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The Night Night Book Review and Giveaway

The Night Night Book
Written and Illustrated by Marianne Richmond

This cute bedtime story is quickly becoming one of our favorites! It’s a similar concept to the classic Good Night Moon.

Starting with a child in a “Comfy bed, All tucked in”, this story takes your child back through his day of arts and crafts, toys, and friends and ends telling the moon goodnight and looking forward to tomorrow.

I absolutely loved the rhyming in this book. It even got me rhyming after reading it. Unfortunately, my rhyme has yet to be finished – here’s what I’ve got so far –

Night Night Rose, With your eyes so blue….

It definitely needs another line with it, but there’s so much that rhymes with blue!

Giveaway!

One lucky reader is going to win a copy of The Night Night Book!

Rules – Open to US only. Last day to enter is May 19th. Leave one comment per entry, and a way to contact you if you win.

Mandatory Entry

Like Marianne Richmond Award Winning Books on facebook

Extra Entries

-Leave a suggestion for my poem 🙂

– Follow Home Maid Simple publicly on GFC

-Follow Home Maid Simple on Twitter

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I did receive a copy of the book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 5, 2011
Haircoverings.com Winner!

Congrats to our Haircoverings.com

Winner

Mommydoll13

You’ve won a $25 box of Hair Accessories from Haircoverings.com An email has been sent. I will pick a new winner after 48 hours if there is no response.

Make sure to check out our other giveaway for a

Take a Breather Bag and Essential Oils from TherapyBearz ends 5/9

Upcoming Review and giveaway

The Night Night Book by Marianne Richmond

May 3, 2011
Big Moving Event: TherapyBearz Review

Introducing TherapyBearz!

I am so excited to be featuring TherapyBearz today on Home Maid Simple! They make some wonderful soothing products, sure to help anyone relax in style!

Let’s start with a few questions I asked the owner of TherapyBearz

BME:What is your name?
Annie Byington
BME: Tell us a little about yourself
I was born and raised in Utah as the youngest of five children. I have been married for 7 years now to my sweet, supportive husband and we have three beautiful children. I like to do a wide variety of things from baking and sewing to fly-fishing and riding mini bikes with my family. My favorite color depends on what mood I’m in and I love anything chocolate.
BME: How did you get started?
I started to sew, and do many other crafts, at a very early age. I remember watching my mother’s hands as she worked on countless items and trying to mimic the motion. I first thought of Therapy Bearz when I was looking for something to help my young son stay in his own bed at night instead of coming into mine. I wanted something warm he could snuggle up to but I didn’t like that the commercial bears weren’t machine washable. I knew I could come up with a better design. I ended up making a bear for each of my children and they still sleep with them every night. People began commenting on how great they were and I started making them for others. What started as a simple craft for my children has now become my own small business.

BME: Do you have a favorite product?
I know everyone probably feels the same way, but I love ALL of my products. If I were to go relax right now however, I might warm up my pillow and add a little Tangerine and Chamomile and use my hand mitts to warm my hands on this cold, dreary day.
BME: What motivates you?
If I am being completely honest, I have to admit that at first it was knowing that any thing I sold would be a little extra money. Now however, I find myself excited to see every finished product. I love finding new fabrics and watching a project come together. I am sure my husband laughs at me every time he comes home and hears me say, “Do you want to see what I made today?!” I am also adding a “featured friend” section to my blog and webpage that will tell which charity I am currently donating to. My goal is to bring high quality handmade products to people while helping others. I am looking for charities and local friends in need to contribute to. I’m excited to know that I can make even a small difference in a person’s life.
BME: What is your decorating style?
I love simple, clean, timeless pieces. My favorite shelf in my home contains three willow tree figurines, two simple handmade clay vases, a small clock and a doily tatted by my mother.
BME: Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?
I have so many things I like to do that I enjoy both. I do spend a great deal of time outside when it is warm enough. But I prefer to stay inside if it is cold.

