More Baby Moments & A Winner!!

This post was created in partnership with Canon Canada

I hope you all caught last Wednesday's post... because if you missed it, you not only missed out on some cute pictures of Nolan and great tips for capturing your wee one's at home, but you missed a really great giveaway! I'll get to the winner of the Canon Selphy CP910 photo printer shortly, but I wanted to share some more tips and photos first!

As I mentioned last week, Canon Canada has a wonderful app called Baby Moments, that is full of all kinds of wonderful, easy to follow tips and tutorials to help you capture better photos of your little ones. Last week I talked a bit about the importance of lighting to capture great photos, and this week I have a couple different tutorials I attempted to capture that I want to share.

The #BabyMoments app has a section that is broken down into tips for great photos to capture based on your baby's age. In the 0-3 section, one of the tutorials is for attempting a fun scene of your baby, staged from above. I decided to try it out for myself, making a fun fishing scene for Nolan. I set the scene in our dining room, where we have the largest windows, and took the pictures mid afternoon when the sun wasn't too bright or harsh. I then laid out my scene using a blue bed sheet, a sun made from yellow felt and rick rack, cotton ball clouds and a halved basket for the boat (B's Mom helped me out with this part). Then, B helped by wrapping some rope around the top of the basket and we added a little life saver from Halle's bath toys. The most important prop (other than Nolan) was a tiny fishing rod B had, and a toy fish from Halle's bath toys.

Despite having the perfect scene set, we were lacking a baby who wanted to stay asleep. I attempted to nurse him and settle him to sleep more than once, but it's much harder when they are past the one week mark. I was so close to capturing the perfect shot of him, but he startled himself in his sleep, causing him to kick the basket and wake up fully. My added tips here, try when Baby is very little and sleepy and maybe include a white noise machine into the mix. Regardless of Nolan's inability to stay sleeping, I wanted to share the two best photos I captured, using my Canon Rebel SL1.

{He's starting to wake up here, trying to get his hands in his mouth so he can soothe himself back to sleep}

{This one would have been perfect, like a celebration shot of his catch... if only he wasn't kicking the basket!}

The next tutorial I attempted was a sense of scale. I needed to start with a nice soft spot to lay our little guy, in a room that receives a lot of natural light. I decided on our downstairs guest bedroom in the afternoon, which is extra perfect as it is a nice bright white bedroom. I set the scene with Nolan in my favourite newborn outfit (and it was the last time he wore it), and some white bedding along with a faux sheepskin rug, with our DIY headboard as a backdrop. I was lucky that he stayed asleep long enough for me to snap some good shots of his tiny self...

Though this last photo has nothing to do with sense of scale, who can resist an adorable baby yawn (and that outfit!? Seriously!)

Now, before I get to our winner I need to say I was thrilled to take part in this with Canon Canada. Not only has Canon always been my camera of choice, but I think it's so important to capture all the stages of our little one's growing up. Sharing these tutorials with you really pushed me to capture some different and sweet photos of our little man. I know I will definitely continue to use the tips from the #BabyMoments app to capture special moments of Nolan as he grows, and of his sister as well!

The winner of our giveaway was selected using random.org... and the lucky number was 12! That makes Linds  our giveaway winner!! Lindsey, please shoot me an email so I can make sure your prize is sent to you! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered, and congrats to our winner!!

A Monday Giveaway!

HAPPY MONDAY & Happy Remembrance Day! It's a long weekend here in BC, and today we take time to remember all of those who have served, fought and died for us. We plan on taking in some of the ceremonies that are happening here in our new hometown today.

I know things were silent here last week! I was busy working on a project that I hope to share by the end of the week, while also preparing for a show that Halle Handmade will be a part of this Saturday. 

And speaking of shows, you know what's coming up SO SOON!? The One of a Kind Show and Sale in Toronto. You know, only my favourite show ever!? Well, since I can't go this year to support my new artist friend, Olivia from Anonum Design Ltd., we'd like to send TEN of you + a friend each to this years Christmas show.

So, how do you win? It's easy, just check out the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So there you go! FIVE chances to win one of TEN PAIRS! All ten winners will be announced on Friday morning! Good luck!

