Seven Days of Giveaways: Miss Crowland

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

These days silhouettes are all the rage in interiors, a perfect way to enhance any room and bring personalized artwork into your home. Enter Miss Crowland, a Toronto-based illustrator, interactive and motion graphic designer whose Etsy shop is filled with great silhouette designs and who also offers custom work. Want to frame an outline of yourself, your child or even your dog? All you have to do is send along a side profile photograph and Miss Crowland will do the work, creating a great custom silhouette that is perfect for yourself or to give as a gift (in fact, the shop's custom couple portraits were even featured in Martha Stewart Weddings as a great gift idea for any bride and groom.)

All of Miss Crowland's silhouettes are distributed as digital pdf files, so you are responsible for printing, and get to choose the type of frame you'd prefer once you receive the files via email. 

Miss Crowland can also create artwork based on different types of photos, like one of your new shoes, perfect for the dressing area of any Louboutin-obsessed fashionista.

Fab, right? It gets better. Miss Crowland's is offering one lucky winner their Red Riding Hood Series, which features silhouettes of Red and the Wolf. A quote from the book ("The woods are a dangerous place") completes the triptych. This series is "great for book lovers, pop-culture lovers, and the accompanying quote is a gentle reminder to always be on your toes." The three digital illustrations will be provided in standard print format PDF files.

How to Enter

Giveaway is open to all followers of Sogni e Sorrisi (new and old). Just visit Miss Crowland's shop and let me know in your comment what your fave item is.

Extra Entries

1. Follow me on Twitter. If you already do, thanks! Just leave a comment letting me know.

2. Tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy you can tweet this:

Just entered the @misscrowland #giveaway @SogniESorrisi http://tinyurl.com/26w74hz


3. Follow Miss Crowland on Twitter.


4. Check out Miss Crowland's blog and leave a comment.


5. Blog or Facebook about this giveaway. Please put the link in your comment.


6. Receive 10 extra entries if you purchase something from Sweetgrass Prints. Just forward proof of purchase and let me know in a comment here!


 

Giveaway open until September 8, 2010

Winner will be chosen at random.

 
 

 

Good luck and don't forget to check out the other great giveaways we have going on right now!

Seven Days of Giveaways: Sweetgrass Prints

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

If you're anything like me you adore getting "real" mail. I can't wait for Christmas time when people send actual cards and I've been so excited to participate in Melissa's Dear Darlings Pen Pal Project. There is something great about getting out my stationary and actually writing--longhand!--to someone else. Of course, half the joy of sending mail are the pretty papers you can use to write on and one company with some gorgeous options to choose from is Sweetgrass Prints. Katy from Sweetgrass shares my love of paper. Creating cards since she was a child, when she was working with construction paper and crayons, Katy agrees that getting real mail (that isn't a bill) is a great thing and she's on a mission to bring snail mail back into vogue.

There are customized note cards that you can personalize with your monogram...

...or ones with fun designs...

...and great products like these customizable recipe cards.

Katy at Sweetgrass Prints is generously offering a lucky winner their choice of (1) set of six flat notecards (value $11). Here's how you can win...

How to Enter

Giveaway is open to all followers of Sogni e Sorrisi (both new and old).

Just visit the Sweetgrass Prints shop and let me know what your fave item is.

Extra Entries

1. Follow me on Twitter. If you already do, thanks! Just leave a comment letting me know.

2. Tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy you can tweet this:

Just entered the #giveaway @SogniESorrisi for a set of Sweetgrass Prints notecards. http://tinyurl.com/28y9sfn

3. Blog or Facebook about this giveaway. Please put the link in your comment.

4. Receive 10 extra entries if you purchase something from Sweetgrass Prints. Just forward proof of purchase and let me know in a comment here!

Giveaway open until September 7, 2010.

Winner will be chosen at random.

Good luck to everyone and stay tuned for more great prizes to come.

I'm taking a little vacation this week so I do apologize if I don't get to your blog right away, I promise I will catch up with everyone's lovely blogs as soon as I get a moment. In the meantime enter away!

