free cookbook

hello mavens!  i have an awesome giveaway today.  why is it so awesome?  because everyone, that's right everyone, wins.

the author of a new e-cookbook, dinner revolution, contacted me and is offering his cookbook FREE to any and all lifestyle maven readers.  simply click {here} for your free copy.

dinner revolution contains over 200 healthy dinner recipes all of which have 10 ingredients or less and take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

it's simply fabulous, if you ask me...

cheers!
cailen

shabby apple giveaway!!!

i am so excited to be hosting a shabby apple giveaway today.  i have long-admired shabby apple's women's dresses - their throwback fashions and vintage silhouettes are just my style : )  and not only are they giving away one of their lovely dresses, they are offering all lifestyle maven readers a special discount!  enter the coupon code lifestylemaven10off at checkout for 10% off your purchase!

not familiar with shabby apple style?  check out some of their fabulous dresses below.

fifth avenue dress

bellissima dress

jitterbug dress

bernini dress

and now, for the moment you've all been waiting for.  a glimpse at the giveaway dress...

moon river dress (i.e. the GIVEAWAY dress)

yes, that's right.  shabby apple is giving the phenomenal moon river dress to one lucky lifestyle maven reader! 

ok, so how exactly do you enter for a chance to win?  it's easy!

follow lifestyle maven & leave a comment below

for extra entries*:

 - follow lifestyle maven on twitter

 - like lifestyle maven on facebook

- like shabby apple on facebook
- tweet about this giveaway

- grab a lifestyle maven button (below) for your blog

*please leave a separate comment for each entry

the giveaway is open to u.s. residents only.  the winner will be chosen at random next wednesday, may 11th, 2011.

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class="<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;/span>-spellcheck-word>&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;span style="background: yellow;" class="<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;/span>&&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;span style="background: yellow;" class="<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">goog</span>-spellcheck-word"><span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;/span>;/SPAN>;/center>   good luck!!!  can't get enough free stuff?!  be sure to check out my t-shirt necklace giveaway over at express-o! 

gettin' lucky : )

as a (50%) irish girl, i revel in the romanticism that accompanies st. patty’s day. each year, my parents host an authentic corned beef and cabbage (and soda bread and potatoes and roasted vegetables...) irish feast on the 17th of march. much of my extended family attends, and we celebrate our irish heritage with food (and drink).

credit [here]

yet, despite my irish roots, i don’t believe in luck in the mythical, haphazard, out-of-the-blue sense. in my version, real luck occurs when the right circumstances come along and you capitalize on them. but, had you not been thinking about, working on and wishing for a “lucky break”, then you wouldn’t necessarily have recognized it as “luck” when it does come along. i also like this version of luck because it gives you some control. i.e. if you’re diligently working towards an important goal, you’re much more likely to catch a lucky break…

yet, despite my somewhat business-minded view of luck, i do (kind of) believe in lucky charms. (i know, i’m a rubix cube of contradictions.) i have a beautiful vintage wishbone pin from my grandmother that i love and consider it a bit of a “lucky” charm. i’m not sure if it has magical powers or just sentimental value, but i love to wear it on special occasions.

credit [here]

well, before i confuse you (and myself) any further. here are some other notable thoughts on luck:

“i'm a great believer in luck, and i find the harder i work, the more i have of it.” –thomas jefferson

“luck is believing you’re lucky.” – tennessee williams

“luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don’t depend on it.” – unknown

“success is simply a matter of luck. ask any failure.” – earl wilson

“the day you decide to do it is your lucky day.” – japanese proverb

“what we call luck is the inner man externalized. we make things happen to us." – robertson davies

credit [here]

so…do you believe in luck? what is your lucky charm?
 
p.s. don't forget to enter the brand building giveaway [here].

brand building & giveaway

[before i forget...be sure to pop over to makeunder my life to check out my diy design your life post]

do any of you watch bethenny ever after (previously: bethenny getting married?) on bravo?  well, i almost hate to admit it, but i am strangely obsessed with that show.  a former "real housewife of nyc", bethenny frankel is a successful entrepreneur - she's written several books, has a "skinny girl" margarita line of products and also has the reality tv show.  busy lady.  (blatant teaser: keep reading...there's a giveaway : )

skinnygirl margarita

i think what has me utterly fascinated is how successfully bethenny (yes, we're on a first-name basis) has built her brand.  (and, let's face it, that's pretty much what the blogosphere is all about - building a brand, a persona, a voice.)  the cool thing about being your own brand is that it's completely self-defined.  you decide what you stand for, what you talk about and what you endorse.  you become a revered expert just by discussing/trying/doing things that you love or are interested in learning more about.  pretty cool.

credit {here}

as i've said before, that is what i'm working on here at lifestyle maven.  one step at a time.  i know it will take a while.  kim kardashian, martha stewart and bethenny frankel didn't become "brands" overnight.  it took time.  it took effort.  but, they also prove, it can be done. 

i read a great book called crush it! by gary vaynerchuk.  and it talks all about the steps involved in building a brand.  it's an awesome read, and i would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make blogging (i.e. their brand) their full-time job (eventually).  his step-by-step guidance really gets your wheels turning, and his advice is completely applicable and gets you totally motivated : )

this could be yours!

i would like to send one lucky reader a copy of crush it!  trust me, if you love your blog and blogging, you will not be able to put this book down.  it tells you exactly how to turn your passion into a business/brand via social media. so cool!

so...are you ready to win?  here's how to bolster your odds : )

