Halloween Costume Cocktail Party - Almost Ready!

 

I've put the finishing touches on my Halloween decorations for tomorrow night's party that I'm hosting, and now I'm going to work on some of the food. Just wanted to post a little update with my latest creation:

I found the "recipe" for this decoration on another blog, it's just red paint on wax paper, hung behind the window panes of a door. I decided to do it on my porch doors which connect to the living room, so this decoration will be easily visible during the party. I also turned on a fluorescent light in the porch to make the "blood" really appear. (P.S. Cats like chewing on wax paper apparently, my cat went nuts while I was hanging these.)

Oneida Review {Holiday Gift Guide}

I have decided to start my 2010 Holiday Gift Guide just a few days early since I couldn't wait to share some wonderful products with you! The kickoff to the Holiday Gift Guide is Oneida, a brand I grew up associating with "quality." My mom has a set of silverware that my parents received as a wedding gift in 1979. She keeps this set in a special felt-lined box and only brings it out for holidays and special occasions because it is Oneida and is the "fancy silverware."

Did you know that Oneida is more than just flatware? Oneida has something for everyone on your holiday shopping list, including Multicookers, Wine Coolers, Cupcake Carriers and more!

I was so excited to have the opportunity to pick something from Oneida to review, and since I've only ever had used or thrift store dish sets, I picked an amazing set of dishes - The Adriatic Blue Square 16-piece service for 4, made of highly durable stoneware. The reactive glaze technique gives each piece the look of handmade pottery and each dish is hand-embellished so no two pieces are exactly alike. I knew I'd love this set because I have always wanted square dishes and the blue color matches my countertop. But when I received the package, I was even more impressed with not only the quality of these pieces, but the weight and size as well.

When I opened the salad plates, I thought they were the dinner plates, only to find that the dinner plates were even bigger! The mugs are really large and great quality, and of course the square bowls are my favorite. This dish set is incredibly unique and so much fun. I am so happy I picked something different than the standard round white dish set, which by the way Oneida has also. As an artsy person, these square stoneware dishes are perfect for me and a great modern twist on the classic dish set.

I was so excited to show these dishes off that I immediately cleaned out the glass cupboard in the kitchen and filled it with these dishes and some smoke-tinted glasses to have a nice display. Although this will be my "fancy" dish set, I do plan on using these dishes for everyday use too since they are so durable as well as dishwasher and microwave safe. (By the way, my photos don't do these dishes justice! The blue color is much more vivid in real life.)

Oneida has many other great dish sets as well, including holiday sets and accessories on sale right now that are super cute and would make great gifts. Aside from that, there is also stone bakewear and of course the "fancy" silverware. Oneida also offers everyday silverware that is still high quality but more modern in design for everyday use.

If you are looking for the perfect gift for the cook or foodie in your life, or for your parents who still use silverware from 30 years ago, check out what Oneida has to offer!

Loblolly Lane Pearl Bracelet Winner

K said... 1

Followed Loblolly on FB! ~K

October 19, 2010 4:38 PM 

  

Congratulations!!

Holiday Gift Guide Coming Soon

I am so excited about the upcoming 2010 Holiday Gift Guide happening right here on Cheapskate4Life from November 1 - December 25! I have a wonderful line up of sponsors with some great giveaways for my readers, so be sure to check back often!

My goal is to help you get ideas for Christmas gifts to buy this year, as well as provide some deals and promo codes to help keep your budget on track! I may also throw in some decorating ideas and holiday food recipes for your holiday gatherings. 

As my siblings and I grow older, it seems harder and harder to find gifts for our parents. They either "don't need" anything or it's impossible to find something they will actually use. And the same can be said for my brother and sister too who are both adults now and would rather get useful gifts more than anything else. So my goal this year is to find unique and functional gifts, with a little bit of FUN thrown in!

Join me in my quest for the perfect Christmas gifts, and if you have any suggestions for products or companies that I should include in the Holiday Gift Guide, please email me at cheapskate4life@hotmail.com or leave me a comment!

Free Ring Sizer

Click Here to score a FREE Ring Sizer from Blue Nile Jewelry. Fill out the information in the form and within approximately 4 to 7 days you'll receive a ring sizer in the mail that will ensure an accurate fit. 

Thanks Chic N Savvy!

Free Vinyl Handle Bag

Click Here to head over to Various Packaging and fill out the form. They will send you a sample vinyl handle bag within 2-3 weeks. One sample per household. This would work great for a makeup bag!