BME: What’s your favorite season?
My favorite time of the year is the end of spring and the beginning of summer. I love it when the temperature is warm but not hot and all the flowers, trees, and plants are coming into bloom. The new life fills me with excitement and energy. For me, this is when the year really starts.
BME: Do you listen to music while you work? What is your favorite genre?
I usually listen to my three year old while I work. She is always telling me stories. If I am lucky enough that she lies down however, I do enjoy listening to audio books or music. I honestly don’t know what genre of music is my favorite. I tend to lean toward a genre that mimics my mood at the time.

BME: What scent helps you relax the most?
I personally love the smell of any citrus oil. Tangerine, orange, neroli, grapefruit, they all smell clean and refreshing. I can’t help but smile and let out a big sigh when I smell them

Thank you so much Annie! Those hand mitts sound really nice right about now. I can’t seem to get my fingers warm enough to type right, lol. Annie was kind enough to send us a Aromatherapy Bear named Daisy and a pack of 3 essential oils to review. These bears are so adorable!! My first thought on opening the package was “Cute!” which was quickly followed by cuddling the bear next to my cheek and saying “oooh, it’s so soft!”. Daisy has a velcro back with a removable heating pad inside. After warming up the pad, you can add some essential oils for different scents.

My original thought was to trade it off between girls every night, but my 3yo Princess took a strong liking to it the first night. Now every night before bed, she asks for her bear. Then we tuck the bear in next to her, and she is content. Daisy has been such a wonderful comfort and I believe has really helped ease the transition from apartment to home for Princess C. Despite the face she is making in this photo, she really loves Daisy. I was trying to get her to give Daisy a hug, but she wanted her tucked in the blanket next to her. Awe well, what can you do with kids right?

*I received an aromatherapy bear to keep and use. I was in no way financially compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 25, 2011
Haircoverings.com Review and Giveaway!

I had a wonderful opportunity to review Haircoverings.com. An online store for all your hair needs! We got to review a Little Girls Hat with Flower, and a Snood. I love these products!! I was never really a girly girl, but then I grew up and gave birth to 3 girls. After 3 girls, well pink starts to grow on you, and you want to play with their hair all the time, and dress them up like little dolls.

When I first opened the package with our hair accessories Princess V yanks off her hat gives it to Princess C saying “Here, you can wear my hat!” followed by “Mommy I want to wear that one!!” So of course I put it right on her (just so you know, Princess C is perfectly content with the snow hat she was just given). It was so cute, and she fell in love! It also happened to be a nice day that day (the weather needs to make up it’s mind!), so we headed out to a park. Isn’t she just adorable!
One thing I really love about this hat, is it fits both girls and can be worn without the flower as well. You can take the flower off and there is no tell tale place saying something should be there. Which also allows for interchanging flowers and bows!! The flower also can be worn alone – at the top of a pony tail or just on top of a baby’s head (we did that this last Sunday and it was so cute on the baby’s head). The hat itself is beautifully crocheted, and the flower holds up to a baby yanking it off her head consistently.

Next we got a snood. The name of this just really intrigued me. I had never heard of a snood before (we’ll call that one on culture and lack of girly interest). So I googled it. Snoods are pretty cool! It’s what ladies use to wear to keep their long hair up, instead of having to make it all fancy! They seemed to mostly wear them with hats. So it’s a historical thing, my kind of product! In todays society we simply call them hairnets. I ‘m definitely preferring the word Snood to hairnet. Now granted my hair is not really long enough for a snood to hold it up, but it still works wonders for me! I wear it when I cook to help keep my hair out of the food, and I can wear it when I breastfeed my baby. You see, the baby LOVES pulling on my hair while she eats. I actually cut my hair to try and keep her from grabbing it, but no such luck, she still manages to get some. These are also crocheted, but you can also buy some sequined snoods!
Besides these products, haircoverings.com also sells hair rollers, mirrors, combs/brushes, scarves, turbans, bandana’s and headbands! They really have all your hair needs in one place!

