Scentsy Give Away!

Have you heard of Scentsy?  Scentsy warmers use a "plug in and turn on" system to warm a low-watt bulb that slowly melts a specially formulated wax, maximizing the fragrance time of the Scentsy Bar.  With no flame, soot or wick, the Scentsy system is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 Scentsy fragrances!  As you can see from the photo collage I made above of a few Scentsy products, there are  a variety of ceramic warmers available in many different styles and sizes, from small wall plugs-ins, and mid size and and full size warmers that have electrical cords with an on and off switch.
There are many different designs of warmers to choose from, many sizes, shapes and colors.  There are even some that have the insignias of many different college teams, and there are ones for the four branches of the military. During the holidays a special holiday themed warmer is usually released and you can see the green Celtic Love Knot design warmer for the upcoming Saint Patrick's Day above,  in the middle row, extreme left.  Scentsy even sells an assortment of soft and cuddly "Scentsy Buddies" that will add a pleasant scent to your child's room with a non heat scent disc that is inserted inside a zippered compartment.

You can browse the Scentsy catalog online at this link or this one.

I love the Scentsy warmers I own, and I enjoyed scenting my home this winter with wonderful scents such as French Lavender, Cranberry Spice, Cozy Fireside, Cinnamon Bear, Blueberry Cheesecake, Lush Gardenia, and Hazelnut Latte.  Just a few melted squares of wax from the bar made a room smell wonderful !

My Scentsy Consultant has informed me that the upcoming Spring Scentsy bars will be amazing and can fill your home with the most delicious and glorious scents!

To help bring the scent of SPRING to a lucky reader I am giving away one Scentsy warmer of your choice, either mid size or full size, and two scented wax bars of your choice, or a Scentsy Buddy of your choice, and a scent "pak" of your choice!

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what one of your favorite scents is for one chance.
If you become a blog follower, or are already a follower,  just leave another separate comment telling me so for a second chance. 
If you put the graphic below on your blog sidebar and link it to this post you will get a third chance - please let me know you've done this in another comment. You don't have to have a blog to enter, but please leave your e-mail address in your comment so that I can get in touch with you in case you win.

I will use the Random.org web site to chose a random number winner from all the entries I receive.  The morning of March 7 I will announce the winner on my blog.  Good luck!  You will enjoy having this delightful way to scent you home! 

Linking this post to:
"Pink Saturday" at Beverly's blog How Sweet The Sound
"Mosaic Monday" at Mary's blog  Little Red House

* Comments closed -- winner chosen today by RandomGenerator.org ! See March 6 th's post amended on March 7th for the winner's name.  Thank you all who entered my give away -- I will be happy to do this again sometime soon, so please keep checking back!

One World, One Heart 2011

Welcome to my blog!  I'm Pat, a lifelong New Yorker who loves to learn new things about my city and share them on my blog. I am participating in the One World One Heart event and I'd like to introduce myself to all who are visiting me for the first time.  I love taking photographs, and researching facts about all the places and events I visit in New York City, and also the many places I travel to in the United States and all around the world. My blog's name means a "Thousand Favorite Flowers" in Italian, and after having written almost 600 blog posts I feel like I have collected a beautiful blog bouquet about my life in New York. I hope you will find something of interest here, whether you hope to visit New York City one day or are curious to know more about it.

To thank you for visiting me during the One World One Heart event I'm giving away two prizes with artwork by a mixed media artist I admire, Kelly Rae Roberts. One is an illustrated journal, and the second is a stationery folio.

 The journal is 9 x7 with lots of blank pages to record your thoughts and dreams or blog ideas!

The stationery folio features eight correspondence cards, eight folded notes, and sixteen matching envelopes with twenty coordinating seals.

One World One Heart is a worldwide event that gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships. It is the fifth and final year of One World One Heart and I'm so happy to be able to participate this year!


To see a list of other participants click here: OWOH

In keeping with the rules of One World, One Heart this give away is open to bloggers worldwide. All you have to do is a leave a comment on my blog that will allow me to visit your blog in return and also as a way to contact you if you win. The winner will be drawn on February 17, 2011, by my using the random number generator on Random.org.  I will announce the winner on my blog and I will also e-mail you, so please make sure if your blog does not have an e-mail contact that you leave your e-mail address in your comment here on my blog . Thanks! 
 

