I was contacted by AffordableScarves.com recently with an opportunity to not only try one of their scarves, but offer a giveaway to all of you as well. I jumped right on this, of course.  AffordableScarves.com is an online seller of many different types of scarves.  You’ll find cashmere scarves, pashminas, silk scarves, wraps, and scarves for every season.  In short, AffordableScarves.com is a scarf superstore!

I spent awhile going through the site and contemplated a few scarves, including these lovelies:

From left to right we have the Soho Ombre Scarf in Purple ($19.95), the Bohemian Celebrity Scarf in Black ($14.95), and the NYC Crinkle Scarf in Cream ($9.95).

Ultimately, I decided to get a scarf that I would never buy myself in “real life.”  It was easy to decide, then, to get a circle scarf.  Circle scarves are so popular this season and have completely confounded me.  Wrap a big circle of material around your neck?? Why??

I requested this Jessica Circle Scarf ($17.95) in teal blue:

This scarf is different from things I would normally wear for two reasons – it’s teal blue and it’s a circle scarf.  (If I haven’t mentioned it this week, I wear a lot of black.  And white.)

I was pleasantly surprised the first time I wore the scarf.   I had a mini fashion show in my living room and fell in love with the teal circle.  Unlike “normal” scarves, I could really adjust this scarf in so many different ways (and part of my skepticism was that I didn’t think this was going to be possible).  I could wear it in different lengths.  I could even wrap part of it over my head as a makeshift hat.  I LOVE it.  I also love the color because it goes with pretty much everything in my wardrobe.  I love the scarf so much that I packed it for my trip to Los Angeles last weekend and wore it everywhere.  It’s just as wonderful in cold climates (Chicago) as it is in sunny southern California.  This scarf is my new best friend and I am now a huge proponent of the previously confounding circle scarf.  (This is big for me!)

Because AffordableScarves.com is amazing, they’ve offered to host a giveaway for all of you wonderful readers!!!  Two people are going to have the opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate to AffordableScarves.com or the scarf of their choice.

The Fine Print:

Entries will ONLY be accepted by completing the Google Form below. No entries will be accepted via the comment form. Entries that are submitted via the comment form will NOT be counted.  This will help keep things organized and fair. 

Aside from posting the name provided to me by the winner of the giveaway, as well as the winner’s website address (if you so choose), no personal information you give me will be shared or published anywhere. You will not be put onto any email lists. Pinky swear.

Here’s a breakdown of the 4 total entries you can have for this giveaway:

1 entry for sharing which scarf you would most like to own from AffordableScarves.com. (Required)
1 entry for following AffordableScarves.com on Twitter (@affordscarves) (Optional)
1 entry for tweeting about this giveaway. (Make sure you send it my way – @fantabandfrugal) (Optional)
1 entry for becoming a fan of AffordableScarves.com on Facebook. (Optional)

Entries will be accepted through November 29, 2009, with a winner announced November 30, 2009.

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I was recently approached by Kikkoman, best known as the company that makes soy sauce, with a very unique opportunity.  They wanted me to bake a turkey that had been brined in soy sauce using a recipe they had recently developed.

I obviously jumped at the opportunity – soy sauce brined turkey?  I was intrigued, to say the least.

The idea behind using soy sauce to brine the turkey is that the flavor will have “umami,” which I just learned the meaning of two weeks ago while watching Top Chef.  If you’re not familiar, umami is the fifth primary flavor.  Another word for umami is savory.  Newly discovered in the science world, umami makes foods more delicious when balanced properly with the other four primary flavors known as sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Kind of crazy, right?  Apparently soy sauce is used quite a bit in stews, sauces, marinades, etc.

I chose to brine my turkey in the Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce.  By the way, have I mentioned that this is the first turkey I’ve ever made in my life?  True story.  Anyhoo, I cleaned the turkey and then left it alone in a big tub of soy sauce, water, and spices overnight.  Easy enough.

I’m not going to lie.  I was really skeptical about how the turkey would turn out.  I mean, I generally only think of soy sauce when I think of Asian food.  I kept envisioning that the turkey would end up tasting really salty or would turn an unappealing shade of soy sauce brown.

But holy cow – the turkey I made was absolutely fantastic.  It was SO moist and my fears of a brown salty turkey was completely unfounded as the turkey looked completely normal and tasted so … savory.  I couldn’t even tell that the turkey had been soaking in soy sauce – it just tasted so so so amazing.  Really. I am not in any way exaggerating.  I am a soy brined turkey convert.  Sadly I am a total dolt and forgot to take a picture of my first turkey (!) as all I could think about was consuming it as quickly as possible.