2010 Emmy Awards Fashion

I only got to watch portions of the red carpet Emmy pre-show, and none of the actual awards, but I have to say I was kind of underwhelmed by what I did see. Few dresses stand out for me except for this yellow Carolina Herrera on sexy Sofia Vergara. Talk about hugging every curve perfectly.

I liked Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta. Still not feeling the bangs. Loved the statement necklace.

I didn't see Claire Danes' dress live, but it seems to be pretty.

Question is, is she the right colour?

I like that Heidi does short for a lot of awards shows, with legs like her's it would be a crime not to. Still, I wonder how she sits in this Marchesa. Reminds me of that blue one Anne Hathaway wore awhile back. And, look, another ginoromous necklace.

I heard a lot about how great Kim K looked in Marchesa. She's pretty, sure, but I'm not blown away. And then there was Rose Byrne in something oh-so-similar...

I'm feeling the bodice of Nina's gown more than the bottom.

 

I like this colour. Her hair is huge.

Eva is cute, safe, boring in Robert Rodriguez.

Another Lady in Black. Kelly looks great, now she needs to fix the hair colour.

Purple Posse

Jane Lynch (sporting the asymmetrical look that was so popular), Emily Deschanel and Kyra Sedgewick in a Monique Lhuillier, which I think is purple but may be reddish.

Lots of Sparkles

All attractive enough and I love sequins as much as the next girl (okay, truth, probably more), but I feel like I've seen it before. Over and over. Connie Britton did shiny, too. Susan Sarandon looks great, but who shrank Juliana Marguiles? 

Ruffled Tiers

I don't know what to make of this wedding gown-meets-Little Bo Peep look (Diana Argon in Herrera and Jewel in Zuhair Murad). Crazy thing is I don't even know if I hate it. I kind of don't. Thoughts?

So, on to the bad...

What up, Lo? You know I love you and I see what you were trying to do here, going for the Mad Men, pencil-skirted look, but it's all a little too Tippi Hedren in The Birds considering that your hair looks like an actual bird's nest. I call shenanigans. Lo's too smart to go out in public looking like this, what gives?

January, you're not a fish and you're not Madonna. Please leave the scales and cones at home next time (I know they're supposed to be peacock feathers, but they look like scales to me). I don't care if it's Versace (and a pretty colour). Oh, and grab a brush on your way out the door next time, will you? Thanks.

I often find myself wanting to like Anna Paquin, but...I got nothing. I heard this McQueen likened to a matador's uniform. I'm thinking more Roman centurion.

The hair, the skin, the neckline--Kate does know she's not on DWTS anymore?

I heart you, Tina Fey, but how do you always manage to do this to yourself?

 

Really?

What were your thoughts on the red carpet looks?

What did you think of Nate?

Stay tuned for a great giveaway later today!

Images via The Daily Mail, Yahoo, Socialite Life and The Examiner

Seven Days of Giveaways: Volume Twenty Five

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

Remember my review of Vol. 25's charming prints earlier this week? Well, as promised, Jessica from Vol. 25 has generously offered one lucky winner their choice of 8x10 print! This giveaway marks the kick off of seven days of giveaways here at Sogni e Sorrisi, just a little something to say thank you to all of you and to celebrate reaching over 400 followers. So thanks again and stay tuned for more!

How to Enter

Giveaway is open to all followers of Sogni e Sorrisi (both new

and old). Just visit the Vol. 25's Etsy or Zazzle shops (all info

about the various products Jessica creates can be found here)

and let me know what your favorite item is. Easy, right?

Extra Entries

1. Follow me on Twitter. If you already do, thanks! Just leave a comment letting me know.

2. Tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy you can tweet this:

Just entered the #giveaway @SogniESorrisi for a @vol25 print. http://tinyurl.com/22ufpuu

3. Follow Vol. 25 on Twitter.

4. Visit Volume Twenty Five's blog and sign up for their newsletter.

5. Like Vol. 25 on Facebook.

6. Blog or Facebook about this giveaway. Please put the link in your comment.

7. Receive 10 extra entries if you purchase something from Vol. 25.

Just forward proof of purchase and let me know in a comment!

