The Tiny Farm Co. Giveaway

Good news!! Someone wants to give you guys something!

Actually, people want to give you things frequently. But I don't know if you like giveaways and all of the emails and proposals are overwhelming (and some of them are obnoxious--some day I'm going to start giving PR people my log-in info and tell them to manage my email for a day and then they will understand that I'm not just a lazy jerk, even though I am a lazy jerk, but that it is just impossible to even keep up with replying, little less writing posts about each of them.)

But Ashley from The Tiny Farm Co. and I became friends on Instagram and I really liked her. She seems like she's into this whole being a good parent thing and homemade/do-it-yourself craftiness but also still a normal person who manages not to be all EVERYONE, LOOK AT ME BEING A GOOD PARENT AND MAKING COOL STUFF about it, which I appreciate. It's like she just really enjoys what she's up to in life, and those are my favorite kind of people.

Anyway, she is living a sweet little farm life and makes all natural soap, lip balm and other stuff. She asked if she could send me a sample and I said yes because at least you can always use soap, unlike the book of vagina photos someone pitched to me earlier this year.

This soap smells so incredibly good, though. At my yoga studio job, we're not supposed to smell like anything (good or bad) and it leaves me smelling so clean and citrus-y, with a hint of the good type of earthiness, that I feel guilty about it. I love it.

She also sent lip balm and I happen to be a lip balm/gloss connoisseur. I hate when it's sticky or feels thick, and Tiny Farm Co's glides on smoothly and just feels nice and moisturizing instead of like a thin film of questionable substances sitting on top of my lips. I keep it in my purse and use it nine million times a day.

And now you get some too! A lot, actually, because The Tiny Farm Co. is offering you two combo sets--one to keep and one to give! Or if you are a not-as-great friend like me, two to keep! So, one grand prize winner will win two packs of The Tiny Farm Co.'s new combos and two lip balms.

 Warm Winter Pack: Orange, Pomegranate, Orange Patchouli, Vanilla and Oatmeal

Fresh and Clean Pack: Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Lime and Tea Tree.

Trust me, you're going to wonder if you're getting old and boring to be this excited about soap. When I began to suspect that my husband was using mine, I hid it behind a barrier of shampoo bottles so he couldn't. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway Enter through the rafflecopter widget above. Contest ends Tuesday, December 2nd at midnight and winner will be announced here then.

Peekaboo Beans Clothes Giveaway

So, on to the good things! We have lots this week!

(Because I'm so far behind, but regardless, to you all it will just seem like a big clump of exciting stuff.)

I get an insane amount of email from people with products to review (and videos and kickstarter campaigns and websites and services and shows). I know that seems like a nice problem to have but it is very overwhelming at times, particularly if I'm not sure what is being offered will be of good quality or relevant to our interests. I feel lucky enough that any of you care to read the mundane story of my life--I'm not going to go risking that fortune for a freebie. I only accept if I'm confident I can write about the product honestly, and sometimes I feel a bit of dread as I wait for the package because what if I hate it? Awkward.

I was contacted by a line of children's clothing called Peekaboo Beans and was intrigued but also hesitant, as usual. Boys clothes are often awful, being either obnoxious or babyish. Also, I don't know if I get choosier about clothing quality as I age or if it is really getting progressively worse. There are a few places I've shopped at for years, justifying the higher prices with the fact that both boys got wear out of the clothes since they lasted so long but they don't hold up like they used to. It's stupid stuff like buttons popping off and seams unraveling but for someone who can't sew, that's as good as dead in some cases. The Peekaboo Beans representative compared the clothes to Lululemon and I thought that was a bold claim that would be difficult to live up to. I decided I would do them a favor and not mention that they said that since it was probably pretty unlikely.

They asked for a list of items that I liked and as I looked through the catalog, it was hard to narrow it down. All of the clothes--for babies, boys, and girls were classic and simple but modern and looked practical, comfortable and stylish. I loved the baby boy stuff in particular, since cool clothes that are baby appropriate is a challenging find for boys.

When the clothing arrived, I was really impressed. I could find a million ways to tell you that it was fine if it was just fine...it is really nice. The materials were soft but durable and everything was constructed beautifully. Mr. Ashley saw the items hanging over a chair and asked where they came from, seeming suspicious. I explained and he said, "Those look really expensive. Are you sure you didn't buy them?" Nope, but little does he know, I'm going to buy more and they aren't really expensive.

