What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life - book review & giveaway - CLOSED

What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life

Ageless Secrets of Style

Author: Kim Johnson Gross

Do you have a closet full of clothes you never wear, but someday hope to?  Or a closet full of clothes, yet nothing to wear?  Do you like to read?  Do you like to read a book that is also a bit humorous?  Or one that makes total sense?  Or how about one that has tip and hints that make perfect sense?

What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life was not only easy to read, but a fun book to read.  It is also packed full of information that does not tell you what to wear, but instead helps you figure out what clothing styles are best for you.

I know that I am at a point in my life where shorts that are too short are not for me, but I don't necessarily want to wear "mom jeans" either.  I have a closet full of clothes that I have had for years that I never wear.  That is where this book, What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life comes in handy.  I haven't gotten very far in cleaning out my closet and setting up just for me, at my current point in my life, but I am working on it.

Ms. Gross first burst on to the scene with her Chic Simple series (a series that I'd consider to be the bible of fashion) and she's continuing her Assess, Dejunk, and Renew war cry in this book. Gaining hold of your closet and learning to dress for your own pleasure so that you enjoy EVERYTHING that you put on will help you to "evolve" your style..

Other key elements:

• Dressing your age
• Shop Smart for the rest of your life
• Jewelry
• Colors
• Pulling it all together
• and more....

How would you like to win a copy of this book for yourself?  I have 3 copies that will go to my wonderful blog readers, if you enter below.

ENTER TO WIN

WIN: one of 3 copies of "What to Wear for the Rest of my Life"
Mandatory entry:  visit Hachette Book Group and tell me of another book you would like to read.

**You MUST do the mandatory Entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!**

*BONUS ENTRIES*

{Leave separate comments for each bonus entry - or you will not receive the bonus entries}

1. Follow me on twitter {1 entry}

2. Tweet the following {1 entry - can be done once daily}

GIVEAWAY: win 1 of 3 copies of "What to Wear  for the Rest of Your Life" - Ends July 19th - #giveaway #win  http://bit.ly/9weLfK  @prpldy

3. Subscribe to my blog {2 entries}

4. Grab my button (on the left) and leave the URL where it's at {2 entries}

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a direct link to the post {5 entries}

6. 'like' The Purple Lady on facebook  {1 entry}

7. Comment on any non-giveaway post, telling me which one {2 entries for each comment} 

8. Follow via Google Friend Connect {2 entries}

Rules

Open to the US only

No PO Boxes

Giveaway ends July 19, 2010 at 12(noon) CST

Winners will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted by email

Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email, or another winner will be chosen

I check EVERY entry! Please only leave valid comments for valid entries!
I will remove invalid entries.

Please leave your e-mail address in your comment so that I have a way to contact you
( ie: prpldy (at) comcast dot net )

What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life: Ageless Secrets of Style is available for purchase at Amazon.com for $16.49


There was no monetary compensation received for this review, though I did receive the samples to conduct my review. All opinions are my own. Receiving the samples did not sway my review. I would like to thank Hachette Book Group for providing the items for review and for this giveaway.

Nutrition At Your Fingertips

I recently read a book (most of it for now, more about that in a moment), Nutrition At Your Fingertips, by Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN.  Oh my!  If you want to learn about the food values of various food items (protein, calories, other vitamins or minerals), or learn how to read your food labels and understand what they mean.  Or manage your weight, then this is the book you need in your library.

I was totally amazed at the amount of information that was in this book, and how easy it was to navigate and how organized the book is.  It has a very easy Flip and Find structure which makes it simple to find the information you need right now, and doesn't require you to learn everything there is to know about nutrition right at this moment.  (That's why I didn't read the book from cover to cover .... yet)  You can learn along the way, at your own pace and what you want to learn.  The book allows you to search for the information you want now, and pinpoint it, quickly and efficiently.

If you want to find the dietary sources of something such as vitamin C, the book will tell you what they are.  Or if you want to know how many calories you would burn doing various activities, there is a chart for that as well.   There is an appendix with useful resources such as other books to read, websites to visit and organizations to help you.

I know many people who have a gluten sensitivity and there is a sub-chapter pertaining to just that information.  It recommends ingredients to avoid and talks about Celiac Disease and it's symptoms (which we thought my Niece had, but doesn't... thankfully),

The chapters in the book are as follows:

1. Carbohydrates
2. Fats
3. Protiens
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Creating A Daily Meal Plan
7. Weight Management
8. Eat To Beat Disease
9. Food Allergies, Intolerances, and Sensitivties
10. Healthy Food Shopping
11. Healthy Eatting Tips
12. Foodborne Illnesses and Food Safety

Each chapter has many subcategories within them.  I am no expert, I can not tell you if this book has all of the information a person needs to know about nutrition.  I can tell you that it has one heck of a lot of information and that I was truly amazed at how much this book of 405 pages actually contains.  I learned many things that I did not already know.  And am thrilled that I now have this book in my library for reference.  Now, with this book at my side, maybe I will be able to take off the weight that I have been wanting to lose for a long time now.

How the book is organized (taken directly from the book):

Nutrition at Your Fingertips is organized like this.  First, the key nutrients your body needs and that are found in the diet, including carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals, are covered.  Then I show you how to determine your daily calorie needs and create your own daily eating plan no matter your age or stage of life.  Whether you are trying to manage your weight, a diet-related medical condition, or a food allergy or sensitivity, you'll find how-to nutrition strategies throughout the book.  The book also includes information to help you navigate the aisles of your local grocery store in a more informed way, read and understand food labels, and ultimately fill your cart with the most delicious and healthful items from the basic food categories.

Elisa Zied is a registered dietitian and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.  She also co-wrote the books:  Feed Your Family Right! and So What Can I eat?

This book was published by Penguin Group which is part of ALPHA BOOKS.  They also have a series of "At Your Fingertips" books on various subjects because time is the scarcest commodity of all!  Some of the book in that series are:  Wine, eBay Business, Spanish, and The Internet

Bok Giveaway at the Crafter's Cafe'

If you are an mixed media artist or would like to learn more, then you need to enter this giveaway.  And if they get 100 or more entries they will giveaway 2 of these books. The book that they are giving away is:  Exploring the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Arts Vol 1  and it looks like a great book.  Right now they have 52 entries.  And need 48 more by April 1, 2010.  So go enter and even if it is not your cup of tea, I am sure you have a friend you could pass the book on to, or start your own 29 Day Giving Challenge.  Just like the one I am doing now.   Yell your friends!  Tell your family!  Let's get those 48 entries so that our chances of winning, doubles!

BrendaLea

Day 7 Giveaway: Crochet Tools

If you like to crochet or have a friend or family member that does, then you need to enter today's giveaway. There are four vintage crochet booklets and two new foam crochet hook covers that makes holding the hook more comfortable.

One book has patterns for both knitting and crochet. The projects range from clothing items or afghans, and hats and scarves. A fun little packet for anyone that has some extra yarn and a hook or two with time to create. You could make one of the patterns, and use it to start your own 29 Day Giving Challenge.

click picture to enlarge it

**Mandatory Entry**

Post a comment about my giveaway, or tell me a joke, or give me a tip to help improve my blog.

**You MUST do the mandatory Entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!**

*BONUS ENTRIES*

{Leave seperate comments for each bonus entry}

1. Follow me on twitter {1 entry}

2. Subscribe to my blog {2 entries}

3. Follow me on google friend connect {1 entry}

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a direct link to the post {5 entries} {Leave separate comments}

5. Add my blog to your blog roll {1 entry}

**RULES**

• This one is open World Wide
  
• Giveaway ends March 9, 2010 at 12(noon) CST
• Winners will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted by email
• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email, or another winner will be chosen
• I will post winners weekly instead of daily
  

GiVeAwAy - Day 6 of 29 Days - ? ? ?

Today's Giveaway = Surprise
Thought I would shake things up a bit and make it more interesting.

I can tell you that it involves a book and a bookmark. It could be a novel, or maybe a crafting book, or some other book such as a journal. I am NOT going to tell you. Na, nan, nana! You will just have to wait and be surprised or curious until I announce what the actual item is.
Once the surprise giveaway is closed I will post what the actual item was along with the winner's name.

I have decided to make the Saturday's giveaway a surprise. So each week, you will not know exactly what the giveaway will be, but I will give a hint.

Have you taken the time to check out the 29 Day Giving Challenge website? If not, you should. It will tell you how it works, why it works, and what others have said about it. I did this last year as well and loved every minute of it and I was abled to meet and make friends with some lovely people.

The Rules:

Some of my giveaway will be for the USA only due to the cost of shipping, and others will be open World wide. Please read below to find out if you are eligible to enter each particular giveaway.

1. As long as you leave a comment on the post, of the days give-a-way, you will be entered to win. Please post your e-mail address so that I have a way to contact you. You can leave it like I do if you like: prpldy (at) comcast dot net - to keep spammers from finding it.
2. One entry per post, per person, except for the extra entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.
   
3. I will draw the winners names via Random.org
   
4. I will post the winners at the end of each week, instead of daily.
5. Today's giveaway is open only to the USA.
   
6. You can gain extra entries by:

1 extra entry: if you are a follower or become a new follower
1 extra entry: follow me on twitter please leave your user name
1 extra entry: become a facebook fan or friend, please leave your user name
2 extra entries: subscribe to e-mail updates on the right hand side - leave 2 separate comments
5 extra entries: blog about my giveaway, please leave a link to your post and 5 separate comments

Please leave the required amount of comments if you choose to receive the extra entries. ie: if you post a comment, follow via Google, and post on your blog you need to leave 7 separate comments.