(**Please be aware this giveaway is only for ENTRY tickets into the show in Toronto. Each winner will be responsible for their own transportation to the show at Exhibition Place. Only one pair of tickets can be won per person.)

A Winner & Some West Elm Fun!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. It was warm and sunny here, and we had a ton of fun exploring more with my brother. Keep an eye out for some of our adventures later this week. For now, I want to share with you something I got up to last Wednesday night... and then I'll share the two lucky winners of the Printique giveaway.

So it's official, West Elm is finally up and running right here in Vancouver. The brand new store is located at 2947 Granville Street, and I was so excited to attend the opening night last Wednesday. When I arrived shortly after 6pm the store was packed, the music was going (care of a DJ, spinning live), the cocktails were flowing, and the delicious apps were... well, DELICIOUS! 

It was an incredible night and I loved getting to see the new store first hand. Here's some of my favourites:

This wall of beautiful kitchen wares welcomes you upon entering the store. The styling was perfect, and I loved how they colour blocked the sections. It took everything in my power not to come home with stacks and stacks of pretty bowls. The perfect way to add some colour to your dishes.

Loved this mirror as soon as I spotted it. It was tucked away behind a bed display near the back of the store, so it took me a while to spot it, but I only wished I could've taken it home with me. Perfect for our bedroom, or the guest bedroom. The shape is unique, and could be almost nautical in the right setting. 

Speaking of bedding - I was in love with everything they had...

A lot of neutral and grey coverlets and duvet covers. My favourite being the polka dots in the top middle. There was a beautiful set of embroidered sheets in this section that I wanted to take home with me, but sadly they wouldn't fit our very deep mattress... so the search continues.

If we hadn't just bought our King Size duvet cover from West Elm back in March, I think I would've been scooping this pretty one up! Love the colours, and the pattern. Very pretty without being ultra feminine. I'm sure B wouldn't have completely veto'd it! (as this picture would indicate, many attendees had enjoyed this bed as well).

More beautiful bedding, and a fabulously styled wall. I was so tempted to bring home one of those sweater-knit pillows, to warm up our place for the fall (the dusty blue is perfect for our place), but we're tightening our belts at the moment, so I had to leave it be. They are perfect for the fall - especially in the Raisin colour - loved it!

These pretty and happy pillows would be sweet in any space, but I was imagining them in Halle's newly evolving nursery space. I almost brought home that little pink one peeking out the basket, but thought better of it. Little girl does not need any more throw pillows at the moment.

Overall, it was just a really fabulous night. I loved getting a peek into the new store, and I'm excited to shop there once again. If you're in Vancouver, make sure to drop by the store on Granville! It was also an excellent opportunity for me to catch up with some familiar faces, and meet a few new-to-me bloggers as well. I'm looking forward to seeing all of those lovely ladies again on the 29th a fabulous event being planned by some really incredible ladies! 

Now, for the party many of you have been waiting for! The winners of the Printique giveaway, as chosen by random.org! The first of our two winners was lucky #17 - Areta! And oddly enough, our second winner was #18! Cathy! If neither of you hear from me today, please shoot me an email and I will get you in touch with Monica from Printique right away so that you can go shopping with your $20 gift cards. 

For the rest of you, who would love to go shopping don't forget to use the code FANCY20 to get 20% off your order! Thanks to everyone who entered - I always love doing a fun giveaway for my readers!

A Monday Giveaway!

Happy Monday everyone! Once again we've been incredibly busy with some friends who have been visiting, and my brother just arrived yesterday. Still a lot more to see and do, but I do have more to share with you this week. Before I get to some of the stuff we've done around here, along with a look at how I prepared the guest room for everyone, I wanted to kick off this week with a giveaway. It's been quite a while since I've done one, so I was happy to hear from Monica over at Printique, who offered up TWO really great prizes!

Printique, is a fun Etsy shop, that has some really great ways for you to dress up your walls in a personal way. Located in New Brunswick, Monica does a great job taking your photos and turning them into beautiful Pop Arts prints.

