Today I Love: Punchy Fall Handbags + a Giveaway

The inevitable has happened.... Summer is slipping it's way out the door already and fall is showing up uninvited per usual.

All of our local schools have started back up, the department stores have long cleared out the patio furniture and pool party accessories, replacing them with Lisa Frank trapper keepers and scented markers (OK, it's been a while since I've back to school shopped, maybe I'm a bit dated on the inventory)

We've been having unusually chilly July here in Indy, which isn't helping me hold onto summer's grasp as long as I'd like. But the cool weather does have me craving those rich, bold fall colors. Perusing Target the other day I ended up with 3 handbags in my cart. I say I ended up with them, because they clearly jumped in there, unbeknownst to me. Sadly, I put them all back and told them there was no way I was carrying a merlot bag in the dead of July.

But soon, oooh so soon, I'll be back to scoop up some new pretties!

Here are a few of my favorites

[clockwise from top left: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 ]

What colors will you be rocking when the leaves start turning? As an added bonus, since we love you so much... Holly, Helene, Sarah & I are giving away a $50 gift card to Target as well!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good Luck!

(Not a sponsored post, not any way affiliated with Target, just a lover of all things Tarjay!)

Gifting. And a giveaway!

It's no secret I adore gifts. Not JUST receiving them either, I love that giddy feeling of watching someone open a gift that I perfectly picked out. No really, I'm THAT girl who's like CMON RIP THE PAPER ... FASTER! Sorry guys, it's my love language. I can't help it, right?!

With that being said, last year after the lung fiasco, and everything else I had put my mother through, I was determined to pick out a Mother's Day gift that meant a little bit more than just a bouquet of flowers.  I think it's safe to say I did alright. So much so, that a day hasn't gone by that my mom and I don't wear them. 

I scooped up a set of dual-birthstone rings from Meadowbelle Market's etsy shop. One for mama, and one for myself, with our two birthstones adorning them. They're petite, they're simple, and most of all, they're perfect. 

When I posted a picture of another ring on Instagram this weekend, I was flooded with questions about the birthstone ring, and I'm excited to let you all know the lovely ladies over at Meadowbelle Market have graciously offered up a dual birthstone ring for one of you lucky readers to win! 

Meadowbelle Market offers both silver and gold options, and have even recently introduced an engagement ring line! The giveaway will end this coming Friday - don't miss out on scoring one of these awesome rings for yourself or to gift to a loved one!

As an added bonus, as if the ladies over at Meadowbelle haven't been kind enough, they've also offered up a coupon code valid through Sunday (March 30th), simply enter "hellomisschelsea" to receive 10% off your any purchase in their Etsy shop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My winner has brown hair.

I'm glad all you lovelies entered my CSN giveaway!

Wouldn't it be fun if I announced the winner like a game of Guess Who? You all pop over to read and one by one close out with a sad, disappointed face because you don't have freckles or a bald head.

No? Not fun? Ok, fine... well I used the super high tech powers of my phone

and trusted my abilities to count that high.

I'd like to congratulation miss Lacey in the City for winning! (If you just cocked your head to the side and said 'who?!' you should go check her out... her blog kinda rocks!)

And, I'm just gonna throw this out there... Lacey - if you want to use your $35 gift certificate to buy me something as a housewarming gift, I won't turn it down!

Today I love...

 Today's the last day to enter my giveaway for a $35 CSN gift card! I'll be honest with you - I used to avoid the CSN giveaways... they didn't seem as fun as the Anthropologie giveaways or the Crate & Barrel giveaways. I'd log onto CSN and get overwhelmed by all the STUFF they had!

But I promise they rock! I've scored all kinds of great stuff through CSN. Name brand stuff. That ships QUICK! If I won my own giveaway (haha I can dream right!) these are the things I would be debating between (and they are all winner friendly - under $35 of course)!

This super cute cupcake apron (I actually have a Flirty Apron, but mine is red, and I still love this cupcake one!)

 Doesn't this blanket look extra cozy? I just want to grab it outta my screen and go curl up on a couch!

 What about a set of 3 of these mercury glass votives for your coffee table?

I'd love to start an herb garden, and this colorful set of pots would look so cute with little chives and cilantro popping out!