"A friend is a present you give yourself "

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

 

I'm looking forward to visiting your blog!

 

 

Update February 17, 2011! Announcing the winner!

I had a total of 236 comments to my One World, One Heart give away post.  Using the random  generator at Random.org number 73 came out.  I counted to number 73, checking it twice, and the winner is Mary Lee of the blog Merrilymarylee's Weblog!  Congratulations Mary Lee!

The One World One Heart event was lots of fun!  I visited so many wonderful blogs and was impressed by everyone's beautiful artwork and your lovely blogs.  I will continue to visit the links on Lisa's group page at OWOH as long as they are available, and I encourage all who read this to do the same as you will be very impressed by all the talent in the Blog community.

Thank you Lisa for organizing this wonderful event for the last five years! I look forward to participating in your new One World One Art event next year!

Amy of Oxfordshire

This is the view that I see when I pull into the parking lot of the park I walk in every morning. It has been an unusually cold and snowy winter this year in New York, as it seems to be in many other parts of the country and in Europe.

When I finally received a box in the mail with this Royal Mail stamp last week I was very excited, as I knew this was a package that was sent to me in November by Melanie, from the blog Jellybeanangel 2, as a Christmas gift! We had feared that this package may have been lost due to all the bad weather that the post office in England and the USA had to deal with between then and now.

Inside the box I found Melanie's Christmas card, some interesting literature about Samlesbury Hall in England which I had seen photos on Melanie's blog, and assorted canceled postage stamps that Melanie knows that I enjoy collecting.

The best surprise was unwrapped to show.......

........this beautiful doll called "Amy," that was hand made by Melanie! She is holding a heart button that Melanie bought at Waterperry Gardens in her home town of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom.

Melanie had displayed Amy, and other dolls that she made, in a post on her blog in the fall, and I exclaimed over how pretty I thought Amy's multicolored curls looked! She was my favorite of all the dolls, and I am so touched that in friendship Melanie sent her to me as a gift, as I know how special Amy was to her!

I am always in awe of all the beautiful hand crafted things that Melanie makes, from sewing projects, quilts, knits, crochet, applique art, or stained glass. There are always multiple hand made creations on her blog, plus often wonderful photos of walking tours of the beautiful English countryside, or a visit to a castle or another historical area, that she takes with her family.  Reading Melanie's blog over the years I've greatly admired all of her talents, energy and enthusiasm!

 Melanie, and now Amy -- you both brighten my day! Thank you so much!

I'm adding this link to Beverly's  Pink Saturday on her blog How Sweet the Sound.Please visit Beverly today to see links to everyone's beautiful blog posts full of pink!

Thanks in the New Year

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration and that 2011 will be a year full of good health, happiness and many new blessings!  Do you believe that I've lived my entire life in New York City but I never went to Times Square to watch the ball drop. Like many of you, I watch it on TV. When I was working as an RN I usually worked the night shift on New Year's Eve and I would walk around to wish all my patients better health in the upcoming year. Naturally, my yearly resolutions since then have always revolved around trying to keep myself healthy, by eating more vegetables and fresh fruit, and less meat and processed foods, and of course exercising more!  I also try to find gratitude in each day, to enjoy life and to keep learning new things. They are all very basic resolutions, but ones I have been keeping fairly well from year to year, except for exercising -- that one I will concentrate a little more on this year!

Eating more locally grown and in-season produce, preferably organically grown, is a goal this year, and this calender made by my friend will help me to do just that! She made all the beautiful fruit and vegetable illustrations by hand using stencils and assorted scrapbook papers, which you can see in the photo collage below. Each month lists the fruits and vegetables that are harvested locally in New York State during those months.  (All photos will enlarge by clicking on them once, and then again when they open on a new page)

Thanks Rosemary!  I love it!  If you'd like to learn more about the advantages of eating locally grown, sustainably produced food, the Sustainable Table web site is an excellent resource for more information.