{Set of 4 8x10 prints}

{Andy Warhol style 8x10 print}

I love that you have the option to get the four individual prints, or one print. She also provides the option to order them as a digital file so that you can print them anywhere and anyway you'd like. How fun would those digital files be to create your own birthday party invites for little one's?

You may also like to have a couple's photo done. Great for framing and hanging, or using for some funky wedding invites, save the dates or even thank you cards.

{Couples Pop Art 8x10 Print}

If you're looking for something a little different, you may be a fan of the custom silhouette portraits that Monica does. You can choose to have it made using the map of a city you love, or have one of the pretty scalloped frames around it. So lovely!

{Custom Silhouette Portrait with Map}                                        {Custom Silhouette Portrait}

So "What?", you may ask, is Monica offering up for my lovely readers today? Well, we're giving away TWO $20 certificates, to be used any way that you would like, to two very lucky readers! Excited? Well, here's how to enter:

1) You must be a follower of my blog! Just click on that pretty "join this site" button on the right hand side of the screen. 

2) Visit Monica's shop, and check out what she has. Then come on back and leave a comment letting me know what you would use $20 towards!

For Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each of the below for an extra entry to count):

1) Head on over to First Time Fancy's Facebook page and give me a "Like". Then come back and leave a comment letting me know (if you already "Like" First Time Fancy on Facebook, even better - just leave a comment and let me know!)

2) Head on over to Monica's Facebook Page and give her a "Like", then come back and leave a comment letting me know that you have done so!

3) Give a little tweet! "I just entered to win $20 from Printique over at @FirstTimeFancy!"

Make sure you enter by this coming Sunday, September 16th at 12pm PST. I will announce the winner (chosen at random), next Monday the 17th! In the mean time, if you just can't wait to find out if you've won, or you'd rather do some shopping on your own, Monica has offered up 20% off to all First Time Fancy readers! Just use the promo code FANCY20! Good Luck and Happy Shopping! :)

We're Here... and a Winner!

My apologies for the radio silence my dear readers! Things have been CRAZY around here - around here being our new west coast home. We flew out here on Thursday and have been busy unpacking and running errands ever since (and of course we've squeezed in some time to take Halle to the little park just around the corner from our new place). I hope to be back tomorrow with some photos of where we've got this place to so far - nothing huge, but who doesn't love updates?

In the meantime, I needed to pop in to announce the winner of my fun Teethease Giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and I was so happy to see that so many of you loved these as well - they are so great! So who will be the new lucky owner of a great Teethease 2.0 Pendant Necklace? Drum roll please...


Lucky #4!! Amelia from House Pretty! Congrats girl! I'll be in touch to discuss how to get you your fabulous new teething necklace! 


Don't forget to come back this afternoon! The post that I promised on Friday will be coming soon, and it's so much fun! You'll want to check it out!

Teething Made Easy (& a Giveaway!)

Today's I'm venturing back into something more related to the Mommy stuff that has been creeping into my blogging. While we were away in BC looking for a new place to call home, I got an email from the people at Teethease, asking if I would be interested in trying out and writing a review for one of their pieces of jewelry. After reading more about them, I couldn't possibly turn this opportunity down, after all, Halle's very first tooth is JUST coming in!


So what is Teethease, you ask? Well, it's a Canadian line of jewelry made specifically for Mom's on the go, that is safe for babies to chew on. What really sold me was the fact that the pieces are really easy to wash - they are dishwasher safe, but can also easily be cleaned using soap and water. Even better, all of the pieces are BPA and PVC free and contain no phthalates, heavy metals or latex! All of the smooth surfaces are made from hypoallergenic, medical grade, FDA-approved silicone. Teethease also qualifies for EN-71, the highest international safety standard. This made the whole thing that much better - something I could really feel okay about letting her chew on.


They have a number of necklaces available, as well as bangles, and everything is totally affordable, ranging in price from $9.95 - $34.95. What I received in the mail is the Teethease Pendant Necklace 2.0 in Turquoise - absolutely lovely. The colour is beautiful, and it's really light-weight. I was surprised at how soft the little doughnut was, and it's really easy to wear, which means no digging through the diaper bag to find a teether for Halle.

