GIVEAWAY!

IT'S A GIVEAWAY!

Now that the wedding is over, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all of my readers for your love, support, and encouragement during the last six months! This has been such a fun time in our lives and I'm so happy I was able to share it with all of you. I plan on sharing all of the details in the coming weeks so be prepared for wedding recap overload :) I hope you know how much your comments and congratulations have meant to us. 

With that said, I am teaming up once again with Novica to provide a giveaway for my wonderful readers! 

As you may recall, Novica is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites, working with National Geographic, to give talented artists around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. Their website has thousands of top fair trade gifts, accessories, jewelry, and home decor items, all uniquely crafted by talented artisans around the world. 

If you haven't been to the Novica website lately, you should really check it out! I thought I'd share some of my favorite items and at the bottom of this post, you can see what we're giving away! Trust me,  I think you're all going to love it!

Some of My Favorites!

Wouldn't this beautiful blue skirt be perfect for your summer beach trip? I think it's so pretty and kind of looks like an ocean wave. You can see more skirts here.

Isn't it true that we are always searching for the perfect little black dress? I know I am. Novica has a great selection of black dresses! Here are a couple of my favorites:

Lotus Fantasy in Black

Bali Flirt

I mean really, how gorgeous are these dresses? I think they are so unique and you know that no one else will be wearing them at the next party you go to!

Now you'll need some jewelry to go with all of your new clothes. Novica has a ton of that to choose from. Check out all of their garnet chandelier earrings! The craftsmanship on the Royal Thailand style pictured below is stunning with a total of 2.5 carats of faceted garnet in the center of each earring.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

We have chosen this beautiful Elephant Friendship Necklace that I think many of you would love to have! I know that I would!

Isn't this necklace precious?! "Locking their trunks, elephants become a symbol of true friendship in a necklace designed by Thailand's Jantana. The necklace is handcrafted of sterling silver, and elephants received a brushed-satin finish."

Here's how to enter (one or multiple comments are fine):

1. Visit the Novica website and take a look around. 
2. Come back and leave a comment with your favorite item. 
3. Leave an e-mail address where you can be reached if you are the winner!

That's it! I'll run this giveaway until next Monday, July 8th and a winner will be notified on July 10th. Again, thank you all so much for your continued support and friendship! Good luck :)

It's My Birthday [& A Giveaway]

Source: sweetapolita.com via Angela on Pinterest

Today is my 28th birthday!

I can't believe this is my fourth year celebrating

my birthday with all of my wonderful blog readers!

Thank you to each and every one of you,

that takes the time to comment on my posts

and those of you that "lurk" in the shadows!

All of you are so special to me!

Let's start celebrating
and have a giveaway!

I'll select one comment {at random}

to receive a pair of
Kendra Scott 
Elle Earrings 

in the color of her choice!

Tiny Elle, the sister of the legendary Danielle Earring, 

adds a statement of color in a dainty yet bold way. 

This bitty bauble is a sure show stopper. 

Half the size, half the weight, just as gorgeous.

a small example of the colors offered! 

Please leave ONE comment for EACH thing you do!

1. Share your favorite birthday memory.

2. Let me know you follow or are a new follower.

3. Tell me what color earrings you would choose if you win.

4. Tweet about my giveaway and include @sweetteadiaries in the tweet. 

Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did this.

5. Follow me on Instagram! I can be found by searching for Angela Lynn OR sweetteadiaries. 

Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did this.

6. Blog about my giveaway on your own blog.
Leave the link in a comment letting me know you did this.

There are a total of 6 possible entries per person.

Please enter by next Wednesday, May 2.

Again, thank you for celebrating my birthday with me! Good luck, and remember:

[DISCLAIMER: Kendra Scott is not sponsoring this giveaway, and I will be paying for the winner's earrings with my own money.]

December Giveaway

Up for grabs this month is an adorable holiday cupcake kit from Williams-Sonoma! I'm also including a set of TAG napkins, the perfect addition to your own holiday party.

If you would like to be entered for a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post letting me know one thing you are doing to make someone else's Christmas a little brighter. I'll draw a winner on December 14 so there should be plenty of time to make use of these items before Christmas rolls around. Good luck & as always, thanks for reading Sweet Tea Diaries!

November Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway! I wish that all of you could win, but there is always next time. I have another Williams-Sonoma themed item to give away in December so stay tuned!

The winner of the pie crust cutters is:

Bronco Mom!

Congratulations to one of my long-time readers & friend! I hope you enjoy using these cutters to make something delicious for your Thanksgiving table!

November Giveaway!

