Getting to know brownsco Where are you from? and a little bit about you We are Mike and Donna Brown a husband and wife artist team. We are located in Adamstown a small town in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. I work with wood, chalkware, clay and papier mache. My wife works with dried, fresh and artificial flowers and hypertufa. These creative passions led us in 2008 to start Brown’s Country Originals. What items do you carry in your shop? Vintage Seasonal Paper Mache and Chalkware sculptures. Also, we have hypertufa troughs, planters, birdbaths for the garden How did you decide on your shop name? Well it was kind of easy. We love country items and live in the country, so we knew the business name would have "Country" in it. All the items we create are "Originals" and our last name is "Brown" .... so we came up with "Brown's Country Originals" Do you have a blog, twitter, or facebook page? No not yet... planning a facebook page for 2011 Do you have … [Read more...]
Frugal Gift Wrapping Tips- Guest Post
I have a home décor and gift giving expert who can provide frugal tips when gift wrapping this year's holiday gifts without breaking the bank. Sandy Sandler, founder of non-profit Crafters 4 Kids (www.C4K555.org) and creator of the best-selling Bowdabra (www.bowdabra.com), is seeing frugal, green and time saving tricks as holiday trends. From decorating your home on a budget to using eco-friendly items in your holiday home décor, Sandy is sharing some easy to implement frugal and creative holiday ideas. Here are 10 helpful hints to wrap your holiday gifts frugally and creatively by Sandy: Use scraps of fabric to wrap presents: Apply puffy fabric paint to give the present a rich three dimensional look! Paper bags or craft paper can be jazzed up as great gift wrap: First wrap the gift and then decorate. This is a great way to decorate grandparents' gifts. Have your children place their hands in washable paint and decorate the package with their hand prints. … [Read more...]
Skeletons In The Swimmin Hole Book Review
My Thoughts on Skeletons In The Swimmin Hole: Tales from Haunted Disney World By Kristi Peterson Schoonover When you think of the words "Walt Disney world" I bet the last thing you would think is haunted ghost stories. That was until I came across the book Skeletons In The Swimmin Hole: Tales From Haunted Disney World by Kristi Peterson Schoonover. At first I did not know what to expect. I mean its Disney World and I did not know if I would want to read horror stories about the famous theme park. But after reading the first story I realized that these stories were not half as bad as I first thought. ‘Skeletons in the Swimmin Hole’ is about experiences at Disney world that have haunted people in one sense or another. It was almost depressing to hear of the traumatic events that some have had at such a magical place. But then again that is what makes horror stories so awesome right? Plus for Kristi to write about them to taking place at the land of magic is unique and … [Read more...]
Gourmet Gift Baskets Review and Giveaway
My Thoughts on Gourmet Gift Baskets Christmas time is a time for gift baskets! My husband is addicted to cheese so it seems every year we get tons of gift baskets filled with cheese and sausage along with other items. One of my favorite gift basket companies is Gourmet Gift Baskets. I received the Christmas Gift Basket Classic for purpose of this review and I am so glad we did. The basket contained chocolate covered cherries, dark chocolate bar, chocolate chip pecan cookies, almond clustered popcorn, raspberry honey mustard pretzel dip, dipping pretzels, trail mix, cheese biscuits, peanut butter crunch, and peanuts And I must say that the pretzel dip was by far my favorite! Now don't get me wrong everything was very, very yummy. But the pretzel dip was amazing! Ok anyway. Gourmet Gift Baskets have baskets with just about anything and everything. Some of the other baskets you can purchase are the Gourmet Holiday Sleigh, Christmas Gift Basket Deluxe as well as Christmas Gift … [Read more...]
A Christmas Carol Pop-Up Review
My Thoughts on Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Pop-Up Book Pop-up books have always been so fascinating to me. Even at my age I still love pop-up books. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is no exception. This book is one of the most elaborate pop-up books I have ever seen! In fact my aunt who also loves pop-up books said that this is almost a pop-up that is meant for adults because of all the extravagance. In A Christmas Carol Pop-up there is not a story written on the pages. The pages in the story are dedicated to the attention to details and allow the whole page to pop right out at you! So where is the story? Well the story is actually in a little book that is in a pocket on each page. You pull the little book out, read it and then put it back and turn the page for the next book. I love how many little details are hiding in the book this beautiful pop-up book. I can’t wait for Christmas time so I can share and read this stunning book with all of the children in my … [Read more...]
Home Depot Light Trade-In
Don't know what to do with those old style Christmas Lights? Home Depot is there to help! From Now until November 14th Home Depot is exchanging those old lights for a $3.00 off New LED lights Coupon! YAY! Guess what this deal gets even sweeter! Right now Home Depot has some Mini LED's priced at just $5.97! So total paid will be $2.97! You are allowed to exchange up to 5 sets of lights per customer the lights can be used and broken! … [Read more...]
Plaqueworks.com review
My Thoughts on Plaque Works Personalized items seem to be a big thing this year, which I like because personalized items are more heartfelt. Plaqueworks.com is as personalized as they come and the site is easy to use. All you have to do is choose your plaque from many different option choices, upload a photo, personalize the plaque with a quote and then make the order! I created a plaque with a picture of my daughter that I had taken on her first day of school. I love how fast plaque works had my plaque made and at my door! When the plaque arrived I was astounded at his large it was. I guess I was expecting something small and that is not what I got! I love the size and the picture and words are very clear to see and read! The plaque was easy to hang and looks beautiful in my home! So whether you are in need of that special Anniversary, Christmas, Birthday, or wedding gift look no more! Plaqueworks.com will create something that is sure to please! Plaque Works are made in the … [Read more...]
Ornaments With Love Review
My Thoughts on Ornaments with Love Every year for Christmas my parents would buy each of us kids an ornament that reflected something that occurred during that year. When I was married and ready to start a family of my own my parents gave me all of my ornaments so my first tree would be full of family memories and not be bare. This is a tradition that my husband and I gave carried on. One place my mom always purchased our ornaments from was Ornaments with love. Why? Because the ornaments are personalized and my mom would not even consider an ornament that did not have the year printed on it. Ornaments with Love will not only have the year but the name if the person as well! There is also a huge selection to choose from. For example this year I wanted an ornament to reflect the biggest thing that happened to my daughter this year which was her first year of school. This is not an easy ornament to find around town but, I knew it would be no problem with Ornaments with Love. They even … [Read more...]
A Homemade Christmas Book Review
My Thoughts on A Homemade Christmas: Creative Ideas for an Earth-Friendly, Frugal, Festive Holiday By Tina Barseghian I am all for a homemade Christmas. But, sometimes it is hard to know how to do it all by yourself. That is why I am so very thankful to have found A HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS: Creative Ideas for an Earth-Friendly, Frugal, Festive Holiday by Tina Barseghian. A Homemade Christmas has everything in this book and I do mean everything. Whether you are looking for ways to make your own Christmas cards, decorate your home, or food to cook, it is all written in this book. I have had such fun preparing for the holidays and I am just getting started! So far I have now dabbled in making my own decorative garland, Christmas cards, and snow globes and will soon be starting on some homemade Christmas gifts such as earrings and a knitted hat. All of which I have learned how in this amazing book. There is even a section on wrapping creatively which is a section I very much needed! I … [Read more...]
Spookley and the Square Pumpkin Prize Pack Giveaway- 24 Hour Giveaway!
Halloween is right around the corner! I mean RIGHT around the corner! So with that being said I am going to do a quick 24 hour giveaway! YAY! In fact you might start to see a lot more of these quick giveaways! They will be fun! So anyway for this one it will be a wonderful prize pack of Spookley the Square Pumpkin! I have not seen this movie yet but it looks super cute! Your prize pack will come with the Spookley and the Square Pumpkin DVD, a stuffed Spookley pumpkin, a Spookley book as well as a Spookley light! YAY! See I told you it looked like a fun prize pack! Buy It! You may go HERE to check out Spookley the square pumpkin! Win It! ONE of my lucky U.S. readers will win a Spookley Prize Pack! Please make sure to leave your e-mail address and leave a separate comment for each entry Mandatory Entry….read about Spookley and tell me what you think! Extra Entries Blog about this giveaway leaving a Link to this post and to Spookley the Square Pumpkin(5 … [Read more...]
Skedouche Christmas Sweaters Review
My Thoughts on Skedouche Christmas is coming and with Christmas comes Christmas sweaters. I myself love holiday sweaters and live to dress up for the holidays. Buy I know if a few of my family members that would freak out if they thought they had to wear a holiday sweater. That is why I think Skedouche is so cool. Okay so I must admit that the first time I went to the Skedouche web site I about died! The sweaters are SO FUNNY! I could not believe that they pushed the holiday sweaters to such extremes but I loved it! Not only does Skedouche have the fun and festive holiday sweaters but also the tacky and absolutely hilarious sweaters! Skedouche has categories such as tacky sweaters, naughty sweaters, and lighted sweaters! Even reading the catagories is awesome! I love that Skedouche took the tacky Christmas sweater idea and is having a little fun with it! I am in love with the choices and I know that if you are looking to spread a little holiday cheer whether it is a naughty … [Read more...]
Amy Adele Review and Giveaway
My Thoughts on Amy Adele Personalized items allow you to put much more thought into your gifts for loved ones. Amy Adele has some very fun designs that are unique and you are able to personalize them to suit your needs. I received a T-shirt for my daughter that has a cute fairy on it and contains my little girls name as well! I also was able to receive some address labels that are decorated perfectly for my Christmas Envelops!! Amy Adele web site has categories such as babies, girls, boys, invitations, stationary, calling cards, labels, stickers, clothing and seasonal. There are so many options to choose from and many ways to create something special! I love how many T-Shirt options that they had for me to choose from. With over 100 designs I could not go wrong! Not only are you able to personalize the shirts with what they say but also the color and font of the writing. This goes a step further than most companies and I love that they go above and beyond the rest! There … [Read more...]
Did You Know? Halloween Trivia by Margo Smith
Did You Know? Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers So much mystery surrounds the holiday that we call Halloween that maybe you would like to separate out some facts about this ghostly celebration. Keep reading and you will learn plenty of facts to satisfy your curiosity about this popular October holiday. Test your Halloween knowledge with the following questions, and don’t worry, the answers are included. Q. Do you know how we came to celebrate Halloween in the U.S.? A. It came to North America via European immigrants who would make merry at harvest time with a large fire, songs, ghostly stories, dances and more. Q. How much do Americans spend annually for candy for this sweet and spooky holiday? A. At least 2 billion This question has 2 parts, and each question has the same answer: Q. Do you know what the most popular costume of all time is? Q. Do you know what count had a society founded for him in 1962? A. Dracula Q. Do you know what the very first … [Read more...]
Costume Squad Review and Giveaway
My Thoughts on Costume Squad Halloween is just around the corner and now one of your favorite t- shirt shops has decided to create a fun way to do some Halloween shopping! Crazy Dog has just created a new site! Costume Squad offers the fun tees that we all know and love but now there are also crazy costumes! I like it! Anything from Where’s Waldo to the Burger King can be found at costumesquad.com and you will still have the wonderful service and fast delivery that we all know and love. I am thrilled with Costume Squad and know you will be as well. So as you plan your big Halloween night don’t forget to check out costumesquad.com for all their Halloween costume needs! Some Categories include Women’s Halloween Costumes, Men’s Halloween Costumes, and Halloween Costumes. Buy It! You may go HERE to purchase fun costumes from The Costume Squad! Win It! ONE of my lucky U.S. readers will win their choice of a men’s Mystery T or a $15.00 GC. Please know that if you have won a … [Read more...]
Lotus Biscoff Cookies Review
My Thoughts on Lotus Biscoff Cookies Christmas is coming and with Christmas comes…….goodies! That is the best part of the holiday season and some of my favorite goodies is the cookies! Biscoff in my opinion makes some of the best cookies ever! Plus the packaging is so festive and perfect for the holiday season! Plus with only 30 calories per cookie I will not feel the guilt of eating more than one! Lotus Biscoff cookies are also all natural with no trans fats or butter! WaHoo! Lotus Biscoff cookies are the perfect mixture of sweetness and the package says they are Europe’s favorite cookie with coffee and well I cannot back up that statement but I can however say they were amazing with milk! So this holiday season as you are planning your holiday list for teachers, friends, neighbors, and loved ones don’t forget the good tasting Lotus Biscoff Cookies! Buy It! You may go HERE to purchase Lotus Biscoff Cookies! 10% of sales from October 1st – December 31st will go … [Read more...]