Giveaways
Want to win a little Janery?
Happy Monday! What better way to kick off the week than with a giveaway from Janery?
I can’t remember if I told you, but I’ve added some new items to the shop in recent weeks – Botanical Print Produce Bags and coordinating grocery totes – made of 100% recycled cotton .
This red and cream velvet trellis pillow cover is new, too. The fabric is made by Iman, and I was so stoked to find that many of her fabrics say “Made in the USA!” While I’m only officially offering it in a lumbar size, I can make any size as a custom order. Read the rest of this entry »
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New in the Shop: Sunglass Sweaters! (& commentary from Ryan)
Happy Friday! I bet I’m not the only one who’s glad the weekend is here, and I figured we should celebrate with a little giveaway from Janery!
Just yesterday I added a brand new product that I’m really excited about – Sunglass Sweaters!
They’re little sweaters to keep your sunnies safe and warm – just in time for the chilly fall weather. Here’s the story behind this product: Read the rest of this entry »
New Project: Basement Makeover (And a Giveaway from 3M!)
Good morning! I’m back from a little family vacation – did you have a good holiday weekend? I can’t believe it’s already September, and now that Labor Day has passed – summer is over. Every year seems to go faster than the last.
The hint of fall weather in the air is reminding me – like an annoying kid poking you in the side – that last winter I failed to complete the one home decor project I really wanted to tackle: decorating our basement rec room and guest room. Well, it’s time to put a stop to this procrastination.
Our Basement, circa 2010
I’ve been trying to get motivated to dive in and start, but wasn’t sure where to start, exactly. Fortunately a sweet kick in the pants came in the form of a bundle of DIY project must-haves sent to me by the generous people at 3M Frameworks.
Remember our mid-century modern credenza? Read the rest of this entry »
Your Chance to Win $5000: The 3M Couple Speak Video Contest!
This post is brought to you by me & Ryan, and our quest for better communication during DIY projects. (It’s also officially brought to you by 3M, but more on that later).
Let’s start with a phrase we hear all too frequently at the Abode:
“That’s a great idea, but do you really need to stop everything and do it right now, in the middle of dinner?”
If you’re anything like me, the answer is always:
“Yes!! I must do this now!”
But if you’re anything like Ryan, you actually take time to plan ahead. You think cautiously. And despite that, the Couple Speak ensues. For example:
I say: “Here’s the measuring tape.”
But I really mean: “Remember how the last time you hung a painting it overlapped the door frame?”
Our relationships are way more important than home décor, but we often encounter minefield discussions when more than one person gets involved in the work. Explaining to Ryan why bloggers repurpose things was hard enough, believe me. Add in the time when I stuck takeout containers up as hat storage or taped envelopes inside my kitchen cabinets and he likely thought I was nuts.
Since we have our fair share of DIY hilarity (two months to build simple nightstands, ahem) I figured I should tell you all about the 3M Couple Speak video contest. Plus, I’ve also had some luck of my own winning 3M video contests and I thought maybe I’d be able to virtually pass on that luck to some of you!
The new 3M video contest, Couple Speak, is being hosted on the 3M Frameworks Facebook page and they’re looking for hilarious (but not mean) entries that demonstrate how couples work out their communication issues during home improvement. Of course, they’re hoping that a 3M product might be the solution to ending ‘couple speak’ miscommunications. The contest will have two grand prize winners who take home $5,000 each.
Yes, you read that right. Five thousand dollars! Imagine the DIY projects you could complete with that kind of cash!
So here are the details of the CoupleSpeak Video Contest:
- To enter, simply make a video demonstrating a couple-speak challenge
- Keep your video to 2 minutes or less
- Keep it clean, and don’t be mean!
- No 3M products can be shown in the video
- And finally, be sure to end your video with a provided end reel animation of one of five 3M products that could have helped the situation from the “materials files” on the 3M FrameWorksFacebook page
Not in the mood to be a film star? You could still win $250!
If a video isn’t in the works for you by the October 6, 2011 deadline, don’t worry. You can still participate on Facebook, by uploading your own script of hilarious couple speak to the 3M FrameworksFacebook page. Every single week, one lucky script-writer will win a cash prize of $250.
In the spirit of hooking other DIYers up with the chance to win some cash for future projects, feel free to share the contest on Twitter and Facebook.
Let me know if you participate in the contest – I’d love to highlight your videos here on the blog! And if any of you Borrowed Abode readers win prizes, that would seriously rock! Not to mention it would probably help you avoid some miscommunication in the future as well. . .
In the interest of keepin’ it real: This post is officially sponsored by 3M. I was happy to partner up with them because I’m a fan of their blue painter’s tape and the entire family of Command adhesive products (especially for renters!). As with the rest of my business, a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Carpenter Center, a local homeless shelter.
Launch Week Giveaway Winners & Special Janery Discount!
Has it really been a week since I launched Janery, my handmade home accessories shop? I guess it’s high time I let you all know who the winners of the launch week giveaways are!
