Thursday’s Giveaway: Starbucks

I hope you’ve been enjoying the giveaways this week!  Today’s prize is a $15 Starbucks gift card.  Maybe not the most original thing ever, but who doesn’t like Starbucks?  Even if you are one of the two people in the world who doesn’t like coffee, you can get a muffin or something.  Or even pass it on to someone for whom you need a gift , like a teacher.

Many of you may like to use it for the special treat that’s only available this time of year:

Myself, I would probably get a Java Chip Frappuccino, because of my experience with the Pumpkin Spice.  But don’t let that stop you!

This one is easy to enter…no hoops to jump through, just leave a comment!

This giveaway will close Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 11:59 pm.

More giveaways to enter:  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Giveaway #3: CSN Stores

Today’s giveaway gives the winner options…lots of options.  Whether you are looking for a drop leaf table, a mailbox, shoes, or a baby stroller, CSN stores has all that and much more.

The lucky winner will receive a $55 gift certificate to use in any of the CSN stores, on anything you want.  If you choose something at a higher price, the $55 will be applied to your balance. (The $55 does not include shipping, but many items ship for free.)

I actually recently won a CSN giveaway hosted by Tricia at Three Petunias, and did some shopping at the website over the weekend.  I’m still undecided, but here are some items I’m considering.

I’ve been wanting a pendant for over the kitchen sink, and I found quite a few options within the $55 range, like the Madison Mini Pendant for $47.70 with free shipping.


I would also like a new faucet for my powder room, to compliment my vanity makeover.  This Price Pfister is $57.12.



Of course, I could be persuaded to go with a new pair of boots instead.  The possibilities are endless!



Two ways to enter:

1.  Follow me on Twitter or Facebook by clicking on the icon on the right and taking the appropriate steps, then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did so.

2.  If you take the extra step and spread the news about the giveaway either on Twitter or FB, then come back here and leave a second comment, you will get a second entry.

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, Oct 5 at 11:59 pm.

You can also enter Monday’s giveaway, and Tuesday’s.

Tuesday’s Giveaway: Home Reserve

Last week I received a free chair from Home Reserve furniture to review.  You can read all about that and how it came to be here.  I was pleased with the chair, and they were pleased with my honest review, and I asked if they would like to provide a giveaway for my readers.

They have generously provided a $25 gift certificate to be used at their website!  There are some choices that would be covered by the $25.

Throw pillows come in several different shapes and many fabric choices. 

This is the 16” square pillow in Jacinta Spa ($19):

Rectangle pillow in Kiowa Black ($21):

 

Fabric wall art 12”x16” in Miles Citrus ($22):

Fabric wall art 10”x32” in Savory Cocoa ($24):

If you chose to do so, you could put the $25 toward any other choice.  I think the  the designer cubes would be useful.  They all have storage and could be used as a footrest, coffee table, living room toy box, etc.

Small designer cube (17”w, 23”l, 19”h) in Ella Citrus ($49):

The large cube (20x45x15) might work well at the end of a bed (Kia Onyx $71):

Two ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway (leave a separate comment for this one).

This giveaway will be open until Monday Oct. 4 at 11:59 pm.

Be sure to enter Monday’s giveaway, and check back every day this week for more prizes!

Welcome to the Birthday Party!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will notice a few changes around here.  My blog turned 2 last week, and I figured it was time to shake things up a little.  Nothing major; mostly just layout and design.  My awesome hubby Craig worked for several hours this weekend implementing my ideas.  Probably there are still a few glitches that need to be worked out; if you find any (like a link that doesn't work) please let me know.  Also, you can now follow Homebody on Twitter, Facebook and Feedburner.  I've been a little slow in embracing the social networking scene, so I hope you'll bear with me while I try to get up to speed.


Now on to the party!  I have several giveaways planned this week.  I'm hoping to have one every day, but if they don't come through that quickly, I may have to postpone a couple.


Today's prize involves one of the changes you may have noticed.  I am now offering advertising space on Homebody.  The logistics are still a work in progress, although if you or anyone you know may be interested in advertising here, email me (link top right).