I also want to thank Cynthia Nelson, of the food blog "Tastes Like Home" for the wonderful assortment of herbal teas from The Tea Spot and the "tuffy tea steeper" that I won on her blog! My husband and I like to relax with a cup of herbal tea after dinner every evening and talk about our day. The Tea Spot makes a wonderful variety of loose teas, both herbal and regular teas, and they have many different types of tea steeper's. Ten percent of their profits are donated to cancer wellness charities!

Cynthia is a gem of a person -- you can't help but feel her natural warmth and cheerfulness in everything she writes on her blogs and various publications where she is a freelance writer. She was born in Guyana, but has lived in Barbados for many years, and her recipes have African, Indian, Chinese, and Portuguese roots. All are absolutely delicious and beautifully photographed. I've learned so many new wonderful food and spice combinations by reading her blog. She has just published her first cookbook aptly called Tastes Like Home! (click on the link to learn more about it!)
If you ever visited the Caribbean and fell in love with the cuisine you tasted there, and would like to try to reproduce it at home, Cynthia's cookbook is a must have authentic reference.
Thanks so much Cynthia -- we have been enjoying our tea!

Another thank you goes out to Lisa, author of one of my favorite blogs called: "Grandma's Briefs"!  I met Lisa when she e-mailed me last year and asked if I would like to become one of her blog's "Grilled Grandmas," a delightful feature where she interviews a different grandmother every month. I've been reading her blog ever since!  Lisa is a wonderfully talented writer and I am always impressed with the variety of subjects she discourses on on her multi layered blog. Lisa became a first time, long distance grandmother in 2008, the same year that I did, and she is also expecting a new grandson in the Spring of 2011.  It will be a very happy year for both of us!  

I won the above Hallmark recordable book on her blog during the Christmas season. Hallmark makes many varieties of recordable books, both classic stories and new. This book is one for a child to record in their voice for his or her grandmother.

While my grandson just turned two, and is a little young as yet to record this alone, I will bring it with me the next time I visit him and help him say the words with me. I think my heart will melt every time I hear him say the words on this page!  Thanks, Lisa!  I could not think of a better gift to give a new grandma, or Nonna, as I'm called.

I have so much in life to be thankful for and good friends, both in real life and those I've made through blogging, are one of the things I am so grateful for this year! You have made 2010 a wonderful year and I look forward to sharing 2011 with you all! 

A few questions: 

How do you exercise every day?  What were your resolutions for 2011?

Photo Safari Weekend and Two Sweet Surprises!

Before I conclude with the last installment about my visit to Yosemite National Park I'd like to catch up on a few blog winnings and surprises that have recently come my way.

Since Monday is "Mosaic Monday" on Mary's Little Red House blog, I thought I'd show my photo mosaic of some of the beautiful architectural details of The Dakota, a cooperative apartment building located at 1 West 72 Street and Central Park West, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.  Designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh, who would later design the New York City Plaza Hotel, the Victorian Neo-Gothic styled Dakota dates back to 1884. It has been the residence of many well to do and celebrities over the years, including Leonard Bernstein, the composer and conductor, Lauren Bacall, the actress, Judy Garland, the singer and John Lennon, the Beatle who was slain outside its entrance in 1980.

I photographed The Dakota, and many other sites in the area, as part of a " Business Projects Photo Safari' workshop with a professional photographer named Miguel Gomez that I won on a give away on Rosemary's blog, NYC, Style and a little Cannoli. Thanks Rosemary! I learned so much and had a lot of fun!

To see some more photos I took that weekend, and to learn more about the workshop, please click HERE and go to my back page review blog.

I received this adorable hand made and hand embroidered sewing needle holder from Vee, from A Haven For Vee blog as a surprise give away that she had, because I was the only one to answer a question she posed in a blog post a couple of weeks ago!

Thanks Vee! I'm glad I'm an observant reader and faithful commenter for your blog, and I will always cherish my little blue bird needle holder book! Vee journals about her life in the beautiful state of Maine in an honest and down to earth way. Life has been complicated for her lately, but she always tries to keep her sense of humor as she concentrates on the simple joys of life!