As for what Halle thought, I was feeling uncertain as to how she would respond has she has really been avoiding chewing on things. So, with my fingers crossed, I held the pendant out to her and let her know it was okay to put in her mouth, and...

SUCCESS! She went NUTS for it, and every time we give it to her she chews, chews and chews some more. Unlike many of the other teethers that we have, this one is so soft - perfect for those tender little gums. I also like that once it's on my neck, she can grab it and chew as she likes, and when she's done and decides that she wants to toss it... it never hits the ground. It stays securely around my neck. Yes, I must say I am a fan.


Over Easter weekend we had a party for my Father's 65th birthday, and both of my cousins who are pregnant thought it was great. Guess what they'll be getting for their new babes? If you have a babe of your own, or your looking for a great baby shower gift, I highly recommend the Teethease line of jewelry. Safe, stylish and great for those little one's to soothe their gums on - what could be better?


Interested in scoring one for yourself or someone else? Well - here's your chance to get your own Teethease 2.0 Pendant necklace! There's 3 simple ways to enter to win:


1. Be a follower of this blog and leave a comment letting me know that you are
2. Visit the Teethease website and come back and leave me a comment letting me know what your favourite piece is, and what colour!
3. Tweet about it! Tweet "I just entered to win a @MyTeethease Pendant from @FirstTimeFancy!" and then come back and leave me a comment letting me know that you tweeted about it. 


The contest will close on Sunday at midnight, and the winner will be announced on Monday morning! Good Luck! (Contest open to Canadian residents only.)

New Arrivals

In the midst of cleaning, organizing and purging (not a whole lot of packing going on. A guy came from the moving company yesterday to take "inventory" of what we will be bringing, and pretty much told me to stop packing things as they would pack everything for us... OKAY!), some deliveries arrived to our house.


First, while Halle and I were playing in her nursery, a courier arrived at the door carrying a pretty canvas tote! I wasn't too sure what it contained, but was excited to open it up and find the Veet prize pack that I won from Liz over at Wallpaper.

The weather is warming up, so all of these lovely products will come in handy for sure... especially since I have little to no time to be hitting up a salon!


Later in the afternoon, while hanging out in kitchen, I saw the UPS guy approaching our front door. To my great pleasure, it was the beautiful poppy tree frame I had won from Nancy over at Marcus Design! I had been anxiously awaiting it's arrival, and let me just say, this frame is more gorgeous in person than I had ever imagined!

The quality is incredible, and I love how unique it is! We plan on using it to frame a photo of Halle (definitely one from our recent session with Nicole), and then a photo of B and I together. With a name like "Eternal", we knew this would be the perfect family photo frame - don't you think? Now, we just have to wait until we are in our new place to get it hung!


Don't you just love when you get surprise deliveries?


*Speaking of new arrivals, a few new items have been added to our "Blogarage sale" over on Facebook...

Our Weekend and.. A WINNER!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you enjoyed this weekend! I most definitely did. When B got home from work on Friday, we buckled the munchkin into her stroller and took a quick jaunt down the street to enjoy some delicious lobster bisque and grilled swordfish...

Halle was apparently a little scared of B's bisque. Regardless, she was a good little girl (despite wanting to be held the whole time we ate). We rounded the night out with some cuddles after Halle went off to bed at 10... and slept until just before 6am the next morning! Glorious!


Saturday morning we headed off to check out the new Lowe's in our hood to price out a few things for the bathroom reno. Afterwards, B was on his way to my brother's bachelor party while Halle and I headed out to my parents. She spent the night hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and I enjoyed some girl time with my very soon to be sister-in-law, my cousin and a couple of other lovely girls. The two of us spent the night at my parents and the munchkin was so great for me!

Can't believe she's 7 weeks old already!

So, why am I boring you with weekend details? Well, because I planned on taking updated pictures of my parent's guest bedroom... but I got a little distracted and completely forgot about it until we were on our way home again! Next visit I suppose!

BUT for those of you who entered, I have a winner for the MyMemories Suite 2 Giveaway! The winner was randomly selected using random.org and is....