I've noticed a few new followers here and I just wanted to say hi to my new readers and thank you for taking the time to follow Sweet Tea Diaries! I hope that you'll leave me a comment and let me know that you are reading! If you have a blog, leave me a link and I'll be sure to stop by!

Only 15 days until Thanksgiving so it's only appropriate that I do a holiday-themed giveaway!

This month, I thought I'd share one of my favorite Williams-Sonoma products - pie crust cutters! These are a great way to spruce up a holiday pie at your Thanksgiving table this year. I always use store-bought pie dough and these cutters are perfect for using up the extra scraps of dough and making a cute design out of it.

I'd love for everyone to enter this giveaway so simply leave a comment and let me know something that you are thankful for this season. I'll announce a winner on November 15, which leaves plenty of time to make use of these for your Thanksgiving celebration! Good luck & thank you for reading!

PS - Happy Birthday to my brother, Todd! I love you very much & hope you are having a wonderful day! See you soon!

NOVICA Review & Giveaway!

Giveaway is Closed!

The winner has been contacted:

Emily said...

Wow, what a great company. I love knowing that products I buy are helping others. I'm so glad you informed us of this site! I looked at the website and they have a ton of wonderful items. I love the Talishmen(sp?) ring as well as a ton o the shawls!

This post is much delayed, but one that I am excited to share!

I was approached by a representative from NOVICA to see if I would be interested in doing a review and/or hosting a giveaway for them. NOVICA is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites, working with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. Their website has thousands of top fair trade gifts, accessories, jewelry, and home decor items, all uniquely crafted by talented artisans around the world.

Taken from their website:

We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow. At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe. We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it. 

In the spirit of the Internet, let us bring you together. 

NOVICA. The World is Your Market.

I thought this was a really interesting company doing something wonderful for many talented artists that are in areas where there is little opportunity for them to have a chance to be successful. I think it's a great company that I'm happy to support.

I was given the opportunity to purchase something from their website. There are so many unique items that I had a tough time narrowing it down. I was able to decide on a beautiful scarf, made by the women from the Waqxaqi Kan Women's Group (read the whole story about this group here):

"Our husbands had died and we had to find a way to feed our children and give them an education. So we decided to form a group to look for opportunities based on our skills as weavers."

Isn't that amazing that by purchasing a scarf, I am helping these courageous women provide a better life for themselves and their children?

I received my scarf and it is absolutely beautiful! I know that every time I wear it I will think of how it was handmade with love and care and not in some factory by a machine. And I will also think of how this purchase helped a woman be able to provide for her family.

While I chose a scarf, there are certainly many more options of items on the website, ranging from men's cufflinks and scarves to women's belts, wraps, and handbags and unique home decor.

Some of my favorites:

My Heart & Yours

Mystic Fest

Elephant Stack

NOVICA has been incredibly generous, and would like to offer a $50 gift certificate to one of my readers! I would highly encourage each of you to check out the website, learn a little bit more about what they are doing to help those less fortunate, and I'm sure you'll find something to love!

If you'd like an opportunity to win the $50 gift certificate, please leave a comment on this post letting me know what you'd choose if you are to win. NOVICA has many ideas under $50 (check that out here). I'll select a winner this Friday, October 28. Good luck!

500 Posts Giveaway

I wanted to do something fun to celebrate making it to 500 posts! Unfortunately, it's just little ole me funding the giveaway, so it is something small. But nonetheless, I think it's cute and who doesn't want a chance to win something for free?

I was trying to pass some time while I was waiting for my car to get fixed up (oil change and 2 new tires! finally!) so I walked over to the mall. I saw this cute wristlet by Vera Bradley in one of the stores and I immediately thought it would make a great item for a giveaway!

This is the "Hangin' Out" wristlet in the Loves Me print. It's the perfect size for your phone, lip gloss, and whatever else you want to throw in it. Or you can be like me and use it for your makeup. It would also be perfect to hold nail polish or pens and pencils for class. It's great because the material on the inside and outside wipes clean and won't get all dirty like cloth fabric would.

I will throw in a couple of other surprise items before I send it out as well.

If you want to enter to win, just leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, August 24 letting me know that you are a follower, and if you want, tell me something you would like to read/see on Sweet Tea Diaries in the future (1 entry for each that you do). I will announce a winner shortly after.

Good luck!

the moco-coco {giveaway}

Thanks for all of the sweet comments on my new blog design! I love it, and would definitely recommend Designer Blogs if you are interested in a new look for your own blog!