Lastly, I have to thank Maria of the blog Manga Figlie, for sending me a sample of her delicious home made peach preserve! She had a give away on her blog for a couple jars of her preserve, and while I didn't win, she sent me a jar, anyway, in friendship.

 
I have been enjoying the peach preserve on my English muffins in the morning, along with the last crop of raspberries that I picked from my backyard bushes. Thanks Maria!  It is so delicious! Maria is an established freelance copy editor and a wonderful writer that journals about her Italian-American heritage and her love for cooking.

Please visit all three blogs I mentioned, as you'll enjoy each one, and please visit my review page blog to see the continuation of the fun and informational Photo Safari! Also don't forget to visit Mary for "Mosaic Monday"!

I'll continue the end of my visit to the beautiful Yosemite National Park in my next post with more photos of all the fantastic scenery, and then I'll be  back to blogging about lots of the fun things I've been doing in New York City since I returned.......there is always something fun going on!

Pick Me Up in Pink.... and Special Thanks

I was driving down Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, recently when I passed this pink limousine on display.  I immediately pulled over to take some photos of it. (All photos will enlarge when double clicked on)

I knew fans of "Pink Saturday," hosted weekly by Beverly of How Sweet the Sound, would be more than happy to dream about cruising around town in style in this special pink limo!

What a dream ride for a fan of pink!

Please visit Beverly today to find links more wonderful pink posts from a long list of Pink Saturday participants. 

Happy Pink Saturday!

I have been very fortunate the past few weeks to win a few give aways on some favorite blogs, and I'd like to say a special thank you to.....

Lissa, of the blog Just Writing Words, where I won her three year blog anniversary give away of an opportunity to chose an item under $30 from the ETSY store of a Juliethefish Designs hand stamped jewelry. Lissa is a fellow New Yorker and a graphic designer. Lissa enjoys participating in writing prompts, and I met her through the weekly "Alphabe-Thursday" event.  Please visit Lissa's blog when you have a chance and be enchanted by her writings, poetry and photography.

I chose this adorable silver necklace consisting of a boy charm and a disc custom made with my grandson's name hand stamped on it.  Isn't it the cutest thing?   Thank you so much Lissa!  I am so happy to wear this pretty necklace!

Does this mask scare you? I hope so!

I won this authentic Venetian "Nazo Turko Mask" on Joe of the Italyville blog!  To read more about this mask, how I won it, and the store I ordered it from, please click here to go to My Back Page review blog.

Joe Maruca's blog, Italyville, is where he, in his own words: "writes about growing up Italian in Massachusetts, his experiences living and working in Bologna, visits to the family's Olive farm in Calabria and everything along the way."  My husband was also born in Calabria and I almost feel like I'm part if Joe's family when I read his blog, as his experiences are very much those of my husband, and I enjoy all the authentic Italian family recipes he posts.  Thank you so much, Joe!  I can't wait to wear my mask if I am ever lucky enough to fulfill my dream of visiting Venice someday during Carnivale. I am sure to stand out in the crowd in my red, white and black Nazo Turko mask!

This wonderful collection of Welsh, Scottish, and English cookbooks and beautiful tea towel came not as a give away, but as a friendship gift from my sweet friend Melanie of Jellybeanangel2.  Melanie visited Wales recently and she remembered that I like these little cookbooks, as I bought a few when I vacationed in Ireland a couple of years ago. She surprised me by buying the rest of the set!  Melanie is one of the most  prolific craft bloggers I've ever met!  She sews, quilts, embroiders, makes stuffed toys, knits, crochets, makes stain glass, and does the most wonderful English country travelogues as she explores new towns, churches, castles and lakes in Great Britain.  I've learned so much from her since I've followed her blog. I'm sure you'd also enjoy seeing all her beautiful handiwork and her learning more about her country!

Blogging has introduced me so many wonderful friends around the world and has brought me so many wonderful and unexpected surprises.  I thank each and every person who visits my blog and takes the time to comment. There are so many wonderful blogs, and whenever I am able I enjoy returning your visit and learning more about you!

