The first signs of Fall & Giveaway Winner Announcement

While walking my dogs the other day, I came across this lone fallen red leaf. Fall in the Bay has been a little delayed this year, but this is a pretty good sign that it'll be here soon.

Congratulations to Michelle! You won the CSN giveaway thanks to random.org =) A big thank you to everyone who participated. I look forward to hosting another giveaway soon.

Michelle, Please send me your contact info so that I can forward you the gift certificate.

xoxo

Lovely little life Giveaway Announcement!

My generous friends at CSNstores.com have graciously allowed me to give away a $45 dollar gift certificate to one of my lucky readers =) You know how much I love to cook and entertain, so if it were up to me, I would have no problem putting it towards furniture like this beautiful drop leaf table above, or maybe some killer shoes, but since it's not me who's gonna do the shopping you can pick! CSN offers an endless amount of beautiful quality items from furniture, decor, and kitchenware to luxe apparel, so I have no doubts that you'll be a happy shopper.

You have three chances to win- Here's how to enter, it's super easy! :

1. Add me as a friend by becoming a follower of my blog (via google friend connect) on the right hand sidebar. If you're already a follower leave me a comment telling me that you have already done so.

After becoming a follower, you can enter two more times by:

2. Mentioning my giveaway on your blog (dont' forget to notify me if you have done this)

3. or Leaving a comment on this post

Enter by next Wednesday =) Winners will be announced by random.org

Good Luck!

xoxo

Happy September & Giveaway Announcement

{Burger buying fresh produce at the Farmer's Market)

Happy September lovelies =) It's hard to believe how fast time flies sometimes. Work has started up for me again, but I've been dragging my feet all week wishing it was still summertime. I have a few days before my my life gets super busy, so i'm going to take advantage of it and have one last hurrah !

Burger would also like to announce our lucky giveaway winner :

The lovely Jennifer from i art you

Congratulations!

Thank you all so much for participating. We'll be hosting more giveaways soon.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! How will you all be spending it?

Home sweet home

{poolside @ the Oceana hotel in Santa Barbara}

The past two weeks have been absolute vacation bliss, but it's always nice to come back and settle into the comforts of home. There's nothing like the feeling of my two furry boys welcoming me back with doggie kisses and unconditional love (conveniently ignoring the fact that their mommy left them for two weeks to prance around America while stuffing her face and indulging in completely unnecessary retail).

Since I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things, I've decided to extend my giveaway until next Tuesday, so come and join the fun =)

Birthday Giveaway!

Hello Lovelies, Long time no see! I have to apologize for being a really bad blogger lately. I feel like I've been on a non-stop birthday celebration train because shortly after my birthday, I spontaneously decided to take a week-long road trip along California's beautiful coast. You would think that I would take a break after being on the go, but instead I'm packing my bags again and heading to Chicago tomorrow for some foodie lovin!

In honor of my birthday month, my generous friends at CSNstores.com have graciously allowed me to give away a $50 dollar gift certificate to one of my lucky readers =) You know how much I love to entertain, so if it were up to me, I would have no problem putting a gift certificate towards gorgeous dining room pieces like the beautiful table and retro china cabinet above. CSN offers an endless amount of beautiful quality items from furniture, decor, and kitchenware to luxe apparel, so take your pick!

Joining the Giveaway is easy! Just visit my new lifestyle blog I host with my lovely cousin Alli: Little Crumbs of Sunshine and become a follower! Leave us feedback on the comments section or comment on this post for 2 extra entries. Giveaway will remain open until Wednesday August, 18.

A day in Wine Country & Giveaway Winner Announcement

{ waiting to eat an epic brunch}

{the boonfly cafe's world famous bloody mary}

{i heart donuts}

{mandi and michelle catching up @ guinis (the best sandwich shop ever) }

{Castello de amorosa}

{finally got a picture with the winery mascot after chasing him across the vineyard grounds for a good ten minutes}

{cheese heaven}

Sorry for the delay with announcing the giveaway winner. My little guy, Derby, hurt his leg and I've been running around town looking for specialists to perform his surgery =(

So without further ado, congratulations Jozen! You've been chosen as the winner by random.org. Please send me your contact info so I can get the mixer to you asap =) Thank you all for participating! I'm looking forward to being able to host more giveaways in the future.

Here are some pictures from last week's rendezvous in Napa. I miss it already. Hope everyone is having a great week.

xoxo

Kitchen Inspiration and Hand Mixer Giveaway!

