month of the year.

“Each song needed to either lyrically or emotionally reflect the corresponding month,” Emmy explained. “Some songs were obvious fits, like Summer Wind for June and Pretty Paper for December. Other songs were less literal fits. I chose Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out) for September because, to me, the plaintive melody and lyric emotionally reflect the cold weather creeping in and the sense of melancholy we can get in the fall months.”

I think this is a great cd for Valentine’s Day. I love the laid back mellow feel.

You can catch Emmy as a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on February 6th and on the CBS Early Show, performing a song from Sentimental Journey on February 9th.

You can buy the cd at Amazon or on iTunes. You can also check out Emmy on Twitter!

Disclosure:  I participated in this campaign for One2One Network and received a copy of the CD to facilitate my review. All opinions stated are expressly my own.

If you’re looking for a unique or customized gift this Valentine’s Day, I’d suggest checking out Red Envelope.  I shopped there recently and was really impressed with the selection.  The site is super easy to navigate as well.

Red Envelopes have always reminded me of Valentine’s Day! I can remember being in school and coming home with a whole bagful on February 14th.

Red envelopes have happy connotations for me. Here are some of my favorite choices at Red Envelope gifts.

For her, I love this Murano Heart Bracelet.

For him, I really like this hidden message tie, with a secret romantic flair.

For the little ones, I find this adorable! This one-piece puts their name in your heart.

They also have delicious treats, so I decided to go with…… chocolate! Yes, I am a chocoholic and it had been a while. I ordered a dozen of these delicious gourmet dipped fancy berries for a reasonable price.

They came beautifully packaged and very quickly.  Each large strawberry was fresh and dipped in milk, dark, or white chocolate.  The consensus here from everyone was that they were absolutely delicious and to be ordered again for sure. Just very fruity and sumptuous and the presentation was gorgeous.

The other item I ordered were the Handmade Artisan Sea Salted Caramels. I thought these were very special and would make a fabulous gift as well. You get 4 classic salted caramels with Murray River Pink Flake Salt, 4 Vanilla Bean Caramels with Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt, 4 Honey Caramels with Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel and 4 Orange Blossom Caramels with Hawaiian Black Lava Salt.

Melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness and some of the best caramels I’ve ever tasted. I love salt with caramel and chocolate so this was ideal. Believe it or not, I still have some left. Yes, they are the kind you want to savor. 

One of my favorite brands of sleepwear for men and women, SHEEX, is having a wonderful contest beginning tomorrow, February 1! You can win a little something special (up to $120 value) from their brand new line of performance sleepwear, so be sure to check it out. There will be more than one winner, so best of luck!

I’ll be back soon with my own SHEEX Sleepwear review, but, let me just say, I love them. Perfect Valentine’s Day gift!

I am funny about shoes, always have been. On any given day, you will find me in flip flops, boots or barefoot. No uncomfortable restrictive shoes for me. I love freedom of movement.

However, that doesn’t mean I can’t be stylish and cool – which is why I love Havaianas. 

Living in the moment, indulging my bohemian spirit, Havaianas are a state of mind as well as a fashion statement. They make me smile more, dance more, and stop to notice sunsets and the way the trees bend in the wind. 

The very first pair of Havaianas were born in 1962, inspired by the Zori, Japanese sandals composed of fabric straps and rice straw soles. For this reason, the foot-bed of all Havaianas sneakers,
espadrilles and flip flops have a textured rice pattern and are super comfortable.

I also love their positive spirit. Havaianas, along with its parent company, Alpargatas, are big on social and environmental responsibility, participating in many programs and contributing to organizations that support society and our planet.

Havaianas has rolled out some new hot styles for Spring, and some more good news is that they now offer $1 flat rate shipping.  I love shopping online, but always hate exorbitant shipping, so this is great for me. I am already perusing the new arrivals at Havaianas  and have more than a few that I adore! 

So why not bring a little spring, a little bliss, a little imagination into your life with the new flat-rate $1 shipping?

I think these would make an ideal Valentine’s Day gift!

You can follow Havaianas on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter as well! 

This is a sponsored post however all opinions are strictly mine.

With Valentine’s Day so close on the horizon, I have been thinking a lot about gifts, both giving and receiving. I must admit, that although I enjoy something different, I also love the classics: flowers, chocolate and jewelry!

Although flowers die and chocolate gets eaten, a lot of jewelry pieces I have are ones I cherish always. Whether it’s the person who gave it to me, or the piece itself, it’s very special. I’ve been perusing online jewelry stores and found Jewelry Kind.

They have a great selection of rings, pendants, bracelets, earrings and lots more in every price range, so you can find something lovely to fit your budget and style. They’re also committed to great customer care which I find very important.

I am particularly taken by a few pieces, some gorgeous heart rings and pendants that I will be dropping hints about.

With dragons, zodiac charms, cobras, dolphins, hearts, stars, celtic designs, abstract pieces and more, there’s lots to peruse and put on your wish list.

So, do you drop hints for Valentine’s Day or just hope to be surprised?

This is a sponsored post. 

 

“Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you…” 

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there was a blogger who loved what she did. Writing, sharing, communicating with the world made her happy.

She had been writing poetry since she could write and loved each word the way the sun loves each tulip in spring. One day, she woke to a particularly good morning. The birds sang outside her window even though there was snow decorating the trees.

She felt an unexplainable feeling of joy, and since she loved those best, she was simply enjoying the day.  Suddenly, out of the cobalt blue, a fairy appeared, and, not just any fairy, but The Fairy Hobmother. As far as she knew, this was an urban legend told by her blogger buddies, but, no, he had visited her blog.

“I had a look at your site and you obviously work hard on it, so I’d like to reward that hard work with a gift in the form of a $50 voucher for Amazon!” he said.

That day, the sunset was a particularly beautiful color, light pink and magenta, and she dreamt of fairies and a land where everything was possible!

So, yes, that blogger is me. I had heard of the Fairy Hobmother, read about him, and commented on blogs wherever I had seen him, but I never knew he truly existed until today. He is still a mystery, mind you, as it should be, because, really, without mystery, life would be really dull! I do know that his fairy overlords live in a magical kingdom at Appliances Online. I’ve visited. I thought it was pretty cool.

The Fairy Hobmother also told me that if any other bloggers comment on this post and leave a link to their blogs, he may soon be paying them a visit as well!

So, good luck to my fellow bloggers. May you get a visit from The Fairy Hobmother soon and may your dreams come true.

Starflower

When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps the lovely Lady Gleamdren, Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission…and a race against his rival for Gleamdren’s favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal.

But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren’s rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer?

Author Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, and STARFLOWER, with DRAGONWITCH due to release in 2013. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.

BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/31/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway