Jerri at Simply Sweet Home

Friday Favorites – Week 7

April 8, 2010 7 Comments

Welcome to Friday Favorites where we share our favorite posts of the week! Want to be featured here? Just link up your post below. It can be a recipe, a tip, a project, a fun idea….basically anything you want to share! The linky starts each Thursday night around 10:30 and ends the following Tuesday. And if you miss the linky, feel free to leave a link in the comments section! Be sure to mention Simply Sweet Home in your post or include my button, so we can have other people come and participate, and please link to your direct post (not your blog), so that we can find the post your sharing. Thanks!

So many cute ideas this week! I’ve found so many projects that I’d like to try! Keep the posts coming! And please invite your friends to come by. The first week I did this event, I invited a few folks over to link up, and since then I’ve been a little busy and haven’t had the time to do anymore invites or visit new blogs, but I hope to have more time soon. I’d really love for this event to grow and reach more people, so if you’d like to help promote it, I’d really appreciate it! Also, I’ve decided to start giving out extra giveaway entries on a regular basis if you participate in this event, so that might be worth mentioning to friends. For instance, this week if you link up, you qualify for an extra entry in my Tea Collection Giveaway.

I look forward to seeing your posts! Now let’s see this week’s featured bloggers!

I love this burpy cloth set from Ahmelie

This Fruit Pizza was actually linked up at my Sweet Thursday event, but it looked so great, I had to share it here. It comes to us from Living Free of Dairy Gluten Sugar.

I’m always very impressed with outfit “makeovers.” This Easter Peep Outfit came to us from Mackenzie’s Crafty Mom. Go check out the tutorial!

I love this collage idea! I’ve actually been wanting to do something similar at our house with some pictures I have. Yolanda at Monkey See – Monkey Do made this collage as well as another for her daughters.

Another Sweet Thursday blogger! This Berry Parfait was made by Christy at …from Glitter to Gumdrops

Okay! Let’s see what everyone’s blogging about this week! Link up below!

-Jerri

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

ecoStore USA Review/Giveaway

April 7, 2010 73 Comments

I actually haven’t tried a lot of organic products, but the organic lines that appeal to me most are the cleaning and healthcare product lines, so I was very excited when I got the chance to try some products from ecoStore USA. Ecostore NZ was founded more than 15 years ago in New Zealand. Their products are plant based and contain “No Nasty Chemicals” (that is, no synthetic petrochemicals, dyes, perfumes, etc.).

Their health & beauty aid product line includes soaps, shampoos, and conditioners for babies, adults, and even pets. And their Household line includes laundry detergents, dish cleaners, toilet cleaners, and other household cleaning products.

The folks at ecoStore USA let me pick out 2 products for this review. I chose their Natural Antibacterial Spray Cleaner and their Plant Based Auto Dishwash Powder, and I was pleased with the performance of both products.

I always like to use natural spray cleaners because I have 2 curious cats that I have to look out for. What I loved most about the antibacterial spray cleaner is that it’s citrus based. I use my spray cleaners a few times a week to clean the kitchen and the bathrooms, and the thing I don’t like about traditional cleaners is that it is very irritating to the senses. I simply cannot tolerate breathing in the smell of those chemicals for a more than a few minutes at a time, and if you’ve ever known anyone with allergies, asthma, or lung disease, you know that the use of certain chemicals can cause complications and make cleaning unbearable for some people. So I was very happy that this company offered a natural citrus spray cleaner that is unharmful and leaves your home smelling fresh and clean.

I also tried the Auto Dishwash Powder. I wasn’t sure how I’d like this product because I usually use gel or liquid detergent in my dishwasher, and I’ve tried powders in the past that didn’t do a good job. But I decided to give this powder a shot and I was impressed with the results I got. Upon opening the detergent bottle, the first thing I noticed was the scent. It was a very clean and pleasant scent. And I also liked that this was a super concentrated product, which meant that you didn’t have to use a lot of the product at a time. In fact, the instructions tell you to use only a tablespoon of the powder at a time. Wow! I don’t know about you, but I use more than a tablespoon of the liquid cleaners, and I certainly have used a lot more than a tablespoon of the traditional dish powers. And I was excited when I opened the dishwasher and found everything shiny and clean!

I would definitely recommend the antibacterial spray cleaner and the auto dish powder to you. Not only are they safe and free of harmful chemicals, but they are very effective cleaners. And if the other products at Ecostore USA are as good as these, you are sure to love this company.

Connect with ecoStore USA:

-Follow ecoStoreUSA at their blog and subscribe to their newsletter for future updates, coupons, deals, and more.

-Follow ecoStoreUSA on twitter.

-Follow ecoStoreUSA on facebook and take their facebook quiz.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a $25 gift card to ecoStore USA. To win visit ecoStore USA, then come back and tell us a product you’d like to try.

