Review + Giveaway: Diamond Soy Candles, Part 2

If you missed part 1, you can read it here.

I’ve already shared how much I like the Diamond Soy Candle I received to review. Now it’s time to tell you about the ring! :)

As you know, the most unique thing about these candles is the ring inside each one worth $10, $100, $1,000, or even $5,000.  According to the website, the founders created Diamond Candles out of a desire to make buying candles fun again, while at the same time offering an attractive and earth-friendly candle that you would be excited to use in your home.

Well, they certainly got the “excited” part right! There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of watching as the candle burns and gradually reveals a little gold foil packet. For my candle, it took about 8 hours before the level of the wax was low enough to pull out the packet. I used tweezers to tug it out because that made it easier to grip.

The ring is sealed in a small plastic bag, which in turn is wrapped carefully in gold foil to protect it from the heat and wax. Seriously, the anticipation of what my ring would look like was intense – even my husband and our friend who was visiting were intrigued!

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Review: Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey is the continuing story of Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadt (first introduced in The Swiss Courier). This time, they are on a relentless quest to save the most famous painting in the world  - the Mona Lisa. You can help Gabi and Eric with your very own iTouch SPY pack when you enter The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!

One passionate protector will receive:

  • iTouch (the must-have device for any spy)
  • Starbucks Gift Card (for all those late nights)
  • Moleskin Notebook (for those important notes)
  • Invisible Ink Pen (don’t want anyone reading those important notes!)
  • “Chasing Mona Lisa” by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (great handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training) :)

Enter today by clicking the box on the right. They’ll be announcing the winner during a Facebook Party on January 31. You won’t want to miss out on all the fun: prizes, spy training and a LIVE Q & A with authors Tricia and Mike!

About Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey:

It is August 1944 and Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country, stealing countless pieces of art. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all, the Mona Lisa, as a post-war bargaining chip to get him to South America. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue DaVinci’s masterpiece before it falls into German hands?

With nonstop action, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get readers’ adrenaline pumping as they join the chase to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Paris to a posh country chateau, the race is on–and the runners are playing for keeps.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars (view all my reviews on Goodreads.com)

My review:  I never quite understood the appeal of Mona Lisa’s famously enigmatic smile until I saw it through the eyes of these characters. Neither had I known much about the art thefts during World War II, the Nazi occupation of France, or the continuing political unrest after the Allies arrived. It was fascinating to learn some of this history from an insider’s perspective, if you will.

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Spirit Week at Swagbucks

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Swagbucks? Then let me share yet another reason to join the best rewards site on the web!

Next week is Spirit Week at Swagbucks!  They’ll be celebrating a different holiday each day with swag codes, games and more.  Each evening, the next day’s holiday will be announced in the blog, and during the day you’ll want to keep an eye out for swag codes or other news on Twitter, Facebook, and the main Swagbucks.com site. The best way to check for new codes, though, is the Swidget. Also, make sure you keep track of each day’s swag codes; it’ll pay off at the end of the week with a big, juicy reward. So get your pom-poms ready, folks, and I’ll see you on Monday!

If you’re not familiar with Swagbucks, let me be the first to tell you, Swagbucks is THE best place to get free stuff online! Get rewarded for things you’re already doing online like internet searches, playing games, watching videos, using coupons and more. It couldn’t be any easier – simply sign up here , then check out my Swagbucks ”How To” page for some handy tips. Of course, you can always email me with any questions, too. I’m happy to help!

By the way, if you’re still not convinced that Swagbucks is a no-brainer if you want to earn a little extra dough, check out this article from MSN Money.

Search & Win

Friday Fun: Covered in Coffee Beans

This image has been around for quite a while, so I can’t say exactly where it came from. It’s not so much an optical illusion like the mountain or horses, but almost a “Where’s Waldo?” type of puzzle.

Can you find the man hiding in the coffee beans?

Hint: It’s just a face, not an entire person, and he’s in the lower half of the image.

Review + Giveaway: Diamond Soy Candles, Part 1

I absolutely love yummy-smelling candles, and of course I’m always up for reviews and giveaways, so I was super excited when I was selected to review Diamond Soy Candles and participate in this blog tour!

I was sent the Carnival Candy candle for my review and could hardly wait to start burning it. On the Diamond Candles website, the color of this candle looks almost magenta, but in reality it’s more of a deep bubblegum pink. I have to say, I’m not much into pink, at least when it comes to home decor,  but the color kinda grew on me.

Both my husband and I were apprehensive at first about the scent. We usually choose scents that are more spicy than sweet, and I thought a sugary candy smell would be too much for us, but I was pleasantly surprised – it’s a soft, fresh fragrance with a hint of floral and berries, and it gave the whole room a light scent that I could still smell faintly the next day.  Plus, since these are 100% soy candles, they burn cleaner and more evenly than those made from paraffin and other kinds of wax. (more…)

SOPA Strike: January 18, 2012

Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web!

If you visit Google’s homepage today, you won’t see the colorful, iconic logo recognized around the world. You won’t see a fun Doodle honoring some artist or holiday either. Today, all you’ll see at Google.com is an ugly black box.

