I have a great affinity for musicians. The ability to lose yourself in music is truly a wonderful gift, just as one can lose themselves in art or writing. When I was younger, I played piano, some guitar and wrote songs. I never took it farther than that as my focus shifted more to art and poetry, however, I always loved to go to small clubs to see where the true musicians hung out and played.

Today, in the days of auto-tune, there is not as much genuine musicianship, so I am always impressed when I do find it as I have with Empire Road.

I’ve been listening to this NY-based Rock band, and I would classify it as a bit classic rock, a bit indie, a bit alternative, and definitely enjoyable. It feels familiar and comfortable like my favorite pair of faded jeans, with a bit of Green Day meets the Beatles.

Empire Road has always evaded the easy classification, preferring instead to take their own path. Their newest E.P. “Empire Road” expands upon their sound and vision with gorgeous guitar solos and beautiful harmonies. It’s accessible while maintaining a healthy individuality.

“I think it’s a huge step in the right direction,” drummer Nick Tortora agrees. “It’s an innovative and radio friendly E.P.”

“One of the things we wanted to do was capture a live energy into our recordings,” says Tortora. “We all feel like our live show is where you get to see us rock out.”

And, this E.P. does have a live feel, as though you were in that club, bopping to the beat.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Yesterday I got a wonderful surprise in the mail from Laughing Vixen. I’ve featured her many times on my blog because I love her artistry and her imagination.

 She sent me a piece I love, the Breakfast at Tiffany’s Inspired Charmed Necklace . I’ve been an Audrey Hepburn fan for as long as I can remember and I love that movie, so this necklace especially appeals to me. 

This necklace has 4 silver charms – a Cat, Engagement Ring, Hat and The Empire State Building. A tiffany blue heart and a pink mother of pearl circle bead with 3 small white glass pearls dangle from it. It’s really lovely and she knows I wear my necklaces long so adjusted it for me. That’s another great thing about Laughing Vixen. She will try to accomodate you as much  as possible. I love the personal touch.

My sister immediately had to identify every charm and loved it as well. I showed her Kris’ shop and now I have her wishlist as well. She has a birthday coming up.

This necklace is very versatile and dresses up jeans and a tank or looks great with a simple dress. I love it!

Laughing Vixen Lounge is a one woman show run by Kris, a former Hairstylist who decided to put her love of movies and vintage style to good use making fun and unique jewelry. I love to browse her Etsy shop because there is always something new to discover. You’ll find pop culture jewelry including retro, horror, seasonal and custom designs. All items are made when ordered and will take 3-5 days before they ship.

I’ve been browsing lately as I feel that her jewelry would make fantastic Mother’s Day gifts for the special women in your life or for yourself.

Also,  $1 from every item will be donated to www.donatejdm.org from December 1st – April 22nd to help The Brittany Foundation for rescue dogs.

 Here are some of my current faves!

Silver Pendants

Laughing Vixen also has some pretty cool compacts.

Check your lipstick in style with the Laughing Vixen Lounge Compact. Compacts are just under 2 1/2 inches (60mm) and about 3/16 inch deep (5mm). On one side there is a quality mirror for on-the-go makeup adjustments. On the other side is a plastic divided compartment for pills, mints, earrings, vitamins and other small treasures.

Some current faves:

 Check out the inside!                         

Laughing Vixen has generously offered my readers a Spring/pre-Mother’s Day giveaway. It will be for your choice of silver pendant and compact. You can pick a set or mix and match. What Needful Thing strikes your fancy?

Just follow the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Welcome to the Team Abnegation $100 Gift Code Giveaway.  During the month of April, HarperTeen is promoting the release of the book Insurgent by Veronica Roth.  This giveaway was organized to help promote the release of that book. To learn more about this book series please visit the Publisher’s Website: http://bit.ly/GQFqbF.

To enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Code use the rafflecopter below. You have many chances to win and can enter daily from now until April 22nd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules & Restrictions:
Open to anyone 18 or older who can legally receive and use an Amazon Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded and Mandatory Entries must have been done or prize will be awarded to a different winner. No purchase necessary. You must be 18+ to enter. 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, Pinterest or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Abnegation Faction News
HarperTeen Insurgent book page

When you’re a blogger, it’s incredible when you receive a product that is exactly what you need. I am on my computer so often or my iPhone, that it was a pleasure to review Scott’s Liquid Gold Clean Screen.

It’s great to find something so effective and that won’t harm my valuable electronics. It’s also economical because a little goes a long way and this bottle will last for a good while.

