October Giveaway Day is Here!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!  Hope y'all finished up your costumes if you were hand-making them!!  Today Noah and Penelope both have parties at their school and then when school lets out we are headed out to Trick-or-Treat with our neighbors.  We are hosting a little Halloween get-together at our house tonight too, phew the day sounds so busy and it hasn't even started :-)

Well, since it is Halloween I thought it would be the perfect day to have our October Giveaway Day!  Sound good to you?  A whole bunch of my amazingly awesome sponsors have offered to contribute such wonderful prizes and I hope you love them all.  One winner will get to take home all the treats, yippee for you!  So without further ado, let's tell ya about the prizes!!!

Our first prize is from Fat Quarter Shop, they are offering one copy of the book, Simply Fat Quarters by It's Sew Emma. This book contains 10 fat quarter quilts that can be made into four sizes.  It includes a variety of styles so there is something in it for everyone and it is the perfect book for quilters of all skill levels.  

Besides stocking an amazing amount of gorgeous designer fabrics, patterns, and books, the Fat Quarter Shop also offers a Wednesday Special to all their fans did you know that?  They announce a sale on popular fabric collections they have in stock on Facebook (here) and Twitter (here).  The sale they runs from Wednesday through Sunday and the discount typically ranges from 40-50% off!

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Our next prize comes from Hadley Grace Designs!  They are offering the winner ONE pattern of their choice from their shop!

Hadley Grace Designs offers adorable and easy to follow ePatterns for the novice sewist to the more advanced.  They offer patterns for super sweet skirts, dresses, aprons, little man ties, and hair accessories just to name a few!  Please visit Hadley Grace Designs here to see more!

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The next prize comes from Seamingly Smitten!  They are offering up a set of THREE sewing patterns of the winner's choice to the winner.

Seamingly Smitten offers tons of beautiful ePatterns for women, girls, and boys!  Some new patterns in their shop are: The Little Lady Jacket, Sadie Grace Nightgown for Girls, Cargo Shorts for Boys, and The Kate Dress for women.  You can see a few of them below in the picture!  To see more head over to Seamingly Smitten here!

Seamingly Smitten is also offering all of my readers 33% off their purchases with the exclusive coupon code: PEASANDCARROTS33 from October 31-November 4, 2012.  Go here to shop now!!!

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Our next prize comes from Wall Fry, wall art for small fry.  They are offering FOUR 8x10 prints of the winner's choice!

Wall Fry is chock full of amazing, modern decor for your home.  There are many personalized options to suit your needs and style including Typography, Alphabets, Maps, and more.  These are great for the nursery, playroom, and even your bathroom!  Please visit Wall Fry to see more!

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The next prize comes from KK Children Designs.  They are offering up the beautiful dress, Gnomeville, in the winner's choice of size!  (See picture below!)

KK Children Designs sells beautifully designed children's clothing from adorable little dresses, skirts, and even pants in the most vibrant and sweet fabrics.    They also sell an organic cotton line of dresses too!

KK Children Designs is also having a big sale on their Mod Blooms dress...only a limited 10 dresses are available at a greatly reduced price!  Head over to their shop to see that dress as well as many more here!

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The next big prize comes from wonderful ePattern shop, Pink Poodle Bows!  They are offering any THREE patterns of the winner's choice from their shop!

Pink Poodle Bows has a huge array of ePatterns that are sent right to your email inbox upon purchase.  From the prettiest dresses to rompers and even sweet little hats to keep those cute noggins warm this winter, Pink Poodle Bows has it all.  

And, Pink Poodle Bows is offering all of my readers the exclusive coupon code: PPBOCT12 for 15% off any patterns in their shop good until November 6, 2012.  Go here to shop now!

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The last prize we have for our BIG October Giveaway Day is from Adirondack Patterns.  They are offering ONE crochet and ONE sewing pattern of the winner's choice as a prize!

Adirondack Patterns offers not only sewing patterns for sweet Waldorf dolls, accessories, and cloth diapers but also adorable sewing and crochet patterns for children too.  All patterns are ePatterns so they are sent right to your inbox after purchase.