Katrina from Chic Little House! 

Congrats - Katrina I'll be sending you an email with all of the details to collect your prize!

For those of you who didn't win, and would like a copy of your own, visit MyMemories.com and use the code below to get $10 off your own copy of MyMemories Suite 2, plus a $10 credit to use at the MyMemories online store! AWESOME!

STMMMS43778

One Last Reminder...

Happy Saturday friends! I don't know about you, but it's gorgeous here in Toronto... so yes, I will be enjoying some of it a little later. Just wanted to pop in and remind you that the MyMemories giveaway closes tomorrow!

Be sure to pop on over and enter the giveaway here. Winner will be announced on Monday morning!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Giveaway: MyMemories Suite 2

I recently reached 200 followers and had thought I would like to do a great giveaway for my wonderful readers. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when I heard from the people at MyMemories asking me to try out their software, and giveaway a copy of their software for free as well. How could I say no?


What is MyMemories, you ask? It's a great digital scrapbooking software that you can use for making photobooks, scrapbooks, calendars and all kinds of other fun photo products! I've been testing it out with some pictures of the Munchkin (of course), and me and B, and here's what I've created...

I had so much fun making these and I plan to use the software to create our family Christmas Cards for this year. I used a basic photo template and then added my own text, and picked my own background, embellishments and font. Once you've created your own page it's incredibly simple to transform them into a calendar, card or just a regular old JPEG to share, with the click of a button! I LOVE IT, and I know I'll have so much fun with it, especially with all of the photos I've been taking of our little Halle. 


It's super easy to use, and once you have the software, you can visit the website to download additional templates! To find out more about how to use MyMemories you can check out the video below...

Welcome to the Family! from Lisa Jurrens on Vimeo.

Now, how can you win this fantastic software?


1. Follow First Time Fancy and leave a comment letting me know that you do


2. Visit the MyMemories website and check out their templates. Come back and leave a second comment letting me know what your favourite template it.


For Extra Entries...


1. Follow MyMemories at each of the following places and come back and leave me a comment for each one letting me know that you follow them...


Blog: http://blog.mymemories.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mymemoriessuite
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite


2. Blog about this contest and come back and leave me a comment letting me know (include a link in your comment)


3. Tweet "I just entered to win @mymemoriessuite 2 over at @FirstTimeFancy"


So what are you waiting for!? The contest will close on Sunday September 11 and I will announce the lucky winner on Monday September 12th! Good Luck!

DIY Fabric Pom Pom Mobile & A Winner!

Happy Monday! We had a great weekend filled with family and friends, and today I begin training the girl who will cover me while I'm off on mat leave for the next year. The count down is officially on. Only 13 more days of work... Nutso!

Before I announce the winner of my Ramsign giveaway, I wanted to share with you a project that I've been working on for a little while now. A DIY mobile for the Peanut's nursery. I got the basic idea from this tutorial over at once wed for DIY Fabric Poms - and made a few adjustments so that it would work for me.

Then I pulled together all of my materials...

Items You Need:
- Styrofoam Balls (I got 1.5" and 2" from the Dollar Store, but only used the 1.5" ones)
- Fabric (I used two different solid colours)
- Glue Gun
- Embroidery Hoop
- Rope, Yarn, Ribbon, Fishing wire (I originally started with twine, but moved to Fishing line in order to get that "floating feeling" for my Poms)
- Something round to trace (I used the top of a paint tube and the size worked well)
- Scissors


Step 1: I took the inside of the embroidery hoop and painted it white, as I wanted the pom poms to stand out, and not the hoop itself. 

Step 2: Set your hoop aside to dry, while you trace and cut out many, many little circles of fabric...




... Trust me... you'll cut WAYYYY more circles than this. I'm saying you need somewhere between 40 and 50 per pom-pom (of course depending on the size of your styrofoam balls).

Step 3: Once your little circles are cut, you can begin gluing them onto your styrofoam balls (or whatever round object you choose to use). As per the tutorial, fold each circle in half, add a small dab of hot glue on the flat side of the circle, near the bottom and fold in half again. Then add a small line of glue along the folded edge of your circle and apply to your styrofoam ball. Then glue away.