In the package is a 6.5. fl. oz. spray which is formulated with Reverse Osmosis (RO) Solution state-of-the art water treatment technology. RO removes molecules of mineral deposits and impurities smaller than the water molecules themselves. Nothing is left behind but a crystal clear clean.

You also get a very soft lint-free synthetic suede microfiber cloth that is used to apply the solution. Highly absorbent and quick drying, the cloth cleans without scratching delicate surfaces.

And, what’s really great is that there is no alcohol involved and no ammonia!

I know that when I would look for cleaners and cloths before, some did have alcohol or ammonia and some cloths would leave lint, making it ultimately worse than before. Others left streaks.

This was not the case here. I highly recommend this product to anyone wanting an alcohol, ammonia-free crystal clear clean with no scratching, no streaking and no lint whatsoever. You can see your reflection in the surface.

I started with my laptop. I am excited because it has that fresh new feeling and I know if it gets dirty, all I have to do is turn it off until it’s cool, spray the cloth, not the surface, and gently wipe the screen.

You only need 1 spray for small screens, 2-4 for larger screens. If the cloth should become dirty, you can simply rinse it with warm water and allow it to thoroughly dry. No waste.

Next stop for me, the desktop downstairs. That has a lot more fingerprints of all sizes as it gets used by everyone here. And yet, it was simple to clean, and the result was the same as my laptop, crystal clear.

Then, of course, it was on to the TV screen, dvds, cds and my sunglasses which were really smudged.

My iPhone has never looked like this since the day I first got it. It’s really enjoyable to restore your favorite things to when they were clean and clear.

You can use Clean Screen on MP3 players, on cameras, and on portable video players as well. Use it on your iPods, your iPads, your cell phones, your tablets. With all the touch screens lately, this is definitely a product we need here.

So yes, I love it. I’m sure I’ll find even more uses. Where is that portable dvd player?

You can find Clean Screen in the household-cleaning aisle in many grocery stores and Wal-Marts across the country. For easy shopping, find it online at the Scott’s Liquid Gold website.

Connect:

Facebook
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Scott’s Liquid Gold Blog

The folks at Scott’s would also like to offer one of my readers a Spring Cleaning Kit! This is pretty cool because it contains:

• Original SLG Aerosol
• Wood Wash
• Wood Wipes
• Clean Screen 

So, just follow the Rafflecopter, and soon you’ll be cleaning up too! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Stevia Plant

I was very pleased to receive Truvia  natural sweetener in my Influenster Love VoxBox. I’ve been using stevia as a sweetener for quite a while now and enjoy it sprinkled over grapefruit, in tea or coffee and in baking but I hadn’t tried Truvia yet. Truvia comes in packets I can take with me to use anytime and has 75% fewer calories per serving than sugar and has natural ingredients. In baking, it browns and bakes like sugar and you need half as much.

I really enjoyed the taste.

I also found this recipe by celebrity chef Marisa Churchill while browsing the delicious looking Truvia recipes:

Italian Style Buttermilk Custard (Panna Cotta)  


It’s classic, creamy and one of my favorites and really good with fresh berries. I used blueberries and raspberries. It has 66% less sugar and 25% fewer calories than the regular full sugar version.

Check out the details on how to make it here. It only took about 20 minutes to prepare, then just leave it to set for about three hours.

Truvía natural sweetener is available nationally at most major retailers and in package sizes of 40-count, 80-count, 140-count and a spoonable jar.  Find a store here. 

Verdict: I really like this as a sweetener and feel good about using it.

You can also check out Truvia on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received this product to test through Influenster’s VoxBox program but the opinions herein are my own.

I’m really pleased with this razor. It’s the perfect combination of smoothness and moisturizing goodness. There are 5 razor blades to zoom in and get super close, interchangeable razor blade refill cartridges and a shower hook which is great for easy storage. It also has a Softgrip handle which makes for no slipperiness.

A refillable Venus & Olay with one  cartridge is approximately $8.99-$10.99. Packages of three replacement cartridges are about $14.99 – $19.49.  The main package also includes a shower hook. 

Disclosure:  I received this product to test through Influenster’s VoxBox program. The opinions herein are my own.

As you all know, I adore Wholly Guacamole and their salsas. Well… guess what?

Wholly Salsa is launching some great new flavors and re-launching their award winning Wholly Salsa Classic Flavors.

Right now, they are participating in a promotion sponsored by Walmart and it ends 4/4.  Here is their fun video where you can check it out:

You can vote via text or Facebook.  I can’t wait to try the new flavors!