Giveaway open until September 3, 2010.
Winner will be chosen at random.

Thanks for entering, thanks for reading and I hope you have a really, really wonderful weekend! Oh, and don't forget that today is the last day to enter to win a gorgeous Tea Accessories headband! xo

Adventures in Food: Pasta e Ceci

I have to admit I slack a lot when it comes to being adventurous in my cooking. Fact is, most of the time I'm tired and, yes, a little bit lazy and I tend to fall back on old favorites that I know taste great and are fast to prepare. Every once in a while, though, I get inspired and decide to cook a dish I've been meaning to attempt for awhile. Yesterday was one of those days and it was a success, if I do say so myself! Not only that, but it seems I've found a new fast, easy dish to incorporate into my rotation.

So what is this dish, you ask? (Well, even if you're not asking I'm going to tell you anyway!) It's pasta e ceci or pasta with chickpeas, which is kind of a pasta-soup hybrid and is my fave pasta-and-bean dish. One of my challenges when trying out dishes is not being able to make them taste like my mother or nonnas do, but this one I actually nailed. Here's how:

Pasta e Ceci

Ingredients

1 package of pasta (usually short, I used ditali)

olive oil

onions

1 can chickpeas

1 cup crushed tomatoes

3/4 of a Knorr chicken boullion cube (a dado in Italian)

Directions

1. Fry the chopped onion in oil for about 2 minutes on medium heat then add the chickpeas, tomatoes and the boullion cube. Cook for around thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Chickpeas should be tender, but still slightly firm. If you see the mixture is getting too dry just add some hot water--your end product should be much more liquidy than regular sauce, although I do prefer it on the dryer side myself.

2. When your tomatoes and ceci have been cooking for about twenty minutes bring a pot of water (add oil and salt) to a boil and throw in the pasta. Cook according to package directions or until al dente (like the chickpeas the pasta shouldn't be mushy).

3. Strain pasta and throw in the tomato and chickpea mix. Top with cheese or hot pepper if you like (I don't) and voilà: dinner! Makes enough for four--or two if you eat like my husband does.

Image via

An All Weather Wardrobe Item: The Denim Short

As much as I try to fight it, the signs are all pointing in the same direction--fall will soon be here. Granted, these last few years where I'm from the hot weather has extended into October, and I will be the last person you will see complaining about that, but with kids scampering back to school and The Ex officially open here (the definitive Toronto sign that summer is wrapping up) it's time to start thinking about transitioning into fall. Along this train of thought, the other day I put together a guest post for Dawn's amazing blog about the shirtdress, a piece of clothing that with some layering and accessorizing can be a year-round part of your wardrobe. And that got me thinking about other items that could also do warm and cold weather double duty, pieces like the cut off jean short. Personally, I'm not much of a shorts person, but if you can pull them off then you can definitely still hang on to your denim cut offs once the cooler weather hits.

For summer pair your denim cutoffs with a simple tank or tee--you can also add a vest or denim button-down if you like--and some flat sandals for a casual day look.

Nicole Richie has perfected this laid back, bohemian style.

Alexa Chung is another fan of the jean short. Here she shows us just how easy it is to take them from warm to cold. Add tights, a blazer and some boots or Mary Janes and your shorts have a whole new life.

Wondering how to make your shorts more sophisticated for fall? Take some hints from Olivia or Kate.

Some ideas to work this look into your own wardrobe...

Images: 1 / 2 / 3-4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

I'm also so excited to have reached 400 followers! Honestly, thank you guys for hanging in there with me and reading and commenting every day. It really means the world to me and I'm so happy to have "met" some really great people and friends through this blogging process. To show my appreciation I've planned for a week of giveaways to say thank you to all of you! xo