I will confirm all entries. So no cheating, please. :-)

Good Luck to all that enter!

Closes: March 9, 2010 you can post entries up until this date

Giveaway: Day 1 of 29 Days of Giving

Have you ever heard of the 29 Day Giving Challenge? The 29 Day Giving Challenge site has been shorted to 29 Gifts. 29 Gifts is a global giving movement with nearly ten thousand members in 42 countries. It's mission is to revive the giving spirit in the world and I am doing my small part by this 29 days of giveaways.

There might be days during the 29-Day Challenge that I won't be able to get on-line for various reasons. Such as, being ill, having computer problems, or a number of other reasons. But I will do my best to list items each and every day to best of my ability. There will be a total of 29 giveaways. So if I miss a day, the giveaways might not end on March 29th.

Some things to know about my 29-Day Challenge.

1. As long as you leave a comment on the post, of the days give-a-way, you will be entered to win. Please post your e-mail address so that I have a way to contact you. You can leave it like I do if you like: prpldy (at) comcast dot net - to keep spammers from finding it.
2. One entry per post, per person, except for the extra entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.
   
3. I will draw the winners names via Random.org
   
4. I will post the winners at the end of each week, instead of daily.
5. Today's giveaway is open only to residents in the USA.
   
6. You can gain extra entries by:

1 extra entry: if you are a follower or become a new follower
1 extra entry: follow me on twitter please leave your user name
1 extra entry: become a facebook fan please leave your user name
2 extra entries: subscribe to e-mail updates on the right hand side - leave 2 separate comments
5 extra entries: blog about my giveaway, please leave a link to your post and 5 comments

I will confirm all entries.

Now, on to today's giveaway: Embroidered Treasures for Children Book

This is a new 128 page book, with cute embroidery items for children. Many items can be completed in a day or two. There are projects for the novice and some for the more experienced person. If you embroidery, or know someone that does, then you need to leave a comment to be entered to win. Good luck to everyone.

Won an Altered Art Book

Craftside is an awesome blog that I love to read. I get lots of inspiration from them. For the past couple of months they have been writing up post based on the alphabet, using one letter each week. And each post has a question pertaining to the book they have reviewed that day. If you answer the question, you are entered into the weekly book giveaway. Currently they are on the letter "N". And I got lucky and won for the week of "L". A few days ago the book arrived (I had no idea which book I would receive) that Lindsey sent to me. I was blown away when I opened the package and saw which book it was. Altered Art Circus by Lisa Kettell (is a mixed-media artist). I love her work and I belong to her Flickr group, The Faerie Zine. I haven't been active in it lately, but it is a group of wonderful people and I really enjoyed the swaps and chats that I have participated in with them. If you have a chance to check out Altered Art Circus you should. The following is an exerpt fromt he Craftside blog:


Altered Art Circus! includes easy tutorials on basic digital altering effects for new and vintage images, step-by-step instruction for projects, a gallery of inspirational work from other artists, and clip art and images for you to use in your own projects. The book covers digital and paper alteration, creating from found and household objects (jars and boxes), features playful illustration, vintage imagery, and uses myriad other mixed-media materials, ranging from glitter and wire to crinoline and coloring agents.

Day 6 of 29 - Day Giving Challenge

Shame on me, this was supposed to have been posted yesterday, but I got caught up with the one world one heart event and totally forgot about it. Sorry. So here it is today..... a Domino accordion book made by me. So if interested in a piece of art created by me...then leave a comment in this post.

.......and a winner is.....Moi!

This is the necklace and close-up shots of the necklace that I made with the 9 Scrabble Tile Charms that I received via swapping through a group I belong to on Flickr called Altered Dominos & Other Altered Game Pieces. We have a wonderful group of ladies (I don't think any men belong to this group at this time) that create some awesome altered art! When the necklace is not worn, I will hang it one the wall so that I can see the artwork.






Isn't this a beautiful bead? This froggy's name is Lizzie. I won this from Larry's Beads that is located in my home town of Belleville, Illinois. And if you go to Larry's website and vote for his site you will be entered to win one of his beautiful beads too. Hop on over to Larry's and good luck winning.




















I recently won a book from Lindsey over at Craftside....and I am tickled. It's a paper quilling book titled: The Art of Paper Quilling by: Claire Sun-ok Choi. I've already begun making some of the floral arrangements. Not many mind you, but I have begun. I really need to get pictures taken of the book and what I have created so far. I so enjoy paper quilling while watching TV. Since my little fur baby, Coffee, likes me to sit right next to him, it's one craft I can do in the recliner.
And here they are.....a few pictures I finally took today.

Book Give-a-way

Oh my gosh! ....Look at the book that is being given away...... Catherine Matthews-Scanlon is giving away a book by her called "Art From The Heart"


Sure hope I am one of the lucky winners.... give it a shot you might win too....and it sure looks like an awesome book to have. Good Luck and Thanks Catherine!