Adirondack Patterns is also offering all of my readers 25% off any purchase in their shop with the exclusive coupon code:  SPAC25 good until November 6, 2012, go here now to shop!

WOW, WOW, WOW! Right?
Is this not just THE best giveaway day yet!  I seriously have the best sponsors a girl could ask for!

Ok, so here is how you can enter to win:

Tell me what you or your kids are going to dress up as for Halloween!

If you would like more entries to up your chances of winning this awesome prize package you can do any of the following below for up to 7 more entries!  Just leave one comment for each entry please! And yes, if you already like them on Facebook, just tell me in your comments, you can still get more entries to win too :-)

1.  "Like" Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook, here.
2.  "Like" Hadley Grace Designs on Facebook, here.
3.  "Like" Seamingly Smitten on Facebook, here.
4.  "Like" WallFry on Facebook, here.
5.  "Like" KK Children Designs on Facebook, here.
6.  "Like" Pink Poodle Bows on Facebook, here.
7.  "Like" Adirondack Patterns on Facebook, here.

Giveaway ends Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at midnight

Good Luck!

 XOXO,

Peter Pan Halloween Costumes

I thought today would be a good day to do the 'official' reveal of the kids' Halloween costumes.  If you follow along with my randomness over at Facebook (here) or on Instagram (here) you got a few sneak peeks at the big pile o'fabric I bought at Joann's and some snippets of this year's costume making chaos.  A few of you even guessed right at what the kids were going to be...yay you!  It's so fun to guess along isn't it!

Well, after many thoughtful conversations with Noah about this year's costume...he wanted to be something scary but not too scary.  Or maybe a superhero?  A policeman?  Maybe a dinosaur?  A little over two weeks ago he finally made up his mind.  A pirate! Yup, he wanted to be a pirate.  The perfect combination of scary (he can be mean, say 'aargh matey', and force people off a plank, hello? cool!) and superhero (hello he gets to have a sword AND an eyepatch...way better than a cape!) He had finally ruled out just a plain old superhero cause, well, they are just too nice. Hah! This kid of mine.

And once Noah's costume was decided I thought it would be fun try and do another ensemble costume with all the kids, after all this may be the last year I might have to get them all to agree on a theme.  And you know I love me some good coordination (see here, here, and here for my previous Halloween costume ensembles)!  So...off I went to figure it out.  The Peter Pan theme seemed to work perfectly.  Oliver would be our leeetle baby Peter Pan (since we never want him to grow up!) Eloise would make the perfect tiny Tinkerbell.  And Noah and Penelope would both be the pirates (cause let's face it, Wendy's costume is just too boring!)

And here we have it!  Noah's Pirate costume.  I sewed everything myself minus the eye patch, gold earring, and the sword.  Those came in a kit from Walmart and only cost me $3! You can see here how he's perfecting his 'aargh, matey' face!

The pirate pants have to be my favorite part of the costume, there is something so fun about stripes.  And, I know it sounds dumb but after the kids tried on their costumes when I had finally finished them it started bothering me that their regular shoes would kinda ruin the look (and there was no way I was going to buy them special shoes for these costumes!) so I quickly made shoe covers using leftover fleece and felt on Saturday morning, just a hours before the kids had a Halloween parade at Noah's school. Nothing like a little last minute costume detailing!  I think the shoe covers made all the difference though, don't you?

Noah's favorite part of his costume is the pirate hat.  Apparently, without it you just aren't as mean of a pirate.  I think it has something to do with the skull and crossbones ;-)

Penelope is our nice girl pirate...see, she doesn't have the mean pirate hat.  When I was at Joann's buying the fabric for the costumes I saw Simplicity Pattern #3680 and loved the look of the little girl pirate on the cover.  I put my own spin on it as y'all know I'm not one to follow patterns.  I just have to do my own thing.  So I created my own version of a sweet little girl pirate just for Little Miss P.

I made a sweet ruffley skirt and a black sash for her sword...

Then I made a cute striped pair of knickers and of course some shoe covers :-)

I also made her a peasant-style top and finished her look with a red-striped head scarf...cuuuute!

