Big Thanks and a Menu Monday

I recently won a giveaway from Kelly over at The Merry Martini! The prize? My choice of Lilly Pulitzer item from the new fall line! I chose the thermal mug in the Private Property pattern {and it is absolutely fabulous}. Be sure to visit Kelly's amazing online boutique, The Merry Martini.
Summer rocks! And I'm not talking about the season either {in fact, I'm so over summer, yet it has reached a sweltering 107 degrees this past week in the Valley}! I'm talking about Summer from b is for brown, of course! Look at this sweet little print she sent me for placing in her blog bake-off. Thanks Summer!!! It looks great hanging up in my new kitchen.


On another note, I have recently gotten into clipping coupons. I never minded using coupons, but was usually too lazy to go through the clipping process. But I've recently joined in on The Grocery Game and last night was my first try at purposely saving money. I'm happy to say that we bought over $110 worth of groceries for only $56. I had so many coupons and it also helps to just be aware of the sales the grocery store is doing. I've even planned out a menu for the week because I was shopping with purpose, not just to buy the things with a coupon. So I'm excited about that. We are having a lot of pasta, but it was only 59 cents a package so I can't really complain.

Here's my tentative menu for the week:

Shrimp Scampi Bake - DONE and Delicious!
Baked Chicken and Perfect Crispy Potatoes - DONE and my first attempt at the potatoes resulted in the fire alarm going off...oops!
Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina
Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
Grilled Hamburgers - DONE!

I promise to take some pictures of my new place so I can post them this week!

Update!

Thanks for the thoughts and well wishes on Tuesday's post! Just to let you know, I was able to pick up my car Tuesday afternoon after paying the $243.80. When they drove it out of the lot, there was a big, fat parking ticket on it to the tune of $150. Lesson learned. Unless you want to pay $400 to the city of Los Angeles, be careful where you park and always read all of the posted signs.

The story is actually much more complicated and has to do with my new apartment manager not providing me a usuable space in the garage, but I really don't want to get into that. I'm just happy that I have a mode of transportation and a supportive boyfriend and family who help me get out of jams like this.

Needless to say, Tuesday had me feeling frustrated and angry. I couldn't concentrate on anything but the situation at hand and work was particularly unproductive. When I feel like this, I like to cook. It helps me calm down and relax. So after work, I went to the grocery store for some supplies and found this:

I couldn't believe that the Lilly Pulitzer / Florida's Natural juice carton was in my local grocery store! I had hoped to find it, but really didn't think it would make it's way to Southern California. I detest grapefruit juice, but of course I had to buy it anyway. Now I can stop looking for it in every grocery store I go to :)

I also got these beauties to help cheer me up:


So I think this post marks my return back to the blogging world {I really wasn't gone anyway} and I'm so excited about it! Last night I turned in my 15 page paper for my class and gave a short presentation. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders! Now I have a short time to relax and next week it starts again with two new classes. AND...the technicians are coming to the apartment today to install our cable/internet and I'll be able to blog from the comfort of my living room couch. I will definitely try to post some pictures of our new place as well.

Have a great Thursday lovelies!

but today's not monday...

Loving the new place.

Don't love that my car was towed this morning:

If you can't see, that's $243.80 to retrieve my car from the IMPOUND lot!

Going to sort this all out...pray for me to have patience and to keep my sanity :)

Thank You Preppy Princess!

I know that I said I was really busy {and I am!}, but I wanted to schedule a couple of posts to go up while I'm away! I can't have you forgetting about me...that would be tragic :)

I simply can't go another second without saying a huge thank you to Preppy Princess! I recently placed my first order, and am now wondering what took me so long!?! You see, I'm participating in Hopsy's Prep for Fall Swap and I wanted to make sure my partner {Megs from Newbie New Yorker} got some fabulous goodies! Preppy Princess made the ordering process so simple and I was updated when my order was received and when it was shipped out. I received my package so quickly and everything was wrapped beautifully. There was even a handwritten thank you note included! I couldn't have asked for a better experience!

I won't post what I bought because I don't want to ruin my swap partner's surprise, but I will say that it's all fabulous! I'm already preparing a wishlist for my next Preppy Princess purchase {once my funds are back to normal of course}!

Here are a couple of my favorite items:



What are your favorite Preppy Princess items?

Busy Bee!