Today I am giving away 3 months of advertising space.  You could promote your etsy shop or other business, or even your blog, as long as it's family friendly and preferably in the home/family/decor/women's interests realm.  You will need to provide a 125x125 button (static), although if you don't have one and don't know how to make one, I might be able to get Craig to work up a simple button for you if you're the winner.


Two ways to enter:


1. Leave a comment on this post.


2. Help me get Homebody's Facebook page rolling by leaving a comment there answering this question: What is your favorite kind of blog linky party?
Leave a separate comment here telling me you did that.


This giveaway will be open until Sunday, Oct. 3 at 11:59 pm.
Make sure I am able to contact you if you are the winner.

Blog Birthday Party

Just a heads-up for my loyal readers...I'm planning to make some exciting new changes around here over the weekend to celebrate my 2 years of blogging.

I have some giveaways planned, so please check in, starting Monday!

Home Reserve Chair Reveal

As promised, here it is: the finished chair.  It is the Laney chair in Eureka Natural fabric.

Eureka is a textured cotton fabric.  It is spot clean only.  However, both the seat and back cushions are reversible for double the wear.  That’s more than I can say for some discount furniture stores (like Ashley) that have one-sided cushions.  Home Reserve does offer many machine washable fabrics, including a selection of stain-resistant fabrics for pet owners.

I’m wondering if I got the last of Eureka Natural, because it is no longer on the website.  Eureka Bleached Natural, a pure white,  is still available, though.   I was originally leaning toward the Tux chair in a  houndstooth, but decided on very neutral since I wasn’t sure where the chair would ultimately end up.  I also changed my mind and went with the more traditional rounded arms of the Laney over the modern arms of the Tux.

Craig is 6’2”, and said after sitting in it that he has a good first impression.

I am 5 ft even, and while I found it a little too deep to comfortably sit with my feet on the floor, that is my reality with any chair.  Curled up like this, as I pretty much always do, I was quite comfy.

I think my favorite feature is the under seat storage.  Seriously, how awesome is that?!  I have since taken three times that many magazines and catalogs from the coffee table, which was in danger of disappearing under the load, and hidden them in the chair.  Think how much storage you would have with a full sofa, or, good grief!, a sectional!  Games, blankets and throws, seasonal decor, canned or paper goods if you lack a pantry…the possibilities are endless!

I think it’s a very good-looking chair!  My Target pillow adds a nice shot of color, but you can order throw pillows from Home Reserve in any of their fabrics, as well as ottomans, wall art, and designer storage cubes.

The seat cushion is definitely firm, but I didn’t find it uncomfortable; granted, I have yet to sit in it for longer than 30 minutes.  The company president said that in the past their foam was too firm, but they have made improvements in the last couple of years.  Based on that, I imagine it will break in a little with use.  I will weigh in on that at a later date.

My overall first impression of Home Reserve is very favorable (and I’m not just saying that because they sent me a free chair!).  Yesterday I gave them good marks for fast delivery, packaging, engineering and ease of assembly.  Today I give them thumbs up for looks, affordability (chairs start at $179; this one would cost $230), unique features, and reasonable comfort.  Durability and long-term comfort will need future analysis.

What do you think?

My Free Home Reserve Chair Is Here!

Background:  I blogged about Home Reserve furniture a couple weeks ago, and had a couple of comments from readers whose experience with it was not great {post here}.  I also had a comment from the president of the company offering me a free chair to try it out for myself {post here}!

I looked through the website and choose several fabrics I was interested in, and Sandy, the customer service rep,  overnighted the swatches to me.  I ordered the chair on Monday Sept. 13 and yesterday afternoon it arrived on my doorstep.  That’s an eight day turnaround; pretty quick considering they cut out the fabric specifically for you and don’t work weekends. 

 

Everything was vacuum-packed into this one box.

The hardware was bagged and labeled; there were even some extras enclosed.  In addition, they  included a pair of gloves and a sanding block in case there were any rough edges.  We only used it once.