Giveaway Closed.

-Jerri

Full Disclosure: I was not monetarily compensated for this post. ecoStore USA provided the products for review. The opinions are my own.

Filed Under: cleaning, Giveaways, product review, Sponsors

BassWoodStitchery

April 6, 2010 3 Comments

I’m excited to share my newest sponsor with you! BassWoodStitchery is owned and operated by Susie who produces home sewn and hand knit clothing, housewares and quilts from the woods of northern Minnesota.

Here’s what Susie had to say about herself and her shop, “I love to make things. I have a variety of items in my shop and hope to be adding more, especially my quilts. If someone was to ask me what my favorite color is, I’d have to say most all of them! There is such a satisfaction in creating something and seeing the results when it’s done,or the smile on someone’s face when they first see it. I would call it the best therapy there is!”

It’s clear that Susie has a real love for her sewing and quilting. Her use of rich colors and the intricate details in her work are a sign of true craftsmanship, fine design, and high quality. I was very impressed with all the items available at BassWoodStitchery. Her items are just fabulous! And the colors are so unique! I’m especially in love with her all her baby booties, ponchos, and snuggle buddies!

Susie’s also done an excellent job of making houseware products beautiful. Take a look at the dish cloth set above. Aren’t these adorable? I would love a set of these for my kitchen! How about you?

She even has a line of EcoFriendly Cotton Swiffer Covers. I love my swiffer, but the disposable covers are ridiculously expensive! So I was very pleased to see these reuseable crocheted Swiffer covers. What an excellent product idea! And here again, she has some lovely colors available!

Please stop by BassWoodStitchery and take a look at all of Susie’s handmade items!

-Jerri

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Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show & Tell Wednesday is hosted by Blue Cricket Design
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
It’s So Very Creative & It’s So Very Thrifty hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Market Yourself Monday is hosted by Sumos Sweet Stuff
Marketing Mondays and Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse

Filed Under: cleaning, crafts, Giveaways, shopping, Sponsors

Easy Breaded Chicken Breasts

April 5, 2010 11 Comments

Here’s a quick chicken recipe that you don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of ingredients for. This was actually a chicken finger recipe, but I decided to make it using skinless, boneless chicken breasts, and it turned out delicious!

Recipe for Easy Breaded Chicken Breasts:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch strips

Directions: Heat oven to 425ºF. Melt butter in a 9×12 pan, in oven. Mix flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Toss with melted butter in pan. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Turn chicken strips; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until no longer pink in center. (For chicken breasts, I cooked them for about 25 minutes.)

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Friday Favorites – Week 6

April 1, 2010 10 Comments

Happy Good Friday! And I hope you all have a lovely Easter holiday this weekend! We had some great ideas linked up last week. If you didn’t get a chance to look at all the links, you should definitely check them out! In the mean time, here are some of my favorite ideas from last week. If you’re featured, please grab a “Featured” button for your blog! Thanks!

Don’t forget…everyone who links up this week gets an extra entry in my Survival Seed giveaway!

I just love this Easter Egg Topiary from Life As Lori. Go by and check out her tutorial and see how lovely her table looks!

I definitely plan on making these Homemade Granola Bars from Common Cents Home. My husband was recently diagnosed with diabeties, and I think this would be a great snack for him.

I love this kitchen makeover at Santa’s Gift Shoppe. There’s a great tutorial on how to reupholster your chairs for cheap! And she also shows you how she updated the rest of the kitchen.

We had several spring decor posts last week, including a few bird’s nest ideas. I thought this Bird’s Nest Craft from Googie Momma was rather unique!

Has anyone noticed that all the bright colors and wild prints from the 80’s (& early 90’s) are back? I was was Wal-Mart the other day, and for a moment, I felt like I’d gone back in time! These Funky Denim Purses from Urban Stylist in the Country, remind me of the 80’s too. I just love the bright colors and fun designs!

Got something to share with us week?? I’d love to see it! Link your favorite post up below! Don’t forget to include my button or a link back to my blog so that others can come and party with us!

-Jerri

I’m linking up for I’m Lovin It at Tidy Mom

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Friday Follow

April 1, 2010 16 Comments

If you’re stopping by from Friday Follow, welcome to my blog! While you’re here, please link up at my Friday Favorites party! (Your post might get featured here next week if you do!) Also, check out my current giveaways. We have some great ones going on this week and more to come! Also, be sure to come back next week to link up a dessert recipe for Sweet Thursday!

Simply Sweet Home has everything from recipes to organizing & housekeeping tips, as well as product reviews, craft projects, giveaways, and more!

I hope you’ll take a look around and decide to become a follower! And please leave me a comment, so I can come over and follow you! I look forward to “meeting” you and seeing all your blogs!