Happy Monday lovelies! After a busy weekend I am not ready for the week yet. The weekend should be full of fun and relaxation, but mine was full of packing and running around "borrowing" boxes from the back of supermarkets. Such are the joys of moving. The highlight of my weekend was meeting with some very fabulous bloggers for lunch on the beach. Belle on Heels was kind enough to include me in her meet up, as she was visiting Southern California from Virginia. I was able to meet her, Annabel Manners, and Icing on the Cake. Kate from Nautical by Nature and I met the lovely ladies at One Pico at Shutters on the Beach! The food and dessert was delicious, the view marvelous, and the company excellent. Unfortunately, Muffy Martini was also supposed to be in attendance, but had to cancel last minute due to illness. As this is the second time for me missing out on meeting her, I'm hoping third time is the charm! Muffy, I'd love to meet up with you before too long - I'm sure you would agree, it's long overdue!

{Me, Belle on Heels, Annabel Manners, and Kate}

Kate and I had some fun after the lunch too...see below for proof. She's always wanted to do this!

It's a busy day at work. Add packing up an entire apartment and a 15 page paper due for class {which I haven't even started} and you've got a busy Miss Sweet Tea. I will just let you all know now that my comments and reading will be sparse until the end of the month when I can add it back to my schedule. I'll try to get on when I can, but let's consider this a much needed break from blogging for now!

See you soon with lots of updates and pictures of my new place!

Calling HLB from A Girl and Her Boy

Remember last week when I guest blogged for Fabulous Friday?! I'm sure you all do because I posted about it here and here and here. {a little obsessive? maybe.} Only ONE person participated in Fabulous Friday with me...a big thank you to HLB from A Girl and Her Boy {which is a great blog that all of you should check out}!!

HLB,

Thank you for participating in my Fab Friday.
Please send me your shipping information
and I will be sending a little treat your way!

Contact me at sweetteadiaries @gmail.com

Have a great weekend everyone!

Winners!

A big thank you to everyone who participated in my 200 Posts Celebration! You are all very special to me and I appreciate knowing that I have such a great group of bloggy friends! I do wish that everyone could win, but at least I'll take comfort in knowing that I am about to make 8 different followers quite happy!!

Thanks should also go to all the sellers who helped make my giveaway celebration AMAZING! Please take the time to visit their websites and Etsy stores:

Pressureless
LWhelan
Far afield
Laura Trevey
Whitney Caroline Designs
Jeeta
berdandbee
Scentsy - Catherine M.

After putting all of the entries from each giveaway into a spreadsheet, I then used Random.org to determine the winners.

{admire the hard work of putting all of these entries into a spreadsheet!}
*Oooh...Aaah*

IMPORTANT: All winners will have 36 hours to contact me. If I haven't heard from you by 6:00 pm PST on Friday (8/14), the order for your winning item will not be placed. Also, please re-read the giveaway post that you won and send one e-mail at sweetteadiaries @ gmail.com containing all the details I will need to place your order {please don't forget a shipping address}. Thanks!

-----------------------------

The winner of the Pressureless, Keep Calm and Carry On print is:

Comment 22 - MLD of California Born and Virginia Raised

Congratulations! You will be receiving the print in Razzle Berry! Please send a shipping address to me and I will get this ordered for you!

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The winner of the LWhelan Designs Lilly Pulitzer luggage tag is:

Comment 16 - Lindsay of One Day at a Time...


Congratulations! I will only need a shipping address from you please!

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The winner of the far afield fizz ring is:

Comment 85 - Belle of Une Belle Vie

Congratulations! Please send your choice of color of ring, size and a shipping address! Polly, at Far afield is currently on vacation so your ring will not be made/shipped for at least 2 weeks.

-----------------------------

The winner of the Laura Trevey $30 credit is:

Comment 44 - Summer of b is for brown

Congratulations! Please send your choice of $30 worth of merchandise from Laura Trevey's etsy site and I will get them ordered for you.

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The winner of the Whitney Caroline Designs market tote is:

Comment 94 - Piper Jacquelyn of Steak & Cakes

Congratulations! Please send me the monogram to be used on the tote and a shipping address!

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The winner of the Jeeta personalized keychain is:

Comment 20 - Channa of Life as a Coaches Wife

Congratulations! You will be receiving the Cream and Pink Leather keychain. Please specify if you would like a single initial or name on the keychain and a shipping address.