IF I ever buy a house in the future, I will probably obsess the most about the kitchen . I'm usually pretty laid back when it comes to making decisions, but when I think about designing a kitchen, it has to meet specific criteria which includes: a clean and simple layout that allows for plenty of natural light (which means lots of windows), a viking professional stove and oven, open cabinets where you can display all your pretty ceramics, and little pops of color here and there. I've been scouring the internet for kitchen design inspiration over the past few days and these are among my favorites:

{I love how the counter stools are set up around the island in this kitchen. Makes it the perfect hangout spot}

{the next two kitchens are my favorite. I think it's because it has a lot of yellow, teal, and white- my favorite colors}

{simple yet elegant}

Speaking of kitchens, the generous folks at cookware.com, have allowed me to chose a product to give away to one of my lucky readers! Since the giveaway is kitchen themed, it dawned on me that no kitchen is complete without a mixer! Whether you're a cook or a baker, this thing makes everything almost effortless. Before I graduated to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, I used a hand mixer given to me by my mom. That little thing helped me make hundreds of savory and sweet goodies, and I can't picture life without it.

{hamilton beach 6 speed hand mixer}

You have three chances to win! Here's how to enter, it's super easy! :

1. Add me as a friend bybecoming a follower of my blog (via google friend connect) on the right hand sidebar. If you're already a follower leave me a comment telling me that you have already done so.

After becoming a follower, you can enter two more times by:

2. Mentioning my giveaway on your blog (dont' forget to notify me if you have done this)

3. or Leaving a comment on this post

you will have until next Thursday to enter.

Good Luck!

xoxo

Getting my Christmas groove on

I'm finally beginning to get into the Holiday groove! Now I get to play Santa by announcing

the winners from last week's giveaway...

Please email me your contact information, so I can send the goodies out to you ASAP =)

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Holiday Giveaway!!

{okay, I may be going a little overboard with the holiday spirit here haha}

Thank ya'll so much for your sweet and encouraging comments from my last post. It really means a lot to me, and I feel so much more motivated to get the holiday spirit going! I've decided to jump start my holiday high with a fun giveaway =)

Last week I was able to snag a handful of my all-time favorite eyelash curlers from E.L.F. These coveted little gadgets are a hot commodity because they produce such high quality results, and could battle a designer brand any day! So, now that I have a few in my possession, I am gifting 2 of them plus a batch of homemade holiday cookies to two lucky readers!

You have three chances to win! Here's how to enter, it's super easy! :

1. Add me as a friend by becoming a follower of my blog (via google friend connect) on the right hand sidebar. If you're already a follower leave me a comment telling me that you have already done so.

After becoming a follower, you can enter two more times by:

2. Mentioning my giveaway on your blog (dont' forget to notify me if you have done this)

3. or Leaving a comment on this post

Enter before next Monday, December 14th for a chance to win =)

(the winner will be selected by random.org)

Ice cream sandwiches for dinner

{Burger likes it!}

At the end of a long day, there's nothing like a homemade ice cream sandwich to make everything better =)

I used Dorie Greenspan's "World's best chocolate chip cookie" from her beloved book, Baking from my home to yours. They are slightly crispy on the outside and delightfully chewy on the inside making for a flatter cookie and perfect for sandwiching your favorite ice cream. How can you resist? (even Burger can't).

ps. Today is the last day to sign up for my giveaway, so come and join in all the fun here =)

happy Thursday loves !

Happy 100th Post (Gossip Girl inspired) GIVEAWAY !

{modeling the giveaway accessories}

{this textured bib necklace completes any muted outfit}

{a headband that's Gossip Girl worthy}

After an extended blogging hiatus since my college days, I am so glad to finally be back! I've had so much fun documenting my life on this little online journal and most of all, making new blog friends =) Your sweet comments and encouragement never fail to put a smile on my face. So, to celebrate my 100th post, I wanted to do something nice to show my appreciation for all your support, and host a little giveaway!

My slight obsession with all things accessory has led me to choose these items:

• a sweet Blair Waldorf inspired headband designed by the adorable Eugenia Kim whose creations can be found at the major retailers like Saks and Bloomingdales
• A bib necklace adorned with delicate beading, a perfect compliment to your favorite little black dress
• And finally, a neutral pallet eye makeup kit, but most importantly it includes my favorite eyelash curler of all time. D's sister introduced me to this nifty little contraption, which used to only be sold at one of our local grocery stores back in Texas. Now that it has made its way to Target, I want to share it with the world!

You have three chances to win! Here's how to enter, it's super easy! :

1. Add me as a friend by becoming a follower of my blog (via google friend connect) on the right hand sidebar. If you're already a follower leave me a comment telling me that you have already done so.

After becoming a follower, you can enter two more times by:

2. Mentioning my giveaway on your blog (dont' forget to notify me if you have done this)

3. or Leaving a comment on this post

Enter before next Thursday, November 12th for a chance to win =)

(the winner will be selected by random.org)

Good luck lovelies!

xoxo,

Melissa