Paper Culture Product Review

A while ago I received some paper samples from Paper Culture.

I ADORE stationery and love to write, so I was excited to check out their products. All of the cards that I received are high quality and the paper is thick, which is a feature I definitely appreciate. The paper is not flimsy in any way.

From the Paper Culture website:

Who are we? Well…
We’re designers who appreciate a clean, fresh, modern aesthetic.
We’re busy and love services that make our lives easier.
We’re parents who care about the environment and the future state of the planet for our children.
We’re obsessed with modern stationery.
And… we aren’t willing to give up one thing for another.
We’re the team at Paper Culture. Who we are says a lot about how we think about our business and what’s important to us:

Modern Design
Our products start with 100% exclusive, modern design, which means your stationery isn’t just like the Jones’ – it’s better. We’re inspired by brands like Kate Spade, Design Within Reach, Mini, Marc Jacobs and Apple. We don't try to be everything to everyone, because we know we can’t be. But if you like clean lines, a modern point of view and design that focuses on bold colors and fresh typography, we’re the right fit for you.

Ultimate Convenience & Individualization
World peace is hard – stationery shouldn’t be. In fact, it should be fun and we want you to be able to focus on the fun part (choosing your cards) and have us worry about the not-so-fun parts (like addressing, stuffing and stamping your envelopes). For just the cost of the stamp, we’ll address and mail your cards. Go ahead, lay the busy work on us while you spend a little extra time with your kids or continue the search for the world’s greatest pair of shoes.
Good gets better when convenience morphs into true individualization. Almost every online stationery company lets you personalize your cards with your own photos and cute sayings, but how many other companies offer you the ability to individualize each card. We make it simple for you to add a professionally printed personal note directly onto each card prior to us sending it out for you. Thank you notes just became just as easy as sending an email, but with 20 times the “wow” factor.

Environmental Focus
Our products aren’t just great looking – they’re also seriously green. We think that protecting the Mother Earth is not only good for the world, but it's good business, too. We believe this so much that we went beyond the competitive "eco-friendly product lines" and created an eco-friendly company.
We don’t just market sustainability, we live it. Every one of our cards is environmentally responsible. We start with high quality 130lb 100% Post Consumer Recycled Paper for our announcements and invitations. We minimize the resources we use and the impact they have by using recycled paper for our envelopes, recycled paper for our packaging and even environmentally friendly products in our corporate offices from the paper in our printers, to the light bulbs in our office, to the non-toxic cleaning products in our kitchen. We go even further and purchase carbon offsets so that as a business, we are certified 100% CarbonFree®.


Paper Culture offers many different products, including holiday cards, baby shower invitations, baby announcements, birthday invitations and much, much more. I am in the process of ordering my Halloween cards from them now!

Please visit their website, www.paperculture.com!

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A giveaway! Elefun and friends!

Hasbro has some new games that your kids are going to love!

GIRAFFALAFF LIMBO is the crazy new game of "how low can you go?" Spin the dial to try one of the 6 limbo styles: classic limbo, crab walk, crawl, giraffe walk, bend forward or backward. The game´s built-in sound will play an encouraging song as preschoolers try not to bump into Giraffalaff. If he´s knocked over, he´ll roll on the floor in laughter. The player that passes under Giraffalaff at the lowest level wins.

In SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE kids will do their best to balance marbles in the hands of one very wiggly caterpillar. Kids will have fun dancing along to the music with Scatterpillar in this fast-paced marble game. The first player to securely place all 8 marbles in Scatterpillar´s hands wins. SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE was named the 2009 Preschool Game of the Year by Creative Child Magazine

I was sent these two games by My Blog Spark to try out. We had a great time with the nieces with this one (although Jeremiah is a bit too small to play yet!). These games are part of the Elefun collection, which includes the games Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos & Gator Golf.

Not only can kids play these wonderful games, but the can interact online!

ONE lucky commenter is going to receive both of these games for their family! They are just in time for Christmas.

There are two rules for entry:

1.) You must be a FOLLOWER of Petals & Pine.

2.) Leave me a comment sharing a silly playtime memory you have of your child or children!

Contest is open to US residents, and will run until October 19th. I will announce a winner on the 20th! Good luck!!!

Joshua Bell "At Home With Friends" Album Review

I have to tell you, this album was amazing! I recently received a copy of the album from One2One Network and I have been playing it in my truck nonstop. I have been a fan of classical music since high school, when I was in band and chose classical pieces for my solos at Band Festival and Solo & Ensemble. I have always been fascinated by the beautiful and haunting sound of the violin (and it's next on my agenda of intstruments that I would like to learn!), so hearing Joshua Bell's new album was a wonderful experience for me.

Joshua Bell is am amazingly talented classical violinist. He was the first classical artist to be featured on VH1, and he's even been on Sesame Street! (You know you're big when you play the Sesame Street gig!) "At Home With Friends" is a wonderful album featuring "classical-meets-contemporary" sounds and instrumental and vocal duets with amazing artists! I am relatively critical of music, but this is one that reaches the top of my list of albums that I enjoy! Some of my favorites are: "Cinema Paradiso", featuring Josh Groban (! I really like Josh Groban!) on vocals; "My Funny Valentine" featuring Kristen Chenoweth on vocals; and "Eleanor Rigby" featuring Frankie Moreno on piano and vocals.

You can find out more about Joshua Bell here. Also, visit him on Facebook here.