-----------------------------

The winner of the berdandbee pinecone candle is:

Comment 9 - Holly of Pink is My Signature Color

Congratulations! Please email me with a shipping address and I will order the candle to be shipped to you!

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The winner of the Scentsy warmer and scent bar is:

Comment 18 - AVONLadyinSC of Preppy Perceptions

Congratulations! Please email me with your choice of warmer and scent and a shipping address so Catherine can send your new goodies out!

-----------------------------

Thanks to everyone for helping me celebrate!

Review & Giveaway #8

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!
Welcome to the FINAL giveaway!

All winners will be announced tomorrow morning!

Today I am honored to offer one reader two amazing products from Scentsy, the hottest new thing in candles. Scentsy was founded in 2004 with a mission to bring value to the world by providing an industry leading, family friendly, business opportunity selling creative and high quality products {read mission statement here}. Similar to businesses like Mary Kay or Stella&Dot, Scentsy is sold by individual consultants through house parties and get togethers.

Scentsy is unique because they use a secret mix of ingredients to create a pool of melted wax, which is then transformed into a wickless candle bar. They use the finest scented oils to create an array of wonderful arromas. The candle bar is divided into pieces {much like a bar of chocolate} that can be broken off and used one at a time. No fuss and no mess like a regular candle can sometimes be!

Included in their products are wickless candle bars/bricks, room sprays, warmers and plug-in warmers! The warmers come in a number of designs {45} and there are so many wonderful scents to choose from as well {80}.

Catherine is a consultant for Scentsy, and she was kind enough to send me the Riviera Warmer and a candle bar in Plumeria to review and offer as a giveaway the choice of warmer and candle bar for one lucky winner.

MY REVIEW: This is something you definitely want to win! Not only is it stylish, it's completely functional. The warmer doesn't take up much space, but the aroma emitted from the scented wax is phenomenal. I especially like it because living with a pup and a boy make it hard to keep the apartment smelling fresh. I have the B*ath and Body Works plug-in oil scents in all of the rooms, but they run out so quickly and the scent isn't very strong. This Scentsy warmer is much better than other name-brand candles/air fresheners!!

The warmer is also really easy to clean and there is never the fear that it may burn a child or pet or start a fire. The heat comes from a small lightbulb underneath the top tray of the warmer so the scent is lightly heated to emit a wonderful fragrance for a long period of time.

The Scentsy warmers are normally $30 and the candle bars are $5. One person will be getting these two items for free {keep in mind that the winner will get to choose the warmer design and scent}! If you would like your chance to win, please visit the Scentsy catalog and check out the many different warmer designs. Come back and leave a comment with your choice of warmer and you have earned yourself one entry. If you'd like an additional entry, you can check out the various scents and let me know which one of the eighty you would choose. As usual, leave it all in ONE comment please!

If you can't wait to see if you win and want to buy something from Scentsy, please keep in mind that the entire Spring/Summer catalog is 10% off for the month of August! Make sure to use Catherine Monceaux as your consultant. If you are interested in becoming a consultant for Scentsy or learning more about it, please e-mail me and I will pass on Catherine's information to you!!

Thanks for reading and good luck!

Giveaway #7

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I have always believed in promoting the small business owners and featuring sellers from Etsy this past week have allowed me to do just that. I hope that after this giveaway celebration is over, all of you venture over to Etsy and find some favorites of your own.

Only 2 more giveaways left! Today features berdandbee, a store that sells some great and unique items such as monogrammed mugs, candles and pillows. I will be giving away an all natural soy wax pinecone candle {pictured below}.
Isn't this a perfect transition piece into fall? It would look great on your coffee table or fireplace mantle. If you would like to win, please leave a comment with what you are most looking forward to this fall. Any comments without this information will be deleted.

Also, take a moment to check out berdandbee's store because ALL ITEMS are 25% off the list price {refund will be issued via PayPal} and there are some great deals!

Good luck to all!

Weekend Recap!

The boyfriend and I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon spent at Marina Del Rey's Fisherman Village. We visited the touristy gift shops, listened to some free music, and rode the WaterBus to Mother's Beach. The weather was perfection and the company even better.

We also noshed at Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch, each ordering the fried chicken. Mine came with collard greens and homemade mac-n-cheese with an Arnold Palmer to drink. For a few minutes, I thought I might be back in Georgia at a Cracker Barrel {albeit the loud traffic passing by}. I long for the day that I can return home for good.