Thanks Chic N Savvy!

Terrifying Tuesday Blog Hop, Oct. 26

Welcome to C4L's final Terrifying Tuesday Blog Hop
hosted by me Cheapskate 4 Life and Bridget over at Dixie Diva Deals!
Please link up and join the frightening fun!

It's really simple:

Just add your blog to the list 

Follow C4L and Bridget as the hostesses (and leave us both a comment so we can follow back!)

Then follow whoever you want to & leave them a comment that you are following!

Also, please grab the blog hop button (on the right sidebar) and add it to a post so we can get even more people to link up! It is fun to discover new blogs and new people! :) Thanks for participating!

 

Did you Win? Find out here!!

The winner of the Preggers compression footwear giveaway is comment #6:

Jon and Reans said... 6

i'd get this http://www.rupreggers.com/Products/Footless_Tights/FootlessTights_Black.html and http://www.rupreggers.com/Products/knee_high.html

October 15, 2010 3:23 PM

The winner of the Brilliant Lens cleaner kit is comment #17:

Michele P. said... 17

Brilliant Lenses FB fan Michele Pineda

October 23, 2010 10:32 PM

And the winner of the Socks 4 Life $25 gift certificate is comment #2:

Jennifer @ What Would Jen Do said... 2

I would get some of the Excell Women's Full Cushion Socks specifically for when I take my long walks

October 16, 2010 7:24 AM

Shutterfly Holiday Cards Review

Although it's still October, it's never to early to start thinking about Christmas cards. Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here and so will the time to send out holiday cards. So I'm already thinking about what I will send out and of course which photos I will use.

Shutterfly is a photo site that offers things like photo prints, books, cards, and more. I have created a photo book through Shutterfly and it turned out very well and looks awesome! I also used Shutterfly to create and order my Halloween party invitation cards. So I'm very much looking forward to creating some Shutterfly holiday photo cards thanks to Shutterfly and Clever Girls Collective.

Here are some of my favorite Shutterfly Christmas photo cards:

I love the Family Ornament Pictures Christmas 4x8 photo card. Not only is it perfect for displaying children's photos or if you have more than one photo you want on your card, but I love Christmas tree ornaments so this really appeals to me. I also like that you can write lots of text on the card.

I also really like this one called Funky Christmas Wishes 5x7 folded card. It is a modern take on a classic Christmas card. It also appeals to my graphic design background with the unique text and words that aren't all on one line.

The card I think I will order from Shutterfly this year is the Peppermint Palms Christmas 4x8 photo card, since my family and I went to Florida this summer for vacation. I think this would be very cute if we use the photo of all of us at the beach for our Christmas card.

Do you want 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog with integrity, as I do.


Disclaimer: I will be given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

Petco Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest - 1st Place!

Guess what?? Dotty won 1st place in her first ever pet costume contest today at Petco!

There were lots of super cute dogs dressed up and even a cute little pet pig named Otis! I think he won 3rd place, he was dressed as a wizard but would've been just as cute without a costume. I couldn't believe Dotty won 1st place with all the competition she had! There were 3 judges and they judged using 3 categories: Uniqueness; How well the costume fits the pet's personality; and How well the costume fits physically on the pet.

I was so proud of Dotty, my little pirate puppy; She won a $15 Petco gift card, a pin with a first place ribbon, a certificate, and a free 8x10 portrait! We waited in line for awhile to get her portrait done and there were two poses that were absolutely adorable and I wanted them both so for one pose I got the free 8x10 and the other pose I used the gift card to buy a $9.95 package of an 8x10, two 5x7s, and some wallet size photos since it was the perfect pose - she had her costume on and was sitting really nice with her 1st place ribbon on, it was just adorable!

Needless to say, I probably wouldn't normally spend money for a professional dog photo, but since she won the contest and it was free with the gift card, I thought why not! Afterall, I bought her some treats too, and if I hadn't spent the gift card on the photo package and her treats, I probably would've spent it on cat litter which would be super lame. So anyway, it was really fun and Dotty is all worn out now after all the excitement! It's  fun to take her to events like that to socialize and get treats and even win things :)

Eden Fantasys Mini Dress Review

Although Eden Fantasys is an adult shop, they also have many great lingerie and clothing items. I picked out the Pink Champagne Mini Dress made by DreamGirls. This delicate mini dress is made of polyester and spandex and has a bubble shaped black skirt attached to a soft pink halter. The halter’s straps feature jeweled rings detail and the straps tie in the back to adjust to your shape. I knew from the photo on the website that I would love this dress, but I had no idea just how much I'd love it!