(Interested in brining your own turkey in soy sauce? Click here for the recipe and instructions.)

As a follow-up to the turkey brined in soy sauce, Kikkoman also provided me with some recipes to help use up some of the leftover turkey.  First up?  Turkey tetrazzini.  Guess what?  It tasted absolutely amazing and was pretty easy to make.

Interested in learning more about cooking with soy sauce?  Click here to find recipes and all sorts of other goodies.

Better yet, because Kikkoman is awesome, they wanted to offer TWO of you fantabulous readers the opportunity to win 2 full-sized bottles of Kikkoman sauces each + a special Kikkoman book filled with delicious recipes (I hope, for your sake, that the soy sauce brined turkey is included!).

The Fine Print:

Entries will ONLY be accepted by completing the Google Form below. No entries will be accepted via the comment form. Entries that are submitted via the comment form will NOT be counted.  This will help keep things organized and fair.

Aside from posting the name provided to me by the winner of the giveaway, as well as the winner’s website address (if you so choose), no personal information you give me will be shared or published anywhere. You will not be put onto any email lists. Pinky swear.

Here’s a breakdown of the 3 total entries you can have for this giveaway:

• 1 entry for sharing your favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving.
  
• 1 entry for sharing which Kikkoman sauce you would most like to try.  (Click here to see the entire line of Kikkoman sauces.)
  
• 1 entry for tweeting about this giveaway. (Make sure you send it my way – @fantabandfrugal)

Entriles will be accepted from the U.S. only, please.

Entries will be accepted through November 11, 2009, with a winner announced November 12, 2009.

Good Luck!!!

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I was recently contacted by the people at MyBlogSpark.com about the possibility of reviewing YoPlus Light yogurt and hosting a giveaway for some free yogurt.  Of course I couldn’t refuse – I LOVE YoPlus Light and have been eating it for months!

I’ve long been a fan of all Yoplait yogurt and making the switch to YoPlus Light was easy for two reasons – it just seemed healthier and the containers were smaller.  I eat yogurt as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up and don’t always need a huge cup of it.  The YoPlus size is perfect.  (And each cup is only 70 calories!)

I’ve tried every flavor of the yogurt and my favorite – by far – is the honey vanilla.  It’s delish and refreshing!  The other two flavors available at this time are Key Lime Pie and Strawberry Banana.

Are you interested in trying YoPlus Light yogurt?  Or are you interested in buying more if you’ve already tried it?  Click here to print out a $1 off coupon! 

 The Fine Print:

Entries will ONLY be accepted by completing the Google Form below. No entries will be accepted via the comment form. Entries that are submitted via the comment form will NOT be counted.  This will help keep things organized and fair. 

Aside from posting the name provided to me by the winner of the giveaway, as well as the winner’s website address (if you so choose), no personal information you give me will be shared or published anywhere. You will not be put onto any email lists. Pinky swear.

Here’s a breakdown of the 3 total entries you can have for this giveaway:

• 1 entry for sharing which YoPlus Light yogurt flavor you would most like to try.
  
• 1 entry for sharing one way you maitain a healthy lifestyle.
  
• 1 entry for tweeting about this giveaway. (Make sure you send it my way – @fantabandfrugal)

Entries will be accepted from the U.S. only, please.

Entries will be accepted through November 10, 2009, with a winner announced November 11, 2009.

Good Luck!!!

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I spent the entire summer lusting after one specific pair of sunglasses.  I was planning on buying this one pair last Spring and just never got around to it.  So when I was approached by Sunglass Warehouse with the offer of reviewing a pair of sunglasses and offering a giveaway for you wonderful readers, I quickly jumped on board.  And just as quickly I requested the sunglasses I’d been lusting after for so long.

Friends, allow me to introduce you all to Mr. Red Wayfarer:

These are not exactly like mine – instead of the red and white version you see above, I requested the red and black version, which is no longer available. 

I know you might be giggling because I know these sunglasses have been popular for a couple of seasons now.  But I can’t help it.  I LOVE them.  And I LOVED the sunglasses I received from Sunglass Warehouse.  Seriously – if you weren’t looking for the little “Ray-Ban” logo on the side of the glasses you would never know these were a fake.  I promise you – never.  They feel like Ray-Bans and they look like Ray-Bans but they’re so much more affordable.