As for Miss Eloise.  She was our blonde and tiny Tinkerbell. And apparently a dirty one too...sorry about that, this kid cannot resist a good roll in the leaves.

I made her one of my flutter sleeve peasant dresses with a dark green sash and shoe covers.  She is also wearing a store bought pair of wings and a pair of tights from Target. 

She is fast and constantly moving, just like Tinkerbell...hence the not so great, on-the-go pictures of her :-)

And Mr. Oliver.  Oh, where do I start.  How much do I love this baby...sooo dang much!

He plays Peter Pan so very well :-)

I made his costume out of two shades of green felt.  The hat has got to be my favorite.  His costume also has a brown belt but I forgot to put it on him before pictures...oops!  So you will have to imagine that for now.

Ha!  Isn't he the sweetest thing!

And there you have it...A Peter Pan Halloween!

So, what are you and/or your kids going to be for Halloween?  I'd love to hear all the fun ideas you came up with in the comments!  We are expecting to have temps in the 40s all week which means a pretty darn cold night of Trick or Treating for us.  Ah, well.  You win some you lose some, right!

Thanks for stopping by today!

 XOXO,

Jo Totes Gracie Bag Giveaway!

Happy Friday everyone!  To get y'all excited about another weekend on the horizon I thought today we'd have ourselves a super sweet Friday giveaway.  If you remember my post here, I love Jo Totes, really, LOVE.  

Jo Totes are amazing camera bags.  If you are a full on professional photographer or just a hobbyist you need a Jo Totes bag to carry your camera goodies, yes NEED!  This would be the perfect Christmas pressie, no? Quite perfect, in my opinion, for the photography lover in your life...maybe that's you! 

Not only are they uber functional but they are also stylish, pretty, and amazingly durable.  I still use my Rose bag everyday.  It's where I keep my camera goodies on a day to day basis, it keeps them protected from little hands :-)  And then when I need my camera on the go, I can just grab my bag and head out the door.  Easy Peasy.

When Jo Totes contacted me about a giveaway and let me pick out another bag, I was thrilled to say the least.  It was time for a new look, I wanted something bold this time.  Their new Gracie bag in Teal was perfect.  I love the slouchy look of it, and the color...well, you had me at hello.

Plus it's super roomy.  The Gracie comes with a whole bunch of removable interior pads so you can make any size padded compartment you like!  I can fit my camera with lens attached in the middle padded compartment (missing in this picture, duh!).  My external flash in one padded compartment, and my prime lens in the other padded compartment.  There is also a small zippered pocket on the inside of one wall for my wallet and keys and a larger one on the opposite wall that fits my iPad and my Kindle.

There are also two nice-sized pockets on the front with magnetic closures perfect for my phone and an extra camera battery and charger.  There is even a large zippered pocket on the front of the bag too. Holy wow! you can never have too many pockets for organization!  The Gracie totally delivers.

The Gracie bag also comes with two removable straps.  A cross body strap and a shorter shoulder strap (that's the one I use most often!)  Isn't it the prettiest bag?!

Here are a few other colors that the Gracie comes in...plus there are a few more colors over at Jo Totes!

So what do you think?  Are you in looooove!  

Jo Totes is so sweet to give away ONE of these awesome Gracie Bags to ONE of you, just pick your favorite color!  At a $119 value, this is one awesome giveaway!

To enter:

Tell me what kind of camera you own!

For extra entries, up to 4 more!! (one comment per entry please!)

1.  Follow Smashed Peas and Carrots via RSS feed or Google Friend Connect (upper left side bar!)

2. 'Like' Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook, here

3. 'Like' Jo Totes on Facebook, here

4. Follow me on Pinterest, here.

Giveaway ends Thursday, November 1, 2012 at midnight

Good Luck!

XOXO,

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life-Giveaway Winners!

The winners of the 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life have been chosen, hooray!  

I have emailed all the winners, so I hope you get your ebook and love it like I did!

