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Valentine's Day Banner + Giveaway!

Friday, February 10, 2012

I've been limping along, trying to get my life back together as we slowly set up this new computer. I tell you what-- once it is completely set up, I will be in heaven. This thing is FASSSST! Heaven!

But until then, it's like trying to manage your regular home life without electricity. You can do most things you did before, but might have to come up with a creative way to make it happen. Creative= slow. Example-- without electricity to heat your water, you could still take a bath by boiling water, one pot at a time. In my case, I don't have my Photoshop and all of my workflow actions in place yet. So to get photos ready for this blog post, I had to "boil water", i.e. dig into Photoshop Elements 2.0 (ay yi yi!!) and try to figure out a few things there just to get things prepared.

Needless to say, I am a bit stunted by the Elements program, so I can't promise any "wow" images for a few days yet...But it'll do.

ANYWAY.

Big day today. I had my third dentist appointment in as many weeks. Boy, that drill sound is awesome, isn't it? And if anyone appreciates a good bit of irony, my afternoon ahead will be filled with cupcakes as I host a Cupcake Party. (Hey, they might be pure sugar, but at least they'll be soft on my poor teeth, right??)

But that's MY life. Its a big day for you guys, too, because I'm having a GIVEAWAY! Today! Right this minute!! Woot!

The other week I saw the cutest, EASIEST project featured on a sweet little blog called Finley and Oliver. She shows how to make a simple little Valentine's Banner, HERE, and I had to make one right away. (Oh my gosh! I just saw her most recent post. Aren't THESE the cutest things ever??!?? Making some!)

ANYWAY. (Got distracted). Point is, I MADE a Valentine's banner. And then I made another one. Because I figured one of you guys needed this banner, too.

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Simple. Timeless. And cute. Right? Well, who wants it? 

In my perfect world, this blog post and giveaway would have happened last weekend. PLENTY of time for posting your entry, plenty of time to get it mailed to you by Valentine's Day. But then my computer crashed, I was left without access to these images, and well... that's life. So. 

This will be a FAST contest. Like, by midnight tonight, I'll pick a winner, and I'll throw this at the mailman TOMORROW. With a lot of prayers, it might get to you ON Valentine's Day. Maybe. 

So to keep it simple, just leave a blog comment. Tell me what you do to survive February, or survive technological setbacks. Or tell me what kind of cupcakes you'd bring to my cupcake party if you could come. 

And at midnight, only 11 hours from now, I'll random.org a winner and get your address and send it along. Easy!!

*
Lastly, in my perfect world, pre-computer-crash, I was going to finally un-hoarde the special photos I have of my Lucy with myself that my dear BFF Katie took last August.... Because you can see a sneak peek of that session up on the mantle photo above. It would have been a lovely little segueway into talking about that session and sharing the photos. But, well... you know. Photoshop Elements TWO and all that jazz. Boiling water for a simple bath. Just not gonna happen here today, folks. 

So I'll keep hoarding. For now. Soon, I promise, a feast of Lucy images. Like crazy FEAST. It'll be cuteness overload. 

Til then, post a comment. Enter to win! Have a grand day! And so on....


22 comments:

  1. Elements 2? Oh geez Louise! :-)

    I would bring some ginormous red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing becase a) who doesn't love cream cheese icing? and b) my son (who I'm currently nursing) has a dairy sensitivity, so no cream cheese icing for me, which means I need to live vicariously through others who CAN eat it.

    How about that bit of rambling? Hope you're back up and running soon! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  2. I am cleaning like a crazy woman to get through this Feb. I'm a slacker and didn't get your package in the mail yet. Today, I promise. I hope to win your little lovely.
    Wish I could help you and your computer. grr. That is really frustrating. I've been counting to ten a lot lately. It really helps.
    If you want to get started on the catalog party early, you can look at the catalog online at your cupcake party. www.jewelkade.com/rader
    Shameless? probably. Shameful, no.
    Love you lady.

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  3. a. I'd bring turkey meatloaf muffins with whipped potatoes on top for frosting and mash six of them into my mouth at once so that I would manage not to devour every single sweet within reach. (I reached a weight loss milestone today and am determine to HOLD GROUND!)

    b. With regard to technology, you describe my current life! I spent years saving for and learning Photoshop (CS4) and then my PC died. My dear, sweet, beloved husband insisted we finally make the leap to Mac-world and got me a Macbook Pro for my birthday. And all we can currently afford to run on it is Elements. Which I *know*, from years ago, but on a windows platform. So I have gone back even farther, to SOOC (GASP!). Painful, but necessary, and kind of liberating? Like a raw food diet? Or a good colon cleanse? I'm grasping at straws, but I'm sure there's a silver lining somewhere...

    3. February. UGH! BLERGH! Dislike. :( Ready for spring, but spring isn't ready for me. Cabin fever has set in, so I am making plans for outings. Library Fridays, check! Swim lessons to gear up for summer, check! Playdate Wednesdays, check!

