My First Graze Box: August 2013

Last week I received my very first Graze box in the mail. Graze is a subscription box service in which you get healthy snacks delivered on a weekly basis for only $5.00. You can actually change how often you get your boxes if every week is too often for you. Find out how to get an invite code below and get your first box for FREE!

At the moment, there is a waiting list for Graze unless you have an invite code. I received my invite code from the wonderful Jennifer over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom. If you would like to get a code from her, just leave your email address in a comment at the end of her Graze box review BY CLICKING THIS LINK. Now in order to keep the invite codes going, she only asks one thing of you...that is for you to send the invite code you get back to her after you sign up, that way others can join in.

Graze offers two types of boxes. There is the Nibble Box, which gives you the choice of over 70 different snack mixes. There is also the Light Box, which lets you choose from over 50 low calorie snacks.

Now I am a mother of 5...my 8-year-old and I are the pickiest eaters in our household. Recently I have been on a quest to start eating better and to watch how my children snack. Because I haven't tried a lot of the healthier snack options, I really am not sure what we will and will not like. This is one of the biggest reasons I really like Graze. It gives me a chance to try some healthy snacks to see what my family and I will like. These snacks are also perfect for on-the-go snacking, which is something we do alot of. Now with all of that being said, let's get to what was inside my first Graze box.

Here is the box as it comes in the mail. Shipping is free and it arives via USPS.

Here's the box once you open it up. All 4 of your snack packs are in there along with a card that has the nutritional information for each of the snacks.



This is Tropical Daiquiri. It's pineapple, lime-infused raisins, and green mango. It's the only one I have yet to try from this box, mainly because I threw it in my little one's diaper bag for a snack-to-go.

This one is called Hot Cross Yum and it's really different. I loved it. It has sponge pieces, which tasted to me like little cookies, in addition to cinnamon-honey almonds, and orange-infused raisins.

My 9-year-old snatched this one up because he is a bread lover. This one, called Herby Bread Basket, has mini garlic croutons, mini basil breadsticks and oregano rice crackers.

My 12-year-old loves anything with a little bit of spiciness so she claimed these as hers. They are Black Pepper Pistachios.

So that is my first Graze box. Have you ever received one? What do you think of it? If you want to try Graze, make sure you visit this post from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom and leave a comment with your email address for an invite code. Your first box is FREE!

See all of my favorite subscription boxes HERE

Nail of the Day: My New Julep Polish

I just wanted to show off my newest Julep polish really quickly. This is one of their Bombshell collection polishes called "Esmerelda". It's a beautiful emerald green glitter. I love anything emerald since it's my birthstone.

Want your own Julep box? Want to get your first one for FREE?? Just click HERE and enter the promo code FREEBOX. All you pay is $3.99 s/h.

Free Pattern Friday: Crochet Flower Hairpin

I was browsing the Poochie Baby blog today when I found this super cute Crochet Flower Hairpin pattern. My daughters love hair accessories and these would even be great for me, too. They can be done in any colors, which makes these extremely versatile. If you have a look around her blog you will find some other great free patterns, too!

SURPRISES IN THE MAIL: All of My Subscription Boxes in One Post

Subscription boxes seem to be everywhere these days and you can get just about anything in them. This page is for all of the boxes I subscribe to. With each box that I get, I will post pictures and what I think about the boxes along with pricing info.

graze: $5.00/box. Healthy snacks delivered by mail. (See my latest Graze box here).

Birchbox: $10.00/month. Deluxe beauty samples delivered to your door monthly. (See my latest Birchbox here.)

ipsy: $10.00/month. Deluxe samples and full-size beauty products. (See my ipsy review here.)

Conscious Box: $19.95/month ($56.85/3 months, $107.70/6 months, $203.40/year). Discover the best natural products on the planet. Choose from Classic, Vegan, and Gluten-free. Get your first box for only the price of shipping ($7.00) by using code FREEBOX at checkout. (See my latest Conscious Box review here.)

Julep: $19.99/month. Hand-picked nail color and other beauty products sent each month. Get your first box for only the price of shipping ($3.99) by using the code FREEBOX at checkout. (See my latest Julep box here).

bluum: $24.95/month ($249.50/year). Deluxe samples for mom and baby.

Little Black Bag: Social shopping site where you choose an item, then you have 1 or 2 items chosen for you, then you can trade your items. Super fun shopping experience. Get 25% off your first order when you use THIS LINK to sign up. (See my first Little Black Bag here).

Your Bijoux Box: $35.00/month (free shipping). Receive 2-3 pieces of hand-curated jewelry worth at least $70.00. Get a free necklace when you enter the code "stitches11" at checkout. (See my Your Bijoux Box review here.)

Wantable: $36.00/month or $40.00/one time purchase. Three different options: makeup, accessories, intimates. (See my first Wantable box here.)

Kona Kase: $15.00/month (free shipping). 8 nutritional snacks delivered to you each month. (See my Kona Kase review here.)

My Cotton Bunny: $16.00/month ($45.60/3 months or $86.40/6 months. The monthly subscription service that bundles your choice of feminine hygiene products with goodies to get you through your cycle. Get 30% off your first box using promo code MCBLOG. (See my My Cotton Bunny review here.)

Fit Fashionista Club by Ellie: $49.95/month. Get 2 pieces of workout wear each month. Get 20% off your first order when you use THIS LINK to subscribe. (See my Fit Fashionista Club review here.)

e-sentials: 3 monthly package prices: $10, $13, $16. Female hygiene products delivered monthly. (See my e-sentials review here.)

Parenthood Survival Box: $34.99/month. Great products for expectant parents and parents with babies up to 9 months old. Choose from girl, boy, or neutral. (See my Parenthood Survival Box review here.)

Money-makin' Monday: Clicksia & Incentria

This is a late Money-makin' Monday, but it's a 2-for-1 deal. I decided to put Clicksia and Incentria in the same post, because the two sites are identical. With both of them, you sign up, then just click ads for money. It's super simple and the payout is a minimum of $1.00, which means you can get paid really soon. As always, if you have questions, just leave them in the comments below. Have a great week!

Check out ALL of my great money-making opportunities right HERE!

FREE Pattern Friday: Neon Dreams Infinity Scarf

I LOVE all of Moogly's patterns, and this one is no exception. For this week's Free Pattern Friday, I am sharing with you the Neon Dreams Infinity Scarf. This is definitely going on my list of items to make soon!

CHECK OUT THESE GIVEAWAYS & POSTS!

-Find out how to get your FREE Julep Maven box here
-Check out IPSY and BLUUM
-Dog Days of Summer $200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
-September Charity Auction for Courageous Kidz
-Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Giveaway

Today's Nails: Neon Gradient

Not long ago I re-pinned these nails I saw on Pinterest.

After watching a few YouTube tutorials on how to do gradient nails, I thought it couldn't be that difficult. Well...

Since I was using neon colors and they tend to be a bit sheer, I started out with a coat of white polish. This particular one is called CORRECTION TAPE from Spoiled by Wet 'N Wild.

Next you are going to need 3-4 colors of polish and a cosmetic wedge. For my shorter nails I probably should have chose only 3 colors...at least I know for next time. The colors I chose are all from Sinful Colors and are (from L to R): NEON MELON, SUMMER PEACH, FUSION NEON, and DREAM ON. The only color I can find in stores now is DREAM ON so the others must be discontinued. I have had all of them for almost 2 years so that's probably why. From what I've read, you should soak your sponge in water first so that it doesn't soak up the polish right away. Once you do that, just paint your colors onto the sponge. It's ok to overlap them a bit since you want them to appear blended.

Once you've sponged the color onto your nails give it a bit to dry, then add a second sponged coat. After sponging, this is what you will come up with.

Of course, everything will be a mess so you will need to clean up around your nails then add a topcoat. Now here's how mine came out. They didn't come out exactly like I wanted to. For some reason mine didn't blend as well as the original picture I got my inspiration from. Obviously I need to work on my gradient technique a bit more, but you get the idea.

CHECK OUT THESE GIVEAWAYS & POSTS!

-Find out how to get your FREE Julep Maven box here
-Check out IPSY and BLUUM
-Buzzworthy Books of Summer iPad Mini Giveaway
-Dog Days of Summer $200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
-September Charity Auction for Courageous Kidz
-Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Giveaway

My first JULEP MAVEN box: August 2013

Yesterday I received my very first Maven box from Julep. I was so excited because the box was free...all I had to pay was $3.95 s/h. If you love beauty products, especially nail polish, then you will love Julep. Let's get to what was inside my Maven box.

Here is the box as it comes in the mail. Let me tell you, they are super quick with shipping. I received my box 3 days after the order confirmation was sent.