And, if you didn't win you can still get this book for one more day (today!) for only $0.99 (click here to buy now!) on Friday the book goes back to it's regular price of $4.99!  

And stay tuned for tomorrow, I've got another giveaway going up bright and early! It's a big one and you are going to want to get in on it :-)

XOXO,

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life- eBook GIVEAWAY!

Y'all know how much I love Crystal Paine and her awesome website, Money Saving Mom, right?  Remember when we did a big giveaway of her first official book here?  Well, today I'm here to tell you that Crystal is back at it.  Yesterday she just launched her newest ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.  And for the next 2 days (October 24 and 25, 2012) it is for sale too, for a mere $0.99 too...a total steal!!

This book was written just for you if you have goals, ideas, maybe even dreams you want to accomplish in your life but you feel like you can't reach them due to a lack of personal discipline.  Are you easily overwhelmed by the idea of a big project?  Or maybe you just don't know where to start?  Are you someone who starts out full force into your plan of action only to stop dead in your tracks a few days later?

If that sounds like you, then you must read this book.  Crystal has such a great writing style which makes this book an easy read.  Plus she has tons of great tips to get you moving in the right direction.  Remember, you can purchase this ebook for the next 2 days for only $0.99 here.  

Or, you can enter to win your very own copy of this ebook today!!  Crystal is so kind as to offer up FIVE ebooks to my wonderful readers!!

To enter:

Tell me why you would love to win this book!

For extra entries:

1.  'Like' Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook, here.

2.  'Follow Me' over on Pinterest, here.

3.  Pin this post to Pinterest and leave me your link in the comments.

Giveaway ends TONIGHT!!! 

(Yup, this is a quick giveaway!)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at midnight

Good Luck!

XOXO,

No Bake Chocolate Cherry Bites-RECIPE

Do you ever have those days where you just feel like you are running around with your head cut off?  Maybe, it's the new school year and the not-so-summer schedule.  Maybe it's that we now have a 5-day-a-weeker in the house which makes our day-to-day schedule a bit more rigid.  Maybe it's the swim lessons, soccer practice, and gymnastics lessons.  Maybe it's that we now have 4 kids.

Who knows.  What I do know is that some days are just plain crazy at our house.  

I told you earlier how I had been playing with some fun spins on my Energy Bites Recipe this summer in this post here.  Yup, so far I shared my Nut-Free Energy Bites with y'all and you have given them your seal of approval.

 Well, today I'm going to share another easy peasy 'bites' recipe with you...hooray!

This one is called, 'No Bake Chocolate Cherry Bites' and guess what?  They only have 4 ingredients.  Can I get a 'holla!  Yesirree Bob, these little beauties will help with that 'running around with your head cut off' feeling you might have (or maybe that is just me?) since they are super duper fast to make and help satisfy little and big tummies everywhere!

We try our hardest to only make our snack-y dessert-y food these days.  It doesn't always happen but we give it the old college try as often as we can.  And since Clif has dived deep into the world of Paleo eating and I have happily jumped on board we have been enjoying the ride trying to come up with simple yet deee-licious tasting sweets :-)

These No Bake Chocolate Cherry Bites are perfect.  Totally Paleo-friendly and Gluten-Free.  You could even make them dairy-free with the use of a non-dairy butter alternative.

Dark chocolate, dried cherries and crispy rice cereal...who can resist that?

Don't they just look divine?


Now that I've teased you enough, I suppose I should give you the recipe.

Go forth and make a batch or two, you will not be sorry!

No Bake Chocolate Cherry Bites (makes 20 bites)
*90 calories per bite

2 cups Gluten-Free Rice Krispies
1 cup dark chocolate chunks (can use semi-sweet chips or bittersweet chocolate chunks too depending on your preferred level of sweetness!)
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped (no sugar added are best!)
2 Tbsp butter

Combine the dark chocolate and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute and then stir until the chocolate is melted.  In medium-sized bowl, mix together the Rice Krispies and chopped dried cherries.  Pour the chocolate over the cereal/ cherry mixture and stir until well combined.  Using a small ice cream scoop, place dollops of the mixture onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Let cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,