1 point - be a follower of lifestyle maven

1 point - follow lifestyle maven on twitter

1 point - like lifestyle maven on facebook

1 point - tweet about this giveaway

2 points - add the lifestyle maven button to your blog

please leave a separate comment for each entry.  (if you grab a button, please leave two comments.)

the winner will be chosen at random next friday, march 18th : )

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spiral style & giveaway

today is a very exciting day for lifestyle maven.  not only do i have a splendid giveaway for you, but i'm so very pleased to introduce my very first sponsor! 

heart bracelet

a big welcome to deborah of spiral style who creates the most lovely jewelry.  her creations are elegant and oh-so-chic!  (see her wonderful rotating ad to the right?!)  she has kindly offered to giveaway a pair of beautifully handcrafted earrings to one lucky lifestyle maven reader!  yay!

these could be yours!!!

read on to learn a bit more about deborah & spiral style and then be sure to enter for a chance to win!

1. when did you first start designing jewelry?
When I moved to Michigan from Pennsylvania in 1991, I took a jewelry making class at our local art center.  I loved it so much I enrolled at the local university and completed studies receiving a BFA with a concentration in metals (quite a change from my previous occupation of nursing).  I went full-circle and taught at the same art center where I took my first class and began to sell my jewelry at their gallery shop.  I no longer teach but they continue to carry my work in the shop.

2. what is your favorite piece to wear?
 I always wear earrings but I think my favorite piece to wear is a set of my bangles.  They are also my biggest sellers.

3. what inspires you when creating new pieces?
 I take inspiration from current fashion for sure.  Sometimes just playing around with the metal will inspire a design.  Mostly I think I look at classic jewelry designs and try to make them modern.

be sure to visit her etsy shop {here} and read her blog {here}.  don't you just LOVE her creations?!

awesome necklace

so...are you ready to win?  here's how to bolster your odds : )

1 point - be a follower of lifestyle maven

1 point - follow lifestyle maven on twitter

1 point - like lifestyle maven on facebook

1 point - tweet about this giveaway

2 points - add the lifestyle maven button to your blog

please leave a separate comment for each entry.  (if you grab a button, please leave two comments.)

the winner will be chosen at random on monday, march 7th : )

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$1 fun

craig came home very excited this evening (and with good reason).  a guy from work passed along a flyer for a "dollar stroll".  what is a dollar stroll you ask?  (yeah, i didn't know either...)  well, evidently baltimore ave in the university city district of philadelphia is offering it.  from 5:30 to 8:30pm tomorrow night participating merchants and restaurants will be offering $1 specials - very cool and exciting, right?!  stuff like...$1 desserts, espresso, tea, coffee, spring rolls, yoga class, chicken skewers, ice cream, beer, cupcakes and the list goes on...

dollar stroll

so if you're in the philly area tomorrow night you should definitely check it out!  (we'll be there for sure : )  for more information about the dollar stroll click {here}.

only a few days left to enter the vintage purse giveaway!!!

bachelorette amazingness

han, me & cate

saturday night was erin's (my cousin) bachelorette party.  fun times.  fun times.  needless to say we had lots and lots of fun drinks, good laughs and delicious food : )

erin (bride-to-be)

we started our evening at the melting pot.  fondue goodness.  i mean, seriously...who does not love melted, oohey-gooey cheese?!  and then dessert.  oh, dessert!  soooo good.  "flaming turtle" = melted chocolate, caramel and pecans and also "s'mores" = melted chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker crumbles.  and you get to dip cheesecake (yay!), brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, rice crispie treats, strawberries and bananas.  yum! 

brownies and cheesecake and pound cake...oh my!!!

han, me, cate

after melting pot we meandered over to yakitori boy where we had a private room for our evening of karaoke.  (ps i love karaoke : )  we sang some top 40 and also some oldies but goodies.  awesomeness.

lychee martinis

cate, erin, han, chrissy, me

after singing our hearts out we hopped into some cabs and headed over to our 3rd and final stop.  a super cool bar (totally decorated for halloween) where we could dance and drink to our hearts' content!  we had a great time : )  can't wait til it's my turn to be the bachelorette...won't be long now...

have you checked out my vintage purse giveaway?! 

vintage purse giveaway (it could be yours!)

hello all!  this is my first ever giveaway (and it's a good one)!  rachael, fellow blogger and total sweetheart from it's simple love, and i are hosting dual giveaways.  i'm giving away this adorable and super chic vintage purse from her etsy shop on my blog, and she's hosting a giveaway of my book and two (handcrafted) t-shirt necklaces on hers : )  lots of fun!

could it be cuter?!

it's simple love is one of my dailies.  rachael blogs about life, love, travel, music, photography and (of course!) amazing vintage fashion.  her personal style and positive outlook are to be coveted!  i strongly recommend stopping by her blog and vintage shop...they're totally worth a (prolonged) visit.

...wish i could enter...

so...on to the good stuff...how to win!

to enter vintage purse giveaway:
you must be (or become) a follower of my blog, lifestyle maven, and leave a comment below : )

extra enties:
+1 follow it's simple love (make sure you come back and leave an additional comment to let me know)
+2 blog about this giveaway or add a link to it on your blog (again, be sure to let me know)

remember to write a separate comment for each entry.  open to u.s. and canada residents only (sorry!).  the giveaway ends friday oct 15th, and the winner will be chosen at random.

thank you for entering & best of luck!  (p.s. i'll be totally jealous of whoever wins this purse...)

oh and don't forget to stop by it's simple love to enter for a chance to win a (signed) copy of my book and some very awesome t-shirt necklaces : )