Here is what it looks like when you open it up:

Julep says they will add in little freebies each month in their boxes, and this is what I got. This is a sample of their Glycolic Hand Scrub. According to their site, this is a new item. I have already used this sample for review purposes and I love it! I will definitely order some more when it's time for next month's box. Since I earn my living crocheting, I sometimes work with delicate yarns that even the smallest amount of dry skin will catch on, so this will be perfect for me. It smells very nice and my hands were so soft and smooth after I used it. Their site says you can use it as a body scrub and it's even gentle enough to be used on your face (which I thought of immediately after using it). A full-size tube of this is $23.00 so the approximate value of this sample would be around $0.52.

Here are my polishes...as you can see, Julep takes extra consideration in making sure they ship very safely...no broken bottles here...

When you first sign up for Julep you are asked to fill out a small style profile. My answers placed me in the "It Girl" category, so these are the colors that were picked for me this month. The value of this "It Girl" starter box is $19.99.

Mila is a really pretty rainbow & silver glitter. Bette is a purple-y orchid creme color. Isla is a pearly white that almost has a bit of silver in it. I love these colors that were picked for me and can't wait to use them.

Totaled up, the value of my first Julep Maven box comes out to be about $20.51 and I only paid $3.95 with the FREEBOX code.

Want your own Julep Maven box? All you have to do is click this link and enter code FREEBOX to get your first box for only the cost of shipping. Once you become a Maven, monthly boxes are only $19.99 and you can opt to add on products starting at only $4.99. Other perks of being a Julep Maven are things like 20% of all products and FREE shipping when ordering from julep.com. Julep also has a great rewards program, so once you sign up for your first box, make sure you invite all of your friends!

5 Among Friends: Questions

I recently came across these questions over at The Sqishable Baby and thought they would be fun to answer, so here goes:

1. What was your favorite book to read as a child? Would you recommend it? Why?
Sometime around 4th or 5th grade I started reading this series of books that all of my friends referred to as Mandie books. Written by Lois Leppard, this book series was about a girl, name Mandie of course, who solved all of these mysteries. There are quite a few books in the series and I recommend them to young girls between the ages of 8-13.

2. What sport did you play in high school?
I was a cheerleader in high school (yes, it's a sport!). I started in 8th grade and cheered all the way until I graduated. For the one year that I was going through chemotherapy, our coach created a "manager" position for me so that I could stay involved with the squad since I loved it so much. I pretty much ate, slept, and breathed cheerleading. LOL

3. What is one prominent childhood memory?
I have a few very memorable occasions I could list here, but I think this one is pretty funny. One summer I went downtown with my dad to run some errands with him. I think I may have been about 7 or 8-years-old. We stopped at this lunch cart in front of what was then The Omni Hotel (now The Charleston Place). He bought me a bagel with tuna and alfalfa sprouts. We sat in the courtyard in front of the fountains to eat what I referred to as a "hard donut", but because I didn't like the alfalfa sprouts my dad took them off for me and threw them in the bushes behind us and that it would be our little secret. If anyone knows The Charleston Place, you know it's a pretty elite hotel, and throwing alfalfa sprouts in the bushes is one of the last things you should be doing at a place like that...haha!

4. What were your dreams as a child?
I wanted to be Miss Universe. I loved watching all of the beauty pageants on T.V. with my mom, but this one was my favorite. I guess it was all of the different cultures coming together in one place. I just thought it would be so much fun to be around that many beautiful ladies from all over the world.

5. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you fulfill those aspirations?
I wanted to be a labor & delivery nurse. Well, I knew I wanted to go into medicine of some sort, but when I was 14-years-old, I was allowed to be in the delivery room with my aunt when she gave birth to my cousin. Ever since then I knew I wanted to help deliver babies. I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. Since then I have taken almost all of my pre-requisites for nursing school. I have not been to school in several years, but I am planning to start back in the fall to fulfill that one dream of mine.

I hope you all enjoyed this little tidbit of information about me. I would love for you to answer the questions and post them in the comments below. :)

CHECK OUT THESE GIVEAWAYS & POSTS!

-Check out IPSY and BLUUM
-Buzzworthy Books of Summer iPad Mini Giveaway
-Dog Days of Summer $200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
-September Charity Auction for Courageous Kidz
-Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Giveaway

Free Pattern Friday: Granny's Slouch Hat

As soon as I saw this it caught my eye...I'm a Clemson girl so anything purple & orange catches my eye...haha. This week's free crochet pattern is from Stitch 11 and it's this super cute Granny's Slouch Hat. I love patterns like these because you can be so versatile with the colors. Enjoy and happy stitching everyone!