Today, I wanted to share my latest obsession with all of you. It's the Mocha Coconut Frappuccino from Starbucks, or as C & I call it, the Moco-Coco (or Moconuts if you like that better!!!). First of all, I despise coconut! It's not a flavor I like at all. Second, I can live without chocolate. I'm one of those people that prefers savory over sweet and chocolate has never really been my thing (unless it's covering bacon that is, or a Snickers bar).

Anywayyyyyyyyy.....back to the Moco-Coco:

It's delicious! There is a hint of coconut but the flavor is definitely not overwhelming. The chocolate is a nice touch and you can just barely taste the coffee mocha flavor. It has whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, and toasted coconut flakes on top. To me, it tastes just like a Samoa cookie!

Have you tried it yet? Well maybe now you can....

It's been awhile since I've done a giveaway so leave a comment on this post about your latest summer obsession, your thoughts on the Moco-Coco, your drink of choice from Starbucks, or anything else you want to tell me! I'll pick one winner to receive a $25 Starbucks gift card (funded BY ME!!) so you can get your drink on this summer!! Last day to enter will be July 26.

Oh, and PS - DON'T be tempted to look at the calories in this drink. It'll ruin your day. Or you can be like me and pretend that those calories don't count because it's a "beverage" and not real food....you know, like I do with wine and tequila :)

Are you a Sweet Tea Junkie? GIVEAWAY!!

Good morning friends! In an attempt to make your Monday just a little more cheerful, I've got a GREAT giveaway for you today! I've been so excited about this, and have had the hardest time keeping it to myself. I have a feeling y'all are going to love love love this giveaway so be sure to read this entire post, and make sure you do everything you can to get all of the extra entries!


I was recently contacted by Michael Dorman, owner of Sweet Tea Junkie, a graphic design, print shop & apparel company in central Florida. This company was started as an experiment between a group of friends who loved sweet tea and wanted to see how many other "sweet tea junkies" there were out there. After starting a Myspace page and discovering more than 8,000 people shared their affinity for sweet tea, they knew they had stumbled onto something!

Michael decided to design a shirt and have a friend wear it to a music festival in order to see if anyone expressed an interest/desire to have their own shirt. After seeing the positive response to his design, Michael went to work on 3 new designs and the rest is history! It's been nearly 5 years since the idea was first conceived, and Sweet Tea Junkie is still going strong, printing amazing tea shirts and of course, consuming lots of sweet tea!

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

On to the giveaway! I know we all love our sweet tea and I'm willing to bet most of my readers are "sweet tea junkies" like me!

One winner will receive Sweet Tea Junkie's most popular tea shirt - the Welcome to the South tea shirt is perfect for all of my Southern readers!

One winner will receive Sweet Tea Junkie's newest design - the Sweet Tea Script tea shirt has been very popular among buyers and for good reason, it's so cute!


And lastly, one winner will receive their choice of any tea shirt that Sweet Tea Junkie offers! Whoever wins this will be awarded a $21.50 shop credit, which will cover the cost of a shirt and shipping!


I nearly forgot to mention one of the coolest things about these tea shirts! People are given the opportunity to submit their favorite sweet tea recipe, and if it's good, they are printed on the inside of each tea shirt. So you are not only getting a shirt, but you are also getting a tried and true recipe for a delicious beverage!!

There will be a total of 3 winners!

Sweet Tea Junkie is also offering a discount to Sweet Tea Diaries readers of 15% off your purchase. Please use the promo code "sweetteadiaries" during checkout. Y'all, this is such a generous giveaway, and I want to say thank you again to Michael for offering my readers the chance to win such amazing prizes and this discount code.

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

Here are the rules:

Earn ONE entry by visiting Sweet Tea Junkie, and leaving a comment on this post letting me know your favorite design.

Earn ONE entry by liking Sweet Tea Junkie on Facebook.

Earn ONE entry by signing up to receive the Sweet Tea Junkie email newsletter (which will often contain discounts and special offers on apparel).

Earn FIVE entries by submitting your favorite sweet tea recipe to Sweet Tea Junkie. If you are lucky, it will be chosen to be printed inside a tea shirt, along with your name!

Earn FIVE entries by posting about this giveaway on your own blog and submitting the link with your comment.

Feel free to leave one comment or multiple comments for your entries. I will be entering each entry manually into a spreadsheet to draw the winners.

Enter by midnight on Friday, March 4.

sweet

*giveaway is closed*

Happy Valentine's Day

sweet readers!

Whether you LOVE or HATE this holiday,

I hope all of you are having a

really wonderful day!

I promised a giveaway in January,

but I just didn't get around to it.

