It's Giveaway Time!

Guess what y'all?

It's time for a giveaway!

I am slowly in the process of getting my feet back under me with Father Of Joy! Designs. I've still be selling a few prints here and there, but haven't made time to sit down and create anything new since we've moved.  The good news is that I've been hit with a dose of inspiration and have created a few new prints and have more coming soon!

In addition to creating new prints, I've also jumped on the facebook band wagon and have created a page for my business. I don't necessarily want to be that person who is inviting every single person in my friend list to like my page, but I would like to gain some followers on the page.  So I've decided to offer the chance at a free print in exchange for one simple like :)

Here's what you have to do:

Father of Joy! Designs on Facebook 

The winner can either choose from a current print I have for sale in my Etsy shop or I will create a custom design with a phrase or scripture of their choice!

{if you choose to share the page to gain an extra entry, please leave a comment on this post letting me know. I think I should be able to see if you share it, but want to be sure you get your entry!}


Thanks for supporting my dreams!

The Last Beholder Book 1 { a giveaway! }

I could not be more excited to share this giveaway with you today!

 Erin is a long time family friend {I debated showing a picture of us in the bathtub at about 2 yrs old but decided that might be too embarrassing for the blog!} She is creative down to her bones and I have always been inspired {and slightly jealous!} by her many talents.

Yesterday, under their pen names of M.E. Wyatt and B. Wynn, Erin and her friend Megan released their first book, The Last Beholder, Book 1.

 I've had the privilege to get a copy early and while I'm not finished with it yet, I'm hooked on the story! Here's a little taste for you:

 It all started the day Gus murdered the ficus. 

Which also happened to be the day Wallis watched her hair turn to gold. 

 After an unspoken and even more unlikely alliance forms the day their parents marry, Wallis and Gus soon discover that there’s a reason for every feeling of un-belonging they’ve ever known. It doesn’t take long for the adventure of a lifetime to begin right under their feet -- teaching them to look beyond what they are able to see into what they are able to know. And maybe even remember.

 This is a story about true things that sit just a layer behind what our eyes can see.
 This is a story about how two misfit kids learned their own value -- not just in the ordinary world around them, but in the extraordinary world of the way things truly are.

 Journey with Wallis and Gus to lands far beyond, which, it turns out, are hiding just beyond the cracks of this world.

 I am so excited to have two copies of The Last Beholder Book 1 to giveaway today! I'm giving you one freebie entry and then you can earn extras by liking Wyatt and Wynn on Facebook and tweeting about the giveaway. Take a few minutes to to check out their website too, plus read the reviews on Amazon! {if you're reading this in google reader and don't see the rafflecopter to enter, click over to the blog to be able to enter!}

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


 The give way will go till next Wednesday and I'll announce the winner Thursday. Congrats again Erin- I'm so proud for you!

 In case you want to read more about their inspiration behind the story, check out this guest post Erin did!

 

Calling All Bloggers!

Let There Be Thankfulness - Giveaway

Growing up, I have found memories of my mom leaving out a blessing jar to prompt us to write down things that we were thankful for. It was always a special time for us to go back and read the different things we put in over the course of the year. I'm so thankful that my parents instilled a sense of gratitude in us. Click here to continue reading at the review blog to learn about your chance to win a DaySpring gift card!

Giveaway #5 - Canvas Print

We're wrapping up the giveaway week with this custom made canvas print!



The bright, cheery colors are sure to lift your spirits and warm your heart!



Here's how you can enter:

1.Leave a comment with your favorite color combination!

2. Tweet, Facebook or blog to share the giveaway! (1 per share!)
{Please make sure to share a link of the blog when you share it, and feel free to include @abbynein when you tweet it!}

3. Be a follower of the blog to earn 3 entries!

It's as easy as 1,2,3! You'll have until midnight Saturday to enter and all winners will announced Sunday!

Giveaway #4- Follow Your Heart!

Giveaway #4 is this artwork to offer inspiration to your day!



This piece is the perfect addition to any room or office and serves as a reminder to follow your heart and dreams!

Here's how you can enter:

1.Leave a comment with your favorite inspiring quote!

