4 Men 1 Lady: December 2011

12.31.2011

Secret Santa gift #3?

I was surprised with another gift in the mail from my Secret Santa yesterday!

Apparently she felt bad the other gift broke and felt the need to send another one.

I did a little guessing and discovered it was the very talented Emily A. Clark.

Thank you Emily! Loved all your gifts.

The third "replacement" gift was totally unnecessary but I am grateful to you anyway!

Look how sweet this Snow and Graham Calendar is.

I am in love with the November print.

And I have just the place for it.

Happy New Year!

12.30.2011

Oreck Magnesium Vacuum review and giveaway.

Boy, oh boy, do I have the ultimate giveaway for you!

Oreck sent me their new Magnesium Vacuum Cleaner to review a few weeks ago.

I vowed to be completely honest and no sugar-coating.

Let's just say my little apartment has never been cleaner.

First of all it is so LIGHT! My old vacuum was so big and bulky (and I've got the biceps to prove it).

The Magnesium is light enough that I can now put my boys to work with zero guilt of child labor.

It really is so easy to manage I actually use it more often.

It sucks up every last crumb on carpet...

...and does equally as well on hard surfaces. I should know too...I despise using a broom and dustpan. In fact, I've had three vacs in the past that claim to vacuum hard surfaces and none have worked well. The problem is they blow the mess all over the floor when the vac gets close but the Magnesium vacuums without making a tornado mess!

It even worked on my jute rug.

This is my old vac filter which had to be cleaned after each use.

I actually had a rock outside that I designated as my "filter banging rock".

The Magnesium uses bags that you simply throw away when they're full. Simple.

The Magnesium also comes with this hand-held vacuum to clean hard to reach nooks and crannies.

I'm sensing a new addition to the chore list.

We give it two thumbs up!

Now for the fun part.

One lucky winner will be receiving their very own Magnesium vacuum (valued at $599.00)!

To enter:

First visit Oreck.com and tell us one (or more) thing you learned about the Magnesium vacuum by leaving a comment on this post.

For three additional entries:

1. Follow Oreck on Twitter.

2. Like Oreck on Facebook.

3. Get the word out by tweeting about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter.

Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. Once winner is announced they will have 72 hours to respond otherwise another winner will be chosen. Giveaway closes Saturday, January 7th at midnight. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents (of the 48 contiguous states) only. Must be at least 18 to enter.

Disclosures: I received this product to review for free from Oreck. Oreck Corporation provided the prize for the sweepstakes but is not the sponsor of the sweepstakes.

12.27.2011

My proudest DIY moment.

Three years ago I tackled one of my most ambitious DIY projects ever of wrapping our entry with stripes.

The reason I'm re-visiting "my proudest DIY moment" is because Part Select is holding a contest for bloggers to post and submit a noteworthy project and potentially win $5,000.00 worth of new GE Appliances!

Go here for details.

Our home was a "tract home" meaning it was visually B-O-R-I-N-G! Feeling a slight allergic reaction to having an identical home that looked like everyone else's I knew I needed to give it some personality. The house had quite a grand entryway which I envisioned wrapping in stripes. The "three-day project" actually took three weeks, every night from 7pm-12am.

We measured each line with a ruler and level to make sure the lines were even. Then we used Frog Tape, (which was perfect because there was no bleeding under the tape) to mark off the stripes. Last, we painted the grey between the tape, alternating every other stripe.

Talk about tedious!

Now when you enter it's far from looking like every other house on the block anymore.

People always ask about the layout and where the hall leads to.

At the end of the hallway is the living/dining room.

Another DIY feature we made was this message board which we created with magnetic and chalkboard paint. It's perfect for displaying calendars items, making lists of things to-do and keeping us informed of important upcoming events.

This office is also right off the hallway.

Photos by: Wondertime Photo.

We also created a little breakfast nook, giving the space more use than just a means from here to there. It's much closer than walking all the way around to the dining table and a great little place for kids to do homework while I'm doing dinner.

I'll think long and hard about doing stripes again but it was well worth it in the end.
It's a space that makes me happy and proud.

Black and Decker Laser Level Winner.

Congratulations to lucky number 8, Shirley!

You're the winner of the Black and Decker Laser Level!

12.23.2011

Merry Christmas!

Images via Emily Loveland Photography.

12.22.2011

Secret Santa Gift #2.

I received a second gift in the mail from my Secret Santa yesterday!

Apparently this cute little baker got in to a fight with the whisk in the mail.

My DIY side thought I could finish it off with a hammer and make a tile mosaic with it but...not this year...

Thank you Secret Santa...I think I may have an idea who it's from...any guesses?

***Hint, box came from North Carolina.***

Here's the list of participants:

Lovely Little Details

Making it Lovely

Mustard Seed Interiors

Pure Style Home

Save the Date for Cupcakes

12.20.2011

Free tag download and for your consideration...

I'm slightly obsessed with gift wrapping.

At the Blogger Social I recently attended we had a gift exchange and I brought these

boxes full of a "few of my favorite things".

Thanks to my sister-in-law Erin, she whipped up those custom tags which I've since attached to everything under the sun.

Cute, right?!

Erin has allowed me to share these tags with you (thank you Erin).

Before I do, let me tell you a little bit about her.

You may remember me highlighting her previously as being my very talented blog designer who owns Designer Blogs.

She and her staff are highly sought after for designing every aspect of people's blogs.

On a more personal note, 5 years ago, she and her husband, Mike,

were blessed to be able adopt a beautiful boy who is their pride and joy.

Since then, they have been praying to expand their family and adopt another child.

Adoption is a tricky task these days. It's not just a waiting game anymore.

Parents are told they must be extremely proactive and pretty much go find "their child".

They are hoping to adopt again.

If you know anyone who is considering placing a child for adoption please keep

Mike, Erin and Bryson in mind.

Go here to learn more about them and their story.

To download these tags, right click, save and print.

Enjoy!

12.19.2011

Black and Decker Laser Level Giveaway.

Black and Decker must have seen the post I did two years ago where I used a three foot level to measure, mark and tape stripes in my entryway here.

I can just hear their marketing team now...

"That ~~dumb~~ poor girl. Did she really use that clunker of a level to measure EVERY, SINGLE one of those stripes? Doesn't she know we make a laser level? Let's send her one and let her try it out. She might go jump off a cliff after she figures out all the time she wasted by not using our laser level."

So this is the Black and Decker Laser Level and it is pretty sweet. It's got this big suction cup thing (which my husband demonstrated by sticking it to his massive forehead) which sticks right to your wall.

No messing up the paint. Cool.

We were trying to line up our growth board charts (by Growing Up Vintage).
Black and Decker has taken the guess work out of it. If the red light is flashing then it's not level.

Vanna White here is demonstrating how a simple adjustment will remedy the problem...

Once it turns green, it's level.

Want one for yourself?
Black and Decker is giving a Laser Level away!

-Leave a comment on this blog with your contact info.
-For additional entries post about this giveaway on your
blog (additional entry), Twitter (additional entry), Facebook (additional entry).
-For one more additional entry like them on Facebook here.

Check out their other cool products in their gift guide here.

Giveaway closes December 26, 2011 at midnight.
Winner chose via Random.org.