When I put it on, I could not believe how comfortable it is. I literally felt like a million bucks because it is so flattering. The skirt of the dress is tight underneath but loose on the outside so the black material hangs down and is incredibly flattering to the tummy area, which is amazing in my opinion! I looked great without even trying, and I have always liked halter tops so that was a plus for me as well. I think the baby pink color on top really worked well with my skin tone.

My cat likes the dress too :)

The only thing that I'd change is I wish the middle band was a little tighter for more support in the chest area, although it helped that the halter was padded for support. Maybe I could have gone with a smaller size but they were out of stock on that size. But still, it's super comfortable and would work great for lingerie and sleeping in, as well as going out on the town.

This is a piece of lingerie that I'd feel comfortable in if I had to answer the door or something; it's flirty and cute yet not too revealing - which is why I wasn't too afraid to post a photo of myself wearing it :) This mini dress costs $39.99 on Eden Fantasys website.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

C4L has been given the Versatile Blogger Award

KC over at One + One = Four has graciously given Cheapskate4Life the Versatile Blogger award! Thank you so much for giving me this award, I am honored!

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

7 things about me:
1. I graduated with a degree in English
2. I am about to become a Mary Kay consultant and am very excited about this new opportunity
3. In January I will be an aunt for the first time!
4. I've dressed as a pirate for Halloween 4 out of the last 5 years
5. I have lost 14 pounds so far on my Atkins Adventure
6. My puppy is my best friend and cuddle buddy
7. I love blogging!
 
Here are the blogs that I have chosen for this award:

• Graphic Design by Tara
• Turning the Clock Back
• Mommy Time Out
• Purple Froggie Clay Stuff
• My Eleven Reasons
• Mom of All Trades
• Le Chateau Des Fleurs

CLOSED Crazy Dog TShirts Review & Giveaway {#52} - Ends 11/1

Crazy Dog T-Shirts is the best place to find novelty t-shirts, funny shirts, movie and TV show t-shirts, and even Halloween t-shirts and costumes.

 I found the t-shirt I wanted to review in the Retro T-shirts section - the "Nobody Listens to Me Anymore" tee with a cassette tape on it. Not only is this clever and a nod to the 80s, but it's also how I feel sometimes when I talk and nobody listens (which is why I love blogging and I thank you all for "listening" to me!)

I am very happy with this shirt, it is very comfortable and seems higher quality than most other t-shirts since the fabric is softer and more form-fitting to my body. It was really fun to be able to pick out a clever t-shirt, and there are so many choices on Crazy Dog that it was hard to choose! Another shirt I really liked was the "Dogs are the new Kids" shirt because it's so true, at least for me!

Crazy Dog T-Shirts offers many shirts under $15 dollars, plus they have a $6.99 Daily T-Shirt Special where they offer different shirts for $6.99 each day. You can't beat that price! I think these would make great gifts, especially for teenagers or college kids who like to be clever or have a favorite TV show or movie that they love quoting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buy It: You can purchase t-shirts online at CrazyDogTShirts.com

You can also find Halloween costumes and get $5 off with the code CREEPER!

Win It: Enter here to win a Mystery Tee or $15 Gift Card from CrazyDogTShirts!

Here's How to Enter: 
Leave a comment for each entry and include a way for me to contact you.
Mandatory Entry: Tell me what you'd choose if you win - $15 gift card or a Mystery Tee

Extra Entries
Leave a comment for each entry you complete.

• Like CrazyDogTShirtson Facebook
• Post a comment about your favorite shirt on the CrazyDog facebook page
• "Like" or "Share" one of the products on the CrazyDogTShirts website
• Follow Cheapskate4Life publicly and let me know in a comment
• Like Cheapskate4Life on Facebook
• Follow @Cheapskate4Life on Twitter
•  Subscribe to Cheapskate4Life by Email (right sidebar)
• Enter any of my other giveaways and tell me in a comment (1 entry each)
• Put my button on your blog and leave me the link to it (3 entries)
• Promote this Giveaway - Tweet, Facebook, or Blog it! (1 entry each method)   

Contest Details: Giveaway will end on Monday, November 1 at 11:59 pm (CT). US residents only. Winner can't have won or been sent a promotional shirt within the last 90 days. Winner will be drawn via number generator Random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to reply.

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.