So how about one today?!

Leave a comment on THIS post by midnight tonight,

and one of you will win a piece of Lilly jewelry,

choices below:

Don't Be Koi Necklace

Basket Case Bangle

Sweet Pea Necklace

Ric Rac Bangle Set

Not a fan of Lilly? That's okay, too.
You can also choose a $50 gift card to Target

(but if you don't want Target, any gift card

that I can purchase locally can be chosen

- i.e., starbucks, movies, ebay, amazon...)

No rules for this giveaway,

just let me know which piece of jewelry

you'd choose if you were to win
(or if you'd pick the $50 gc)!

Good Luck!



{ps - this giveaway is funded from my

own pocket...lilly and target have
nothing to do with it}

pink and green

fun

pinwheel thank you cards by lily jane stationery

retro fabulous
go go girly stationery by Little Lady Company

adorable
bike stationery by Hello Cupcake

scrumptious
personalized cupcake note cards by MollieDogPaper

Don't forget:

Enter my Sweet Cupcake Giveaway by next Wednesday! The personalized cupcake note cards shown above are one of the items included!

Enter to win a souvenir from moi by guessing where I'm going on my upcoming vacation!

a new blog series and something sweet

...In My Kitchen...

I've been cooking and baking a lot lately so I thought I would start a new series on my blog, dedicated to sharing recipes and such. I'm not sure if I'll be very consistent or if it will even be a weekly thing, but I'll do my best!

This is my kitchen! Please excuse the ugly beer bottles on the top of the fridge and the all around clutter!

One of my very best friends at work celebrated her birthday earlier this week. I knew I had to make something special for her, so I went with sugar cookies! I used The Cookie Queen's [aka Pink Martinis and Pearls] sugar cookie and royal icing recipes. I also used one of my favorite cookie cutters...a cupcake, of course!

For this particular cookie, I also needed red food coloring, colored sprinkles, and red skittles, in addition to the recipe ingredients. After baking the cookies, I made a batch of royal icing and separated it into 4 containers - one for thick white icing to outline the "frosting" of the cupcake, one for thin white icing to fill the frosting, one for thick pink icing to outline the base of the cupcake, and one for the thin pink icing to fill the base. Once the pink portion dried, I added some vertical lines to symbolize the cupcake liner.

I would say that this time around, my experience was much better than the last time I made decorated sugar cookies.

I packaged the cookies up in these cute little treat boxes I found at Cost Plus World Market. The box was originally for cupcakes and came with an insert, but I just omitted that part. I can't find the boxes online, but it was such a good find. I recommend that if you bake a lot of treats to go check out your Cost Plus soon. They were 50% off so it was around $2.99 for 3 boxes!!


What do you think?

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

And now to continue with the cupcake theme...a Giveaway!

personalized cupcake stationery from etsy seller, MollieDogPaper

cupcake cookie cutters

cupcake spatula

orange-swirl cupcake liners

If you'd like to enter, please leave a comment on this post. It can say anything. Leave it by next Wednesday :)

give me your best guess and win a gift!

Well, friends...the OC Fair was a blast! We had a great time and the Martina McBride concert was fabulous! I was so happy to find that she not only sang songs from her Shine album, but she also sang quite a few classics, too! Independence Day, A Broken Wing, Love's the Only House, This One's For the Girls, Wild Angels, etc., etc...it was great! And, I still have to upload the pictures, but I can't wait to show you some of the food we sampled! Everything from fried oreos [yum!] to deep fried chocolate covered bacon [double yum!]...needless to say, the diet started today. Ha!

Today marks the one month countdown until I leave for my vacation. I am so excited and can't wait to spend time with my parents as well as have 13 days of uninterrupted relaxation and fun! I want to do a little giveaway in honor of my vacation so leave a comment on this post with your best guess to where I'm going and I'll draw a winner to receive a little souvenir from me [I'll buy it while I'm on vacation so you'll receive it after I return]. And of course, no need to get the answer right to win! I can't wait to share with you my vacation details :)

Have a great Monday!

check this out!!

If I were to ever have a twin, it would be A Classic Pearl. We are both adopted, Asian, Southern Belles, and have a love affair with all things preppy, pink, and green!! Not to mention, we both love to eat. She is celebrating her 100th post by hosting a fabulous giveaway and I think we all should enter! Please go visit my friend and show her some love! You won't regret it!

All of this could be yours - a green and white notebook, adorable pink and green coasters, super cute pocket tissues, and a paperweight that would look great on any desk!!

Enter here, and make a new friend while you're at it!