2. Tweet, Facebook or blog to share the giveaway! (1 per share!)
{Please make sure to share a link of the blog when you share it, and feel free to include @abbynein when you tweet it!}

3. Be a follower of the blog to earn 3 entries!

It's as easy as 1,2,3! You'll have until midnight Saturday to enter and all winners will announced Sunday!

Giveaway #3 - Knotted Headband

Giveaway #3 is the fabulous headband!



I have to admit... I'm having a hard time getting rid of it! Though it's taken all of my self control, I promise I didn't wear it before sharing it with you! {with the exception of the picture, of course!}

This will be your new favorite accessory!



Here's how you can enter:

1.Leave a comment with your favorite accessory!

2. Tweet, Facebook or blog to share the giveaway! (1 per share!)
{Please make sure to share a link of the blog when you share it, and feel free to include @abbynein when you tweet it!}

3. Be a follower of the blog to earn 3 entries!

It's as easy as 1,2,3! You'll have until midnight Saturday to enter and all winners will announced Sunday!

Giveaway #2 - Happy Heart Platter

Giveaway #2 is this fun Happy Heart platter!



Perfect for serving your special cookies! {cookies not included though, I would probably have already eaten them by the time it was ready to mail out :)}



Here's how you can enter:

1.Leave a comment with your favorite cookie!

2. Tweet, Facebook or blog to share the giveaway! (1 per share!)
{Please make sure to share a link of the blog when you share it, and feel free to include @abbynein when you tweet it!}

3. Be a follower of the blog to earn 3 entries!

It's as easy as 1,2,3! You'll have until midnight Saturday to enter and all winners will announced Sunday!

*don't forget to enter the first giveaway! and read here to know why we're celebrating!*

Giveaway #1 - Coffee Cozy

We're kicking the giveaway off with this coffee cozy cutie!



This is the perfect addition to make your morning coffee even sweeter!



Here's how you can enter:

1.Leave a comment with your favorite coffee drink!

2. Tweet, Facebook or blog to share the giveaway! (1 per share!)
{Please make sure to share a link of the blog when you share it, and feel free to include @abbynein when you tweet it!}

3. Be a follower of the blog to earn 3 entries!

It's as easy as 1,2,3! You'll have until midnight Saturday to enter and all winners will announced Sunday!

Sneak Peek...

We're entering an exciting week here at Life At It's Finest! Wednesday marks the one year anniversary of my second heart surgery, which we call my Happy Heart Day!

Now, for most of my life, I've lived with an "It's all about me!" attitude when it comes to my special days... but luckily for you, I've grown up a little bit :) and want to share the celebrating with my readers! Starting tomorrow, you'll have the chance to enter for five different giveaways! Here's a sneak peek of what's to come... I'll hope you'll stop back by tomorrow and spread the word!




The fun starts tomorrow... see you then!

And The Winner Is...

we took all of the names...



mixed them up really well...


used a supervisor to make sure we were being honest...


didn't peek...


found the perfect one...


and the winner is...


congrats leslie!


{can you send me your address again? thanks!}

thanks to everyone who entered! keep checking back, there could be another giveaway soon!

I'm So Excited!

Guess what? In case you didn't see the post, Life At It's Finest! officially reached 50 followers to the giveaway is a go! Make sure you get your entry in by midnight on Friday to have a chance to win some sassy pins (and *$!)


In other news, I am super excited to reveal a new extension of Life At It's Finest!:



Most of you may know this about me, but I have always loved anything artsy and tried to share my creations with others from a very young age. Just ask my mom, I used to paint rocks and sticks and sell them the the neighbors! {they were always so nice to spare a nickle for the cause!}

I officially started Father of Joy! Designs back in the summer of 2005. I was living back at home with my parents during the summer break while also working as a intern at a church and at a bank as a teller {maybe one day I'll tell you about the day I was missing $1,000. oops! it was eventually found, in case you were worried.} I spent a great deal of my free time painting that summer and found that many people were interested in what I was creating. I took a chance, bought a booth at a craft fair and was pleasantly surprised to find that two solid weeks of painting paid off and almost all of what I made for the event sold!

