Announcing the winners of the midweek Picnik giveaway.  Chosen at random, the winners are:

#19: Nearly Dawn

“You inspired me to put some new herbs in my kitchen window! Doing so required that I finally quit stalling re-pot the bigger plants that previously lived there. It is now my win-win window full of seedlings and more healthy mature plants”

#43 Amber P

“I only grow flowers – never have had a vegetable garden. My favorite flowers are two rosebushes that were my mom’s. I salvaged them before her house sold after she passed away. Now they will be in my garden.”

#129  Jess at Frugal with a Flourish

“So since your last Picnik giveaway I have very quickly become “obsessed” with it! My favorite thing to grow are veggies – cause I love to be able to walk out to the garden before dinner and just pick something to eat!”

Congrats to the three winners – please email me for your codes for an upgraded membership to PIcnik !

Also, please let me take a moment to welcome three more sponsors to this site.

Have you heard of Scentsy ?  It’s a company all about Decorative Aromatic Warmers designed to fill you home with amazing scents, without the worry of a lighted candle.  Emma Rae is my rep (and yours too!) for making your purchase of any of these Scentsy Warmers.  I’ve got a white one, and I carry it back and forth from my office to my bedroom !  There are dozens and dozens of scents that accompany, my current favorite is ‘Perfectly Pomegranate’. 

Here’s a few examples of my other favorites, the Riviera, the Classic in cream, and the Torino.

Please also welcome Lynn of For Love or Funny, a blog all about how laughter is the best medicine !  I tune in daily for Lynn’s real life glimpses at the lighter side of family life – we all need a dose of that !  Hop on over and visit with Lynn – she’ll be your best friend in no time !

Finally, please welcome Color Incorporated, your online one-stop-shop full service digital photography lab, for standard photo printing as well as:

Spiral Bound Photo Books

Gallery Wrapped Canvases

. . . also greeting cards, banners, proof magazines, sports cards, magazine covers and much more !  For a full list of their products, click here. 

All Centsational Girl readers are given this promotion:  25 free 4 x 6 prints with the promotion code: cen10

A big congratulations to the winners of the Picnik giveaway, and a big thank you and welcome to my newest sponsors !

Stay tuned for more great features this week, with a focus on the color green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day – after all, I am Irish !   The series is called “These Are a Few of My Favorite Greens” and some of my favorite bloggers have been invited to participate in the lineup – can’t wait ! 

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I have a really hard time staying focused at Lowes, or any home improvement store for that matter.  Asking me to go into a home improvement store and pick up only one particular thing is pretty much like asking a kid to ignore the cookie jar on the counter.  It ain’t happening.   I start meandering down aisles, dreaming up projects, then all of a sudden I’ve disappeared into a vortex.  I’ve forgotten why I was there in the first place, daylight has disappeared, and they’ve sent out a search party.   

Such is the story of this little purchase two weeks ago.  I was at Lowes to purchase something simple like sanding pads, then before I knew it I was in the garden department again.  It was there that a ‘Jiffy’ Greenhouse stared me down and beckoned me toward him.  He somehow convinced me with his $6 dollar price tag and numbered tutorial that he needed  me.  Or I needed him.   Apparently, I didn’t need to use the egg cartons I’ve used in the past to start my sprouts.  This year, I needed  a ‘Jiffy’ Greenhouse.  

Tomatoes, basil, and delphinium are three of my favorite things to grow.   So I thought I’d get a head start on a few of my garden essentials.  

Read the rest of this entry »

“Zippity do dah, zippity ay.  My oh my what a wonderful day. 

Plenty of sunshine coming my way.  And these two people won my giveaway! ”

#197  Krista at Rudd Family Circus

#423 Lori H. 

Winners, please email me your full name and mailing address and your copy will be in the mail this week !

For those who didn’t win, you can find out where in the world to get Flea Market Style right here.   

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday.   This is what we’re up to this afternoon.   Sniff, swirl, taste, repeat.   Pictures coming soon – if I’m not asleep by 6 o’clock p.m.    :-) 

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I finally checked my Post Office Box, and was delighted to find the much talked about first publication of Flea Market Style !   A big thank you to Editor-at-Large, Linda from Restyled Home and all the inspirational contributors from Flea Market Style !

I couldn’t put this down for 45 minutes !  I knew this publication was right up my alley when I read the FMS Mantra:

“Forget what it was, imagine what it can be.”  

Yes, I love that !

Inside are 146 pages of images of everything I adore, from furniture painted in fresh colors . . .

. . .  to plenty of tips on how to make new uses out of old things. 

Even features on favorite bloggers !

My favorite thing about this publication, besides all of the inspirational ideas and glorious photography, is the philosophy that homes and lives can be made beautiful by repurposing old things, and making treasures out of thrift store, auction, antique store, and flea market finds.  I completely subscribe to that. 

Now I have two extra copies of Flea Market Style that I am proud to giveaway to two lucky winners – a $9.95 value ! 

Eligibility to win one of two copies of Flea Market Style:

1)  Simply leave a comment telling us about one of your favorite thrifty finds.  Is it from a fabulous flea market ?  A local thrift store ?  A cool consignment shop ?  Or just a great bargain you uncovered at a local store.   That’s all – just spill the beans about one of your frugal finds in a comment to be eligible. 

One entry per person please.  Giveaway ends Saturday March 6th at 8 p.m. PST.   Winners will be chosen by Random.org.  

***********   THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED  **************