It’s all because of two Congressional bills, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House. If passed, these bills would, in a nutshell:

    • Give the US government the right to unilaterally censor foreign websites.
    • Give copyright holders the right to issue economic takedowns and bring lawsuits against website owners and operators, if those websites have features that make it possible to post infringing content.
    • Make it a felony offense to post a copyrighted song or video.

(quoted from Mashable.com: Why SOPA Is Dangerous)

Although having my own domain is a new experience for me, I’ve been blogging for a long time. I love having my own little personal online space to share my thoughts, photos, creations, etc. I like to repost things, too – like infographics, great articles from other bloggers, amazing photos and the like, and I always do my best to give credit to the original creator, but it’s not always easy, or even possible. By the convoluted text of these bills, I could be accused of copyright infringement and liable to lose my brand-new site. Scary!

As the vote gets nearer (starting in the Senate on January 24th), the importance of understanding the potential effects of this legislation is growing, as are petitions  and calls to action from companies as big as Reddit and Wikipedia (both of which have “gone dark” today in protest), to blogs as small as this one.

Watch the video below, then visit SOPAstrike.com to learn how you can help.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Giveaway: Shabby Apple Dress! {OVER}

At this time of year, when the holidays are way behind us and spring seems like it will never arrive, it’s easy to get a little blue. In an effort to brighten your mood (and to celebrate my new blog home – squeeee!), I’m offering a giveaway!

Thanks to Shabby Apple, an online boutique of women’s dresses, one lucky reader will win this stunning  dress!  Shabby Apple  is known for their figure-flattering, moderately-priced styles that make women feel feminine and beautiful for what they wear, not what they bare. These flirty, stylish dresses can be worn just as comfortably in the office, at a family dinner, or on a date, and with Shabby Apple, extra layers like sweaters, tank tops and slips aren’t necessary.

Just in time for the cruise season and holiday getaways to sunny places, “Nothin’ Like a Dame” is the perfect go-to dress for a trip to the beach, a month at sea, or a trek through exotic markets. A simple shift takes on a new form with a lei of tucks, folds and petal-like ruffles along the rounded scoop neck.  Princess seams and careful tailoring keep the shape classic and form-flattering, and the cap sleeves and deep vermillion color make it summer’s perfect stand-alone piece. Retail price: $78.

For a chance to have this dress as your very own, (more…)

My New (Web) Home + Giveaway!

As you can see, “Fuzzy Black Slippers & a Pink Hoodie” is now “Books, Baking & Beyond.” What do you think of the change?  I wanted a name that made it a little more obvious what this blog is all about, and I needed a new home so I could customize my blog more. Plus, having a self-hosted blog means I can use fun features like Rafflecopter to host giveaways!

Speaking of which, here’s one now: To celebrate the new year, Rafflecopter is going to give away a 16GB Apple iPad2 and several Kindle Fires in the 2012  ‘Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway’! To enter, simply tell Rafflecopter who referred you to this giveaway (that would be me!). Just click on the green “Do It” button below and type in booksbakingandbeyond.com. You can receive additional entries by tweeting about this giveaway, following Rafflecopter on Twitter, offering feedback, suggesting a name for the Rafflecopter mascot (the little guy at left), or posting about the giveaway on your own blog. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents and will close February 9th at 12:01 a.m. EST.

Friday Fun: Hidden Horses

This painting is called “Pintos” by Bev Doolittle. How many horses can you find?

Click on the image to view full-size.

The general consensus is that there are five horses. By the way, if you think this is cool, you should see Bev’s “Hide and Seek Collection” – twenty-four different scenes similar to the one above, that when placed side by side spell out the words “hide and seek”! Beautiful.

Changing your view about Friday the 13th

Sure, Friday the 13th is typically associated with bad luck and superstitions, but Swagbucks intends to change that with their first Swag Code Extravaganza of 2012. That means even more opportunities to get reward points towards free stuff!

It all starts at 4am Pacific Time – throughout the day there will be 8 different Swag Codes posted on Facebook, the chat bar on the Swag Bucks main page, Twitter, and the like.  If you manage to snag them all, you’ll have an extra 60 Swag Bucks in your account! Yes, I know that’s really early for us West Coasters, but as for me, I’ll be up around 4am tomorrow anyway, so I might as well take advantage of it ;)

Broken mirrors, black cats, and ladders
Friday the 13th makes everyone scatter
But this Friday we will change your view
Because we’ve got something rewarding for you

Join us for an extravaganza
(Insert something that rhymes in this stanza)
60 Swag Bucks could be yours
If 8 Swag Codes you can score!

If you’re not familiar with Swagbucks, let me be the first to tell you, Swagbucks is THE best place to get free stuff online! Get rewarded for things you’re already doing online like internet searches, playing games, watching videos, using coupons and more. It couldn’t be any easier – simply sign up here , then check out my Swagbucks ”How To” page for some handy tips. Of course, you can always email me with any questions, too. I’m happy to help!