Next weekend the moving begins. We are both excited to be in a new area with new things to discover. However, we are not excited about packing and organizing our train wreck of an apartment!

Enter Giveaway #6 today.

Giveaway #6

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Today's giveaway features Etsy store, Jeeta which makes handmade leather bookmarks and keychains {plus other items} that can be monogrammed, initialed or personalized to your liking!

The giveaway today is for a keychain of your choice, and there are so many choices - 36 to be exact! And they are all beautiful!

If you would like to win one of these for yourself, please visit Jeeta's etsy store and check out all of the different keychain options. Come back and leave me an entry with your favorite keychain, and who knows?! It could end up yours!!

i'm irritated.

Warning: Please skip if you don't want to read my whiny frustrations...

I am sick and tired of providing excellent ebay service to buyers and not getting any positive feedback in return. Honestly, how hard is it to take 30 seconds to say thanks for the great service?! And then on top of that, I'm sick of buying items from sellers with crappy communication. Don't people know that communication is key in any business transaction? Apparently they didn't read that part of the ebay handbook...

If you buy on ebay take one second to think about the work that the seller goes through to make a listing, upload photos, wrap a package up, print a shipping label, enclose a thank you card, AND stop by the post office to drop your item off. Plus, ebay charges ridiculous seller's fees. And if you are a seller, think of how nice it is to have peace of mind knowing when your item has shipped and when it is expected to arrive.

How difficult is it to have some ebay etiquette?
That's all.

PS - I'm super excited that I won The Design Girl's giveaway for a new dog collar and matching leash for YoYo {provided by Lucky Fiona}!!

PS 2 - Another giveaway will be announced tomorrow morning at 9 am EST.

Cheers to the Weekend!

A couple more giveaways to come next week, but for now...I'm enjoying my weekend!

Pool!
Pedicure!
Sleep!
(Did I mention that the bf and I just got a new CA King size bed?! It's GLORIOUS!)

(Images courtesy of Google)

I hope everyone is having a
FABULOUS weekend!

Check Me Out on Well, That's Just Fabulous!!

click here to see my Fabulous Friday post.

Everyone that participates and links their post in a comment {here or on Danielle's blog} will be entered to win a surprise from me!

And don't forget to enter Giveaway #5 for a Whitney Caroline monogrammed market tote!

Giveaway #5

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I am too excited about this giveaway! Fellow blogger Whitney Caroline {who we all know and love} has agreed to team up with me to give one winner the fabulous polka-dot market tote! That's right, one winner will receive a monogrammed yellow market tote, perfect for toting around practically anything you desire! My friend Kate loves this tote - you can read her review of it on Whitney Caroline's blog (click here for post).



I hope you are all excited to have a chance at winning this great tote! I know I would be! For your chance to win, simply visit Whitney Caroline Designs and browse all the fabulous items she has to offer! Come back and let me know what your favorite item is and you've earned yourself an entry.

Extra entries can be earned by 1) following Whitney's blog and 2) following her on Twitter. Let me know in ONE comment how many entries you are eligible for (possibility of 3 entries).

Good luck!

Giveaway #4

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Today's giveaway features fellow blogger, Laura Trevey and her amazing watercolor paintings. Laura has an Etsy shop (found here) and I just know that many of you would love to win one of her pieces of artwork.

The winner of this giveaway will have the choice of any item(s) in Laura's store that equals $30 before shipping! And believe me, she has many wonderful pieces to choose from that fit this criteria.

Some of my favorites:

(all photos taken from Laura's etsy site)

Please visit Laura's Etsy site and let me know what piece of artwork is your favorite! You can also follow Laura's blog Bright, Bold, and Beautiful for an additional entry. Let me know in ONE comment how many entries you are eligible for!

As an added surprise, Laura is offering $15 off any $30 purchase, excluding shipping. The $15 will be refunded via PayPal after the purchase is made. Just let her know that you'd like the deal by mentioning "Sweet Tea Diaries."

Make a Little Note to Yourself to Remember This...

My friend Danielle over at Well, That's Just Fabulous is currently taking a blogging hiatus [sad for her faithful followers, but good for her state of mind]. However, her Fabulous Friday tradition was enjoyed by so many bloggers that she has arranged for it to continue - by allowing some of her friends to guest host each Friday!