All the wooden parts are very visibly numbered.

The instructions were easy to follow, and all the parts fit very well and without too much effort.

Craig did most of the assembly, and he was extremely impressed with how well everything fit.  The video says the parts are computer cut with 20/1000 of an inch tolerances!  They fit together like a puzzle, and all the holes for the screws were positioned correctly.

From the look of the wood, you might think it’s not very strong, but this is not cheap particle board.  From the website:

“The frames are made from aspen, an engineered wood panel of the type that builders use on houses. We’ve had our products tested in a laboratory and everything carries a five-year warranty. Very rigid and solid, our sofa will support over 2,000 pounds.”

I should mention, however, that 3 of the 4 arm sides did have a break in this very narrow area.  It was not a support piece, though, and in fact once assembled was itself supported by the piece that fit in it.  The warranty says they will send out replacement parts if anything breaks during the 5 yr period, but I’m not concerned that this will have any affect on performance.  (Update:  Sandy contacted me and offered to replace these pieces.  I didn’t accept because I really didn’t think it was an issue, and she assured me that any time during the 5 year warranty I can get replacements if I choose.)

Assembled arms (upside down) and frame:

The fabric pieces were conveniently packaged in the order called for in the instructions.  While snug, they were not difficult to put on.  Though not technically a slipcover, you can take the fabric off for cleaning (some are machine washable, but not all) and can order new cover sets to change your furniture’s look.

Well, this is really long, so I’m going to save the final reveal and review for tomorrow.  Up until this point, I give Home Reserve an A for fast delivery, packaging, engineering and ease of assembly.

Tomorrow:  the final product!

For a 3-minute video on how it’s all made and packaged, go here and click on the How We Make Your Sofa video on the top right.

Make a Fall Wreath With Dollar Tree Supplies

I can’t take credit for the idea for this wreath; I saw it at Thrifty Decor Chick.  You probably read her blog and have already seen it, but I’ll take you through my process anyway.
Dollar Tree has these really great-looking fall leaves in packages of ten.  I bought five packages.  I also bought a sheet of foam board to make the rectangular backing.  TDC made a square.  If you want a circle, they also sell 18” vine wreath forms, although I think it might be easier to have the big flat surface of the foam board to attach the leaves to.

I cut the board in half width-wise, and then cut out the middle, leaving a 4” border all the way around.  It was about 1/4” thick and cut easily with a craft knife.



Cut the wire stems off the leaves.



Following TDC’s example I scrunched the leaves up a little to give them some dimension.



Then I started hot-gluing them to the foam board.  I was kind of concerned about getting them perfectly random and yet not putting too much of the same color too close together, but in the end it wasn’t an issue.



I scrunched and fluffed a little more once the wreath was hanging. 



This was super easy, quick (under an hour), inexpensive ($6), and looks really nice, if I do say so myself!

 

Joining these parties:

 

What I Did With the Frame

So, I got this huge frame at a consignment store for $2.50.  I took out the picture and painted the frame Heirloom White.  (I actually don’t think the artwork is too bad, but I was looking for a frame, not artwork.)



I cut a big old bulletin board to fit and covered that with burlap, then Craig attached it to the frame (okay, well he did the cutting too).  Now I have a big awesome bulletin board for school schedules and lunch menus, etc.



The kids’ school went to a system this year of labeling the days A-E instead of Mon-Fri.  That way if there’s a day off, they just pick up where they left off instead of skipping Art or whatever.  The problem is, each child has a different class on each day, and we never know what day it is.  So I printed out A-E and will keep moving the purple push-pin over, and hopefully that will keep us on track.



This is part of my information hallway just inside the garage door.  One of my first blog projects was the magnetic chalkboard that hangs on the other side.  It’s also made out of a old frame ; see this post for info on that project.



 
 

I’m linking this up with CSI Project’s Ballard Designs Challenge.

My corkboard is a pretty good replica of Ballard’s Madison Corkboard, at $199 plus shipping, plus $15 oversized fee for the one closest in size to mine.