How affordable, you may ask?  The originals sell for $139.  (Which is why I didn’t buy them last Spring.)  At Sunglass Warehouse, an amazing replica version costs just $13.56.  (87.5% savings!)

I wear my new sunglasses CONSTANTLY.  Seriously.  They are always on my face.  I own a totally wonderful pair of Pucci sunglasses – but right now I prefer my $13.56 sunglasses over the designer pair.

I also received a second pair to review, these fun Butterfly Sunglasses.

I requested them because they looked like a lot of fun.  While these glasses are a total party on your face and the same high-quality as the Wayfarer’s above, these glasses do not look right on me.  If you have a very round face, as I do, these glasses will not look good on you.  With that being said – the style is new and I love where they’re going. 

Because Sunglass Warehouse is AWESOME, they offered to host a giveaway for all of you fantabulous readers!  Two lucky winners will be chosen to receive their choice of a $20 gift certificate to Sunglass Warehouse, or one pair of the sunglasses of their choice!

Pretty awesome, right?

The Fine Print:

Entries will ONLY be accepted by completing the Google Form below. No entries will be accepted via the comment form. Entries that are submitted via the comment form will NOT be counted.  This will help keep things organized and fair. 

Aside from posting the name provided to me by the winner of the giveaway, as well as the winner’s website address (if you so choose), no personal information you give me will be shared or published anywhere. You will not be put onto any email lists. Pinky swear.

Here’s a breakdown of the 3 total entries you can have for this giveaway:

• 1 entry for heading over to Sunglass Warehouse and then sharing which pair of sunglasses is your favorite.
  
• 1 entry for writing a blog post about this giveaway.
  
• 1 entry for tweeting about this giveaway. (Make sure you send it my way – @fantabandfrugal)

Entries will be accepted through October 26, 2009, with a winner announced October 27, 2009.

Good luck!

Click here to enter the Jeneri Jewelry giveaway for a beautiful pendant necklace.

Click here to enter the Nature Valley Granola Nut Cluster giveaway.

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Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I had the opportunity to try out all four flavors of the new Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters.  The four flavors are Roasted Cashew, Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, and Honey Roasted Peanut.

From the marketing materials, here is a description of Nature Valley’s Granola Nut Clusters:

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters are a bite size blend of 100% natural ingredients that include select roasted nuts, whole grain oats and a touch of honey – a wholesome and delicious pick-me-up any time of the day. If you love nuts, you´ll enjoy this flavorful little snack featuring the perfect combination of sweet & salty flavors paired with a crunchy texture that you can see and taste.

Over the past few weeks I have seen these Granola Nut Clusters everywhere.  There are coupons galore and samples everywhere.  Yet I didn’t actually try them until I received my four packs in the mail. And to be perfectly honest with you – I am on the fence about these treats.

The crunchy texture reminds me of the original Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, which I love.  If these Granola Nut Clusters were made in the flavors of those original granola bars I would be raving right now.  I loved the bite-size pieces, I loved the texture.  But what I didn’t LOVE was the taste.  I liked the taste, but I felt like the nuts dominated the flavor…which was probably the point, right? 

The only type of nut I really like are cashews, so I liked the Roasted Cashew flavor the best.  The other flavors were good, just not something I would buy regularly.  However, if you love nuts and products made with nuts, I’m pretty certain you will love these Granola Nut Clusters.

Not only will the winner of this giveaway receive a full-size bag of each of the 4 new flavors of Nature Valley’s Granola Nut Clusters, but the winner will also receive a sling backpack, stainless steel water bottle, flashlight, and binoculars.  (It’s a huge box of goodies, and I LOVE the water bottle.)

The Fine Print:

Entries will ONLY be accepted by completing the Google Form below. No entries will be accepted via the comment form. This will help keep things organized and fair.

Aside from posting the name provided to me by the winner of the giveaway, as well as the winner’s website address (if you so choose), no personal information you give me will be shared or published anywhere. You will not be put onto any email lists. Pinky swear.


To enter, please share which flavor of Nature Valley Granola Nut Cluster you are most interested in sampling.  For an additional entry, Tweet about this giveaway!

Entries will be accepted through October 21, 2009, with a winner announced October 22, 2009. Good luck!

Don’t forget – you still have time to enter the Jeneri Jewelry giveaway for a gorgeous necklace. Click here to enter.