**The eco-friendly Janery package (cloth napkins, reusable produce bags, and a flour sack towel) goes to Ashley from “Sunny Side Shlee“. Ashley, let me know which pattern towel you’d like!
**The autographed copy of the UnMarketing book goes to with Christina from “The Scrappy Housewife“.
**The Gadanke “Become” journal will find a home with Sarah from “Sarah with an H“.
**Kelly from EverKelly will be getting a caffeine fix from Caffe Amouri, along with the portable coffee dripper.
**And finally, Lisa C. and Anna H. will each receive the $25 store credit to Janery.
Congrats to you all, and please shoot me an email with your mailing address. Lisa & Anna, when you’re ready to use your shop credit, just let me know and I’ll give you the details :)
And to all of you who participated, thank you SO MUCH for your comments and feedback! It was an amazing first week of running the shop!
As a thank you to everyone, I’m offering a discount for the rest of June: get %10 off your entire purchase when you use the code “JUNE11″ at checkout.
In other news, I’m back from helping my amazing friend Melissa move, and we have so much good stuff to share: the before-and-almost-after of her new studio apartment, a quick trip to New Hampshire to pick up furniture, and then all the fun of fitting the new furniture into the house. . . and more. Oh, and the part I’m most excited about? We made two totally dorky videos of her space – before, and after. They’re really bad. Complete with awkward Jane commentary about unrelated things. :) Have an AWESOME weekend!
More Janery {Launch Week Giveaway #5}
Happy Saturday! I’m up in the hills of western Massachusetts helping one of my very best friends move to Boston. We’ve got our work cut out for us this weekend, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet.
Today is the final day of my Janery Launch Week Celebration. If you’re a coffee lover, be sure to check out yesterday’s post. It’s got a great – and super honest – interview with the owner of my local coffee shop.
Giveaway #5: Two $25 Janery Store Credits
**This giveaway is now closed.**
Two lucky readers will win a $25 Janery store credit in today’s giveaway!
Here’s how to enter:
- Visit my shop, then comment to let me know what your favorite item is!
- For a second entry, tweet about my shop on Twitter, and use the hashtag #shopjanery. Just comment here to let me know you tweeted.
- For a third entry, share my Facebook link with your FB friends!
Other details:
- This giveaway closes on Monday, 6/20/2011 at 9:00 PM
- The winner will be randomly chosen and announced after Monday, 6/20/2011
On Coffee, Starting a Business, and Decorating with Record Albums
Welcome back to Launch Week Celebration & Giveaway, Day 4!
Today I’m pretty excited today to give you not only a peek at my favorite local (Vienna, VA) business, but also an interview with the owner! Oh, and yes, there’s a great coffee-themed giveaway to top it all off.
You’ve probably seen me go on and on about Caffe Amouri, my local coffee roaster /coffee shop, either on Twitter, Facebook, or this blog. That’s because I’m a huge fan. Have you ever tasted coffee that is freshly roasted? It’s unbelievable! Ever since Caffe Amouri opened last summer, I’ve been a totally loyal customer. It’s a totally chill place to go read a book, do some work, blog, or catch up with friends. And I feel very fortunate that I’ve gotten to know Michael Amouri, the owner and roaster, because not only is he an awesome guy – he’s been a huge source of inspiration and also advice as I head down my entrepreneurial path. (Thanks, Michael!!)
If you’re ever in the area, you should visit Caffe Amouri first thing in the morning, when the coffee beans are roasting. (Follow on Twitter and Facebook to know when the roasting is going on.) You can smell it in the air – I don’t even know how to describe it, but it’s awesome. Upon entering, you can’t help but notice the big yellow roasting machine:
The walls of the shop are covered with Michael’s vintage record collection:
But those vintage LPs are more than just decor. Friday nights are “Club Night” at Caffe Amouri, one of the ways in which Michael has expanded the shop to be more of a community gathering place. During Club Night, customers of all ages can choose records off the wall, and Michael plays them on a good old-fashioned record player. How cool is that?
Another fun design element (to me, at least) is the wooden siding on the counters. The rough-hewn boards are reclaimed lumber from an old building that was torn down:
In addition to offering the usual espresso and coffee drinks, Caffe Amouri serves a delicious variety of teas, iced teas, 100% fruit smoothies, and Italian Cream Sodas. Some days I have the hardest time choosing just one drink from the menu.
See all those glass jars? Those are the many different beans and blends that are roasted in-house. Once you start trying the different coffees, it’s amazing to notice all the nuances of flavor that accompany beans from different regions around the globe.
Are you curious what goes into the making of a coffee shop (and roaster)? Michael was kind enough to answer a mini-interview about the details behind the making of Caffe Amouri.
What inspired you to take the plunge and not just open Caffe Amouri, but turn it into a coffee roaster as well?
What is the hardest part? When sales slack off and I wonder what it is that we’ve done wrong to turn people off? Or not getting folks flocking in during the morning hours……eats away at me. Also, as you mentioned above, the sheer number of things that have to get done and the anxiety over not “getting to them”.