You'll find your own pattern and way of gluing on your little fabric pieces to make the pom pom look right. I started off putting them too close together, which I found didn't make it look fluffy enough, so I started to space them out more as I went.

Step 4: Before you ball is full of fabric, put a small dab on hot glue directly onto the styrofoam ball and insert one end of fishing line. Hold it in place until it dries and cut fishing line to desired length (we found that longer was better so we could adjust the length when we were ready to attach it to the hoop.

Step 5: Take your fishing line and tie it across the hoop to create quarters. (I probably should've taken a photo of this step... but of course neglected to. My apologies. I blame the baby brain for that one!) We made sure to tie it nice and tight, as this is how we planned to hang it. Once tied, we used a small amount of hot glue to ensure the fishing line was firmly attached to the hoop and wouldn't slide.


Step 6: After putting a screw into the window frame over the foot of her crib, B used a ribbon to hang the hoop.

Step 7: Tie on the pom poms at alternating heights until the hoop is balanced. Don't tie them on too tight, as you may need to slide them around a little to get everything balanced properly.

Step 8: Trim your ribbon and extra length of fishing line and enjoy your pretty little mobile (we're pretty happy with how it turned out...)

We're starting to feel pretty ready for this little peanut to arrive, and have another update to share later this week (hint: artwork has started to go up on the walls!). Yup... things are starting to feel pretty real, and that's a good thing as my due date is just a little over four weeks away. Wow!

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for - the winner of my Ramsign giveaway! Thanks so much to Ramsign for offering up one of their signs for one of my lucky readers, and thank you to everyone who participated! We had a total of 15 comments left, and after using random.org to generate a winner (between 1 and 15) we came up with lucky #4!

Congrats to Hilary over at My So Called Home! Lucky Hilary is actually in the process of buying her first house and I hope that this pretty little sign is the perfect addition to help turn your new house into a home! I'll contact you with details on how to claim your prize!

Happy Monday Giveaway!

Happy Monday friends... and today is happy indeed! Not only is it June, but I'm starting the week off with a giveaway. It's been quite some time since I've done one, and I'm really excited about what I have on offer for you this week!

I'm sure that by now you are familiar with the company Ramsign - you may have seen a giveaway from them on some of your other favourite blogs. I adore their Porcelain Enamel Signs, and was thrilled when they contacted me to offer up one of their house number signs to one of my lucky readers!

Metropolitan

Engelhardt

Lighthouse

There are signs available from 1 digit, up to 5 digits and with five different styles for you to choose from. The best part is that they ship worldwide and delivery is free of charge... so anyone from anywhere in the world can participate in this fun giveaway. So let's get to what you have to do to enter, shall we?

- In order to enter you must be a follower of First Time Fancy (just click Follow in the bottom left margin)

- Head on over to Ramsign and check out their house numbers. Come back and leave me a comment letting me know which style you would choose for your home if you won!

- Make sure your comment is linked to your blog/blogger profile with an email address - or leave your email address in your comment so I have a way of contacting you if you win!

For Bonus Entries...

- Blog about this little giveaway and link back to this post! Be sure to leave an another comment letting me know you blogged about it, and of course, link to your post in the comment!

- Tweet about this contest saying "I just entered to win a Ramsign House Number from @FirstTimeFancy" and include a link to this post. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted about this contest as well!

So that's it! The contest runs until 11pm EST on Sunday June 12th. The winner will be choosen using random.org and announced on Monday June 13th! Good Luck!

It's Here...

The other week I posted about how my winnings had continued, with the fantastic Wire Home Furnishings Giveaway that Wendy had hosted. Well, after some humming and hawing and discussion with B, it was decided that even though I love the Eames Style Side chairs that were on offering, they didn't really go in our home and we really didn't have room for another chair. I know... believe me, it killed me to admit it, but it's true. SO, in the end B and I decided on the Mini M Table Lamp in Silver... we're seriously lacking in task / mood lighting in our home.