Both items passed the test of being left to cool in the dryer and the wrinkles fell out immediately (they went from wrinkled in the cold dryer to photos with no fluffing or intervention). Excuse the cell phone pics, I'm an incredibly lazy person and I feel bad about it:

  I like how the collar can be worn either way. The "Hang Loose" jacket also has pockets on the inside.

 little kid loves cargo pockets but I think they always end up looking messy. I like these, though.

Most importantly, the boys loved the clothes. little kid refuses to wear cotton or athletic shorts to school but deemed these "fancy" enough for school or home. He looks adorable in them, I love the length and plan on buying more of the "At Ease" shorts because they're so versatile.

So this worked out awesome for me, but just as nice, it's going to work out nicely for one of you too because Peekaboo Beans is offering a $50 gift certificate for a giveaway! And they weren't full of hot air with their Lululemon-like claims, I guess one of the founders of Lululemon is an investor and is on their Board of Directors and the clothes are so nice I would've made the comparison without that additional information.

You can look through their Fall catalog or the website linked above. Enter to win the giveaway below--rafflecopter is easy. You can win another entry by tweeting about the contest if you're into that sort of thing (and if you are, you better follow me @ashleyfrankly because I swear everyone on twitter hates me):


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Last Day for Giveaway

Today is the last day of the Shabby Apple $50 gift card giveaway!

Did you enter?

Why not? If you hate cute clothes and jewelry, you could give the gift card to me. Because I'm serious about wanting that dress.

Favorite Things: Shabby Apple Gift Card Giveaway

So I sat down an hour ago to put together a quick post for a giveaway from an online boutique called Shabby Apple. Then I ended up looking at every single item on their site, including the maternity stuff for which I will never have a need for, because I got completely sucked in. I love the style of their stuff but I also Love (with a capital L) their photography and overall style. So cute and cool! I'm extra excited for one of you now, and I have 7 tabs of things I want open right now.

My very favorite is this pin-up style dress. We have an out-of-state summer wedding to attend and I'm thinking about getting this or this similarly retro pencil skirt to wear for the rehearsal dinner. The decision will come down to how dedicated I stay to this whole yoga thing over the next 8 weeks. It's nice that Shabby Apple offers free returns.

  or  

I really like clothes that enable me to pretend I'm on the set of Mad Men. I don't have a lot of opportunities to wear anything glamorous like the vintage-styled stuff at Shabby Apple, so when I do, I'm getting a new dress, dammit. I should probably just make sure I go to yoga and then reward myself with the dress. Or I could just get a cardigan too and not even worry about my arms. That's a thought. It's always good to have a backup plan.

I also like this vintage looking lace top.

And this silver shamrock necklace.

Okey doke, now that we've got some of my birthday wishlist out of the way and summer fashion plans out of the way, we can get down to business.

Shabby Apple is going to give one of you a $50 gift card and all of us get a 10% off code! I can't wait to use it!

The Shabby Apple coupon code is ashleyqf10off.  Follow the rafflecopter instructions below to enter for the gift card giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You must have a US mailing address to win. After liking Shabby Apple's Facebook page, use the link below to find a dress you like for the comments portion of the giveaway and then tell us which is your favorite. You must do both to be eligible to win!

“Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses.  Click Here: vintage dresses to see our selection!”

(I have to moderate comments for spam reasons--so don't panic if you don't see yours right away. It will be there. You can also comment anonymously and just leave your first name and initial along with your comment so I can match it up with your entry.)

Invitation Box Giveaway

Ironically, despite being almost phobic about sending or receiving mail (it's just a lot of pressure and usually not fun), I love stationery. I have boxes full of note cards, I am a paper snob, I drool over good design on Pinterest boards and frequently pin wedding invitations despite having no reason to believe I will ever be having another wedding. All of my parties start with creative invitations and when I actually get my shit together enough to send out Christmas cards, they are nice ones. It is definitely one of my things.

Invitation Box contacted me to see about doing a giveaway for you all and I really liked what I saw, especially their wedding invitation collection and even more specifically their bridal shower selection. So cute and they have a lot of variety. I might throw a bridal shower again one day for someone else, there's hope for that! I just really like weddings, okay?

But anyway, they are offering up two self-inking stamps for two of you. You don't even have to be getting married to use them. A lot more practical than address labels (and more fun, who doesn't feel all official when stamping stuff?) and they have a big selection to choose from.

The contest is open until Monday the 25th and we're using rafflecopter so I can find the two winners easily! 

Enter to win

(Disclosure: I was offered a coupon code for my personal use for doing this post, but not until after I agreed to do it. It didn't influence my opinion on how very official I'd feel with a return address stamp, that's just a fact, stamping stuff makes people feel important.)