What advice would you give to someone who’d like to start their own business, especially a brick-and-mortar business like yours?
Don’t!
Just kidding. Refer to the info above – just plan, plan, plan.
So there you have it – a peek at what goes into starting and running your own coffee house. Ever since I’ve learned just some of the work Michael put into launching his business, I haven’t been able to look at a coffee shop the same. It’s amazing how much thought and work is behind that cup of coffee or tea!
Giveaway #4: A Clever Coffee Dripper & 1 Pound Fresh-Roasted Coffee
**This giveaway is now closed.**
The lucky winner of this giveaway will win a pound of coffee (your choice of a particular roast/origin) and a Clever Coffee Dripper, packaged inside one of my handmade coffee sack gift bags.
What’s a clever coffee dripper? It’s an awesome little single-cup coffee maker that is totally space-efficient, and totally portable. It’s perfect for storing in your office or packing in your suitcase (if you’re a coffee snob, like me). In order to have an amazingly fresh, delicious coffee anywhere, all you need is boiling water, some ground coffee beans, and your Clever Coffee Dripper. Trust me, it makes a killer cup of coffee.
Still curious as to how exactly it works? Come back next week when I”ll be sharing a how-to on using the dripper to make an awesome cup of coffee.
Here’s how to enter:
- Simply comment on this post! If you want, spill the beans (ha,ha) on your drink of choice. Coffee? Tea? Something else entirely?
Other details:
- This giveaway closes on Monday, 6/20/2011 at 9:00 PM
- The winner will be randomly chosen and announced after Monday, 6/20/2011
Legal mumb0-jumbo: I was not compensated in any way for this post about Caffe Amouri or the Clever Coffee Dripper. I just happen to be a huge fan! However, if you purchase the coffee maker through my amazon affiliate link, I will get a tiny little commission.
And that’s it for today! See you back here tomorrow for the 5th and final Launch Week Giveaway post, with a big prize from my shop!
A Creative Journal from Gadanke {Launch Week Giveaway #3}
Yesterday’s giveaway was about a person and product who really helped inspire me on a blogging and marketing level. But today and tomorrow’s giveaways are much more personal, they’re from business owners who I’ve gotten to know over the last year and who have provided great guidance to me.
When I was thinking about people and business owners who have inspired me, my good friend Katie topped my list.
Before I tell you about this giveaway, I need to give a big fat public shout-out to Katie!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve probably already heard of her. She’s the thought-provoking blogger behind Making This Home. She’s the inspiring creator of Gadanke, a handmade journal shop. Most importantly, she’s a very good friend who has not only inspired me but has also encouraged me and listened to me from the beginning of my business journey.
When I first found her blog, I spent at least an hour reading through old posts. I came away from it thinking “Wow! This girl is SO cool. She’s living as an expat in a 450 sq foot apartment in Germany. She flies planes. She and her husband built their own kitchen from scratch. She’s constantly simplifying She’s environmentally friendly.” And then in the Fall of 2009, she launched a handmade journal shop, a business which she now runs full time while her husband is a full-time engineering student.
Finally, I got to meet Katie in real life at Blissdom. I was so scared she wouldn’t like me in person. I felt like I was no where as cool as she was. Those fears were pointless; we had a blast. And you know how you read some blogs and like their online personality, but a part of you wonders if they really are all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips in real life? I can now promise you that Katie is all that and TEN bags of chips!
Now let’s talk about Gadanke. It’s such an incredible shop, borne out of Katie’s passion for documenting life, and her interest in helping others do the same. I want to tell you all about it, but I fear I will butcher her story. Therefore, I encourage you to hop over here and read her story of how her sincere passion for journaling developed. She tells it so well.
And now for the giveaway. I’m so excited to be able to offer one of you a special journal from Gadanke.
Giveaway #3: A special journal from Gadanke
***This giveaway is now closed.***
There’s a new journal in Katie’s shop. It’s called {Become: Me, My Creative Self}, and it’s a very special journal that Katie created to help women explore their creative selves. I just ordered mine; I love her other journals that I have and I just know that {Become} will be perfect for documenting and celebrating the journey I take with Janery.
In Katie’s words: “This book is a creative journey diary. It’s goal is to help you open your heart and slowly craft some answers about the creative life you want to live – whether in your hobbies or even career. It’s a huge celebration of exploring the woman you’re meant to become.”
Because this week is a celebration of following your creative dreams, I specifically asked Katie if we could do the giveaway with {Become} specifically. I know many of you are creative, in fact many of you have told me that you’re starting your own creative business journey in one way or another, so I hope you’ll find this giveaway as meaningful as I do.
Here’s how to enter:
- Simply comment on this post!
- For a second chance to win, please visit Gadanke and comment to let us know which is your favorite journal.
- For a third chance to win, follow Katie on Twitter – she’s @MakingThisHome
Other details:
- This giveaway closes on Friday, 6/17/2011 at 10:00 PM
- The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on or after Monday, 6/20/2011
- The prize will ship after Tuesday, 6/21/2011