This leaf canvas would freshen up a bathroom or add a bit of whimsy to a gallery wall!

My kitchen counter could use a bit of flare with these bamboo utensils.

Black and white polka dotted coasters for my guests to use?! Yes please!

Hello insanely cute serving platter... I would like to host a cookout and have you be the guest of honor!

And this welcome mat would just makes me giggle everytime I passed by it!

So that's just a few of the things that I found to be extra fun over at CSN! Anything here spark your interest?! Well heck, go enter my giveaway so you can get your chance at scoring something fun to brighten up your last few lingering days of winter! And hurry... because today's your last day to enter!

Daydreaming of a beachy living room - with a perk!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! BUMMER!

Sometimes I wander around my house imagining what it would look like if I did a beachy/calm theme (a la Young House Love or Lettered Cottage).

I imagine my living room having white billowy curtains and a big seagrass rug under my couch.

I think about all of the other options I have for LCD TV Stands for the corner that my television is on...
wouldn't this one look perfect and beachy!? I love the teal color!

As I'm daydreaming right now, I'm finding all sorts of fun beachy/chill decor on CSN! And that's why I'm so excited to tell you I'm working with CSN to offer a $35 giveaway to you guys!

I'm gonna make it super simple too! To enter, all you have to do is (of course, in addition to being a follower of mine) visit CSN and find a teal and/or beachy item that you love and then come back and tell me what it is!

See, simple. Only need to leave me one comment! Giveaway will end on Wednesday, March 2nd at midnight.

Ready... set... go!
(This giveaway is only open to US and Canada residents!)

Couch commuting

My couch made it's pilgrimage home this Saturday!


Do you know how stressful it is to have 2 pieces that size on a trailer driving 45minutes on the interstate in cold weather and rain?! And I wasn't even the one driving!

I still can't believe Chris didn't just pull over and leave me on the side of the road after all my 'SLOW DOWN!'s hah!



(PS There is an AWESOME $500 Sear's giftcard giveaway going on at Flying Giggles & Lollipops - but I really need it, so don't enter! hehe)

Spring Giveaway : Winner

I've been out of town for a long weekend and in non-blogger mode since Thursday afternoon! Alas, I'm back at work and slowly catching up with all my comments, new followers and hundreds of unread blog posts (yikes!)

The first task to check off this morning is announce the winner of my Spring Giveaway sponsored by Elliven Studio!

The winner of this handmade ruffled stationary set is #5, Miss Nicole over at BusyGirl! I can't wait to hear what she's going to use them for! (Nicole, I've sent you an email with details!)

Thanks again to Julie for hosting this giveaway, if you haven't already checked out her Etsy shop go do so now! She has a ton of cute, not to mention practical, things! I'm snagging up a coupon holder this week!

Spring Giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!
Good morning lovelies!

Did Monday morning come quick or what?! I'm excited to kick off this week with a giveaway though! I have a super cute set of handmade stationary for one of my lucky readers made by Julie over at elliven studio

I think these would be so cute to send to a friend who just bought a new home (at their new address of course) or to congratulate on a new baby!

And since I love the back-story behind items, I asked Julie for a quick little bio so we all could get to know her a little better:

"My name is Julie, I'm a SAHM and the owner of the Etsy shop elliven. I focus on creating accessories using designer fabrics, and recently started offering a stationery line that combines paper with fabric. The stationery line includes sets created out of handmade paper which has been made by myself using recycled paper from my own home. I love to combine different textures to add dimension to my products. Stationery sets with ruffled fabric or fabric accessories with some vintage lace sewn onto them, this gives each item it's own one of a kind, unique look! I love to hang out with my three boys and husband when I'm not creating items for the shop, and am constantly looking for inspiration for new items."

SO, want to win this cute little set of 3 handmade ruffled cards (each with their own envelope and piece of Japanese Washi tape - I posted about my adoration for Washi tape here!)....

To enter:

*You must be a follower of my blog!*

1 entry: visit elliven and tell me what your favorite piece is

2nd entry: become a follower of Julie's blog, elliven studio 
(leave a comment here letting me know)

3rd entry: blog about this giveaway (be sure to leave a comment with a link!)

*As always, you must leave me a separate comment for each entry - it's MUCH easier that way!