Since those days, life has somewhat gotten in the way of FOJ. {college, graduate school, marriage, a dog and a job can do that to you.} I know that it is now time to once again share my passion with others. Father Of Joy! Designs has expanded and will offer a whole host of different creative items: some paintings, blog designs, sewing creations.. the list could go on. It's still a work in progress, but I hope you'll stop by and see what it's all about!

I am currently trying to build up a portfolio, so if you know of anyone who would like a new blog header, please send them my way! They can view the blog at www.fatherofjoydesigns.blogspot.com or email me at fatherofjoy{at}gmail dot com.

Here's to new and exciting things!

WIWW IV

It's once again time to link up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday! Unfortunately, I embodied the whole reason Lindsey started doing WIWW during the 4 snow days we had last week. Yep... I spent all 4 days in pj's! My only defense is that we really couldn't leave the house, so it's not like I was leaving and going places in my pj's. I was just stuck and didn't see the need to dress to impress!

Here's the two outfits I did have from this week:

Monday - work




{interesting fact: I actually wore this button up on my first day of work for my first real job. I even wore it with a red sweater vest over it, though not this exact one. I love the unexpected color combination and it was good to reminisce!}

Shirt: AE, several years ago
Vest: Express, last year
Pants: Gap, clearance last year (thanks to my mom for hemming Longs for this short girl!)
Pearls: Bridesmaid gift, F21


Tuesday - Work





Sweater: Express, last year (though I think they have some form of this sweater every year)
Skirt: Old Navy
Boots: Target
Fedora: Sam Moons

This is my favorite go to outfit. It's super easy to put together and I always feel good in it, no matter how blah I was feeling beforehand. I didn't actually wear the fedora to work, though I daily wish I could. I actually wore a peacock pin from Loft on my sweater, but I was meeting a friend for coffee tonight and knew the fedora was the perfect answer to cover my hair after working out tonight.

There is a chance we could end up with another snow day tomorrow and I would by lying if I said I wasn't hoping for it! I am ready for a full week of getting dressed though... so even if I don't get to stay home, at least I'll get to wear something cute!

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to check out the giveaway that will be open till Friday!

It's a Giveaway!

EDITED:  Guess what?! We're at 50 followers!! It's party time!  The giveaway will end at midnight Friday night (the 11th). I'll announce the winner sometime on Saturday. Just FYI... there could be an additional prize thrown in. Maybe something that starts with * and ends with $! Spread the word and submit your entries!



Oh my. Our snow day was absolutely wonderful. We slept in, ate food that hasn't been allowed on the diet, watched several movies {definitely recommend How To Train Your Dragon and Red!} and just all around enjoyed our day off.

We also got some great news about 6:30 tonight... we're getting ANOTHER snow day tomorrow! Abilene is not usually a city to freak out when it comes to weather. The district does not cancel things unnecessarily. They were certainly justified in letting us all stay home. We had at least 6 inches of snow all over the ground this morning, with drifts at least a foot high in some areas. The main problem was that the snow was covering up at least 1/2 in of ice. Considering the high today was 20, it never got warm enough to melt anything, so it's still an icy mess outside. Cody ventured out very briefly to return some Redbox movies and said the roads were crazy. We have stayed in our comfy clothes all day and really have no plans to change out of them any time soon! :)

Now, a snow day is not good for office productivity, but it's certainly good for my bloggers!
I spent the day working on my craftiness and I'm wanting to share it with you!

That's right... these cuties are up for grabs!



I've picked up several new followers over the last few weeks and I'm thisclose to having 50! To celebrate, you have a chance to win some sassy goods! {BTW, they can be worn either as a pin or slide onto a headband!}

You have three chances to enter:
1. Be a follower of Life At It's Finest! (just click the button the the left that says follow!)
2. Follow Life At It's Finest! in Google Reader (or your reader of choice)
3. Tweet about the giveaway- Make sure to include @abbynein in your tweet!

Leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway won't end until there are officially 50 followers, so it will be a few days! I'll update this blog when we hit 50 and post the official ending time!

Thanks for being a follower! Stay warm!