Marmite, Smiles and Surprises!

Have you ever eaten Marmite?  It is a British product made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing, and it is enriched with B vitamins to make it a healthy product.  It is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavor, which is extremely salty and savoury with umami qualities, somewhat comparable to soy sauce. This distinctive taste is reflected in the British company's marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it."

I've been curious for a long tome about Marmite ever since I first heard about it, yet it is hard to find it here in the USA and when I did come upon it in a specialty store it would be very expensive.  I decided my first taste of Marnite would have to wait until my first visit to the United Kingdom.

But yesterday a friend and I were shopping together in a discount store and she came upon this cute little box shaped like a suitcase on clearance that contained a miniature Paddington Bear and a squeezable jar of Marmite!  It seems at one time Paddington bear was promoting Marmite in commercials but now has returned to his love for sweeter marmalade. Knowing of my Marmite curiosity, my friend  bought the box and surprised me at my birthday lunch with it along with her other gifts! We had  a lot of giggles squeezing a bit of it onto our fingers to try it.  We decided the odor reminded us of liquid baby vitamins and the taste .... well it really is indescribable!  Strong, piquant, definitely unusual.  She did not like it but I think I did.  I will have to try it as it is traditionally served as a condiment on a cheese sandwich before I make my decision.

Have you ever tried Marmite?  Do you love it or hate it?  What is your favorite way to serve it?

Today is my birthday, but the whole month has felt like a celebration for me!  At my age I feel as if I could not ask for anything else in my life as I feel very blessed, but happy little surprises that make me smile are always welcome. It's the little things in life that count the most.

With that thought I would like to show some wonderful things I have won in blog give aways recently....

A very belated thank you is due to JoAnn, of the blog A Gathering Place, as I won these charmingly whimsical greeting cards by Mitchell Avenue Designs on her blog a few months ago.  JoAnn is a third grade teacher, Mother of 6 and Grandmother of two, with another grandchild on the way.  She has a warm welcoming and delightful blog and I'm sure you'd enjoy visiting her!

This fun trio of vintage kitchen items was a surprise package that came in the mail while I was away in Colorado from Lisa of Lisa RetroStyle blog.  Lisa is an antique restorer and dealer, and was going to be a vendor at the Brimfield Antique Show.  Lisa offered to buy something at the show as a give away on her facebook page, and I won!  I had asked her to look for something made of copper or a vintage book. She found the cute copper coasters and salt and pepper shakers and added the vintage fabric apron. Thank you Lisa -- they are all such wonderful retro items that bring back memories!  If you love middle 1900's vintage you'll love Lisa's blog and her ETSY stores where she sells her finds.

I won this beautiful hand crocheted table topper  made by Marilyn of Our Victorian Cottage on a give away she had last week.  Marilyn lives in a circa 1860's home in a beautiful town in Pennsylvania and has the most magnificent gardens.  She is also a wonderful hobby crafter as you can see by her beautiful work!  Marilyn just finished treatments for cancer and thankfully has a good prognosis.  I'm sure she'd love if you came by her wonderful chatty blog full of cute graphics and fun photos and stop and say hello!

photo source: Alice In Paris Loves Art & Tea

Finally, here is a gift that you can give yourself that will make you smile!  Shelagh, of the blog Alice In Paris Loves Art and Tea is having a second round of her special Artful Pen Pals blog.  Hurry if you'd like to join, as registration ends midnight of June 14!  Shelagh had over 50 participants last year and everyone received at least one penpal letter and some formed lasting pen pal relationships.  If you'd like to receive something other than bills and ads in your mailbox and enjoy the almost lost art of letter writing, why not join in this year?  Shelagh is a folk artist who lives in Nova Scotia and she is a photographer extraordinaire! I was sorry to miss her on her recent visit to NYC as she arrived the week I was away, but I hope to meet her someday as I've been reading her blog long before I began mine and I've always enjoy my visits to her.

Another thing that always makes me smile is my blog visitors and reading blog comments.  You have all added so much to my life and being a part of the blogging community has been such a positive experience for me.  Thank you all!  You have helped to make this day the happiest of birthdays!