Giveaway time!

Haircoverings.com is giving one lucky reader a box of hair accessories worth $25! You know you want this!

Open WORLDWIDE!!! Ends 5/2

Mandatory Entry

Visit Haircoverings.com and tell me which products you would like to try. Leave an email so I can contact the winner.

Extra Entries

(leave one comment per entry)

1.d “http://www.HairCoverings.com” to your blogroll

2. Follow The Hair Coverings Blog on GFC

3. Follow The Hair Coverings on Networked Blogs

4. Add the Hair Product Blog to your blogroll

5. Bookmark on on Delicious

6. Follow Hair Coverings on twitter:

7. Subscribe to Hair Coverings Blog feed

8. Fan Hair Coverings on Facebook

9. Follow Home Maid Simple on GFC (right side bar)

10. Follow Home Maid Simple on twitter

*I was not financially compensated for this review. I did receive some hair products to use for the review. All opinions are my own.

April 18, 2011
Big Moving Event: Pottery By Dan Review and Giveaway!

I love pottery! When I see pottery, I see all the hard work behind each piece. However I have one problem with pottery, I never know where to display it, and how to display it. It just never seemed to fit in a good place in my home. Having 3 kids, has probably contributed the most to this. I was so excited to have an opportunity to review some products from Pottery by Dan, because it meant I had to find and make a place for it in my home. I am even more excited to share Dan’s pottery with you!! That’s right, you have the chance to win a piece for your own home. Keep reading.

I sent Dan a questionnaire, and here is his response!

HMS: What is your name?

PBD: Daniel King

HMS: Tell us a little about yourself.

PBD: I am 38 years old, married, with a lovely 2 year old daughter. I work in construction primarily, and create handcrafted items in my spare time. The majority of my items on Etsy began as designs and creations for our own home, or that of family, and friends. I enjoy working with various materials – including wood, pottery, stained glass, and metal.

HMS: How did you get started? How long have you been working with pottery?

PBD: My first contact with pottery was while I was in elementary school, a friends mother had a pottery studio – and I was amazed at the process. It wasn’t until later in life, while attending college, that I began to actively pursue pottery, with classes and workshops – which evolved into a small home studio.

Initially I preferred functional stoneware pottery, the last few years my focus has shifted to decorative Raku pottery. Raku is a distinct firing process, in which the pieces are removed from a special kiln while upwards of 1800 degrees F with tongs – while the glaze is molten – the pieces are then placed in a container of combustibles, as the combustibles ignite, the container is sealed creating a reduction atmosphere – the unique colors and patterns within the glaze are a result of this process. Raku pottery is decorative – and not designed to hold liquids or food – prefect for dried arrangements.

HMS: Do you have a favorite piece?

PBD: Truthfully, all of my creations are favorite, and this makes it very difficult to sell any one piece. This is especially true with the Raku firing process, as the glaze colors and patterns are unique to each piece and impossible to duplicate.

HMS: What motivates you?

PBD: The sheer joy of simply creating something by hand.

HMS: How would you like to see your product used?

PBD: The majority of my creations are decorative

HMS: What is your decorating style?

PBD: Country

HMS: Do you prefer indoor or outdoors?

PBD: Outdoors – hiking, camping…

HMS: What’s your favorite season?

PBD: Probably summmer – We spend a good amount of time outdoors, and prefer the warmer weather and longer days.

HMS: Do you listen to music while you work?

PBD: Usually country, or Classic Country.

Thank you so much Dan for being a part of our Big Moving Event! I absolutely love the pieces!! Dan sent me 2 pieces of Raku pottery. Remember how I said I have trouble figuring out where to place pottery in my home? I had no trouble with Dan’s. I opened the box, and I knew exactly where and what was going with this pottery. In our new home there is a built in bookshelf. Perfect for books, and decorations. The pottery had the perfect colors to compliment my Little History of the United States collection. Don’t you think?