    Spring will be here before we know it and then we won't care about technology because we'll be outside enjoying balmy breezes and tweeting baby birdies and shrugging off layers upon layers of clothing. Yay!!

    Lastly, BIG HAPPY BABY KUDOS to your friend Katie above me who is going the distance for her little man with dairy sensitivities!! I did the same for my littlest man, and it worked wonders on his tummy and his disposition :)

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  4. I would bring a chocolate, on chocolate, with more chocolate cupcake!

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  5. You already know one way I survive February...staying in and drinking coffee all day.

    I deal with technological difficulties by doing other things I love to do...knitting & crafting.

    If I were coming to your cupcake party, I would bring red velvet cupcakes. Only because I've never made red velvet cake before. And they are red...my favorite color.

    Sweet little banner...thanks for the opportunity to win it.

    mwah!

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  6. What a cute banner. I would bring strawberry cupcakes ( pink is my favorite color ) . Good luck with the technology stuff :)

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  7. Im bring some oreo cupcakes!! Im so excited for the party!

    I never win anything, but here goes :)

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  8. I am coming to your cupcake party and I am bringing oreo cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

    I decided to start celebrating Valentine's Day last year since I need to show my kids to express their love instead of focus on how I think the holiday is made up to force people to spend money after Christmas. So this banner would look so good in my house as my very first V-day decoration. If I don't win it I will have to keep it in mind and hopefully get around to making it one day.

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  9. I bring the same cupcakes as Dawn :)

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  10. I survive February knowing Spring is just around the corner (next month, eek!) and with gorgeous days like today!

    As far as cupcakes go, I've been looking for a good excuse to try the stuffed cookie dough cupcakes I pinned awhile ago. They look TDF!

    Have a great weekend... :)

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  11. What do I do to survive February? Make lots of baked goods, snuggle in a quilt, watch some favorite TV shows and count down the days until March!

    As far as technical set back survival, I actually LOVE it when I don't have the temptation of a laptop or cell-phone because that way I can work out my sewing machine, read, and do things that aren't centered around technology!

    Love you, Em, and I wish you were in Utah so you could host cupcake parties here and I could participate/gorge on the deliciousness!

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  12. I'd totally bring my triple chocolate cupcakes...perhaps I should go bake some with the kiddos to pass this snowy February day :)

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  13. i wish i had some techno-saving ideas, but my laptop just died last week and im done for... it's going to require a lot more love and attention than i can give it right now. so instead, i'll say that the key to surviving Feb for us is to get OUT: McD's with a play place, the Humane Society (it's a smellier version of the zoo, but it still works wonders), or playing at the mall's play area. good luck!

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  14. If I still lived in STL I would survive February by hanging out with YOU, I don't survive technical setback well in general, and I would bring either smores cupcakes or junior-mint-center cupcakes to your party. Love you!

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  15. technical setbacks... beginning a shop on etsy, learning Photoshop, setting up a new computer, I have become an expert at technical glitches. I've learned that no matter what. . . keep breathing, laugh if I can, and skype my computer genius son at Brown.

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  16. I'm not entering but have to say that this just made my day!! I'm so glad you liked the tutorial - your banner turned out adorable. Great job! Have a lovely weekend. ~ Grace from Finley and Oliver

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  17. Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Pure. Simple. Delicious. And I think I'm going to survive February by making cupcakes RIGHT NOW! :)

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  18. I love the banner! It's simply perfect!!
    I would bring German Chocolate cupcakes! Yum! Have fun tonight!!

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  19. What a perfect little banner! And now I want cupcakes. But in order to survive February, I try and take advantage of the excuse to stay home and cozy up. Fire in the fireplace, popcorn and a movie, blankets and cocoa. Candles lit. Board games and puzzles. Basically, I pretend like we are living in a lovely little mountain chalet, even if it's just raining and muddy.

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  20. Ooh, maybe I'd bring cookie dough cupcakes--they have a ball of cookie dough in the middle . Yumm. What a cute banner!

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  21. Despite the fact that I never seem to win these, I figured it can't hurt to comment- I would either bring the strawberry mini cupcakes with coconut cream-cheese icing that taste like raspberry zingers (I tried them a couple of weeks ago- maybe I'd skip the coconut since I seem to recall you're not a huge fan...)
    OR I'd try this technique I saw on Pinterest- putting a large marshmallow on the cupcakes 5 min. before they're done to let them melt into "icing"- I'd probably do that with either an orange or strawberry cake mix...

    I hope your recovery is swift! Love ya! (Oh, and I *love* the December pics of Noah and Lucy! SOOO cute!)

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  22. If I was coming to your cupcake party I'd bring these really delicious vanilla cupcakes with a whipped vanilla frosting.... they are a winner all around! SOOOO GOOD. And I'd make them some festive color that's really cheerful.... like bright yellow or robin's egg with some to-die-for sprinkles.

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