Winner will be chosen at random on Sunday evening.

Winner!

You all are so fun! I've really enjoyed getting to know you all and checking out the new blogs of those of you who entered from SMS!

Some of your $150 answer really cracked me up - I'm not gonna lie, if I found $150 in a new pair of jeans I would probably put it in my bank account! Boring I know, but that's a nice chunk towards a vacation! 

I'll quit babbling though, and announce the winner.... thanks to the Random Number Generator, out of the 20 of you who so kindly left comments and played along....

Comment #9, Mateya from Our Journey from Iraq to the Alter,  is going to win my Favorite Things gift bundle! 

How funny - we're both the boring ones who would save the money! Anways, congrats Mateya! Everyone else should go check out her super cute blog!

Thanks for helping me celebrate my 100th post, I've really enjoyed gettin to know you all! I had a lot of fun with the giveaway, I hope to do them more frequently!

These are a few of my favorite things

Since this is my 100th post, I felt like I should make it somethin' special! I already filled you in on the giveaway I am hosting in the last post, although I didn't tell you what it was for. Is the suspense killing you yet? I can only imagine! (Kidding. Although, I would be flattered!)

I am giving away a little bundle of my favorite things! Chrischris & I wandered around last night collecting goodies, and since they are all still in the bags in my trunk and I am at work, I can't very well post a picture so I will fake it!

The first goody is a super cute scarf (not the exact one pictured, but VERY close!). I love love love scarfs. My typical work attire is a plain colored shirt, dress pants, cute heels and a scarf. Even in the summer. I have probably 15-20. It's bad, real bad!

The second item in my rad giveaway bundle is a tube of Burts Bee's. Absolutely addicted to this, I've probably gone through 6 tubes (that's a lot in chapstick land!). Favorite balm ever, nothing more to say!

Maybe I should have titled this the Things Chelsea is Addicted to" hah - Orange tictacs and dark chocolate. Yum!

I've also included one of my favorite games - Left Right Center. It's a dice game, we play for quarters, sometimes dollars, but if you want to be gambling-free it comes with little plastic chips. SO fun, and you can play with anywhere from 3 to 300 people?!

The last item is a reusable plastic cup. It looks like a to-go cup, but is sturdy plastic, with it's own lid and straw. (The one in the bundle isn't Starbucks brand, but plain so you don't have to be a Bucksy-snob!) I am pretty passionate about doing what I can to reduce my footprint, and while I'm not an all out tree-hugger or what have you, I think any little bit helps. I use a Sigg bottle, but when I saw this I seriously was considering keeping it for myself!!!

So, that's the giveaway, friends! Make sure you enter here! I will number all the comments and use the Random Number Generator to pick a winner Sunday! (I'm having a lot of fun reading all of your comments so far btw, you guys crack me up!)

Hey you over there... yea, you.... (GIVEAWAY!)

I want to meet you! I noticed that I have 36 followers (!!!!) Holy cow, now people actually read what I'm saying and notice when I don't use semicolons or dashes correctly. The pressure! I like you guys, every time I write on my blog it's kind of like calling my best friend and chatting! Except, some of you BFF's out there don't chat back, so I'm sittin here babbling on, and then I'm all like 'hello? hello? did AT&T drop my call again??'

Exciting news, this is my 99th post. That means 100 is the next, and I think that deserves a giveaway! (cue exciting music) My first one ever! Want to be part of this giveaway? The giveaway that I have yet to name because it's THAT awesome that I'm waiting to reveal it til my 100th post....

Well then comment! Right here, right now! I want to know some things though...

1. your name

2. where you call "home"

3. why you come here (if it's cause we went to high school together, and you followed the link on my Facebook and you hated me then and still do now.... that's ok too you can still win!)

and a fun question... 

4. if you bought a new pair of jeans and found $150 in the pocket what would you do with it?

5. your email (when some of you comment, I get a 'no-reply' email address and it makes me sad, plus if you win I want to make sure I can contact you! BTW- Katieballa posted an awesome lil tutorial on how to solve this!)

*6. If you're a newby here, it's not too late - you can become a follower now and still enter!

Don't worry, I'll show you what you can win tomorrow, I promise it will be awesome though! Happy 99 loves,

UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed! Thanks all for playing along!