I am lucky enough to be her first guest blogger for this week's Fabulous Friday! I am letting you all know because it would just make me so thrilled if you all participated. Seriously, I hope all of you join in and I'm even telling you the theme 2 days ahead of time so you can all prepare your posts!

I have to admit that this week's theme is somewhat self-serving, but I do hope that all of you enjoy it. Since I am moving to a new place in less than 2 weeks, my creative juices have started flowing and all I can think about is interior design! This week's theme is fabulous interior spaces. My post will feature dream spaces that I wish I had or some that I am going to draw inspiration from, but yours can be your own space that you've created if you'd like! The possibilities are endless!

(source)

So make a note to yourself to participate in Fabulous Friday this week! There may even be a fun treat for one of you {but you didn't hear it from me...wink wink}!!

Enter Giveaway #3!

Giveaway #3

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I can't recall where I heard about Far afield {it was on one of your lovely blogs}. When I went to check it out, I fell in love with the delicate style and whimsy appeal of this "fizz ring." The winner will have their choice of ivory {pictured here}, berry or brick red.

This bubbly ring is made with Swarovski pearls and sterling silver wire. It is made to order in whatever size you need.

For your chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post. For an extra entry, you can visit Far afield and let me know a favorite item. Both entries must be included in the same comment.

Good luck!

Giveaway #2

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Today's giveaway is so fun! Lynn from LWhelan Designs has offered one reader the chance to win a darling Lilly Pulitzer luggage tag! I think these are so cute and would make any suitcase stand out among the sea of black bags often found at the airport!


Want to win?

LWhelan Designs specializes in handmade Lilly Pulitzer fabric and paper accessories. She makes checkbook covers, tissue cozy(s), and flower hairpins, all using Lilly fabric. For your entry, simply visit LWhelan Designs and browse the shop. Come back and leave a comment with your favorite item {it doesn't even have to be Lilly}.

For an extra entry, you can follow Lynn on her blog. She talks a lot about her new products here so it's a good way to stay in the know!!

A third entry can be earned by following Lynn on Twitter.

Please leave ONE comment letting me know how many entries you qualify for.

Good luck!

Giveaway #1

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Today's giveaway features Etsy store Pressureless. One winner will receive the fabulous "Keep Calm and Carry On" print in their choice of color.



The winner will receive a 16" by 20" print that has been hand silkscreeened by the seller, on to quality recycled paper.

Would you like to win this fabulous print?

All you have to do is visit Pressureless and browse the color choices. Come back to let me know which color print is your favorite {the winner will receive the color choice indicated in their comment}.

*Image taken from Pressureless etsy store.

Let the Celebrating Begin!

Well, this entry was supposed to mark 200 posts for Sweet Tea Diaries,
but I've gone slightly over, so it's really like #207!
{truly unbelievable...}

To celebrate, I have decided to host a
giveaway a day for the next {undetermined number} few days,
of all of my favorite things!

This week will also mark the last week I host
giveaways for awhile. While I enjoy promoting different
vendors and sellers, I feel that having so many giveaways
has made my blog less personal. I'm taking a break
in order to bring the focus of my blog back to ME!
I hope you all understand.

But enough about that!

--------------------------------------------------------

Here's how this week will work:

- Each giveaway will be posted at 9 AM EST.
- You will have 48 hours to enter each day's giveaway.

- You HAVE to be a follower of my blog to enter.
- All winners will be announced together, at the END of the celebration.
- The number of entries available for each giveaway will vary,
so please read each giveaway post carefully
to see how to maximize your number of entries.

And that's that.

See you back here tomorrow morning!!

Check out my BLOG SALE!

Hi lovelies!

Good news - the bf and I put down a deposit on a new apartment! It's such a relief off of my shoulders. But the problem is our new place is much smaller and I am being forced to downsize my belongings, starting with the closet!

I have taken a cue from other bloggers who have sold items via their blog. I have set up a new blog called Sweet Tea Diaries Blog Sale so please check it out! Maybe there will be something you want to buy!

All the prices are so reasonable {honestly I just want to get rid of these things, but don't want to deal with the hassle of ebay}. There's Lilly, J Crew, Ralph Lauren...I will more than likely be adding more things as I start packing. I'll let you all know.

Click here to see the blog sale!

Thanks!!