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 I was contacted recently by Handbag Heaven about doing a review of one of their bags in conjunction with hosting a giveaway.  This arrangement combined two of my favorite things – free presents for myself and free presents for you all!

I headed to Handbag Heaven and immediately found about 5 bags that I would LOVE to have.  When all was said and done I chose this New York Pebbled Shopper as the bag I wanted to review.

I have a hard time paying attention to details when I am really excited about something.  I was so excited about this bag that I didn’t really read the details.  I thought I was going to receive a fairly small handbag.  I was clearly excited about this and looking forward to my package arriving.

What I actually received was so not what I was expecting and yet so absolutely perfect that I was really in handbag heaven.  (ha!)  What made this bag so perfect?  It’s actually large enough that I can carry around my computer with ease!  (Had I read the details I would have seen that the bag measures 15″ L x 5″ W x 12.5″ H)  I’d  been on the look-out for a new computer tote for quite a while but was just too cheap to buy one.  And if you can’t tell, I always have my computer with me.

This bag is 100% perfect.  Unlike the bag I previously used, the straps of this bag have a bit of cushion so it never feels heavy.  There’s absolutely no strain on my shoulder even though I load the bag to the brim.  And when I mean I fill the bag to the brim I really mean that.  I carry my life around with me each and everyday and need a bag that’s big, sturdy, and chic.  This bag more than fits each of those criteria.

There are two sections of the bag, divided by a big middle zippered pocket.  There are also other smaller zippered pockets in the bag as well as a few small unzippered pockets.  In short – there is so much glorious space in this bag.  While the bag is not leather, I promise you’ll never know just by looking at it – this bag is just so soft and beautiful!

Handbag Heaven has so many different options: tote handbags, clutch and evening bags, wallets. There is truly a bag for everyone – I guarantee it!

Because Handbag Heaven is such a fantabulous store, they not only sent me the bag above to review, but now they want to share the love with not one but TWO of you fantabulous readers!

• 1 entry for heading over to Handbag Heaven and then sharing which bag on the site is your favorite.
  
• 1 entry for writing a blog post about this giveaway.
  
• 1 entry for tweeting about this giveaway. (Make sure you send it my way – @fantabandfrugal)
  

Aside from posting the name provided to me by the winner of the giveaway, as well as the winner’s website address (if you so choose), no personal information you give me will be shared or published anywhere. You will not be put onto any email lists. Pinky swear.

Entries will be accepted from the U.S. only, please.  Please do not fill out the sheet more than once.

Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. CDT on October 7, 2009. Two winners will be announced on October 8, 2009.

Good luck!

Edited to Add:

Per request, here are two “Real Life” pictures of the New York Pebbled Shopper.

Here I am holding the bag.  As you can see, it doesn’t look too big at all.  (I mean, it’s not small, but it is by no means uncomfortably large.

And here’s the inside of the bag (I am holding it open – it is not oddly shaped.)  My computer’s in there, a book, my sunglasses, water, wallet, make-up bag…and there is room to spare!

**This giveaway has now ended.  Thanks to all who entered!**

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I was approached last month with an opportunity to try out L’Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Verbena Soap.  I was a little apprehensive at first about trying out a soap because I have extremely sensitive skin.  I have tried so many different soaps, cleansers, creams, etc., over the years, almost always to poor results. 

But this soap, the first L’Occitane product I’ve ever tried, is simply amazing!  It’s a pure vegetable soap made with shea butter. 

First things first though – before I ever tried the soap I was struck by the amazing scent.  The soap just smells so … clean.  And it’s not a manufactured clean scent – it’s earthy and refreshing.

I was in Hawaii this summer and there was a tiny little flower that I fell absolutely in love with.  I took many many pictures of these flowers, but never took the time to figure out exactly what it was.  Crazily enough, Wikipedia just told me that was a verbena flower, which also happens to be one of the ingredients in this soap! 

Now for the soap – when I use it I feel as though I am slathering my hands in lotion, which I attribute to the shea butter.  Though it’s a soap, after I use it my hands feel soft, smooth, and moisturized.

Now the big question: Would I actually buy this product?  Yes! 

I’ve been using this soap for over a month and it’s still going strong.  (I am just using this to wash my hands, not as a shower product.)  I love the way the soap makes my skin feel.  L’Occitane products are a bit on the pricey side, but as someone with such sensitive skin, I think it’s worth paying a bit of extra $$$ for smooth and moisturized skin!

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