Friday Follow is hosted by One2Try, Hearts Make Families, and Midday Escapades.

Follow Me Friday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse

-Jerri

Filed Under: Friday Follow

Sweet Thursday: Spring Edition

March 31, 2010 3 Comments

It’s time once again for Sweet Thursday! If you have a dessert to share with us, I’d love for you to link it up below! (I’ll even give you an extra entry in my current giveaways!)

Next Round-up: Our next round-up will be on May 27. The theme will be Cupcakes & Muffins! Get your dessert featured here by emailing your link to simplysweethome@hotmail.com. Or link on the day of the round-up!

Pineapple Orange Streusel Coffee Cake from Recipes for Moms

Mini Brownie Muffins from My Sweet & Savory

Springtime Mousse from Comfy Cook Blog

Chocolate Crunch Mousse Pie from My Sweet & Savory

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting from Millie’s Place

Boston Cream Pie Truffles from Millie’s Place

Sugar Cookies from Simply Sweet Home

-Jerri

Filed Under: desserts, Sweet Thursday

$100 Children’s Clothing Giveaway from Tea Collection

March 30, 2010 153 Comments

I’m pleased to present Children’s Clothing from Tea Collection. This company centers the themes and styles of their clothing around various world cultures. Their 2010 Spring Collection Destination is Korea.

I was very impressed by the clothing offered on this site. I love the boy’s outfit to the left. I think it would look so cute on my nephew who’s 5.

I’m also loving their girl’s line! They have so many cute prints and styles. (I wish they had a few of these outfits in ladies’ sizes!)

I know that these days people are cutting back and you may not have as much money to spend on your children’s spring clothes, so I’m very excited today to give you a chance to win a gift certificate to Tea Collection worth $100. Awesome!

And just look at some of the cute items you could purchase with this!

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a $100 gift certificate for Tea Collection. To win, just visit www.teacollection.com then come back tell us your favorite item. Deadline: April 13

Extra Entries:
-Two entries for following my blog publicly.
-Two entries for following me on twitter.

-One entry each time you link up at Friday Favorites during the giveaway period.
-One entry if you link up something for Sweet Thursday on April 1.
-One entry for tweeting about this giveaway (limit one entry per day). (Sample tweet: I want to win $100 worth of Children’s Clothing from Tea Collection @SimplySweetHome http://bit.ly/bVJcO6)

-Two entries if you display my button on your blog.

-One entry if you’re a fan on facebook.

-Three entries if you are subscribed to my Feedblitz mailing list.

-Three entries if you post about this giveaway on your blog and include a link back to SSH.

-One entry if you follow Simply Sweet Creations.

-Five entries if you make a purchase from my etsy shop.

-Jerri

Filed Under: Giveaways, Sponsors

Lemon Cupcakes – Help!

March 28, 2010 5 Comments

Reminder: Sweet Thursday this week! Email a submission to me by Wednesday or link up at post at the event on Thursday!

Ok, well, instead of a recipe this week, I’m asking for assistance (though I do have a few recipe links included here, so as not to let down those of you who came looking for a recipe).

My hubby recently went to family reunion, and he came home with these yummy lemon cupcakes! Isn’t he the sweetest? (Especially considering he doesn’t even like lemon flavored desserts!)

The Frosting is called Lemon Buttercream (I think), and I’ve really been wanting to make some of my own. Only one problem….I don’t know the recipe! (And I don’t know who made these, or else I’d get it from them.) So I decided I’d ask all you lovely foodies out there if you have a recipe for this frosting.

Here are links to a few recipes that I found online:

Lemon Buttercream Frosting From Cooks.com

Lemon Buttercream Frosting From Recipezaar

Lemon Buttercream Frosting From Wilton

The one I’ve most considered using is the one on recipezaar (but that may just be because there’s a picture beside it–pics tend to lure me in). However, I’d hate to make one of these recipes and find that it’s completly not what I was looking for.

So more specifically, the frosting on these cupcakes tastes just like the lemon cream that comes in lemon sandwich cookies. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? And does anyone have a recipe like this? If you can help, I’d really appreciate it!

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Filed Under: cupcakes

DIY Fashion Giveaway from New York Design Shop

March 26, 2010 42 Comments

Calling all Craft Goddesses! I’m pleased to present a fun DIY Giveaway from New York Design Shop.

New York Design Shop carries cute fashion accessories, apparel, and DIY materials.

You can use their DIY Materials to personalize clothing of all styles for all ages. Or you could use many of these items for non-clothing projects too! Materials include iron ons, appliques, trim, studs, chains, feather trim, flowers, rosettes, bows, and more!

Today I’m excited to be giving away a tote from New York Design Shop filled with DIY materials! Additionally Simply Sweet Home readers will get 10% off all orders. Just use the coupon code “simplysweethome” at check out.