And in case you’re wondering, the move is coming along just great, see –

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

Are you ready to win a piece of Raku pottery for your home? GREAT! Dan sent me a Pottery Raku Birdhouse to give away to one of my lucky readers!

*Open to US and Canada residents

*Ends 4/22

Mandatory Entry: Visit Pottery y Dan on etsy and leave a comment telling me another piece you like. Leave an email with this comment

Extra entries: Leave one comment for each additional entry

*Add Pottery by Dan to your etsy favorites

*follow Home Maid Simple on GFC (right sidebar)

*Follow Home Maid Simple on Twitter

*Tweet about this giveaway using

“I entered to win a Raku Birdhouse from Pottery by Dan @HomeMaidSimple http://tinyurl.com/42zb8tq”

*I did not receive financial compensation for this review. I was provided with a product to review and keep. All opinions are my own.

April 10, 2011
AND THE WINNER IS…..

What a great time I had with the Handmade with Love Giveaway! So many of you entered, I wish I had more prizes to giveaway. I guess I’ll just have to do more giveaways now! So let’s get on with it, thanks to the help of my 2 sweet children, we have 2 winners.
The Winner of the Yellow Outdoor Pillows is

Kelly’s Lucky You!

I hope you enjoy these Canvas pillows. I’d love to see pictures of where you use them!

The winner of the Princess Headbands (incase you didn’t figure it out, because I forgot to mention it, these were inspired by Cinderella and Belle) is

KRIS

I hope you enjoy the headbands!

Emails have been sent. The winners now have 48 hours to respond. If I don’t get a response, new winners will be chosen. Thanks again for entering the Handmade with Love Giveaway with prizes from the Familyroom.

We’d love to see you all around Home Maid Simple leaving lots of comments and advice (I really love advice!).

February 7, 2011
Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway! *CLOSED*

Hundreds of blogs are participating in the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway Hop! Each one is offering a themed giveaway – all the prizes are handmade treasures or gift certificates to shops that sell handmade items. There is a linky at the end of this post. After you’ve entered here, hop on over to the next blog on the list and keep going as long as you’d like! The more you enter, the more likely you are to win. Good luck!

I am so excited to be joining in my first ever blog hop and giveaway! Check out all these GREAT prizes you could win! There will be a total of 2 winners right here on Home Maid Simple!

The following prizes were handmade with love by me, and are a sampling of some things I sell in my etsy shop. Here at Home Maid Simple I am on a journey to simplify and bring peace into my home. I try to do this for others as well by making things and selling them in the Familyroom etsy shop. I really enjoyed creating these prizes for you!

Familyroom on Etsy is offering this set of 3 yellow outdoor pillows. Perfect for your patio furniture to add a little color, and they are made from canvas so they will last through all weathers!

Our 2nd prize also comes from Familyroom on etsy. Win this set of 2 Disney Princess headbands for your little princess.

I’d like to leave you with a blurb on another etsy shop – Baby by Juli. She makes some really cute baby items and kids aprons. Someone very close to her has been going through cancer. As I’m sure we all know, hospital bills pile up and can be hard to pay, especially in this economy. All profits made she donates to this cancer patient. I did not ask for a donation to this giveaway because she is trying to raise money. However, if you check out the bonus entries you will see how you can help a cancer patient as well as earn extra entries into this giveaway!

MAIN ENTRY:

Leave me ONE comment. Tell me which prize you would like to win – pick one, two or both. Make sure you leave an email in your comment to contact if you win.

Bonus Entries:

For each bonus entry leave one comment

Follow my blog +1

Add Familyroom on etsy to your favorites +1

Purchase any item from Familyroom on etsy +5 (coupon code bloggerlove for 10% off)

Purchase any item from Baby by Juli on etsy +10

Open to US and Canada Residents. Giveaway ends February 6, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be drawn February 7th from a hat with the help of my 4yo, and 2yo. Emails will be sent on the 7th and winners have 48 hours to respond.

Good luck and Have fun! Don’t forget to hop over to the next giveaway!

January 24, 2011