Our thoughts were that it would be perfect in our newly finished front entrance. Of course, I had neglected to actually look at the height of the lamp on the website... so B and I were surprised at the size of the lamp when it arrived on our doorstep only a few short business days after ordering it. It spent over a week sitting in our living room waiting for me to find it the right home. Because of the size I had a feeling it wouldn't be right for our front entrance, but after placing it there the other night while cleaning up, both B and I are starting to think it's actually exactly what we needed on our little console table in there.

It adds a little height to everything else that is in there (I still need to do a bit more accessorizing), and a little glam. We have yet to add a bulb or even plug that bad boy in, but it's coming!


What do you think of our new lamp and it's new home? I know, it's a huge tease since you haven't got a good post on the after of our front entrance. Well the photos have been taken and the post is together and it's coming tomorrow! I promise!

Wine Winner!

Happy Christmas Eve, Eve everybody! Today I'm thinking of an old tradition I used to share with my cousin... we had a Christmas Eve, Eve sleep over every year filled with movies, music, food, late nights... all fun of course! Anyone out there have any Christmas Eve, Eve traditions?


But what I came here for! To announce the winner of my Inniskillin Wineries giveaway! I'm actually still a relatively new MAC user, so I have no idea how to show you the number that was randomly generated, but I promise that I'm being honest! Our winner was #3... meaning Brittany wins! 

Congrats Brittany! I'll be emailing you shortly so we can get in touch to arrange getting your prize sent to you! Hope this brightens your holiday a little!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Holiday Partyin' (and a giveaway!)

This past weekend we hosted Christmas gatherings at our house both Saturday and Sunday. We all know that hosting can be a lot of work with cleaning, preparations, finding the perfect food and drink... all of it. Well, this past weekend we got a little bit of help from the wonderful people at Inniskillin Wineries.


Last week they got in touch with me and asked me to try out a couple of wines from their East-West series for 2010. Of course... I was more than happy to accept, as I knew we would all enjoy them at our Christmas gathering. The East-West series of wines is made up from 100% Canadian grapes from wineries in the East and West of Canada, with varying percentages from each. The two wines that I received were a 2009 Riesling-Gewurztraminer and a 2008 Merlot-Cabernet. 

Though I had planned to wait to open the bottles until dinner, they ended up being poured while we munched away on cheese, crackers, chips and other little starter snacks. Everyone seemed to agree that the Riesling-Gewurztraminer was great for drinking with snacks and cheeses to start. It was light and fruity and a little sweet. Because of what we were munching on, the white was much more appropriate for our starters... but we made sure we had enough left for dinner.


Though the wonderful people at Inniskillin were great enough to send along some recipes meant to go with the wines they sent, B had already come up with a really great menu for our party. He made a delicious lasagna with bechamel sauce, and a rotisserie chicken, and my Mom provided some yummy rosemary roasted potatoes...

Yeah... no pictures until everyone started to dig in. It was really THAT delicious! YES! So what did we find? The Riesling-Gewurztraminer was great with both the chicken and the lasagna (thanks to B's fantastic bechamel sauce), and the red was great with the lasagna as well. 

Overall, we really loved both kinds of wines! They were a great, and I think that the Riesling-Gewurztraminer was the winner of the night. Everyone seemed to love it and it paired really well with everything on the table! I'd say that both were great for evening and entertaining mainly, and would be great for dinner parties or evening drinks with friends. I will definitely be heading out to buy more of this for ourselves, as well as for some hostess gifts this holiday season! 

Of course, the great people at Inniskillin did not forget about my readers either! They sent along a great gift pack for me to share with one of my readers. What did they send?

- A gorgeous red knit Canada scarf

- A VIP Tasting Card - Visit Inniskillin's Niagara Estate to receive a complimentary tasting for you and a guest at the tasting bar. This inclusdes 2 VQA Inniskillin Wines and their Vidal Icewine (YUM!)

- An Icewine Book

This contest is open to Canadian readers only, and closes Wednesday night! To enter, leave a comment below and let me know what your favourite type of wine is! Be sure to leave some way for me to contact you when you leave your comment! I will announce the winner bright and early on Thursday morning, so come back to see if you were the lucky winner!

GOOD LUCK!