A complete track listing:

I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet

Come Again featuring Sting, vocals

Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon

Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals

Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various

My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals

Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings

Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)

Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals

O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone

Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon

Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano

Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin

Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar

I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

Left Hand featuring Regina Spektor, vocals

If you like that "classical-meets-contemporary" sound, you will like this album!

Disclosure: I was sent the album "At Home With Friends" for the purpose of review from One2One Network. I am not being paid for this review. My reviews are honest and are only given from my (or that of my family) point of view.

Catching up...

Things will be in chaos around here for a few weeks. This is my first week of fall semester and it's a bit more work than last semester. I've bitten off more than I can chew, I think.

I do have posts planned for the future, including another product review, a piece about a tradition I would love to see renewed, the art of the letter, and my letter-writing basket, some wonderful recipes, and much more. I just need to get situated in my routine first!

Giveaway winner!

Congratulations to our giveaway winner, Amanda!

Please email me with your mailing info so that I can get your prize out.
sheridesthatbigredhonda(at)yahoo(dot)com

Congrats!

Fiber One 50 Calorie Yogurt Giveaway!

Best-selling author and food expert Lisa Lillien, AKA Hungry Girl, has given her "seal of approval" to the new Fiber One yogurt, the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of the Recommended Daily Value). It is also a good source of calcium and vitamins A and D, making this an all-around great choice for dieters and those watching their weights. Each cup includes the creamy, delicious taste you expect from Yoplait, and you don't have to feel guilty about enjoying it. Fiber One is available in a variety of flavors including, Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Key Lime Pie (see what Hungry Girl thinks about the new yogurt here!

I received a coupon to try this product for free and I really enjoyed it, especially now that I am on a weight-loss quest (more about that in the future!). I've added this yogurt to next weeks shopping list!

My Blog Spark has generously offered 3 of my readers a prize package including:

• Fiber One yogurt VIP coupon (good for a free 4-pack of Fiber One yogurt)
• A cooler pack
• Storage container with lid, cup with lid and two spoon/fork combinations (they are really cool!) perfect for taking your lunch on the go!

3 winners will be chosen at random on Wednesday, August 21st.

How to win:

MANDATORY: Follow Petals and Pine blog, and leave a comment with your answer to the question: What do you do to manage your weight?

Extra entries: Become a follower of each additional Petals and Pine blog and leave a separate comment for each.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to leave an email address where I can contact you if you are a winner!

Good luck!

Giveaway!

Jeremiah is hosting a great giveaway over on his blog for a personalized childrens storybook! This is a great prize in time for the holidays! You can earn extra entries by becoming a follower of any of the Petals and Pine blogs!

What works for me: YARD SALES!

Saturday morning I found a yard sale. Those who know me best know I'm a "Yard Sale Diva"! This is pretty late in the season for me though, as I try and hit the earlier town-wide sales and then take the rest of the year off! But I stumbled across one lonely sale, and I happened to stop...and, miracle of miracles, there were LITTLE BOYS CLOTHES. Now, if you have little boys, maybe you understand my plight. Boys clothing is impossible for me to find, so when I do find it, I tend to stock up on things! I don't buy character or trendy things, because those change so fast! But I will buy jeans, plain shirts, pajamas, etc.

• 3 Long-sleeved fall shirts
• 1 Pair of swimming trunks
  

• 1 Fleece Pullover (size 18 months)
• 1 Jacket...so adorable!
  

• 3 pairs of pajamas
  
  

• 6 Bibs
• This precious onesie that is so very fitting....
  
  

• 2 overall outfits, including this adorable snowman outfit!
  
  
  

• 4 Onesies, size 24 months - I like to use these for pajamas when it's hot!
  

• 3 Pairs of jeans (2 Old Navy and one Gap)
• 1 camouflage shortall (brand new)

Not pictured: The most adorable little fire engine coveralls with a firetruck turtleneck and a red flannel shirt! It's in the washing machine right now.

Total spent: $22.00

This is a little more than I would usually spend at a yard sale, but I can add these to the stockpile, and know that Jeremiah is well set with clothes.

What are your bargain tips?

Making a personalized childrens book!

I don't have any photos yet, because I haven't begun to build the book. But I have started collecting things to add to it. Our first book is going to be an American adventure, starring Jeremiah.

I've gone to websites for several different states and requested their vacation planners. From there, I will butcher these pamphlets until I have the most interesting photographs to put together Jeremiah's book. I will then take pictures of Jeremiah and insert them into the story. We will put the pages in plastic storage bags, staple them together and cover the stapled edge with duct tape. (Is there anything you can't use duct tape for?)

So far, I've received a few pamphlets from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and I've cut out a river rafting map and a scrumptious looking photo of a ham steak and scrambled eggs, a bowl of grits, and a plate full of biscuits and pancakes. So we have our Tennessee page started!

This project may be a little young for Jeremiah yet, but it's something I am excited to be crafting. In addition, we're going to make an "All about me" book starring, you guessed it, the little man of the house. That's going to have pictures of all his favorite things, and I'm going to bind it the same way. I have a lot of great storage bag coupons, so I have no reason not to.

There are a ton of different ways to make your own kids books. Another that I want to try sometime soon is a "feelie" book. This has to be done on hard cardboard so it's slightly more advanced. Until then, we're going to make the American Adventure and the All About Me. If you have kids that are old enough to create your story, click here for printable pages to work with!

What are you working on?